The scion raised his hand in protest. “Let’s not talk about that right now. I’m here for a different reason.” In spite of the urgency of the meeting, Daniel found himself distracted by Chris’s new haircut. He was glad the style was long. Now that he knew a little more about art, the librarian’s tousled blond curls reminded Daniel of a Pre-Raphaelite angel. He forced his attention back to the reason he’d come. Stepping back a few paces, he asked abruptly, “Are you still my friend?”
The librarian got off his stool and leaned over the desk. In a low voice, he replied, “Of course. How can you ask me that?”
Ignoring the questions, Daniel forged ahead. “I need your help. There’s nobody else I can talk to.”
“I’ll always be here for you,” Chris murmured. “You know that.”
Daniel’s gaze slid away. “Can you get away for a few minutes?”
Without a word, Chris came around the counter and led Daniel toward the elevator.
It was unnecessary for the scion to ask where they were headed—the Rare Book Room on the top floor. It was their usual spot.
The librarian didn’t try to reopen the topic of his feelings for Daniel as they rode the elevator together in silence. Nor did the scion speak while he waited for Chris to unlock the exhibit door. Without needing to consult one another, they took their customary places on the circular bench in the center of the room.
Once they were settled, Daniel slumped forward and clasped his hands. “A lot has occurred since the last time we were here.” He launched into the story of his encounter with Erik in the parking garage, his enlistment as an accomplice to free Hannah, and the ensuing disastrous rescue attempt.
“Wow,” was Chris’s monosyllabic response. He shook his head in disbelief. “That’s a gigabyte of data to take in. So, what happened afterward?”
“Nothing,” the scion replied curtly. “I was able to get Hannah safely back inside her room before anyone suspected she was gone.”
“And the guy who came to rescue her?” Chris urged.
“At first, I assumed he slipped away before the guards caught up with him. There was no gossip the next morning about an attempted break-in. So, I waited for Erik to call me. I was sure he’d want to try another rescue. I waited and waited.” Daniel sank his head into his hands. “And then yesterday Hannah told me the whole story.” He sighed and straightened up. Turning to face Chris, he added, “Erik’s dead.”
The librarian blanched. “What?”
“I only found out because Joshua has been harassing Hannah to get her to talk. She’s been pretending that she lost her voice to avoid interrogation. The people all think she’s afflicted, so they’re walking on eggshells and not bothering her—except for my brother. He believes she’s hiding something and yesterday he stepped up his attack. He told Hannah that a Fallen man had been discovered trying to get into the compound, probably to rescue her. The guards shot him dead.”
“Maybe Joshua was lying to try to rattle her,” Chris suggested hopefully.
“I don’t think so. His physical description of Erik was accurate. He wouldn’t have known what the intruder looked like if Erik had escaped. Besides, if Erik really was alive he would have contacted me by now.”
“Have you tried to call him yourself?” the librarian suggested. “You said he gave you a burner phone to use.”
Daniel reached into his attaché case and produced the phone. He contemplated it forlornly. “Frankly, I’ve been afraid of what I might find out.”
“With your brother on the offensive, you can’t leave Hannah where she is!”
The scion rubbed his head wearily. “I know. I’ve dragged my feet long enough. Joshua is pressuring my father to send her to an asylum. I have to get Hannah out of there before something really bad happens to her. At the same time, I can’t bear the idea of putting any of the others at risk.”
“You mean Erik’s allies?”
Daniel nodded grimly.
The librarian reached over and squeezed Daniel’s forearm lightly. “Don’t you think that’s a decision they ought to be allowed to make for themselves?”
The scion didn’t recoil at his friend’s touch. He couldn’t resist the comforting sensation and its unspoken assurance that someone was on his side. And on Hannah’s side too.
Chris gently removed the cell phone from Daniel’s hand. He powered it on. “You need to make that call right now.” He pressed the programmed number and handed the phone back to the scion.
Daniel placed it on speaker and set the phone on the bench between them. It rang several times. Each ring was a sharp confirmation that its owner wouldn’t be picking up. The scion was on the point of disconnecting the call when he heard a wary male voice on the other end of the line.
“Hello?”
“Uh, hello. Who’s this?” Daniel began tentatively.
“Who’s this?” the suspicious voice countered. “Nobody is supposed to have this number.” The voice didn’t sound like Erik’s. It sounded like that of a teenager.
“Erik gave me this number in case I needed to reach him.”
“He did?” The voice faltered. “This phone was stuffed inside his backpack. When I brought his gear back to the vault, I set it in a corner and forgot about it. That is, until the pack started ringing just now. You say Erik told you to call this number?”
“Yes, he did. My name is Daniel and I—”
An involuntary gasp cut off his explanation. “Daniel? Not crazy cult Daniel?”
The librarian leaned over and whispered, “He’s not wrong, you know.”
“I’m not sure what that means,” Daniel replied stiffly. “My name is Daniel Metcalf.”
“Yup, that’s the one. This is Zach,” the voice volunteered.
“Zach? You mean Hannah’s Zachary? She’s told me about you.”
The girl’s name opened a floodgate of questions. “Hannah? You’ve seen Hannah? Is she OK? Is anybody hurting her?”
Chris chuckled at the boy’s reaction.
“Zachary,
