Duncan smiled proudly. “That is where I got my idea. It will be right out of her favorite novels. She’ll swoon at his feet.”
Nick tied her hands. “I sure hope so, because she’ll kill us if she ever finds out.”
“She won’t.”
“But she could,” Nick couldn’t help but say.
“She won’t! Now hurry up!” Duncan snapped.
Within minutes they were gone, leaving Kessen alone — blindfolded, hungry, and scared. It was enough to make Nick want to turn back, but he knew it was for the best. If they were too stubborn to forgive each other and see what everyone else did, then it was up to him and Duncan to take matters into their own hands.
****
Crash! A loud noise woke Christian from his champagne-induced sleep. Naturally last night was easily the worst night of his life. He couldn’t say the three little words Kessen needed to hear, he found out his ex was blackmailing him, and he was now being forced into a marriage for the second time in the past two weeks.
Either God was angry with him or someone was trying to play a cruel joke with his life. He pinched the bridge of his nose and scanned the room.
Nothing had fallen. But he could have sworn he heard something hit the floor. He slowly rose from his bed, careful to take shallow breaths so the sharp aches in his head would feel less painful. He padded across the floor to his door and opened it to see a crazed Duncan staring at him.
“Is there a reason for your noise, Duncan?”
“She’s gone,” he said in panic.
Christian felt his chest tighten. He didn’t even want to ask, but knew he had to. “Who is gone?”
Duncan paused before answering, “Kessen.”
“Did she leave a note?” Christian felt stupid for asking, but he was hoping for a sign that would prove she cared for him, that she would forgive him for what had happened.
Duncan shifted uncomfortably. “Yes, but it doesn’t contain what you’re hoping.”
“Meaning?”
“It’s a ransom note, Christian.”
He felt his knees go weak as he stared at Duncan. “Please, tell me you’re joking.”
“I wish I were. Nick went in to see how she was earlier this morning, and she was gone. Things were thrown helter-skelter as if there had been a struggle. We telephoned the police; they are investigating now. We tried to wake you earlier, but you were so out of it. The authorities want your family to release a statement to the press. You may want to clean up a bit beforehand.
“A statement?” Christian echoed.
Duncan nodded. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days. “They’ll be here in an hour.”
Christian had never been so angry and afraid in his life.
It felt as if the whole world was crumbling around him. Unable to walk or even utter a word, he fell to the ground in a heap and leaned his suddenly heavy head against the wall.
“What did it say?” His voice was thick with emotion as he looked into Duncan’s worried eyes.
Duncan sat next to him on the floor and pulled a note out of his pocket. “I wasn’t supposed to grab it. Evidence and all, but I thought you might want to see it.”
Christian, hand shaking, reached for the note and slowly unfolded it. Anxiety mounted as if the note itself was a bomb ready to explode.
His heart couldn’t take it if something were to happen to Kessen.
The note said, “I warned you this would happen.”
Christian read it again and again. “That’s it?” He turned the note over to look at the back “That’s the only thing the kidnapper left?”
Duncan shrugged.
Christian pushed himself off of the ground and began pacing in front of Duncan like a wild beast. “We have to do something. What are the police doing?”
“Their jobs.” Duncan’s voice was stern, but still laced with concern. Christian threw the note to the ground.
“Where’s Nick?”
Duncan also rose from the ground. “He’s talking with the police. After all, he was the last person to see Kessen.”
At that news, Christian bolted down the hall to Nick’s room. Nick was inside talking with police. Christian pushed himself through as two oddly-dressed cops exited the room.
“Why weren’t you watching her?” He shoved Nick against the nearest wall and put his arm underneath his neck in a chokehold. “How could you let this happen? What’s wrong with you!” He was losing control fast. He barely felt the frantic hands pull him away from Nick.
Nick, always the gentlemen, didn’t fight back. Once he caught his breath he answered, “She was upset. I left her alone.” He straightened his shirt and glared at Christian. “I’m guessing it’s probably something you said or did, or maybe it was something you didn’t say or do, my lord.” He bowed mockingly and exited the room, leaving Christian red in the face and torn between chasing after him and punching himself in the face for his treatment of her last night.
“The statement,” Duncan said. He was now standing next to Christian, a little too calm for Christian’s nerves.
Christian nodded numbly and went into his room to change. By the time he was decent, the press had assembled downstairs.
Each step he took down the stairs felt like lead. His whole body felt dragged under the weight of his guilt. What if something happened to her? What if someone was taking advantage of her? Did Kessen have any enemies? The only person who had threatened her had been…
Jenifer.
“We’ll release a statement, but please, no questions until we know what we are dealing with,” Duncan said diplomatically.
“I—” Christian looked at the eager faces and flashing lights and cleared his throat. “I—” He couldn’t say what he had written. It was too cold, too heartless.
He sighed loudly into the microphone and braced the podium with both hands. He closed his eyes and without hesitation or effort said, “I love her. She’s the love of my life, and I’ll stop at nothing to get her back. Thank you.”
Christian glared at the guys as they gave him smug grins from the stairway.
****
Kessen was furious. How dare they? She had been drugged, of that much she was certain. She had spent the majority of the night crying to Nick. At one point he left the room to chat with Duncan and came back with a small drink of tea and whiskey. She drank it, hoping it would help her sleep, but within minutes her vision became blurry and then everything felt like a dream.