Saint Peter's Soldiers E-Book

J. Robert Kennedy

• Herausgeber: J. Robert Kennedy
• Kategorie: Abenteuer, Thriller, Horror
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015

Beschreibung

"A little bit of Jack Bauer and Indiana Jones!"USA TODAY and BARNES & NOBLE #1 BESTSELLING AUTHOR • “A MASTER STORYTELLER” • OVER 800,000 BOOKS SOLD • OVER 3,000 FIVE STAR REVIEWS*** A USA TODAY BESTSELLER! ***A MISSING DA VINCI. A TERRIFYING GENETIC BREAKTHROUGH. A PAST AND FUTURE ABOUT TO COLLIDE!USA Today bestselling author J. Robert Kennedy delivers another torn from the headlines thriller in Saint Peter’s Soldiers.In World War Two, a fabled da Vinci drawing is hidden from the Nazis, those involved fearing Hitler may attempt to steal it for its purported magical powers.It isn’t returned for over fifty years.This is fact.And today, Archaeology Professor James Acton and his wife are about to be dragged into the terrible truth of what happened so many years ago, for the truth is never what it seems, and the history we thought was fact, is all lies.Spanning seven decades, J. Robert Kennedy’s Saint Peter’s Soldiers is an action-packed adventure taking readers on an adrenaline-fueled thrill-ride across Italy and her troubled history. Deftly crafted in true Kennedy style, this fast-paced stunner is jam-packed with action, intrigue and laughter, as only he can deliver.About the James Acton Thrillers:"If you want fast and furious, if you can cope with a high body count, most of all if you like to be hugely entertained, then you can't do much better than J. Robert Kennedy."Though this book is part of the James Acton Thrillers series, it is written as a standalone novel and can be enjoyed without having read any of the previous installments."James Acton: A little bit of Jack Bauer and Indiana Jones!"The James Acton Thrillers series and its spin-offs, the Special Agent Dylan Kane Thrillers and the Delta Force Unleashed Thrillers, have over 3000 Five-Star reviews and have sold over 800,000 copies. If you love non-stop action and intrigue with a healthy dose of humor, try James Acton today!Available James Acton Thrillers:The Protocol, Brass Monkey, Broken Dove, The Templar's Relic, Flags of Sin, The Arab Fall, The Circle of Eight, The Venice Code, Pompeii's Ghosts, Amazon Burning, The Riddle, Blood Relics, Sins of the Titanic, Saint Peter's Soldiers, The Thirteenth Legion, Raging Sun, Wages of Sin, Wrath of the Gods, The Templar's Revenge

Leseprobe

Saint Peter's Soldiers

A James Acton Thriller

by

J. Robert Kennedy

From the Back Cover

FROM USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR J. ROBERT KENNEDY

A MISSING DA VINCI.

A TERRIFYING GENETIC BREAKTHROUGH.

A PAST AND FUTURE ABOUT TO COLLIDE!

USA Today bestselling author J. Robert Kennedy delivers another torn from the headlines thriller in Saint Peter’s Soldiers.

In World War Two a fabled da Vinci drawing is hidden from the Nazis, those involved fearing Hitler may attempt to steal it for its purported magical powers.

It isn’t returned for over fifty years.

This is fact.

And today, Archaeology Professor James Acton and his wife are about to be dragged into the terrible truth of what happened so many years ago, for the truth is never what it seems, and the history we thought was fact, is all lies.

Spanning seven decades, J. Robert Kennedy’s Saint Peter’s Soldiers is an action-packed adventure taking readers on an adrenaline-fueled thrill-ride across Italy and her troubled history. Deftly crafted in true Kennedy style, this fast-paced stunner is jam-packed with action, intrigue and laughter, as only he can deliver.

About the James Acton Thrillers

"James Acton: A little bit of Jack Bauer and Indiana Jones!"

Though this book is part of the James Acton Thrillers series, it is written as a standalone novel and can be enjoyed without having read any of the previous installments.

About J. Robert Kennedy

With over 800,000 books sold and over 3000 five-star reviews, USA Today bestselling author J. Robert Kennedy has been ranked by Amazon as the #1 Bestselling Action Adventure novelist based upon combined sales. He is the author of over thirty international bestsellers including the smash hit James Acton Thrillers. He lives with his wife and daughter and writes full-time.

"A master storyteller." — Betty Richard

"A writer who tells what we are thinking but sometimes afraid to say." — Bruce Ford

"Kennedy kicks ass in this genre." — David Mavity

"One of the best writers today." — Johnny Olsen

"If you want fast and furious, if you can cope with a high body count, most of all if you like to be hugely entertained, then you can't do much better than J Robert Kennedy." — Amazon Vine Voice Reviewer

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Books by J. Robert Kennedy

The James Acton Thrillers

The Protocol Brass Monkey Broken Dove The Templar's Relic Flags of Sin The Arab Fall The Circle of Eight The Venice Code Pompeii's Ghosts Amazon Burning The Riddle Blood Relics Sins of the Titanic Saint Peter's Soldiers The Thirteenth Legion Raging Sun Wages of Sin Wrath of the Gods The Templar's Revenge

The Special Agent Dylan Kane Thrillers

Rogue Operator Containment Failure Cold Warriors Death to America Black Widow The Agenda Retribution

The Delta Force Unleashed Thrillers

Payback

Table of Contents

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Table of Contents

Beginning

Preface

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90

Acknowledgements

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Thank You!

About the Author

Also by the Author

“In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”

King James Version, Genesis 3:19

Preface

On April 11th, 2015, in the scientific journal Protein and Cell, a paper was published by Chinese scientists entitled “CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Gene Editing in Human Tripronuclear Zygotes”. The title is meaningless to most, but for those who understood its contents, it sent a chill through the entire community.

For the Chinese had broken the germ line, succeeding in manipulating DNA to change the human genome. This is not the act of fixing a genetic defect; this is changing what it means to be human.

Science fiction has become science fact.

There is a very real reason why this research is illegal in most of the civilized world.

And this book describes one of those.

1

Sapienza University Rome, Italy Present Day

“You realize how much this is worth? It’s priceless!”

Inspector General Mario Giasson of the Corps of Gendarmerie of Vatican City State looked from Father Rinaldi to the archaeologist the exclamation had been directed to. Professor James Acton stood back, his arms crossed, finger tapping on his elbow as he eagerly awaited his chance to peer through the microscope. His wife, Professor Laura Palmer, had just announced the unbelievable. The red chalk drawing, a self-portrait of Leonardo da Vinci himself, shown on a large screen in Sapienza University’s art restoration department, was genuine.

Yet it couldn’t be.

Or at least it shouldn’t be.

What was thought to be the real drawing had been on display since 1998 at the Royal Library in Turin, Italy. Yet clearly there was more to the story than he and the world had been made aware.

Professor Acton glanced over at Father Rinaldi, who had begun pacing, continuing to mutter. “If this falls into the wrong hands, it could be worth millions, perhaps tens of millions. Especially if someone believes the legend.”

Giasson turned toward Father Rinaldi. “What legend?”

“That if one stares into the eyes of the portrait, one is imbued with great power.”

Giasson dismissed the comment with a flick of his wrist. “Ridiculous.”

Their friend and Interpol Agent, Hugh Reading, snorted. “I find it impossible to accept that people would believe in such nonsense.”

Acton stepped up to the scope as his wife finally relinquished her place, taking in the magnified view. Yes, it was shown on a separate monitor for everyone to see, but there was something special about peering through the lenses, manipulating things yourself. Giasson itched for his own chance.

A real da Vinci! Lost until yesterday!

And four people were already dead because of it.

Shouts on the other side of the door had Acton standing upright as they all spun toward the sound. Gunfire erupted and Giasson stepped toward the doors as Acton reached out, guiding his wife behind him. Reading moved from his position near the window to stand shoulder to shoulder with Giasson just as the doors burst open.

Giasson breathed a sigh of relief as he recognized the two Italian State Police officers entering the room. There were half a dozen outside, the value of the portrait, should it be genuine, demanding a protection detail. His sigh, however, turned to a gasp as they raised their weapons at them.

Footsteps clicked on the tile floor of the hallway, Giasson only getting a glimpse of several bodies past the doors, the police blocking most of his view. A man appeared in the doorway, tall, athletic, perhaps mid to late thirties, with blonde hair and striking blue eyes that took in the room, coming to rest on the display showing the portrait.

He pointed at the genuine article and snapped his fingers, the two officers rushing toward the table it was sitting on.

Giasson stepped in their way, holding out his arms. “This is the property of the people of Italy.”

The blonde man stared at him for a moment, a slight smile suggested at the corners of his mouth before he pulled a weapon from a shoulder holster and fired, Giasson spinning away, crumpling to the floor with a cry.

“You are mistaken. It is the property of the Führer.”

2

Casa del Conte Verde Rivoli, Italy July 4th, 1941

“But the Nazis are on their way!”

Vincenzo Donati frowned at his young apprentice’s outburst. He continued to stare through his magnifying glass at the rare 45 centesimi Lombardy stamp from 1850, a rare find if there ever was one. He never tired of gazing at it. It was a piece of history, and history was his business.

And with the war, protecting history was now his primary business.

The Nazis were looting galleries across Europe, the only thing protecting his the fact Italy had aligned itself with Hitler and his armies. Though how long that would last was anyone’s guess. Hitler had just broken his agreement with the Soviet Union. Could Italy be that far behind?

Plans were already underway for protecting collections across the country, yet it was a rumor that had reached his ears only this week that had him concerned. A colleague in Rome had told him of a special group in the SS, the Schutzstaffel or “protection squadron,” that was searching the globe for religious artifacts. Anything that had ever had something magical or mystical attributed to it.

And his town now housed such a relic.

A self-portrait of Leonardo da Vinci in red chalk.

The legend was unfounded, he himself having tried to duplicate the claims unsuccessfully. But it was no matter. Once legend, rumor was nearly impossible to dispel.

The drawing had been stored at the Royal Library in Turin, its curator contacting him two days ago after hearing the same rumor of the SS group, and a plan had been set in motion, the drawing moved here, to his relatively insignificant institution, in the hopes the Nazis would pass them by.

“Sir!”

Donati sighed, putting down his magnifying glass and looking up at young Nicola. “I am fully aware of what is happening. And plans are already underway to protect the portrait.”

Nicola approached Donati’s desk and dropped into a rickety chair older than him. “But shouldn’t we move it now, tonight? Your contact said they could be here tomorrow morning! If that’s true, we have no time to waste.”

“And we aren’t wasting any—”

“But you’re staring at stamps!” He leaped back to his feet, pacing the small room, the oil lamps casting dancing shadows on the stone walls, the fire in the corner barely taking the chill out of the cool night.

“I find it calms me and allows me to think clearly. You might try something similar.”

Nicola spun, about to say something, then stopped. He took a deep breath and returned to his chair. “Sir, with all due respect, if there is even a remote chance that the legend is true surrounding the portrait, it mustn’t fall into Hitler’s hands. If it does, his armies could become unstoppable.”

“Some Italians might think that a good thing.”

Nicola’s jaw dropped as he stared at the older man in shock. Then he smiled. “You’re toying with me.”

Donati smiled, leaning back in his chair. “It is sometimes too easy.”

Nicola pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. “I’m tired.”

“Then get your rest and be here at sunrise tomorrow morning. And bring your moped.”

“Why?”

“Because tomorrow morning the portrait will forever be placed out of Hitler’s reach. By you.”

3

Casa del Conte Verde Rivoli, Italy July 5th, 1941

Nicola leaned his moped against the side of the museum, stepping out of the alleyway and walking toward the front entrance. The streets were still mostly empty, the roosters trumpeting their wake-up call only minutes ago. He knocked three times and within moments heard footsteps then the door unlocking. It creaked open and Donati smiled at him.

“Come in, quickly!” hissed Donati, stepping aside and ushering him across the threshold. The door was closed and bolted, the usual pleasantries ignored as Donati rushed toward the backroom. He pointed to a worktable where a small handcrafted wooden crate, the proper size to hold the framed portrait, sat. “It’s ready to go.”

“How the hell am I supposed to get that out of here without anyone noticing?”

“Language!”

Nicola flushed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean any disrespect.

“You disrespected the Lord, not me. Remember it at confession.”

Nicola’s head dropped to his chest. “I will. Sorry.”

Donati stopped what he was doing and stepped over, squeezing the young man’s shoulder. “I forgive you, as will He.” He let go and checked his watch. “But plans have changed. My colleague in Rome is sending someone to retrieve the portrait. He should be here any moment.”