Page 8 of Inevitable
Shelby was in the early stages of pregnancy, and I understood Wyatt’s reluctance to leave her if it wasn’t absolutely necessary. Although I’d probably never understand the desire to have a kid that all of my partners seemed to be going through right now.
“He needs to wait,” I answered. “The Michigan team doesn’t need to be flying blind without intel in Lania. We don’t even know if she’s really in trouble right now. How long before the jet is ready to go?”
Wyatt grinned. “It will be ready as soon as you get there. By the time you grab some stuff from your place, get some information, and get to the airport, they’ll be ready to fly.”
I considered myself a wealthy man from years of investing well, but I couldn’t imagine having a private jet at my disposal.
Wyatt, Chase, Hudson, Jax, and Cooper lived in a world I couldn’t even fathom.
All of them had been born into the world of the super-rich, and I admired the hell out of all of them because they’d chosen to give up that world for years to serve their country.
Hell, they were still serving their country as far as I was concerned. Last Hope was a priority for all of them, even though they had the funds to live in the lap of luxury without lifting a finger.
“Thanks,” I said to Wyatt gratefully.
“Don’t thank me,” he insisted. “You’re the one hauling your ass to Cherry Cove, and possibly Lania. I like her, Marshall, and if anyone can find her, it’s you. I might be a billionaire, but I don’t have your connections in high places.”
“Hopefully I won’t need any of them,” I grumbled. “I’m hoping this is all just a misunderstanding.”
My first priority was getting to Cherry Cove, but I was going to put in a call to Prince Nick before I left for the airport. I really needed to know if the rumored assassination attempt wastrue, and what the political situation looked like in Lania at the moment.
“Be careful,” Wyatt said tersely as we moved toward the exit of the headquarters.
“I’m always careful,” I shot back.
“Emma’s a very intelligent woman,” Wyatt informed me. “She wouldn’t do anything risky. If she’s in trouble, I guarantee it’s not her fault. She mentioned that she did a double major at a college in Chicago in both marketing and graphic art. She also worked in the city for years as a marketing designer before she branched out on her own in Cherry Cove. She’s built one hell of a reputation for herself in her field. She’s not a naïve woman with no common sense.”
I moved a little faster to get to the exit.
The more I learned about Emma, the more I was certain that she wasn’t just lounging on the beach in Lania and ignoring her messages.
My gut instinct was telling me something was definitely not right, and even Wyatt’s private jet probably couldn’t get me to Michigan as quickly as I’d like.
Chapter 3
Emma
Iwas a woman who liked to keep things positive, but my optimism was starting to fade.
That probably wasn’t unusual since I’d been chained to a metal support beam in a rundown building in a very desolate, wooded area of Lania for two days.
Nick and I had been visiting an unpopulated area on the Lanian coast that was slated for development in the future when that pleasant, beautiful day had turned into a nightmare.
Nick had wanted to give me some idea of what the area looked like, so I knew what I’d be working on for branding and marketing in the future.
We’d been flown in by helicopter, along with three bodyguards for Nick, something he hated but tolerated.
I’d been strolling the beach some distance from Nick when the bullets had started to fly.
I’d hit the sand after I’d recognized what was happening. Nick had been hauled bodily to the helicopter by his bodyguards as I’d been snatched up by the people responsible for the assassination attempt.
Nick had tried to get to me, but he’d been no match for his three, burly bodyguards whose only purpose was to protect the Crown Prince of Lania.
After that, my memories were somewhat blurry.
I’d fought the kidnappers, but they’d been way too powerful for one woman.
I’d been drugged to make me less combative and taken away to a wooded area of Lania that had probably been the home of the Lanian rebels at one time.
