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The notes reverberated in the room, and even the AFP bodyguards stopped playing cards and turned toward the thin man in the room who was making the instrument sing. Kaiya wiped at her eyes every so often, and Mickey stood transformed by the sound. The light outside seemed to brighten as the notes wept with an echo long after each string was strummed. It was as if the maestro was delving not only into the violin’s pure music, but their heartstrings. Goosebumps formed and shivered across his skin. Archie Baker was born to play the violin.
At the last haunting note, Kodiak spoke at last, his voice shaking with emotion, feeling such pain for Archie. “I know that this is all very jarring for you, that you feel desperate and alone, but you’re not alone.” Staring deep into Archie’s eyes, Kodiak held his gaze without wavering to show his conviction, to show his sincerity. “We care about what happens to you, Mr. Baker. We care about why those men kidnapped you, and who they were trying to get leverage on. They are a part of a terrorist group who wants to hurt Americans. That’s why we’re here in your country. Why the AFP is helping us to apprehend them. They are merciless killers without any remorse. We need to know who that person is so that we can protect your loved one and the targets they are planning to attack. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Kodiak could sense the resistance in him, and his fear of making a mistake and trusting the wrong people. There were probably pieces from his past and present that hadn’t fallen into place for him yet, tripping him up. He could understand that. All his own pieces had only just fallen into place over the past few days. But with Archie, it was different. He had spent all that time on the street, barely surviving on his own, leaving him vulnerable, weak. But Kodiak needed this man’s trust now more than ever.
His eyes were so dark, and despite the ache in Kodiak’s chest, he prayed he was getting through to the man. Knowing that he had to be gentle with this ravaged soul, Kodiak reached out and clasped the man’s shoulder to give them a tangible connection. Archie needed his control back. “We’re depending on you, sir, to lead the way.” Archie let his breath go on a ragged sigh, and Kodiak tightened his hold on the man’s shoulder.
Archie closed his eyes and said, “Are you talking about Alice? Is she in danger because of me?”
Kodiak saw Kaiya stiffen, and the name registered like a huge blaring siren. That was the name Ailee had given him. This was the lead they needed. “Who is Alice?”
“She’s my sister. She’s a good, gentle soul. Those men…they’re after her? Oh, God. What have I done? I never meant to put my sister in danger,” he said, his voice breaking again, but this time in panic.
Kodiak shook him to get him to focus on his face again. “Don’t start blaming yourself. You got caught in a bad situation, and there wasn’t a hell of a lot you could do about it.”
“Except now I can help you. What do you need to know?”
“Your sister’s full name and address for starters. We need to get to her before they do.”
“Alice Martin…her married name, even though…she lost her husband in Afghanistan… My best friend, she has remained so strong and tough. I’m ashamed to say, I obviously haven’t,” he stammered. “Walter…Wally. He was a good, good man. He gave me the violin that was stolen. I cherished it.”
Kodiak reached out and squeezed his shoulder, one military man to another.
“Where does she work?” Kaiya asked, already on the phone.
“TheAmericanInternational School of Sydney,” Archie said, his voice hushed, then he groaned. “She teaches math to…” His eyes widened and he took a hard breath. “American children of diplomats.”
Kaiya related the information over the phone and expelled a breath full of fear. “Children,” she shouted into the phone.
He gave them her address, and without another word, Kaiya and Kodiak ran for the door. They had to get to Alice before NSH. Unless they were already too late.
* * *
Alice Martin juggledher key fob and the groceries that filled both arms. She decided she was going down to that junkyard to find her brother and force him to come home. She was going to get him into therapy, get him to understand that Wally’s death hadn’t been his fault, get him a warm meal and bed to sleep in, a shower, and change of clothes. For a moment, she leaned against her car, an uncharacteristic sob caught in her throat. She wasn’t going to give into despair. She was made of sterner stuff, and she wouldn’t tarnish Wally’s memory by losing her battle with the deep grief inside her.
It would be two years since the evacuation and Wally’s death. It was time that Archie visited his grave and came to terms with it, as she was struggling each day to do. Wally had given his life to save the people who had been there for Australia during the war. She wasn’t going to lay blame at anyone’s feet, because that would be counterproductive. It was the reason she’d kept her job with the American International School. Teaching American children reminded Alice that just because the government had blundered so badly, not all Americans were bad people.
She pushed off the vehicle and walked toward her house, lost in her thoughts, hoping that she could find Archie in that place, not deterred by the danger that lurked there, especially at night.
Still juggling the bags of groceries, she fit her key in the lock and twisted, then pushed the door open with her foot, letting go of the key to keep her control over the bags. But suddenly she was falling forward, the bags flying out of her arms as she landed hard on the floor of her home.
She heard the door slam behind her and regained enough of her senses to roll onto her back to find a man looming over her.
He reached down and grabbed the front of her coat and hauled her to her feet. “Scream, love, and it will be your last.” He had shaggy black hair and menacing hazel eyes.
He shook her hard and she nodded. “What do you want?”
He grinned, but he wasn’t the one who answered. “We want you, love. Well, at least, my colleague Barry does. I’ve got my own fish to fry.” Another man came from her kitchen, cutting a piece of apple off the fruit in his hand with a sharp-looking knife and popping it into his mouth. He was tall and his brown hair was buzzed close to his scalp. He smiled as he chewed.
“All we need is your cooperation, and we’ll make sure your homeless and pathetic brother lives.”
She stiffened and before she could stop herself, she slapped the one called Barry across the face so hard, his head jerked to the side. The man with the apple laughed sharply, but Barry wasn’t amused.
“Shut up, Sonny,” he growled, then backhanded her across the face. He was on her, roughly pushing her knees apart, settling himself between her legs, squeezing her breast hard. She fought him, managing to knee him to scramble away.
The man with the apple, Sonny, crouched down as Barry writhed on the floor, cradling his nuts. “Look, mate. Don’t make me gut you. If you hurt her that way, I will castrate you. Have some respect for women.” He still had that same closed expression on his face, and the hardness in his eyes. Even though he was threatening his partner in crime, she had no doubt he and his counterpart would carry out their threat. Archie. Her chest constricted and her stomach tightened all over again.
Barry blanched and nodded. Sonny then looked at her. “Do what we ask, and your brother won’t be harmed. Refuse, and he’ll die.”
