Page 19 of Hidden Dane
Thanks to Michael, Emily wasn’t completely helpless.
Somehow she’d survived and now they could finish this jewelry nonsense together. He’d return the jewels and continue to help in the world instead of just be another rich boy with a bad childhood.
He’d been ready to go back without pursuing this anymore. Now the key almost radiated heat, though he knew he was just imagining it.
Brady returned and asked, “How are you?”
“I’m thinking clearly now.” He finished his last gulp as Brady rejoined him. Uriel glanced at his friend, who offered his tablet. Dr. Brady Booker was excellent with math and code, and Uriel read his notes about the limo crash that didn’t have any bodies. He’d also pulled up all the train schedules and possible banks in Paris. Brady had been solving Emily’s disappearance while Uriel had been drowning his grief.
Brady’s logical genius brain had led him to full professor when he’d turned twenty five. And why Brady was one of the best partners he’d ever had. “Emily will show up at the bank and not before then.” Uriel handed the device back.
Brady tucked his tablet away in his bag as he asked, “Are you certain?”
Perhaps there was a better plan. His mind considered how best to handle this as he said, “Emily’s always been good at doing exactly what she wants, when she wants. Nothing stops her, not even men with guns. I’ve known this about her since we met as teenagers.”
“Sounds formidable.” Brady sipped of his coffee. “I didn’t realize you were hiding such a girl away and that’s why you never flirted.”
“You do enough flirting for both of us.” Uriel took out his phone and ensured the text message wasn’t displayed on the home screen, though seeing her name there made his heart soar. He didn’t want Brady to think he was a besotted fool. “She’s awe-inspiring and slightly terrifying.”
“That’s why you love her.” Brady finished his coffee.
Chest tight, Uriel cleaned his screen and offered his phone to his friend. “Love? That’s a bit of a stretch. Can you track her through this?”
“Yeah.” Brady waited for Uriel to type in his passcode before taking the device, not that Brady wasn’t an ace at cracking passwords but his politeness was nice. “It’s not a hard hack.”
Uriel took the seat next to him, and pointed to his contacts. “Here is her number.”
Brady studied his settings and then made atsksound like Uriel was the complete idiot in the group as he said, “She’s on your tracker app already.”
Tracker app? Michael. No wonder his biological father never bothered him much. He knew where they all were, all the time. Uriel vaguely remembered how Michael had gone into his cloud and apps when he’d moved into their house for two years, and he’d kept his number. For years he’d transitioned phones and just let the stores do the upgrades.
Brady clicked into the settings while Uriel said, “I forgot about that.”
“Who are Michael, Sophie, Abigail and Isabelle?” Brady glanced up as the plane began its descent. “You have more people in your life than I suspected.”
Until he’d met Emily and her sisters and his biological father, he’d spent his life the spoiled only son of a murderer. Uriel’s heart raced. “The closest people I have to a family.”
Brady gave him a concerned, ready to interfere, look and didn’t type at all as he asked, “Are you related to Emily?”
Uriel’s cheeks heated. “Through marriage, technically, and we only lived under the same roof for one summer.”
Brady shrugged and then flipped the screen to the settings again. “Ah well, as your phone only needs the Wi-Fi connection… here.” They waited for the app to update and then Brady said, “She’s currently zipping through Normandy. We’ll beat her to Paris.”
“Tell Henry her coordinates. Maybe there’s a closer airport?”
Brady stood up and then stopped abruptly, still holding Uriel’s phone. “One second, I’m getting her train information. Are you sure we should wait to meet her at the bank?”
“No—she’s first. The bank is second. We might have to split up tomorrow.” They had a chance to ensure Ted was caught, and save Emily. He followed his friend to the cockpit and said, “If possible, I’ll need you at the bank with this key, while I go get her.”
All three of them had a fast talk, cementing their plan. Henry spoke to ground control as Brady said, “We’ll get her back for you, Uriel.”
Emily being safe would allow him to breathe again. He nodded. “We’ll make sure that the authorities of Paris know that Ted, who just broke into a bank in London, is also on that train.”
“Very well,” Henry said. “Now, why don’t you two take your seats?”
Dane would do his best to save Emily, or at least help her as she freed herself. Then they’d solve the century-old mystery of the missing jewels together, or not at all.
Chapter 7
