Page 52 of Mountain Shadow

Sarah gasped. “The mafia?”

Kat nodded. “The Italian police will be taking them into custody.”

“I hit one of them quite hard.”

“I saw. Great use of a bookend.”

“I don’t think that’s what my sisters intended when they gifted it to me, but they’ll be happy to know it saved my life,” Jens said. He was walking slowly towards them, supported on one side by Drake.

Sarah jumped up, spilling some tea on the floor. “Jens! How are you feeling?”

“About as stable as a newborn colt. Glad that I didn’t piss all over myself.”

Kat chuckled. “And we’re happy to see your sense of humor is intact, Jens. We would have missed it otherwise.”

“Are you okay?”

Jens shook his head. “I’m fine. I’ll be even better once you’re all gone.”

Kat shook her head. “I’m going to see if Damien needs anything. You know, since you’re trying so desperately to get us out of here.”

“Here we are. Sit down, Jens,” Drake said. He nodded at Sarah and moved away as well.

“Are you sure you shouldn’t be at the hospital?” Sarah asked.

Jens shook his head.

“I’m okay. Though I don’t know if I’ll ever get the image out of my mind, of you coming down the stairs with that man. I was so scared, I think my heart stopped.”

“I’m sorry I left the bedroom. The phone wouldn’t work. I couldn’t call for help …“

Now he looked irritated. “So you decided to come help me? Schatz, you took years out of my life. If they’d hurt you—”

“They didn’t hurt me.”

“I put you in danger,” Jens said stonily. “I thought I was protecting you, and instead I almost got you killed.”

“You did protect me, Jens.”

The security expert was coming towards them. His eyes were like dark pieces of ice on his face. Sarah shivered.

“Melkopf. I changed your locks and upgraded your security system.”

“Thanks, Alex. How did they disable it?”

“Blind luck, if you ask me. There was a system update pending, so when they disconnected your electricity, it didn’t immediately restart.”

“Shit. Thanks for looking into it, Alex.”

“You’re welcome. I’m off now, but call me anytime. I can come back and install some cameras for you if you like.”

Over the next hour, everybody started packing up their things and leaving. Soon it was only Damien left.

“Are you sure you’re both okay?”

Jens nodded, stretching cautiously. The burn on his neck had been covered by a bandage, and color was slowly coming back to his face.

“Thanks for everything, Damien. Let me know what the Italian police say when they get here. I want those men as far away from Sarah as possible.”