“Is this Jakson Blake, Isabella?” He pulls out a photo from a file on
the table.
“Yes, that’s him, that’s
my Jaks. He’s an international mediator. He’s a brilliant man, he speaks seven
languages. Oh, he’s incredible, Father.”
“No, dear. This is Tarek
Ikari, a Galt tracker, actually the best tracker on all of Norwell, the one who
was sent to track you, find you, and kill you.”
“No, Father, you’ve got it
all wrong. This is Jakson Blake. Jaks is my husband. He’s been wonderful to me,
very loving, devoted. He has had many opportunities to harm me, but he didn’t. We’ve
been together for a year and a half. He could have killed me anytime, at night
while I slept next to him. Are you sure Werner and the international terrorists
weren’t hired to track and kill me?”
“I am absolutely positive
Tarek Ikari was the one sent to kill you. He is the best tracker the Galts
have. You are very lucky to be alive, daughter. Our men are zeroing in on his
location right now. They expect to have him in custody by sunrise.”
I gulp hard. My mouth goes
dry. I feel my heart pounding in my chest.
“Father, what will you do
to him?”
“Get the truth out of him.”
“How?”
“Oh, the usual way.”
“And then what?”
“No one has ever left the
Tower alive.”
“Father, please don’t kill
him, or cut anything off or hurt him. Promise me. I need to talk to him.” The
king didn’t answer. “I want to be there for your interrogation.” I thought
about it some more. “No, I want to handle the interrogation myself,” realizing
I can spare him so much agony that way. My father is silent and sullen.
“Father, I love him…”
The shiny, liquid doorway
disappeared and the brick wall was once again solid. Jakson ran in the nearest door
he could find, surprised to find himself in a pediatrician’s office.
“Can I help you?” asked
the receptionist.
“Did a woman just run in
here? Long straight auburn hair, big blue eyes? My wife.”
“No. I’m sorry.”
Dejected, Jakson walked
back out onto the street and ran straight into the hoodlums he was running away
from. They grabbed him and threw him up against the now solid brick wall.
“Where is she, Blake?
Where is Molly Kasjak? Where is Samantha Blake? Werner wants her back now.”
He motioned inside the
pediatrician’s office, fully aware they wouldn’t believe his highly implausible
story. “We were running down the street. Hands came out of a shiny doorway. They
grabbed her. They pulled her away from me. I held on to her as long as I could.
But… she’s gone. Gone! I ran into this doctor’s office here looking for her.
But she’s not there. She’s gone.”
“Gone?”
“Gone,” he repeated,
nodding his head.
“Gone where?”
“She’s just gone,” Jakson tried to explain. “These hands
came out through a portal that opened up on the brick wall and they grabbed
her. Six, eight, ten hands, grabbing at her all at once. They grabbed hold of
her and yanked her through the doorway. I held onto her for as long as I could.
But she went flying through. I reached in and tried to follow her. But the
portal was closing and it solidified. I went into the closest doorway I could
find."
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