“You said ‘they’. How can you be sure?” Alex asked.
“We did a preliminary search of the nearby woods and found two distinct footprints. No other footprints are nearby.”
“Have you done a more thorough search yet?” Marcello asked.
“We’re on it now. We called in extra agents to assist, but we haven’t found anything else yet.”
“Why didn’t they kill or take her parents?” Alex asked.
“Might have been simpler this way,” the agent said. “If they were all in the kitchen and they only wanted Rebecca alive.”
“How are her parents?” Marcello asked.
“Alive, but weak and unconscious. Ambulance is on its way. We’ll question them when they wake up.”
“I want guards on them 24/7,” Alex said fiercely. If only there had been more guards on both them and Rebecca. If only. If only.
“Yes, sir,” the agent said as the sounds of the ambulance grew nearer.
Alex nodded and took the phone off speaker. “What the fuck is going on, Marcello?”
“I’m just as damned frustrated as you,” Marcello said through gritted teeth. “We should take the residence here within the hour, then I’ll fly back to help you.”
“Who cares about the residence? Is the guy even there?”
“No, we don’t think so, but there may be clues where he could have taken her. He may be bringing her here, even. We’ll take the house, then watch it in case he comes back.”
Alex let out a frustrated sigh. “I hate this. I feel completely fucking useless.”
“I’m sorry, Alex. We’ll get her back. You know we will.”
Alex held out Rebecca’s phone, wondering if there were any clues to be found in it. “I’ve got Rebecca’s phone. Once we’ve got her back, I want you to find out how the text messages were discovered.”
“It’s too bad she didn’t have the phone on her. We might have been able to use the GPS to trace her with it.”
“She might,” Alex said as he got on his knees and began digging through her purse once more. He had to be sure.
“What do you mean?” Marcello asked.
“She might have her phone.”
“You’re losing it, brother. You just said you were holding her phone.”
“I’ve got her personal phone, but I gave her a secure phone to use. It’s not in her purse.”
“I’ll have the agents check the house for it. Send me the number in the meantime and, if it’s possible she’s got it and it’s turned on, we may be able to use it to find her.”
“Yes, all right,” he said as hope whispered in his chest. They had to find her; there was no other option for him.
“You should fill our parents in on all this.”
“Damn it,” Alex said as he ran a hand over his face. “I’ll do that soon. I want to make sure her parents are all right first, so I’m going with them to the hospital.”
“The press will know if you go to the hospital.”
“Then they’ll know. You know Papa himself will go there once he hears what happened.”
“That’s true enough. All right, but don’t be an idiot. I’m sending more security to the hospital to protect all of you.”
“Where is all of this security coming from? Thin air?”
“You’re forgetting the Vallerian Armed Forces, brother, and Reserve Forces come in handy at a time like this.”
“Then it’s a good thing we’ve got them. The ambulance is about to leave. I’ll give you an update from the hospital.”
After he hung up, Alex slipped back into the car with a handful of agents, while another trove stayed behind to scour the house and property. His car followed the ambulance closely behind until they reached the hospital, when the driver took Alex to a back entrance secured for royalty at all times.
They rode up a rarely used elevator, also reserved for royalty, to a quiet floor reserved for only the most important patients. Alex strode into the royal waiting room and paced while he placed a call to his father, and waited for news.
***
Rebecca had been clawing at consciousness for what seemed like hours, though she had no real concept of time. She would get close enough to feel the car as it bumped along the road, for various smells to permeate through her sleep and make her nauseous, or to hear the sounds of male voices nearby, but she could never quite wake up.
The next time she almost woke, she felt a man lift her up. These hands, however, were nothing like Alex’s, something she was sure she would know in any half-conscious state. They were rougher, more careless, and groped her incessantly as they carried her. She wanted to lift her arms and her fists to fight, but unconsciousness stole the battle from her once more.
The next time she slipped away from sleep, she managed to fight her way awake. She did not open her eyes at first, but took stock of herself. Her body ached, her mouth was terribly dry, and she felt cold. The room smelled dank and ripe with mold, and was dark past her eyelids but for a small light nearby.
Her ears honed in on the drip, drip, drip of a pipe or faucet; perhaps it would be safe enough to drink and relieve her dry throat. She strained to hear voices, but none came except for her shallow breathing.
She lifted her nose in the air and took a small breath, knowing she would recognize the smell of her captors if they were the same men as before, but they were not there.
Tentatively, she blinked her eyes open and took in several things at once.
The room was bare and old. Dull gray paint coated and peeled from the walls, from which several thick pipes burst through and wove along the ceiling before disappearing into walls on the opposite sides, or down and into the floor. The pipes themselves were covered in rust and mold of various stages. There were no windows and only a single set of double doors at one end.
She came to realize she was on a makeshift bed. An old bed frame was underneath but she lay directly on hard pallets usually found in warehouses. Her hands were tied with something soft to the headboard, and her feet were tied to the baseboard.
Of everything happening right now, what troubled her most was that she was almost naked.
Her, or rather Catharine’s, skirt suit had been removed and tossed in a corner of the cavernous room. The silk camisole had been torn off and lay in tatters near the suit. Rebecca shuddered at the thought of strange men ripping off her clothes while she was unconscious; she wondered what else they had done to her. As she shifted uncomfortably, she realized they had tied her up with strips of her camisole.
She still wore her strapless bra and thong, a matching set she had purchased at the lingerie store; had that only been yesterday? She had wanted to wear it for Alex, and now it seemed too sheer, too revealing, and had too much lace.
She heard voices and she feigned unconsciousness again. She willed her breathing to stay soft and even and for her body to relax. She still jumped slightly when the door banged open, and prayed they had not noticed.
“Jesus, Jacopo,” a sophisticated voice said, and Rebecca’s mind had a spark of recognition. She had heard it before but could not remember where.
“How much gas did you give them?” he continued. “She’s still out. Heard on the news her dumbass parents are still out, too.” Her parents! She prayed they would be okay.
“It’s not my fault, Sir Lafayette,” a low voice said back. “You bought the damn knockout discs. Whoever you bought ’em from loaded ’em with too much.”
“Well, keep an eye on her and let me know the moment she’s up.”
“Will do. I wouldn’t mind looking at her more if I could rip the rest of her clothes off.”
Rebecca fought to keep her breathing normal, knowing each breathe was visible in the way her chest moved.
Lafayette laughed. “Don’t worry. You’ll get to use her as much as you want, but only after I’m through with her. I get to fuck her first; you can have my sloppy seconds.”
“Don’t seem as much fun, but all right. I could just
fuck her with her clothes on, you know.”
After a moment, Lafayette said, “No, and I don’t trust you here alone with her. You’ll wait outside and check in every once in a while. We’ll probably hear her screaming for help when she wakes up anyhow. Too bad no one will ever hear her weak, pathetic voice down here.”
Rebecca felt the bed shake and shift as someone kicked it. “What a fucking whore. No, she won’t mind sleeping with us. She’s already a whore of the Prince,” he ended with a mocking tone.
“You sure he’ll come for her?”
“Oh, yes. I made sure of it. My plan will soon be complete.” Rebecca only needed to hear the determination and excitement in his voice to know how dedicated he was to his cause. If only there was a way for her to reach Alex.
She heard the sound of expensive shoes clicking along the cement floor towards her and she braced herself. Since she was prepared, she managed not to flinch when the alien hand caressed her bare calf and thigh, spread out over her stomach and then shifted up to her breast; the touch left trails of revulsion streaming through her.
“Soon,” Lafayette said as he whispered in her ear. “I’m going to take you in front of Alexander, the fake prince of Valleria. You won’t mind if I use your body, will you whore?” He squeezed her breast painfully and continued in a dark, dripping voice. “Didn’t know that, did you? Didn’t know that the asshole you’re sleeping with isn’t supposed to be the next king, did you? Well, you’ll learn tonight,” he said with a last vicious squeeze. “You’ll all learn tonight.”
He strode away, and two sets of footsteps walked out of the room and slammed the door behind them.
Please, God, help me, she thought as she willed back the tears and tried to loosen the ties that bound her. She begged for God, for Alex, for Alex’s safety. If Alex came, she was sure he would be in even worse danger than her. The need to have him near, and the need to have him away but safe, warred within her.
Please, God, show me what to do.
Chapter 17
Alex wanted to hurl his phone against the waiting room wall. The agents had not found anything at the house, not one damn piece of evidence to help him find Rebecca.
“Your Highness,” a nurse asked tentatively at the door after she curtsied and hoped that she had done it right. She had seen the Prince pacing for over an hour now and she had never seen her cool, collected prince in such a barely controlled rage.
Alex took a deep breath. “Are they awake?”
“Yes, sir. I can take you to them. The doctor’s just finishing with them now.”
Security agents trailed in front and behind as he made his way down the brightly lit corridors. He’d had both of her parents moved here, to the higher security part of the hospital, as soon as they had arrived. He would be damned before he let something else happen to them.
The doctor was just leaving as he strode up. The nurse went inside the room to let Francine and Ettore know he was here.
“How are they?” Alex asked the doctor.
“They’re doing well,” she said. “They’re both generally very healthy, which worked in their favor.”
“So Rebecca may be doing fine as well? No lingering side effects?”
“She’s younger and even healthier, so I have faith that she regained consciousness before her parents did. We won’t know for sure until we examine her, of course, after she’s found.”
Alex nodded and thanked the doctor before she walked away. He appreciated the doctor’s hope for the situation. It had not taken long before the press and public had become aware of what had happened; nothing could be kept secret these days, it seemed.
Cat had been beside herself when she had called earlier. Alex had done what he could to calm his twin, but right now he had to save all his energy and comfort for Rebecca; she would need it most when he found her.
Of course, Alex would also need to conserve his energy to rip her kidnappers apart, limb by limb.
Alex knocked softly on the door and a male voice asked him to come in. Alex cautiously opened the door to see Francine and Ettore in separate beds that had been pushed together. Their hands were clasped across the expanse of hospital white, and it tugged at his heart.
“You’ll forgive us, Your Highness, if we don’t get up to greet you,” Francine said.
Alex waved the notion away with his hand. “I can safely say that, from this day forward, you need never bow or curtsy in my presence ever again, if you choose not to.”
“Bold words, sir,” Ettore said with a level gaze. “May I ask the reason for your unofficial royal proclamation?”
“You may already know, but I’ll tell you just the same.” Alex walked closer and was surprised to find his palms sweating. He could face the wrath of the entire Royal Council without batting an eyelash, but this was truly terrifying. He had planned to speak to her father, but not like this, not in a hospital while Rebecca was missing.
“I’m in love with your daughter,” Alex said as he looked Ettore straight in the eye. He was pleased that his voice seemed to be crisp, clear, and unwavering. “I would like to ask you for your daughter’s hand in marriage.”
Ettore did not blink, nor did he waver as he stared at Alex. “Interesting time to bring this up. Have you asked her yet?”
“We’ve, well, talked around it a little. I know she needed time to become comfortable with our relationship and what that would entail for her.”
“So, it would be about her making all the concessions for you,” Ettore said in a level voice that hid his true mirth; he was about to have some fun with the Prince of Valleria. “She’d always be giving and you’d always be taking. Tel me: just how comfortable have you become with my one and only daughter?”
For the first time in his life, Alex squirmed and shifted on his feet. He missed Francine biting back a laugh and Ettore squeezing her hand to help her keep it together a little longer.
“Our relationship wouldn’t be like that. I understand she’s making a greater sacrifice for me; there’s no question about that. However, I love her and I have for a long time now.” He started pacing as his love for Rebecca burst forth. “I would do anything to protect her. I’d give my life for her now, if I could.”
Alex stopped and turned swiftly towards them again, his eyes beseeching them. “I give you my word of honor, I will love her and care for her for as long as she’ll have me, and I’ll do the same for you as well.”
Francine squeezed Ettore’s hand and they glanced at each other. Ettore nodded.
“It’s clear you love our Rebecca. If she’ll have you, I won’t say anything against it. But hear this: if you ever cause my little girl pain, I don’t give a rat’s ass who you are, I’m coming after you.”
Alex nodded, pathetically grateful. “That’s a completely reasonable request.”
“It’s not a request, it’s a promise,” Ettore said and was pleased to see Alex grow a little pale. It would be fun to have a son-in-law who was just a little afraid of him, he thought. “And one more thing.”
“Yes, sir?”
“You find the sons-of-bitches who took my baby girl and you take care of them.”
“That’s a promise I’ve already made to myself, and I’ll make it again to you. I keep my promises, sir. I’ve only ever broke one promise, sir, and I will never break another.”
“What promise did you break?”
“I promised Rebecca I would keep her safe. That’s one promise I will never break again.”
After a long look, Ettore said, “I believe you. Any news?”
A knock on the door halted Alex’s answer. With a nod from Ettore, he went to answer it, unsurprised to find Gabriel there.
“I’ve come to see how my dear friends are doing,” Gabriel said as he strode in, giving Alex a pat on the cheek before he headed for the couple. He kissed Francine’s free hand, then did the same to Ettore’s before sitting beside him on the bed.
“We’re doing well, Your Royal Highness,” Francine s
aid, blushing just a little.
“Your son’s just asked for my daughter’s hand in marriage,” Ettore said and saw Alex’s eyes widen. “How do you feel about that?”
Gabriel smiled and squeezed Ettore’s hand, which he still held between his own. “I’m quite pleased, and will be very honored to have Rebecca as a daughter.”
“And your wife,” Francine asked tentatively. “Will she also be as welcoming?”
Alexander & Rebecca (Royals of Valleria #1) Page 20
