“No, baby girl. I purchased the property a few years ago.” There was a hesitancy in his voice, and it made me wonder what he was keeping from me.
“Will my mom be there as well? I miss her.” It made sense that she would be there, but based on his reaction, it was clear that he hadn’t told her that I was back in Atlanta.
“Your mother won’t be there. It’s best if she doesn’t know you are back. But in a couple of days, I’m going to bring someone to the cabin that I am sure you will want to meet.”
“Who?” I asked, confused. There was no one else other than Rui, and he would meet us there, and it surely wouldn’t be Davian waiting for me. He would be the last person there since my father didn’t trust him. He never came right out and said it, but considering what happened at The Four Seasons and the way Davian held me there against my will, he had every right to distrust him.
Stepping back, my father placed his hands on my shoulders and bent his knees so we were at eye level. “It is a surprise. Now hurry and pack.”
Spinning on my heels, I entered the bedroom without another word. A million thoughts ran through my head, none of which made any sense. Why would I need to be protected? I wasn’t a threat to anyone. I had a feeling that my father was hiding something much more than keeping me from my mother.
~2~
Present
Reyna
I was on pins and needles, waiting to hear from Davian. Kenzi tried her hardest to keep my mind occupied with wedding stuff, but it didn’t help. Several times I had to ask her what she said or what she thought. On any other day, I would have been excited, but not today.
Kenzi and I were just about to get Helga and Mika when we heard unfamiliar voices coming from the stairs. At first, we thought it might have been Davian and his men returning from the old warehouse, but none of the masculine voices were his. I would know his voice anywhere. Just like me, I could see the panic on Kenzi’s face. There was no place for us to hide. It was then that I wished we were back at The Regency in the apartment, hidden between the floors in what Davian referred to as his safe haven.
Helga and Mika must have heard the voices as well because they soon stepped out of their bedrooms. Holding my finger to my lips, I signaled them to remain quiet. With nowhere else to go, I whispered to them, “We need to hide. Those voices downstairs don’t belong to Davian or his men.”
Nodding their heads, Helga and Mika went back to their rooms while Kenzi and I went to mine. Once I closed the door, I let out the breath I held in. My heart raced, and I couldn’t move. There was nowhere to go. Kenzi looked everywhere for a safe place to hide, under the bed, in the closet, anywhere to conceal her body.
“Lock the door,” Kenzi whispered, breaking me from my stupor.
Before I could engage the lock, the knob on the door turned. It was too late. I pressed my back against the door, using all the strength I had to keep whoever was on the other side from coming in. Unfortunately, my efforts failed me when my feet slid against the hardwood floor. What made me think I could hold the door closed against the force behind it? Kenzi hurried to the door to help me, but it was no use. The powerhouse on the other side pushed against us with little effort, ultimately gaining access to the room. A burly man stepped into the room holding a gun, ready to kill. If that hadn’t been bad enough, right behind them was Crosby McCall. If I hadn’t seen him with my own eyes, I would have thought I imagined it. He should have been at the old warehouse and not here.
As Kenzi tried to escape through the door, the larger of the two men grabbed her arm and held her in place. “Let me go, you ogre.” She struggled against his grasp, but it was useless. He was three times her petite size.
“Take her and tie her up with the other girls,” Crosby ordered, not a single ounce of remorse in his words.
“Why are you doing this?” I asked, hoping all of this was a misunderstanding and he wasn’t the man Davian said he was.
“My sweet, naïve Reyna. So innocent. Everyone has an agenda. Even your precious Davian. He is no better than me. Did he tell you the real reason behind your adoption?”
“If you are referring to Gwen, I already know that you adopted her just like you adopted me,” I replied, wondering what he was getting at.
Before he could respond, two other men joined the party—one of which I recognized. “We have a problem. There is no way to get inside the safe without triggering an alarm. The only access is with Cross’s fingerprint. Cross’s man confirmed it after a little persuasion.” The man I recognized mouthed it like he had a bad taste.
“What did you do to him?” I asked, directing my question toward Crosby as if he was the one who hurt Calvin.
My anger got the best of me, and even though I wasn’t a violent person, I slammed my fists against Crosby’s chest. It only took me hitting him once before he grabbed my wrist and held it tight. “You need to learn how to control your emotions, Reyna. Your rebellious behavior will need to be dealt with properly.”
“Screw you.” I tried twisting my wrist from his grasp, but his hold was too tight. “Let go of me.”
“Are you going to behave?” he chuckled, but not for long. His smile vanished, replaced with an unpleasant twist. “You won’t be needing this anymore. At least not where you are going.”
Crosby used his free hand and pulled the engagement ring that Davian had given me only a few days ago from my finger. As I lifted my knee to his groin, the man who hurt Calvin grabbed my arms and pulled me away before my knee reached Crosby’s crotch.
“She sure is a feisty one,” the man holding me said, tightening his grip on my arms.
“Let me go,” I choked, barely able to keep my tears from falling. “Please don’t do this, Crosby.”
There wasn’t a single hint of kindness when I looked into Crosby’s eyes. It was clear that the last five, almost six years, meant nothing to him. Just like Rui, he was a monster. No amount of begging or pleading would change Crosby’s mind. Crosby walked over to the bed and placed my engagement ring on the nightstand. He pulled something from the inner pocket of his suit jacket. His back was toward me, and it was hard to see what he was doing. As he walked away, my sights were on the ring. He had placed a note beneath the ring, no larger than a business card.
“Let’s get out of here before things get bad. I’m sure once Cross finds Reyna gone, he will be more than willing to exchange her life for the diamonds,” Crosby told his men, keeping his sights on me. “We will see just how far your precious Davian is willing to go to save your life.”