“Who?” Gemma and Barnabus asked in almost perfect unison.
“The Mastiff,” Brogan whispered. “I saw him before the mangy bloke blew up the print shop. That’s him and no mistaking.”
Gemma had frozen on the spot.
Barnabus took her hand. She held fast to his in return.
“And he’s not alone.” Brogan subtly motioned Ana Darby over. “I’m not the expert you are, so I can’t be certain. Tell me, the woman across the way, talking to that fierce-looking man. She’s someone we know, yeah?”
Ana glanced, then sucked in a quick breath. It was testament to the years she had spent as London’s most successful sneak thief that her expression didn’t change at all. “That’s Serena, the one the Mastiff has been holding against her will.”
Under the pretense of checking the progress of the cleanup efforts, Barnabus watched the scene across the street.
The Mastiff said something to Serena. She shook her head, the movement jerking and tense. Her captor was still talking, anger in his eyes and expression. She watched him intently. Thenext instant, the Mastiff walked away. Serena remained behind, alone.
“We have to help her,” Ana said. “If you’d seen the fear in her eyes at the gambling den where Hollis and I first met her, you’d know how much danger she is in.”
Barnabus had seen it more recently than that. “She’s still terrified. And trapped. I saw her recently and tried to convince her to take the escape I offered her, but she was too afraid.”
“Let’s you and I see if we can talk her into coming with us,” Barnabus said to Ana. “She might listen to you, or at least give it more thought.”
Gemma set a hand on his arm. “Please, be careful.”
Barnabus nodded. “We’ll beverycareful.”
He caught Fletcher’s and Hollis’s eyes and motioned them over. Brogan slipped over to where Móirín was helping with the cleanup. He would most certainly whisper to his sister as much as he could without giving away DPS secrets. They would help Gemma stay safe while Barnabus attempted to help save Serena.
He and Ana moved to meet Fletcher and Hollis halfway.
“That’s Serena,” Ana said to her husband. “The woman we’ve been looking for.”
Fletcher leaned a bit closer to Barnabus and talked out the side of his mouth. “Shall we catch up with her and try again?”
“That’s the entirety of my plan at the moment.”
“Spontaneity.” Fletcher nodded. “I like this new version of you, Doc.”
“You can gab later, boys,” Hollis said. “Serena’s walking away.”
They moved toward her, but she spotted them and moved quicker.
“We need to work on our stealth, mates,” Fletcher said. “She was flash to us in an instant.”
They picked up their pace, following Serena down a narrower side street.
“Seems we’ve done this before.” Fletcher motioned Hollis around the corner, likely hoping he’d catch up with Serena at the other end of the street.
But the street split into aT, and Serena went the opposite direction Hollis had. She looked back at them a few times, the briefest of glances. The winding streets often turned into labyrinths the farther one followed them. This path would likely prove no different.
Ana dropped from behind a wall directly in front of Serena. Barnabus hadn’t even realized Ana had slipped away from the group. Having a sneak thief in their midst was a helpful thing indeed.
“Please, listen to us,” Ana said. “We can get you out now. We can get you somewhere safe.”
Serena shook her head over and over again. “He will find me.”
“There are safe places we can take you,” Barnabus said. “We can get you as far away from him as you need to be.”
“I’ll not abandon my children. He’d kill ’em in a rage.”