Page 79 of Power Games

Only one thing mattered in the end.

Charles wanted the McNamara empire to crumble. He wanted to destroy it piece by piece, and he would. He’d gain the power he needed to take on the sick man who’d twisted all their lives, who’d sent one poor woman to the hospital and another one to the morgue just to protect his interests.

He knew destroying her family wouldn't hurt Vanessa. She wasn't a McNamara. She was a Grant. She'd chosen him months ago. Years ago, perhaps.

First order of business.

They'd stayed awake late into the night, so Vanessa was still asleep at nine. He went down to the ground floor, and knocked discreetly on Matt's door.

He’d hireda Knightly security detail that surveyed the house at all times when they were in and followed them both at a safe distance, but Matt had kept Vanessa safe for so long that it had made sense to continue retaining him anyway. Beside, he was Vanessa’s employee, not Charles’.

The bodyguard answered right away, already dressed and ready. Did he ever take any time off? Charles didn't think he'd seen the man chill in front of the TV or sleep.

"I'm heading out; Vanessa is still asleep. Most of the K.S. team will follow me, so I figured you'd want to know."

"Thank you, sir," Matt replied formally. "I'll take good care of her."

Charles nodded. "I won't be long."

He left the house and headed to Cardinal Avenue in Georgetown.

He was prepared. It had always been a matter of time. Charles had called Kaia and Rob months ago to get the information he needed. Rob had had Vanessa's ring size, Kaia had known the shape and style of the diamond he should go for. They'd both agreed that Cartier was the way to go.

"Yep, there's literally no other choice. You go to Tiffany for me," said Kaia. "For someone modern and flashy. Vanessa McNamara, Cici Trent's clone, is Cartier."

And so, he did as he was told.

The Trinity ring they'd settled on was available with diamonds of various sizes. Charles would have been inclined to purchase the biggest one, but Rob had expressly forbidden it. Two carats or less, he'd said. Now that they were in front of him, he understood why. The larger diamonds were gaudy, too ostentatious for the woman he loved.

They had what he wanted in stock, so he left the shop with a red box in his pocket.

"Where to now, sir?" his bodyguard asked.

"Back home, please."

Back to the woman he loved. He couldn't wait another day to ask her to spend the rest of her life with him.

* * *

Her limbs were heavy,painful, and breathing was hard. When she opened her eyes, Vanessa started to panic. Had something happened to her vision? She couldn't see anything. She tried moving her hands only to find that they'd been bound behind her back.

Realizing what was happening took a moment. Her head hurt like hell and thinking wasn't easy. She'd been drugged. Drugged and kidnapped. She couldn't see anything because everything around her was dark. Trying to place herself in the moment, feel and hear things around her, she guessed that she was in a moving vehicle. In the trunk.

Charles!

His name was the first thing that came to mind. She had to find her way back to Charles, somehow. She would.

Fighting back the panic in her core took some effort, but within minutes, she was breathing regularly and trying to come up with a solution, all the while slowly, methodically pulling at the bonds on her wrists. It was rope, not chains. It had been a long time since she'd practiced getting herself free, but she'd try her best.

For the first time in years, Vanessa found herself thanking her father. He'd been the one who'd insisted that she know what to do in case she was ever taken hostage.

By the time the car stopped, her bonds were loose enough to slip one of her hands through. She knew better than to remove them now, while she was still out of it and in a vulnerable position. Instead, Vanessa closed her eyes again and pretended to sleep.

One set of steps. One man, from the smell of it. She thought she recognized the presence, but she wasn’t opening her eyes.

She let him carry her on his shoulders, only risking a peek when she knew he couldn’t see her.

It looked like they were in the industrial area and near the harbor. Shit. She fucking hoped he wasn't getting her into a boat. Thankfully, the man carried her inside one of the empty storage buildings and dropped her down on the floor before walking away. He pulled his phone and started to speak.

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