Chapter 7 - THE MAN BESIDE HER|
For one impossible second, Camille could not understand what she was seeing.
Tobias Cain had been at Gideon's side throughout the search. He had opened doors, arranged transport, and stood between Camille and every stranger who approached. He had spoken about Gideon with the ease of a man who had served him for years.
Now he was holding a gun on him.
Gideon did not move.
“Tobias,” he said.
“I'm sorry.”
“Put it down.”
“I can't.”
Camille stepped backward.
“Why?”
Tobias kept his eyes on Gideon.
“Because if I don't, they'll kill my daughter.”
The answer changed the room.
Gideon's expression hardened, but his voice remained controlled.
“Who has her?”
“Men working for Sloane.”
“Victor Sloane?”
Tobias nodded.
“They took her from school this afternoon. They sent me a photograph. I was told to bring you the paper and keep you from reaching St. Agnes.”
Camille looked at the note in Gideon's hand.
“Then why did you bring us here?”
“Because I thought I could get you both out before they arrived.”
A crash sounded at the front entrance.
Tobias lowered the gun slightly.
“They're here.”
Gideon moved first.
He stepped between Camille and Tobias, then reached toward the weapon. Tobias resisted for half a second before the gun slipped from his hand and struck the floor.
A second later, the office door burst open.
Two men entered.
One raised a gun.
Gideon pushed Camille behind the desk as Tobias lunged toward the first attacker. The room erupted into noise. A chair overturned. Glass shattered. Camille crawled beneath the desk, pressing both hands over her ears.
When the noise stopped, she heard Tobias groan.
Gideon appeared beside the desk.
“Are you hurt?”
“No.”
“Look at me.”
She lifted her head.
His eyes searched her face before he offered his hand.
“Come on.”
Tobias lay against the wall, one hand pressed to his shoulder. The attackers had fled through the rear exit.
Gideon crouched beside him.
“Where is your daughter?”
“I don't know.”
“What's her name?”
“Lena.”
Gideon took out his phone.
“Tell me the last place you saw her.”
Tobias gave him the name of a school in Metairie. Gideon made three calls, each brief and precise. Within minutes, his security team was moving.
Camille watched him.
“You're helping him?”
“He made a mistake.”
“He pointed a gun at you.”
“He was trying to save his child.”
“And what happens when you find her?”
Gideon looked at Tobias.
“That depends on what he does next.”
The search led them to an abandoned warehouse near the river. Lena Cain was found locked in an office, frightened but unharmed. Two men guarding the building were arrested by officers Gideon had quietly contacted through a lawyer who owed him a favor.
When Tobias saw his daughter, he dropped to his knees.
Lena wrapped both arms around his neck.
Camille looked away, giving them privacy.
Gideon stood beside her.
“You were right,” he said.
“About what?”
“Your father taught you to look at the person before judging the document. I should have done the same with Tobias.”
Camille studied him.
“Do you always make decisions for everyone?”
“Usually.”
“That's not a compliment.”
“I know.”
For a moment, the tension between them softened.
Then Tobias approached, his face drawn with exhaustion.
“Mr. Ferraro, there's something you need to know.”
Gideon turned.
“What?”
“Sloane didn't choose Lena to control me. He chose her because he knew I was already helping him.”
Camille frowned.
“You were helping him?”
Tobias looked ashamed.
“I gave him access to one of the old shipping files. I thought it was a routine transfer. I didn't know he was using it to locate the ledger.”
Gideon said nothing.
Tobias continued.
“And there's more. The man who sent the photograph of your father's case wasn't Sloane.”
Camille felt her throat tighten.
“Who was it?”
May you like
Tobias looked directly at her.
“Your father.”
