But when Liesel had learned that Caspian might have caught a glimpse of Sofie during an unsanctioned operation in Kenya ... well, she had to reconsider everything she knew about her sister.
Could Sofie really be alive?
And if she was, then why hadn’t she tried to contact her?
Maybe she did try,Liesel told herself, not for the first time.Maybe she doesn’t know how.
The fact Liesel had been in the United States serving as a clandestine officer for the BND might have complicated things further. Liesel leaned against the shower wall, closing her eyes. A part of her hoped that Sofie would reach out while she was in Europe.
A long shot, she knew, but hope was a stubborn thing.
And a girl can dream, right?
She stayed in the shower longer than necessary, waiting, half expecting Caspian to walk in and join her. But he didn’t.His loss.
After a few more minutes, she sighed and shut off the water. She grabbed a towel as she stepped out.
She checked her phone again. There were no new messages or updates.
Then a knock at the door.
Finally.Liesel smiled.He has probably forgotten his key card. Again.
She walked to the door and checked the peephole. No one was there. She cracked the door open and peered into the hallway. It was empty. But at her feet sat a small box. She picked it up, recognizing it immediately as coming from the café she and Caspian had visited three times this past week.
Her smile returned. Caspian must have sent it for her.
She carried the box to the table and opened it. Inside, nestled in white parchment paper, was anensaïmada—asoft, spiral-shaped Mallorcan pastry dusted with powdered sugar. Her favorite.
But there was something else beneath it. A white envelope.
She pulled it carefully, her fingers steady even as her pulse quickened. She slid her thumb under the flap and lifted it open.
Inside was a Polaroid. She and Caspian sitting on the terrace of the café, smiling at each other and completely unaware that someone had been watching them.
A cold wave of adrenaline surged through her.
She flipped the Polaroid over. There was a handwritten note in German.
Liesel’s lungs seized as she stared at the words.
I need your help, big sis. You’re the only one I can trust. Meet me tonight at Ses Oliveres. 7pm. Come alone. S—
Chapter Five
Port de Sóller
Mallorca, Spain
Caspian’s eyes locked onto the woman aiming a pistol at his head. The wind tugged at her dark hair, whipping loose strands around her face, but she didn’t seem the least bit distracted by it. Her grip remained steady and her stance balanced.
This isn’t the first time she’s held someone at gunpoint.
“Drop the gun,” she said, taking two steps in his direction.
Caspian noted that she had her finger on the trigger, and though he couldn’t be sure, he believed she had already taken up the slack on her trigger.
“All right,” he said. “I’m putting it down.”
