The Collector
Acquiring Summer
The Past—February—Vienna, Austria
Forgotten and neglected, she blended in with the other ten-year-olds. The average person would see her as an ordinary little girl. To my partner and me, she was eighty-eight keys and a whole lot of potential.
Nestled among rolling hills and lush greenery, the campus atmosphere was serene and idyllic.
The grounds were picturesque. The grand wrought-iron gate was adorned with intricate scrollwork, hinting at the elegance within.
Beyond the gates, a stone pathway was set between an expanse of meticulously manicured lawns.
Majestic oak trees loomed at the edges of the property, their leafless branches rattling in the icy breeze. Cozy nooks and tucked-away benches offered space for lively conversations or some solitude where a child might get lost in a book when it wasn’t the middle of winter.
As I surveyed the comings and goings of the various students from a distance, it occurred to me that a school this prestigious should probably have better security.
However, today’s fortune sided with me. There was not a single camera around, and my sight was riveted on the prize I’d been sent to collect.
Through the binoculars, the petite blonde girl came into focus. She had it all. Purity surrounded her, and the word angelic came to mind as I studied her. The main thing she had in common with the other students in attendance was that she came from a wealthy family.
And the one major difference? She rarely went home. Not for holidays or summer break. Not even on her birthday. In fact, she didn’t go home at all last year.
My research had uncovered that her father prioritized his career over his family, and her mother shared his lack of attentiveness. She seemed to enjoy a carefree lifestyle without the extra burden of her daughter. The child checked a box for them, and they regarded her as a mere afterthought.
To us, she meant so much more. In many ways, we were an answer to their prayers. Her parents would soon be relieved from the burden of her care. After today, they would never see her again. I zeroed in on her once more, observing the exchange between her and another student.
“Oi! Can’t you watch where you’re going? You’re always in the way,” a hateful girl taunted our little Summer.
It seemed only fitting to refer to her by the name that would soon replace her old one. Before our girl could so much as move, the other student shoved her roughly, knocking Summer off balance.
Her bookbag fell, and tears sprang to her eyes. I wanted to snap the other girl’s neck for putting her hands on my Summer but refrained since the altercation played into our plan.
I’d seen this type of exchange several times before, and it always ended with Summer running off. Right on cue, she took off in my direction.
Lights, camera, action.
I readied myself and stepped out in front of her when she came close. A look of surprise registered on her face, and she fell back, landing on her bottom.
She blinked several times before saying, “I-I’m s-sor-s-sorry.”
“Don’t be,” I replied softly before moving toward her.
A gentle smile bloomed on my face as I gave her my hand. She grabbed it, and I whipped her around. My palm clamped over her mouth before she could scream, my other arm pinning her small shoulders tight. She thrashed about, but the woods muffled any sound.
Cold air brushed against my face as I wrestled her deeper into the forest, her shoes scuffling against the roots. A single injection into her upper arm stole the fight from her. In less than a minute, her limbs went slack, and her breathing turned shallow.
I held her upright for a second, listening for any hint of footsteps or voices nearby. There was nothing but the wind until the bell rang. Peering through the thick trees, I saw the students shuffling into the main building beyond the fence, completely oblivious.
The timing was perfect, and a rush of adrenaline coursed through me.
I hoisted her over my shoulder and carried her to the sleek black sedan waiting by the staff exit, a location I’d scouted for weeks.
Summer barely stirred as I arranged her on the back seat, securing the restraints to keep her safe from harm.
I needed to get moving, but my first priority had to be updating him. Pulling the satellite phone out, my fingers hovered over the screen, my breath misting in the frigid air. I opened the door, slid into the driver’s seat, and then checked the rearview mirror. Still no movement, no alarm. Good.
The silence of the woods pressed in on me. Then I quickly typed out a message and hit send. It was 3:00 a.m. his time, but he’d be waiting for my confirmation.
COLLECTOR:
Package secured. On our way now.
I received an answer almost immediately.
MASK:
Wonderful. Our next target is in London. Winter has been secured. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow.
Whistling, I buckled my seatbelt and pulled away.
Soon I was navigating through the narrow, bustling streets of Vienna.
At the next stop, I flicked my eyes to the rearview mirror to check on Summer again.
I had a small window of time to reach the private airstrip before she could be properly sedated. All was quiet for now.
Twenty minutes later, I arrived to find the plane’s engines humming softly, ready for immediate takeoff. Michael, my partner, had made all the arrangements necessary. The solitary figure of the doctor stood by the open hatch.
I parked the car, climbed out, and hurried to the back seat. Carefully, I cradled the sleeping child to my chest and walked her up the steps. Once she was safely on board, I turned her care over to Dr. Carson.
A sense of relief settled in my chest once we were in the air. The doctor ensured Summer remained out, and hours passed in a blur of cloudless skies, making the flight across the Atlantic uneventful. Before I knew it, we were landing.
It would be a little trickier getting her home from the private jetway in Connecticut, but I was up for the challenge. The time passed quickly, and before I knew it, the castle came into view, looming large against the night sky.
The grand gates swung open, allowing the SUV to glide up the long, winding driveway. Thankfully, I’d gotten some sleep on the plane. Michael had something diabolical in mind for Winter’s welcome, which meant I needed to secure Summer prior to joining him.
The professor greeted me as I walked up to the castle’s entry door. “Everything is prepared,” she said, stepping to the side to allow me through the front door.
This would be the one and only time Summer would come in this way, and a spike of adrenaline hit as I carried her through the grand entrance hall. Shifting her light frame in my arms, I walked down the labyrinth of corridors until I reached the hidden doorway.
I felt around and found the lever that would open the panel. The air grew cooler and damper as we descended further underground. We soon arrived at a heavily reinforced door that creaked when I shoved it open.
The room was bare bones, with a solitary twin-sized cot on one side and an open toilet-shower combo on the other. A single bulb on the ceiling was the only source of light.
I laid her down on the cot, removed her sweater, and hummed as I moved her limbs, stretching them into a perfect X pose. Then, I pulled my camera out of my coat pocket. The flash illuminated the stark room as I documented her arrival. This was my reward.
While the girls were off-limits in every other way, photographs were my connection to them. With a final glance at the sleeping child, I left the room. The heavy door clanged shut behind me.