AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Good to know.”
Alina ignored the men and focused on the woman she’d just seen in the den. Thin, fragile, with hair that hung limply around her shoulders. She sat on the edge of the couch with her feet firmly planted on the floor, but her hands moved nervously on her lap.
The bodyguard—Bowie—moved to stand near the fireplace. His body remained alert. Watchful.
Kiera looked up at Alina. “I saw you on TV.” Her voice was…hoarse. Careful.
Alina moved closer to her.
Kiera tensed. “I don’t…please, just sit in the chair.” She pointed to the chair across from her. “I don’t like being close to people.”
Alina glanced around the den. She noticed that every light was on and all the curtains were drawn back to let in a maximum amount of illumination. You don’t like the dark either, do you?
Alina took the indicated seat. Midas stood beside her. Stood, even though there were plenty of other seats. She could feel the tension rolling off him.
Kiera licked her lips. “You were…abducted.”
“Yes.” Alina’s spine was straight. “Two men broke into my bedroom.” She lifted her hands. Pushed back the sleeves of her blouse and revealed the bandages still around her wrists. “They zip-tied my hands behind my back. Zip-tied my ankles, too. They put me in an SUV and took me to a cabin in the middle of nowhere.”
Kiera swallowed.
“They locked me in a closet. One of the men threatened me with a knife. He put it to my cheek and said if I wasn’t good, he’d slice me.”
A growl rumbled from Midas.
Alina stretched out her hand. Caught his fingers. Squeezed. Then let go.
Bowie watched them all with a hard gaze.
And Alina…her stare tracked to the thin scar on Kiera’s right cheek.
“I screamed too loudly,” Kiera murmured. “But I learned from my mistake. After the first cut, I didn’t make another sound.”
Oh, God. “I’m sorry,” Alina told her, and she meant those words. Pain seemed to pour off the woman before her. “So very sorry for everything that happened to you.”
Kiera tilted her head to the right. “How did you get away?”
“Midas.” Her attention darted to him, then back to Kiera. “He followed me. Got me out.”
“And killed the men who took you,” Kiera finished.
Alina shook her head.
“No,” Midas responded, but his voice was low. Careful. “I left them subdued. Someone came to the cabin after we left. Their boss.”
Kiera flinched.
That flinch had been very, very telling. “You know about the boss, don’t you?” Alina asked her.
Once more, Kiera wet her lips. Her trembling hands tugged on the sleeves of her blouse. But the edge of the right sleeve had ridden up a bit.
Red lines. Scars?
Deeper than the marks on Alina’s wrists. Because she had the zip ties on longer? Because she fought longer? There had been no Midas to rush to Kiera’s rescue. Alina wanted to get up and go hug the other woman.
But Kiera didn’t want to be touched. Not that Alina blamed her.
“They said he was coming,” Alina added. She shuddered.
