to help escape the nightmare of this House twelve years before.
I swallowed hard. Luc had told me to stay away from the Grande Cavaliere, had said that he was the epitome of evil. And as the man stared at me with those soulless eyes, I felt the truth of that in my bones.
There was no light in his eyes. Unlike Luc’s father, who was cold but still human, this man was nothing but malevolence and hatred and darkness. The kind of darkness that blackens the souls of serial killers and terrorists and mass murderers.
Instinctively, I stepped back, until my shaking hand brushed the cold wall. If he came at me, I wouldn’t be able to hold him off for long. He outweighed me by over a hundred pounds. But I’d fight with every last breath if he did.
Long minutes passed in an eerie silence where he only glared at me with those soulless eyes. And then, just about the time I was ready to scream, he turned and stepped back, leaving a clear path to the open door.
My pulse jumped. I looked from him to the open door. The hallway was dimly lit, but I couldn’t tell if anyone else was out there. I wasn’t sure what kind of trap they were springing. I only knew this was my chance to run. And if I didn’t try, I might never see Luc again.
My muscles contracted before I decided what to do. And then I was running, past the figure in red and through the doorway.
The hallway was empty. I looked right. The corridor ended thirty feet away at a steel door. Left took me back to the library and the stairs, probably to Luc. I turned that way, only to draw up short.
Three men in black with those hideous white masks blocked my path. One by one, they lifted their arms and pointed the other direction.
I was in some kind of horror movie. My pulse roared in my ears as I stumbled back, then turned and raced the other direction, not knowing what kind of cat-and-mouse game they were playing.
Reaching the steel door at the other end of the hallway, I shoved hard and glanced over my shoulder. The Grande Cavaliere stepped out of my cell and watched me with beady eyes. Then, as a group, all four began striding toward me.
Fuck this.
“Go back to hell,” I screamed, shoving my shoulder into the steel as hard as I could.
The door gave with a hiss. Bright light blinded me. Gasping, I stumbled into fresh air and daylight.
Hands closed over me and pulled. I screamed and tried to jerk back.
“Natalie! It’s me. It’s Felicity.”
I staggered. Blinked hard as the door snapped closed behind me. Tried to see.
Vaguely, I realized I was standing on some kind of walkway and that Felicity, Marco’s girlfriend, was holding me upright.
“It’s okay. I’ve got you,” she said with her slight British accent, her pale green eyes very focused, her auburn hair tied back in a neat ponytail, catching the bright light. “But we don’t have a lot of time. Come on.”
She turned and urged me to move with her. I shielded my eyes and slowly became aware of towering trees, fountains, and the sound of a running engine.
“Here.” Felicity drew me to a stop next to a black sedan and pulled the passenger door open. “Get in. Hurry.”
The door slammed, then footsteps echoed, and another door opened. “We have to get out of here.” Felicity shoved the car into Drive and jerked the vehicle away from the walkway.
I wasn’t sure what was happening. My pulse was still in the triple digits and I was fighting just to keep breathing. But one thing registered. I was free of that nightmare. I was safe. But Luc wasn’t.
“No.” I reached for the door handle and pulled, only the door didn’t open.
Trapped by something across my waist and chest, I struggled and realized I was being held down by a seat belt. One Felicity must have tightened for me.
“I can’t leave. We have to go back.” I hit the button at my hip, freeing me from the restraint, and reached for the door handle again, willing to throw myself out of this car if I had to. “We can’t leave Luc. You don’t know what they did. They—”
“Natalie. Stop!” Felicity’s hand closed over my arm, pulling me back from the door hard as she struggled with me and tried to drive. “He’s not there. They let him go already. Marco has