Broken Ties

by Gloria Davidson Marlow

  Chapter Nineteen

  “I spoke to Gabriel this morning, and he’s made the travel arrangements. Our flight leaves Jacksonville at two tomorrow afternoon,” Levi informed her when she came into the kitchen the next morning. He was standing in front of the sink, a steaming coffee cup in his hand. “We fly to Paris, where we board another flight to Toulon. From Toulon we can take a ferry or a seaplane to Medelia the next morning.”

  “We?” He hadn’t come to her bed last night, and she hadn’t gone to his. Instead, she had fallen asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, but woke missing his warm masculine body next to hers. Fear he was already letting go had chased her down the stairs, and she breathed a sigh of relief at his words.

  “You aren’t going there alone, Sid,” he said, dark eyes meeting hers, daring her to argue. “I won’t stay behind and risk you being hurt.”

  “Thank you,” she breathed as she pressed her trembling lips to his. He gave a hungry groan, and pulled her into his arms.

  Desire curled through her, pushed through her veins by the uncertainty of their future, bursting into flame as his hands traced the contours of her body and his mouth left hers to press against the soft pulse at the base of her neck. Through the haze of desire, she felt his hands cup her waist and lift her to the countertop. He pushed her robe open so his fingers could tease her breast through the soft cotton of her gown. She groaned as his mouth followed his hands, the thin white fabric no barrier against his gentle onslaught.

  The sound of Teddy’s canes in the hall registered just before the kitchen door opened and he walked in with Philippe just behind him. Although she and Levi separated as the men entered, Sidra knew by Philippe’s look of icy disapproval and Teddy’s knowing smirk that they were both aware of what had been going on seconds before their entry.

  She slid from the counter, Levi’s hand still at her waist, and turned to face them. She tightened the belt of her robe as Philippe’s eyes roamed over her suggestively.

  “You are much like your mother, Princess,” Philippe said, disgust thick in his voice. “Before her death, she too found it necessary to whore herself out to a commoner who could never be king. There are some who say that is what cost her life.”

  Levi said nothing as he stepped toward her, coming up behind so that she fit snugly against him. His arm came around her, holding her there as he spoke in a voice gone deathly quiet.

  “Talk to her like that again, and I won’t hesitate to beat you to a pulp,” he vowed.

  They were so engrossed in the little tableau of drama none of them heard the car in the yard until it was too late. At the first shot, Levi took Sidra to the ground, covering her body with his own. When the gunfire stopped, he lifted his head to ascertain Teddy and Philippe’s safety. It was quiet only a moment before something crashed through the window behind the table, sending the remainder of the glass raining down on them.

  “Run!” Teddy yelled as the car rushed away from the house.

  Levi heard the hiss of fire before they stumbled to their feet, pulling and prodding Sidra out the back door. They cleared the porch seconds before one side of the kitchen exploded into flames.

  He quickly assured himself that Sidra was frightened but uninjured before he dashed back inside. Luckily the explosion didn’t do as much damage as the bad guys had expected, and the fire was confined to the small breakfast nook that jutted off from the main kitchen. He grabbed his mom’s mop bucket and began filling it with water, which he tossed on the flames.

  Within seconds, Teddy was beside him, a fire extinguisher in his hands, and finished putting out the fire. They both leaned back against the counter, and Teddy shot him a teasing grin.

  “Dad’s kept an extinguisher behind the back door ever since Mom nearly set the kitchen on fire when she went out to break up a tussle between Annie’s boys, got caught up in a water balloon fight, and forgot she was frying chicken.”

  Levi laughed as he pictured the scene, then sobered as he surveyed the damage the explosion had caused. It was enough to cause concern, but not enough to burn down the house. Obviously destroying the house, or even killing everyone inside, had not been the purpose of the explosive. So what had it been?

  His stomach dropped and he rushed out the door, his eyes scanning the yard for the woman he knew wouldn’t be there.

  “Get in the car,” he yelled, breaking into a run to the front yard. He pulled the car around, meeting Teddy halfway around the house. His brother was a whole hell of a lot slower than he had been, but it was still good to have him riding shotgun.

  He prayed he would catch the car before it reached the main road, where it would have to turn right or left. Once it did that, he would have no idea which direction to go, and he would have lost her completely.

  ****

  Sidra stared at Philippe in horror as he directed the men to drive faster and farther from the Tanner house.

  “You could have killed us!” she cried.

  “No, the explosive wasn’t that powerful. I only needed time to make our escape. I fear you will never be queen if you continue to play the harlot with your barbaric American.”

  Her hand connected with his cheek before she could stop it. His eyes turned cold as an ugly red welt spread across his face. He grabbed her arm. For a moment, she feared he would strike her back, but instead he dropped her arm and leaned toward her.

  His voice was serious and concerned as he took her hands.

  “I have received word that makes me suspect that Miriam and Gabriel were responsible for your abduction as well as for the recent attempts on your life,” he said. “I cannot risk you returning with them.”

  “Levi intended to go with me. He would have kept me safe.”

  “I have no desire to hurt you, Princess, but you must face the truth. Your family hired Tanner and Tanner, and they have the loyalty of the men you consider your friends. You are only a part of their job, and when the time has come, they will turn you over to your relatives and leave you to fend for yourself.”

  “That’s not true,” she said.

  “How can you know? Because Levi Tanner saved you from the men who tried to kill you? He was trying to do his job. Because he made love to you? He needed you to trust him, to follow him to Gulfview without question. Haven’t you asked yourself how Miriam and Gabriel knew you were there? Teddy claims not to have heard from them in months, yet they contacted him the very day you came to stay in his home. Someone must have told them you were there, and there were only two people who could have done that.”

  The words were like blows to her heart. She pulled her hands from his and sat back. As if sensing her need for silence, he retreated to his corner of the car and left her to contemplate what he’d said.

  She desperately wished she could deny what he claimed, but his words had watered the seeds of doubt planted by her cousin’s assurance that Teddy would be compensated for a job well done. She was that job, and the Tanner men had done exactly what Teddy had promised they would. They had kept her safe for the last four years and were now about to see the job to completion. Was Levi’s plan to accompany her to Medelia really his way of making sure they delivered the excellent customer service he was so proud of, so the job could be deemed a success?

  She shook her head in disbelief. There was no way Levi had made love to her only to ensure she would come to Gulfview. Just last night he had asked her to return with him to the cottage with the rose-covered entrance. There was no reason in the world he would have done that if he didn’t care for her.

  “Levi couldn’t have known about Miriam and Gabriel’s involvement in my abduction,” she said, turning to Philippe.

  “It is natural you should feel that way. You are young and fancy yourself in love with him.”

  “I want to go back, Philippe. You need to have the driver turn around.”

  “I can’t do that, Princess,” he said quietly.

  “What? Why?” She felt the color bleed from her face, leaving her chilled
. “Take me back to Levi and Teddy. I will return to Medelia with my cousins, and we will make plans there.”

  “I’m sorry, love, but that isn’t going to happen.”

  ****

  “Sidra’s been kidnapped. Philippe’s taken her.”

  Levi listened to Teddy’s call to Gabriel, wondering what the man thought about that fact.

  The car carrying Sidra was a black dot ahead of him, obviously heading for open road and the faster speeds of the highway. He had to catch him before he reached it, or he might never do so.

  “Where could he be taking her?” He couldn’t imagine where Philippe intended to go. Did he intend to take her home to Medelia? Levi prayed that was his intention, but he had a sinking suspicion that Sidra was in more danger now than ever.

  “Gabriel and Miriam are on their way. They were already heading to the house, but now they’ve turned on Sawmill Road and will try to head Philippe off or, at least, get nearer to him than we are.”

  “Did they have any idea why he took her?”

  “They weren’t sure, but they think maybe he’s going to force her to marry him.”

  “He can’t force her to marry him,” Levi assured Teddy and himself. “She is a grown woman, a United States citizen. She can make her own decisions about who she’ll marry.”

  “If he gets her to Medelia, she’ll have to. He’s her fiancé there, and according to their law she has no choice in the matter.”

  Up ahead the Land Rover darted out from a side road and came to a stop in front of Philippe’s vehicle. The big sedan swerved, lost traction, and spun about before landing in the ditch on its side.

  His heart dropped, and he felt physically ill as he rushed toward the upset car. As they neared, the driver lifted himself out of the window, his arm streaked with blood and his face specked with tiny glass cuts. He slid from the car, and Levi waited for Sidra to follow him, but there was no further movement.

  “Where is she?” Teddy’s voice was sharp and panicked as Levi slammed on the brakes and leapt from the car.

  “Sidra!” Her name roared from his lips, and he pounded across the road, desperate to get to her before it was too late. If it wasn’t already too late. The thought was enough to make him stumble, but he pushed forward, unwilling to let her stay there, injured, one moment longer.

  He threw himself over the car door, peering into the back seat, and his eyes took in what his mind could not comprehend. The car was completely empty.

  He turned to the driver, smashing his fist into his face before anyone could stop him. The man staggered backwards, and Levi was on him in an instant, forcing him to the ground and pinning him there with his hand on his throat.

  “Where is she?” he demanded, but the man stared at him blankly. “Where the hell is she, damn it?”

  The man’s eyes were wide with fear, and he shook his head, obviously not understanding Levi’s words.

  Levi motioned toward Gabriel and Miriam. “One of you get over here now.”

  He wasn’t all that surprised when it was Miriam’s high-heeled feet that came into his line of vision.

  “Ask him where she is.”

  She and the man exchanged words.

  “He says he doesn’t know,” she translated. “But I think he’s lying.”

  “Tell him that.”

  As she spoke again, Levi’s hand tightened, and the driver’s reddened face turned nearly purple as his eyes rolled in fear.

  She spoke again, sharper, angrier, with the authority Levi would expect her to have over a citizen of her country. She might not be queen but she was most certainly royalty, and the man seemed to recognize her authority and the very real danger he was in. He nodded his head, clawing at Levi’s hand, and it loosened ever so slightly. He gulped air as Miriam spoke to him again, and he wheezed out an answer to her question.

  “What did he say?” Levi asked.

  “He said she is in another car and is being taken to the airport in Jacksonville. There is a flight to Paris leaving tonight.”

  The man continued to babble on, as if unable to stop now that he had started. Miriam translated without a hint of the emotion the man displayed.

  “He says there is an old lady in the trunk of the car they are in. If she is not already dead, she will be before they reach Jacksonville. They kidnapped her three days ago from a nursing facility.”

  Shocked by the news, Levi lifted his gaze to her, struck by how eyes nearly identical to Sidra’s could remain so cold and unaffected by the words she spoke. She arched one delicate eyebrow. “Do you know who she is?”

  “Her name is Carlotta Strauss. She was Sidra’s caseworker once she entered the foster system.”

  “We must go!” Gabriel exclaimed. He had been on his cell phone but now motioned wildly. “Leave him be. There’s nothing to be gained from him, and we must go at once.”

  “What is it, Gabriel?” Miriam snapped, grabbing him by the arms. “What has happened?”

  “I just spoke with Estella. Philippe Beauchene has been at the castle since Monday. There is no way he is in America.”

  “Who has Sidra, then?” Levi’s gaze shot to the man lying on the ground and he barked out a question for Miriam to interpret.

  “Who do you work for?”

  The man shrugged helplessly.

  “He has to know something,” Levi growled. “What does the man look like?”

  “Ask him the man’s eye color,” Gabriel said. “That will tell us if we’re dealing with him or not.”

  “Him who? What haven’t you told me?” Levi’s eyes swung between Sidra’s cousins.

  “Ask him!” Gabriel hissed. “We must go!”

  “Quelle couleur yeux a-t-il?” Miriam demanded.

  “Vert.”

  Levi knew what he meant even before Miriam translated. Green eyes.

  “Vincente Mateo?” There was no mistaking Miriam’s surprise. “He is here?”

  “Who the hell is Vincente Mateo?” Levi snapped, meeting her eyes. A chill rushed through him as she answered.

  “A man who is a far larger threat to Sidra than anyone else could ever be.”

  Chapter Twenty

  “Take me home, now!” Sidra ordered.

  “It is not your home, and I will not take you there.”

  She turned and grasped the door latch beside her. It clicked uselessly, and panic welled inside her. She beat at the window, but to no avail. There was no escaping as he moved toward her, wrapped an arm around her, and pulled her back against him.

  “Let go of me,” she said, but he remained silent, letting his arm hook around her neck and tighten slightly. “Let go!”

  The arm tightened more and more, until she could barely breathe, and her head spun dizzily.

  “Please,” she whispered as darkness encroached on her vision.

  He loosened his grip just before she lost consciousness, and she slid as far away from him as possible.

  “I will never marry you,” she spat.

  His hand shot out, tangling in her hair to drag her face to his.

  “Once you are my queen, you will pay the price for disobedience. Until then, I will enjoy having my men mete it out to your lover. You should have listened to your old friend, Princess. She knows well what horror can be inflicted on the innocent.” He leaned forward, so their lips were nearly touching, and in the language of their country he spoke the words that had chilled her heart once before. “They will torture your lover, pluck out his eyes, and take his tongue.”

  “How do you know that?” she cried, fear shooting through her as he pushed her away from him and leaned back against the seat, a smug, hateful smile playing about his mouth. “What did you do to her?”

  “Nothing she didn’t expect, my love.”

  Bile rose in her throat, and she shook her head in disbelief.

  “She is safe there in the home. You could never have gotten to her.”

  He chuckled. “Of course I could. After all, poor Mrs. Taylor is a dear ol
d aunt of my mother’s. Both women were overjoyed to see me. I believe Mrs. Strauss entertained visitors only moments before I arrived. I heard her speaking to them as I waited in the hall.”

  “Did you kill her?” Her voice shook with grief and fear, despite her best efforts to control it.

  “What do you think?”

  “I think you are a hateful coward, afraid of a small, frightened, old woman, and you would have sent someone else to do your dirty work.”

  His blow sent her head snapping back.

  “That is your warning, Princess. Do not make me angry again.”

  Every fiber of her being trembled with fear, but she forced herself to look him in the eyes. “Do you really think I will marry you now that I know what kind of man you are?”

  “Why, yes,” he said. “I do believe you will.”

  He ordered the driver to stop, and when they did, he pulled her from the car and around to the trunk. The driver opened it, and she stared in horror at the small, bleeding woman confined within. Confused blue eyes were wide above the duct tape that covered her mouth. It was a testament to her dementia that she didn’t appear to be afraid at all, only lay there in the trunk as if she thought she might belong there but couldn’t remember why.

  “Take the tape off her mouth,” Sidra pleaded. “Please, I want to speak with her.”

  He nodded, and the driver jerked it off, taking a layer of thin aged skin with it so that blood trickled over the pale lips and chin.

  Sidra turned and yanked the handkerchief from Philippe’s pocket. She used it to gently dab the blood from Carlotta’s mouth.

  “Are you okay?” she asked in their native language.

  “Yes, my queen,” the woman answered.

  “I am not the queen,” she said.

  “You will be.” Her gaze fell on Philippe. “He is not the king. He will never be the king.”

  “Silence, you crazed old hag!” he yelled, his hand poised to strike her. Sidra stepped between them and, with every ounce of authority in her body, spoke.

  “You will not strike her,” she told him. “You will have your men untie her, and she will ride in the car with us.”