The Prize

by Vanessa Fewings

  Halfway along another hallway we came to a stop and Jade pointed to a door. After turning the handle and peering inside I saw a staircase leading down. With the door closed behind me I tiptoed, praying the floorboards wouldn’t creak.

  This basement had an eerie feel to it and the atmosphere worsened when the scent of bleach hit my nostrils and it reached the back of my throat. I counted ten doors either side with round windows. Jade pointed to the end one. I was so close I could feel Tobias’s spirit, I was sure of it.

  Inside the room, I was filled with horror at what looked like a clinical setting with a medical chair. Jesus, what did they do in here?

  The room was empty.

  Tobias’s wristwatch was on the floor. I picked it up and suppressed a sob as I hugged it to my chest. Jade’s arms lowered to her side and if I believed she was capable of emotion, that looked like defeat.

  Dear God, tell me I’m not too late.

  I shoved his watch into my rucksack and made my way out and ran from door to door, peering into each room.

  I saw him—

  My heart soared with relief. Tobias was slumped in a corner on the floor and was shackled to a wall, his face bruised, his eyes closed, and his shirt and jacket stripped from him.

  I tried the door and it opened. “Watch for anyone coming, Jade.” I ran toward him and knelt close. “Tobias.” I shook his arm, feeling as though I was inhaling air for the first time since I last saw him.

  He moaned and slurred, “Fuck Picasso.”

  “Tobias, it’s me.”

  He raised his head. “Zara?”

  “Yes.”

  He pried his eyes open. “You have to get out.”

  “What did they do to you?”

  “Run.”

  “I’m here to get you out.”

  “What time is it?” His body was covered in bruises and his hair was soaking wet.

  “Can you walk?”

  He shoved himself up on his elbows. “Zara?”

  “Yes, it’s me.”

  “Remind me to kill Eli Burell when I see him.” He moved his right foot and there came a clang of a shackle.

  “Oh, God.”

  “That doesn’t sound like a vote of confidence, Leighton.” His voice was husky.

  My hand cupped my mouth at the horror of what they’d done to him. “I have to get you out.”

  “The Manhattan house is safe. Wait there—” He tugged on the shackle.

  “We have to cut you free.”

  “You gave me something to live for.”

  “I’m not leaving you.”

  “Unless you brought a power tool.” His head crashed down in defeat.

  “Jade’s with me.”

  He peered through one eye. “Why didn’t you say?”

  I sprang up and opened the door. “Jade, come in. Hurry.”

  The drone floated in and sped up as she approached Tobias.

  He patted her affectionately. “I know, buddy, I’ve looked better.” He pointed. “Do your thing and cut the metal to free me. Fast as you can.”

  Jade hovered near his ankle and a laser shot out toward the metal cuff linking Tobias to the wall. Sparks flew as a blue line trailed along the metal.

  “Are the police coming?” Tobias shuffled onto his side.

  “No, but Abby knows Eli’s dangerous.”

  He frowned. “Does she know about the painting?”

  “No.” I gave a shrug. “Eli has it now. For what it’s worth.”

  “How?”

  “I found it in your room and gave it to him.”

  “He better not have touched you.” Tobias glared at me.

  “Look at me, I’m fine.”

  His gaze stayed on me trying to judge if this was true. “Maybe your paintings are here.”

  I waved that off. “Let’s just get out.”

  “Yeah, before his experts tell him he owns a piece of shit.”

  “She’s beautiful because you created her.”

  He arched a brow. “Who are you?”

  Even now he made me smile. “Can you stand?”

  “I think they broke a rib. Remind me to not check in to this shithole ever again. They don’t even offer room service.”

  “Can you walk?”

  His leg jolted. “Careful with the sparks, Jade. If my pants catch on fire I’m firing you.”

  “She helped me find you.”

  He smiled and it turned into a grimace. “She’s good like that. Makes great tea and leads you to boyfriends. If I put her on the market she’d make me a fortune.” He sat up and pulled the metal shackle apart. “Good job.”

  I helped him up. “If this doesn’t slow Icon down, I don’t know what will.”

  “If this is your elaborate plan to persuade me to give up this life you’re a fucking genius.”

  “Maybe Jade can shoot a laser out if anyone tries to stop us.” I pulled open the door.

  “She’s not wired like that. She’s programmed using Isaac Asimov’s Three Laws—” He hobbled beside me as he whispered, “A robot can’t harm a human. Nor can it allow a human to be injured through inaction. All orders from humans are to be obeyed except if a conflict arises with the First Law. She must protect her own existence, though this law of self-preservation can’t conflict with the first Two Laws. That’s the short version.” He brought his finger to his lips, gesturing for us to be quiet.

  I rolled my eyes to hint that was all very fascinating. Tobias couldn’t help himself—science would always be his safe place. Stealthily, we made our way up the stairs and out into the main house.

  I pointed upward and mouthed, The roof.

  He mouthed back, How long has Jade been off her charger?

  Why?

  He pointed to her flickering green light and I couldn’t believe what he was insinuating. We had to move fast. With Tobias’s arm around my shoulders I supported him up the staircase and retraced my steps. Even if my paintings were here I didn’t care. All I wanted was to get him out. Once on the top floor we hurried to the spot beneath the skylight.

  “You first.” He pointed upward.

  “You should go.”

  “Jade.” Tobias snapped his fingers and then reached for me positioning my fingers to wrap around her base. “Go.”

  Gravity pulled as I was lifted upward, and I counted the seconds until I was through the window and standing on the roof looking down at Tobias.

  Jade descended to go back for him.

  I watched with horror as Tobias snapped a hand signal for Jade to stop and then disappeared from view. Voices trailed below and I froze, staring down with my heart beating frantically. One glance up and they’d see our drone.

  The way was clear again and Tobias gestured for Jade to lower to him. She reached him and he gripped her from beneath, rising in what felt like a painstaking slowness until he was standing beside me on the roof.

  “Jade led you to me?” he asked.

  “I tracked your watch.” I pointed to my rucksack. “It’s in here.”

  “I’m sorry, Zara. The plan fell apart. I let you down.”

  “No. Eli has our Mona Lisa.”

  “How did you get it out of the case?” He waved that off. “Let’s just get out of here and talk about it later.”

  “Car’s over there.” I pointed in that direction.

  Jade’s green light was out.

  Tobias knelt beside her. “Her power’s dead.”

  “We have to bring her with us. She’s part of the team.”

  “Yes, I don’t want them to reverse engineer her.”

  “And no man left behind and all that.”

  He gave a smile and gestured to my climbing gear. “The old-fashioned way, then.”

  Tobias secured the end of the climbing ro
pe to the window frame and I used the carabiner and rope to abseil down. With my feet firmly planted on the ground, I sent the gear back up to Tobias, with him pulling on the rope it was attached to. He clutched Jade to his chest on his smooth descent.

  We ran toward the car.

  Within minutes we were in the Aston Martin and speeding along the road, with frequent glances in the rearview mirror for any sign we were being followed.

  I watched Tobias connect a wire to Jade and it looked like he was recharging her and then he set her down on the mat between his feet.

  He turned the air-conditioning panel on himself. “How did you crack the code to the chrome case?”

  “I used the most logical letters.”

  “Our names?” He shook his head in disbelief. “Hopefully that serves as something, right?”

  Yes, using our names as the code to get into the painting had meant so much. I’d not had time to wallow in his romantic gesture.

  “It was nothing.” I threw in a wave as though it really had been that easy.

  “I believe it.” He squeezed his eyes shut for a second. “I’ve put you through this—”

  “You can make it up to me. But it’s going to have to be better than a new phone this time.”

  Tobias laughed weakly and jolted when the pain hit him. “Looks like we’re all clear.”

  “If you say that was fun, I’ll hit you.”

  “It was everything it should have been.”

  I glanced his way. “How do you mean?”

  “I was in a room with no view and all I had were thoughts of you.” He reached over and took my hand. “It was enough, Zara. Just the thought of you was enough.”

  “Tobias.” I breathed out a sigh of relief.

  “Self-drive on,” he ordered and reclined his seat and closed his eyes. “Sixty-Ninth Street residence.”

  The wheel shifted, and cautiously I waited to make sure the car was self-driving. Resting back a little, realizing the strain of the last few hours was lifting, I let the car take us home.

  Tobias carried Jade back into our Manhattan residence. Inside his workshop, he set her down on her base to continue charging. I left him there and went upstairs to use the restroom and then wash my hands and face, trying to scrub this day away and wondering if I’d ever shake this dread.

  Tobias needed me. After drawing him a hot bath I returned to the workshop.

  He was asleep and slumped over his workbench. He was too tired to resist when I grabbed his hand and pulled him out and up the staircase and led him to the bathroom. I helped him strip off his shoes, trousers and underwear, and there came a well of relief that Tobias wasn’t seriously injured and was here with me again. Touching him, being this close meant everything, and every second, every chance to brush my hand over his body felt like an answered prayer.

  He climbed into the tub and water whooshed around him as he laid back and rested his head on the edge. His eyelids closed but still came that sweet smile. This wasn’t the time to ask what they’d done to him or what he’d endured at the hands of those men.

  Kneeling beside the tub, I leaned over, reached for the body wash and squeezed the rich scented liquid onto a sponge and bathed him, caressing his long limbs, easing up over the bruises and lovingly nurturing him, enamored by his masculine curves that had endured such cruelty. I washed his hair, running my fingers through his already damp locks, and he let out a sigh. He lowered all the way into the bath and let me rinse the soap out of his hair.

  Afterward, I dried him with one of the plush towels and got him to sit on the edge of the tub so I could use another towel to dry his hair. He looked up at me and gave another smile of contentment. Taking his hand, I guided him to his bedroom. I peeled back the duvet and helped him climb beneath the sheets. Sitting beside him on the bed, I caressed his dark golden locks to soothe him.

  “I told you to leave.” His voice rasped with emotion.

  I was sure he was talking about the event at The Plaza, when I’d not only defied him by being there but also not left when he’d warned me to go. Guilt washed over me that because of those decisions I’d almost killed him. “I’m so sorry.” That memory of seeing him beaten up and tethered by a metal cuff to the wall would haunt me forever.

  “I don’t care about me.” He brushed a stray hair out of my eyes. “If anything had happened to you...”

  “Try to relax.”

  “I’m not giving up, Zara,” he whispered.

  “What was that?”

  “I need you.” He pulled me down beside him and clutched me to his chest.

  Snuggling in, I rested my head against him and breathed in the happiness of being back in my man’s arms.

  “I have a great idea,” he muttered. “But you’re not going to like it.”

  “Go to sleep.” I kissed him.

  “Okay, we’ll talk tonight.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  “Zara, be my wife...”

  “Tobias?” I raised my head to look at him but he was already asleep.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  DRENCHED IN THE darkness of Tobias’s bedroom, I reached out and my hand brushed over an empty sheet. I sprang up and listened out for him, and then grabbed my wristwatch from the bedside table. It was close to 8:00 p.m., proving I’d slept all day. When I saw the note left on his pillow, a sinking feeling settled as I read it.

  Sweetheart, we are close to this being over. I’ll be back soon. Believe in me.

  What was he thinking?

  Earlier he could hardly walk and now this? My heart pounded as I realized what this was, Tobias asserting his authority and leaving me out of the decision. After the last twenty-four hours I deserved a medal. Things were different now. I was different. I’d experienced too much not to see this resolved.

  I shot out of bed and my feet hit the hardwood floor. Surely he wasn’t heading out to recover the paintings? Not after seeing what that family was capable of. I wrapped the sheet around me and padded toward the staircase. Peering over the banister I let out a sigh of relief when I saw Tobias. He was carrying a box through the foyer toward the door.

  “Hey!” I called down.

  He closed his eyes, realizing he’d gotten caught.

  “Where are you going?” I hurried down.

  “Go back to bed.”

  “We slept all day. Well, I have, anyway.” I closed the gap between us and reached up to press my palm to his forehead. There was no fever but he looked pale.

  He put the box down and grimaced.

  I gripped the sheet to my chest. “Where are you going?”

  Though with him dressed in black, I knew what this meant.

  “It’s nothing.” He reached for my other hand and kissed my wrist. “Go get something to eat. You must be starving. I’ve got this.”

  “Eli mentioned something about hypoxia? Did he use that torture on you? Because there’s clearly something wrong with your brain.”

  “What can I tell you? I’m a long-distance swimmer. I can hold my breath for extensive periods of time.”

  A jolt of panic. “What did he do?”

  “Really want to know?”

  “No. Yes. Tell me.”

  “He used water torture. But I’m fine.”

  “What!”

  “Look at me. I’m fine now. It was kind of refreshing if you’re into that.” He joked, but his face revealed the strain.

  “Call the police.”

  “Not yet.”

  “Don’t do this.”

  “Listen—” He gestured for me to follow him toward the staircase.

  I sat beside him and he pulled me into a hug and kissed my nose. “Zara, this won’t be over until the Burells are stopped from funding foreign wars. By now they’ll know I’m gone from that house. The chance of them moving your paint
ings is high. If I don’t act now, they may never find their way back to you. And if we call the police and they happen to find them and by some miracle get them out of Burell’s hands, these issues get complicated once lawyers get involved with their international laws.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “End this.”

  “Where are you going?”

  He stared off, reluctant to say.

  “What’s in there?” I pointed to the box.

  “A drone.”

  I’d already seen his secret stash of drones. I brought my legs up and hugged myself.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I saw them.”

  He looked half amused and half concerned. “Okay.”

  “Why do you have an army of drones?”

  “How did you get in that room?” He tried to read me. “Jade gave the game away?”

  “I’m serious.” I leaned back to look at him.

  “Jade can be annoying like that. Look, I planned on doing this myself.”

  “Doing what?”

  “They’re the manpower I need to pull this off.”

  “That’s why you have so many?”

  “What’s the other explanation—(a) I’m planning to take over the world, or (b) I have a drone fetish, or (c) I’m a lonely bastard who needs the company of an AI who always agrees with me?”

  I arched an amused brow. “Maybe c?”

  He pounced on me and tickled my ribs, and then flinched at the pain from moving so fast.

  “You shouldn’t be out of bed,” I snapped.

  “This is happening.”

  “Okay, then I’m coming with you.” I pressed a fingertip to his mouth. “You don’t get to push me aside on this one. You trained me for stuff like this. I was there for you.”

  “I can’t do that to you again.” He shook his head. “You risked your life for me. It’s unconscionable that I exposed you to danger.”

  “You trained me.”

  “For self-defense. This is different.”

  “We make a great team.”

  “It’s too dangerous, Zara. Anyway, I work better alone—”