Philippe


    He heard the sounds and his heart, pounding furiously, almost stopped for a beat. He had now managed to creep up to the side of the broken-down shed beside the house. Peering around cautiously, he heard the shrill treble of a woman and another voice, an old man. The father-inw, he thought suddenly. They were speaking excitedly and then, a sudden loud sound prated his thoughts, making him jump. Breathing feverishly, the young boy listened intently.


    And he heard his Boss groan loudly.


    Phillippe clutched the worn-out wooden panels of the shed, his eyes round in fear.


    A feeling of fury coursed through him.


    Were they toote?’ he thought anxiously. A memory of Proserpina and her piteous expression as she heard of how the old woman they had seen in the shop, might be holding Lucien prisoner, seemed to appear before his eyes, swimming in his vision.


    Steeling himself, he stood, looking around wildly for a weapon.


    *


    Proserpina


    The car did not seem to be going fast enough. Chewing my lip, I sat, stiff and straight, hands sped tightly to keep them from trembling. I was aching; my heart was torn as I wondered if my lover was safe.


    Or if…


    *


    Beside Proserpina, crammed into the back seat of the car, Schwartz growled,


    ‘We need to take out that monk.’


    Aiyana nodded, her square chin jutting out in determination. She did not want a rey of what Dmitri had done to enact before her eyes.


    Quickly, Schwartz leant forward and began to converse with the man from Toth’s group, the only one who could understand a smattering of English. Schwartz’s proficiency inmunicating in the local dialect was not too good. But he could make himself understood.


    Proserpina got the gist of what he was saying.


    The moment they crested over the hill, Schwartz would jump out and stay in wait for the car. He would shoot the upant of therge brown sedan that had been trailing us.


    The men with us looked uneasy/ They were not too keen to let a stranger take a risk.


    What if Seik Toth became angryter on?


    Schwartz pre-empted their protests.


    ‘This is my Boss,’ he snapped,’ My brother. And if he is in danger, I will do anything to save him. I want to make sure that you find him. I can hold them at bay.’


    I felt Aiyana’s body stiffen but she said nothing, only continued to stare out through the window as if she found the passing scenery of ck trees in the dusky gloom, as they whizzed past, to be extremely fascinating.


    Someone had to stop him, make him see sense, I thought frantically and gripped his slim, sinewy wrist.


    I looked up at him, my mouth trembling. But he bent his head and kissed the tip of my nose, murmuring,


    ‘Love, I can look out for myself. You know that.’


    And as I continued to look at him, my eyes filling with tears of fear, he groaned,


    “Ahh, no, little one. do not look at me like that.’ And he tilted my chin, saying,


    “Believe in me.’


    I nodded mutely.


    *This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    And just as he had nned, the car slowed down a bit, just a fraction as we began to enter the forest after cresting the hill. Dusk was settling in and I could see the dark silhouettes of the trees as they loomed around us on either side of the road. There was no sign of habitation, no house in view. Just a deste, vast stretch of trees that dwarfed us.


    Something about the ce made me shudder. It was eerie.


    A frightening forest, I thought.


    the car had merely slowed a little but it was enough for James Schwartz to make his move. He grabbed my chin and nted a hard kiss on my mouth.


    And then he was gone.


    I gasped, putting out my hand instinctively as he leapt out but Aiyana reached over, mming the door and holding my hand firmly in her cold ones.


    I spun around, the car had tinted dark windows but it was clear outside.


    Immediately afternding on the hard grey road, Schwartz was rolling on the ground before righting himself and dashing into the woods for cover. I watched him, my hand in my mouth as our car picked up seed again


    Aiyana had sat silent and unmoving throughout this. When I nced at her, she had a nk look on her face.


    I sat, my head turned to look out for Schwartz as the sinister-looking brown sedan appeared over the top of the hill a distance behind us.


    Keep him safe, dear Buddha,’ I whispered. Aiyana had turned her face away to stare out of the window. She might have been out grocery shopping for all her interest, I thought, anger flooding me.


    But then, the man we had picked up, the one who had given us instructions, began speaking.


    ‘Not so far now,’ he said, a trifle stiffly.


    He was riding in the front seat, with two gun-toting men squeezing him in. He had looked as white as paper when he was forced to get in but now, he had figured out that we meant him no harm. Rxing a little, he spoke in a rough voice,


    ‘She lives in a hut at the end of their slope.’


    He pointed to a curve ahead as he spoke.


    *


    Lucien


    He became aware that the woman and Gustav had dragged him to an upright position. He was leaning heavily on them, unable to support himself. His head was splintering, and he could barely coordinate his movements. Gradually, he began to take stock of his bearings. he did not want to let on that he was conscious, and so, he kept leaning on them, shuffling as they pulled him.


    The old woman was wheezing, grumbling as they dragged, half pulled him to the door. Gustav was also panting, unable to hold up the strong man who was like a dead weight on them.


    Lucien became aware that they had undone the heavy shackles on his ankle. he filed that information away in his head. he would use that fact when he needed ot ,ter on.


    ‘This one isrger than the others who came here, eh? Bigger than the man we picked upst item, eh?’


    Gustav grunted, his voice supplicating, trying to disguise the fear that was oozing from him like a pungent smell.


    They were barely able to shuffle as they moved; he was a heavy man.


    The old woman had her gun slung across her shoulders, another fact that Lucien noted as he opened his eyes a fraction.


    Knowing that it was the only chance he was ever going to get, Lucien pretended to be unconscious, his head lolling as they pulled him to the door. But he was already nning how to attack them…