Dahlia had to kick the door to get it open. Ice and damage from their pursuers had jammed it shut. An old man with white hair and a mustache greeted them. The airstrip was deserted. The only other people greeted them.

“You made it. After that radio chatter, I wasn’t so sure that you would,” the old man said.

“All in a day’s work, old man,” Dahlia said, smiling.

Nigel couldn’t remember if he’d ever seen Dahlia smile. The sight was both uplifting and horrifying.

“You must be Nigel. I’ve heard a lot about you. Welcome to the north. I’m Hans.”

The old man shook Nigel’s hand.

For an older man, this guy has a firm grip.

“Nige!” a female voice said.

It was April!

She ran, and he was nearly knocked over as she hugged him.

“It’s good to see you too, little one,” Nigel said.

Nigel recognized the mountains from Jet’s video.

She’s close!

“What mountain range is that?” Nigel asked.

Dahlia shrugged.

“I believe it’s Mount Katahdin. It’s part of the state park. The chateau has a lovely view of the mountains,” Hans said.

“Wait. Where are we? Are we still in the United States?” Nigel asked.

“We’re in northern Maine.”

An urgent sounding chirping noise emitted from Hans. He checked the phone.

“Josephine has been asking about you, little one,” Hans said to April.

“I’ve been trying to reach her—”

“Jet is there?” Nigel said.

The older man nodded.

“A lot of snow has fallen overnight. We will need to take the snowmobile to clear the road and the truck.”

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“How long will that take?”

“Several hours.”

“Then I suggest we get a move on. We’ve wasted enough time already,” Dahlia said.

Moments later, Dahlia pulled onto the main highway with the old man in view. Nigel stared at the snowy landscape. He hated waiting, he wanted to see Jet already.

Wasn’t there something I needed to do? Wait, I promised Freeman!

Nigel wondered how credible the threat to Freeman was. He didn’t want the kid to get hurt because he failed to take action. He reasoned that helping him was not the same as helping the cabal. He was an arrogant prick, but didn’t deserve to be held captive either.

I need to find a way to help him.

Nigel glanced at the speedometer and cringed.

“Can’t we go faster?” Nigel said.

Dahlia gave him a sidelong glance.

“We can go faster, but you are forgetting about one crucial reason why we are not.”

What the hell is she talking about? It’s probably some kind of object lesson. I’d better play along.

“All I know is that the woman I love is in danger, and we are going barely thirty miles per hour on a highway that has been cleared.”

“You do have a point, Nigel. At the moment, the highway is clear. However, the chateau is several miles off the main highway. That is when Hans’s plow will come in handy.”

“Don’t worry, Nigel, we won’t let anything happen to your beloved,” Blanka said.

He felt torn between Jet and Blanka. And while he knew he shouldn’t have feelings for the assassin, there was something profound about Blanka. Her beauty was window dressing. At her core, she commanded and took charge of everything, and Nigel was drawn to her power like a moth to a flame.

“I know that you all are looking out for me and I appreciate it, but it’s hard to think of what might be happening to her right now.”

Blanka touched Nigel’s neck. That familiar tingling sensation overcame him.

I’m glad Blanka is in the back seat. I don’t know what I’d do if I was back there with her right now.

Nigel turned and peered into the back seat. Blanka was seated behind him, Eva in the middle, and Vedrana behind Dahlia. He gazed into Blanka’s eyes for a very long moment; she pursed her lips ever so slightly and blow him a kiss. Nigel smiled, and something rocked him out of his seat. Nigel turned to see Hans turning off the road and onto a narrow path in the woods, which didn’t resemble any road that Nigel had seen before. Eva moaned as the pain medicine wore off.

“We are not far from the chateau,” Dahlia said, pointing to a distant structure.

Nigel used his phone to zoom in on the structure. Trying to get a better view.

“In there,” Dahlia said.

Nigel followed her gaze, then open the glove compartment. There was a bulky pair of binoculars. After a bit of focusing, he glassed the perimeter, but couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary.

“Do you see anything, Nigel?” Dahlia asked.

“No, it looks quiet. No one outside and I can’t see anyone on the inside.”

As the vehicle rounded a curve, Nigel’s eyes were drawn to a gaping hole in the side of the house so massive that a truck could have driven through it. At the base of the house, where the foundation should have been, was a crater. It looked like a bomb went off. Moments later, April jumped out of Hans’s snow mobile and ran toward the house. The older man stopped the vehicle and ran after her. Dahlia pulled over.

“Blanka and Vedrana are going inside. I need you to watch over Eva.”

“But—”

“You’re not trained in combat and will be a liability. And we don’t want you to get yourself killed,” Dahlia said.

Blanka gave him a sympathetic look and was gone before Nigel could protest any further.