“How many guys?” Drayton asked.
“I don’t know,” Theodosia said. “Maybe . . . three?”
“So, a gang,” Drayton panted as he struggled to keep up with them.
When they finally reached the far end of the corridor, a small light shone on the reception desk. Theodosia clattered her way across the marble entry as Drayton and Grainger followed in her wake. She slammed the double doors open wide, almost decapitating the carefully manicured topiaries of Czar Nicholas and Czarina Alexandra in the process.
“I don’t see anybody,” Grainger said. He was glancing about feverishly, quivering like a Brittany spaniel on point.
Theodosia, Drayton, and Grainger all stood stock-still for a few moments, searching for the men who’d just carted off Haley. Streetlights shone dimly, a sliver of moonlight dappled the sidewalk, but they saw nothing.
“Where is she?” Drayton asked.
Suddenly, there was a telltale blur of movement from far down the row of parked cars. Theodosia caught it out of the corner of her eye and said, “There they are!”
It was dark as pitch, but Theodosia could see that Haley was still putting up a valiant struggle. Heads bobbed, bodies twisted, arms flew wildly, and then someone—probably Haley?—was rudely shoved into the backseat of a long, dark car.
“Let’s go!” Theodosia cried.
Three abreast, they thundered down the sidewalk. But they’d covered only half the distance to the dark car when its lights flashed on. Then the car’s engine roared to life and, a millisecond later, it squealed away from the curb.
“Dear Lord, she’s gone,” Theodosia cried. She felt like sinking to her knees in despair. Instead, she spun toward Grainger and snarled, “You better not be in on this.”
“I’m not, I’m not,” he cried.
“Then, who took her?”
Grainger threw up his hands in frustration. “I don’t know.”
“Had to be the jewel thieves,” Drayton said. “I think our worst fear just came true. They saw that jeweled pin and . . .”
“We’re going after them,” Theodosia said, making a snap decision and darting across the street. “Come on. Everybody into my Jeep.”
They all piled in, and she took off like it was the start of the Indianapolis 500, gunning her engine, breaking a nail as she snapped her seat belt closed.
“Where’d they go? Where’d they go?” Drayton quavered as they rocketed down the street.
“Back down King Street,” Grainger said. “And then I think they turned left on Tradd.”
“You think or you know?” Theodosia demanded. She was accelerating like crazy, weaving down King Street, throwing caution to the wind, hoping she wouldn’t sideswipe a car or kill a hapless pedestrian.
“Turn left,” Grainger shouted.
Theodosia squealed into the turn. She could feel the back end of her Jeep ready to let go, swinging ever so slightly with the centrifugal force. At the last moment, her tires dug in and found purchase. She fishtailed like crazy for a hundred yards and then straightened out.
Grainger leaned forward and squinted. “I’m positive that’s the car up ahead. Same curved taillights.”
Theodosia goosed her car faster.
“Be careful,” Drayton cautioned.
“No fear,” Theodosia said. She reached down, grabbed her beaded bag, and tossed it over the backseat to Drayton. “Dig out my cell phone and call Tidwell. Be quick.”
Drayton panicked. “Call him? How?”
“Speed dial,” Theodosia said through gritted teeth.
Grainger was riding shotgun, hanging on for dear life, but doing his best to spot for her. “I think they’re turning again. Yeah, that’s them. It has to be. Looks like they’re headed for the harbor.”
“Andros!” Theodosia snarled. “It has to be Luke Andros who grabbed Haley. I’ll bet that jackhole is going to put her on his boat and take off.” She had a sudden and terrible vision of a boat speeding out into the fog as the Atlantic rushed in, and Haley being dumped overboard into bitter cold water. Could Haley swim? Could she even dog paddle? And if they launched a rescue boat in time, would they even be able to spot her among the choppy waves?
“Theo!” Drayton cried. “I’ve got Tidwell on the line. What do you want me to tell him?”
She clutched the steering wheel as they flew along at breakneck speed. “Just hold the phone up to my mouth. I’ll do the talking.”
“Miss Browning?” came Tidwell’s steady voice. “What?”
“We need help bad,” Theodosia cried. “Haley’s been kidnapped by Luke Andros and two of his gang members.” She gave him a rapid-fire version of what had gone down. “We’re pretty sure they’re headed for Charleston Harbor.”