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ChapterOne
DARE
It’s growing dark. The pregnancy announcement party has long since been canceled. My relatives are gone; I would be, too, but I can’t bring myself to leave the last place that I saw my heavily pregnant wife before she was kidnapped.
The dregs of the party mill around in the mostly empty ballroom, trying to leech the last drops of gossip from the event before they leave. The sparkling conversation and elegant laughter are gone from the grand ballroom, as is the jazz trio playing in the corner. Now all that remains is the hushed crinkle of women's crinolines and the whispered undertones of tuxedoed men.
I'm standing against the opposite wall from the ballroom's entrance, staring at it as though I can make Talia walk through it by sheer will. I know that she can't. I am all too aware of the fact that my twin brother Burn has been missing from the party for almost exactly the same length of time as Talia.
At this moment, I clutch her phone, the only evidence that she didn't go willingly. And all the while, I curse my brother's existence.
I know that motherfucker took my wife from me. I should have killed him the last time he touched her. Now I may not get the chance.
Fury and anxiety swirl in the pit of my stomach like acid.
"You don't look well, hon."
I glance up to see who is addressing me. An older lady I don't know veers toward me; her sympathetic expression overlays what I know is the extremely curious beast beneath pawing for any crumb of information.
Rob steps out between us, effectively blocking me from the woman and her pitying smile. He holds out a hand to ward her off. "Mr. Morgan needs to be left alone, ma'am."
Panic claws at my throat, squeezing the breath from my lungs.I turn away from the woman, my thoughts cyclical.
Where are Talia and Burn? What has Burn done with my wife?
My pulse pounds a staccato rhythm in my temples as a dozen horrific scenarios flash through my mind. Burn's always hated Talia, blaming her somehow for the tension between us. And now he's stolen her away, seeking revenge by kidnapping my wife from the middle of the crowd. My hands curl into fists, rage simmering beneath my skin. I'll kill him if he's hurt her.
No, I'll kill him anyway. It's the only way I can truly protect Talia.
The remaining guests continue to stand awkwardly in small clumps, whispering and watching my every move. My family have always been masters of deception, hiding our darkest secrets behind a veneer of civility and wealth. But now there is a big, juicy kidnapping for the muckrakers to feed on. It's irresistible.
I pace the room, my eyes scanning every shadowed corner and alcove. But there's no sign of them. Of course there won't be, but I'm going out of my mind. My breath comes in ragged gasps as panic and fury war within me.
Where have you taken her, Burn? What have you done?
It's a question that reverberates through my headline a faraway echo. I make a dark promise.
I swear, if you don't bring her back to me now, you'll regret the day you were born. This is a mistake you will not live to regret.
I grab Rob by the arm, my fingers biting into his slender wrist. "Where are you on tracking Burn's phone?"
"We're trying to make contact with his service provider."
I look down into Rob's face, snarling. "Move heaven and earth if you have to. Promise whoever helps us to find him a fortune."
He blanches at the menace in my tone but nods. He pulls out his phone and disappears. But sure enough, when he returns, he waves a hand at me.
"We've tracked Burn's phone to a remote island off the coast of Maine. It's been still for half an hour now, so we're pretty sure he's stopped there."
My heart thuds dully in my chest. I clutch Talia's cell phone.
"Fuck. He's on our family's private island. My mother is buried there."
Rob does a double take. "Are you sure? He could be--"
"I know Burn," I say, cutting him off mid-sentence. A strange icy numbness spreads through my core. "He's taken her there."
"How do we get there?" Rob asks.
