“I know,” he said, and lapsed back into silence.
Nothing more was said between them, until a few minutes later, Gallo spotted the rear guard of Tyndareus’s group, about a hundred yards away. They were stationed at the edge of a slope, which descended into a ravine. She pulled Kenner behind a clump of vegetation. “Showtime,” she said. “How should we play this?”
“That depends on you, I suppose. Would you rather be my partner or my hostage?”
The question, or perhaps the way Kenner asked it, made Gallo feel uncomfortable, but it was too late to back out now.
Oblivious to her reaction, he plowed ahead. “Since your friends wouldn’t let me have a gun, it might be difficult to convince Tyndareus that you are my prisoner. However, I think it might be even harder to convince him that I won you over. Shall we say that I made threats against Fiona to ensure your compliance?”
“That sounds plausible enough,” Gallo said. “Remember, we just need to get close enough to tell Fiona what’s going on. At the first opportunity, we make a break for it.”
“Of course.” He stood up, putting himself in full view of Tyndareus’s men. He reached out and took hold of her upper arm, dragging her erect. She started to protest the unexpectedly rough treatment, but he cut her off. “Just act your part, Augustina. We have to be convincing, you know.” He raised his free hand and began waving. “Hello! Over here!”
The men in the distance immediately took note and began advancing, their guns at the ready.
“There’s something I’ve been wanting to ask,” Kenner said, without looking at her. “Be honest. Did I ever really have a chance with you?”
Her discomfort intensified into something approaching real distress. “Liam, this is hardly the time.”
He uttered a short, humorless laugh. “I suspected as much.” His grip on her arm became painfully tight, and then without any warning, he started forward, almost yanking her off her feet.
“Liam!” She tried to pull free but his hold was ferocious in its strength. She had to jog just to avoid being dragged. The warning alarms were ringing loudly in her head, but the opportunity to turn and run had already slipped away.
“Stop, Liam. Think about what you’re doing. He’s a monster. You said so yourself.”
Kenner made no reply. The two gunmen broke into a run, reaching them a few seconds later, brandishing their guns and ordering both of them to freeze and raise their hands. Kenner did so, without releasing his hold on Gallo.
“Well done, gents. Now, take me to Mr. Tyndareus. Immediately. This can’t wait.”
The two men regarded him with open suspicion, as did Gallo, but they quickly reached a mutual silent agreement, and circled around behind Kenner and Gallo, motioning for them to move.
Gallo at last managed to pull free of Kenner’s grip. She rubbed her bruised arm, refusing to look at him, though a part of her could not help but wonder if this was all part of the act. If so, Kenner deserved an Academy Award.
And if not?
Before leaving, she had promised to send a signal at the first sign of trouble. Dourado was still watching the feed from the drone, so all Gallo would have to do is start frantically waving her arms, and then Pierce and Lazarus would sweep in, guns blazing, to rescue her.
Kenner knew of that arrangement. If he was truly betraying her now, then he would have taken steps to prevent her from communicating with the others. Perhaps the fact that he had not done so was proof that the abrupt change in his demeanor was just a part of the act.
Even if it was not, she dared not run yet, not until she could tell Fiona what was happening.
The men ushered them down into the ravine, where the rest of the group was waiting. The video feed of the TALOS suit had not truly conveyed how imposing it was. It towered above everyone else, yet moved with a natural smoothness that belied its mechanical nature. She looked past the armored suit and spotted Fiona, leaning against a rock wall behind the group, weeping openly.
Gallo burst forward, disregarding any perceived or actual threat from her captors, and ran to Fiona. It had been days since she’d last seen the young woman. The physical ordeal of captivity had taken its toll, but she rallied and threw her arms around Gallo. “Aunt Gus. I’m so glad to see you.”
Gallo returned the embrace. Her first impulse was simply to offer comfort, but empty words were the last thing Fiona needed right now. “Listen to me,” she whispered. “There’s no time to explain, but when I tell you run, you run. Got it?”
“I don’t think I can.”