Page 67 of Under His Sheets
I entered the back doors and stopped inside. Gathered in the atrium were Vidal and his driver, and three other men I didn’t recognize. Camille and Pere were on the floor with their hands and mouths taped.
“Thank you for coming, senyor Sutter,” Vidal said in a cold voice. “If you would be so kind as to give us the key.”
“Not until you let them go.”
The men I didn’t know pulled out guns and pointed them at Pere and Camille.
“We can kill you and take the key if you aren’t willing to give it up, but then we will for sure have to kill them.
Camille looked pissed more than scared. Pere had been crying but was trying to be brave.
“Why did you even have to involve the school at all? Why put kids in danger?”
“Senyor Sutter, this is not like the action movies where the villain details his plans to the hero. This is a transaction, that is all.”
I reached in the pocket of my suit coat and my fingers found the cool metal of the key.
“Please let them go,” I breathed, my voice shaking. “How do I know you won’t kill us all?”
“No one has to die, but we are running out of time. The key,now,” he said, and I heard the click of the safety being removed from the gun pointed at Camille and Pere. Camille glared at the man, and I thought perhaps she’d finally realized that she was in way over her head.
I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and suddenly Alonso, Romeu and Leo appeared from the rear of the building. They moving in concert, approaching the gunmen from behind so swiftly they took us all by surprise. They attempted to disarm them, but there was a struggle, and I lost track of Alonso.I ducked behind a pillar as two shots went off, my heart thundering in my ears. Everything happened so fast…
I peeked out and saw Pere roll out of the way and under a bench. Vidal charged me and I backed up, tripping over a planter bed and nearly falling.
“The key!” he growled, squeezing my biceps. I tried to throw off his hold and run, but he was stronger despite having twenty years on me, and before I could get away, he had a grip on me I couldn’t shake off. He pulled my left arm behind my back until I cried out and reached around to get his hand into my pocket. I tried to fight him off, but I felt something tear in my shoulder, leaving my left arm useless and driving me to my knees. When I was down, he hit me in the right ear and I fell to the ground, my temple smacking a bench on my way down, making my vision go spotty.
I kept my fingers tight around the key but he yanked and yanked, then finally stood—and stomped on my hand. I cried out and went limp, which meant he was able to pry my damaged fingers open and take the key.
Vidal ran off, and I tried to get up, but I couldn’t put any weight on my left arm and my right hand wouldn’t work. I was able to get to my knees in time to see him run down the hallway toward Camille’s classroom, dragging Camille with him. I shouted her name just as a flood of uniformed men came in, guns pointed at Alonso and his friends, who had subdued the gunmen.
“No!” I called out as Alonso and the others went to their knees with their hands clasped behind their heads. No, they were getting it wrong! It was the others?—
I tried to stand and my stomach heaved, bringing me to the floor. My head smacked the floor again and it was goodnight.
FIFTEEN
Time Unknown,Centre Mèdic, Castelldefels, Catalonia, Spain
Nothing made sense. When I woke up in the hospital, Josette was there, and she told me what had happened, told me the whole tale. It was even more awful than I’d thought possible.
“Camille’s grandfather got her the job at the school so she could make contact with and help Ambròs Vidal and his men. They were taking money from people through extortion, threatening to reveal their part in a coup they were plotting. Camille had money, names of officials, everything in a file in her classroom, all for Vidal and her grandfather. She is not the person I thought she was. How were we supposed to know her grandfather was aterrorist?” she whispered. “And how she could do anything with that man…Ambròs Vidal is a horrible person. His wife has disappeared, and their kids. Can you believe it?”
“So they were arrested?” I’d asked.
“Oui, as well as our custodian, Alonso. He was involved in it too.”
I knew that wasn’t true, but I didn’t know if I was allowed to tell the truth. The last thing I’d seen was him with his hands on his head and it broke my heart to not be able to tell her everything.
“Pere?” I’d asked her then, too close to tears. I would never be able to get the look of terror on his face out of my mind.
“He’s okay. He’s safe. His father has been here to see you. He’s brought doctors to see you.”
My left arm was in a sling and my right hand was wrapped. They had me on so much pain medication I could barely feel my body.
I’d thought they’d taken everything from me. Then Vidal ruined me. The doctor’s words floated through my head.Ligament damage. Nerve damage. Surgery. Possible loss of function.
“Randall, you are going to be okay,” Josette said, but I’d turned my head, unsure I could take any more…anything.
