He got down on his knees and stretched his arm, reaching with the tips of his fingers. It was too far, but somewhere in the back of his mind, a fishing rod popped up.
It was in the backpack.
He made short work of assemblingthe fishing rod and hooking the key. Now, all he had to do was unlock the door and keep going.
Where to?
As he put away the fishing rod, he dug deeper into the pack and found another cell phone.
He couldn’t get it to unlock, but the itching irritation on his shoulder brought in another thought.
He’d gotten a tattoo with four numbers. A passcode, perhaps?
Thetattoo was fresh, and he wasn’t supposed to rip off the bandage, but this was an emergency. He shined the broken cell phone flashlight on it and was able to read the four numbers on the prongs of his St. Brigid’s Cross.
Why had he gotten a St. Brigid’s Cross tattoo on his shoulder?
A whisper floated through his inner ear, calling him.I’m Brigid, your true love. Never forget me.
He unlocked the phone and wondered if he should call Brigid. There was no Brigid in the address book, but the recent calls showed someone named Sorcha.
He hit redial and a woman answered, “Clare, where are you? Are you seriously getting married tonight?”
“Uh, this isn’t Clare,” he answered. “I think I lost her.”
“Griffin?” Sorcha’s voice rose an octave.
A pieceof the puzzle clicked in place.
His name was Griffin.
It took him a moment to refocus on the woman who spoke too fast.
“What do you mean you lost her?” she asked. “We’re wondering what’s going on. Clare texted saying you two were headed for the abbey to get married. What happened?”
“I woke up in a dungeon.” His teeth chattered as he spoke. “It’s deathly cold. There’sno sign of Clare. Did we get married?”
“That’s what the text message said,” Sorcha replied. “Maeve and I are on our way to the abbey to intercept her. She can’t be getting married without us.”
Another voice shouted from the other side. “This is Maeve. How come you’re in a dungeon? Did Abbess Aisling refuse to marry you two?”
“I don’t remember,” Griffin said. “I’m dressed ina topcoat and tails with a vest and fancy shoes. Whatever’s happened, we have to find Clare.”
“Describe where you are,” Sorcha said.
Griffin took a picture of the gate and the surrounding walls and texted it to them. “I hope Clare’s okay. I have no idea who she is or why I married her, but I know she’s supposed to be my true love. Don’t ask me how I know.”
“You’ve had anotherseizure,” Sorcha said. “We’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“Shouldn’t we call for help?” Maeve asked in the background.
“No, we have to handle this,” Sorcha said. “We can’t give away the secret hiding place.”
“Oh, that’s right,” Maeve said. “Griffin, stay put. We’re on our way. And congratulations. I wish Clare could have waited and had us in the wedding. I can’t believe youtwo are so impulsive.”
“We can do the wedding again,” Griffin offered. “Because I can’t remember it either.”
He hung up after they promised to meet him posthaste and help him look for Clare. In the meantime, he’d better refresh his memory.