A Time of Shadows (Out of Time #8)

by Monique Martin

  He forced himself to look away from it. “Maybe I will have a—”

  The door to the hall opened and Elizabeth appeared, followed closely by Simon.

  “Jack!” Elizabeth said. It wasn’t quite a smile, but for a brief moment the worry lifted from her face.

  “Hey kid,” he said and pulled her into a hug.

  She held onto him and he whispered into her ear, “We’ll get her back.”

  He felt her nod against his shoulder and then pull away. She wiped under her eyes and pulled herself together.

  Jack turned to Simon. He knew the answer, but he asked the question anyway. “Get it?”

  Simon nodded curtly. “Anything here?”

  Jack nodded. “Grace,” he said without turning around. “Would you give us a few minutes?”

  Elizabeth’s face went pale and Simon’s jaw tightened.

  “Is Charlotte…?” Simon asked.

  “No,” Jack said quickly. “We don’t have any reason to think that.”

  Jack didn’t know what was in the package and if it was something…personal, he wanted them to be able to deal with it privately.

  He heard the door to the inner office close as Grace left them alone.

  “What is it?” Elizabeth asked, her voice barely a whisper.

  “It might be nothing, but….” He looked down at the package. “That arrived a few hours ago.”

  Simon and Elizabeth looked down at it with fear and revulsion, and he took hold of her hand. Slowly, they sat down.

  Simon looked to Elizabeth for permission. She took a deep breath and nodded.

  Simon’s hand shook as he picked up the small package. He tore open the brown paper and paused. He pushed out a slow breath and then opened it. His jaw set as he steeled himself against what might be inside.

  Elizabeth closed her eyes.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  “It’s all right,” he said putting a hand on her knee. “It’s all right.”

  Jack let out the breath he’d been holding. Thank God.

  Simon reached into the box and pulled out a lock of auburn hair. He stared at it for a moment before handing it to Elizabeth. She wiped back fresh tears and ran it through her fingers.

  From the box, Simon pulled out a small cell phone that had a piece of paper wrapped around it. He removed the rubber band and tossed it into the box and put them both onto the table.

  “What does it say?” Jack asked.

  Simon frowned and looked at him with dark eyes as he turned the note around to show him.

  All it said was Wait.

  ~~~

  Long drives were good for thinking. The last thing Simon wanted to do was think or go on a long drive and now he had to do both.

  The phone call had come less than twenty-four hours after they’d returned. A digitally altered voice told them where to go and when, and then put Charlotte on the line.

  His heart constricted at the fear in her voice, but she was alive and she was going to stay that way. As Elizabeth had put it, they’d figure out how to save the world after they’d saved their daughter.

  The location of the exchange was more than four hours from San Francisco, and they’d been given less than five as a lead time. There was no time for any elaborate planning. Simon’s plan was simple. Find Charlotte and kill everyone responsible.

  He glanced over at Elizabeth as she ran the lock of hair through her fingers again and again. Although she was always trying to find a peaceful solution to any problem, he somehow doubted she’d be worried about that here. There was something primal about protecting his child that buried nearly every civilized part of him.

  He gripped the steering wheel and channeled his rage, focused it until he felt nearly devoid of anything else. It was strangely comforting, calming. Old Nan’s prophecy, that their child would die, whispered to him from the back of his mind. And no matter how he tried to ignore it, it stayed and repeated, over and over again.

  The road grew narrower as they drove deeper into the mountains. Large redwood trees crowded the two-lane road and the sun met the horizon. After another half hour on a deserted stretch of road, they reached the turn-off. Saw-horses with a “Bridge Out” sign attached to them blocked the road just as they’d been told it would. Simon pulled over and Elizabeth got out to move them aside. He pulled ahead and she replaced them before getting back in. They faded into the rearview mirror. No one would interrupt them.

  They were told to arrive by themselves, but that didn’t mean they were alone. Jack had promised to be there, and Simon knew he would find a way.

  They were getting close now, and he slowed down, finally coming to a stop. He reached for a bag in the back seat and handed her a gun. “Take this.”

  She frowned down at it—he knew how she felt about them—but she took it. She hefted it in her hand and then turned back and nodded. They both knew this could be, most likely was, a trap. They might not survive it. The weight of that hit him, and it took his breath away.

  He stared over at her. He knew every inch of her by heart, and yet she still surprised him every day. A lifetime with her would not be long enough. A few hours was impossible.

  “God, I love you,” he said.

  Tears welled in her eyes and she nodded. Her voice broke. “I love you, too.”

  She leaned forward and they kissed. It was sad and beautiful and over too quickly. He took a few deep breaths.

  “Ready?” he asked.

  She chambered a round as if she’d done it a hundred times before. He arched a surprised eyebrow.

  “Just because I don’t like them doesn’t mean I don’t know how to use them.”

  Another surprise; one he’d ask her about later when they all saw the other side of this.

  He put the car in gear and they continued down the narrow road. After only a few more minutes, he could see one of the trusses from the bridge through a break in the trees.

  On the far side of the bridge were two cars. Simon could make out two men. He strained to see Charlotte, but he couldn’t.

  He parked the car at the far end of the bridge as he’d been instructed. He looked around them, but all he could see was the growing shadows of dusk and the forest beyond. Jack was out there somewhere. He hoped.

  The headlights ahead flashed, the signal for them to get out of the car. They both opened their doors and stepped out.

  “Do you see her?” Elizabeth asked softly.

  Simon shook his head.

  “Leave your weapons,” a voice called out, strong and clear in the quiet of the woods. The only other sound was the dull roar of the river below.

  Simon hesitated. They would be sitting ducks, but they had little choice.

  “Where’s Charlotte?” he called back.

  A man Simon hadn’t noticed before stepped out from the shelter of one of the left side vertical trusses at the middle of the bridge. He pulled Charlotte out next to him.

  Simon’s heart leapt in his chest. He took a quick, calming breath. “Are you all right?”

  “Daddy—” she started, but the man yanked at the collar of her shirt and she quieted.

  Simon’s heart lurched and he took a half step forward before stopping himself. He stared at Charlotte in the dim light. She seemed unharmed he told himself. That was all that mattered.

  “It’s almost over, honey!” Elizabeth called out.

  “Very touching,” the voice from the other side said. “The guns?”

  Simon and Elizabeth exchanged worried glances, but they had to obey. Simon put the guns down on the front seat. He and Elizabeth held up their hands to show they were unarmed.

  “And the watch?”

  Elizabeth started to reach into her pocket.

  “Slowly!” the man warned.

  She slowed her movements and pulled out the watch. She held it up, not that they could see anything from that distance. The far side of the bridge was well over 100 feet away.

  “And just to make sure you don’t do anyt
hing you shouldn’t,” the man said and then waved to the one with Charlotte.

  The man with Charlotte picked her up and walked over to the edge of the bridge. Simon’s breath came faster and his mind raced.

  For a brief moment, he thought he was going to throw her over the side, but the man placed her on top of the railing and held her there for balance. She cried out in fear.

  “It’s okay!” Elizabeth called out to her before turning to Simon. Her eyes had gone a little wild, her breathing coming a little faster.

  “A little insurance,” the man said.

  Simon held up his shaking hand. “All right, all right. Just stay still, Charlotte!”

  “Now that we have an understanding,” the voice said. “Walk toward us. Stay to the right.”

  “How do we know you’ll keep your end of the bargain?” Simon asked.

  There was a pause.

  “You don’t.”

  Simon looked over at Elizabeth. He wasn’t sure what either of them was hoping he’d say, but that wasn’t it.

  “Walk,” the man said.

  They started forward.

  “Just the woman.”

  Simon stopped and put out his arm in front of Elizabeth. “No.”

  The man holding Charlotte leaned her out over the edge and she nearly lost her footing. She cried out again, frantically gripping her captor’s arm. Simon felt a wave of nausea.

  “Just the woman,” the voice repeated.

  “It’s all right,” Elizabeth said quickly, breathlessly, her eyes on their daughter. “I’ll come alone.”

  “Elizabeth.”

  She looked at him and shook her head. Her voice trembled. “It’ll be fine.”

  Simon clenched his hands into fists and watched her walk ahead. His heart beat faster with every step she took. She kept to the right side of the bridge as they’d been instructed. One of the men walked toward her until they met in the middle.

  She looked over to Charlotte. “It’s okay, honey.”

  Elizabeth turned back and handed the man the watch. He examined it quickly. They’d considered swapping out one of the other watches, but this one was unique. It had a cloisonné map of the world where the usual embossing was. Without knowing whether the Shadow Council knew about it or not, they couldn’t take that risk.

  The man held up the watch. “We’re good,” he said and started back toward his men.

  Elizabeth started toward Charlotte. But before she’d even taken a step, the man holding Charlotte looked back to his boss and then nodded. Then he did the one thing Simon had prayed he wouldn’t. He let go.

  And Charlotte fell.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  SIMON YELLED OUT TO Charlotte. He heard Elizabeth cry out and Charlotte scream. His heart in his throat, he started running forward, but the man who’d dropped her pulled out a gun and pointed it at Elizabeth.

  “No!” Simon cried.

  Elizabeth turned away in a futile effort to shield herself and a gunshot rang out, echoing across the ravine. Simon froze in shock. Elizabeth didn’t fall, but the man did.

  He fell backward against the railing, his gun falling from his lifeless fingers. Jack, Simon realized. He was here. Thank God he was.

  More shots rang out then, some from the far side of the bridge and some from behind him. Elizabeth ignored it all and ran to where Charlotte had been.

  Just as quickly as they’d started the gunshots stopped. Simon ran to the edge of the bridge and looked over. It had to be more than twenty feet to the water below. And God only knew how deep it was or what lay beneath the surface. He scanned for her but couldn’t see anything but rocks and river.

  “Charlotte!”

  He turned to see Elizabeth starting to climb onto the railing. A bullet ricocheted off the rusted iron truss next to her and she had to duck down.

  There was still one man, using his car as a shield and he fired again at Elizabeth. He was too well hidden and Jack couldn’t hit him from his vantage point.

  Then the loud boom from a shotgun cracked the air. After that, there was silence. Until Renaud walked out from around the end of the car.

  “Allez!”

  Without a moment’s hesitation, Elizabeth climbed up onto the railing and jumped.

  Simon’s heart fell with her, but he turned and ran back toward his end of the bridge. He plunged into the woods. Branches scratched his face but he didn’t care. He slipped and slid down the loose earth to the rocky shore below. He climbed over slippery rocks, moving down river, knowing the current was carrying them. He had to get ahead of them. He ran and for a long painful moment, he couldn’t see anything. Just the black water.

  He waded out a few steps into the cold, rushing water and then he saw her—Elizabeth. She bobbed to the surface upstream. He called out to her, but she went under again.

  He waded further out into the water, knowing it would carry her to him. He would catch her, catch both of them before the river carried them away. Or he would die trying.

  Just ahead of him, Elizabeth came back up, and she had Charlotte in her arms. He stood against the battering of the current. Elizabeth held Charlotte tightly to her chest with one arm and reached out to him with her free hand. He took one more step out, his foot nearly losing its purchase on the slick rocks. But he caught her outstretched hand, and pulled with all his strength. Somehow, he managed to get them out of the fastest current and move them toward the shore.

  Jack appeared out of the woods and waded in to help.

  Elizabeth passed Charlotte to Simon. He scooped her up into his arms and waded to the shore. As he emerged from the water her head flopped back, arms swinging lifelessly.

  Dear God in Heaven.

  No, he thought. No.

  Everything else disappeared except the girl in his arms. Carefully, he laid her down on the shore. He put his ear next to her nose and mouth. Nothing. He listened to her chest. But there were no sounds. No breath. No heartbeat.

  He was sure his heart stopped too then. His worst fear was coming to pass. Old Nan’s prophecy, the one he’d denied, the one he’d dreaded, was unfolding before his eyes.

  “But we haven’t lost a child,” Elizabeth said.

  “Perhaps it has not yet come to pass.”

  “Are you saying we’ll have a child and then…?”

  “It is your burden.”

  His burden. Simon had carried the fear of it with him every moment since then and now it was here. Charlotte, his Charlotte was slipping away from him just as Nan said she would.

  “No,” he whispered. It could not be. He promised that it would not be.

  He looked down at her pale face, his own heart seizing in his chest.

  “Simon,” Elizabeth gasped as she fell to her knees at his side.

  “Help me,” he said.

  Elizabeth moved over to kneel by Charlotte’s shoulders. She tilted Charlotte’s head back and gave her two breaths. Charlotte’s chest rose slightly with each, but a third didn’t come

  Frantically, Simon started chest compressions. He had to remind himself not to push too hard. Her chest was so small, so delicate.

  He pushed rapidly thirty times, counting out each. He stopped and listened again. Elizabeth looked at him, her eyes flashing with terror, and he shook his head.

  Elizabeth gave her two more breaths.

  “Come on,” Simon urged Charlotte and then started compressions again.

  Elizabeth leaned down and stroked Charlotte’s face as she whispered, “I know you can hear me. Come back to us. Come on. Come back to us.”

  Simon felt as if his entire body were on fire, every nerve ending cried out.

  He pushed and pushed until it was time for breaths again. He could barely breathe himself, as Elizabeth gave her two more breaths. But there was no change.

  In the background, he heard Jack offer to help, but he ignored it. He ignored everything but her. He would never stop trying.

  His heart clenched even tighter and he put his hands on he
r chest. Suddenly, Charlotte coughed and gagged.

  “Oh, God,” Elizabeth gasped, and they carefully rolled Charlotte onto her side.

  She gagged and retched and Simon laid a trembling hand on her back.

  “It’s all right,” Elizabeth soothed her. “Get it out.”

  Once the gagging stopped, they eased her onto her back. Muddy and hair matted, but alive. She blinked up at them.

  “Charlotte?” Simon asked, cupping her cheek.

  Her breath was hard and fast, but slowing. Her eyes were wide with confusion. She swallowed and coughed again, but it was shallow and short.

  She looked up at him. And then he heard the most beautiful word in the world.

  “Daddy?”

  Simon nearly wept with relief.

  She looked back at Elizabeth, still clearly confused, but there. Thank God, she was there.

  Elizabeth leaned down and pressed her face to Charlotte’s and sobbed.

  ~~~

  It had been nearly three days since “the accident” as they all euphemistically referred to it, and Charlotte was the only one who seemed to have recovered. And maybe Jack too, Elizabeth thought, as the two of them arm wrestled for the last piece of bacon.

  Simon watched them with a contented smile, but she knew the truth behind it. This wouldn’t last. Charlotte couldn’t stay.

  They’d both known that from the moment she’d arrived, but now that the time had nearly come, Elizabeth wasn’t sure how she was going to handle saying goodbye.

  Jack made a great show of it, but finally lost. With a sigh he picked up the piece of bacon and held it out to Charlotte. “To the victor go the spoils!”

  She grinned and was about to take a big bite when she stopped and broke it in half and gave one to Jack.

  Simon watched them both devour their pieces. “All right, now wash your hands,” he told Charlotte.

  She wiped them on her napkin and then dashed off down the hall.