by Malone, Nana
"Like it will be so easy to just stroll in and ask her why she got the Theo story mixed up."
He nodded. "Yeah, exactly. We can also ask about her niece. Ask those questions about dear old Dad we'd been hashing over. Think about it, she's the key. She knows where all the bodies are buried, and she's helped keep Dad’s secret for years. Don't you have questions that you want to ask her?"
He had a point. If anyone knew Timothy Arlington's secrets, it was her. "All right, let's go."
Derrick laughed. "Are you serious?"
"Well, now is the time. It's not too late. We can ask her questions and try to peel back the layers of what we're dealing with here. Granted, I don't think your father was involved in trying to have you killed. He seemed genuinely surprised. But I think there are a lot of other things he’s been hiding."
"You know, genuine surprise is one thing, but when one of your sons get kidnapped and the other is almost kidnapped right when it's inconvenient to have them around, you’ve got to ask a lot of questions."
I didn’t like where the conversation was going. "You have a point. I would have loved to make him suspect number one, but he seemed genuinely concerned and surprised when I told him who I was and that you were missing."
"Okay, let's go get some answers."
I don't know why I thought we'd make it out of the ballroom and anywhere near our car without anyone noticing, but the moment we stepped out into the North Tower, there were Zia and Trace, both shaking their heads. "When are you two going to learn that we have trackers on you?"
I sighed and gave Zia a sheepish smile. She was in no mood, so I knew I'd pay the price for my bad decision later.
"Where are you two idiots going?"
I tried to give her a sweet smile. "We're going to see Elena."
"She's not even at the penthouse because neither of you are there. She's home.”
"Yeah, we know. We have some questions for her."
"Those questions can wait until morning."
Derrick shook his head. “No, this won’t keep. Look, the longer we go without getting any definitive answers, the longer Theo is stuck between two worlds. He's supposed to get back to his life." I frowned at the way the light dimmed out of Zia's eyes. Didn't she know that I wasn't going anywhere without her? And if she didn't want to go, I would stay in the islands for her.
We made our way to one of the Royal Elite SUVs, and Trace climbed in the driver’s seat.
We rolled the windows down, enjoying the summer breeze until we hit the main road. Off in the distance, calypso music played as waves washed onshore.
Derrick leaned over and laughed. "Looks like you've got island fever."
I frowned. "What's that?"
"You know, that thing where you close your eyes and inhale the scent? It's what you do when you've been away from the island for too long. You need to cure that homesick feeling and take in all of the scents you were afraid you’d never smell again."
"I guess that's how I feel. Or maybe like I've never smelled it that properly before."
Zia turned slightly in her seat to look at me, her eyes ever watchful. We'd already talked about this. I wasn't leaving her, and the islands were already starting to feel like home to me.
Since Trace and I had already been to Elena's before, he found it easily. He also got lucky and managed to find parking right in front of the tiny Dutch-style house.
Trace and Zia were not having the idea of Derrick and I going in by ourselves. We opened the gate without any difficulty. When we walked up to the front door, there were no lights on. It was only nine. Where were they? It was unlikely they went to bed that early. I knew from my time at the penthouse that Elena enjoyed her late-night telenovelas. I knew she didn't speak any Spanish. After all, when she’d told me about the village in Croatia where she grew up, she never once mentioned having access to learn another language. But she read the subtitles and enjoyed them, nonetheless. So if she wasn't up watching TV, where the hell was she?
I frowned at the side of the house. No lights.
Derrick gave far fewer fucks about her privacy. He hopped over the rail of the porch and immediately started looking inside the windows. When he reached the back of the house, he called out. "Ah, guys, you’d better come back here." We joined him at the side of the house where a hall light flickered dimly. The house was empty. It was not only empty of inhabitants, but empty of furniture and fixtures. "They've cleared out. What the hell is going on?"
I glanced at Zia. She was wearing the same frown that Trace was. "When you were here, what did you guys talk about?"
I frowned in concentration. "I don't know specifically. I just wanted to know more. I was trying to make sense of what had happened. It was really innocuous. Just more conversation like we'd already had about where I'd come from, what Derrick had been like as a child, things like that."
Suddenly, Trace palmed his weapon and started glancing around. I looked at Zia, and she was doing the same.
"Is everything okay?"
Zia shook her head. "We can feel it; we're being watched."
Trace wasted no time. He grabbed hold of my shirt collar and turned me around, frog-marching me back to the car.
"Fuck. I can walk by myself."
"No, you can't. It's dark, and I need Zia in control in case shit goes sideways."
One of the windows on the side of the house we were passing shattered. We all had to duck and flatten ourselves on the ground. It was amazing to watch Trace and Zia going into full protection mode.
I didn't love Trace's gigantic body rolling onto mine or Zia's body rolling onto my brother's. The idiot sent me a shit-eating grin when he saw me watching them. I was going to kill him when we got back.
If we got back.
Trace and Zia grabbed us both into a squat position and then marched us silently out of the gate into the car. We stayed long enough so that no one would be able to see us at the car Once we reached the SUV, Trace opened the door and shoved us inside. Zia followed next, and he was last. Derrick and I ducked down, but neither Trace nor Zia did. Zia looked back. "We're fine now."
I stared back at her. "Did somebody just try to kill us?"
"I don't know. Tomorrow in the light of day, we'll send a recon team. If they find bullet casings, then, yeah, someone tried to shoot at you. If they find a rock, then someone threw a rock at us. Not nice, but hardly a lethal force."
"How are you so calm?"
Trace answered for her. "Ariel trained us well for this type of thing. By the time you get to experience it in the field, none of it should be a surprise."
I had known that Zia was badass. I'd seen her whup somebody's ass with no thought or hesitation. The woman I loved would never be that screaming girl, crying for help. Except that night you weren't there.
I knew I needed to let it go. We’d talked about it, and she wanted me to let it go. Let go of the guilt. I got it. She didn't want me seeing that whenever I looked at her, and I didn't. But as we sped away from Elena's house, I wondered exactly what pieces of the puzzle were missing and just how involved our friendly housekeeper was. I hoped to God I could find out where she'd gone or why she'd left because it was the only way we were going to get to the bottom of things. Sooner or later, the real truth had to come out. We couldn't go on like this forever.
Trace made the call to Royal Elite. I knew right away that something was wrong though. It was the way his gaze slid to mine, then away. His voice lowered as he spoke in hushed tones.
When he hung up, I pierced him with a hard look. “What’s wrong now?”
To his credit, he didn’t mince words. “We got a call from Blake Security. Your mother is missing.”
23
Theo…
By the time we reached Sebastian's office, my hands were shaking. I didn't even wait for him to start the meeting before saying, "Someone fucking took my mother."
He nodded slowly. Ethan came forward. "We're aware. We already have Blake Security looking for her."<
br />
I turned on him. "How was she taken in the first place? I thought they were supposed to be watching her."
Ethan sighed. "She went in for a treatment. Her abductors were dressed as medical technicians."
I cursed under my breath. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck."
I could feel a soft pressure on my back, rubbing slow circles. Zia, she was comforting me. Because… well, that was Zia. "Theo, I'm so sorry. We'll find her. We'll get her back."
Sebastian cleared his throat. "There's something else."
We all turned to face him. Only then did I become aware of everyone else in the room. Roone, Jessa, Penny, rubbing at her belly, Lucas… all of Team Winston Isles was in there. Bryna was somewhere in the corner with the blond, pixie-like girl. I narrowed my gaze. "What's wrong?"
Penny put her hand on Sebastian's, and then she spoke. "Zia, they have taken your sister Deedee as well."
Numbness. Cold, gray numbness seeped into my pores and I had no idea what to say or do or how to act. My legs were turning to jelly, and I couldn't hold myself up any longer. Someone stuck a chair under my ass to keep me from falling on the ground. Somewhere behind me, Derrick was pacing. "Fuck. It's my father. It has to be my father."
Ariel's voice was cool, calm, and steady. "We've been over and over this. It could still be him, but we don't have any proof. Theo tried to ambush him with the truth, but he seemed genuinely surprised."
Derrick finally stopped pacing. "You don't understand. That’s what he does. He makes you think that you can believe him, but you can't. Not a damn word that comes out of his mouth. What's the ransom? I'll pay whatever it is."
Penny slid a glance to Sebastian and Ariel, then she looked me straight in the eye. "Theo, they want you. You're the ransom."
I stared at her. "What?"
"Well, you and Derrick. They want you both."
Derrick muttered, "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck."
His feelings were clear, but I nodded. "Yeah, whatever they want. We'll meet them. They can have me. If it gets Deedee and my mother back, then fine."
I could almost feel Derrick's gaze boring in on me. "Motherfucker, what? They certainly cannot have me. I don't have a death wish."
Sebastian sighed. "They're not getting either one of you. Ariel, go ahead and make it clear that we're not doing that. We'll figure this out. We have to come up with a plan. One that gets everyone what they need, which means everyone back alive and no one sacrificed.
Derrick groaned. "You don't understand. He's done this before. It's a play. He wants back on the board, controlling everything. When I was gone, it was easy. That's why I think they tried to take you, Theo. But you were harder to abduct than he thought. Then I escaped, but the last he heard, I was still MIA. And since he didn't actually take me, he was probably shitting himself, wondering who the new player in the game was."
Everyone was looking at him like he was crazy, and I asked, "But Derrick, what about Elena? Do you think he's done something to her, too?"
"Look, we might have some questions about Elena and her family, but she raised me. She loved me like a mother would. If she’d wanted to harm me at any time, she could have. Or you, for that matter, while you were living in the penthouse and pretending to be me."
I nodded slowly at that. "It's true. She could have killed me in my sleep. She could have poisoned me or anything. So where has she gone? I mean, why all these unanswered questions?" I rubbed the back of my neck. "Sebastian, it's my mother, Zia’s sister, people we care about on the line here."
He nodded slowly. "Look, we'll get them. We'll bring them back. You have my word."
"We're going to need a hell of a lot more than your word. Whatever you need from us, I'll do it." I turned around to glare at Derrick. “We’ll do it.”
Derrick sighed. "Yeah fine, me too, but I’m stopping short of sacrificing myself. Today is a shitty day to die or get maimed."
Lucas chuckled. "I'm liking you a lot better now."
Sebastian rolled his eyes. "Derrick, when you were a kid, you didn't have anyone in your corner. Now you've got a whole bloody team. We will make this work."
I could see the war inside him. Hell, I could feel it. They were his family, but somehow, I was closer to them than he was. "Yeah, fine. The only thing I have to do tomorrow is sign the merger paperwork, then I'm gelded. Just call me a sacrificial lamb. A damn pretty one, I might add."
I rolled my eyes. "Please. We all know I'm the pretty one."
24
Derrick…
After all these years, it was almost done. Good thing I was a patient man. When all was said and done, Theo and the rest of the gang would be disappointed. But I had to do this. I'd worked too hard to walk away.
It was worth risking my life to finish it. Today I’d sign the papers, and the old man would pay.
The funny thing was that until the last couple weeks or so, it had never occurred to me that I’d have family. At the very least, I had Theo by my side, but my brother had brought me into the fold of the royal family too.
Do you think he's going to be hurt when he finds out?
He would be. He'd feel betrayed. But there was no avoiding it. I had to do it. I'd worked too hard, and my father had to pay. I’d tried to safeguard innocent people. I had a singular target, but there might be casualties. And that couldn’t be helped.
The two halves of me warred, but in the end, I’d already made my decision.
"For the record, I think you’re making a mistake."
My head snapped back at my brother's voice. "Jesus, Theo. Don’t you have any faith in me? I’m not a complete idiot."
Theo shrugged. "I think nothing is lost by taking time for more due diligence, but it’s your company, so I suppose it’s your call. I’ll be in the meeting with you though. And I want to follow up on Elena’s niece later, too."
I nodded and smiled. “Great minds think alike.”
He shrugged. "Yep. When I went to see Elena that day, her niece said that she worked here briefly in accounts payable.”
“What? What's her name?"
"Nina Dominchyk. Brunette. Very pretty. But that's not the point. The point is Elena never told us much about her, and she was right here under our noses. So, I figured I'd do a little digging while you do the whole merger thing."
I nodded slowly. "No, it works. In ten minutes, I'm about to be up to my eyeballs with lawyers and paperwork. It makes sense. I hope she can give us some answers.”
Theo nodded. "If she’s been under Elena’s roof all these years, she has to have some idea of what's going on."
I frowned as I nodded. "You don't have a lot of faith in people, do you?"
He shrugged. "Even though I’ve been burned a lot, I still do. But I’m also a realist. There’s no way I believe she can’t have known something. Whether it’s major and she knows who’s been trying to kill us, or she knows that her aunt is up to something. Either way, I don’t think she’ll walk away completely unscathed." He shifted on his feet, and I could see the strain he was working to hide. “Besides, I need to keep busy.”
“I know.” I wasn’t really good at the comforting thing. Not exactly my wheelhouse. “We’ll get them back tonight. I know I don’t really know her, but Adele is still my mother, so I have a stake in this too. We’ll do what we need to do to bring her and Zia’s sister home.”
“I know, and secrets notwithstanding, it’s not fair that you haven't even gotten to know Mom yet. If they kill her, then you won't ever get the chance. And Deedee… I know she’s a pain in the ass, but she’s just a kid."
I nodded. "Yeah, how’s Zia holding up?” I tried not to wince at her name. I knew how my brother felt about her, but I had also grown a little too fond of her. Thinking of her in pain gave me an odd feeling in my chest.
“She’s beside herself with worry, but she’s tough. Never wants to let anyone help her.” He shook his head. “I just wish I understood what someone would want with Elena.”
“Who knows. But I can�
��t get behind the theory that she is behind this, anyway. She took care of me like her own.”
"You do have a point. Elena had more than ample opportunity to hurt you over the years. So why now? But you don't know anything about who she is, so let's get some answers."
"Yup, I'm ready."
Theo hesitated at the door. "Listen, last ditch effort… this merger, it's not a done deal yet."
I laughed. "Yeah, it is. I'm here. I’m doing this.”
Theo shrugged. "It's your company. Only you know the right thing to do. After all, you’re the billionaire."
There was his damn valiancy. "You're not so bad off with a millionaire's status of your own."
"Hardly."
"No, maybe you're not clear about the details, but you have access to the royal fund. You’re a millionaire. Not as good as a billionaire, mind you."
"I'm not a millionaire."
I laughed. "You weren’t paying any attention in that meeting, were you?"
"What meeting?"
"The royal trust. You get access to the royal trust now as my twin brother. Not to mention, I happen to know that the living trust dad has talks about his ‘children,’ plural. We all inherit."
Theo stared at me. "Seriously?"
As he walked out, I scrubbed a hand over my face. I liked my brother. I actually liked him as a human being.
Unfortunately, after tonight, he wouldn’t like me very much.
25
Theo…
My hands were sweaty. I was really going to do this.
Handing myself over to some unknown kidnapper. There was no other choice. I needed my mother back. And Deedee. I had to get Deedee back for Zia. Whoever was holding them was going to die today. Not at the exchange, of course. The plan was that after Mom and Deedee were returned and we were taken, Royal Elite and Sebastian’s New York team, Blake Security, would follow with their GPS tracker that they'd implanted on both mine and Derrick's molars.