Enemy Among Us-A Jordan Wright Thriller Read Online Free

Gerhardt, welcoming him to Siena and asking Jordan to meet him at one of the dinners planned that evening. Jordan stopped by the front desk on his way out and asked for a map. Quickly, he found the contrade where the meeting would take place. It took him almost twenty minutes to arrive, having to pass through several of the other contrades and their celebrations.
    Walking through the neighborhood, Jordan was eventually approached by two men.
    “Are you Mr. Wright?” The larger of the two asked.
    Jordan nodded.
    They turned and walked toward a large table. They hadn’t said anything, but Jordan got the impression he was to follow. As he approached the table, he was shown to an empty seat next to an older man, who was in great physical shape.
    “I’m Gerhardt. Welcome Jordan and, I’m glad you could join my neighbors.” Turning to the neighbors, Gerhardt put his arm around Jordan. “Jordan is Marco’s nephew. He’ll be one of us for the race tomorrow.” The table erupted with acknowledgements and welcomes. Everyone seemed to know and have come under the charm of Father Marco.
    Gerhardt leaned over and whispered to Jordan. “Tonight we have fun and celebrate; tomorrow we will discuss business.”
    Jordan nodded. “Sounds good to me. I’ve been to Il Palio before, but never have been part of a contrade.”
    Everyone around Jordan began to talk about the horse they would have race tomorrow and their chances of winning. Much of the discussion at dinner was the strategy the jockey should deploy. It wasn’t just about winning; it was just as important that your enemy lose. The contrades each had a long history of alliances and enemies amongst the other contrades. Much had been lost to history and many had no idea why they are either aligned or opposed to another; but it was the way it had always been. The citizens of the contrade, all who actually had a say in how their horse should run the race, would greatly debate over dinner on whether to go for the win or ensure their enemies’ loss. By the time the festival got underway, the horses had already run a series of trials, so the citizens had a good idea in regards to the strength of their horse and jockey.
    As more food was served, the louder and more involved the debate became. Jordan enjoyed playing the role of the observer, as he was thoroughly entertained by the back and forth discussions, everyone having his opinion and, more importantly, the opinions on others’ opinions. Jordan wasn’t sure if any strategy were emerging that all would agree upon, but he’d come to discover there was a pecking order among the citizenry and, while everyone got their say, it was actually a few well-respected individuals who would decide the approach to be taken the following day. Jordan had also discovered that, regardless of what they advocated tonight, tomorrow each individual would be telling everyone his strategy had been the one adopted.
    Around midnight, Jordan finally made his way back to the hotel. The city was still bustling, but his stomach was stuffed and he needed sleep. Opening the door to his room, he noticed the blinking red light on the phone. “Damn,” he thought. Only one person would have known to look for him here. Max Bogle was just too good. Max, Jordan’s boss, would only call if there were something brewing.
    After he retrieved the message, Jordan decided to call back when he woke in the morning, prior to the beginning of the festivities. He stripped off his clothes and headed toward the shower. Steam enveloped the bathroom, relaxing him. He came out of shower dried off, and hit the bed. No sooner had he put his head on the pillow than he was sound asleep.

Chapter Six

     
    Startled, Jordan woke up to his phone ringing. He took a quick moment to compose himself and then picked it up.
    “Who is it?” Jordan demanded.
    “Jordan. It’s me, Max. Did you get my message last night?”
    “Max, what’s going on? I was going to call you back this