The moon seemed bigger up here – a spotlight in the sky, shining down on her.
Sometimes to see clearly, you need a great height. From here, she could see everything. The grounds where so many tremendous things had happened. In the distance through the trees she could just see the low steeple of the chapel. The white stone peak of the summer house was easier to find – it seemed to glow.
The steep slate roof itself held many memories. This was the place where Jo had nearly fallen to her death. Where Sylvain had told her he loved her. Where Carter first told her about Cimmeria.
Jo. Carter. Sylvain. All lost to her.
Was Rachel gone now, too? Could her lack of faith really destroy a friendship Allie considered the one sure thing in her life?
She lowered herself down to the roof, her back against the sturdy bricks of the chimney, and pulled her knees up close to her chest. She forced herself to breathe. To try and think things through.
Gradually she calmed down. Her tears dried. She tried to see things from Rachel’s perspective.
But why…
‘Hello, Allie.’
The voice that interrupted her thoughts was horribly familiar.
Allie froze.
Standing casually at the edge of the roof, Gabe grinned at her. The moon turned his dark blond hair gold.
‘I’ve been looking for you.’
25
Leaping to her feet, Allie stood with her back against the chimney.
‘Gabe…? What the hell?’
Her heart was pounding, her lungs had compressed until her breath trickled through in short, quick bursts. Not enough to give her the oxygen she needed. Not enough to think.
‘Nice to see you, too,’ he said.
He was athletic and tall, all blond hair and muscles. Smiling coldly as he tossed a pebble up in to the air and caught it with ease. Even so, knowing what she knew about him, Allie couldn’t believe she’d ever thought he was handsome.
She was looking at a viper in human form.
She cast a desperate glance across the empty roof, as if help might suddenly appear. But she was all alone. Just the way she’d wanted it.
‘How did you find me?’
His grin widened. ‘You should turn on the lights in your room, Allie. I was this close to you.’ He held out his hands so only a tiny gap of air separated them.
A chill ran down her spine, raising the fine hairs on the back of her neck.
She thought of all the shadowy corners of her room – he’d been in one of them, and she never knew.
He tossed the pebble in the air again, watching her with a knowing look.
‘I thought about killing you then, while you were cry-babying it all over your desk. But then you went out the window.’ He caught the pebble. ‘And that gave me a better idea.’
Allie couldn’t seem to get her mind to work properly. Fear had frozen her synapses.
This can’t be happening. He can’t be here.
He was in a farmhouse with Nathaniel. None of this was remotely possible.
How did he get in? she asked herself, as she fought to stay calm. We sealed the gate.
Gabe tossed the pebble aside. Allie heard the faint clatter as it hit the tiles and rolled down and over the edge. She never heard it hit the ground.
‘This is getting boring,’ he said, an irritated look on his face.
She had to talk to him. Distract him. Somehow she had to make enough noise so somebody could hear them up here.
She thought through the things she’d learned from the guards. Nine’s derision for the boy who called himself Number One.
Use that.
‘What do you want, Gabe?’ She adopted a cool attitude, hands on her hips. ‘Does Nathaniel even know you’re here? I thought he was keeping you on a short leash after you screwed up in London.’
His eyes narrowed. ‘Screwed up? What the hell are you talking about, Sheridan? I was perfect. Ask your grandmother how perfect I was.’ A malicious smile spread across his face. ‘Oh wait. She’s not around anymore.’
She was too scared to get angry.
‘I got the impression Nathaniel kind of thought that was the opposite of perfect,’ she said. ‘It seemed like he thought you messed up.’
He snorted a laugh but she could see the tension in his shoulders.
‘Nathaniel doesn’t know how to thank me for solving his problems,’ he snapped. ‘That guy has issues.’
‘Really?’ Allie struck a sympathetic note, although it made her stomach churn. ‘I guess he was a little unfair.’
‘He’s a tosser,’ Gabe said. ‘But he won’t be here for long.’
What did that mean?
The more Allie thought about it, the more this didn’t make sense. Dom’s team had been listening to Nathaniel’s guards nonstop. They weren’t planning any operations.
Nathaniel had Carter. He was working a trade. It didn’t seem logical that he would send Gabe now to attack her. He needed her to sign those papers. Surely, this kind of confrontation was the last thing he’d want.
She stared at Gabe who was reaching behind his back.
‘Gabe,’ her voice came out barely above a whisper. ‘Does Nathaniel know you’re here?’
Later she would never remember seeing him move. Sylvain had always said ‘Gabe is the best of us.’ And it was true. He was fast. So fast.
One minute he was standing by the chimney glaring at her. The next he was behind her, pressing the cold blade of a knife against the skin of her throat.
‘I don’t answer to anyone.’
He whispered the words, his lips pressed against the sensitive flesh of her ear, his breath warm against her skin.
She couldn’t move. She hated that he was touching her. But the sharp edge of the blade dug into the vulnerable skin of her throat, rendering her powerless.
‘This is crazy,’ she said, swallowing hard. ‘If you hurt me Nathaniel will kill you. Raj will kill you.’
He stroked the knife lovingly against her throat. The blade seemed to scald her skin.
‘I’m not going to hurt you. I’m going to kill you, Allie. And then I’m going to kill my boss.’
There was no hesitation in his voice. No sense that what he was doing would have ramifications he couldn’t imagine. No doubts. He seemed to find all of this utterly reasonable.
The part of Gabe that should stop him from doing deadly things was missing. Killing her would be simple for him.
‘Wait.’ Her voice was breathless. ‘Wait, wait…’
But what could she say? What could she do? He had her right where he wanted her. It was over.
Tears stung her eyes, turning the moon into a hazy, thousand-pointed star.
I’m going to die.
Everything that had been so important to her five minutes before suddenly seemed utterly meaningless.
So what if Rachel hadn’t told her she liked girls?
Everyone had secrets.
So what if Sylvain was upset right now?
He’d get over it.
It all seemed so clear.
She could live without Sylvain in her life. Live without Cimmeria.
If only she could live at all.
She became acutely conscious of everything around her.
The way the wind had quieted. The way the hairs on her arms stood on end. The rise and fall of Gabe’s chest against her back. The sinews of the muscles in his arm. The point of the knife, cold and deadly against her skin.
She could hear every beat of her heart as loudly as if it played from speakers. Each beat was a hammer strike against her ribs.
Her senses had never been so sharp.
This is how it ends.
There was something she’d read somewhere. Everyone dies suddenly. It was in English class, when they were working on a paper. Her teacher had encircled her description of Juliet’s death, ‘Her death was not sudden.’
In the margins the teacher had written: ‘Everyone dies suddenly.’
> Now she knew she was right. A flick of Gabe’s wrist. And she would die.
Suddenly.
‘I kind of hate to do this.’ Gabe pulled her closer, pressing his body closer against hers. ‘You look so good. What is it about you Cimmeria girls? That uniform… It does something to me.’
He ran his free hand down her shoulder to her breasts.
Allie couldn’t breathe. His touch made her feel ill. She struggled feebly in his grip, but he pressed the knife tighter against her neck, reminding her of the control he had over her. She froze.
‘That’s better,’ he said. And she wanted to kill him.
‘Stop it,’ she said without hope.
But his hand kept moving. He was enjoying humiliating her. Enjoying the horror she felt.
‘Killing you seems like such a waste. Maybe we could have a little fun together first…’ When his hand reached her thighs and began to find its way under her skirt she made up her mind.
Even if he killed her in the end, she had to fight him.
I’m alive right now.
Turning her head as far to the right as she could, she lowered her mouth to his shoulder as if to kiss him. Then she sank her teeth into him.
He recoiled but she held on. He tried to yank free, but she dug her teeth in further, her jaws ached but she wouldn’t let go.
Swearing loudly, he punched her in the head with his free arm. Her left ear rang and her jaw hurt so much she thought she’d dislocated it.
Only then did she let go. At the same time, though, she dropped her weight, forcing him to grapple for her with both hands.
In the struggle he lost control of the knife. As the blade slipped, it sliced into her neck with a burning pain she felt through the entire right side of her body.
She screamed. A hot flow of blood ran down her neck soaking the collar of her shirt.
‘Shut up.’ He tried to cover her mouth but she was fighting like a wildcat now. Using her elbows. Her hands. Her feet. She stomped hard on his instep and he cried out in pain.
There was so much blood. His hands were slippery with it when he grabbed her and she screamed again driving her right elbow into his ribs.
She felt his body buck from the impact.
‘You bitch,’ he gasped and raised the knife. It glittered silver in the moonlight. Allie raised a fist to block the blow, striking his wrist with all her strength.
The hilt was slick with her blood, and the knife flew out of his hand and sailed across the roof.
Swearing, Gabe let her go and scrambled after it. Picking it up, he spun back towards her.
‘You’re dying now, bitch,’ he growled, his eyes blazing. ‘No matter what.’
‘No she isn’t.’
Zoe stood on the edge of the roof, eyes fixed on Gabe.
Dread filled Allie’s chest with ice.
Not Zoe. Please, not Zoe.
Looking at Allie, Gabe held up his hands in frustration. ‘Who the hell is this child?’
But she was focused on Zoe. She wanted to run to her side, but Gabe stood between them.
‘What are you doing here? Go back down. You have to go back down now.’ Allie kept her voice low but forceful.
‘I came to your room.’ The younger girl never took her eyes off Gabe. She seemed to find him fascinating. ‘Katie said you were upset. I heard you talking.’ For just a second her gaze flickered around them appreciatively. ‘I’ve never been up on the roof before. It’s awesome.’
Gabe held the knife in one blood-slick hand. His arms were spread wide and he was crouched low, bouncing on the balls of his feet, a look of cold calculation in his eyes.
The three of them stood in a tense triangular formation – Zoe still too near the edge of the roof, Allie across from her, afraid to move any closer but desperate to protect her. Gabe, by the chimney facing them both.
He focused on Zoe. ‘Listen little girl. You should take her advice. Otherwise, I’m going to kill your friend Allie and then I’m going to kill you.’ His tone was so casual, he might have been telling her what he had for dinner.
She cocked her head with bird-like curiosity. In her pleated skirt and white blouse, she looked younger than fourteen.
‘You’re Gabe,’ Zoe announced. ‘I saw you in London.’
His lips curved into a cruel smile, but then she finished the thought. ‘You were unconscious.’ She studied his head. ‘Did that leave a scar? It looked like it hurt.’
‘Enough.’
With a sound like a snarl, he rushed at her, knife raised. Her centre of gravity was low and she danced out of his reach, ducking with such speed and smoothness he nearly lost his balance. At the edge of the roof, he swung his arms hard until he regained his footing.
Zoe stood next to Allie.
‘You’re bleeding,’ she said, eyes on her neck. ‘It looks superficial to me. It’s not arterial. But you should apply pressure.’
Allie blinked. Then she remembered Zoe’s new-found fascination with all things blood. She must have been hanging out with the nurses. Asking them questions. Collecting information whenever she wasn’t working in Dom’s office.
Allie didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t keep herself safe, much less take care of Zoe, too.
‘Come on, little girl,’ Gabe waved his knife. ‘Don’t be afraid.’
‘What a wanker,’ Zoe murmured, eyes following the blade.
Allie watched the knife, too.
‘He’s good, Zoe,’ she said. ‘Fast.’
‘I’m fast, too,’ the other girl kept her voice low. ‘Break left when he comes. I’ll break right.’
Allie had no chance to argue.
Gabe ran at them, scrambling up the steep roof.
At the last possible second, Allie sped left, her eyes on Zoe the whole time. The younger girl was a bullet, flying low and fast away from Gabe. They met together near the edge of the roof.
It was steep, and Allie had to work to keep her balance. They were momentarily safe, but now Gabe had the advantage of height. He glared down at them with open irritation.
‘I’m sick of your games.’ He waved the knife. ‘Allie. Come here or I swear I’ll kill the other one.’
‘Don’t,’ Zoe warned her.
None of them was lowering their voices. Allie couldn’t understand why nobody had heard them and come up to see what was going on. A guard. A teacher. Someone to help them.
She didn’t know what to do. They could hold Gabe off, but they couldn’t beat him. Eventually he’d get what he wanted.
She couldn’t feel the wound in her neck anymore. All she could feel was panic for Zoe. She couldn’t bear for Gabe to hurt her. Couldn’t stand the idea that he would do to her what he’d done to Jo. She’d rather die than see that happen.
‘Fine.’ She held up her hands. Zoe shot her a furious look but Allie ignored her. ‘I’ll come to you. But first you have to let her go.’
Gabe’s stance relaxed. He glanced from Allie to Zoe, and tossed the knife into the air. It spun twice, deadly beautiful in the moonlight.
Catching it with practiced ease, he pointed the tip at Zoe and motioned towards the sloping section of the roof that lead down to the ledge and escape.
‘Fine. Get lost kid. You’re saved.’ He turned to Allie and smiled horribly. ‘She’s the one I want, anyway.’
Zoe didn’t move. Her lips were set in a tight line.
‘Zoe, you have to go.’ Allie had begun to shake again but she was resolute. ‘I won’t lose you.’
Zoe looked up at her, eyes too bright. ‘You lose me if you die.’
But it would hurt less, Allie thought, holding her gaze.
Grabbing Zoe’s narrow shoulders, she gave a forceful shrug, propelling her down the roof.
‘Just go,’ she said again, raising her voice.
Zoe shot Allie a betrayed look, and took two reluctant steps away.
Gabe rolled his eyes and tossed the knife in the air again.
‘I can’t handle the emotion,’ he
said.
Something about that seemed to make up Zoe’s mind. Allie saw the sudden determination in her face. But Gabe didn’t know her well enough to notice it.
Without warning she pivoted and shot up towards him – a slim arrow of muscle and bone, flying across a century-old roof, her hair streaming behind.
Too late Gabe realised what she was doing. ‘What —?’
She loosed a high, brutal kick, straight to his midsection. Taken by surprise, he grunted from the blow and lost his balance, rolling twice on the roof before stopping himself with sheer, brute strength.
Zoe whirled back towards him. Fast and light.
‘Zoe!’ Allie cried, and ran after her. Knowing what would happen next. Knowing how quickly Gabe recovered. Knowing Zoe had never seen him fight.
Time slowed.
The tiles were solid under Allie’s feet, and gravity was her friend, pulling her down to where the two figures were haloed in moonlight. Zoe looked so small. So fragile.
Allie couldn’t seem to hear anything at all – not her footsteps, not her heart. She ran in a vacuum of terror. Unable to breathe or think.
With sickening smooth purpose Gabe rose and reached for Zoe – fast as a snake strike. He didn’t need to turn to see where she was – he just knew. He always knew.
He is the best of all of us.
Allie had no doubt he would throw her from the roof just like that pebble earlier. With as little thought or conscience.
Just before his hands could touch Zoe’s slim arm, though, Allie reached him. Bending low as she’d been trained, she let her weight and her speed drive her shoulder into his abdomen. Knocking him off his feet.
Even as she hit him, though, she was pulling back, reaching for Zoe who, wide-eyed with surprise, grabbed her hand in a move that was pure instinct.
Gabe reached for her, too, grappling for anything to hold on to as he tumbled backwards.
But she was just out of his reach. His fingers caught only air.
There was nothing to hold him back. No one to pull him from the edge.
In the bright, cold moonlight, his confused gaze locked on to Allie’s for what seemed like forever but must have been a fraction of a second.