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"I wish you hadn't done this," I whisper.
Laurent stops.
"What?"
"I just think that this is such a terrible situation for us both to be in." I look up at him, hoping he can sense my vulnerability. My heart feels like it’s about to pound out of my chest. "I know Alexander is looking for me, and...."
"And what?" Laurent snaps. "You think I'm worried about your boyfriend?"
"Fiancé," I correct. "I just think that so many people want Michel dead. Kidnapping me won't make it easier for you to kill him."
He starts strapping me back into the chair.
"And why is that?"
"Alexander will kill you for doing this to me." My voice is low. "And I'm not telling you that as a threat, or to make you let me go. It's just that I'm extremely important to him, and... maybe you don't want to get caught up in that."
That's it.
That's my big point.
I hope to god he listens to reason.
Laurent chuckles. Then it turns into a big laugh. He laughs so hard his shoulders shake, and he has to pause tying me up to regain his composure. It's amazing he's finding time for humor right now.
"That might have intimidated a lesser man," Laurent says. "But how do you think you ended up in that garden, Alize? By chance?"
I narrow my eyes at him. What is his point?
"Griffin Duke knew I came there to kidnap you, and he didn't stop me. As a matter of fact, he let me know when you were alone." My blood grows cold. "So unless Alexander manages to wrangle his own army, independent of his father's forces, then I doubt he'll be finding us before I get what I want."
"That doesn't make any sense," I say. "He offered me money to disappear, why would he..." My voice trails off at the amused look on Laurent's face.
"If you had accepted the money, there was a chance I could convince you to come with me under the guise of helping you start over. But you didn't, so he took your gun and I used force. It was that simple. I even killed some security guards just to make it look more believable."
I was doomed from the moment I set foot at that party.
Now I wish I hadn't convinced Alexander to go.
This is all my fault, isn't it?
"Oh, don't look so sullen. The show is about to start."
THIRTY-FOUR
ALEXANDER
"Laurent Alistair Martin,"Lev says.
I'm still holed up in the hotel room, trying to piece together the details surrounding Alize's kidnapping. Wesley and Stuart have returned from their canvassing without much helpful information—only conflicting eyewitness reports from members of staff about what the mystery man was doing on the property.
Well, he used to be a mystery man.
I've got Lev on speaker, with Ezra and Vance connected to the call. I've got them muted. I only need them to hear what Lev's saying. He doesn't know they are party to this conversation, and I intend to keep it that way.
Laurent Martin.
That name sounds so familiar.
