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My brain kept trying to offer other potential and valid reasons for Felix to know her, but there weren't any. I had been her mark. There was no other explanation.
But why would your grandfather bother?
Maybe they needed me in a softened, weakened state. I would have fought back, wouldn't I??
I was just on the edge of the old town, my trainers slapping on the cobblestones, when the alert came in. I frowned at it, not sure if I was seeing it right. It was the emergency code.?
Red. Red. Red.?Saff had called in The Heir’s Ruby.
I saw Saff’s message, and my heart sank. Adrenaline flowed in my veins. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. She was in trouble. My rational brain had a lot to say about that.?
I thought we hated her.?
Fucking hell. I knew what the protocol meant. Find an exit route immediately. It didn't matter though, because I was still calling her.
I knew she wouldn't answer. Think fucker, think, think, think. Where was she? She'd gone to breakfast with Graciella, right?
From there, what would be the egress route she'd take? I had a whole map of the big island. Memorized it backward and forward. She was in trouble. Where would she go? If she was seeing red, that meant she'd had made a hasty exit out of somewhere. She needed help. I ran quickly, nearly taking out pedestrians. I had to get through.
My skin was too cold and flushed hot at the same time. At one point I slid and stumbled over someone's fallen gelato. I managed to stay upright then kept going. Fuck, I had to get to her. I had to fucking get to her.
Fucking Saff. I was furious. More furious than I’d ever been in my entire life. She had betrayed me. But still, I couldn't leave her to die. Protocol said I was fucking supposed to get to the pier. Anyone who didn't make it on time would be left behind.
But I couldn't leave her. My phone buzzed. It was Saint.
"Saint," I answered, huffing.?"The fuck are you doing? You're breaking protocol."
“You answered. So are you."
“I'm trying to get Saff so we can get out of here."
"That's against the rules."
“I know.”
“Where are you?"
I told him my location.
“If we do this, we're all likely going to miss the fucking boat,"Saint groaned.
“I'm not asking you to do this. I just— I can't leave her."
“Yeah, keep going, I’ll meet you on Winston Walk."
I quickly did a mental assessment of where Winston Walk was. "We'll be there."
“You better be there, because I’m going to borrow some wheels."
I laughed. "Aren't you a demolitions expert? How are you going to borrow these wheels?"
“Don't ask questions."
And I didn't. I just hung up and ran for my life, because I knew that if she had called red, she was in trouble. And I had to get to her. It didn't matter what she'd done, or how, or what that meant. When we got back to London, then I’d talk to her. But for now, the only way I wanted out of this was for all of us to be safe and sound. But her most of all. And I was willing to risk everything to make sure of that.
There were throngs of people on the streets. It was a bank holiday, so everyone was on bloody holiday time. Fuck. The streets were teeming, and I knew I was not going to make it.
I made an ill-advised left, and it took me straight into the path of an impromptu parade with buskers up ahead. I cursed. The crowd was so thick I knew I wasn't getting through. And then I saw a retaining wall, so I hopped up and worked my way up and up. A couple of people were in their yards and shouted a warning, but of course I didn't listen. I couldn't hear them for the fear and the worry that had pierced my gut and gripped it, refusing to let go, the claws of it digging in tight.
