Brainrush 03 - Beyond Judgment by Richard Bard Read Free Book Online Page B

irritation. But a quick glance at a mirror revealed a calm expression. The reflection nodded back at him.
    A distant hammering issued through a vent in the floor, reminding him of what was happening down below. The noise from the dungeons wouldn’t have been heard hundreds of years ago, but the addition of a heating and ventilation system provided acoustic avenues for sound to travel in unusual directions. He made his way downstairs. The stone steps were worn smooth. They spiraled into the depths of the mountain. Sconce lights replaced ancient torch holders. Their illumination revealed a thin sheen of moisture on the rock. He felt the chill to his bones, but he didn’t mind. He imagined his forefathers experiencing the same sensations, shrugging them off against the magnitude of their calling.
    The reinforced steel door closed behind him, and a dozen men in heavy coveralls and hooded ski jackets jumped to attention. Heels clicked together with military precision. They stood among a stack of crates of various shapes and sizes. A few of them had yet to be sealed. Gears turned overhead in the cavernous space. Thick steel cable fed around a huge flywheel before disappearing through a wide gap in the cliff face. A gust of snow whipped into the room.
    “As you were,” Victor said, as he donned one of the fur-lined coats from a rack by the door. The men relaxed and continued their work. One of them stepped forward. He gave a slight bow and pointed at the receding gondola.
    “That will be the last load today,
Mein Herr
,” he reported. “We must wait for the storm to subside.”
    Victor watched as the last of the precious items was prepared for shipment. He knew that similar crates were being packed all over the world. Preserving mankind’s culture was integral to their mission. “How many more loads?” he asked.
    “Three more will take care of everything you see here.” He motioned toward a secured double door at the far side of the room. “And one more…”
    Victor nodded his approval. Everything was on track.
    The entrance door opened. Hans rushed in. He didn’t bother with a coat. “There’s been a development,” he said.
    The surge of adrenaline Victor felt was no threat to his composure. His visage remained impassive. A glance at the guard, and the man turned on his heel and returned to work with the rest of the men.
    “What is it?” Victor asked.
    Hans explained.
    Victor welcomed the news with a calculated expression that offered no hint of the excitement he felt inside.
    “This changes everything,” he said.

Chapter 9

    Venice, Italy
    J AKE’S FACE WAS everywhere.
    Francesca stifled a sob. Marshall had used an application to snap-share the media from the camera to the personal devices in the room, including Alex’s tablet. She watched as her son held the locket beside the displayed image. His fingers traced the outline of Jake’s face on the screen. Alex was content. She envied the serenity he emanated. It was a stark contrast with the anxious emotions that otherwise filled the room.
    Tony and her father huddled in a corner with two men from the Gondoliers’ Guild. One of the gondoliers issued a string of orders into his phone. Marshall’s fingers danced on his smartphone. Lacey hovered beside him. She was still in her wedding dress. The veil was on the floor. Her eyes were red, but her expression was determined. Sarafina played a haunting melody on a sixteenth-century clavichord at the other side of the salon. Her downturned face was hidden by her shoulder-length hair.
    The fabric of Francesca’s world unraveled with each passing thought. How could Jake have allowed her to go on believing he was dead? He’d been gone for six years. Yet still she woke every morning with an emptiness that was only partly filled by her children. Had everything she’d felt been one-sided? Had he ever loved her at all?
    She watched as Alex flipped from one image to the next—the cameras had captured four shots of