“That’s where we’ll go next. Where’s DeBruzkya?”
“We were in the dining room when the lights went out. There was some kind of explosion.” Lily wasn’t sure why she was telling Robert about the explosion when chances were he knew a hell of a lot more about it than she did.
“Hopefully, that will keep them busy for a few minutes,” he said.
“He’s crazy, Robert. I mean, we were…he wanted to…” She couldn’t finish the sentence. “He has this sick fantasy that there’s something between us.”
“He didn’t…”
“No.”
“That son of a—”
“He mentioned the Gem of Power.” The words were coming in a flood. She couldn’t seem to get them out fast enough. “He mentioned Dr. Alex Morrow.”
Robert’s gaze snapped to hers. “How so?”
“Just that he’s here, in the castle.”
“Crazy bastard.” He paused, deep in concentration. “We find Jack first. Once the two of you are safe, I’ll come back for Morrow.”
“DeBruzkya will kill—”
“Shh.” He pressed a kiss to her mouth, her jaw, her temple. “Trust me, Lily. I know what I’m doing.”
She didn’t doubt that Robert knew what he was doing; he’d proven it to her time and time again. But that didn’t mean she was going to sit back and let him walk into a dangerous situation alone.
“Did he force you to wear that?” he asked, referring to the gown she wore.
Lily nodded.
Taking a deep breath, he glanced nervously over his shoulder. “We don’t have much time. This place is going to be crawling with soldiers as soon as they put out the fire.”
She slipped her foot into the shoe that had fallen off in the struggle. “How are we going to find Jack?”
“The nursery is on the third level.”
The thought that finding her son could be as simple as that sent a jolt of hope straight to her heart. “Do you know how to get there?”
“Yeah, but we’ve got to hurry.” His eyes skimmed down the slinky gown she was wearing to her shoes. “How fast can you run in those shoes?”
“Fast enough.” She looked at the long gown. “The dress is the problem. Hinders my stride.”
“Not for long.” He pulled a knife out of his pocket, and a four-inch blade snapped into place. She jolted when he leaned forward and slashed the material to midcalf. “Sorry about the dress.”
“I prefer denim over silk, anyway.”
“But you have great legs.” His eyes were dark and knowing when they met hers. Raising his hand, he touched the side of her face with the backs of his knuckles. “Let’s go find our son,” he said and took her hand.
He guided her down the narrow passageway at a dead run. At the end of the hall, he paused briefly at the doorway, then they went up the narrow, winding stairs. Lily considered herself in relatively good shape, but the climb seemed endless. For several long minutes the only sound came from the pounding of their shoes against stone, their labored breathing and the rush of blood through her veins.
Robert stopped abruptly on a small landing outside an ancient wooden door. “This is the third level.” He turned to Lily and set his hands on her shoulders. “You stay here while I get Jack.”
“I’m going with you.”
“This isn’t a good time for you to argue.”
“I’m not letting you go alone.”
“Damn it, Lily, I’m wearing a uniform. That’ll keep me out of trouble.”
“DeBruzkya will kill you.” The thought shook her so profoundly that for a moment she couldn’t speak. “He won’t kill me.”
He didn’t say anything when he turned away from her, but his expression was a dangerous combination of fury and frustration. Giving her a last, lingering look he eased the door open several inches and looked out. Behind him, Lily listened for voices, but couldn’t hear anything over the pounding of her heart.
“It’s clear.” He glanced at her. “Follow me.”
Like a big, predatory cat, he slipped through the door and into a hall. He pressed his back against the wall and moved stealthily toward the opposite end. Taking her cue from Robert, Lily did the same. Halfway there, she realized he was limping badly. That he had a sheen of sweat on his forehead even though the castle was chilly, and she wondered how much pain he was in.
They were nearly to the end of the hall when a faint sound echoed off the stone walls. The sound went through Lily like a knife. Jack, she thought, and everything inside her went utterly still, her every sense honing in on that sound.
“That’s Jack,” she whispered.
“Lily, just stay cool. Don’t do anything—”