or something scraping. He turned back, ran his hands along the bricks, feeling for anything that seemed off, and then he felt a ridge, pushed, and a door swung open.
He stepped in, closed it partway, and only then dared to use a small blue cell light, one that wouldn’t be as easily seen from a distance. He shone it around the room, saw the space was cut from stone, and small, barely ten by ten, completely empty but for a pile of muddy rags in the corner. He started to walk toward it.
“Syd?” he whispered.
From the corner of his eye, he saw something flying down at him. He raised his arm, deflected the blow. Pain shot through his limb. Something metal clattered to the stones. He stepped back, pulled his knife. Turned. A quick flash of his light.
Sydney.
She backed away.
“Syd. It’s me. Griff.”
“Oh my God. I thought you were one of them, coming back.”
“Are you okay?”
It took her a moment, but finally she nodded. “I hurt like hell. Cut my hand on that shovel I tried to hit you with. I used it to cut the rope.”
He flicked the light across the shovel’s blade, saw it covered with rust and dirt. “Where’s Tex?”
“I don’t know. I’m sorry…”
“Let’s get out of here. We need to hurry. Can you walk?”
“I have no idea.”
“Try,” he said, putting his arm around her. Her knees shook, but she seemed okay, no broken bones that he could see. She looked like hell, covered in mud, never mind there was enough blood on the floor to concern him. “You’re bleeding.”
“My hand. God, it hurts.” When she tried to walk on her own, her knees gave out. He lifted her in his arms, carried her out of the room and up the stairs. At the entrance, he opened the door leading to the grounds, stepped out into the night air. He glanced right, then left, before crossing the distance to the remaining cars parked between the outbuilding and the main house. He was fairly certain he couldn’t carry her out the back way, the way he’d entered. Maybe he could get to the Lancia that she and Tex were forced to leave behind.
“We’re almost there,” he told her, glancing down, seeing her eyes were closed. He could feel the blood soaking into his shirt.
“Stop right there.”
Griffin froze. He was ten feet from the Lancia. Ten goddamned feet. He looked up, saw the same two men he’d seen exiting the outbuilding, realized who the second man was. Leonardo Adami. “Perhaps you didn’t notice. The lady is hurt and she needs help.”
“Perhaps you didn’t notice the gun pointed at you.”
“And what?” Griffin said, looking around, trying to see if there was anyone there who might help. No cops in sight, only one of the diplomatic drivers, asleep behind the wheel of his sedan. He glanced at the weapons Leonardo and the guard were pointing at them. Nine-millimeter Berettas. “You’re going to shoot me here with the police on the grounds? How the hell are you going to explain that?”
“I’m sure we’ll think of something.”
“Look, it’s me you want. She’s got nothing to do with this.”
“And what did you have in mind?”
“I let her go, she walks out of here. You get me.”
“An interesting offer. But I have the advantage. My gun pointed at you.”
“And no less than four police you’d have to explain the gunshots to, and how she ended up here, when they’re looking for her down there,” he said, nodding at the police vehicles still visible down at the edge of the cliff, never mind those parked in the drive at the front of the house.
“My cousin was wrong about you. You do have a weakness.” Leonardo smiled. “Throw your handgun toward me, and your offer is accepted.”
Sydney stirred in his arms. “What are you doing?” she whispered.
“Doing what you did for me this afternoon.” Louder, to Leonardo, he said, “I’m going to lower her down. If you want my cooperation, you’ll get me the key to the Lancia, then let her walk over to her car, get in, lock the doors, then drive off.”
“Why not let her go back inside?” Leonardo said with a smirk.
“With her gown muddied and torn? You know how vain women can be. The key?”
“It’s in the car.”
He lowered Sydney to the ground, held her gaze, then nodded toward the Lancia, afraid that if he said anything further, they’d try to stop her, maybe even suspect his next move, which, considering he didn’t