Page 92 of One Last Stand

“I should know that if the Caleb Group is around, there’s trouble.” This from Pippa.

“The Caleb Group?” asked Prince Luka. “What is that?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Shep said. “Yes, you can help. Search the entire castle.”

Prince Luka nodded.

“I’m going to see if she’s outside.” Shep stalked toward the door, hit the corridor, then pushed through to the entry yard.

The air held a crispness, the breath of snow, or rain, lacing the air. He noticed that York hadn’t followed, so maybe he was staying behind to help search.

He breathed in, listening to the banging of his heartbeat.

And tasted the disappointment that she wasn’t out here, waiting for him. A number of guests, however, stood shivering in the cold, waiting for limousines to fetch them. He scanned the group just to confirm, many of the guests now bundled in fur or wraps.

The cool air slicked through him, cooled the sweat that Shep hadn’t realized he’d worked up, the one bead that dripped down his back.

London, where are you?

He lifted his gaze to the night sky, so many stars blinking down at him, a perfect thumbnail moon hanging over the faraway peaks.Lord, please help me find her.

How had whoever had taken her gotten her out of the castle? Except, this wasn’t the only door—he knew that.

And then . . .shoot. Thetunnel.

He ran a hand down his face.

York pushed out of the doors.

“Why are you not searching the castle?”

“We are—theyare.”

“You should try the tunnel.”

York frowned. “Tunnel?”

“There’s a secret tunnel into the castle. We used it yesterday to escape the assassin. Maybe they saw it, used it to get in—or out.” He shook his head. “I cannot believe you used London as bait. Who are you after?”

York gestured away from the others, moved over to a space away from the awning, in the shadows.

“We knew that Drago Petrov was after her—of course he was. But we also hoped that Alan Martin would poke his head out. We lost him after—well, he tried to set off a bomb in Lauchtenland a year ago, and since then, we can’t get a bead on him. We thought maybe getting London back on the grid?—”

Shep lifted his hands, then clenched them, put them back at his sides. Turned away.“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”Fine.Butoh,he wanted to put his fist into something. Or someone.

“Listen, we’ve got this?—”

“Clearly you donothave this. I cannot believe that you . . . that at the very least you didn’t tell us—tellme—of this possibility.”

York exhaled hard, and his voice bore apology. “Yes. Agreed. But we had this one chance, and we didn’t want anything to keep us from finding him.”

Shep blinked at him. “What if they kill her?”

“They won’t kill her.” York met his gaze, and Shep wondered just who this man was and had been, because a steely look came into it. Lethal and cold. “They need her seed code to get into her account.”

“They could hurt her to get it.”

York didn’t move. Then, “She’s a Black Swan?—”

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