Part 12 (1/2)

'What you' he said to Sebastien, voice cracked and rasping He licked his lips Tried again 'Whatyou doing here?'

Hannah's feet remained fastened to the floor 'Nate, where's Leah?'

He advanced into the roo the barrels as a prod to keep Sebastien at a distance, never taking his eyes off the old man 'Back up CouchSit'

'Where's Leah, Nate?'

'Safe Whenhe sh'up?' A breath 'Show up'

The knife block on the kitchen counter held six blades It o yards from her 'Just after we arrived It's OK He's a friend'

Sebastien sat down on the sofa and rested his hands in his lap

'You d'know anyanything 'bout hiun' Nate swayed on his feet, rested a shoulder against the door fra towards her She tensed Wondered what a chest full of buckshot would feel like Wondered if it would kill her instantly 'Nate, you're going to pass out and you're holding a loaded gun Give it tohim than you have'

Nate took his eyes off Sebastien for half a second as he glanced at her Re the hand that clutched the barrels, he wiped sweat frorimaced If this was an act, it was the best she had ever seen He looked like he could collapse at any ood It WILL be the best you've ever seen

Then, when she was least expecting it, he handed her the shotgun

Before she had even grasped as happening, Hannah found herself holding the weapon Quickly, she stepped away from him

The safety lever was off She thu her husband If that ho this corpse-creature turned out to be She lifted the barrels and ai, I love you I love you so much and I have to do this I need you to tell ht of our wedding'

Nate stared at the shotgun pointing at his head and then he looked at his wife 'I hope you don't think I' for breath 'But you've never been the sort of girl to' He sinced Reaching out a hand to steady himself, he closed his eyes as another tide of pain coursed through hiain they were filled with love 'to settle for a hotel bed when you had the chance of a tu her life's axis tilting, her world seesawing back into alignment That they had lost their hoer mattered Only her family mattered What was left of it

Leah Nate

He slu the shotgun in one hand and cradling hier towards Sebastien 'We haven't finished here'

'Nate, he saved your life'

'Then he won't mind a few questions'

From the sofa, Sebastien said, 'Hannah, remember what I said Let him ask It's important'

Nate nodded 'We've met before Where?'

The old man smiled 'A number of times But only ever with Charles I remember a particular occasion e had lunch in Budapest and you ordered a steak so rare you virtually had to drink it'

Nate stared at Sebastien His riht you here?'

'We have a lot to talk about But it can wait First we need to get you well'

Clenching his teeth, Nate sagged in Hannah's embrace 'Leah's in the next room Asleep still You needput her to bed I needlie down'

Sebastien helped her guide him to the sofa 'Can I ask what you've done with Moses?' he asked, as he reattached the drip to Nate's ar,' Nate muttered 'Threw a chocolate outside and heout like a shot'

It took Hannah a few hter upstairs and tuck her under the covers of the four-poster bed Leah woke once, asking where they were, but Hannah irl back to sleep

Downstairs, seeing that Nate had also drifted off, she led Sebastien into the living room She spotted the s With so le broken pane was minimal It did, however, make the temperature of the room uncomfortable She closed the curtains and switched on the di into a chair, Sebastien said, 'I can only try to iine how traumatic that must have been for you'

Hannah rubbed her face She filled her cheeks with air and allowed the the sentence would bring tears and lower her defences She left it hanging, watching as Moses nosed his way into the roo collapsed at Sebastien's feet

'Do you have a plan?' he asked

'We can't stay here indefinitely But Nate's in bad shape'

'He's remarkably resilient I have to adun, I didn't think there was any chance it was really hiht'

'I can't pretend to know him well, but our paths have crossed a few times over the years, via your father And it's always been clear that everything he does, he does with you and your daughter in ely thankless task'

'After what I just overheard in the kitchen,' Sebastien replied archly, 'I'lanced over at hirin on his face 'I'm not sure how I feel about so dirty remarks like that'

'Ancient' He cackled 'You're your father's daughter, aren't you?' His expression darkened the instant the words left his lips He clamped his mouth shut

'Do you think there's any chance'

'Let's not dwell on that tonight We don't know enough to speculate'

'We haven't heard froood'

Sebastien sat in silence Then he said, 'Tell me about your plan'

'It really depends on Nate I don't want toto be very weak for so to be even worse tomorrow Once the adrenalin wears off and the stiffness sets in, he'll be virtually immobile'

'I think we'll be safe here for up to a week Even if Jakab discovers the whereabouts of all the places we could have gone, he'll have to be incredibly lucky to pick this one straight away We've left plenty of red herrings that will seem like more attractive options They should tie him up for a while'

'You've planned this well'

'Not me All of us It's becoo?'