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“Cat got your tongue, love?” Mason laughed. “Maybe this will loosen its chords.” He held took out his cell phone and played a video clip. A buxom blonde clung to Gavin’s arm with the tenaciousness of an octopus. Sam frowned, but remained silent. “I thought you might want to see how easily you were replaced. Maybe it’s for the best that we saved you from the heartache of learning how fickle his heart was farther down the road.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
GraysonslappedGavinonthe back and displayed a wide smile that Gavin knew was fake. Between his teeth, he asked “What are we going to do about these developments? We can’t let Emmaline Swisher er excuse me, Emmaline Devereaux leave with her new spouse, or we’ll both be looking for new jobs after Judge Swisher goes on Fox news and tells the world that the Garrison brothers and their security firm are inept.”
“I’m well aware. How are we going to play this? With Samantha going missing, I didn’t have a chance to call Wade today and tell him about this shindig, so we’re running blind. It’s us against the Alliance.”
“I think you forgot that we are the Alliance now. After donating a paltry ten million dollars to their cause, you swore your oath of loyalty this afternoon right alongside me”
“My fingers were crossed.”
Grayson chuckled. “Let’s find a way to bring Mason Kennedy’s world crashing down around him before he tears down ours.”
Grace cocked her head and rubbed her chin. “I’m not sure I have a way to do all that, but I can make a splash while you two figure something out.” She stumbled toward the bride, her drink sloshing over the edge of her glass, and settled into a tipsy party-goer persona with ease. Several men tried to help her, but she brushed them off, and hugged Emmaline kissing both of her cheeks and spilling champagne on her gown. “Here, let me help you clean that off.” She snatched a napkin from a passing server.
“Do you think she has a plan?” Gray asked.
Gavin shook her head. “She’s winging it, but I’m guessing she’s armed since I’ve never seen her go anywhere unarmed, now I have to decide if that is a good or bad thing.”
“I’m armed.”
“I figured that. So, am I, but you didn’t need me to tell you that.” He frowned as he watched Grace and Emmaline stumble to the ground together. The whole thing only took a few seconds. Mason appeared in the doorway and led the bride away from the commotion.
The party continued, but the bride never rejoined them. Grace stayed close to his side, and they whispered about strategy. When it was time to leave, their cell phones were returned to them, and they made their way off the property in silence. “Now what?”
“We pull over at the top of the mountain and return on foot. Emmaline cannot leave that property tonight without one of us on her tail to keep track of her.
Masonwavedgoodbyetothe guests and shut the doors behind them. The blonde with Gavin was up to something. She wasn’t as drunk as she was pretending to be which meant she was trying to get a message to Emmaline. He needed to find out what the girl had said to the newlywed.
He slid into the passageway in the library and made his way to the dorm. He’d considered taking Emmaline back to her bridal suite, but had chosen the dormitory for security reasons. If the Garrisons were considering an attempt to break her out, it would be far harder to do so if they couldn’t find her. Now that they were gone, he’d find out what Gavin’s sidepiece had passed along to the brand new Mrs. Devereaux.
There was a collective gasp as he entered the room. It was music to his ears. A healthy respect for his authority laced with just enough fear to keep everyone compliant. “My dear, Emmaline, my apologies for the interruption of your reception, but that ghastly woman seemed determined to harm you, and I couldn’t let that happen, now could I?”
She stared at her feet and chewed on her bottom lip. A habit they should’ve broken her of before her wedding night.
“Did you forget how to use your words, dear?”
“No.”
He took a seat on the edge of her cot and patted her knee. “Tell me word for word what the woman said to you.”
“She offered her congratulations on my nuptials.”
“You’re sure that was all she said.”
“Yes.”
“Very well. Come along with me. You need to be on your way. I’m sure your groom is becoming impatient with the delay.”
She nodded her head, but the look she shared with the Garrison girl gave him pause. Something more was said. He’d review a recording of the event and read her lips if necessary. The Garrisons would not best him.
“Vanessa?”Samanthaleanedbackresting her head on the wall. No answer came. True to his word, Mason must’ve brought his wife back to the house. At least, she hoped that was the case, because the alternative was unthinkable. If Mason was a man of his word, he intended to keep Sam in captivity until he destroyed her spirit. How long would it take? A week? A month? A year? Would reliance on God keep her strong?
Did Gavin know she was gone? Was he looking for her? Something deep in her gut told her he was. And that he wouldn’t stop searching until he found her. Yet, she’d had a burning desire to uncover what happened to her uncle and had failed. Even if Gavin used all the resources available to him and brought in Wade to help, the chance of them finding her in an underground bunker were slim at best.
The only two ways she would escape this place was to pretend she’d been broken and was ready to accept a life with an unknown man or to fight her way out. The first option would take too long, which left fighting. Her physical prowess was nil compared to Warden’s, but she was pretty sure she could take Mason. If he came alone and left the door open like he had when he’d visited earlier, she might be able to overcome him and escape. It wouldn’t surprise her to find guards outside the bunker though. He’d want to prevent anyone from going in as much as keep her from getting out.
Next time he arrived to play his psychological games with her, she’d be ready.
