And now, somehow, that search had found her.
Jakob had left to handle a security threat of his own. Something serious enough to drag him away in the middle of a conversation that had clearly mattered to him.
He wasn’t exactly available.
And even if she could reach him, would involving him put Meg in more danger?
Mallory closed her eyes and tried to steady her breathing.
Meg.
Brave, reckless Meg who’d taught Mallory how to drive and how to stand up for herself and how to laugh when life got hard.
If something happened to her now, she couldn’t handle even the thought.
“I can’t wait,” Mallory whispered.
She wished desperately that she could. Wished she could sit safely in the warm castle and let Jakob handle the frightening parts of his world.
But this wasn’t his problem. He wouldn’t even have a clue if someone asked him directly. This was hers.
Decision settled over her with a heavy, frightening calm. She turned down the corridor that led to her room and quickened her pace.
If she was going to do this, she needed to prepare, and an hour wasn’t much time.
Inside her room she changed into sturdy snow boots, grabbed the thickest coat she owned, and stuffed her phone charger and a small flashlight into her pocket. She hesitated over whether to leave a note for Jakob in case he came looking for her.
Her fingers hovered over the hotel stationery before she shook her head.
Tell no one.
The words glared in her mind like a warning sign. If these people were serious, and given the limited knowledge she had of them forced her to believe they were, she couldn’t risk it. They might have someone check her room after she left to see if she betrayed them.
Mallory slipped her phone into her coat pocket and stared at her reflection in the mirror. She looked pale. Determined. Terrified.
“Okay,” she whispered to herself. “You can do this.”
The screen lit up again with another message.
Time is ticking. Don’t be late.
Her heart hammered.
“I’m coming, Meg,” Mallory murmured.
With one last glance toward the window that faced the dark mountains, she drew in a shaky breath, stepped out into the cold night and prepared to go alone.
Even if it meant walking straight into the dark.
CHAPTER 19
Jakob
Jakob heard the shouting before they even reached the gate.
Sharp, frantic voices carried across the frozen courtyard, followed by the unmistakable metallic clatter of someone hitting the iron railings. Jakob strode toward the commotion with purpose. Mallory was back now, and every detail he could discover made a difference. Every instinct he possessed had snapped awake.
Snow whipped through the air like tiny blades.
