Allie looked around desperately. Someone had to notice she wasn’t there.
But the truth was, as long as Nathaniel didn’t talk to her no one would think to look for her.
She tried to cry out but she didn’t have enough air.
‘Quiet,’ a voice said in her ear. And she froze. She knew that slightly high-pitched voice. She’d heard it a hundred times.
It was Six. Nathaniel’s guard.
Allie seethed with helpless rage. Her efforts to end this pointless, bloody fight had failed. Nathaniel would never let it end. This was all he lived for. He loved this battle. These little brutalities gave him purpose.
But he couldn’t have her.
She raised her right arm and thrust her elbow into the flesh below his ribcage with all the force she could muster.
Six made an odd, strangulated noise. And let go.
Allie landed on her feet in a crouch, hands raised defensively. But she wasn’t alone.
Sylvain stood next to her.
He lowered himself to a crouch, his hands curled into fists, his intense blue gaze fixed on Six.
‘Back off, kid,’ Six snarled.
Sylvain watched him with the curious interest of a cat eyeing a bird that had landed in its path.
‘Backing off is not what I have in mind,’ he said calmly.
He leapt at Six with such force, the man never had a chance. Allie watched in horror as the two hit the gravel with a thud. Six grappled for Sylvain’s throat, but couldn’t get a grip. He was so unprepared for the power of Sylvain’s assault, he could do little more than ward off the blows that now rained down on him.
Allie had never seen Sylvain so angry. So violent. His fists hit Six’s face with an awful crunching sound.
‘Someone help,’ she heard herself say, quietly at first but then louder. ‘Raj! Someone!’
Footsteps pounded towards them. In seconds, guards surrounded them. It took two to pull Sylvain off of Six. The others seized the wounded man and took him away.
‘I’m fine. Let go.’ Sylvain jerked free of the guards’ hold. His hands were bleeding but he didn’t seem to notice.
His eyes searched the crowd until they found Allie. For a long moment, they stared at each other across the chaos.
Her heart twisted in her chest.
Then he turned and walked away.
She took a hesitant step after him, but Isabelle grabbed her arm, pulling her in the other direction. ‘Allie – are you hurt?’
‘I’m fine.’ Allie insisted. ‘It was nothing.’ Craning her neck, she tried to see past the headmistress. ‘Where’s Nathaniel? Is someone watching him?’
‘Raj has him,’ Isabelle assured her.
Through the crowd, in the hazy light flowing from the open school door, Nathaniel stood with stiff impatience. Muscular guards flanked him, each holding one arm tightly.
Raj was in front of him, hands on his hips.
When things were calm enough, the two guards looked at Raj, waiting for his command. With a sigh, he nodded.
Each dropped Nathaniel’s arm and stepped back one step.
Freed, he straightened the cuffs of his crisp white shirt, and smoothed his tie with an irritated brush of his fingers.
Allie and Isabelle returned to stand next to Julian. Isabelle stuck very close to Allie’s side.
‘As I said, we need your signed agreement.’ Julian’s voice was unruffled, as if nothing at all untoward had just occurred.
Allie was amazed at his sheer level of cool.
He pulled a folded sheet of paper from his pocket. ‘Before you leave tonight. The school in exchange for Orion. You’ll see the money on offer is more than fair. This offer is only on the table now.’
Nathaniel considered him narrowly. ‘You know, if I agree to this, I will never forgive you, Julian.’ His voice was menacing. ‘You will be on my list.’
Julian smiled. ‘Your list is filled with so many of my favourite people. I’d be delighted to be among them.’
‘You fools.’ Nathaniel looked around the group in front of him. ‘All of you. You could have had everything.’
His gaze lingered on Allie’s face. She thought she saw puzzlement in his eyes, amid the cool calculation.
‘Indeed,’ Julian agreed, as if Nathaniel had said something reasonable. ‘I think the price we’re paying to Orion for the school and grounds constitutes highway robbery. But property prices in Britain are out of control.’ He straightened his jacket. ‘Someone should really address that issue.’
Nathaniel glowered at him. ‘I’ll ruin you, Julian.’
‘Well,’ Julian said, ‘all you can do is try.’
Nathaniel reached for his breast pocket and the two guards stepped towards him instantly. When he raised his hands, one held a silver pen.
‘All right?’ he said to Raj.
Eyeing him suspiciously, Raj nodded. The guards stepped back.
Allie couldn’t believe it. Was he really going to do this? Had they actually won?
Under cover of darkness, Isabelle took her hand, squeezing it tight.