by Webb, Rene
Finn pulls his laptop to one side of his plate and scrolls through his email, and I find I enjoy watching him work. Ridiculous, I know. His eyebrows furrow in concentration, almost to the point of a scowl. I find it extremely sexy. Although, pretty much anything and everything this man does I find attractive.
As I make my way through my delicious feast, I am lost in my own thoughts. I’m finally able to begin processing all that has happened in the past nineteen days. Swirling around my head all at once are a million unanswered questions. Why didn’t Peter come and rescue me himself, since he clearly knew where I was? What will happen once I get home? What about school? Will James ever pay for what he’s done to me? And the scariest question of all, what had James’s ultimate plan been for me aside from the disgustingly obvious? I push the avalanche of questions that keep popping into my head aside, not wanting to deal with the answers.
I am not concerned about my safety when Finn is near. Despite not having been forthcoming with me last night, I know I can trust him to protect me and that he wouldn’t abandon me here. My man has already proven he can handle himself in a fight.
The most persistent question ringing in my head is how can I ever go back to my life the way it was before? After being betrayed by someone I loved, not to mention my nightmare experience of being held captive in the brothel, Can I ever go back to my life? With a sinking feeling in my stomach, I realize I can’t. Suddenly I am not so hungry anymore. I continue to pick at my croissant, no longer tasting it.
“Savoring it?” Finn’s question breaks me from my thoughts. I look over and see him smiling at me.
After returning the smile, I pop the last bite into my mouth. “Yes.”
He wraps his arm around the back of my chair and kisses me quickly. “I’ll make sure Mrs. White knows to have croissants waiting for you.”
“Mrs. White?” I ask, leaning closer. There are still so many things I don’t know about Finn. I find that I want to know everything!
“My housekeeper.”
“Just don’t contradict her,” Trevor interjects, looking up with a smile.
“They have different opinions when it comes to folding laundry,” Finn stage-whispers conspiratorially.
“Apparently army regulation is wrong,” Trevor replies, rolling his twinkling blue eyes.
“You were in the army?” I ask, intrigued but not surprised.
“Yes,” he states gruffly, his playfulness evaporating. He’s clearly not wanting to discuss it.
Glancing toward Finn, he shakes his head almost imperceptibly. This is not a topic of conversation Trevor is interested in discussing, which naturally makes me even more curious.
Trevor stands and tucks his phone back into his pocket and begins clearing the dishes back onto the cart. “It's almost time for the call, so I’m going to begin setting everything up.”
I stand, grabbing both my own and the plate Finn pushed aside.
He smiles. “Thank you.”
I flop back onto the couch while Trevor places his computer in the middle of the table, putting it on top of the binder of hotel services to raise it up. He then arranges three chairs in a semicircle around the table so they are all facing the screen. He’s clearly done this before.
“Sir, we’re about ready,” he says, logging into what looks like a video conferencing program.
“Princess, you can sit here.” Finn directs me to the chair on his left side, while he sits in the middle chair. Trevor is on his right.
Butterflies flutter in my stomach, and nervous energy fills me as we wait. Finn places his hand on top of mine, stilling my fingers from where they’d been unconsciously picking at the hem of my dress.
“Relax, princess.”
Gripping his hand tighter, I lean my head against his shoulder.
“Who is calling who?” I wonder aloud as we all stare at the blank screen expectantly.
“They are calling us,” Trevor answers. “I just sent a text to their coordinator and told her we were ready.”
The screen flashes and the speakers crack as the video begins. I exhale a long breath. After several seconds of confusion, introductions to the team assembled are made by the company’s owner, Derek Lion. He’s an extremely fit, older gentleman who is the definition of a silver fox.
“Miss MacKay, don’t worry, we’re going to get to the bottom of this situation and ensure your safety,” Mr. Lion states. He may be on the opposite side of the world, but his deep confident voice has me believing him.
“Thank you.” I exhale.
We are also introduced to Daisy Sanchez, the logistics coordinator. I am instantly envious of her effortless bronzed skin and toned arms. Her long hair is neatly pulled back in a French braid, and she’s wearing a company T-shirt in black. Sitting next to her is Joseph Miller, a skinny African American with thick black-rimmed glasses who is introduced as their intelligence investigator.
“He’s our resident nerd,” Daisy interjects playfully, nudging him with her elbow.
“Let’s get started,” Mr. Lion states, taking control of the meeting. “Mr. Finch, I have spoken to Daniels, and he is going to increase the security at both your Boston headquarters of Finch Distributing and your warehouses. I have also assigned a discreet protection detail for Miss Finch.”
“Thank you,” Finn says, and I sense tension release from his body.
I feel a small twinge of guilt for not realizing that by rescuing me, Finn had made himself and his family a target. I may have never met his sister, but Peter mentions her from time to time as someone he admires and enjoys spending time with.
“Miller will now go over what we have discovered—”
“How could no one realize I was gone?” I ask softly, interrupting him.
“That’s actually where we were able to learn a lot about the kidnappers, even before we knew Mayer was responsible.” The tech guy, Miller, pushes his glasses farther up his nose, looking excited. “While there has been plenty of activity on your social media accounts and cellphone, there has been none on either your credit cards or your bank account since March twenty-eighth.”
“Fuck, I have to cancel everything.” I groan. It’s just another thing I have to deal with.
“We’ll call your business manager and have them take care of everything,” Finn says calmly.
“What business manager?” I chuckle mirthlessly. “My dad taught me how to manage my own money since I started getting an allowance when I was five.”
My dad said I needed to learn fiscal responsibility. He had worked hard to create his wealth, and even though he spoiled me, he wanted me to understand where my money came from and how to manage it properly.
“Really?” Finn asks, impressed.
“Yes, my allowance gets deposited each month into my bank account, and I use it to pay everything but my tuition.”
“The good news is that Tiffany Woods has not attempted to access any of your accounts. But I took the liberty of putting a flag on all of them, so there wouldn’t be any activity.”
“Who?” Finn asks.
“Tiffany Woods, the woman Lily knows as Janice.”
“What?” My heart is thudding in my chest, and my stomach tightens painfully. “But she’s my friend.”
Finn puts his arm around me and pulls me against his side, kissing my forehead.
“I’m sorry, but it looks like she has been working with Mayer. She has been receiving payments from one of his accounts for several months,” Miller says softly, looking quickly at his coworkers. “To answer your earlier question, Tiffany Woods is in possession of your cellphone. Once she had the access code to unlock it, she has been pretty easily pretending to be you. She can text, place calls, and post photos to your Instagram and Facebook accounts. She has even used your email to contact your professors and explain your absence.”
Miller’s words make my heart sink at the betrayal. After meeting on campus in the library, I thought we had become good friends. We bonded over our love of London
’s architecture and couture handbags, and we had similar majors. I did not think twice about sharing my phone’s password with her when she needed to borrow it, nor did I question going to Paris with her for the Easter holiday. As much as I feel betrayed by James, it’s compounded by her betrayal. He paid her to befriend me. Did she even like me, at all? From now on, I think I’m going to stick to meeting friends online, like Lauren.
Finn has a puzzled look on his face. “How’d the woman get into her phone? Most are password protected now.”
“They’re pretty easy to hack, but I figure she either guessed it or Miss MacKay gave it to her at some point.”
“Did you give her your code?” Finn asks accusingly, as if he already knows the answer.
“You gave me yours,” Trevor says, earning him a glare from Finn.
“I thought she was my friend,” I reply, shaking off Finn’s hold and crossing my arms against my chest.
“You’re too trusting,” Finn mutters, putting his warm hand on my knee.
“It’s not uncommon to give out your password to people you trust. And more often than not, they are easily guessed. You wouldn’t believe how many people use one two three four,” Miller says in my defense, and I turn and glare at Finn, who is scowling at me.
“I have better resources than the kidnappers do and was able to dig deeper into your online footprint,” the tech says excitedly. “It became apparent when we accessed your Tumblr blog and account that whoever organized the operation did not do a thorough job in their research.”
I groaned loudly in embarrassment. None of my friends know about that private, nerdy part of the Internet I hang out in. There’s no way I ever wanted Finn to find out. I usually access the website on my computer because I never liked the layout of the app and didn’t have it loaded on my phone.
“What do you mean?” Finn asks.
“People on the platform noticed she hadn’t been posting or replying to messages. One of them, who goes by the handle GrangerMalfoyLife…” he says, reading the name slowly off the tablet in front of him.
“Lauren,” I whisper.
“She is concerned because you were supposed to meet up with her for lunch but never showed,” Miller says, reminding me I had a coffee date with Lauren the day after, when I should’ve returned from Paris. With everything that happened, I completely forgot. I had never told Janice about her, mainly because I doubted my new friend would understand my obsession with Draco Malfoy from Harry Potter. She was never interested in fandom or pop culture, and she never understood any references I made. To be honest, she seemed to look down on the entire craze.
Lauren and I met on Tumblr and became friends years ago when we were both still in high school—before my father died. With her living in London, we hadn’t had a chance to meet until I moved there. We hung out several times once I arrived, and after the first initial awkward meeting, we realized our friendship could bridge the gap into real life.
“You’re meeting people from online?” Finn growls impatiently, clearly not understanding the bonds that can be formed online within fandoms.
“What century are you from?” I ask.
“Let’s focus on the situation at hand,” Mr. Lion says, redirecting the conversation. “Now that we know James Mayer orchestrated your kidnapping, we have begun investigating the events from that angle. What concerns me most right now is that Mayer is in the country.”
My heart races, and I reach out to squeeze Finn’s hand at Mr. Lion’s statement.
“His private jet touched down several minutes ago. The manifest included himself and several other men. From what Peter told me when I spoke to him earlier, this trip had been planned for several weeks, so there is no immediate concern that he has been made aware of Lily’s rescue or by whom. However, we have just begun digging into his life and finances, and we have yet to determine the depth of his influence there in Hong Kong or if he even has any contacts besides the manager of the brothel, known as Executive Hospitality Limited.”
“Fuck, have you discovered anything useful?” Finn growls impatiently.
I jump as loud knocking sounds on the door.
“Are you expecting anyone?” The calmness of Mr. Lion’s voice sends shivers up my spine.
Trevor and Finn both stand quickly, and Trevor reaches into his pocket. He takes out two small black cylinders.
“No.” Finn’s voice is tight, and he takes a cylinder from Trevor.
I don’t have time to wonder as to what it is because with a sweeping downward motion and a loud crack that has me jumping out of my skin, both men pop open long, black, dangerous-looking sticks.
“You should have kept the gun,” I mutter, standing and moving behind Finn.
6
Finn
Trevor moves silently toward the door. A small wall separating the entryway from the dining area blocks my line of sight. I position myself in front of Lily. Anyone will have to get through me before they can get to her. After several long seconds, I hear the door opening. It’s followed by the sounds of bodies hitting the wall, grunts of pain, and the clatter of a gun sliding across the tile floor into view. I tense and feel myself gripping my baton tighter.
“What’s happening?”
I ignore Lily’s whispered question as she grips the back of my shirt, pulling it tight against my chest.
A second man slowly enters the room with a handgun drawn, pointing it directly at me. He’s got about twenty pounds and several inches on me and most likely assumes he has the advantage. If his target, Lily, wasn’t hiding behind me, he would.
“Don’t make me shoot you, asshole,” Captain America snaps. He releases one hand from the butt of the gun and extends it toward Lily, gently saying, “Come with me, sweetheart. I’ll get you home safely.”
“She’s not fucking going anywhere with you,” I say through clenched teeth, shifting my body and adjusting my footing so I have more power behind my swing if I need to use my baton.
“Davies, is that you?” The booming voice of Lion is heard cracking over the computer’s speakers, making us all freeze.
Captain America takes hold of his gun more firmly before taking a step sideways toward the table and turning his head slightly toward the computer, which is still transmitting our videoconference.
“Boss?”
“Stand down, Davies,” Lion says firmly.
“Please don’t kill the clients,” the logistics coordinator, Sanchez, tells him.
“Yeah, it’s bad for business, bro,” Miller, the nerdy tech, says.
Captain America, who I now know as Davies, lowers his weapon and calls out, “Von, stand down. These are friendlies.”
“F-Finn.” Lily stutters from behind me, and I feel her trembling.
After pulling myself out of her grip and turning around, I wrap her in my arms and hold her tightly against my chest. “Breathe with me, princess,” I murmur, rubbing her back slowly as I attempt to stave off another panic attack.
“Davies, I would like to introduce you to Lily MacKay and our client, Xavier Finch. Miss MacKay was kidnapped two weeks ago and brought to Executive Hospitality Limited,” Lion says, informing the man. “Her cousin Peter Stein sent his business partner in undercover to rescue her. Mr. Finch called us to assist in unraveling the situation and to help keep Miss MacKay safe.”
“What the fuck is going on?” I growl as Trevor and another man who looks like a fucking Viking slowly walk into the room. They both look like they’ve taken a beating. It’s nice to know that when it counts Trevor can hold his own in an actual fight, not just in the practice ring where he’s kicked my ass more than once.
By now, Captain America has holstered his weapon. His body is relaxed as he introduces himself. “Simon Davies. I work for Pride Security but volunteer with an organization that rescues trafficked women in brothels. They got word from a patron last week that there was an American woman being held at Executive Hospitality Limited. Von, and I are part of a team, along with another
man who provides the Intel.
“Yo.” Von, who looks like a fucking Viking, greets us with a nod of his head where he’s leaning against the wall by the door, breathing hard.
“You okay?” I ask Trevor as he drops into the closest chair. With the way he’s moving his body and rubbing his shoulder, I’m concerned he may have aggravated his combat injury.
“Fine,” he snaps before taking a deep breath and speaking more calmly. “I’m fine, sir.”
I don’t believe him for a moment, but his injuries are obviously not life threatening, so I drop the matter. I make a mental note to address it later, when I will insist he sees a doctor whether he wants to or not.
“Thank fuck you’re on our side,” Trevor says to the pair in a pained voice, despite the look of admiration.
“You held your own.” Von grins down at him.
“I apologize, sir. We had no way of knowing if you were friend or foe. Our only concern was for the young woman’s safety.” Davis steps forward and offers me his hand.
“As it should be.” I lean forward with Lily still cuddled against my chest, and I take his hand in a firm grip.
“Robert Ban never mentioned anything about Lily’s imminent rescue to me last night or this morning when he opened the door to aid our escape,” I tell him.
“Who’s Robert Ban?” Davies asks, releasing my hand and giving Lily a bright smile and nod in acknowledgment.
My princess gives him a small wave from where she’s plastered against my chest. “Hi. Thanks for trying to rescue me.”
Davies chuckles. “You’re very welcome.”
“Robert Ban, your inside man.” I redirect the conversation back to unraveling what the fuck going on. “The customer who told you Lily was being held in the brothel.”
“I trust you won’t repeat this, but our informant was Charles Henderson.”
“You’re fucking kidding me?” I demand, not believing that the CEO of LDC Limited could possibly be their informant.
“No. Why?”
“Let’s just say he played the part of a willing participant pretty fucking realistically,” I say, remembering the way the man, who is old enough to be Lily’s father, attempted to grab her ass on several occasions.