CHAPTER 1
As that same dove flew past their apartment window in Rome, later that day, Ryan Whittaker leaned back in his armchair and set his coffee cup on the mahogany coffee table. It landed with a soft clink in the china saucer. He glanced out the window at the late-afternoon sunlight pouring into their living room, then smiled at the baby in Kristen’s arms.
“Well, we truly are blessed.” He reached down to tousle his two-year-old son’s soft hair. “First a son, and now a daughter.”
Kristen beamed. “Yes. I’m so glad God gave them to us!” Sadness creased her forehead. “I just pray that God will let them live to see the Glorious Appearing.” She reached up a hand to brush her hair behind her back. Two pearl earrings dangled from her earlobes, gleaming in the late-afternoon sunlight.
“So do I. Moreover, I pray that God will let us survive.” Ryan shook his head. “With the pope dead, it’s only a matter of time, now, till things heat up.”
“I know. Moses and Elijah—then Antonio Puccini...” Kristen’s voice trailed off.
The cell phone beeped; Ryan reached sideways to pick it up. As he held it to his ear, a familiar Israeli accent reached his ears. “Hello, Ryan. Shalom!”
Ryan smiled broadly. “David! Hello. Shalom to you, too.” He straightened his back, exchanging smiles with Kristen. “How’s Deborah?”
“She’s all right.” David’s voice sounded just a little hard; Ryan couldn’t put a finger on why. “However, there’s no time to waste. You and Kristen are in great danger, Ryan.”
Ryan shot a worried look at his wife, who clutched the baby to her bosom. “Danger?”
“Yes. You know that Puccini is in Israel, meeting with my employer Dayan?”
Ryan nodded. “Yes. My substitute pilot took him there, because my wife and I are on maternity leave.”
“I know.” David paused. “My friend, you must get out of Rome right now! Go into hiding and stay in hiding! I just overheard Puccini and Dayan talking, a couple of hours ago. Puccini knows you’re Christians, and he plans to murder you and Kristen, and take your children for the state. This evening, when he arrives from his trip.”
Ryan leaped to his feet; gripping the arms of her chair, Kristen leaned forward, alarm etched on her face. For a long moment, Ryan locked eyes with his wife. “Thank you for warning me, David.”
“You’re welcome. Good-bye.” He paused. “Let me know when you and the family are coming, and I’ll meet you at Tel Aviv.”
“OK. I will.” A click, followed by a dial tone, followed David’s voice.
Slowly, Ryan laid the cell phone on the coffee table and bit his lower lip. Slowly, he turned to face his wife. Although stunned by the news, Ryan was not totally surprised. In the back of his mind, he’d been expecting Puccini to attempt something like this sooner or later. Now that the time had come, he was determined to protect his wife and children. He had to get them away from Rome, and quickly.
“Ryan?” Kristen rose to her feet, her face white. “What’s wrong?” She laid baby Nicole on the armchair, then turned to face her husband.
Ryan took a deep breath. “We’re in danger, Kristen,” he said slowly. “We’ve got to run for it immediately. Puccini wants to kill us and take our children for the state.”
Before Kristen could react, the regular phone jangled. Making a face, Ryan picked it up. “Hello, Ryan,” Puccini said.
Ryan bit his lower lip. “Hello, Antonio. How are your meetings with Elijah Dayan coming?”
“They are coming nicely.” Antonio sounded pleased. “I am getting ready to return to Rome now, and I want you and Kristen to meet me at the airport in four hours. We have a flight scheduled, and your substitute cannot make it, so I must ask you to cut your maternity leave short. Both of you.”
Before Ryan could answer, the phone suddenly went dead. “Wha-at...?” Puzzled, he laid the receiver on its base, then picked it up again. The dial tone buzzed in his ear, same as always.
“Hello, Ryan.” Andrew appeared on the other side of the coffee table, glowing, wearing a beige suit. “God has just disconnected your call, so you wouldn’t be obligated to make any promises to Puccini. He won’t be able to get back through at this time, so don’t worry about a repeat call.” Ryan nodded. That was a relief!
Andrew paused, looking from Ryan to Kristen. “Don’t do as he says. Take David’s warning and get out now. Go to Israel. Another angel and I have a private plane waiting at the airport. Go with me there, and we will take you to Tel-Aviv.”
Ryan and Kristen exchanged glances, then nodded. “Come on, honey. Let’s pack.” Ryan put his arm around Kristen’s shoulder, then turned to Andrew. “Would you watch the babies for us?” He grabbed his cell phone. “I’ve got to call David.” He paused. "Then I've got to call a friend who lives nearby and arrange to visit him immediately. I'm going to have to convert our bank account into gold, and fast."
“Certainly.” Andrew smiled, as Kristen handed him her daughter. The two hurried toward their bedroom, their shoes softly thudding on the soft carpet.
A little over an hour later, Andrew drove them to the airport in Tess’s old Cadillac convertible. He had pulled up the top so that no one would see his passengers plainly. Ryan leaned back, as the hum of the air-conditioning soothed his overwrought emotions.
Andrew craned his head to look back at the two. Chuckling, the angel of death explained, “Tess gave me permission to borrow it for this drive.”
Ryan grinned. “Tess is very protective of this car, isn’t she?”
Andrew bit back a grin. “She calls it her baby!” Ryan laughed. He could understand that sentiment.
Kristen smiled wanly. “Please thank her for us, would you?”
Andrew promised that he would. At that moment, he entered the airport grounds; a few minutes later, he pulled up next to a small plane. As he escorted the passengers aboard, the convertible vanished.
“Hello, Adam.” Andrew greeted the other angel of death, who had taken his seat on the flight officer’s side. Both angels now wore pilot’s uniforms, Ryan noticed.
“Hello.” Adam smiled. ‘Well, let’s be on our way.” He removed his cap and laid it on the shelf next to him. In the back, Ryan and Kristen took their cushioned seats and fastened their seat belts.
The flight went smoothly; to Ryan and Kristen’s relief, the control tower did not question Andrew about his passengers. A few hours later, at midnight, the plane touched down at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. Glittering stars dotted the black sky. The Whittakers thanked the two angels for transporting them to safety, then entered the terminal. A familiar figure appeared at the bottom of the escalator. Thirty years old, he had light-brown hair, green eyes, and tanned skin; he was tall and skinny. The man had a narrow nose and a cleft in his chin.
“David!” Ryan rushed toward his Israeli friend, Kristen right behind. The two men embraced, then David bowed toward Kristen. “It’s so good to see you,” Ryan said.
“And to see you.” David frowned. “We’d better hurry—there’s no time to waste. I’ve got a car outside; I’ll take you to Jerusalem. You can stay with my sister and me.” He smiled at the babies. “Your babies are really growing!”
Kristen beamed. “Yes, they are, aren’t they?” Ryan gazed proudly at little Jeremy and Nicole.
During the drive, the three adults chatted nonstop. They shared stories of recent events. The babies slept peacefully in car seats David had brought for the trip. Ryan noticed, however, that David did not speak of his sister. Bad sign—he usually speaks of her freely, he thought. I hope she’s all right!
As they drove through East Jerusalem, Ryan and Kristen gazed at the old familiar sites. When they came to the Wailing Wall, now silent and dark, David stopped the car suddenly. A loud honk behind them startled all three, so David pulled up to the curb and turned off the ignition.
Before Ryan or Kristen could react, David leaped out of the car. His face turned red; he clenched his hands and pressed them against his sides. “I might have known,” he muttered, rage in his voice.
END OF CHAPTER 1