‘I think you’ll find I still run this school.’ Her voice was haughty. ‘You’d do well to remember that.’
‘I’m sorry.’ Realising she’d gone too far, Allie softened her tone. ‘But you can’t protect me, Isabelle. Not anymore. No matter how hard you try.’
‘That’s not true,’ Isabelle said, although her expression suddenly lacked conviction.
‘It is true. We all know it’s true.’ Allie brushed her fingertips against the soft fabric of the bandage on her neck. ‘Isabelle, this has to end. This whole thing. Raj can’t end it. You can’t end it.’ She dropped her hand. ‘But I can.’
‘Allie.’ The headmistress let out a breath. ‘I want you to go too, but it’s simply too dangerous. You’d have to be in a public place with this man. A place we couldn’t begin to control. We have no idea if he’s unstable, or even if we’re right about which side he’s on. We are pinning a lot on a few overheard words and a single hand gesture.’
Allie didn’t back down.
‘We’ve done more based on less,’ she said.
She’d never felt more sure of herself. She had to make her understand.
‘I know I’m right about Nine, Isabelle. And not because I really want to be right, or because I want Carter back so much I’m looking for a way to be right. I did the work. I listened to every word he said. You can research this now – find out who he is, help me understand who I’m dealing with. But I’ve played every second of this by the rules. Your rules. And now you have to let me finish this.’
The headmistress rested her chin on one hand, studying her with those leonine eyes. Allie knew that look well – she was making up her mind. Weighing the arguments.
‘I don’t like it,’ Isabelle said, almost to herself.
Allie held her breath.
‘But you’re not a little girl, anymore. You have a right to make up your own mind – you’ve proved that. So I’m going to let you do this. We will do all we can to protect you, but you know perfectly well how impossible it is to control this situation. This very well could go wrong.’ She paused. ‘Allie, this scares me. We don’t know this man at all.’
Allie could have lied. Could have pretended she had it all under control, but she didn’t. Instead, she met Isabelle’s gaze, and told her the truth.
‘It scares me, too.’
27
When Allie left Isabelle’s office a short while later, she walked with new confidence. Dom and Raj were already researching Nine – or Owen, as Allie now knew he was called. They were going to meet to hear her report in an hour.
So she had just enough time to take care of something very important.
If Isabelle’s fears were right and she never came back from this meeting with Nine, she wanted to be certain Rachel knew how she felt.
After a bit of searching, she found her with Nicole in the otherwise empty library, at a table stacked with enormous old books of what appeared to be maps.
The library door opened with so little sound the two didn’t hear her come in. The Persian rugs that covered the floor absorbed her footsteps.
‘Here’s one,’ she heard Nicole say as she leaned over a book nearly as big as the table beneath it. ‘This looks like the right area.’
‘It’s very old, though.’ Rachel sounded doubtful.
‘Does the earth change?’ Nicole purred, in her soft, French accent.
Their heads were close as they leaned over the book. Rachel’s glossy curls next to Nicole’s long, straight hair. Nicole’s fair skin contrasted with Rachel’s tawny colouring.
They looked beautiful together.
How did I miss this? I must have been blind.
Allie cleared her throat. The girls looked up in surprise.
Allie kept her gaze fixed on Rachel, whose cheeks gradually reddened, until she dropped her eyes.
It was Nicole who ran over to greet her. ‘We heard what happened. Thank God you’re OK.’ She tilted her head to see her bandage. ‘Does it hurt?’
‘A little,’ Allie admitted. ‘But it’s not too bad.’
‘Good,’ Nicole said. ‘Zoe’s been telling us about it in the most excruciating detail.’
Allie rolled her eyes. ‘I’ll bet she has.’
Through all this, Rachel hadn’t said a word.
Allie glanced over to where she stood, her head bowed over a map.
‘I’m sorry to ask, Nicole. But… would it be OK if I talked to Rachel alone for a second?’
Nicole nodded. Her expressive brown eyes were inquisitive but she didn’t ask what was going on.
‘Of course. I was going to get some coffee anyway. Rachel?’ She glanced back at her girlfriend. ‘Would you like some tea?’
Her head still lowered, Rachel just shrugged.
‘Well.’ Nicole flashed a sympathetic smile to both of them and left the room. The door closed behind her soundlessly.
Allie walked over to where Rachel stood staring blindly at the old book of yellowed maps. A teardrop fell onto the page in front of her.
‘Rach,’ Allie said, ‘I’m so sorry.’