Page 39 of Baby Daddy Protector

“Appreciate it.” I said, glad to have Deacon with me. “Come back to the palace. I’ve got a good idea who took my wife, but I swear to God if he harms one single hair on her head, I will kill the bastard with my bare hands!”

TWENTY-EIGHT

I’d never been more angry or scared. Not that I planned to show that. How had I let myself get kidnapped? I’d been so certain that I had the situation under control. But I’d been completely powerless when it went down. The men who nabbed me moved so quickly that my security team had no time to react. Then I was gone, whisked away in a vehicle driven at high speeds through the city.

I recognized where I was being held, though, and that confirmed who was behind my kidnapping. Silvester. I’d been to this sunny cottage on the water as a child. It belonged to Silvester’s grandmother, and he’d always been quite attached to the isolated retreat. That thought gave me some comfort. Whatever his plans regarding me were, surely he wouldn’t kill me in a home he loved, nor would he be stupid enough to hold me for an extended period of time in a place so closely associated with him. But then, I wouldn’t have thought he’d be blatant enough to kidnap me, either.

I rubbed a hand over my baby bump. I had to be smart and do what I could to keep myself and my unborn son safe. Z would be looking for us. I just had to give him time to find us.

Just then, Silvester walked into the room, whispering to two men accompanying him. He glanced over at me and smirked, holding up a roll of duct tape in his hand. I swallowed hard. My cousin might not murder me in his favorite summer cottage, but the two men with him didn’t look like they had any such qualms, regardless of whether I was pregnant or not.

My nerves ramped up as Silvester came toward me. The men began binding my ankles to the legs of the chair I sat in and securing my arms behind my back. Silvester sat on the arm of the sofa across from me and watched. The bastard. Had being so close to getting the crown and then losing it deranged him?

“You won’t get away with this,” I said, struggling to no avail against the men holding me in place. “My husband will already be looking for you and when he finds you, you’re a dead man.”

“Your husband has a history of losing his temper, doesn’t he? That’s what got him kicked out of the SEALs. Going off on his own, disobeying orders and being insubordinate toward his betters.” At my outraged gasp, he smiled. “Well, I wouldn’t worry about him too much. Especially since he obviously doesn’t care that much for you. A couple on paper only, isn’t that right, cousin? And then there’s the way he went off and left you today, drinking and carousing with his friend, leaving you vulnerable. Tsk, tsk.”

“I wasn’t vulnerable. I had my security team with me the whole time.”

“Yes, and just look how well they protected you.”

I fisted my hands so hard my nails dug into my palms. If I could just get loose, I’d punch him a good one right in his stupid, arrogant face.

“It’s a moot point anyway, since no one will ever figure out you’re here, cousin. And if by some remote chance they do, it won’t matter.”

He had to be mad to think Z wouldn’t track me down. And even if he didn’t get to me in time—I swallowed hard at the thought—the citizens would want to know what happened to me. There would be an investigation, and the truth would come to light. Silvester was no criminal mastermind—he wouldn’t be able to cover this up. “Of course it will matter. I’m Princess Esme of Prylea, mother of the next king. People will wonder where I am.”

“I doubt it.” Silvester gave a dismissive wave. “You’re not as important as you believe, even if you were always flaunting your lineage in my face every chance you got when we were growing up.”

Add “delusional” to Silvester’s list of problems.

“I did no such thing. You were the one who was always scheming behind my back because you wanted to be the next king.”

“And I will be with you and your brat out of the way.”

The men restraining me let me go, as I was now fully taped up and unable to do anything more than rock in my seat.

“It’s not that simple and you know it. If anything happens to me or the baby, I can assure you there will be a full investigation.”

“Hmm.” He blinked at me several times, his expression quizzical. “Anything they find can be easily explained away. Perhaps you just needed a bit of a break from all the stress of the upcoming coronation. Perhaps you decided not to go through with it after all. Perhaps you want to put it all behind you and, awash in grief over the loss of your father, you decided to abdicate the throne.” Silvester shrugged a shoulder. “The world may never know. In the end, it won’t really matter anyway.”

“What do you mean, in the end?” Real fear was taking up residence inside me now. My cousin had been shifty before, yes, but today there was a wild look in his dark eyes, a desperation I’d never seen before. He was on edge and pushed to the brink, and that was a very dangerous place to be. Most especially, it was a dangerous place formeto be while under his control. My mind whirred through all the crime shows I used to watch back in college. When trapped, rule number one—keep the madman talking, stall for time. “Tell me, cousin,” I said, doing my best to keep my tone even and calm, despite the trembling terror inside me. “Was it you this whole time? All the bomb scares and death threats?”

Silvester’s Cheshire cat smile widened into a full-blown grin, bursting with pride. “Pretty sly, eh? No one would ever believe I’d be behind such heinous acts, not after I’ve spent years visibly working with the national security teams. I mean, I had to do something with my time, since you and your father all but excluded me from any of the family business.” He stood and clasped his hands behind his back as his two henchmen walked back over to join him. “Soon, I’ll take the throne and no one will be wiser. The people will love me even more when all the attacks stop after I put my new policies into place. And don’t worry, cousin. However you meet your end, I’ll be sure to make it quick. Wouldn’t want you or your child to suffer.”

With that, he walked out of the room with the two guards. The sound of the door locking behind them echoed loudly, followed soon by the roar of a car engine that slowly faded into the distance. Alone. I was all alone out here in the middle of nowhere with no food, no water, no way to free myself and call for help.

I tried with all my might to break free of my bonds, but there was no use. The tape was too strong. As if on cue, the baby began kicking in earnest and tears gathered in my eyes. It just figured that the first time I felt the baby kick would be at a time when all hope seemed lost.

If only I’d decided not to go to the florist today. If only I’d stayed at the palace and waited until Z could’ve gone with me. If only…

I blinked away tears and hung my head, hungry and achy and needing to use the bathroom. No. I refused to just sit here and wait to die. Somehow, some way, I’d find a way to survive until Z found me. Surely, the guards from his team would tell him what they saw. With his SEAL training and skills, he should be able to track me down.

Now it was just up to me to hang on until then. “We can do this, baby. We can do this.”

TWENTY-NINE

“What have we got so far?” I asked as I stalked back into the palace’s security command center with Deacon following. Several of the security guards paused to stare at the huge, muscled stranger standing by their boss’s side before turning discreetly back to their work. “Everyone, this is my good friend and fellow Navy SEAL, Deacon Jones. He’s in town temporarily and will be helping me coordinate the rescue efforts for my wife and child. Whatever he says, take it as if it were a direct order from me. Understand?”

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