I fight the best I can, but they laugh as they take me to the ground. They are all clearly lackeys, no one high ranking, otherwise they would have known to leave me dead. I scream at the top of my lungs as they carry Willow away, having taken advantage of her sleeping state and shoved a needle in her neck. I don’t know what’s in it, but I know the fact that they feel the need to knock her out cannot mean anything good for her fate until we find her. Bu we are going to find her, even if it kills me.
I pull out my phone, the rage and pain reaching its peak as I get Ion himself on the phone. I am going to make it clear to him that these fuckers are going to suffer.
“The Italians have taken Willow, the woman I love, and I vow to see every one of their heads blown off. But I need your help to do it. Can you get here quickly?” I am pretty sure Ion has access to private jets. I can only hope the weather is great for take off because I need them here sooner rather than later.
“We will get her back, Duncan, but then we need to talk about what you said.”
“I can live with that,” I tell him as I hang up the phone. I don’t give a fuck about anything else right now other than getting Willow back. Everything else can wait til tomorrow.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Willow
Everything is black; nothing but darkness encases me. I can’t move my hands, nor my legs. These assholes have me tied up like a pig getting ready to roast. I think they must’ve knocked me out because all of a sudden, I felt tied down, restricted, unable to move even an inch. I knew better than to panic, though. It wouldn’t do me any good and would only serve to notify them that I was awake, ready to do whatever they have planned for me.
“Will, you awake, love?” Felix murmurs, I can smell his cologne, and it brings back so many memories. I’m shocked that he even uses the same one, especially after all these years have passed.
So many emotions flood through me; disbelief, shock, anger... I can’t keep up with the torture that my mind plagues me with. “What on Earth have you done?” I whisper out, unable to hold back the hurt and agony in my voice. That is what I feel – betrayed. Why wouldn’t he have come for me sooner? Why wouldn’t he have reached out, or let me know that he was alive? This hurts more than watching him die…it hurts so much more knowing that he chose to live through these years without me. He chose to be away from me…how the hell am I supposed to comprehend all of this?
“I did what I needed to do, love. You know I always do what needs to be done, no matter the cost. I had to wait for you, so I did. It’s as simple as that,” he states, bringing his thumb under my blindfold and yanking it down, exposing the light.
My expression twists into hatred, “As simple as that,” I repeat. “There is nothing simple about it. Not one damned thing. I thought you were fucking dead, and what…you were fine this entire time? I stopped my life because of you. I fucking held myself back from ever being happy cause I was so hung up on you!”
“I had to wait, Willow. We had to wait until it was the right time.” I listen to the words he speaks, and it hits me. Duncan is right, Felix is working with the Italians. He seems to be their pawn though, the fucking idiot. I need to get it through my head now that the man who stands before me is not the one I fell in love with. He’s changed into something that I no longer recognize, a man who obviously doesn’t care whether I’m safe or not. If he did, I’d never be in this situation in the first place.
“You are despicable.” I seethe out, staring at him, wanting him to know how disgusted I am.
Felix grabs me by the chin, holding on tightly as he squeezes, so harshly that I feel his fingernails digging into my skin. “You’re going to fucking marry me, Willow. Just like we had planned all those years ago. You will be my wife.”
I jolt in the chair I’m seated in, even though I’m bound tight to it. I can’t help but want to lash out at him, to show him just how angry I am. “Over my dead body, because I will never marry you.”
“It doesn’t really matter, love. I’ll do whatever I want to you.” Suddenly I feel a sharp stick in my neck, and everything starts to go black once more. Motherfucker. He’s drugging me!
Chapter Twenty-Five
Duncan
I left that damned hospital as quickly as I could when I found out Ion had landed in London. There isn’t any time to waste. Willow is gone and in the clutches of someone who I know only wants to bring harm to her. The second I get near this Felix bastard I plan on shooting him dead. I don’t want to hear his pleas, him begging for mercy, or anything close to it. There is only one place he deserves to b; a place that Willow thought he had been for years – in the ground. The only difference is that this time I’ll make sure he’s actually dead.
Ion calls me and instructs me to meet him at the Adame townhome. What he doesn’t know is that I jumped ship at the hospital and my ass is already here, instructing the rest of the team to try to track down Willow’s whereabouts. I have men already on the streets, driving around and seeing if they can find any information. One of the household staff approaches me. “Duncan, Mr. Petran is here to see you.” I nod, thanking the woman for telling me and head into Kristof’s former study where Ion is to be waiting.
A stern look drags across his face, his arms are crossed in front of him, and he stares out at the street below him. “You have one job, to protect her. How is it that you failed at the one thing you are supposed to do? The one thing that Kristof himself entrusted you with, and then you tell me that you’re in love with Willow?”
He has every right to be upset with me in the way that he is. It is my fault that she was taken, my fault that she wasn’t protected. I should have argued with her more and made her get on the damn plane. I shouldn’t have let her get her way, but she’s so damn stubborn. She’s too damn stubborn. “Why the fuck do you think I’d ever allow you to be with her, especially given the circumstances?”
I think about what I’m going to say, and about how I should say something appropriate, yet respectful, but this isn’t the time. This is the time to lay down the law, and make sure I’m clear as day. “Because I’m not asking permission. I’m telling you that Willow and I are going to be together, and this is me telling you that I’m going to marry her, whether you or the Clans approve. She will be my wife. Now, let’s stop with this bullshit and find out where the hell they have her!”
I see Ion clench his jaw, obviously unhappy with the tone I’ve just taken with him, but I don’t give a shit. My only concern is Willow, and I refuse to be standing here arguing with him about shit that won’t even matter if we don’t find her. “Everything makes sense now, when you look at the big picture. On the ride over I was able to gather quite a bit of information on this Felix character. He must have been working with Gabriele for the last few years, picking off her siblings one by one, waiting for Kristof to die. Kristof’s death was his opportunity. Idiot.” Ion shakes his head, angered.
Moments of silence pass us by until I can’t bear the quiet any longer. “I’ve had my men hack into every traffic cam in the city, and we still can’t find her. I’m working on it, but I don’t know where to look. She’s a needle in a damn haystack.”
“Relax. I have one of Logan’s men on it.”
“Logan?” I inquire, not knowing the name.
“Logan Steele, he’s a business associate in Atlanta. A gunrunner actually, but he has a man who is amazing with hacking. Even better than your team. He had tracked them down to one place, but then they switched vehicles. I’m waiting on an update.”
“You had information, and you didn’t think to tell me?” I hiss out.
“Yes. I know what it’s like to be on the other side of your woman being kidnapped. I have been there, and it is the worst feeling in the world. So, I know just how feral you are right now, and how you’d likely tell your men and ruin any advancements that we’d make along the way. So, I will keep the information to myself until I have a confirmed location on where Willow is being held.”
; I can’t say a word, too shocked to even speak in this moment.
“Did Kristof ever tell you what his ailment was?” Ion suddenly asks, and I think hard on it for a moment.
Shaking my head, “No, never. Although I never thought to ask. His privacy was his own.”
“I want an autopsy performed on him, as soon as this mess with Willow is sorted. I can count on you to see that it is done?”
I nod, wondering what Ion is thinking. “Care to share?”
“With everything that has happened, I am having serious doubts that Kristof died of natural causes. Anything is possible, and we have seen that first hand.”
I’m about to speak when Ion’s cell phone starts going off. With a quick glance, he answers, and I hear him speaking lowly into the receiver. The next few moments flash before my eyes like a movie when he tells me that he has a confirmed location on Willow. I don’t think – only react. My body goes into autopilot as my men and I are heading in her direction. Felix has her in a home on the east side of London, close enough but far enough out of reach. The drive feels like it takes forever, and it does, but the moment we’re parked, every instinct I have goes out the window. The only thing I can do is make sure Willow’s okay. I abandon every rule in the book and break through that front door quicker than anyone can argue with me. What I see before me is horrific. Felix is on top of her, and I don’t think. I react, yank out my gun and fire, aiming right for the back of his head.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Willow
Felix is on top of me, and out of nowhere I hear a gunshot and see Ion shove Duncan. I don’t know where the bullet went, but Felix turns around and yanks out his own. I’m groggy but no longer confined to this bloody chair, so I stick my foot out in front of me and watch as Felix flies to the ground in front of me.
“Fuck!” Duncan growls out, and I see him aim the gun at Felix.
“No!” I scream out, unsure why. It could be because of my past with him, that I somehow hope he still has an ounce of the man I knew him to be all of those years ago. I’m so conflicted, and even worse, I’m confused. I watch as Ion grabs Duncan and pulls him backwards, keeping him from going after Felix. My eyes lock with Ion’s, and I know that he isn’t doing this for me, it’s obvious in his stern stare. I’d be a fool to think that he spared Felix because of my past with him. He wants information from him, of that I’m sure. I wonder just how long Felix has been a pawn for the Italians and then my mind drifts to how alone I felt those few years after I lost my mum…after I lost him…and suddenly the tears spill from my eyes, flowing over my cheeks until I feel them hitting the palm of my hands. I’m not just crying, I’m sobbing my ever loving heart out. Something that I haven’t done in years, not since the day that Mum passed. It was the worst day of my life, and I don’t even think I cried this much then. All of the betrayal and anguish that I feel comes flooding out of me, a million miles an hour. I’ve kept it bottled up for ages, so I guess I should applaud myself for that. I tried to be the tough chick, the bitch who gives zero fucks, but I can’t anymore. It’s all built up too much and is overflowing.
I don’t even notice that Ion has let go of Duncan until his arms are wrapped securely around me, allowing me to lean into his chest and sob my heart out. Neither of us speak, because what words are there to say that would be fitting for this moment? There are none. Nothing can make either of us feel better, and even though he is quiet and simply holding me, I know that he is filled with emotion right now as well. This couldn’t have been easy on him either.
Duncan’s hands rub up and down my back, pulling me closer and closer towards him until I’m practically in his lap. I don’t know how many minutes pass us by, for right now it’s just him and I. Nothing else matters, not even the bloody people in this room.
I hear Felix cursing, fighting whatever is happening around us, but I don’t dare to look up. I need this moment with Duncan. No – we need this.
“The Clans will be questioning Felix for any information that he might have. It’s clear that we have been targeted by the Italians and obvious that Felix played a big hand in that. Once our investigation is through, it will be your decision on what we do with him. I don’t normally allow anyone besides myself to call judgement on our enemy, but this situation is rather different than most. This is personal for you, Willow. We don’t know the full severity of the crimes he has committed. I have a feeling that we’ve only hit the tip of the iceberg.”
I tilt my head up from Duncan’s chest and look at Ion with concern and a bit of confusion, “What do you mean by that?”
He shifts in his stance. “If my gut is right, I don’t think that your father was actually ill. I think that it’s likely he has been poisoned over a great period of time, and I want Duncan to take you to New York for the next few weeks. If your father was poisoned, it means that whomever was poisoning him still works on your household staff. We will make it look as if you have come to New York for Clan business, meanwhile, we’ll have two investigations going.”
“If someone killed domn, you can be sure that we will find out,” Harris states firmly, determination laced through his voice. I know that my father meant a lot to him, as he did to most of his security detail.
“We need to get you checked out by a doctor,” Duncan says, and as much as I’m reluctant to go to another hospital given what we just endured, I know that it would be the smart decision. Lord knows what I was injected with.
“Okay, but after we get to New York. Not here,” I agree, and leave with Duncan go get on the plane that will take us far away from here.
***
When we arrived to New York I considered myself lucky when Duncan took me to a physician’s office instead of a hospital, he followed me everywhere except when the doctor asked for a urine sample. They took blood and did every test in the book that they were able to. At the end of the appointment, the physician asked to speak to me alone, and as reluctant as Duncan was, he agreed.
I just happened to get news that I wasn’t quite expecting, or prepared for.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Duncan
“We need to talk about that appointment,” Willow says as soon as we make it inside the apartment Ion had prepared for us. Her voice is oddly mechanical, and I get a sinking feeling in my stomach. I don’t know the details of the horrors that were done to her during her time with Felix, but I do know it was no pony ride. I know that she is likely traumatized, but I worry about permanent damage; emotionally and physically.
I sit down with her on the couch and order the men to scatter. I wouldn’t normally overstep her authority, but at this point, I don’t think she is in the right mindset to give any orders, to even think about it.
I place my hand over hers for comfort. She accepts it, but won’t look at me. “What happened? Whatever it is, you can tell me. No matter what damage is done, I will still love you. After all, who else is going to love a cocky shit like me?” I tease, trying to raise her spirits, but I can see something now below the surface. She is practically shaking right now, and I need to know why.
“I am pregnant, Duncan. When they checked me, they found out,” she says.
My heart swells. I didn’t know until this moment how I might feel about such a thing, but I quickly realize that it is a blessing, A child with the woman I love? Why wouldn’t I want that? “Willow, there is no reason to worry about this. I am so happy to hear that!” I tell her, hoping to get through to her that she doesn’t have to be concerned. And I know it must be mine, even if Felix had his way with her, she wouldn’t know yet. And this means that he couldn’t have gotten her pregnant while she was there. It has to be the light in the darkness here, but she is not reacting.
“Willow, is something wrong with you or the baby? Are the doctors concerned?” I ask her, my heart skipping a beat. I have to prepared for anything because I can’t fall apart if something is wrong. I have to be there for her. She has already endured so much.
“The baby
is fine, Duncan, I just don’t know if I want it,” she says suddenly, looking at me. I can’t read her expression at all, and she is usually so emotive. I have no idea what’s wrong or what’s running through her head., But it makes me wonder why. If it has to do with being my child. I know it’s a paranoid notion, but I also do not deserve her.
"Why don’t you want our baby?" I ask her, knowing how needy and insecure I sound. I hate it. I don’t want to be like this, and I am not. "Sorry," I say instantly before she can respond. "Please, help me understand."
She sighs, and she slumps forward, her head in her hands. "I don’t want to bring a child into this world to force into this life the way I was. I don’t want to put that burden on someone I would love. I can’t wish it on anyone, and having a baby would be knowingly and purposefully doing that," she tells me.
I run my hand through my hair, unsure of what to say, She’s got me there. Even if the child grows up knowing everything and prepared, it is still something they have little to no say in, especially considering neither of us have any family to speak of that could take that child’s place to rule Clan Adame. Not to mention that I doubt they would accept any of my kin anyway. It would have to be straight from her, and all her siblings are dead. That means her child or no one.
"I don’t know what to say about that." I rub her back in support. "But you might be able to make a change, make it better. I can’t say what the future holds, but I don’t know if we should deny ourselves this child based on the clans alone. They have too much control already.
Willow nods and speaks again. "But what if I am like my father? I can’t let this child be neglected like I was." She begins to cry, and I have never seen her this way before.
I shake my head. "This proves you will not be a thing like him. Your heart is too big. You worry already about the life this unborn, unnamed child will have," I assure her. But I can see by how distraught she is, my words do little to ease the pain and anxiety over this. I am not going to be able to fix this feeling in a day.
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