‘Walk into the castle tower.’
Horrified, Allie replied aloud: ‘No.’
‘Allie?’ Raj’s voice in her ear.
She bit her lip. ‘Clear,’ she said.
Clenching her hands into fists at her sides, Allie tried to stay focused. She needed to think.
Nathaniel had said if she refused any of his commands, Rachel would die. But would he really do that? Once Rachel was gone he’d have no hold over Allie. There’d be no reason for her to speak to him.
A sudden adrenaline-burst of confidence in her own logic made her feel dangerously brave. She could do this.
Taking a deep breath, she stood amid the ruins, her arms flung out at her sides.
‘Nathaniel! You said you’d find me if I came looking for you. Well? Here I am. Show yourself.’
Her voice seemed to disappear into the glowering clouds. Turning in a slow circle, she looked for any sign of him. Her eyes darting into the shadowed corners and rocky ledges of the hilltop castle.
Rain had begun to fall harder now. Her hair clung to her scalp and snaked over her shoulders in dripping strands.
Raj had told her not to attempt to provoke Nathaniel, but she was angry now, and she couldn’t stop herself. ‘Come on, Nathaniel. You didn’t lie to me, did you? You wouldn’t do a thing like that, would you?’
‘Don’t push me, little girl.’
The calm voice emanated from the base of the tower and Allie’s earpiece at the same moment. She whirled in time to see Nathaniel step out of the darkness.
Frantically she looked around for any sign of Rachel. But he was alone.
As she had the first time she saw him in the heat of last summer, Allie marvelled at his sheer ordinariness. His neat dark hair and average build would not have been out of place among Cimmeria’s teachers. His face was pleasantly but not spectacularly designed – his nose slightly too big, his eyes a little too small to be perfect, but he did not look like a monster.
His expensive suit looked out of place here, though. He was dressed like a banker. His cufflinks caught the light from her torch and sparkled coldly.
‘You disappoint me,’ he said. ‘I thought you cared enough about your friend to do as you were told.’
‘I care enough about my friend not to believe a single word you say,’ Allie replied, her shoulders squared although her hands trembled. ‘Where is she, Nathaniel? Where is Rachel? Show her to me or I will walk away right now.’
To show she meant it, she took two steps away from him. He held up his hand.
‘Christopher’s right about you – you’re always in such a rush,’ he said with a chilly smile. ‘You never take the time to think things through.’
His casual mention of Christopher made Allie draw in her breath sharply but she wouldn’t let him see how much it hurt to think about the brother who’d abandoned her.
He needed to think she didn’t care.
‘Don’t talk about Christopher or I might have some sort of a crying fit.’ Her voice dripped sarcasm. ‘Now I want my friend back. Where is she?’
‘You’re spectacularly stubborn. Has anyone ever told you that?’
Allie fixed him with a challenging stare. ‘Yes. Where is she?’
Sighing dramatically, Nathaniel raised his right hand. ‘Gabriel. Show her the girl. She won’t talk sense until she’s seen her.’
Gabe.
Allie’s heart seemed to shrink to the size of an ice cube.
Jo’s killer stepped out from the shadows, dragging Rachel like prey. One of his thick arms crossed her chest, holding her immobile. The other held a knife pointed at her throat.
Pale and terrified, Rachel trembled in his grip. One eye was swollen shut. Blood had dried under her nose. Her arms were wrapped in bloody bandages.
They’d beaten her.
Despite all her efforts to stay calm, anger coursed through Allie’s blood like flames.
‘Gabe!’ she screamed, her voice breaking into a sob. ‘You psycho bastard, you let her go.’
But he only grinned and brought the knife closer to Rachel’s fragile neck, pressing the tip into her skin.
Something about his smile caught Allie’s attention and she focused her torch beam on his face. Gabe had always been Cimmeria’s golden boy – handsome and athletic, with perfect features. In those days, he only had to smile for a girl to fall for him.
His thick, dark blond hair had been shaved close to the scalp. An angry, red scar crossed his face from the outer corner of his left eye to his upper lip.
Realising he must have received that scar in the kidnapping attempt last year, Allie felt a rush of bitter pleasure.
Then Nathaniel flipped his hand back in a dismissive gesture and Gabe stepped back into the shadows. Rachel gave a terrified, animal cry.
‘Rachel!’ Allie shouted desperately.
But she was gone.
‘Oh God.’ Allie trembled with such violence the torch beam shook.
She had to stay calm or she wasn’t going to be any help to anyone, so she took a deep breath and, although it turned her stomach, she walked closer to Nathaniel, stopping about fifteen feet away from him.
‘I did what you wanted.’ She was surprised by how calm her voice was. ‘I came to you. Now let her go.’
His smile was easy, as if they were having a pleasant chat about the weather. ‘I will let her go when I know for certain I can trust you, Allie. And I will know that when I hear your response to my offer.’
Allie held her gaze steady. ‘What offer?’
‘As I said in my note, I want you to come with me, willingly, as Christopher did. I want you as part of my team. I will bring you back to Cimmeria once I take over running the school – you will complete your education here, I promise. Christopher wants his sister back and I want to see your family reunited. With me you will have all that you deserve based on your impressive bloodline – your life will have purpose. You will be an important part of Orion and I will make certain you get the training you need to prepare you for the role you will some day have in the organisation. You will have wealth and power you can only dream of now.’ He held out his hands, palms facing upward. ‘So that is my offer, Allie. Give me your answer and Rachel can walk out of here alive.’
The rain fell hard now, pattering off the ancient stones around them with a million tiny thuds. She dropped her head, watching the water run from her hair to the dirt at her feet. There was bound to be a trick. He’d never let Rachel go. She needed to be ready.
Finally, she straightened, looking at Nathaniel through the falling water. ‘Fine,’ she said. ‘Yes, I’ll go with you.’
Clearly delighted, he held out his arms as if he expected a hug. She stared at him, her expression incredulous.
Grinning, he dropped his arms. ‘For the first time you’ve surprised me, Allie. I was certain you’d say no.’
‘But –’ she held up her hand – ‘I’m not going anywhere until Rachel is safe. I will go with you, only if she walks out of here right now. This second.’
‘Now, Allie…’ he began, his tone placating.
She shook her head so hard drops of water flew around her in a circle. ‘Don’t, Nathaniel. You have your rules, and I have mine. I came alone. I did as you said. Let Rachel go now and you can have me. Otherwise the deal is off.’
He shot her a sour look.
‘I should have expected something like this.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘Still, I think we can make this work. In the interest of our new relationship and to prove my sincerity.’ Turning, he called back into the darkness. ‘Gabe. Release her.’
A voice from the shadows said something Allie couldn’t make out. Whatever it was it infuriated Nathaniel, who spun with the speed of a cobra strike. ‘I did not ask for your opinion. Release her.’