Locating a small lane, he moved down it silently. The buildings rose to the left and right, and families slumbered peacefully, unaware of the seething rage he was feeling and that a woman was huddling somewhere nearby hoping he’d stop looking for her.
He moved slowly through the shadows, searching, listening.
A small squeak had him glancing up. It wasn’t a human sound more like something moving. The stairs, he thought, tiptoeing closer.
They were fixed to the side of the building. Surely she had not climbed them? But then, there was a great deal he clearly did not know about Mary Blake. After the fighting and knife throwing, Zach knew she was more than capable of many things. Testing the first rung, he began to climb as silently as he could.
He found her huddled in a ball on the first platform. His chest felt tight seeing her curled in on herself. Hiding from him.
“Mary.” He whispered her name, as he had no wish to alert anyone sleeping in the building nearby. “Come here now.”
Her head raised, eyes locking on his. Zach’s vision had adjusted to the dark, but he couldn’t read her expression.
“Now, Mary.”
“Go. I will follow.” Her words were flat and cool.
Zach moved a few rungs lower. She silently climbed on the first step and then slowly down. He jumped off and then reached for her.
“I can—”
He lifted her to the ground and then took her wrist.
“Let me go.”
He started walking, towing her with him.
“Let me go, sir.” Her tone was haughty now.
“You are not going anywhere until we have talked.”
“I don’t want to talk to you, and what I do is my business.”
“Wrong answer,” he said in French. “Madame Lucienne.”
“Who?”
“Drop the pretense, Mary. I know who you are and that you work for Alexius.”
Zach heard the snap of her teeth as they clamped shut.
“And that Plunge is likely a member also. Which I cannot get my head around at all,” he muttered.
Mary said nothing in answer to that. In fact, she wasn’t struggling or doing anything to him, which was far more worrying than her yelling at him in Zach’s mind. A silent Mary was a dangerous one.
He walked out of the lane and then along the street. When the sound of wheels reached him, Zach raised the hand that wasn’t holding Mary and waved the hackney down.
“Head to the park. Once there, drive until I tell you otherwise,” Zach said to the driver. He then opened the door. Picking Mary up, he tossed her inside and followed.
Taking the seat opposite, he looked at her as they rolled away. Her eyes were on the window.
Silence wasn’t something Zach enjoyed, but he understood there were times when it was necessary. Now was not one of those. Just as he opened his mouth, she spoke.
“You will not stop me.” Her words came out in a low growl. “I will not let you.”
“Stop you from what?” There were so many things he wanted to ensure she never did again. Zach needed clarification as to which one she was addressing.
“There is no need to play games, sir.” She spat out the last word. “We both know what we do.”
