Her chest tightened, breath catching sharply in her throat. “For how long?”
“Forever,” he replied, watching her. “Unless he escapes.”
The world tilted and Cally gripped the doorjamb, her fingers digging into the wood.This was punishment? This was justice?Minh had deserved everything he got.
“Fine,” she said through clenched teeth. “Until he escapes, you say? He’s about to escape. We’ll leave as soon as I’m dressed.” She looked to Noah. “Would you please ask Marcel if he has something I could wear?”
Noah ducked his head. “Zoey’s here. She’ll have clothes.” He headed off down the hallway and around the corner, and Cally heard him knock on a door.
It took effort to keep her expression neutral as she addressed Gabe. “Thank you for bringing this message. Are you going to help?”
“Yes. You won’t get him back without me.”
Some of the pressure eased from her chest. “Thank you.”
“It won’t be easy,” Gabe added. He grinned without humor, baring his teeth. “But they don’t know you can track him.”
She forced her voice steady. “Will they stop us from rescuing him?”
“Yeah, if they know about it.”
“Will he be guarded?”
Gabe shook his head. “No point. They’ll have buried him deep and left him.”
“If we can get him out without their knowing, we could run, perhaps.”Would Antoine agree?
Gabe smiled thinly. “According to our laws, if Antoine escapes—throughanymeans—the punishment is deemed complete. He’ll be free to continue as he did before.”
“That sounds too easy.” Cally frowned. “I can’t see them abiding by that.”
“Roberto will find another way to attack him, I expect. Leonard, Jorge and the others won’t care—the Curia will see it as finished. Belle said she was going back to Europe.”
“She was there?” Belle had promised to aid Antoine, but that wasn’t something Cally could share with Gabe. “Did she say anything?”
“She did, actually,” Gabe said, surprise in his voice. “She was the one to insist that escape was an end to it.”
Well, I suppose that counts as help.
Noah appeared around the corner, arms laden with clothes. At least two pairs of jeans, T-shirts and a large hoodie. “Zoey is about your size. I hope some of this will fit.”
“Great. Five minutes to get dressed.” Cally turned for the bedroom door, then winced. “Gabe, another favor. I don’t think we have a car right now.” She looked to Noah. “That right?”
“Yep,” he confirmed. “Marcel’s was destroyed on I-93, you blew up Antoine’s Lambo, and I’ve no idea where the Audi is.”
“Impounded,” Cally said, then muttered, “I didn’t blow up the Lambo.”
“It’s fine,” Gabe said briskly. “I’ll drive.”
“Five minutes then,” Cally repeated. She wanted a shower, but it could wait until they’d rescued Antoine.
He could scrub her back.
*
“Still east?” Gabe asked as he drove.
“Still east.” It was pretty much all Cally had said since they’d left.
