Page 26 of Snowed in with the Billionaires

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Madisyn

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I’m sure I misheardHelda completely.

“What?” I ask, hoping she repeats herself.

“You’re having dinner with them. They’ve asked me to see that you’re dressed for dinner. I think the pink gown is going to be a smash. Come, come.”

She shows the rest of the staff where to leave the racks of clothes and immediately pulls off a pink dress from the railing.

It’s stunning. Floor length, the skirt flares out like a princess dress. The fabric is the softest silk I’ve ever felt. Lace adorns the thick-strapped bodice and is further embellished with tiny pink roses.

“I’m not wearing that. I’m not wearing anything you or they tell me to wear. This is... this kidnapping. Helda, this is wrong.” I hear the frailty of my words. They can do anything they want, especially to someone who was going to rip them off. But I have to try.

“They’re keeping me here against my will. Please, let me go. My dad’s life depends on this. Please,” I clasp her hands in mine. If she were alone, I would have restrained her and escaped. But there are two goons with guns outside the door, and god knows how many more on the property. They’ll shoot me before I take my next breath.

“Oh, child. You’re safe here. Trust me,” the older woman says, offering me a comforting smile.

“Safe? Is that why armed men guard the door outside?”

“Yes. To keep you safe while Tristan, Ren, and Kaiser take care of business.”

“What business?” I ask.

“Oh, they don’t tell me such things, sweet child. All I know is I’m supposed to make sure you’re dressed and looking your beautiful self for dinner by the time they arrive. Please, I trust them, so you can trust me.”

I won’t get through to Helda. She’s super loyal. I shut my eyes against the insurmountable mountain I’m facing.

I’m supposed to dress for dinner. Maybe all won’t be lost. Maybe I’ll get a chance to stab them with my fork. I take forever in the shower. Until Helda gently tells me to hurry. I want to make it as difficult as possible for her, but in the end, she’s just following their stupid orders. She helps me dress and does my hair. I refuse to wear any makeup. I already look like a dressed-up clown. A peasant wearing a princess’s dress. But when I glare at them to hell, I want them to be looking at my bare face in all its fury.

Helda guides me downstairs, the bodyguards close behind. There’s no way I’d be able to wrestle a gun off one of them and not get shot by bodyguard number two. They look professional and dangerous. Yeah, right, they’re protecting me. They’re guarding me like the kidnapped prisoner I am.

I want to scream, but I don’t. Instead, I take in my surroundings and weigh my options. A surge of adrenaline washes over me. Fuck it.

Once we reach the landing, I wobble and pretend I’m going to pass out but not before I take possession of a brass ornament on a side table.

Bodyguard One tries to catch me from hitting the floor, and when he does, I do a maneuver where I sweep my foot out and promptly trip the man. While he goes down, face first, I fling the ornament at Bodyguard Two’s head. With lightning speed, I divest Bodyguard One of his gun.

I have to make sure they don’t kill me. And since I’m not a killer and I won’t become one now, without a moment's hesitation I swing my arm as hard as I can and fling the gun over the chrome and glass balustrade.

My move takes them by surprise, and in that time, I remove Bodyguard Two’s gun from his holster and throw it up over the balustrade as well. I ignore Helda’s shocked expression as she takes everything in.

By the time they run up to get their guns, I’ll be out the door, which is so close I can taste my freedom.

I’m a quick runner, and despite it being cold, the ground thick with snow, I can survive these elements better than I would have at the cabin in the mountains.

I expected them to go after their guns. They don’t, and now it’s a fight. I need to get to the front door, and I have to fight my way there. The damn bodyguards keep getting in my way. I don’t back down and land punches on their jaws with all my might as I dodge them, trying to get to the front door.

One of them catches me, his arm around my waist, as he pulls me back.

“Please don’t, Ms. Cohen,” he begs while keeping me in place. It’s almost as if he’s scared to hurt me. Because I’m a girl? This infuriates me even more. Bodyguard Two tries to help him restrain me, and using Bodyguard One for leverage, I lift myself up and using my heels, kick into Bodyguard Two’s chest. When he goes flying down, I head butt Bodyguard One.

But the instant he releases me to tend to his bleeding nose, I make another run for the door. Bodyguard Two blocks me, and after a few karate moves, which he does his best to block, without touching me, I get him in the nuts, and that sends him sprawling over. And still they won’t stay down. Dammit.

“Madisyn.”

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