“Hold still, Isabelle,” he instructed her and slid the rod into position. He twisted it, and the link broke, separating the chain. Snatching the bow of her dress and wrapping his hand with it, he grabbed one end of the chain and unwound it from Isabelle’s wrists. Even through the fabric he felt the silver burn him, but he was able to untie her completely.

Isabelle pulled her arms forward. “Thank you!” She reached for her face, pulling her blindfold off. Her eyes fell on the helicopter and the firefight beyond it. “Oh my God!”

An explosion rocked the island. Instinctively, Luther threw himself over Isabelle, tumbling to the ground with her. He felt her breathe hard underneath him, but he knew she wasn’t hurt.

Listening for the sounds coming from the storehouse where Forrester had been hiding, Luther heard voices he recognized. He realized now why. The helicopter’s blades weren’t turning anymore. The pilot had switched off the engine. Suddenly it was quiet.

Blake’s voice drifted to him. “He’s dead. We got him.”

Relieved, Luther lifted himself off Isabelle and helped her up. “Blake, we’re here. I’ve got Isabelle. She’s fine.”

Several people came running toward them. Samson was the first to reach them. He only had eyes for his daughter.

“Daddy!” Isabelle cried out and threw herself into his arms. “You came!”

Samson pressed her to his chest and stroked her hair. “Of course, sweetheart.” Then he turned his head and looked at Luther. “Thank you, Luther. I owe you so much.”

Luther shook his head. “We’re even now.” With a nod at Isabelle, he walked toward the storehouse.

Blake met him halfway. “Good job.”

Luther motioned to the structure the explosion had originated from. “What happened there?”

“He blew himself up when we charged the building. Guess he didn’t want to be taken alive,” Blake replied and walked alongside him.

Luther shook his head. “I don’t get it. He put himself in a position he couldn’t escape from.”

“Maybe he wasn’t as smart as we assumed after all.”

Several men from Scanguards were already extinguishing the flames. Luther pointed at the storehouse. “Can’t have been a very large explosion.”

“Didn’t even blow out any of the walls,” Blake confirmed. “No collateral damage. None of us got hit.”

“In there?” Luther motioned to the door and entered upon Blake’s nod. He glanced around and noticed a spot close to a window where some debris pointed to an explosion. “Suicide vest?”

Blake came closer. “Kind of looks like it, doesn’t it?”

Though there were no remains of the vampire, there was other evidence: pieces of shiny metal, fabric, and wood. Even what looked like part of a radio or a speaker.

“You sure he was here and didn’t just blow up a doll?”

“Positive. We got a visual on him before we went in. It matched the photo we had of him. It was definitely Forrester. You can see for yourself when we get back to HQ. We got it all recorded on our personal cams and were feeding it back to Thomas. He confirmed via the comm system that he’s our guy. No doubt about it.”

“Hmm.” Luther rubbed his chin. Something was bothering him. “He didn’t make any attempt to harm Isabelle. Why didn’t he keep her with him in here until he knew he had Katie? Why tie her up out there, where we could get between him and Isabelle. He was practically giving up his bargaining chip before he even had a chance at getting Katie.”

“Blake,” a man said from the door. Luther recognized him as John. He was dressed in a wet suit, his hair wet.

Blake pivoted. “Yeah?”

“My team is ready to leave. Clean up outside is done. I radioed for the boat. It’s pulling up alongside the power plant. Are we good to take care of the inside now?”

Blake nodded. “Go ahead. I’ve seen everything I needed to see.”

John waved to somebody outside, while Blake stepped out. Luther followed him, tossing a last glance at the remains on the ground. A few links of a chain sparkled silver for an instant when the light from the helicopter fell onto it.

Blake was waiting outside for him. “You can ride back in the helicopter with us. I think Samson will want that.” He waved Roxanne closer. “Nice work, Roxanne. Are you okay with taking the small motorboat back? One of John’s team can ride with you.”

Roxanne nodded. “Sure. No problem.”

Luther stretched his hand out to her. “Thanks for everything, Roxanne.”