The Venice Code Read Online Free Page A

movies for all I know. Certainly some weird things about glass skulls have to be from a movie.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Hopefully it will all come back otherwise they won’t let me back to work!”
    “Don’t you worry about that,” said Reading. “If Scotland Yard won’t take you back, I’ll get you into INTERPOL with me. Much cushier job.”
    Acton rubbed his chin, debating on whether or not he should ask the question he had been dying to ask. On the dig in Egypt, after Chaney had been wounded, he had said he had something important to talk to him about, and with Chaney being a member of the Triarii, he had assumed it was about that, but he had never found out what the message was, and much to his surprise, no one else from the Triarii had tried to contact him.
    And if Chaney had no idea why he was dreaming about “glass” skulls, then he most likely had no idea he was a prominent member of a two thousand year old organization dedicated to protecting and preserving twelve crystal skulls they thought had special powers.
    Acton’s eyes flitted to Chaney’s left inside wrist and noted the tiny tattoo that identified members of the organization to each other. The first time he had encountered these people he had been running for his life, and in a leap of faith, he put himself into their hands. Dozens died, but he and his newly found love, Laura, survived, along with Reading, Chaney’s partner at the time at Scotland Yard. Reading had no clue of Chaney’s secret life, and at first felt betrayed, but eventually came to accept his partner’s alternate existence, if not necessarily agreeing with it.
    Acton had been thrust into the secret world of the Triarii when he and his students had discovered a crystal skull at an Incan dig site in Peru. His students were massacred by a Delta Force unit operating under the belief they were terrorists, and he was pursued across the globe before the Delta Force unit disobeyed orders and halted their pursuit. Over the years this group of men that had tried to kill him had helped him on numerous occasions, and he had even stepped in to help them. A bond had been forged between them once Acton realized they had been manipulated, their families threatened every time they questioned their orders by a former member of the Triarii obsessed with possessing the skulls.
    He had even found himself thinking of some of them as friends, and he knew they were all eager to make up for their actions. They were good, honorable men, who had been used, and if they had been there the night Chaney was wounded, perhaps they all would have made it out uninjured.
    Unfortunately they were too late, and now their friend barely knew who he was. Acton didn’t want to say anything about the Triarii because if Chaney had forgotten something so fundamental about his life, his memory loss must be far worse than anyone either knew, or was acknowledging.
    Acton instead turned to Chaney’s recovery. “How do you feel physically?”
    “Weak. Ridiculously weak. But each day is a little better. They’ve got me doing physio several times a day, stretching out the muscles and starting to use them again. I was actually able to walk a few paces this morning. Yesterday I couldn’t even stand. Hopefully in a few days I’ll have the run of the place. I’m climbing the walls here and can’t wait to get back to my flat.”
    Acton smiled, his head bobbing. “I hear ya. I have no doubt you’ll make a full recovery in no time.”
    “Bloody right!” agreed Reading. “He’ll be back to his old self and then I can start getting some sleep in my own bed for a change.”
    The door opened and two nurses entered, both of whom looked like they meant business.
    “Time for Mr. Chaney’s therapy. I’ll have to ask everyone to leave.”
    Goodbyes were quickly made and Acton, Laura and Reading found themselves in the hallway, walking toward the elevators. Acton turned to Reading.
    “What do you think?”
    Reading shook