Caroline.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Caroline
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I’D BEEN WAITING INthe damn corridor for what seemed like an eternity.Pacing backward and forward, my pulse galloped faster at the prospect of being able to see Harper, yet I simultaneously expected Kaspar, or one of the others, to retract the so-called privilege at any moment.Months of existence in Fortorus had produced the mistrust in me, a wariness that was reinforced by the guy brandishing a huge, evil-looking weapon in the doorway.
Leaning against the wall, I fought for composure.I had no choice but to trust Kaspar.The officer who’d delivered me to the corridor was with Harper in the next-door room, and I had to believe that she’d let us see each other.I turned my head toward the door and closed my eyes to block out the sight of the disconcerting weapon between him and me.
If Harper was in there, I’d savor every single moment we were allowed.Who knew if or when I’d be able to visit him after that, especially once they moved him to the Netherlands.My stomach fell at the daunting prospect.The Hague was hundreds of miles from Zurich—an arduous journey we’d already taken across Europe—and I had no documents or means to get there.When they took him away, I had no way of knowing if I’d ever lay eyes on him again.
The crushing thought was vanquished by the sound of the door opening, and heart racing, my eyes flew open to find Kaspar standing on the threshold.With a small smile, her hand rose and gestured for me to go inside, and swallowing down my anxious energy, I persuaded my feet to take me forward.
The world around me had taken on that same odd experience I recalled from the days when Harper and I had planned to flee from Fortorus.Time had stretched and compressed then, some days flying past in seeming minutes, while other hours dragged on for what felt like weeks.As I walked past Kaspar, the clock played the same trick.I sensed the transfer of my weight from one foot to the other, yet somehow, none of the steps appeared to take me any closer to my goal of getting inside the room.
From the other side of the large space, a man rose from a table—Harper, I assumed—yet, as the room began to spin, I didn’t seem able to focus on him.
“I’m giving you ten minutes.”Kaspar’s voice rang out from somewhere behind me, but my head was too heavy to spin and acknowledge her.“And I’m trusting the two of you to be unsupervised.Do not disappoint me.”
My brows knitted as the door slammed shut, the noise of it echoing long after it closed.
“Caroline!”
He was on me in seconds, his long legs closing the distance between us until those two strong arms I’d missed were wrapped around me.
“Sir.”I clung to him, recognizing the scent of his body and breathing him in long before I focused on his appealing form.“Oh, thank God.”
“Are you okay?”Drawing away a fraction, he tilted my chin so I was forced to meet his eyes.
“Just a little dizzy,” I admitted.“Probably just stress.”
“Have they been feeding you?”He shot an accusing look toward the door.
“Yes, I’m fine.”I clutched at his shirt, already feeling better because of his proximity.“What about you?”
