He blows out a breath. “They won’t like that. Especially since you came here. They’ll worry about my safety as much as anything. The governor’s house, even if it isn’t the governor’s mansion, you know.”
Of course I knew. I always knew.
“I don’t think anyone followed me here. I’m sure they would have caught up to me by now. And even if they did, you have a small army here. Please, Dad. I just want a night of peace. Then I’ll talk to whoever you want, and we can call Corey to come up here. I just want one night of peace first.” I plead with him, hoping it won’t fall on heedless ears.
“I suppose it won’t hurt. If they follow you here, my guys will take care of it. I can’t believe they thought they could touch my daughter and get away with it.” He makes a disgusted noise at the back of his throat as he complains.
“Is there a phone I can use? I want to call the convent. Let my friends know I’m okay.”
“That can wait until tomorrow with everything else. You should go to your room and get some sleep. Take a shower. I’ll see if we can scare up an extra set of clothes for you somewhere in the house. Some food too.”
“That would be amazing. Hot water and sleep sound like a dream.” I offer up a small smile through my drying tears, forcing it for his benefit because the fact that he won’t let me do something as simple as let people know I’m okay says everything.
“Okay. I’ll send someone to help you shortly. I’m glad you’re okay, Zephyrine. But now that I know you are, I’m on a tight schedule. I’ll be sure to see you in the morning, though, when we call the authorities and start getting to the bottom of this,” he explains brusquely.
If this were real, if I had really been kidnapped and escaped when I was younger and more naïve, this would have crushed me. Broken my heart into a million pieces. I’m a minor inconvenience. One that’s to be scheduled alongside other more important matters.
“Of course. I understand,” I lie, and I give him a quick squeeze before I head to my old bedroom.
FORTY-TWO
Levi
“She should have been hereby now.” I look around nervously, like maybe she’ll suddenly appear from the corner or the stairs. We've already blown the local grid, taken the vault, with some difficulty, and packed our bags with the relics and any of the paperwork that looks relevant. Rowan is finishing up one last assessment of the shelves inside the vault to make sure there’s nothing else that’s imperative. The delay has cost us time and ammunition as several of his security team have made their way down the staircase Bishop’s been holding.
The same staircase she should have come down five minutes ago. My stomach turns, and the bile rises in the back of my throat. I hate myself for letting her go in there alone, for using her like this. I should have called off the plan the second I learned how cruel he’d been to her over the years. There’s no telling what he’ll do to punish her if he thinks she’s a willing participant in this.
“She might be somewhere she can’t leave yet. She’ll be here.” Bishop tries to reassure me.
“We can’t wait. We’ll lose all of this and get killed in the process,” Rowan states plainly. Ever the pragmatist.
“I can’t leave her behind.” I let my tone make it crystal clear I’m not leaving without her.
“The fuck you can’t. This is a job. It’s his daughter. This is her home. They’re not going to kill her. She’ll be fine.” Rowan’s dismissal of her safety presses on a raw nerve.
“His daughter, who betrayed him to help us,” I snap back. “His daughter, who he sold off to the highest bidder in order to get more political leverage. He might not kill her, but he’ll destroy her.”
“That’s not our problem. It’s hers.” Rowan looks at me like I’ve lost my mind for even broaching this argument. “We’re fucking leaving. Like it or not. You don’t blow a whole fucking plan.” He shoves my bag into my arms.
“No fucking way. I’m not leaving her.” I stand firm. “You wouldn’t fucking leave Charlotte like this.”
“Charlotte would have been down here five minutes ago.”
“Fuck you.” I close the space between us, seeing red.
I stretch my fingers, trying to think of a reason not to slam my fist into Rowan’s face. I know it’s the adrenaline and her life on the line setting me on edge, but I’ve had enough of his carelessness when it comes to her. I’d never encourage him to leave Charlotte behind.
“Do it. Do it and see what fucking happens.” Rowan’s steel-gray eyes scan mine.
“Hey, hey. Let’s think with cooler heads. We can give it another minute or two. She’d do it for us.” Bishop tries to be the calm voice in the chaos.
Rowan blows out a breath and rolls his eyes, shaking his head and giving me a wary look that manages the slightest hint of empathy. One that lets me take a step back.
“We need to get out. If his security has her somewhere, there’s no telling where. We don’t have time to search a house this big. We don’t have enough men or enough ammunition to clear it. Your guy knows that; he just doesn’t want to tell you.” Rowan looks between Bishop and me.
I turn to Bishop, who glances back at me. It’s my plan, but he’s the head of the operation now that we’re on the ground. He knows the odds better than I do. I need his assessment.
“He’s right. I hate it, but he’s right. If your priority is getting out of here with any of this, we’re out of time. Too many things have to go perfectly for us to get out of here, and the more we go off schedule, the less likely it is.” Bishop’s tone is strained.
