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“We can’t allow you to go into a potentially dangerous situation,” Officer White said, his voice infuriatingly calm. “How about you come with us to the station to make a report?”
“There isn’t time!” I said. “Why won’t you listen to me?”
The other cop, Officer Adams, looked at his partner. “I have uniforms on their way to the address Miss Perez gave us. I don’t see any harm in taking Miss Perez along with us, to put her mind at ease, as long as we stay out of the way.” I could have kissed him.
Officer White considered this. “All right,” he said, giving in. “Get in the car. You can tell us what happened on the way.”
I climbed into the back of the cop car, almost crying with relief and fear. I prayed we wouldn’t be too late. As we set off, a thought occurred to me.
“How did you know where I was?” I asked. “Luis kidnapped me from the hospital.”
“Your father called 911,” Officer Adams said.
I was stunned. “My father? But...he was sleeping!”
“Apparently not,” Officer White said. “He called emergency services to report that his daughter had been kidnapped by her loser husband, and we’d better bring her back safe or he would sue the life out of the city.” His voice held the hint of a smile.
I sat back, stunned. Not only had my father been awake, but he’d had the wherewithal to phone the police. Hope swelled in my chest. Maybe my father would never again be the larger-than-life figure of my youth, but I hadn’t lost him entirely. Part of him was still in there somewhere. What had Kathy at the hospital said? That a doctor would recommend a treatment plan? The knowledge that there was still hope for my father buoyed me. I had to believe that there was still hope for Jacques and the rest of the men. I sent up a silent prayer. Please let them be okay. Don’t let us be too late.
The drive out of the city seemed to take forever, and I begged Officers White and Adams to turn on their siren, but they refused. They questioned me along the way, prodding me for information, but I was too distressed to give coherent answers. “I’ll give a full statement when this is all over,” I said. “Please, just get us there quickly.”
Finally, the two men lapsed into silence, focusing on the road, and I stared out the window, willing us to go faster. The faces of each man swam past my mind’s eye, and I fought back tears. This was all my fault; if not for me, Luis never would have set his sights on them. I led him right to them, and if they were hurt — or worse — I would never forgive myself.
They’re strong, I reassured myself. None of them are helpless, and there are seven of them.
But they don’t know he’s coming, a second, quieter voice added. If he catches them unaware …
I willed the voice to be silent. Finally, we were approaching the long drive to the castle. Long before we reached the end of the drive, we came upon several parked cop cars. Uniformed officers milled around, talking into their radios and casting concerned glances toward the castle.
“Why are they all just standing around?” I asked, fumbling at my door handle. I stumbled out of the car and finally got a good look at the castle. “Oh my God.” Behind me, Officer White swore loudly.
The castle was engulfed in flames.
Mindlessly, I ran towards the castle, ignoring the shouts of the officers behind me. Dimly, I was aware that several men tried to stop me, but I pushed past them. Luis had done this, I was sure of it. And the men — my men — were inside. Could they get out? Were they trapped?
As I drew closer to the castle, the heat radiating from the flames forced me to stop. Smoke and ash swirled through the air, making me cough. Slowly, I became aware of the shouting behind me. Someone was calling my name.
I whirled, heart racing, to find several familiar faces running toward me, calling for me to stop. My stomach dropped as I counted six men; Jacques wasn’t among them.
“Isabel!” Étienne reached me first and pulled me into a crushing embrace. “Dieu merci. Thank God you’re safe.” The others gathered around us, and I felt their hands on my back, in my hair, as if reassuring themselves by touch that yes, I was really here.
“You came back,” Raphael said, sounding dazed.
“Of course I came back,” I said. I pulled back from Étienne’s embrace. “But what happened?” I asked. “Where is Jacques?”
The men traded glances among themselves. “We don’t know,” Bernard said. “We heard someone break in, and he took off after them. We got out when we smelled smoke, but he didn’t come with us.”
