The email came at lunchtime. After spending all morning digging around the property, Alessia and Gian agreed to drop their shovels and drive to Siena that afternoon.

The half hour drive went by quickly. Alessia took control of the radio this time and turned up the music, singing along. Gian tolerated it, so it must not have been that terrible.

Their only stops were the highway tollbooth and the traffic lights once they reached the city. Gian tossed Alessia his phone.

"Could you find a parking spot?" he requested before she could ask.

A map showing the roads and their movements as a blue dot was already on the screen. Chewing on her lower lip, she zoomed in and out, dragged the map left and right, until she found a public parking garage.

"All right. Turn left in... three blocks."

Gian didn't answer as he put his entire focus on the road. He started to merge into the left turn lane when Alessia yelled out. "No! Turn right! Right!"

Giant turned a sharp right, then threw her a glare.

Alessia grinned sheepishly. "Sorry."

Gian found the parking garage and they made their way through the narrow streets. Alessia's heart raced as they neared her old university building. Each step felt forbidden, haunted by the things she should-or shouldn't-have done. By her own doing, she didn't belong here anymore. And yet, the email she'd received had a friendly and curious tone. She had nothing to worry about.

"Where are we heading?" Gian wondered after they'd been walking for five minutes. They'd managed to park on the other side of the city. Luckily, the center wasn't too big to cross by foot.

"Palazzo San Galgano," Alessia said. "It's just the historical studies building. There are a few other departments in there too."

"A palace? Nice."

Alessia smiled. She really hadn't given the building much thought before. "Yeah, it is. It was built at the end of the fifteenth century."

He seemed to only be half listening. Matching his gait to hers, his hands in his pockets, he turned his head left and right as if looking for something. Ah, of course. It was probably his first time in the city. She turned into a narrow alley and they went down the steep steps. The bottom opened up into the vast, half circle Piazza del Campo, sloping downward to the Palazzo Pubblico, with its striking Torre del Mangia rising above the medieval terracotta buildings.

There. Now Gian could get a good look at it.

She told him some of the history of the city as they walked. Whether he already knew it or not, he didn't say. After another ten minutes of walking through the pedestrian streets, Siena flags waving overhead, they turned into Via Roma.

Alessia slowed at the sight of the scaffolding. Graying plywood and construction netting covered the usually inviting Renaissance facade of the Palazzo.

"This is it?" Gian raised an eyebrow.

Alessia shrugged. "Yep. This is it."

Nervous, Alessia walked through the short tunnel to the glass door and pulled it open. They passed through the lobby, unable to stop themselves from looking up at the frescos of angels on the domed ceiling, and walked up a staircase lined with white stone cherubs.

The archaeological lab was two floors up. Its door stood open and a loud voice speaking rapidly drifted out of the room and into the hallway.

Alessia swallowed. She knew that voice. So much had changed since she had last seen her classmate. He'd been a couple years ahead of her, but they often still had labs and field work together. Only now he was no longer a student but a professor. She took a deep breath and knocked on the frame, then poked her head inside.

A man in a black T-shirt and jeans sat on a table, talking on the phone. He looked in their direction and waved them in, ending his phone call.

"Alessia!" he said, unnecessarily loud. "I've been waiting for you."

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything." Alessia grinned sheepishly as the man crossed the room.

His arms were wide and his smile was bright. He wrapped Alessia into a hug and she squeezed her shoulders together, grimacing. He'd always been too touchy. She pushed back and gave him an air-kiss to each of his rough cheeks.

"Alessia, you're as beautiful as I remember."

His eyes flickered to Gian and a look of surprise came over his face.

"Ah, you brought a friend."

"Yes," she said, suddenly glad for Gian hovering behind her. There was something comforting about having him close by, watching. "This is Gian. He's... assisting me with the dig."

The man held out his hand to shake with Gian. "A pleasure." His voice said the opposite, but Alessia let it slide. "Massimo Savelli."

Gian nodded, his lips pressed into a thin line.

Massimo placed a hand on her shoulder and guided her farther into the lab. "How are you doing? I heard your sister is getting married?"

"She sure is. All the wedding stuff has kept us pretty busy. And how have you been? What's Lisa up to?"

"Ah... Lisa. Well, we broke up last year."

"Oh. I'm sorry." Alessia cringed. She had to admit she wasn't surprised. Just annoyed with herself for not keeping in touch. That was already last year's news.

Massimo ran a hand through his black curls. "It's okay. It's been a while. Anyway. Your email was interesting." He sat back down on his spot on the table. "Where are you digging?"

Alessia handed him the bags of soil samples, explaining the drawing of the stone and her suspicion it was somewhere on the property. "One thing I've been trying to figure out is who Rasce of Velthuria was."

"Rasce of Velthuria?" Massimo rubbed his chin, then stood. "Let me see if I have anything." He headed to the bookshelf on the other end of the room.

Alessia glanced at Gian, who stood near the door, glaring at Massimo. His hands were fisted at his sides. She didn't like the look on his face at all.

"Don't you even think about stabbing him," Alessia hissed.

Gian swung his gaze to her, his eyes blazing. "Can we just get the equipment and get out of here?" he said in a low voice, his upper lip curling.

"He's an old friend, if you couldn't tell."

"You can socialize some other time."

"It's called being friendly. You wouldn't know anything about that, though. You'd just barge in and demand things and expect to get them without question."

"No, I'd just keep things businesslike."

"Oh, you mean like you did yesterday?" She made a stabbing motion with her hand, then stopped when Massimo spoke up from the other side of the room.

"Maybe this would help?"

She crossed the room quickly, focused on the large book in Massimo's hand. He pointed to a page and Alessia read over his shoulder.

Velthuria, an ancient Etruscan city steeped in mystery, remains lost to time, its exact location still undiscovered. Believed to have flourished between the 7th and 4th centuries BCE, Velthuria is alluded to in fragmented texts and tantalizing legends that speak of shadowed rituals, cryptic tombs, and treasures buried with the dead. Its necropolises, described in ancient accounts, fuel speculation about the city's spiritual and cultural significance. Though remnants of trade routes and scattered artifacts suggest Velthuria's influence, the city itself continues to elude modern archaeologists, leaving its secrets buried beneath centuries of soil and silence.

"Well, at least we know it was a real place," Alessia murmured. "Could I get a copy of this?"

"Of course," Massimo stuck a piece of scrap paper into the middle crease, then flipped back to the appendix. "That's the only mention of Velthuria in this book. I'll be happy to keep looking and send you anything I find."

"That would be great."

Massimo snapped the book shut and set it down on the desk. He stepped up to a tall cabinet on the right and unlocked the doors, then pulled out a large canvas bag.

"Here's a metal detector," he explained, setting it on the desk. He unzipped the bag to show the device inside. "I suppose you don't need any instruction," he said with a wink.

"I don't forget that easily." Alessia smirked.

"I didn't think you did." He smiled and zipped the case back up. "Let me know if you find anything. I'll be happy to come out with a drone in case you want any aerials."

"That would be great. I'll keep you updated."

Massimo handed her the strap. "Do you think you'll be back?"

Alessia sighed, shrugging the strap over her shoulder. A fist tightened over her heart. How she'd love to resume her studies. It probably wasn't possible to pick up exactly where she'd left off, but even if she had to repeat a year, it would be fulfilling to actually finish and be able to work in her field. But how could she? Her parents were stuck. She was stuck. Even after the money from Gian, she and her parents had a long way to go to pay off the rest of the debt. She'd still need to find a good paying job quickly.

"I've thought about it. It's just... complicated." They walked to the doorway where Gian lingered, glowering. They paused in the doorway and Gian took hold of the strap and slid it over his own shoulder.

Massimo nodded, giving Alessia a kind smile. He placed his hand on her shoulder, rubbing his thumb slowly along her upper arm. "I understand. But I hope you do. Why don't we get together for coffee?"

"Sure." She tried to ignore the hand. She was certain he meant it as a gentle, comforting gesture but the thumb was just a little too much. "That sounds nice."

Gian cleared his throat.

"I'll email those photocopies and the sample results," Massimo said, lowering his hand while flicking his gaze toward Gian. "And see you again soon."

"Yes! Soon." They air-kissed each other on both cheeks and called out a chorus of "ciaos," then Alessia turned and walked down the hall to catch up to Gian.

He stormed down the staircase, his footsteps thundering against the smooth plaster walls.

"What's wrong?" Alessia asked. A scowl was plastered on his face, his hands still in tight fists.

"Nothing," he snapped.

"Doesn't sound like nothing."

"That guy was just a pain in the ass."

"What? He loaned me a metal detector, even though I haven't had contact with him in over a year. He didn't have to do that."

"But did he have to put his hands all over you?"

"When did he...?" Alessia closed her eyes and shook her head. The hug. The hand on her shoulder. Was that what this was all about? They reached the lobby and headed for the front door. Alessia waited until they were outside to continue.

"Massimo is harmless. We go way back. In fact, he's the one who first introduced me to Luca. But he's always been flirty. Can't keep a girlfriend because of it. I always kept him in the friendzone."

"I don't think he intends to stay there."

Alessia smiled thinly, her eyes narrowed. Gian could be right, but Massimo literally acted that way around any female. "What's it to you?"

Gian kept his gaze straight ahead. "I said I'd look out for you."

"I thought you meant people trying to hurt me, not flirt with me."

"Did you want it?"

Alessia chewed on her lower lip. "No. But I'd hardly compare it to assault."

"It's a thin line, though, isn't it?"

While she agreed, she didn't need Gian, of all people, telling her this. Yet he was bristling. Their brief meeting with Massimo had bothered him and Alessia didn't know what to make of it.

He stopped walking when she didn't respond and faced her. "You never seem to have a problem telling me not to touch you, but you were clearly uncomfortable in there and you said nothing. Why?"

Alessia stood in front of him, forcing herself to meet his gaze. His eyes narrowed, sharp and unflinching, the tension in his gaze carrying an intensity that felt almost cutting, like a challenge unspoken yet impossible to ignore.

"Because he isn't a threat." Her heart pounded. The words came out faster than she wanted them to. More accusing than necessary. But at least she told him the truth. Massimo had never shoved a gun in her face.

Gian stood, calculating, his eyes still carrying the weight of silent rage. There was one thing that often calmed her down, though, and something told her Gian could use it right now too.

So she pointed to a shop with large glass windows and said, "that place has great gelato."

Two scoops of gelato and an hour later, they rolled down the long driveway. The conversation had turned to the dig, with Alessia explaining to Gian about trying to figure out the puzzle of Velthuria and this Rasce guy.

The rest of the drive was spent with her singing along to the radio, a little more enthusiastic than usual. The more she had talked about it, the more eager she was to get home and try out the metal detector.

Gian slowed the car as they neared the house and her mother appeared in the wide-open barn door, watching the vehicle with her hands on her hips.

Alessia frowned and climbed out of the car. She had taken care of the barn chores that morning, there was no reason for her mother to be in there. Mama usually avoided it at all costs, anyway.

"Where have you been?" her mother yelled as Alessia crossed the graveled area.

"I had to run an errand. Why?"

"Have you seen the barn?"

Alessia scrunched up her face. "What do you mean? I see it now."

Her mother waved a hand. "Come." She led Alessia around the corner of the barn, to the back that faced the woods, and came to a stop. She pointing upward, at the side of the building. "This."

Alessia followed her fingers and gasped. Written in red across the wall of the barn were the words: THE DEAD DEMAND THEIR DUE.