Page 63 of Hideaway

God, hearing those words,herwords reverberating through her memory made her want to reach over and smother Cade’s delectable face with a fluffy pillow and be done with it.Technically, she was still his prisoner, so she could chalk it up to self-defense, get off scot-free, and never have to face the humiliating repercussions of whatever idiocy last night had been. Truthfully, she was considering it.

With a loud sigh, Kara opted for breakfast rather than murder, sliding out of bed carefully so as not to wake sleeping beauty. At least he would wake up alone. The thought gave her a measure of satisfaction. Kara rifled through the closet until she found a silk nightgown and matching robe. She wasn’t sure why Cade had even bothered to purchase nightwear since the only thing she seemed to have on her at night was him. She dressed quickly, throwing on a pair of slippers to protect her feet from the cold, and snuck out of the room.

The house was pleasantly empty as Kara made her way to the kitchen. The guys were still working on a job, the details of which she was left entirely uninformed. On that account, she supposed ignorance truly was bliss. Surprisingly, she also found the kitchen abandoned. She was happy Cade had actually given Mrs. Hughes a day off; she deserved it after having to deal with his pampered ass for so long. Kara took a moment to appreciate the peaceful tranquility of being entirely alone. For someone so accustomed to solitude, that might have been her first moment unencumbered by mandatory company or watchful eyes since Cade had taken her.Kidnappedher, she reminded herself. How was it that damning transgression seemed less and less atrocious the more time she spent in Cade’s presence?

Must be the magical qualities of his massive cock.

Refusing to focus on the alarming emotional attachments forming between them, Kara reduced their relationship to simply a good, albeit confusing, fuck and trudged to pantry in search of the ingredients for pancakes. Because she needed the distraction of actually doing something for herself for a change—something as simple as cooking breakfast—and damnit, pancakes made everything better.

Kara was on her tiptoes, reaching for the flour at the top shelf of the pantry, when something hit her hard from behind. There was barely a moment to register the pain of the assault before the room started to shift and blackness overtook her vision.

And then…nothing.

THE unmistakable vibration and jostle of being in a moving vehicle slowly dragged Kara into unwelcome consciousness. Her head throbbed like a bitch, and a coppery tang that she recognized as blood lingered in her mouth. She felt disoriented, possibly concussed, as she tried to blink open her eyes and gauge her surroundings. It was dim, the dark tint of the windows blocking the sunlight and distorting the view of any passing cars. Even if she tried to signal for help, no one would see. Trying to sit up, Kara groaned as gravity further assaulted her already injured head. Looking around, Kara noticed that she was, thankfully, alone in the backseat of what was obviously a luxury car. There was a divider blocking her view of the front seat, so Kara couldn’t see the driver. She gathered enough strength to bang on the black screen, desperate to get through to whoever was on the other side.

“Hey, asshole! Let me out!”Kara shouted angrily. There was only silence, much as she expected. She tried the doors, but they were locked. Again, no surprise there. She doubted her kidnappers would have gone through the trouble to take her from the manor and then make escape a viable option, but she would have felt stupid not tryingsomething.Seriously, she was a little over being taken hostage. Once was an honest mistake of fate.Twicemade her feel like she’d done something to piss fate the fuck off.

Kara looked out the window for any clues of where they may be headed. The scenery still looked like Illinois, but she wasn’t sure how long they’d been driving. They could be in fucking Canada for all she knew. Had Cade noticed she was missing, yet? Would he think she’d run away again? Would he hate her, thinking she’d betrayed him after the meaningful night they shared together? She was seriously deranged if she was worried about hurting her captor’s feelings by inadvertently being kidnapped byanotherfucking psycho. Apparently, Cade had fucked her up exquisitely, but she’d think about the massive amounts of therapy she needed later. At that moment, she needed a plan of escape.

She was dozing when she felt the car slow and then stop in front of large, iron wrought gates. The ornate, gold inlaid flourishes of hand crafted metal and the ostentatious R initial in the middle looked eerily familiar, but Kara couldn’t place where she’d seen it before, her head still cloudy from being bludgeoned. The gates opened automatically, ushering them in, and Kara felt a little more panicked as she heard them screech to a close behind her. The car traveled down a long, winding drive, surrounded by perfectly manicured trees before coming upon a large, Colonial-style mansion that definitely looked familiar. Her sense of foreboding grew as the car pulled around to the spacious, multi-car garage and parked. Adrenaline thumped in her blood as Kara waited for the only thing that could happen next: her door opening. She was prepared when she finally heard the click of the locks releasing, rearing back and kicking with all her might against the unassuming assailant opening the car door.

“Fuck! Fucking bitch!”the man gasped in surprise, recovering himself quickly and grabbing her ankle viciously before she could land another blow. He twisted her ankle brutally, flipping her onto her stomach before dragging her out of the car by her legs. Pinning her against the leather seats, the man pulled her up by her hair and forced her against his body.“Stop fucking fighting, or I’ll dose you again,”he ordered harshly, his spit landing on her check as he spat out the words.

Swallowing her panic and revulsion, Kara stopped struggling, the threat having its desired effect.Dose her again? Had she been drugged? That would explain the mental haze, although her head injury definitely contributed to that as well. Fucking hell, she was getting sick of being drugged and kidnapped.

“Get going,”the stranger ordered, pushing her forward and causing her to stumble slightly before regaining her balance.

“Where are we?”Kara couldn’t stop herself from asking, even though she doubted she’d receive an answer.

“No questions,”the man barked out as he shoved her forward again.

Kara walked up some steps and exited through a door at the back of the garage, the unknown man close behind. He pushed her down a well-lit hall and then up toward a huge staircase that reminded her of the manor. Not that the house was anything like Cade’s. Where Ashford Manor was all dramatic hues, history and art, golden fixtures, and intentionally obnoxious opulence, the mansion in which she was currently being held prisoner was stark. Everything was bright and white, so much so that it hurt Kara’s eyes to take it all in. At that moment, she missed Cade’s garish taste, even his fucking chandeliers. In spite of everything, the manor had started to feel like something more than a prison. And, as Kara looked around her, she had a feeling she would fare far worse in the new prison.

The gruff, un-talkative man forced her down the hall on the upper level, all the way to a room at the very end. Opening the door, the man thrust Kara inside and shut the door without another word, locking her in. Kidnapped, drugged, held hostage, and no escape in sight—it was all starting to feel very familiar.

Resolved not to make things easier for anyone by being a good little prisoner, Kara immediately scoured the room for a chance of escape. Upon closer inspection, her situation was growing more grim by the moment. The room was nearly bare. All furniture had been removed save for the large bed in the middle of the room. Heavy drapes obscured windows that were sealed shut, offering no way of escape. The adjoining bathroom housed the bare necessities: a toilet, a large bathtub, and a sink with empty cupboards underneath. There was nothing that could be fashioned into a weapon. Nothing that could serve as any sort of protection or defense. Nothing that could help her evade her entrapment. Kara could do nothing more than sit in silence and wait for whatever dreadful fate loomed in the distance.

She wasn’t kept waiting long. A demanding knock sounded from the door, disrupting Kara’s fixation on the textured patterns in the ceiling while she sprawled out on the bed. Clearly, the knock was more a warning than a courtesy as the door swung open with no admittance from her. Cautiously, Kara rose from the bed to look at her kidnapper. Her brows rose in surprise at the man haughtily filling the space of the doorway.

Avery Reed.

Of course, that’s why the sprawling mansion felt familiar. She’d attended an academic fundraising event held by Mr. Reed and his wife at their home. Though she hadn’t been occupying an isolated bedroom clearly fitted for suspicious purposes the last time she was there, Kara remembered seeing the lower levels at the charity function. But why had he personally overseen her abduction and captivity? He certainly didn’t seem like the type to soil his own hands with such matters; that’s why he had hordes of money to buy off criminals to do the dirty work for him.Criminals like Cade.The thought gave her a chill.

Kara tried to summon what she had gleaned of the man’s character from social events at the university. Avery Reed was intelligent—or at least well-educated, as the two traits didn’t always go hand in hand—charismatic, and a pleasant conversationalist. He was quite indulgent with his wife, a bit overzealous with his alcohol, and incredibly wealthy. Though Kara didn’t have an encyclopedia on the man, perhaps she had intuited enough information to negotiate with him rationally. Hoping to appeal to the congeniality she had experienced with him many times before, Kara decided on an approach that was friendly and conversational, playing into the farce that this was all just an unfortunate misunderstanding.

“Mr. Reed, this is a surprise,”Kara greeted with an ease she didn’t feel.

“Call me Avery, please,”he answered, all charm and good manners.“I believe we have been acquainted quite long enough for the familiarity of first names. I’ll extend you the same courtesy, Kara. I am slightly disappointed that you didn’t recognize my estate when you arrived.”

“Oh, I definitely recognized your estate when we reached the gilded gatesemblazonedwith your initials,”Kara retorted, voice dripping with sarcasm.“I was merely surprised that a man of such prominence would involve himself in criminal activities and kidnapping.”

“Desperate times call for desperate measures, I’m afraid,”Avery responded without remorse.“It is not yet common knowledge, but my wife of twelve years is endeavoring to divorce me.”

“My condolences to Mrs. Reed on having been married to you for so long. I expect a rectification of that unhappy union was long overdue,”Kara responded in contempt.

“Yes, well, it’s Mrs. Hall-Reed, actually. And I wouldn’t cast your pity too quickly if I were you. As it happens, the Halls are endowed with more money than God or even I.”

“I am pleasantly surprised you’re still able to make the distinction between yourself and divinity. I’ve found that unbecoming amounts of wealth and over-inflated egos addle the mind in that regard.”

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