Beautifully Broken (The Broken Series Book 2)

by Ruff, K. S.

  Patrick sucked in a breath as he steeled himself for another explosion. “Kadyn, I have to be on the Senate floor with Rockefeller in thirty minutes. There’s no way I can break away from here… not for a few hours at least.”

  Kadyn groaned. “I cannot believe this. I’m on lockdown over here, Patrick. I can’t leave.”

  “I know,” Patrick responded. “I’ve seen the news.” Patrick lowered his voice to a whisper. “You don’t think there’s a connection, do you?”

  Kadyn’s eyes locked on Phil’s as he collapsed into the chair across from Phil’s desk. “Kri has a stalker with terrorist connections, the Pentagon has been peppered with bombs, and Kri’s gone missing. Of course there’s a connection.”

  Chapter 3 – Slow fade

  I felt numb by the time the jet landed in Paris. I adjusted my watch at the flight attendant’s prompting. I couldn’t believe it was already ten-thirty at night.

  Michael kept a firm arm around me as we exited the plane and made our way through Charles de Gaulle Airport.

  We were about halfway through the airport when I noticed a flat screen television suspended on one of the walls. A number of people were gathered around the television. I couldn’t read the headlines, but there was no mistaking the building being highlighted in the news story. I stopped and stared at the images of the Pentagon. Something serious had happened… something serious enough to garner international attention. My eyes widened in shock. I looked at Michael. He was standing perfectly still, waiting for my reaction.

  Michael bent his head toward mine. “No one was hurt, ma chérie, just as I promised… but it is good for you to see what could come of your family, your lover, and friends if you do not listen to me. I have had seventeen months to prepare for this moment. I know every person by name… where they live, where they work, and the businesses they frequent. I may be here with you in Paris, but I have some incredibly talented friends with unlimited resources. As you can see, it would take only one phone call from me. You best keep that in mind.”

  My heart sank as I processed the long term implications of Michael’s threat. There would be no escaping Michael… not ever. If I tried to escape, he’d kill Kadyn and God only knew who else.

  Michael resumed walking with his arm wrapped firmly around me. I glanced around nervously. My shoulders sank. We looked no different than any of the other intimate couples walking through the airport. Michael’s possessive behavior blended in here far better than it had in Montana, where we first met.

  I kept Michael’s words in mind as we made our way through customs. Michael joined me when the customs officer waved me forward. He then proceeded to answer most of the questions on the auspice of translating on my behalf. At the end of the dialogue, Michael made some comment to the customs officer in French that I didn’t understand.

  The officer’s eyes raked over me. He chuckled and gave Michael an appraising nod before stamping our passports and waving us through.

  Michael bypassed the baggage claim area and walked directly outside, where yet another limousine was waiting for us. Michael quickly tucked me into the car while speaking to the driver in French.

  I gazed out the window of the limousine as we drove past the Eiffel Tower and the Seine River. I sighed in disappointment at the beautifully lit landmarks. Michael was not the man I had dreamed of seeing Paris with. Kadyn was. And, yet, here I was with Michael. The soft rain that was now falling fit my mood perfectly. Michael’s threat was final. It would ensure that I never saw Kadyn, my friends, or my family again.

  The irony that I was being abducted for a second time was not lost on me. Throughout the flight I relived every horrific detail of my first abduction while trying to reconcile the fact that Michael was taking me to a foreign country where I would be much more difficult to find. Michael had resources that far exceeded Justin’s. After seeing the news story, there could be no doubt that Michael was connected to some terrorist organization. For this reason alone, Michael maintained a power to control me that Justin had never possessed. I wouldn’t try to escape, given the implications for my family and friends, and I was praying that Kadyn and Dan wouldn’t try to pull off a rescue operation. That would only end up getting them both killed.

  I snuck a sidelong glance at Michael, who was sending text messages on his phone. If Michael was disappointed in my mood, he certainly didn’t show it. He had been quiet the entire flight, as if he was simply content to be together again.

  Michael must have felt my gaze as it lingered on him. He stopped texting and draped his right arm casually across the back of our seat. His left hand played absently with the hem of my skirt.

  My eyes narrowed irritably. I tried to remove his hand from my leg.

  He locked his hand around mine and held it in place.

  I sighed. I knew I was fighting a losing battle. The guy hadn’t stopped touching me for more than five minutes, as if he now owned the rights to do so. Either that or he was trying to prevent me from running, recruiting help, or jumping out of the car. I was hoping he’d give me some space once we arrived at our destination. I stared sullenly out the window. Notre Dame loomed directly in front of us, glowing brightly against the night sky.

  Michael finally broke the silence. “Cest beau, non?”

  “Yes, it’s breathtaking,” I admitted reluctantly. I couldn’t pull my eyes from the massive cathedral. It was beautiful but in a very dark and ominous sort of way.

  Michael pulled me closer. “I will take you to see it, ma chérie. Paris is unlike any place you have been before. You will fall in love with this city; and in time, you will fall in love with me.”

  I didn’t bother responding. I had told Michael countless times that I didn’t love him. If he hadn’t heard me then, he certainly wasn’t going to listen to me now. I returned my attention to the view in front of me. The driver had doubled back. We passed by the Seine and what could only be the Louvre Museum, given the glass pyramid sitting next to the building.

  The driver made a number of turns onto painfully narrow streets. I couldn’t help but admire the historic architecture of the buildings surrounding me. As I eyed the vehicles parked along the street, I was certain the limousine looked a monstrosity next to the tiny eco-friendly cars and Mopeds. I doubted the driver would find a parking space large enough to fit the vehicle.

  The road widened slightly as we drove through an incredibly affluent neighborhood. I looked at Michael questioningly.

  Michael seemed to be enjoying my reaction. “This is the triangle d’or, otherwise known as the Golden Triangle,” he explained. The car stopped in front of a very large stone mansion. “Bienvenue à la maison,” he whispered softly. His voice thickened with emotion as he lifted my hand to his lips. “Welcome home, ma chérie.”

  I stared at him in shock. “You cannot be serious. We can’t possibly be staying here.”

  Michael frowned. “Oui. This is our home. You do not like it?”

  “Like it? Michael, this place is a mansion.” I watched as a man exited from the massive stone house. The driver signaled for him to wait, and he immediately stopped halfway down the stone stairs leading to our car.

  I focused my attention on Michael. “How could this possibly be your house?” Although Michael’s clothing, his watch, and his car had run on the expensive side; his apartment in Helena had been quite ordinary. And he had a roommate… or at least a man I presumed was his roommate. Now I wasn’t so sure.

  Michael looked insulted. “You do not think I can afford this?” He waved toward the place like it was nothing. “I own six properties, three of which are much grander than this,” he noted irritably.

  I looked at the house and the man suspended on the stairs. I knew that Michael had grown up in a French boarding school. He had revealed that much on our first date. So it was possible that Michael came from money and had simply been keeping a low profile in Montana. Either that or the white collar crimes he was charged with in Portugal had paid off in a really big way.
My eyes returned to Michael, who was now sulking next to me. “How many rooms are in this place?”

  “There are sixteen bedrooms and fourteen bathrooms,” Michael grumbled, thoroughly unimpressed.

  “Thirty rooms?” I asked incredulously.

  “Non. That does not include the main living areas, the library, my office, the kitchens, the pool, or the garden terrace on the second floor.”

  My jaw went slack. I peered back up at the cream colored mansion. The windows were massive, larger than the average door. The second floor windows were framed with intricately designed wrought iron balconies, which made me wonder whether they were windows or French doors that were simply arched at the top. I turned and looked through the window on Michael’s side of the car. The place had a view of the Seine and the Eiffel Tower. “Unbelievable,” I muttered.

  “Come,” Michael said. “I’m tired, and we still haven’t eaten.” He spoke abruptly to the driver.

  The driver dove from the car and immediately opened Michael’s door. “Monsieur,” he responded with a sweep of his hand.

  Michael stepped out of the car. He helped me from the car, then linked his fingers with mine. As annoying as it was, I considered it a marked improvement over the arm lock he had maintained through Charles de Gaulle Airport.

  The man on the stairs was suddenly standing in front of us, speaking to Michael. I made no attempt to understand what he was saying, since he was speaking French. I was thoroughly distracted by the house and still trying to make sense of it all.

  The driver and the man from the stairs disappeared as soon as we entered the house. I came to a complete stop, too stunned by the white marble foyer to move any further. A cascade of stairs fell directly in front of us, between two very large pillars. The stairs led to a large opening at the center of the house, which presumably had served as a ballroom at some point in time. The ceiling was vaulted and nearly three stories high. A black piano was gleaming at the far end of the room, just off to the side of a massive staircase with a beautifully ornate wrought iron railing.

  Michael moved in front of me, effectively blocking the view. His eyes softened as he gazed down at me. He gently caressed my cheek. “Mon coeur, when I purchased this property, I thought only of sharing it with you. We will be happy here. You will see.” Michael’s hand cupped the back of my neck as he leaned down and kissed me on the lips.

  I stood there, too numb to respond.

  Michael pulled me against his chest. He twined his fingers through my hair and gently tugged my head back to deepen the kiss.

  I wedged my hands between his chest and mine as I struggled to break free.

  Michael growled menacingly as he locked me in his arms. His hand slid possessively down my backside as he fit his hips to mine. Guilt warred with desire as Michael’s body hardened against me. My heart lurched as his tongue swept through my lips in a provocative kiss. My hands fisted in his shirt. Then my entire body softened as Michael’s will bent mine.

  Chapter 4 - Gone, gone, gone

  Kadyn sped down I-395. His motorcycle surged forward as he shifted gears. He had left the Pentagon as soon as he was released from lockdown. He wove in and out of cars as he shortened the distance between the Pentagon and the apartment complex where he and Kri both lived.

  He parked his bike in the no parking zone outside Kri’s apartment and was at her door in four long strides. Kri had given him a key months ago, but as he went to unlock the door he found it was already unlocked. Kadyn slowly opened the door. He froze when he saw Mickey.

  She burst into tears when she saw Kadyn.

  He paused briefly as his eyes scoured the living room and kitchen. He bolted toward the bedroom, then ducked inside the bathroom looking for Kri. His shoulders fell when his suspicions were confirmed.

  Kadyn retrieved a utility knife from the kitchen before approaching Mickey. He spoke to her in a low, soothing tone. “It’s okay, Mickey. I’m going to cut you loose.” He quickly cut through the duct tape binding her ankles and wrists.

  Mickey flung her arms around Kadyn. He held her for a few minutes, then gently pulled away. He captured her eyes with his as he spoke. “We need to get this duct tape off your mouth, but it’s going to hurt. Do you want me to do it, or do you want to do it?”

  Mickey looked down at her hands. They were trembling violently. She pressed her hand against Kadyn’s chest and peered up at him pleadingly.

  Kadyn nodded. “Okay. I’ll do it. Please bear with me, Mickey.” He worked the tape off her mouth as gently as he could. He winced when he saw how raw the skin was underneath.

  Mickey began sobbing as soon as the tape was off. Kadyn picked her up and took her to the couch. He retrieved a box of tissue from the bathroom before joining her on the couch. He brushed her long gold and black braids out of her face as he gently dried her tears.

  Kadyn waited to question Mickey until after her hands stopped shaking. His jaw clenched as he resisted the urge to question her about Kri. “Mickey, are you okay? Were you hurt?”

  Mickey’s voice cracked. “No. He didn’t hurt me.”

  Kadyn rose from the couch. He walked to the kitchen and poured Mickey a glass of water. “Who did this to you?”

  “Michael,” she whispered.

  Kadyn closed his eyes against the sound of his name. He took a deep breath as he tried to ease the pounding in his chest, his head, and ears. Mickey had told Kadyn about Michael Garcia stalking Kri the first night he met Kri. Kadyn hadn’t been the same since. Kri’s vulnerability triggered his protective streak, and in the months that followed, she had completely stolen his heart. “He took her,” Kadyn said as he opened his eyes. It was more a statement than a question.

  “Yes,” Mickey confirmed. “And he had a message for you.”

  Kadyn froze. He stood between the kitchen and the living room with Mickey’s glass of water clenched tightly in his hand.

  Mickey cleared her throat. “He said you should not attempt to find her. If you do, his friends will take yours out one by one.”

  Kadyn handed Mickey the water as he sank next to her on the couch.

  Mickey took a sip of water. “There’s more,” she warned, lowering the glass. “He said Kri belongs to him, and he will destroy everything and everyone you love if you attempt to take her from him.”

  Kadyn blew out a breath as his head fell back against the couch. He didn’t doubt that Garcia had the resources and the power to carry out the threats. He was certain the car bombs at the Pentagon were his doing. Garcia wanted to create a diversion, and he wanted to ensure Kadyn wouldn’t interfere with his plans to kidnap Kri.

  Kadyn rose from the couch. He walked around the coffee table and began pacing across the living room. “How many times can one woman be abducted?” he asked irritably. One of Kri’s coworkers from Montana had kidnapped and dragged her off to a remote cabin in Trout Lake, Washington seven months ago. Justin Morris was an amateur, and the trail he’d left behind had been easy to follow. Still, it had taken Kadyn and his friends four days to find Kri. She had been badly beaten, and the guy had tried to rape her. Morris was still in jail awaiting trial.

  Kadyn had thought it was Garcia who had kidnapped her back in November. He hadn’t known Morris’s history of sexually assaulting Kri. Kadyn recruited Dan, a Vietnam vet who was a friend of Kri’s, to help locate Garcia, but Dan couldn’t track the guy down. Dan worked as a skip tracer for some time after returning from Vietnam, and the man had some serious skills. If Dan couldn’t find Garcia then, he wasn’t likely to find him now. Garcia had no reason to hide back in November. But now? He had every reason to hide.

  Kadyn stopped pacing when he realized what he was up against. He had no doubt that Garcia was connected to a terrorist organization, not after what happened at the Pentagon. The threat posed by Morris was nothing compared to Garcia.

  Mickey rose from the couch. “Do you think we should call the police?”

  Kadyn carefully considered the question. He shook his head.
“No. The police will be of little use.” He pulled the cell phone from his pocket, scrolled through the names, and quickly hit send.

  Phil answered on the first ring. “Did you find her?”

  “No. I need the name and number of the individuals heading up the bomb investigation for the Pentagon Force Protection Agency and the Department of Homeland Security.”

  “I think that e-mail they sent out had the names of the investigators. Hold on. I’ll take a look.” Kadyn could hear Phil typing on his computer. “Okay. I have two names. I’ll text the information to your cell phone now.”

  “Thanks, Phil. I’ll call you back as soon as I can.” Kadyn disconnected the call. As soon as Phil’s text came through, he dialed his phone again.

  Captain Graves from the Pentagon Force Protection Agency and six federal investigators from the Department of Homeland Security were crammed into Kri’s tiny apartment an hour later. Kadyn quickly explained why he felt the bombs planted at the Pentagon were connected to Kri’s abduction.

  Mickey confirmed Kadyn’s theory in her statement to the officers. She had overheard Michael threaten Kri with blowing up the cars at the Pentagon if she didn’t come with him.

  Kadyn didn’t doubt that Kri would cooperate under those circumstances. He was certain a threat like that would ensure her cooperation for a very long time. Kadyn raked his hand over his smoothly shaven head. “I’ll never get her back.”

  “Don’t worry, son. We’ll find her. I’ll make sure her picture is televised by every national and international news network. Someone is bound to recognize her,” Captain Graves responded reassuringly.

  Kadyn shook his head. “Respectfully, sir, I don’t think that’s a very good idea.”

  Captain Graves looked surprised. He studied Kadyn before assessing the reaction of the other investigators in the room. “Why don’t you want her picture televised?”

  “If we keep this out of the news, Garcia will eventually let his guard down. From what I’ve heard, he’s an arrogant man. If we let him believe he’s gotten away with this, then he’ll get careless. If he sees her picture in the news, then he’ll work even harder to keep her concealed. That reduces her opportunities to escape.” Kadyn doubted Kri would try to escape if she thought it would cause other people harm, but he wanted to keep that option open for her.