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Chapter 47 – Talia
Our guests left shortlyafter Constantine disappeared. It was the strangest thing; I came back with the tray of beverages just as Constantine was slamming the front door. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Constantine was often gone for long periods of time with his smuggling operations. But yet, I couldn’t shake the haunting feeling that somethingmorehad happened, especially when he left with no explanation.
It was early afternoon, and I was taking what normal people called a day off by lying next to the pool. I was at a loss as to what our next step was until I conferred with my husband. And just because my rib was severely bruised—broken, according to Dr. Constantine—it didn’t mean I was going to become a vegetable. A body in motion stayed in motion. Swimming was an easy exercise to keep my muscles loose, and periodic dips in the hot tub soothed the aches.
The wet spots on my towel were growing every time I took a break from reading to enter the pool. The water was a nice contrast to the blazing sun. I flipped onto my front, letting the hot sun beat down on my back. The change in position did nothing to loosen the knot of dread in my stomach.
There was no reason to worry, but I couldn’t help it. My husband had rushed off without a word.I’m being silly!With a huff, I flipped the page of the tome that I was reading. It was the Bard’s complete works. These plays were difficult to follow, but after several hours reading, I’d managed to find the rhythm. I planned to finish this passage inThe Taming of the Shrew—a book Constantine recommended in the wee hours of the morning when we were tangled in the sheets—and then swim one more set of laps across the pool before going into the house.
That flicker of unease shifted through my bones at the same time a cloud passed over the sun. Instantly, my sunbaked skin broke out in gooseflesh. While Constantine and I had spent so little time together, I’d foolishly assumed that things would be different now that my secrets were in the open and we were allies. Before, I had rarely seen him throughout the day. His work as the head of a shipping company kept a tight hold over his time.If I want to be involved with his day-to-day activities, I have to tell him.
The realization hit me, and I couldn’t help rolling my eyes. He’d said he would give me a share in his empire. He talked about having me manage one of his investments. If I didn’t stand up for myself, how would he know to utilize me? It was all so obvious, I felt stupid for not bringing it up already.
With his physical recovery, the predatory watchfulness of his relatives, and the more pressing issue of luring my father from his hidey-hole, we’d had next to no time to form a bond. Still, I should state my wish to share in the work of his empire. A smile played over my lips, and I brushed my finger over them, right where Constantine had branded them with his own this morning.I hope he’s back soon.
Before I could decide what to send in a text message to him, a darker shadow fell across the pool deck. My heart gave an instinctual leap; I wanted it to be Constantine. But self-preservation flared to life when the hairs on the back of my neck stood up in warning and fear prickled down my spine. I didn’t have to look up to know it wasn’t Constantine but another masculine presence. A note of foreboding struck the survival instinct in my bones. I came to my feet as quickly as I could and faced...one of the house guards: Shaeffer.
“What is it?” I asked, a little breathless from the pain of my movement. I noted the stony coolness on Shaeffer’s face. The internal sixth sense I had honed all these years warned me to run. But the rational side of my brain had me questioning why one of Constantine’s trusted men would be a threat.
I should’ve listened to that survival instinct.
In two gigantic steps, the guard was on me. I shoved hard, but he must have known about my injury, because Shaeffer pressed against my ribs, and I sank to the ground. Stars flashed through my vision as fresh pain consumed me. I couldn’t suck in a deep enough breath to scream, but I had to try!
My shaky inhale was interrupted by my attacker clapping a hand over my mouth. His gloves stank of sweat and leather—and chemicals. I choked, but even the small breath I managed to take was enough for the substance to invade my system.
The guard easily pinned me; squirming only intensified the pain. My gasps were unavoidable as I struggled to escape. I got a good head crack in, but my attacker merely grunted.
As the chemicals drew me into a fuzzy state, reality began to fade. I managed to free one of my arms and fist his kidneys. With a groan, he held me tighter, pushing all the breath on my lungs. I whimpered, and as the darkness rose to meet me, I internally screamed Constantine’s name.
~*~
When I woke up, theheadache that pulsed behind my eyes made me wish I’d stayed unconscious. With my eyes closed, it was all I could do to breathe through the sudden waves of pain. Everything hurt. I was lying in an awkward position on the floor, with my arms and ankles cuffed together with a chain running between them.
With a groan, I stretched, testing the confines of my bindings. I could move, but not very far. I could also feel a nasty lump pulsating on the side of my head, most likely due to cracking my skull against my attacker.
The temperature was sweltering. When I finally peeled my eyes open, I realized I was on a wooden floor. There was a bucket bolted into the slats—an immoveable chamber pot. Aside from a rough blanket thrown over my bikini-clad body, nothing else was in this room.
Who would dare to do this?That thought rumbled through my mind. That single question gave me a beacon to latch onto, and I forced myself to focus on it rather than dwell on my physical condition.
The first thing I needed to assess was whether I was alone. I searched the walls in front of me. There was no telltale blink of a camera recording. Slowly, I rolled over to take in the rest of the room. Nothing. But it didn't mean that whoever abducted me wasn’t watching.
The only light came from a skylight. I noticed the door had no handle, nor were there any electrical outlets or light sockets. Unless I obtained supernatural powers, I couldn’t reach the window in the vaulted ceiling.
Too tired, hot, and sore, I lay still and let my brain do the heavy lifting. Dehydration was my most immediate problem. Of course, at any moment my kidnappers could barge through the door and start torturing me for information I didn’t have.
Constantine had many enemies. I should know; my father was one of them. But my own family had enemies too. Numerous and dangerous enough to warrant the need for privacy, and I’d lived my whole life in relative isolation while my brother had limited freedoms.
But it was one of Constantine’s guards that had taken me....
All I knew was that Constantine took his household security very seriously, and his guards came from some of the top resources available. That fact only escalated this betrayal and made it all the more surprising, because why would a well-paid employee risk the wrath of one of the wealthiest and most powerful men on the West Coast?
