by Claire Adams
“What kidnapping threats?”
He didn’t answer me until we’d finished walking up to the house and then he said, “I didn’t want to worry you over them. We’re handling it. Once the threat is neutralized, he can be returned to our happy home. Now, get dressed.” Just like that, he turned and walked away.
How was I supposed to function knowing my baby was with strangers somewhere that I’d never find him? I went to my room and lay down on the bed and curled into a fetal position. I was on the verge of giving up. I just couldn’t do it any longer. I closed my eyes as I sobbed and pictured my little boy’s face and those beautiful blue eyes…Nicholas Vansant’s eyes.
I suddenly sat straight up on the bed. Nicholas. He was my last thread of hope. He’d help me, I knew he would – especially if I told him that Miguel had kidnapped his son.
********
“You clean up nicely.” As we walked into the palace ballroom, I held onto Miguel’s arm and flashed a thousand-watt smile. I had to put on the show of a lifetime tonight if I was going to be allowed to so much as pee on my own. I’d put on the scarlet gown that Miguel had bought for me and then I’d applied my make-up just so, and after putting my hair up in a French braid that twisted around the crown of my head, I put on my tiara and jewelry. I looked every bit the princess that would be expected tonight, even if I didn’t feel like one inside.
“Thank you,” I whispered as we approached my parents. I hadn’t seen either of them in weeks. I saw my mother’s eyes take in my appearance and I was sure if we were alone she’d say something about the weight I’d lost. All my father seemed to notice was that I looked like a royal, albeit a painfully thin one.
I reached my father first and as he kissed each of my cheeks, I thought about him approving Miguel’s request to send my baby away and suddenly, I was filled with rage. If I’d had a knife or a gun, I may have committed patricide on the spot.
I was proud of the way I forced myself to remain calm and then I moved on to my mother who disgusted me as much as he did. Why didn’t she object? Why wasn’t she asking questions about where her daughter has been? I wondered. I gave her the standard air kiss, greeted my little brother who was now fourteen and a practical stranger to me, and then I moved on to Elena. She looked beautiful tonight, and as I leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek, I told her so.
“Happy birthday, Elena; you look beautiful.”
“Thank you,” she said. “Perhaps you can learn a few things about being a princess from watching a real one in action.”
I didn’t get angry with Elena. I was sad for her. All the ugly that filled her had to be uncomfortable to live with. I simply squeezed her arm affectionately and moved on. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched her embrace Miguel. She whispered something in his ear and they both laughed. God forgive me, but I almost believed she was the one that deserved him.
Miguel and I made the rounds and all the rich, high-society folks in the room whispered and stared when they thought I wasn’t looking. My foray to the States was not forgotten and I even wondered if some of them were looking at Elena and me and realizing that something about the recent pictures of me hadn’t been right.
It didn’t matter. None of them would ever question it out loud. They’d never risk being ostracized by the royal family. That would be to risk social exile. Even if my family were only figureheads, it still meant something to these fake social climbers to be in the inner circle.
Miguel kept me close and throughout dinner and the toasts given for my sister, I didn’t even try to get away from him. I sat at the table with Miguel and my family and waited. I waited with a smile and a sweet answer to anyone’s questions. I chatted with my sister like I cared about anything she had to say when she and Miguel didn’t have their heads together. I wasn’t jealous, or threatened by their friendship, but I did wonder when they had gotten so close.
I ignored them and talked to my little brother instead. I really did regret missing out on so much of his life. When I left, he’d just been on the cusp of adolescence and now he was 14 already. He told me about his futbol team and his friends. Several times, he mentioned a girl named Consuela. When I asked who Consuela was, he glanced over at Mother to make sure she wasn’t listening before he said,
“She’s my girlfriend, but don’t tell them, please.”
“I would never. Are they giving you a hard time?”
He took a drink of his water and smiled over at our mother, who was watching us. She smiled back and then graced me with a slight nod. In just above a whisper he said, “Mother doesn’t think she’s good enough because she’s a ‘commoner.’ I’ve been forbidden from seeing her.”
“Aw, I’m sorry, Viktor.”
He grinned mischievously then and with a wink, the little devil said, “Don’t be, her parents own the florist shop on St. Vincent Street. I’ve taken to buying Mother flowers a few times a week.”
I shook my head at him and laughed. He was growing up fast. I looked over at my sister, who once again was whispering with my husband. She’d grown up too fast, too. “Victor, were Elena and Miguel close when I was gone?”
He glanced over at them with a distasteful look on his face. “I don’t want to start trouble, Ariana, but watch him.”
“I’m not worried about him and Elena, just curious.”
“Elena told me he makes her nervous sometimes the way he looks at her and some of the things he shares with her are too personal.”
“Like what?”
“She didn’t give me any specifics, but just watch him. I don’t trust that one.”
I lowered my voice and told him, “Neither do I, really.” We both laughed and the subject was changed to something lighter.
Only when it was time for Elena to take the stage and be the center of everyone’s attention did I finally make my move. Her clutch was left hanging on the back of her chair and as she spoke and all eyes were on her, I accidentally brushed my arm against the chain so it would fall to the floor. Using my foot, I lifted it up so that I could reach it underneath the table and then using only touch I fished out the phone I knew would be there. I tucked the phone into my own clutch and then I leaned in and whispered to Miguel, “I’m afraid my stomach wasn’t prepared for so much rich food. I need to use the ladies room, immediately.”
He made a sour face, but I saw him raise his hand to one of the guards near the door. The man came over and Miguel instructed him to escort me to the restroom and wait right outside. I was okay with that. I walked carefully as I followed the big man, worried that the phone would slip out of my underwear and ruin my plan. I breathed a sigh of relief once I was in the bathroom and the door was closed.
I sat down on the marble bench along the wall and pulled up Google. I typed in Vansant Industries. I got thousands of hits. I pressed on the first one. An address and phone number were listed for New York, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas. I dialed the number for Las Vegas and held my breath as it rang three times. The woman that answered had no idea how happy I was to hear her voice. It was ten p.m. here which meant it was barely seven a.m. in Nevada.
“Hello,” I said, aware that when I spoke English my strong accent was back; I’d spoken Spanish exclusively for the past two years. “My name is Emma and I need to reach Nicholas Vansant.”
“I’m sorry, Miss, Mr. Vansant is no longer in this office.”
“What? Where is he?”
“I can’t say, Miss, but if you’d like to leave a message I’d be happy to pass it on.” Suddenly, my plan didn’t seem so solid. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. After tonight, who knows how long it would be before I had access to a phone again? Before I could speak there was a loud knock on the door. I covered the mouthpiece with my hand and said,
“Do you mind? Some privacy please!” The knocking stopped and I uncovered the phone and said, “Listen, what I need to speak to Mr. Vansant about is urgent…no, it’s an actual emergency. I need to speak to him tonight. Do you think you could ask him to be
available for me to call back say in one hour?”
“I can’t make any promises. I’m not privy to Mr. Vansant’s schedule.” She was still very pleasant. I still wanted to reach across the ocean and throttle her.
“The only promise I ask of you is that you’ll give him the message. Please, it’s a matter of life and death.”
There was what seemed like a long pause before she said, “I can promise I will try.”
“Thank you,” I whispered. “Thank you so much. Please tell him it’s Emma and I need him.”
I ended the call filled with more anxiety than I’d had when I began it. How in the world would I get the phone again? What if Miguel wanted to leave early? What if he got suspicious when I had to use the bathroom again?
Another knock on the door brought me out of my chaotic thoughts. I flushed the toilet, tucked the phone back in my underwear, washed my hands, and went out into the hall. I gave the big guy a haughty glance.
“I’m not sure who you think you are, rushing me. You do realize who I am? I am so much more than your boss’s wife. I am Her Royal Highness Doña Ariana Maria Madrigal and you would do well to remember it.”
Surprisingly, he looked ashamed. Maybe the next time he escorts me to the bathroom, he’ll remember that I’m his princess.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
NICHOLAS
It was six months after the night Sal and Jessie introduced me to his cousin Delia. Now Sal was a married man and I was about to be the same. “Six more days; how does it feel? Soon you’ll be an old married man like me.” I was about to tee off while Sal was going on about my upcoming nuptials.
“Will you be quiet for a minute?”
“Humph! Someone is testy.”
“I’m not testy; I’d just like to tee off without all of the background noise.”
He laughed. “Like silence would do you any good. When was the last time you beat me?”
“I’m going to beat you with this club if you don’t shut up.” He was still laughing as I raised my club. Right at that moment, my phone rang from the golf cart. My poor caddie looked frantic as I sliced through the shot.
“Shit!” I stormed over to the cart and pulled out my phone. It was the Las Vegas office. Since I sold my majority holdings in the resorts, they rarely called. I had appointed a CEO to handle the operations of the businesses that I’d kept, which were few. With a furrowed brow, I answered the phone. “Vansant.”
“Mr. Vansant, this is Nicole in the Las Vegas office.”
“Yes, Nicole, what is it?” I didn’t mean to be so abrupt with her. I’d actually woken up that morning feeling short and I had no idea why.
“I’m so sorry to bother you, sir, and you might be even more annoyed with me once I tell you why I’m calling. It’s just that the young lady sounded so genuinely upset—”
“What young lady? Nicole, what are you talking about?”
“Sir, a young lady named Emma called and—” My hand was suddenly shaking so hard that I almost dropped the phone.
“Emma? Are you sure that was her name?” Sal looked up sharply then; his interest was piqued as well.
“Yes, sir, I’m sure. She had a thick accent, but I had her repeat it for me to be sure.”
“An accent? What kind of accent?” If she had said southern or French or Italian, I wouldn’t have even considered it was my Emma, but when she said,
“I believe it was Spanish, sir,” my heart leapt.
“What did she say?”
“She said it was urgent…an actual emergency is how she put it. She said she needs you.”
“What’s her number?”
“That’s the odd thing, sir – she didn’t leave one. She asked that you be available in an hour and she’ll call back. What should I tell her when she calls?”
“Nothing. Forward the call to me.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Nicole…thank you.” I knew that most receptionists wouldn’t have had the balls to call the big boss with a message like that. I appreciated that Nicole did.
“You’re welcome, sir.” As soon as I ended the call, Sal was up in my space and full of questions. I told him what Nicole said.
“You think it’s her?”
“I’m sure it is. Who else would it be?”
“She ‘needs’ you, though? She left you, man.”
I pointed at the scar on my cheek and said, “Did you forget what the man she left with was capable of? Do you honestly think she had a choice?”
He looked slightly abashed. “Okay, point taken. But, man, you have a fiancée. You’re getting married in six days. What is Delia going to say about this?”
“Maybe we should wait and see what it is Emma needs before we go there. I will cross one bridge at a time.”
“Okay, man…okay.” Sal looked skeptical about the whole thing. I was simply in shock. “You still want to play?”
“No, I couldn’t think straight. I need a drink.”
He chuckled. “It’s a little early, even for me.”
“It’s five o’clock somewhere,” I told him. “Are you in for a bloody Mary or mimosa?”
“I guess when you put it that way.”
We had the caddies load everything up and take us to the club. I downed the first drink and after a few minutes, it began to warm my veins and settle my nerves. I’d just gotten my second one when the phone rang. With a deep breath and a glance at my best friend, I answered it,
“Emma?” I heard almost silent sobs on the other end. “Emma is that you? Are you okay?”
“Nicholas…” she said my name with an accent that she clearly hadn’t had before, but I knew it was her voice. I felt it as much as I heard it.
“Emma, talk to me. Where are you? Has he hurt you?”
She was whispering as she said, “I don’t have much time Nicholas. I’m so sorry for everything.”
“Don’t apologize, Emma, tell me what you need. Tell me where you are.”
“I’m on an island near Spain Nicholas, my name is not Emma…it’s Ariana and I am a princess.”
********
I was packing when Delia got home. I had spent way too much time arguing with Sal before I finally left the club. He was upset with me for Delia’s sake, and I didn’t blame him. But, I didn’t mean to do anything to hurt Delia or betray the promises I made to her. I was simply going to save Emma’s life, if I could.
Once that was settled, Delia and I could return to our life and our plans…I hoped. I knew that talking to her should have been my first priority, but I knew she would be home soon and I didn’t want to waste any more time. I already had my pilot working on a flight plan and getting the jet ready to go. My security team had all been notified and were probably already at the airport.
I didn’t have much time. I had what I was going to say to her all prepared in my head, but as soon as I looked at her sweet, little pixie face, I felt like the world’s biggest ass. I wondered for just a fraction of a second if I’d lost my mind. No matter how much time I’d spent planning this day in my head, I was no soldier. But, I employed ten of the finest ex-soldiers in the States and I had to believe they would get me through this and get Emma out of that hell she was living in.
My guts twisted up in a tight knot and I fought to keep a neutral expression as Delia smiled at me. Her bright smile faltered when she saw the suitcase on the bed and confusion clouded her eyes. “Are you going somewhere?”
“Can we sit for a minute?” I saw the confusion change to fear. She thought I was leaving her. Trying to ease her fear I quickly said, “I just have to go out of town for a little while.” I could tell by the deep line forming between her eyebrows that didn’t do it.
“Nicholas, we’re getting married in less than a week and then we’re going out of town, for our honeymoon. We have a meeting with the clergy and rehearsal dinner this week. Sal has a bachelor party arranged for you. You can’t just take off. You’re not supposed to be tied up with work any longer since you hired that CE
O. I don’t understand; is there an emergency?”
“There is, kind of. Can we sit?” I reached out for her and she pulled back. She hadn’t even heard the details and she was already pissed. Things didn’t look like they were going to bode well for me.
“I don’t want to sit, Nick. Tell me where you’re going.”
“To Spain.”
The look on her face was horrified. “Six days before our wedding and you’re going to Spain? For what? You’re going to miss everything…maybe even the wedding.”
“I won’t miss the wedding, Delia. Please just listen to me for a second. Do you remember the woman I told you about, the one I was seeing before I met you? Emma?”
“The one you were still obsessed with a year later when I met you? Of course, I remember. I competed with her memory for months before you got over her…or at least, I thought that you had gotten over her.”
“I am over her, Delia, but she’s in trouble and needs help.”
She laughed, but there was no humor in it at all. “And she called you? It figures, the only person out of billions on the planet that she could think of to reach out to is my fiancé.”
“Delia, please listen to me. The man that did this to me,” I touched the left side of my face, “he’s holding her prisoner. He hurts her. She doesn’t have anyone else that will help her. What kind of man would I be if I just left her there?”
She sighed. “I know you’re a good man, Nick, but please don’t do this. You have security. You have a hundred employees you can send. You have contacts all over the world. Please, don’t go.”
“She’s been through so much, Delia. She’s not going to trust just anyone…only me.”