Page 35 of At Midnight

Bastien crouched on the other side of her. “Flicka?”

She covered her face because her skin was hot and wet, and she must be a mess. “Leave me alone.”

“Tell me you’re okay,” Bastien said.

She shook her head. She wasn’t okay, not at all.

Bastien said aboveher head. “Ladies, can we have this room, please?”

Footsteps tapped on the tile around her.

After a moment, Bastien whispered, “We’re alone. What can I do?”

“Get me out.” She grabbed his hand. “You said I could come to you if I needed help.I need help now.Get me and Alina out of here. Get us new names somewhere. I don’t need access to money. I can work. I can manage. I did in Las Vegas. I’llbe okay.Just get us out of here before they kill us.”

Bastien gripped her hand. His grey-blue eyes were wide like when he’d seen Pierre’s Secret Service agents running at her in the casino. “Flicka, I can’t.”

“I won’t tell anyone that you helped us.Please.Please get usout.”

“Flicka, Ican’t.”

“Dieter won’t tell me what’s going on. I think we’re going to die here. I can’t let them killAlina. She’s so little. She’s just a baby. You can’t let them killa baby.”

Bastien looked around the kitchen and then leaned down to her ear. “Tell Raphael I’ll do it.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“He’ll tell you. Or it’ll happen. We’ll get you out. We’ll make everything all right. I won’t let them kill you and Alina. You’re right. I can’t sit back anymore. Something will happensoon. Just stay strong.”

Flicka clenched her fists and willed the scalding tears to stop. Her outlandish reaction was ridiculous. She was aprinzessinof Hannover. Had history gone slightly differently, she might be running most of Germany and Austria right now.

She had to stay strong to see the opening so she couldrun.

“I’m okay,” she told Bastien. “I’m okay. But I need new identificationand new names for Alina and me. I need to contact other people outside this house so we can get away. Can you smuggle a burner phone to me?”

“A—what? Like it catches on fire?” he asked.

“It’s a disposable, pre-paid, mobile phone that you buy at the electronics store. If I can call people, I can find a way to get out of here. Just get a phone for me.”

“All right,” Bastien said, glancing aroundthe empty kitchen. “I’ll see if I can get a disposable phone for you.”