Blood Relics (A James Acton Thriller, #12) Read Online Free Page A

up at the sky and
could spot the bright orb of the sun overhead, and judging by the growl in his
stomach, he suspected it was around noon.
    He
won’t last much longer, not if he was beaten as badly as Albus said.
    “Woman, here
is your son,” said the voice, weaker still. “Here is your mother.”
    It was
times like these he wished he could see for he had no idea what the words
meant. Who was he talking to? Was it his mother? Was it his brother? It
couldn’t be, for surely a mother would know her own son.
    This
man speaks in riddles!
    He sighed.
    Maybe
he’s going mad with the heat?
    The sun
was beating down on them now, Golgatha outside the city on a hilltop, there no
chance of shade here, the stone and dried dirt they stood upon getting so hot
it almost baked the sandal clad feet of those who felt compelled to accompany
the condemned.
    Which
meant the crowds had thinned even more, and he suspected by the time the end
arrived, it would be thinner still.
    The
insults were few now, those whose hearts were filled with hatred seemingly not
willing to endure the heat in the name of their convictions.
    Footsteps
approached from behind, a hand gently gripping his shoulder. “There’s no need
to stand guard anymore, come sit with us.” Longinus nodded, turning and walking
forward, his steps slow, deliberate, as he followed the shadow of Albus,
nervous he might trip on the uneven ground. The shadow stopped and Albus
grabbed his hand. “Let me help you, old man!” he said with a laugh, a good
cover as Longinus sat where he stood, Albus guiding him to the ground before
sitting beside him.
    Something
was placed in his hand.
    “Drink.”
    Longinus
took a long drag of the harsh liquid, the wine having long turned to vinegar,
losing any of its pleasurable qualities once intended by the vintner.
    A gust
of wind swept over them providing a welcome respite from the heat if but for a
moment.
    “Look!”
cried someone to his left. A shadow crossed his path, a large shadow, and it
took him a moment to realize it wasn’t a shadow at all. He looked up and felt
his heart slam in his chest.
    The sun
was gone.
     
     
     
     

 
     

     
     
    Corpo della Gendarmeria Office
Palazzo del Governatorato, Vatican City
Present Day, Two days before the Paris assault
     
    Vatican Inspector General Mario Giasson hung up the phone, shaking
his head. Someone had stolen a priceless Blood Relic in Spain, murdering a
priest in the process. He had always wanted more security put in place for
these relics, in fact, he had always been a proponent of bringing all these
relics, so important to Christian belief, behind the massive walls surrounding them.
    But his
concerns had always been dismissed, and he understood the reasoning. These
relics were sometimes critical draws to the churches that held them, precious
to their parishioners, usually safely held for centuries. Over the decades
security measures had been put in place from locks, gates and protective cases,
sometimes even alarm systems, but rarely were guards present.
    It was
simply too expensive.
    We
rely too heavily on the goodness of man.
    It was
an evil world, something that seemed reinforced with his daily reading of the
news, and this phone call had merely cemented his view a little more. An aged
priest, near retirement, killed protecting a relic he had no business
protecting, a relic only precious to those who believed, and should they truly be
believers, a relic they wouldn’t dream of stealing.
    He knew
that thinking was naïve. All believers aren’t good people, of that there was no
doubt. The classic example were the deeply religious Mafioso that so populated
the country surrounding this tiny city state. How men could commit murder with
one hand and hold rosary beads with the other, was beyond him.
    I
hope there’s a special corner of hell reserved for them.
    An alarm
sounded and he jumped to his feet, rushing out into the security office, those
manning the computers and security