Page 81 of Pervade London
“What does that mean?”
But he punished me with silence.
“If you really love me…”
His gaze rose to find mine. “There’s only one way this can work.”
“You and me? How?”
“If it doesn’t, we’re both fucked.”
What the hell did that mean?
“Do you know where all our things are?” I asked. “Our passports?”
He ignored my questions, glancing down at the scenery below. “We’re here.”
Beyond a strip of land on the horizon I made out a dense forest. As we banked left over the woods, an estate came into view with a great lake surrounding it. A magnificent vision—we were flying towards a castle.
My jaw tightened. “Where have you brought me?”
“Hold on. We’re landing.”
The helicopter touched down, the blast from the blades bending the trees on the edge of the forest. Xavier unclipped his buckle and came over to help with mine. With my hand in his we leaped out onto a grassy bank, then bent over while hurrying to avoid the bluster from the blades above.
Hand in hand we ran toward a drawbridge. When we made it to the edge, Xavier turned and signaled to the pilot. The helicopter rose off the ground.
I watched my last hope of escape fly off over the trees and bank left until it was out of sight. We walked across a wooden bridge to reach a medieval gate.
I pulled my hand from his. “Are you sure James won’t find us?”
All he had to do was ask the pilot where we were dropped off.
Xavier whipped out his phone. “That’s always a possibility.”
“What’s the plan?”
“Let’s get inside.”
Looking down at the moat surrounding the castle, I had an uncomfortable vision of me swimming across it if the bastard found us.
“Who is opening the gate?” I followed its rise into the stone archway.
He’d punched a series of digits on his phone. “This place is teched-out.”
“You’ve obviously been here before.”
Another layer of his life was peeled away, and it dug the knife of betrayal deeper.
My lungs filled on a panicked breath. “I don’t feel good about this.”
In fact, it was hard to recall my last settled thought.
I walked beside him down the ancient stone pathway towards the entrance. A click signaled he’d unlocked the big door ahead. I only hoped it was as easy to get out.
The door was as heavy as it looked. Xavier gave it a shove and it opened into the castle’s grand foyer.
The décor was as I imagined it would be. Everything reflected old-world England with impressive antiques and a well-worn stone floor. Two regal knights stood frozen in time at the foot of the sweeping staircase, which swept up to an impressive upper floor with ornate railings. From upstairs, one could easily view the entire foyer below.
