“Maybe,” I say, but something about that doesn’t feel right. It’s like my attention is being drawn somewhere near the hotel instead. “But I don’t think so. It’s someplace next to the hotel. On the same side of the street, but on the right. Something smaller. Maybe a restaurant or a liquor store?”
As I’m trying to gather my thoughts, the door opens again and Janine rushes in, followed by Giselle. Janine’s eyes are calm as she takes in the scene. “Are you okay?”
I nod. “Just a little weak.”
“Did you get anything?” Janine looks hopefully at the three of us.
“I think so,” Griffon says. “Chinatown, next to the Hilton, across from the park. We don’t have anything exact, but that’s as close as we’re going to get.” He seems to have taken charge as he nods to Giselle and Christophe. “You two stay here.” He turns to Janine. “How many people have we got outside?”
“Seven. And I can get more on the way there.”
“Great.” He turns to Christophe. “Let me know if there’s anything else.”
“I’m going with you,” I say, struggling to my feet. None of this would have happened if it hadn’t been for me. I want to be there when it ends.
“No way,” Griffon says harshly and turns to go. “You’re in no shape to come with us.”
“You can’t make me stay! I’ll get Drew to take me.”
Janine puts a hand on my arm. “It’s dangerous, and we need you here,” she says, gently but urgently. “Your job is to get as much information as you can. Christophe will send us anything important when we’re on the move. There are plenty of people outside whose only goal is to bring Rayne back safely. They’re all well trained and they know what they’re doing.”
“But—”
“You don’t want to be a liability,” Janine says.
“Let’s go!” Griffon demands, holding the door open. Janine takes one look back at me and follows him out the door.
As the room is secured again, it’s eerily quiet. Christophe is tapping on his phone, and Giselle is pacing silently in the corner. I collapse into one of the chairs along the wall and put my head in my hands. Not only has connecting with this guy used up all my energy, but I’m frustrated and angry too.
Giselle walks to the shelving units. “Do you want some water? There’s enough here to last us for weeks.”
I look up at her. “Thanks. That might help.” I squint into the light. “And a couple of Advil if you can find any.”
After rooting around in her bag, she hands me some pills and a bottle of water and then looks at the guy in the chair. “You could really see all of those things? Just by putting your hands on him?”
I nod, swallowing the little orange pills in one gulp. “Yeah. Not like a movie, though. It’s more impressions and feelings that I have to piece together. It’s kind of hard to explain.”
“But fascinating,” she says. She looks genuinely interested. “Can you do that to anyone?”
I look at the ground, remembering reading her at the meeting. She has no idea. “I think so. As long as I’m in contact with them, I can.”
Christophe nods at the guy. “Did you see anything else? Other than where they’re taking her?”
“Just that he thinks they’ll kill him if they find out he got caught,” I say.
A look of concern passes over Giselle’s face. “I could tell. I only saw them for a second, but these guys were professionals.”
Griffon said that they were on their way to the movies, which means that Giselle was with them. I can feel jealousy flare up, knowing it has no place in this situation. Now is not the time to worry about who Griffon’s out with. I glance at my brand-new shoes; and I’m hardly one to talk. “Do you have any idea where they’re from?”
Giselle nods to the guy. “Our best guess is that this one’s from North Korea. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that all of them are.”
“And he’s not Akhet.”
“The guys who took Rayne are just the boots on the ground,” Giselle says. “The ones who do the dirty work. I’m sure that there are rogue Akhet behind all of this. There have to be.” My face must give away my feelings, because she keeps talking quickly. “Look, they’re going to keep Rayne alive. They have to—if they’re going to try to make a profit off the formula or give it to others, they need to have proof that it works. And that it won’t kill you.”
“Reassuring,” I say, meaning every bit of the sarcasm.
I can hear Christophe’s phone vibrate and we both turn to look at him. He checks the text. “It’s just my sister,” he says. “We’re having trouble with my mother.”
“Not now, Christophe,” Giselle says irritably.
“I know. Let me just answer her.” He turns and taps a few things out on his keyboard before putting the phone away.
Time seems to drag in the stuffy little room, and I wish we had some way of knowing what was going on. I’m feeling stronger after my empath connection. The guy’s head is lolling on his shoulder, but I don’t think he’s asleep. “Do you think I should try connecting with him again? See if there’s any more information?”
“Let’s see what happens in Chinatown first,” Christophe says. “If they find her where you said they are, then it’s not necessary.” His phone rings and he takes it out of his pocket. “It’s Janine.” He pushes the button and listens for a second. I study his eyes, looking for clues, but his face is so impassive, I can’t tell what he’s hearing.
“Okay, thanks,” he says. “I’ll keep you posted.” He turns to us. “They’re not there.”
“What?” I say desperately. I search my mind for what I’d seen. “They didn’t find the right place? Because it’s a small shop or restaurant right by the hotel. I can practically see it. On the right as you’re facing it. Call them back—”
Christophe puts a hand out to stop me. “They got the right place—a cigar store two doors down from the hotel. They found Rayne’s phone on the floor in a storeroom.” He looks at me and my heart sinks. “Smashed to pieces. But there was nobody there.”
Twenty-Nine
Giselle grabs me as I lunge for the kidnapper. “They’re not there!” I shout, wanting nothing more than to pound my fists into him, but she pulls me back and spins me around.
I look frantically from Christophe to Giselle, panic completely taking over every rational thought. “What do we do now? I was sure that was where they were taking her. That’s what I saw.”
Giselle paces a little more. “That is where they took her,” she says in a measured tone. “You were right, and that’s probably all this guy knew. Once the others found out we had him, they must have changed their plans.”
“There’s nothing else we can do,” Christophe says.
“There’s got to be!” I say. I look at them desperately. “We can’t just stand around here doing nothing! Didn’t any of you get a license-plate number? Can’t we call the police? Rayne’s been kidnapped, for God’s sake!”
Giselle stops pacing. “We did get a license number, but it was a fake. Trust me, that was the first avenue we tried. The police are no good to us in this situation, and the attention will only make it worse.”
Christophe takes a sip of his water. “Janine and the other Sekhem are going to come back and we’ll regroup, see if there is something else we can try. Once you calm down, maybe you can try to read him again—see if you can identify any of the people he was with.”
“It’s not your fault,” Giselle says. “You did what you needed to do.” She looks at the guy, whose eyes are still wide on us. “You told us what he knew. It’s just too bad it wasn’t enough.” Giselle heads for the door. “I’m going to see what’s happening upstairs. Make sure our guests are doing okay.” I know that she’s as frustrated as I am. I’m sure she just wants to get out of here.