Page 21 of Kept 4
I smile.
Trap set, I hang up and prepare to book the tickets necessary to effect our escape.
Now, not 24 hours later, I bite my lip in indecision as I watch her. Either I will be able to spirit her away and escape unscathed, or we are both going to die tonight.
I scan the crowd one more time before making my move.
‘Where are you, Gerald? Do you want to chase her, hunt her and pop her head off? Or have you let her go because you want to know where I am? Could I be right? Could you be the ancient vampire? If so, you want me, because you want the weapon. You’ve let her go on purpose, I’m sure of it. I need to save her without endangering myself – no, I need to save us both.’
Steeling myself, I step out from behind the column and advance upon her. She has her back to me, scanning the crowd, her face expectant, a little worried. She isn’t carrying any luggage, so she either forgot it, or she has someone coming with it once she knows where I am staying.
‘Or she didn’t bring any because she knows she won’t need it.’
All this flashes through my mind instantly as I approach her from behind, reach forward, grasp her wrist, and clip on the bracelet, freeing her from her master.
“Oh,” she spins and stares at me, her face a picture of what? Shock? Surprise? Delight? No, it is fear.
“Josie,” she sounds confused, looks like she might fall, and I reach out and put my hands on her shoulders to steady her.
“I’ve got you, Margarita,” I say firmly, staring into her confused, brown eyes.
‘Oh, Josie,” she sobs.
I move to wrap my own around her, but she pulls away instantly, staring around us with crazed eyes.
“You have to go. You have to run. He is coming, and he’s coming for you.”
“I know.”
I don’t ask her who, I am well aware of who she means. I don’t bother asking when or where or how, I simply grab her by the arm and pull her onto the platform behind us, the one the passengers have all but finished boarding.
As we jump on and I lead her, wide-eyed and unresisting, towards our carriage, I keep my eyes peeled on the platform beside us, willing it to melt away before we can be pursued. For once, my luck holds true, and our train begins to pull away, heading North.
Five train swaps later, two bus trips, an overnight stay in an Alpine lodge in order to reconnect with the charming Prudence, and a double back towards England, and I have virtually chewed my nails to the bone. But so far, we have eluded our pursuers; meaning Gerald, Elsbeth and any other vampires working for either of them, or hunters for that matter.
I look over now at Margarita, sleeping peacefully on her bunk in the first-class carriage we are holed up in, the bracelet shining bright silver on the wrist she has hanging over the side of the bed, and let out a long, deep sigh.
All going well, we should arrive soon, and Margarita will be whisked away to safety by Daniel, hopefully as far away as Mexico. And I, I will retrieve the weapon and give it to the hunters -and possibly end up destroying the man I love.
As if on cue with my guilty conscience, my phone rings.
“Josephine.” His voice, as usual, sends thrills through my body, tingles, longing.
“Nicholas, I thought we agreed you wouldn’t call me anymore.”
“I know, but I’m afraid I have some bad news, and I didn’t want you to hear it from anyone else.”
“Elsbeth?” I hear my voice go up an octave.
“No, no, nothing like that,” he says, stalling my rising panic, “it’s Margarita. I’m sorry, Josephine, I’m afraid she is dead.”
I say nothing, allowing his words to sink in for a moment as I think through my response, my mind racing. Will he know I am panicking now? Will he sense I am up to something?
“How?” I squeak.
“I don’t know, my darling,” he sighs, “but Gerald said he lost his connection with her three days ago,” he pauses, “there is only one way a master completely loses a connection with his Kept.”
“Oh.”
