by Anne, Melody
“Why would he do this?”
This was the question Adriane had been afraid he’d ask.
“He’s making a play for the throne. As you know, he was supposed to be Corythia’s next king, but he gave up the title years ago. He wanted nothing to do with the kingdom. A few years back, he changed his mind, but it was too late. Father told him he was disinherited and not allowed back in Corythia. He hasn’t stopped seeking revenge since then. I’m afraid this is his ultimate showdown.”
“Will he hurt her?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. The brother I used to know is long gone. I think at this point he is capable of anything. That is what frightens me the very most.”
“Then we can’t just go in with guns blazing. We have to come up with a solid plan. If he’s using my sister as some sort of pawn and sees us coming, he will shield himself with her. We can’t let that happen,” Rafe said, clearly the one thinking out of the two of them.
“He has a compound in America. That’s where he went after renouncing the throne and leaving Corythia. He doesn’t know that we are aware of his hideout. My father had Gianni investigated when he first came back into our lives. The place is in rough country in Montana.”
“Can we reach him before he gets her on a plane?”
“I have no idea where he would fly from. My guess is that he’s been lying in wait, and had it all arranged. I think our best guess is to get to that compound.”
“How do we know for sure?” Rafe asked, hesitating before making an irrevocable decision.
“We don’t know. All I can do is go with my instinct. At one point in our lives, Gianni and I were close. We loved each other. He’s been attempting to form armies for months, but Corythia’s forces have quickly disbanded them, having no trouble staying one step ahead of him. I’m afraid that now, he is desperate. He would want to regroup where he feels stronger, feels he has more power. That wouldn’t be here in Corythia, where he has no one loyal to him.”
“I will trust your judgment, then,” Rafe said, though Adriane was sure they were equally terrified that Adriane might be making the wrong move.
“Thank you. I already have men out combing the waters and the land here, too, just in case, but I truly think he’s taking her from the country.” There was nothing else he could say until they knew for sure where Rachel was.
“I’ll call Shane. He can be there before us, since he’s currently in the United States. Give me the exact location.”
After the calls were made, it didn’t take them long to collect Ari from the sitting room and for them to arrive at the airport. They would have to drop her in a safe location when they got to the States, because they weren’t taking any chances of her getting caught in the crossfire. It was bad enough that Rachel was in danger.
The weather was such that no one should have been thinking of flying, but none of them said a word as they made their way to the airport. They would reach Rachel, or die trying.
“Sire, I’m sorry, but we can’t get authorization,” Adriane’s pilot said.
“I don’t care what it takes; you will get this damn jet in the air,” Adriane thundered.
“A hurricane is about ten miles off the coast of the island, Sire, threatening to turn at any time. We won’t even get liftoff,” his pilot told him.
Rachel had been out on that water, far too close to the dangerous winds and waves of the hurricane. What were the chances that Gianni and Rachel had even made it to Gianni’s safety point? It wasn’t looking good.
Instead of coming unglued and berating the pilot, Adriane, Rafe and Ari waited, counting down the hours for the storm to pass. The walls of the hangar shook as the wind did her best to wipe out the entire building, but none of the people inside had a single thought of waiting elsewhere.
If they made it through this storm, they would head out the second the jet was able to lift into the air.
As the tense night progressed, the storm continued to grow in its fury, threatening to lay waste to Adriane’s country. He didn’t even care. All he cared about was finding Rachel.
Homes he could rebuild; crops could be replanted.
Rachel. There was only one of her.
If it took his death, that’s the price he would pay. As long as she lived, the world would be righted.
Finally, the winds abated.
Now, for the long journey, with only the hope that she was where they thought Gianni had taken her.
Chapter Forty-Seven
“Take a breath in and then push it back out.” Rachel continued to repeat those words to herself in a low whisper as she sat on the filthy cot in the pitch-black room. The last thing she needed was to panic.
Two days she’d been there.
She knew that only from the remarks made by Gianni’s minions. They’d hauled her by her ropes from the filthy room, bringing her into the main part of the house to question her about Adriane, trying to force any information they could from her that they thought would help them in the takeover of Corythia.
She didn’t know anything of that sort, and if she did, she certainly wouldn’t tell them! She’d closed her eyes as they’d tried terrorizing her by making lewd comments about what they planned to do to her once Gianni felt her no longer useful to him.
She was nothing to them — less than nothing — and they weren’t afraid to remind her of that fact, over and over again.
She’d woken up when she was dragged from the boat onto land and then quickly transported to a helicopter. The wind had been picking up speed as the chopper hurried away, deeper inland, outracing the hurricane that had been on their tail.
A few times she’d thought they’d go down. The man sitting next to her with the cold, dark eyes hadn’t even blinked while they’d been tossed about. She’d said a few prayers, hoping they wouldn’t end up in a fiery pile of metal.
She didn’t know how they made it out, but somehow she’d survived that ordeal only to be moved to a private jet. She’d been in the air all through the night, to somewhere far from Corythia, and had ended up in this new prison. She was sure that hell would be a safer and more comfortable place. If it weren’t for the babies she was trying to protect, she would gladly have wished for death.
Her stomach had been cramping up for two days, but the first time she’d been allowed to use the restroom, she’d burst into relieved tears at seeing not a trace of blood in her urine.
As sore as she was, then, so far she still wasn’t bleeding. Maybe her children would make it through all of this. She had to keep her wits about her and think if she had any chance of escape.
Closing her eyes, she tried to focus on her twins, on a nice warm bath and a hot meal. She tried to dwell on pleasant thoughts so she could calm her rapidly beating heart.
Anything was better to focus on than the putrid smell surrounding her. The men were barely feeding her, just the scraps they placed before her during their demented meetings. She couldn’t afford to lose the few nutrients they’d provided.
She would make it through this. She wasn’t one to give up.
Someone would rescue her soon. Either Adriane or Rafe, surely. They wouldn’t leave her in this hellhole. But what if they didn’t know how to find her? How could they know?
It seemed so hopeless.
No! She wouldn’t think that way. If she did, she’d really panic and only make her situation worse.
“Time to come speak to the boss.”
Rachel didn’t open her eyes at the gruff command. She didn’t want to go out there again with those animals. They were too disgusting to even call human.
They were scum.
“Get your ass up now, before I have to come over there and assist you.”
The way he said it, he was clearly hoping she would defy him. The last time she had… A shudder passed through her at the thought. Gianni had walked in as the man had her trapped against the bed, and he’d ripped the man off her.
Not that he cared about her safety, but he’d told hi
s minion that now wasn’t the time. He was too afraid they’d kill her in the process before he could get information from her. But once she’d served that purpose, she was all theirs.
They planned to do unspeakable things to her on video for Adriane’s benefit. She didn’t know when the next part of their nasty game was going to begin, but fear seized her heart at the thought of it.
With trembling legs, she rose from the bed and opened her eyes to look at the man’s face. She wanted to remember every single feature. When she got out of this — because she refused to believe she wouldn’t — she wanted to be able to identify him.
He would pay. They all would.
Rachel followed him down the narrow hallways, the only light coming from the uncovered bulbs hanging every ten feet or so. Layers of dust and grime covered every surface, and the windows were boarded up.
If she’d had a clue where they were, maybe she wouldn’t have felt so hopeless, felt that there was no chance of rescue. This was obviously not Gianni’s regular abode. The son of a king wouldn’t live in such filth.
No. This was a perfect place for him to have her — a place no one would suspect. How had he managed to get American men to work for him? There were a few men from his country there, about five that she’d managed to count. But he also had about ten Americans, to judge by their accents. Why would they help him?
Money. The depths that some humans could stoop to for a few dollars was abhorrent to her. They not only had no problem with torturing a pregnant woman, but they enjoyed doing it.
When they reached the dingy kitchen where she’d been brought a couple of times before, the thug thrust her into a chair none too gently, then slapped a bowl of oatmeal in front of her, its lumps turning her stomach.
“Don’t turn your nose up at good food, princess. You will need the energy to get through the interrogation that’s coming,” he taunted her, and moved off to a corner of the room to watch.
Just then, the door opened and Gianni walked in, his eyes as black and hollow as they’d been each time she had the misfortune of seeing him.
He sat across from her and sneered — his idea of a smile — as he waited to see what she would do. They had mocked her the first time she’d refused to eat what they chose to serve her, telling her she wasn’t royalty yet and had better take what they offered.
Then Gianni had spent hours relentlessly questioning her. What he asked her, she didn’t have answers for. Even if she wanted to tell him, she couldn’t.
A shudder ran through her. She didn’t know how much longer she could take it.
It’s for the babies, she told herself as she picked up the spoon and took a bite of the half-cooked oatmeal. It was disgusting, but she hoped it would stave off starvation and give her just enough energy not to fall face-first when she had a chance at escape. Because the first chance she got, she was running as far from this place as possible.
If she was going to die, then she was going to do it fighting, not cowering in the corner the way they expected her to.
Only once since arriving had she been outside, and snow had covered the ground. They had huge floodlights all over the yard, making it impossible for her to sneak out beneath the watchful gaze of Gianni’s guards. There were woods all around, so if she could get to them, she had a place to hide, but she’d bet there wasn’t another house around for miles. If the elements didn’t kill her, then wild animals might. It was still a better death than being tortured and raped.
“Have you decided to cooperate yet?”
Rachel looked the man dead in the eyes while she forced another spoonful of mush into her mouth. She said nothing.
“Ah, I see you still think you have choices here,” he said, a corner of his lip turning up as he gazed at her, his head tilting slightly as if she were a puzzle he couldn’t quite figure out how to solve.
“I can understand why my brother is so fascinated by you. There is fire running through your veins. If we had met under more…pleasant circumstances, I might have fancied you myself,” he said. It was a compliment she could do without.
Rachel didn’t blink, just tried her hardest not to explode. It wasn’t the right time yet. He was a slimy slug and she would have no qualms about gouging out his eye with a fire poker if she could get her hands on one. Unfortunately, these men weren’t stupid, and they allowed no possible weapons where she might get to them.
She wanted to scream, but kept silent, conveying her loathing of him loud and clear with just a look.
His hand lifted and caressed her face. When she jerked her head away, he grabbed her hair, yanking it and pulling her forward so her bowl was knocked over the edge of the table. “I think it’s time to teach you how a real king gets a woman to behave,” Gianni said, his voice deadly. He stood and grabbed her arm, bruising her as he hauled her from her seat.
Rachel struggled against him, but to no avail. Gianni raised his other hand and slapped her hard enough that she nearly blacked out. Her eye began swelling as he moved toward the door.
Within a few seconds, the heavy back door was open and he pushed her outside, making her stumble and sink to her knees in the snow. Two of his men approached and grabbed her arms, lifting her back to her feet as they continued their forward march. She couldn’t suppress her overwhelming fear about what would happen next. As she trembled from terror and the cold, they marched her barefoot through the snow to a shed.
Opening the door, they tossed her in. Rachel landed on her backside and scooted away from the men to the far wall.
“Why don’t you cool off for a while and see if it gives you a better attitude? When you are ready to speak to me, we’ll allow you to come back inside,” Gianni said before the door shut, locking her inside.
The shed did little to ward off the bitter cold of winter, and Rachel’s thin clothing helped her not at all. So she searched until she found an old tarp under a pile of debris.
Folding it in two, she felt the gripping cold of the plastic material pierce through her clothing and freeze her skin while she wrapped the thing, filthiness and all, around her shoulders. But it was all she had, and she prayed it would help to hold in what little body heat she had remaining.
Curling up in a fetal position on the hard earth floor, she breathed deeply into her plastic cocoon, refusing to let any tears fall.
This wasn’t how her life was supposed to end.
She was supposed to be a mother in five months; she was supposed to hold her babies close as she dreamed about tomorrow.
Rachel knew she should try to stay awake, but as sleep began dragging her under, she soon stopped fighting it. She didn’t want to be awake. If she didn’t ever awaken, it was meant to be.
Letting go, she huddled beneath the tarp and prayed for the comfort of dreams to replace her harsh reality.
Chapter Forty-Eight
The door swung open and Shane was standing there in full military gear, looking like GI Joe come to life. Rachel was trying to analyze this dream. Why would she be fantasizing about Shane? She’d think it would be Adriane, the man she loved, rescuing her.
But, no, not even in her fantasies was he playing the star and the hero. Maybe she’d closed the door on the hope of a happily ever after with her king; maybe she thought it was too much to hope for at this point.
She did think it would be mighty nice if Shane passed his coat over to her, though. If she were going to have a fantasy about him stripping, then she’d really like to have his coat.
Rachel giggled at the thought. The sound of her voice coming out squeaky startled her into stopping her laughing as quickly as she had begun it. Wow, this was a strange dream.
“Put this on,” Shane said, rushing to her and placing a bag at her feet, then kneeling down and helping her sit up. Rachel gave him a sweet smile and nodded her head. She tried to reach for the bag, but her fingers wouldn’t work.
Maybe she had frostbite. It wasn’t unlikely. Maybe she was already dead and this was heaven. But why would Shane be in
her heaven?
“Let me help you,” he said, then he carefully removed the tarp. She wanted to protest even though it wasn’t much protection against the cold.
Within a few heartbeats, a warm coat was being wrapped around her shoulders, sending some feeling back into her arms. Then gloves were being thrust upon her hands. Oh, this dream was getting better all the time. If she got out of here alive, she’d have to apologize to Lia about fantasizing about Shane. At least she could tell her sister that she’d been fantasizing about Shane putting clothes on her, rather than taking them off.
She’d never been attracted to Shane, but right now, she could kiss the man.
“Lean on me,” fantasy Shane said as he pulled her into his arms, making her stand up on wobbly legs. She didn’t like this part of the dream. Her feet ached from walking in the snow and then being clenched stiffly as she’d tried to curl up into as tight a ball as she possibly could.
Soon, warm pants were pulled up her legs, and then, even better, thick wool socks. Before she could blink, Shane was putting shoes on her feet and tying the laces.
Rachel reached out and touched his face, afraid he was going to disappear and she’d find herself huddled in the cold again without the fabulously warm clothing enveloping her.
“Shane?” she asked.
“I’m here, Rachel. I’m getting you out of here,” he said, his voice soothing as he wrapped her in an affectionate embrace.
Wait a minute. She could actually feel him. She’d never had a dream this real.
When Rachel realized this was no dream, her emotions released in an avalanche. She began sobbing against his shoulder as the warmth began returning to her aching joints. He must have placed warmers in the clothing, because she could feel real heat penetrating her frozen form.
“Eat this,” he commanded, placing a PowerBar in her hand. Rachel didn’t hesitate to lift it to her mouth and bite down, and she moaned as the flavors exploded on her taste buds and she knew the lovely calories were headed toward her stomach.
Not caring that she looked like a savage animal, she gobbled the bar down greedily, eating every last bite. She nearly licked her glove-covered fingers, but Shane placed a water bottle in her palm and instead she lifted it to her mouth and guzzled.
