But, she realized an instant later, Tyrone hadn’t gone to all the trouble of the last five days to shoot her now. He was trying to bully her, but he’d underestimated her determination. She, too, had been through a lot in the last five days, and she wasn’t the naive schoolgirl he’d attacked two years before. And she’d fought him off then.
And, she decided as the prod of the gun in her back drove her down the hall, she could fight him off again. Her family wasn’t dead. She wasn’t about to roll over and play dead, either.
Nicolas Grenaldo called Levi while they were en route to the Adirondacks. “The state police are sending an officer. Where do you want him to meet you?”
“One officer?” Levi clarified.
“That’s all you need. He has got the authority to make the arrest. You boys can do everything else.”
Levi realized he should be grateful for that much. “Okay.
Tell him to meet us at the riding stable that adjoins Spiteri’s property. I’m going to call there next. Thanks.”
With only four men in addition to his brother and him, Levi knew they couldn’t risk going in guns blazing. He couldn’t tell how many men Spiteri might have guarding the place. If they were outnumbered, their only hope would be to take Spiteri by surprise.
At the same time, Levi feared Spiteri might be picking up where he left off with Isabelle. The thought made his insides churn. He had to get to her as quickly as possible—there wasn’t a moment to lose. He’d promised to keep her safe. Right now he obviously wasn’t doing a very good job.
Levi called the riding stables that bordered Spiteri’s estate and got permission to land their helicopter there. When he explained, briefly, that they were hoping to stealthily enter Spiteri’s property, the owner, a man named Willie, suggested they hire his horses.
“That would be perfect. Could you have six of them saddled and ready to go in twenty minutes?”
“Sure could,” Willie agreed. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with a certain Lydian princess who’s gone missing, would it?”
Levi sucked in a breath. He knew by calling the stables he risked giving themselves away. What if Willie was friends with Spiteri?
“What makes you ask that?”
“Just that she was engaged to that fellow two years ago. Never could stand the man myself. Couldn’t understand what she’d see in a guy like him.”
“Yes. You’ve guessed correctly. We suspect he’s holding her prisoner inside the house.”
“You know what the house looks like inside?”
“No, I don’t.”
“My brother had that house built back in ‘46. I’ve still got copies of the blueprints in my fire safe. They’ve redecorated over the years, but I don’t think there’s ever been a renovation that’s moved any walls.”
“If you could find those blueprints, Willie, we’d be indebted to you.”
“Aw, it’s no trouble. You just make sure that girl gets out of there okay.”
“I appreciate that. We should be landing in less than fifteen minutes.”
Willie gave Levi instructions on how to approach the property through the rugged terrain so as to remain undetected by anyone on Spiteri’s wooded estate. Levi thanked him for his help, all the time praying fervently that the man’s assistance wasn’t too good to be true—and that their conversation hadn’t been overheard. If Spiteri had any idea they would be arriving, their mission would be doomed.
No sooner had Levi passed on the news about the horses to his comrades than they came within range of the stable, bringing the helicopter in low, skimming the thick woods until they reached the open paddock where Willie had instructed them to land.
He waved to them from the doorway of the barn. “This way.”
Levi and the men hurried to meet him. The rain that had been falling steadily had begun to let up, which Levi was glad for. At his brother’s insistence, he’d changed from his wet clothes during the flight, and he wasn’t eager to be soaked again.
Willie had blueprints spread out on a desk in the front office of the stable.
“Here’s the main entrances,” he pointed, quickly running through the layout.
The men already knew they’d be improvising their plan as they discovered what they were up against. There were two main objectives: rescue Isabelle unharmed and capture Spiteri.
Levi didn’t know if they could do both, but at the very least, he wanted Isabelle out of there alive. And then he was going to give her that hug he’d wanted to give her before. He’d just have to keep the true depth of his emotions under wraps. But if God saw fit to help him rescue her, he wouldn’t complain. To have her in his arms one more time. That’s all he was asking for.
Through the open doors of the barn he saw a state police cruiser pull up and come to a stop. Levi darted out the door to greet the officer.
“Thanks for joining us,” he greeted the man, trying not to show his disappointment at the man’s frail frame and clearly advancing years. All they needed was his authority. They could do the rest.
“Glad to help. Saw on the news about this princess gal.” The older officer ambled toward the shelter of the barn and surveyed the men standing around the blueprints. “Looks like you’re expecting some resistance.”
Levi quickly caught the officer up to speed on the situation with Spiteri.
“So that’s the deal then. I can call for some more officers.”
Hope rose in Levi’s heart. “How soon could they be here?”
“Less than two hours, I’d say.”
“But Spiteri may be assaulting the princess even as we speak.” Levi hated to admit the truth. He may have failed Isabelle already. “I don’t know if we can wait that long.”
In spite of the officer’s advancing age, he clearly had no problem keeping up with Levi’s plans. “If you boys think you can get the job done, you bring him up here. I’ll put the cuffs on him. Deal?”
It was the best deal Levi figured he’d get. “Deal.” He looked each of his men in the eye in turn and quickly finalized their plans.
The satellite photos his father had procured had shown woods leading up close to the west side of the house. Levi was happy to discover the blueprints revealed the fewest windows on that side of the property. Though it would mean circling out of their way to avoid the cliffs where a creek had cut a small gorge, they could approach from the west, hopefully secure the horses just out of sight in the woods and then split up.
Two would circle around the north side to the garage, where a large service entrance appeared to be the most promising point of entry. The other four would go around to the front of the house, with two stationing themselves just out of sight at the front door and the other two circling back toward the garage from the front, effectively encircling the building.
“Thank you for your help.” He nodded to the officer, to Willie, then to his men. “We need to get moving.”
Willie had thoughtfully saddled dark colored horses, which would stand out less in the shadowy woods than his whiter horses might. The men headed toward the woods at a canter with Levi and Joe in the lead. When they came within view of the house, Levi dismounted cautiously. His men did the same.
The men had their instructions. There was no reason to speak.
Levi nodded, drew his sidearm and headed for the cover of several broad landscaping bushes that rimmed the corner of the house. From there he leaned against the cool brick and peeked around the corner.
Clear. He gave a nod to his men. Three men followed Joe toward the front of the house. Levi and a man named Greg ducked to avoid being seen through the windows as they ran for the garage. The pattering of gently falling rain helped to conceal the sound of their activity, though the soggy earth was less than ideal and would likely leave telltale footprints.
A voice came out of nowhere. “Do you hear something?”
There was nowhere to hide on the wide-open patio, so Levi sprinted forward, jumping on a guard as he came around the corne
r. The man crumpled.
“Larry?” Bootsteps echoed on pavement.
Levi dragged Larry’s prone figure against the side of the house with a nod to Greg, who stepped up in time to knock the gun out of the air as it preceded its carrier around the corner of the house. Whatever he did next must not have worked so well because when Levi spun around, he saw them engaged in hand-to-hand combat.
The butt of his gun ended their struggle. “Shh,” he reminded Greg, who helped him drag the second guard beside Larry. Part of their mission as Sanctuary officers was to do no harm, so they had no intention of killing men who, for all they knew, were innocent other than their choice to work for an unethical employer. But at the same time, they couldn’t risk the pair rousing and alerting Spiteri to their presence.
Greg had rope in a fat pouch pocket of his pants, and the two expertly restrained the guards.
Two down. How many more to go?
Levi peeked around the corner. No one coming. He nodded to Greg and they hurried along the wall, stopping to peer around the corner.
A guard stood blinking into an open bay of the garage. He appeared to be talking into an earpiece. “Larry, you’re supposed to check in every fifteen minutes. You’re two minutes late. Don’t make me come back there.”
Levi recognized the wire that dangled from the guard’s ear—it matched those worn by the guards they’d tied up behind the house. He also saw another man sitting on a lawn chair nearby, an AK-47 balanced across his knees.
Rather than take on both of them, especially when he couldn’t see who or what might be hiding in the open garage, Levi ducked back and whispered to Greg. “Two armed guards. One of them is coming around to check on Larry. We take him, then get the next guy when he comes to check on his friend.”
Greg nodded and took a couple of steps back.
The point of a gun made the corner first. Levi grabbed the hand that held it, smashing its knuckles against the side of the garage and pulling the gun from the loosened grip before flipping the man over his back. He landed on the ground with a groan.
“Shh.” Greg shook his head as he knocked the man out with a kick from his boot.
But it was too late. Levi heard another set of boots pounding pavement.
“Vinni?”
Little as Levi wanted to tangle with the assault rifle, he had no choice. The gun came around the corner, and Levi twisted it sideways as he pulled it from the guard’s hands. No sense letting the guy get off a shot. Nothing would give them away like gunfire.
“Hey!” The man yelled as he followed his gun around the corner. Levi planted the butt of the handle between his eyes. The man wavered and dropped.
Greg helped him tie them up. “We’re getting low on rope.”
With a nod, Levi ducked around the corner and peered into the garage. After circling the SUV and several ATVs parked inside, he reported to Greg. “I found rope. And our guards who accompanied Isabelle, Ralph and Tony. It’s tied around them. Untie them and save the rope. We might need it.”
“Are you sure it’s safe to untie Ralph and Tony?” Greg asked, getting to work on the knots.
“If they were on Tyrone’s side, I don’t think they’d be tied up.”
Silenced by the gags in their mouths, the men nonetheless nodded agreement with Levi’s words. Levi left them in Greg’s capable hands.
They’d wasted so much time on the guards. It had been hours since Isabelle’s message. Levi couldn’t wait any longer. He needed inside the house.
Isabelle balked as Tyrone wrapped thick rope around her ankles. He’d tried to tie her feet to the bedposts the last time they’d been in this room, too. At least he’d let her keep her clothes on thus far, preserving her last shred of dignity. “You don’t need to tie me up.”
Tyrone only laughed. “Do you think I’m stupid?”
Rather than answer his question directly and risk angering him further, Isabelle kept her mouth shut. Samantha stood in the doorway with the gun pointed their way.
There was no way out. Isabelle blinked back frightened tears as she looked around the room. As she recalled, the second-story windows opened over the paved patio out back. No good to jump from, even if Tyrone hadn’t just tightened the knot that held her right ankle to the bed. Thinking and praying hard, Isabelle tried to come up with a way to escape. Nothing.
She looked back at Samantha holding the gun. An instant later the gun flew from Samantha’s grip and a hand covered her mouth, pulling her back.
Isabelle gave a tiny gasp.
“What?” Tyrone growled.
“You’re—you’re tying that awfully tight.” She spoke loudly to cover any sound that might come from whatever was happening in the hallway. “Don’t you think that’s awfully tight?” She kept talking. She had to keep talking. “You don’t have to be mean about it, you know. You’ve already threatened my sister in Milan and my brother in North Africa and my parents in the care of General Lucca.”
Isabelle wasn’t sure who was in the hallway, but anyone who cared enough to knock Samantha out couldn’t be all bad. There was no telling if she’d survive the next few minutes. But she could give whoever was out there information that would help them find her family.
“What’s wrong with you?” Tyrone tightened the knot on her other ankle and leaned over her. “I thought you were a classy woman, but now you’re screaming like a little girl.”
Isabelle couldn’t see more than an instant’s glimpse of the figure who crept into the room on Tyrone’s right side, and she wasn’t about to give away the person’s presence by trying to get a better look. When she’d fought off Tyrone the last time she’d been in this room, she’d injured his right eye, and he’d gone almost blind on that side.
Whoever was sneaking up on him across the thickly carpeted floor was either aware of the weakness or very, very lucky.
“Tyrone,” she tried to think of something she could say to keep his attention, but her mind was nearly frozen with fear. “I think there’s something you need to know.”
“What could be so important that you have to tell me right now? I think you’re just stalling.”
“No, this is really important.” She focused on keeping her eyes on his, on not looking in the direction from which she’d seen the figure approaching, but what was taking him so long? Had she only imagined someone had come to rescue her? “I think you ought to know that the Lydian laws of succession demand that an heir be a person of faith.”
“Faith? That is nonsense. What is your point?”
“Just that if you’re going to reign as regent over our child, you’ll have to make full confession of your sins, and then everyone would know—”
“That is no problem. I will lie.”
He’d hardly spoken the words when he fell with a shudder almost on top of her, and then strong hands pulled him back into a heap on the floor.
Levi!
“What took you so long?” Isabelle whispered as she pulled at the knots that tied her ankles to the bed.
“Shh.” Levi pulled out a pocketknife and cut the cords. She clambered from the tall bed with his help and briefly landed against him before stepping over Tyrone’s prone figure.
Hurrying to the hall, Isabelle saw a furious-looking Samantha bound and gagged with a guard standing over her.
“Make sure Spiteri doesn’t leave,” Levi told the guard as he led Isabelle toward the stairs.
They were halfway through the dining room en route to the back kitchen door when the front doors burst open.
“We’re under attack!” a uniformed man yelled as he rushed into the foyer.
“I’ll get him,” the Sanctuary guard waved Levi on as he leapt over the stair rails onto the yelling man.
“Hurry.” Levi darted around the dining room table. “Do you know how many men are guarding this place?”
“He always used to have a dozen or so,” Isabelle recalled as she scrambled after Levi.
The words were no more than out of her mouth
when she heard a ferocious shout echoing through the foyer. Glancing back, she saw the man who’d been guarding Samantha struggling with the uniformed man who’d burst through the front door. And coming down the stairs in a rage, Tyrone Spiteri.
FIFTEEN
Levi pulled Isabelle through the back kitchen door at a run. Greg stood talking to Ralph and Tony as he coiled the rope into a neat ball.
“Spiteri is behind us! Hold him off! Get the ‘copter! Do something!” Levi shouted as he sprinted past the men, never letting go of Isabelle’s hand.
The helicopter was almost a mile away at the stable. They’d never outrun Spiteri on foot.
“Where are we going?” Isabelle asked as he pulled her toward the woods.
“I have horses up ahead.”
He could hear shouting behind him but wouldn’t risk looking back. The ground was rugged, the trees unevenly spaced, and one false move could cost them everything. Dark clouds had moved in, bringing with them more rain, and this time, wind and the rumble of thunder.
The horses whinnied a greeting, and the chestnut gelding Levi had ridden earlier pawed the ground eagerly.
For a moment, Levi considered letting Isabelle ride one of the other horses. But he quickly realized that would leave one of his men without a mount. And the slender princess would hardly slow his horse down.
Besides, she already had her shoe through the stirrup and was pulling one jeans-clad leg over. It was all Levi could do to untie the horse and climb on behind her.
“Hah, boy,” Isabelle urged the horse on its way, leaning close to the animal’s mane.
The high whine of a motor caught Levi’s attention, and he looked back in time to see three ATVs peeling out from around the garage. Spiteri rode the one at the head.
“Which way?”
“We’ve got a helicopter at the riding stables.”
Isabelle gave a nod and ducked lower and the horse stretched out. In spite of the trees, the wind and the rain, the animal seemed to have no qualms about running at a full gallop. Well, this was his home turf. And Levi suspected the rumbling thunder may have spooked the animal, sending him running for the safety of his stable.
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