Without waiting for his response, she headed down the long, gravel drive. Allie hurried after her.
She kept trying to think of more questions – there had to be more to know. A better way to prepare. They hadn’t even changed into Night School clothes. Isabelle wore black trousers and a white silk blouse. Her office shoes were all wrong for running. Allie was still in her school uniform.
There was no moon tonight. The darkness was so complete, they could barely make out the road ahead.
It was nearly a mile to the front gate. Their steps took on a kind of rhythmic synchronicity. Despite her shoes, Isabelle ran with fluid ease. Her hair had begun to spring loose from the clips that held it back; stray golden-brown strands tumbled into her eyes.
‘Do you think,’ Allie asked after a long time had passed, ‘this is a trap?’
Isabelle didn’t reply immediately. ‘Probably,’ she said after a moment. ‘With Nathaniel, everything’s a trap.’ Unexpectedly, she smiled. ‘In a strange way, he’s predictable.’
It was an odd response. Even after what had happened to Lucinda, Nathaniel didn’t seem to intimidate her. He seemed, more than anything, to disappoint her.
But then Allie thought of Christopher. Her own brother had sided with Nathaniel, but then saved her from his thugs in London. He’d helped her escape. Maybe Isabelle’s relationship with her stepbrother was just as conflicted as Allie’s own.
Suddenly, she saw something in the distance. A faint, sulphurous glow flickered through the trees. Allie squinted at the light, trying to understand what she was looking at. Then it struck her.
Headlights.
Soon they were close enough to see the source. Several large vehicles, arrayed in a row, faced the school’s intimidating front gate. She recognised the biggest one – the huge tank-like vehicle that had pursued them on the way back from London.
Her stomach flip-flopped. The thing was so big – surely Nathaniel could just bash through the fence with it if he wanted.
The closer she got to the fence line, the less she could see. After the darkness, the light was blinding.
Shading her eyes with one hand, she peered into the glare. She thought she could make out figures facing them but she couldn’t tell if they were men or women, armed or unarmed.
‘Nice trick, Nathaniel.’ Isabelle’s voice rang out in the silence. ‘Turn off the lights.’
For a moment nothing happened. Then all the lights went off at once.
Now Allie was even more blind. She blinked hard but it was as if a curtain had fallen, hiding everything.
She stopped walking. She didn’t dare take a step.
She felt helpless. Exposed.
‘Stay close.’ Isabelle’s whisper came from the darkness right next to her; Allie couldn’t see her at all.
How am I going to stay close if I don’t know where you are? she thought.
‘What do you want Nathaniel?’ Isabelle asked from a few feet away. Allie took a cautious step towards the sound. ‘There’s no need for all this drama.’
‘Aren’t you glad to see me, Isabelle? How disappointing.’ Nathaniel’s familiar voice sent ice into Allie’s veins. ‘I’ve brought you a present.’
‘It’s not my birthday,’ Isabelle said with veiled sarcasm. ‘You didn’t have to bring anything.’
‘Oh, but I did.’
Allie’s vision began to clear. She could make out a hazy image of the scene on the other side of the fence. There were about ten large men. They appeared to be pulling something from a car.
On the other side of the fence from this group, she and Isabelle were alone. Surreptitiously, Allie peered around, looking for any sign of Raj’s guards nearby – but she saw no one.
They had to be there, though. Somewhere.
Nathaniel’s guards shoved two men towards the gate. They were handcuffed and blindfolded. Each wore the distinctive black gear of Raj’s security team.
‘I’ve brought your men back,’ Nathaniel said, a touch of glee in his voice. ‘A peace offering.’
He was as handsome as ever. His dark hair was neatly combed, his expensive tie perfectly straight. He might have been going to a business meeting, instead of a nocturnal prisoner exchange. But Allie knew better than to underestimate him. There was nothing ordinary about Nathaniel.
The guards surrounding him all, like him, wore dark suits and ties. As far as Allie could tell, all were male, with short hair. She scanned their prisoners quickly, searching for Carter.
He wasn’t there.
Isabelle must have been thinking the same thing. ‘What about the boy? Where is Carter West?’
Nathaniel spread his hands. ‘Regrettably, he couldn’t accompany us today. He was… otherwise engaged.’
All the breath seemed to leave Allie’s lungs. She stared at Nathaniel in stunned disbelief. She’d been so certain he’d be here. That she’d see him now.
His amused gaze swept across her face. ‘Oh dear,’ he said. ‘You did expect him, didn’t you? How upsetting for you.’