Ellis
guided the Mercedes AMG sedan—Gabriel’s latest gift—into the circular drive of the Lafayette Square mansion. He still couldn’t quite believe Gabriel had bought him a car, even if he could only drive it the three blocks between the mansion and the aquatic club until he got his license. Until then, he had to use it in auto-drive mode for longer trips.
The sleek black vehicle responded to his touch like it was reading his mind, making him feel powerful and alive. His muscles were pleasantly tired from swimming, and as the late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the manicured lawn, he allowed himself a small smile. Two weeks had passed since Henri discovered Jean, and life had settled into an almost normal rhythm.
The past few days especially had been good. The tutors Gabriel hired had done an assessment, and it turned out wasn’t as far behind as he’d feared. His English grammar was appalling, according to the kind but honest woman who’d reviewed his writing sample, and his French needed work, but his math scores had been acceptable. They seemed confident he could complete his HiSET in a few months if he applied himself.
He wasn’t sure about rushing it like that, but it was nice to know it wouldn’t take years.
Even Annabelle’s enthusiasm for dressing him had become endearing rather than overwhelming. He’d started accompanying her on shopping trips, letting her play dress-up with him in the fancy boutiques she loved. She got so excited about it, he didn’t have the heart to tell her he still preferred Gabriel’s old shirts at home.
The squeal of tires on the pavement behind him shattered that peace.
Three black SUVs pulled up, blocking the driveway. ’ hand froze on his car door as men emerged—a dozen or more, wearing casual clothes that somehow looked wrong, their faces obscured by dark sunglasses and surgical masks. Something about their fluid movements sent ice through his veins.
“Jacob!” backed toward the house, fumbling for his keys. “JACOB!”
The butler appeared in the doorway, his usual composure cracking as he took in the scene. “Inside, now—”
The men moved with military precision. Three headed straight for Jacob while others fanned out around the property. heard the muffled pop of silenced weapons and saw the security guards at their posts crumple.
“No, no, no—” turned to run, but strong hands seized him. He fought, connecting with a jaw, an eye, earning a grunt of pain. More hands grabbed him.
Through the open door, he saw Peter moving like a dancer, taking down two attackers before a third shot him from behind. The sight of Peter falling made ’ stomach lurch.
A scream cut through the air. “Let me GO!”
Jean’s voice. thrashed harder, managing to slam his head back into someone’s nose. Blood sprayed, but it didn’t matter. More hands replaced the ones he fought off.
They dragged him toward one of the SUVs. Jean was wrestled into another, his blonde curls wild, face red with fury. “I’ll kill you!” Jean shouted. “My father will—”
“Your father sent us,” one of the men said calmly, removing his mask. Jean went pale, then his eyes locked on something beneath the man’s jacket.
“Sentinelle Tactical?” Jean’s voice cracked. “He’s using ST?”
felt his blood run cold at the name. He’d heard Gabriel mention it once—some secretive military branch of La Sauvegarde that officially didn’t exist.
They shoved into the middle SUV. Through the tinted windows, he watched Jean’s vehicle pull away. A man in the passenger seat turned around, wearing the same distinctive patch.
“Goodnight, ,” the man said almost gently, raising a small canister.
The spray hit his face. coughed, tasting chemicals. The last thing he saw was Jean’s SUV turning west toward Second Cat while his vehicle headed north toward the industrial sprawl of The Docks.
Then darkness took him.