AN: This chapter is dedicated to a friend who encouraged me to publish my musings. She knows of my love affair with Florence,its art works and of my addiction to Lizzington. True friends raise us up! Long live friendship. Thanks to all for the comments and the many PMs. Now on with the story…

Chapter 8 Magician's Ruse

"Don't run away from a challenge. Instead run toward it because the only way to escape fear is to trample it beneath your feet." Nadia Comaneci

She knew what she had to do. Red had told her to return to the villa, but she was going to find Red at the Uffizi and help him locate the men who had flown into the Florence airport. She knew Red and Madeline would be somewhere near the museum by now, however, it was possible that Red would be alone because Madeline would need to change her wine stained clothes. Liz had decided Madeline's pride wouldn't allow her to walk about in less than perfect clothing. She would be too embarrassed.

Liz explained to her security team where they were going, but Richard objected. He declared that Mr. Reddington had given him strict orders to take her back to the villa. Liz decided that she would walk with the three bodyguards as far as the Uffizi and if they objected she would strike out on her own, but she preferred not to do that because she knew it was safer to have backup. She thought, 'Where is Ressler when you need him?'

Richard asked to have the security team stop at the coffee shop on the corner of the piazza to take a five minute break. Liz agreed, but knew they were on a tight schedule. They walked to the coffee shop and found it was crowded. The customers were browsing the book shelves and enjoying conversations with friends about the books they had read or were discussing local and international news events. Liz surveyed the scene and knew that there were two main entrances to the store because it was located on a corner of the Piazza. She told Richard she was going to the ladies room. He stationed himself near the restroom and motioned for the other two to wait outside. When Liz returned she went to the counter to order a cup of coffee, then she walked over to browse the books on the shelves.

Soon Richard got a phone call. Liz could tell from the conversation that he was talking to Dembe. The second guard walked into the men's restroom and the third was distracted by the large group of young women who walked by obviously on their way to the closest night club.

A familiar voice whispered, "Hey babe."

Just as her deer-in-the-headlights eyes locked on the familiar face and her reflexes began to react to the crippling surprise, a strong hand clamped over her mouth. She dropped her cup of coffee as she began to struggle against the restraining arms and to scream, but the muffled scream was ineffective because there was a large, loud, jovial group of young people inside the coffee shop. She was pushed through the open door into the darkened street just as the barrel of a gun was shoved into her side. By now her mind was foggy, her reactions were slow and she was being manhandled by this man who had appeared out of nowhere. She was soon pushed into a dark alleyway that was less busy so they had to hurry to immerse themselves among a group of people walking briskly through the narrow street. The man knew that the security team would quickly discover that Liz had disappeared and raise the alarm.

Liz dropped the shopping bag she had been carrying since she bought the red blouse earlier. The blouse she had been wearing when she left the villa mid morning was inside the bag. Luckily the bag was not discovered in the mad rush down the street. Liz was struggling to slow everything down. Her adrenaline had kicked in and she was able to put up an effective resistance to being dragged down the street.

"If you don't quit struggling and walk I will be forced to put a bullet in you."

Reality set in as the cloth covered gun was directed her way. Liz stopped fighting the rush through the streets and kept walking albeit dragging her feet. Soon she found the nerve to ask questions although her voice shook slightly. "Why are you here?"

"A stupid question, babe."

"I thought you were dead. When I left you were bleeding out and had no pulse."

"Sometimes the best laid plans go astray. Obviously I'm not a walking ghost. I do have people who care if I live or die unlike my wife."

"Tom, why are you here? Why follow us here? Why not wait until we returned to D C?"

"Because I just can't stay away from my loving wife. It's been months now and you're still letting old man Reddington drag you around. What kind of protector is he now?"

"I'm not the one you want."

"But you are the one that is going to bring Reddington to us."

"Us. Who's us?"

Tom suddenly stopped. "The two men who are coming down the street right now."

Liz looked up to see two men she recognized, Mike and Jerry. Her mouth fell open.

"What's wrong babe? Liz, close your mouth. Yes, you already know these guys."

Mike and Jerry had been two of the friends she and Tom had invited into their home for parties. She and Tom had played card games, gone to movies, gone camping and watched sports together on t v with Mike and Jerry and their wives. Liz was stunned. How could this be? How did she not know or suspect anything?

Tom began pushing her down the street again. "We can't stop here. Unfortunately your burly guys are probably already searching for you."

They passed the Hotel della Signora and soon turned left at the Via Lambertesca alleyway. When Liz reached into her handbag to pull out her sun hat an envelope fell to the ground. Tom took notice.

"Whoa, stop! What are you doing? What is that?"

Liz looked down and answered, "There are two tickets to a candlelight tour of the Vasari Corridor in that envelope."

Tom reached down and picked up the envelope. "These might come in handy."

"You will need to behave. Mike and Jerry are going to meet Reddington while we enjoy the Candlelight Tour. Hand me one of those bracelets you have on your arm."

Liz decided this wasn't the time to be difficult with three armed men around so she gave Tom her bracelet and then he handed it to Mike.

"When you find Reddington make sure you give him this. He will know it belongs to Liz and he will be more likely to follow you back to our gathering spot."

Liz was unusually calm. She knew she needed to create some kind of diversion, but she decided to wait until they were among a larger crowd of people. She did manage to drop her sun hat along the side of the street hoping that it would be discovered by her bodyguards.

As they approached the Uffizi Liz began looking for Red or Dembe, but she saw neither one. Unknown to Liz, Red had insisted on returning to the business meeting so that they could complete the necessary transactions and conclude the gathering. The longer they met the greater the risk of being discovered. Red was ready to return to D C and soon.

~X~X~

He had no other choice. It had been thirty minutes and no sign of Liz Keen. Richard had to call and report her missing.

With great trepidation and embarrassment he pressed the speed dial for Dembe who quickly answered, "Dembe here."

Richard paused for only a moment, gritted his teeth, then said, "Dembe, Ms Keen is missing."

Richard could hear a quick intake of breath on the end of the line. "Say again."

"Liz Keen is missing. She's been missing for thirty minutes now from the coffee shop on the corner of the Piazza della Signora."

Dembe thought, thirty minutes…why are we just now being informed, but he had to remain calm. "Where have you looked for her?"

"We searched the ladies room at the shop, asked the customers if they had seen her and walked the streets close by asking those we saw if they had seen her. We also searched the Piazza which is exceptionally crowded tonight with the night club scene."

Dembe knew he was going to have to tell Red and he also knew he was not going to be happy…that was a major understatement! "I will speak to Mr. Reddington and call you back. In the meantime keep looking."

He tried calling Ms Keen's phone. No answer. Then he sent her a text. 'Where are you?' No reply.

~X~X~

Dembe reluctantly walked over to Red and whispered into his ear, "Raymond, Ms Keen is missing."

Red wasn't sure he heard correctly. "What did you say?"

Dembe again repeated, "Ms Keen's security team has reported that she is missing."

Red immediately rose from his seat and said to the people seated at the large table including Aram, "You will need to excuse me for a moment gentlemen and lady. I need to attend to some matters. Aram, I trust you can proceed with the task here." Then he hurried out of the room leaving a large void in his wake.

"Dembe, tell me everything you know." Dembe proceeded to tell Red as much as he could.

Red was dialing Richard while Dembe was reporting. He was trying his best to remain calm, but finding calm to be very illusive at the moment. Red and Dembe were entering the penthouse elevator just as Richard answered. "Reddington here. Have you found her yet?"

"No, sir, but she dropped her cup of coffee in the coffee shop, probably at the time she was taken and we did find a shopping bag that looks like the one she was carrying earlier when she was in the coffee shop. The blouse she was wearing earlier this morning was inside. We found it on the Via Calimaruzza in front of the Hotel Por Santa Maria."

"How did you lose sight of her? You KNEW she was in danger…you had been warned! We better sure as HELL find her." Red's voice was loud and so full of anger. Richard had never heard him so irate nor heard him use profanity.

"Dembe and I are on our way. We will meet you at the coffee shop in five minutes. We're just leaving the elevator. Keep searching and talking to people."

Red called Lizzie's phone. No answer. He sent her a text. 'Lizzie, sweetheart, where are you?' No reply.

He felt like his heart was pounding out of his chest. It seemed as if time and the movements around him had gone into slow motion, as if he were looking at himself from within a different body.

"Dembe, how could this happen? I trusted them. I knew I should have left you with her. If she walked away from them on purpose it will not be pretty."

"Raymond calm down. We'll find her, my friend." Dembe began walking double time trying to keep up with Red.

~X~X~

"This will be like our first date all over again." Tom looked over at Liz's incredulous expression and let out a disparaging laugh.

A quick check of the time showed they had five minutes to wait for the tour to begin. They found the entrance, gave their tickets to the ticket taker, and entered the building just as Liz saw one of her bodyguards coming toward her down the street. She didn't think he had seen her, but she hoped he would come inside to look for her. No such luck. Soon the tour guide was calling the group together.

The excited tourists speaking in several different languages were offered headsets to help them understand the treasured paintings they were seeing as they passed by. Tom and Liz declined their headsets because they wanted to be alert to any upcoming disturbances. Liz was frantically trying to find a way to get away without endangering the others.

Once the group was ready the tour got underway. They climbed a stairway to the entrance of the elevated passageway. The procession moved slowly as people stopped to look at and discuss the paintings lining the walls. There were over a thousand paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries displayed in the corridor. Soon Tom was getting frustrated by the slow movement of the group. He carefully moved through the crowd and approached the tour guide.

"Senora, how long will this tour take?"

The woman answered in broken English. "It depends on how long the people look at the artworks."

Tom replied, "We need to meet my family in the Boboli Gardens soon. Is there any chance that my wife and I might be able to walk a little bit ahead of the group?"

"We don't usually allow that, but when we get to the end of the Ponte Vecchio I can allow you to walk ahead and I will ask one of the assistants to open the closest exit for you."

"Grazie, Senora. I will remind you of that soon."

Tom was resigned to the fact, but very nervous that they were just going to have to suck it up and stay lost in the group. Meantime Liz was busy trying to decide how to create a diversion to stall the tour's progress.

~X~X~

Red knew that they couldn't stay in the coffee shop; it wasn't safe with men looking for him, besides it would be closing soon. It was nearing midnight. Red's mind was reeling, but he knew he had to organize a search party. He started giving orders: Richard, call the Hotel Por Santa Maria and rent us a conference room or any room available. Dembe, call Mr. Kaplan in the States and ask her to call in favors for a local private crew to help search for Liz. I will call Aram while you two search the Piazza and the night clubs again.

Red called Aram. "Aram, has the meeting adjourned yet?"

"No, sir, but we're about to make the last funds transfer and then we will be ready to go for the night."

"Aram, listen carefully." Aram could hear Red's voice crack and he was immediately concerned.

"Try to remain calm so the others in the room don't know we have a problem. Agent Keen is missing. Finish the last transfer then leave the building. Call me or Dembe and we will give you our location. We need your help to find Liz. Do you understand? When you call we will send someone to accompany you."

"Yes sir. I'll be there as soon as I can."

Red called Lizzie's phone again. Still no answer. He sent another text. 'Lizzie, I need to know where you are.' Still no reply.

His thoughts were rambling, 'Where are you sweetheart? Please let me know. I know you're still here, I feel you. I'm GOING to find you.'

~X~X~

The tour had reached the Ponte Vecchio and proceeded down the covered passageway crossing the Arno River. Liz stopped briefly to look at the view of the river and the old city visible from the small square windows of the Corridor. The undulating lights of the city reflecting off of the river were beautiful, moving like a magician's cape floating over a magic trick. Liz couldn't help but wonder what Red's reaction was when she was reported missing. She knew he would be looking for her by now and be worried, frustrated, angry…all of the above and more. She had disappeared into the dark shadows once again.

The self portrait that the artist Marc Chagall had painted came to her mind. She had passed it hanging with the collection of self portraits a while ago. It looked like it was done in a more contemporary style. He had painted himself wearing a large brimmed hat with a large feather extending from the band of the hat. That feather stuck in Liz's mind. She pictured it waving at her like the warning finger Red shook at her as he left the restaurant with Madeline. He was going to be boiling by the time he found her. She hoped she could escape Tom before she found Red or before Red found her. Red was going to be infuriated when he saw Tom. Tom was supposed to be dead!

When Tom noticed that Liz had stopped to look back at the city he walked closer to her and spoke quietly into her ear, "What's wrong babe? Are you missing your protector? Don't even think about trying any tricks."

As the tour neared the end of the bridge Tom moved once more to the tour guide to remind her that he needed to exit the corridor soon. And Liz…well she fainted right there in the middle of the Vasari Corridor.

~X~X~

The conference room that they were using as a headquarters at the hotel was filling up with people. Mr. Kaplan had quickly rallied some local mercenaries loyal to Red. She then placed a call to him asking if there was anything else she could do and offered to hop the next flight to Florence if he needed her with him.

"Calm down, dearie. Ms Keen probably just felt the need for freedom from her handlers and jumped ship looking for peace and quiet. She will show up soon."

Red tried to assure that dear old woman, Mr. Kaplan, that he was doing as well as possible; all the while feeling like he was going to explode.

"Thanks for the offer, but I won't need you tonight. I'm sure we will know something soon. After all if it is a kidnapping they will be contacting me soon. I'm the one they really want."

"Dearie, you have said often that Liz is a strong woman. She will give anyone hell to pay. It will be okay, you will see. Take a moment to pull yourself together. Get in touch with your instincts and allow your crew to help. Call if you need me."

Mr. Kaplan knew she was talking to a brick wall that was about to crumble if Ms Keen were not found soon.

Meanwhile Aram called to report that the business meeting had concluded for the night and he needed someone to accompany him to their location. Richard and two other armed men volunteered to accompany Aram from the penthouse.

As Aram was about to enter the building elevator Ms Pratt asked him where he was going. He replied, "I'm not sure. Someone is coming to pick me up. We will ride the bus to our room for the night." Aram knew he had just lied to her, but he was certainly not going to tell her the truth.

With a smirk on his face Aram thought, 'If you knew that I just withdrew a final transaction of illegal funds from an Italian government account you would be hightailing it to the nearest airport to leave town.' Aram was sure Madeline Pratt was about to see the inside of a jail cell and spend years trying to talk her way out of this one. Mr. Reddington had set the ball rolling days ago before their arrival in Florence. That man was truly the Concierge of Crime…no one had gotten the best of Red Reddington yet.

Aram was never so glad to be leaving a luxury penthouse. As he exited the elevator Richard and two others were waiting for him. Richard stated very loudly, "Come on we're going to catch the bus to our hotel. We will be looking for bus 15. Hurry, we must be at the bus stop soon." Richard hoped the security system caught the ruse. He wanted to divert anyone who might be looking for them.

~X~X~

Aram had arrived at the search headquarters. Everyone required was assembled now. Red was ready to resume the lead. A large map of the area had been divided like a grid. The searchers were each assigned an area and a partner to search with. As the men departed to begin their work they were asked to call or text any suspected clue.

Red remained behind to coordinate any clues or changes that needed to be made. He reminded himself that he must maintain calm and keep his wits about him. He wouldn't be any good to Lizzie if he fell apart, but the prospect of calm was melting like butter on a hot griddle. He was beginning to smoke. Soon he would burn.

AN: Still not convinced that Tom is dead. His body has not been found. Do you agree? Please let me know what you think. Next chapter will be up soon.