She's staring at the floor, her free hand clutching the fabric of her sweater. Her breathing is shallow, uneven.
"Hey," I say softly and gently stroke her cheek. "Are you okay?"
She doesn't look up.
Fuck, I have no idea what to do.
I want to ask her what's wrong. I want to pull her into my arms and tell her she's safe now. I want to see her eyes light up the way they used to when she looked at me.
But I can't.
Because she's not looking at me like I'm her Adi.
She's looking at me like I'm a stranger.
Maybe I'm wanting too much too fast. But how do you gauge your hopes and desires in a situation like this?
Victor reappears, his expression tight. "They are putting this place on lockdown, so we need to hurry."
I don't argue. I just tighten my grip on Elena's hand and follow Victor toward the main doors.
"Oh," Victor says and stops. "If anyone asks, she's eaten something bad and we need to take her to the doctor."
I nod, and we continue.
I glance at Elena, and she's looking at me. I smile, but it goes unnoticed.
We pass a Swiss security guard who is frantically trying to lock the entrance. Victor steps in front of him, says something while showing him his diplomatic ID and motions back to us, and the guard hesitates just long enough for us to slip through.
The cold air hits me like a slap to the face, and my shoes crunch on the snow as we hurry down the steps.
At the bottom, with the engine idling, is a Rolls-Royce waiting for us.
The driver gets out and goes to open the door, and Victor stops him.
"I'll bring it right back. Give me the keys."
I walk past him and open the back door and guide Elena inside. She climbs in without a word.
I run around the other side as Victor runs around the front of the car to hop into the driver's seat.
I get in the back next to Elena and shut the door.
The car pulls away from the château, the tires skidding over the snow as we drive away. I glance back through the rear window. No alarms yet. No sirens.
We made it.
I turn back to Elena.
She's sitting beside me, her hands folded in her lap, her gaze fixed out the window. The passing trees and snow-covered hills reflect in the glass, but I don't think she's seeing any of it.
I lean back and take a deep breath, and my adrenaline crashes.
My hands start to shake, and I press them against my thighs to steady them. My chest feels tight, and my breath comes out in short, uneven bursts.
I did it.
I found her.