Page 92 of The Spy Ring

Tenn didn’t tell me Morgana had been taken.

“You’re going to force Morgana to marry Alex?”

Emma pursed her lips as she began fiddling with Morgana’s hair. I watched as a woman, on what should have been the happiest day of her life, sobbed in despair.

“She can see her betrothed in secret if she wishes. It’s not the 1500s where she’ll have her head chopped off for adultery or whatever they did to women back then who didn’t submit to men. It’s the twenty-first century. It will be an open marriage. Alex can still see Aria and you, my dear,” she cupped Morgana’s chin, “can still see your Henry.”

“Henrik,” Morgana said with a hiccup.

“Doesn’t matter. Anyway. We need the others brought in.” Emma turned to Will.

Once Will left the room, I tried to pull my hands out of whatever I was tied up with. But I soon realized that whoever did it used plastic restraints. I may be good at picking locks, but I wasn’t a magician.

Emma pushed Morgana down on the chair next to me.

“Now, wait here. I wouldn’t think about escaping. Will isn’t the only one I have helping me. As I said, money can pay for anything. Even government officials.” She winked at me. “Even former partners.”

“Tenn?” I said and shook my head as blood rushed to my ears.

“You didn’t think he kept your little spying secret because he was your partner? The juicy tidbit was perfect. I knew once he told his boss what you did, I would no longer have to worry about you.”

“But he told me where you were? Even let me get in the building to—”

“To save little David? Aww, how sweet you want to save your wife’s son. He informed me the moment you ran for the fire escape to keep an eye out for you. Which was wonderful because now you won’t be in our way anymore. And as for your wife, that was a fun twist I never expected to happen. But when you try to drug your son’s girlfriend and her friends get drugged by accident, you just have to chalk it up to bad luck.”

My brain was starting to work again as all the pieces were falling into place. No wonder Tiffany or Morgana didn’t recognize me after Vegas. Emma was trying to drug Aria but got Morgana and Tiffany instead.

“That was you? But I checked those drinks with my special nail polish that can detect date rape drugs,” Morgana said.

“Not all. Like I keep telling you both, money can buy lots of things. Even brand-new drugs that haven’t gotten FDA approval yet.” She patted Morgana on the cheek and then turned to walk down the hall.

I glanced over at Morgana as I heard her weep. “Morgana, can you see if there are any knives or scissors in that little kitchen?”

She lifted her head with a sniffle and nodded. Wiping her nose on her arm she said, “That bitch is going to pay for what she’s doing.”

Morgana raced over to open the drawers in the kitchen. Luckily, the kitchen was behind us so if anyone came strolling down the apartment hallway, they wouldn’t see Morgana.

“It’s to cut me loose. Don’t try to go after Emma. She has too many people to help her. You wouldn’t get very far. But if you get me out, I might be able to help.”

“Fine,” she said and I could hear the irritation in her voice.

After a minute, she came back with an old battery and a plastic bag.

“I’m not MacGyver,” I said.

“There’s nothing there. This is all I found.”

Shit. I scanned the room and realized anything sharp or anything that could be broken to be used as a sharp object was removed from the room.

“I’ll try to do something when the ceremony . . . Wait, your earrings,” I said.

Her hands went up to the diamond studs that sparkled on her ears. “What about them?”

I shook my arms. “Try to poke a bunch of holes through the plastic at my wrists. Maybe you can make enough holes that I can pull the restraint apart.”

She immediately took off her earrings and got behind me. I remained still as possible to listen for anyone coming down the hall.

“I think I almost got it,” she said but when I pulled my wrists apart it still wouldn’t break away.

---