Patrick cursed under his breath. He’d hoped to double back if all four had continued down the path. The iron fence was too high to scale, so for now he and Danielle were pinned inside the grounds. Once the three men realized they weren’t at the palace, a systematic search of the gardens and woods would likely ensue.
“Any ideas?” Danielle whispered.
“Not yet.”
“Should we stay here?”
“No, we need to keep moving.”
As they stood, Patrick looked back at the gate again. A woman stood there alone. Her head turned back and forth as though she were looking for someone. There was something about her posture that seemed familiar.
Danielle stepped on a stick, causing it to snap.
The woman’s head immediately turned in their direction. Had she heard the noise? It seemed impossible at such a great distance, particularly not with all the sounds carrying in from the street.
“Is something wrong?” Danielle asked.
“No, it’s fine. Let’s go.”
As they set out, Patrick looked back one last time.
The woman had disappeared.
Chapter Seven
As they wove through the trees, Patrick visualized the area, drawing on his memory of the map they’d examined minutes before. They were in the woods on the eastern perimeter of the Luxembourg Gardens. Since the gate behind them was closed, they needed to find a gate on the west side of the property. The challenge would be to get there before reinforcements arrived. That meant that instead of following the woods — which formed a semicircle around the southern end of the property — they needed to travel directly across the central promenade. That would leave them briefly exposed, but it was a risk they’d have to take.
“Where are we going?” Danielle asked.
“To find another way out.”
“Is there another gate?”
“If my memory serves me correctly, there is one along the western side of the palace grounds. We need to get there before they seal it off.”
She looked at him as they walked briskly in the dark. “I don’t get it. Why go to all this trouble just to bring me in?”
He returned her gaze. “Isn’t it obvious? You’re valuable to them. So valuable they’re willing to shoot up a café if that’s what it takes to bring you back.”
“But why me? You were there too.”
“It’s probably because you were already being programmed. Who knows, it may have something to do with the microchip.”
“Can’t we just cut that thing out?”
“We’re going to. But we need to get out of here first.”
They continued in silence until they reached the edge of the woods. Patrick slowed then crouched behind a large oak. Just beyond, the land sloped down to the gardens, where a broad promenade ran from north to south. Somehow they needed to get to the other side without being seen.
He looked to the right. The lighted grounds at the rear of the Luxembourg Palace were about two hundred yards away. Dozens of tourists strolled around the ornate pool, their cameras flashing. As he studied the crowd, Patrick noted several men walking more briskly than the others. Their fast gait and swiveling heads made them stand out. They were the same men who had followed them in.
Danielle stared down the hill. “So we’re just going to run to the other side?”
“Not yet. We’ve got a few obstacles to consider,” he said, gesturing toward the well-manicured rows of bushes that lined each side of the promenade. The thick foliage made it impossible to sprint straight across. They would have to complete the trip in steps, but first he needed to make sure they weren’t being watched.
“Look,” Danielle whispered.
Dark figures moved below. A lone couple strolled down the path, holding hands as they talked quietly. Patrick examined them closely but saw nothing that raised a red flag. They were just what they seemed to be, two lovers enjoying their time together.
Once they disappeared from view, he tapped Danielle and pointed. “We’re going to run to the first hedgerow and hide there.”
After she nodded that she understood, the two stood and ran down the slope, taking care not to slip on the moist grass. When they reached the bottom, they pushed through the first row of bushes and lowered out of sight. Patrick waited a full minute then rose up and looked toward the palace. As the view sharpened, the hairs on his neck stood on end. The three men were walking quickly in their direction. Had they seen them come down the hill? He didn’t think so. If they had, they’d probably be sprinting with their guns drawn. Even so, it was unsettling that they seemed to have zeroed in on the place where he and Danielle were hiding.
As they approached, Patrick noticed one of the men had a hand to his ear. He’s communicating with someone. Patrick hoped they weren’t already surrounded. If the west gate was already cut off, all hope was lost.
A loud hum drew his attention skyward. Something was moving through the air a short distance away. It was a strange noise, out of place somehow. He scanned the horizon section by section, looking for the source of the sound. A few seconds later, he noted the dim outline of a flying object about twenty yards away. His eyes narrowed. It looked like a bat, but its movements were strange.
“They’re almost here,” Danielle said.
Patrick hunkered down again. The three men were only about a hundred yards away.
“We need to go while we still have time,” she whispered. “I think we can outrun them.”
“Not yet. I saw one of them communicating by radio. We need to make sure there aren’t others out there.”
Before Danielle could respond, the man with the earpiece suddenly pointed in their direction. The other two men entered the first row of bushes and began walking toward them.
Patrick’s pulse raced as he noted the speed with which the men had narrowed their search. How did they know where to look? Was there some sort of…
He turned and looked across the sky until he found the bat again. The animal had dropped in altitude and was now hovering over the bushes about twenty yards away. Now that he could see it more clearly, he noticed its flight wasn’t bat-like at all. Its wings were moving much too fast. He frowned. That’s because it’s not a bat. In fact, it wasn’t even an animal.
It was a drone.
“Patrick.” There was panic in her voice.
The three men were now fifty yards away. The one with the earpiece was walking down the promenade while the other two continued down the first hedgerow. At this point, it was obvious the drone operator was giving the men real-time information. The craft’s sensors had probably picked up Patrick and Danielle’s movement when they came down the slope.
Movement. That’s it. If movement had drawn the drone in, then perhaps movement could lead it away. Armed with an idea, Patrick reached out and patted the ground with his hands. He was looking for something large enough to throw. Seconds later, his fingers closed around a rock. Perfect.
He turned and faced the trees behind them. It was going to take every ounce of strength he had to make this work.
“Patrick?”
The drone came toward them, buzzing like an angry hornet. Its tiny camera was probably not very effective in the dark, but it could certainly pick up movement.
He brought his arm back and threw the rock as hard as he could.
Tiny propellers buzzed directly overhead. Patrick’s muscles tensed as he waited for the drone to lower in their direction. Instead, it shot off noisily and disappeared up the slope.