Allie stepped forward until she stood close to the gate. Eye-to-eye with Nathaniel. She wanted him to see how unafraid she was.
‘I will sign your papers.’ Her sudden announcement seemed to surprise them both. Isabelle shot her a frustrated look.
‘Excellent.’ Nathaniel reached for his breast pocket, as if to take out a pen.
Then Allie finished her thought: ‘As soon as Carter West is safely back at Cimmeria Academy – and after you agree to leave us in peace – you will have your signature. Until then, I won’t sign anything.’
Nathaniel’s expression darkened. He’d gone very still. Colour rose in his cheeks.
Suddenly, one of the guards arrayed behind him – a muscular man with a baby face and a brush of stubble on his cheeks – caught Allie’s gaze and made a subtle gesture with his hand.
Get back, it said.
Allie took a hasty, stumbling step away, just as Nathaniel reached through the bars and swung for her.
He missed her by inches.
Then he lost it.
‘What the hell is wrong with you?’ He kicked the metal gate over and over again. The fence shuddered from the force of the attack.
Behind him, the guards stood stoic, as if what he was doing was perfectly normal.
Her heart pounding, Allie scanned their faces until she found the one with the baby face. Like the others, he gazed steadily over her head, as if she wasn’t there.
Why had he warned her?
What if that’s Nine?
It had to be him.
She made up her mind. She would find a way to meet him. To explain.
Allie cast a sideways glance at the headmistress. She was watching Nathaniel’s tantrum with a strange mixture of sympathy and revulsion.
Panting, Nathaniel stepped back from the fence. The night seemed quieter after that burst of violence.
She and Isabelle watched him warily.
‘Listen to me, little girl.’ His voice was a snarl. ‘If you ever want to see your boyfriend alive again, I suggest you sign that document now…’
‘Enough.’ Isabelle held up her hand. ‘You wouldn’t dare. If you hurt Carter West, you lose all your leverage. You need him like you need her signature. You have your answer, Nathaniel. Give us Carter. And you can have everything you want.’
Nathaniel could have no idea how true that was.
Holding the document he’d given her up, Isabelle tore it in half. The pieces fluttered to the ground, scattering around her like flower petals.
Nathaniel’s face was red with rage.
‘You should be careful, Nathaniel.’ Isabelle’s tone was taunting. ‘I hear everyone in Westminster is talking about how Lucinda died. Nobody believes the cover story. A heart attack. Really?’ She shook her head. ‘Rumours spread fast in Parliament. How long do you think you’re going to last?’
Allie expected Nathaniel to lose it again. But his response was chilling.
‘You are sailing,’ he said, ‘too close to the wind, little sister.’
Isabelle just smiled. ‘That is right where I like to be. Big brother.’
For a long moment the two stood, locked in a silent battle. Then Nathaniel held up one hand.
‘Let’s go.’
As one, his guards turned back to their vehicles. Allie searched the crowd but she couldn’t see the baby-faced guard anymore – he’d disappeared into the shadows.
The headlights switched on in a blinding display. Isabelle stood at the gate, unafraid, staring right into the bright light.
Backlit like that, her hair golden and waving around her face, she looked like a goddess. Or like a warrior queen.
The SUVs lumbered around and, one after another, roared away.
When they were gone, the night fell silent. Allie heard birds – disturbed by the engines – grumbling in the trees. Wind rushed softly through the branches of the pines.
The only people left on the other side of the fence were the two returned hostages. They stood helpless, blindfolded, their hands still tied behind their backs.
They lifted their faces, in a curiously animalistic way, trying to see through the fabric that covered their eyes.
Allie knew they were bait.
This was classic Nathaniel. He could have stopped the cars a short distance down the road. He could have left men hidden in the woods, waiting to signal him as soon as the gate opened.
There’d been no reason for him to bring these men back at all.
The whole situation screamed trap.
She couldn’t imagine what would happen now. It was too dangerous to open the gates. But they couldn’t just leave the hostages standing there.
Like her, the headmistress was staring at the two men. She might have kept her cool throughout the evening, but now she was pale with fury.
‘Are they really gone?’ Allie asked hesitantly. ‘Is it safe?’
‘I don’t care.’ Isabelle pulled a phone from her pocket and pushed a button. Every muscle in her body was tense as she spoke into the phone.
‘Open the bloody gate.’
15
With a jarring screech of metal, the gate began to roll open.
Allie stared at the headmistress in utter disbelief. Opening the gates now was insane.