Page 48 of Princess of Pride
“You check that one.” I tell Wes. He nods and turns to the right.
I open the door to a large space with sinks and stalls. It’s empty too. “Emery?” I shout in case she’s using the toilet.
No response. “Fuck.” Again, I reach for my gun and find nothing.
“Wes?” I call out and glance behind me, even as I shove open the three stall doors that are closed. All empty.
He enters in a rush. “The other side is clear.”
“She’s not here.” What the fuck? Did she take off again? I swear to God when I find her, I’m chaining her to me by the neck like a fucking dog.
A door opening sounds around a nearby corner. “You left her phone, eejit. We can’t leave any evidence behind.” Her words and Scottish accent tell me all I need to know. She’s here for Emery, sent by a man who poses the most threat to me and anyone or thing that’s important in my life.
I race around the corner, Wes on my heel, and come face to face with a redhead. She freezes in her tracks. For a few seconds our eyes lock. The way her widen says she knows who I am. Her face pales, and her head turns toward the closed door. “Run!”
I charge her, grab her neck, and throw her against the wall like she’s trash. She crashes into it with a groan.
“Take her,” I say to Wes, knowing he’ll get what we need from her.
Wrenching open the door, I barrel around the corner of a private hallway. A built man in all black, nearly crashes into me.
His eyes stretch wide with recognition. He swings a right hook, but I dodge the hit and punch him hard in the ribs. I pummel him just like I do in the ring, tearing into opponents during underground fight matches.
“Where is she?” I demand when he gets a hit into my arm.
I don’t register the pain. It’s nothing I haven’t felt a hundred times over.
“Fuck off!” the man spits.
I tackle his waist and take him down to the ground. Landing on top of him, I sit up and rain hits on his face. Bloodsplatters—whether from my knuckles, his face, or both, I don’t know.
“Where is she?” I keep wailing on him.
Someone hauls me back. I turn to pound on the person.
Wes blocks the hit. “Do you want to kill him, or do you want to know where Emery is?”
If I reply yes to both, Wes won’t stop me. I usually have more control over myself when I fight. Emery has me off my game. The guy groans beneath me, barely moving.
“She’s here,” Wes says. “They drugged her and have a van, but Red”—he jerks his head toward the bathroom—“doesn’t know if Rian here”—he kicks the man’s foot—“put her in there yet.”
I grab Rian’s bloody jaw and squeeze.
He cries out, his eyes wide and filled with pain, letting me know I had broken his jaw. Getting him to tell me where she is with words, won’t be an option now.
I lean close to his face. “If she’s dead, you will be too. Now point with your fucking finger and show me where she is.”
When I straighten, he points to the left where there are two doors. One is open to the outside and the other is closed.
“I’ll get her,” Wes says about to step around me and the guy in the small hallway.
“No. Take these two out of here and send them back with a message.” I stand and race to the closest door, opening it.
Emery lays on her side on the ground in a supply closet.
“Fuck!” I race to her, drop to my knees, and place my finger on her neck. Her pulse thumps but it’s weak. Carefully, I inspect her for injuries. Other than pale, she looks fine, which means they drugged her. I’ll need to call my doctor to check her out before we leave. I won’t fly with her and risk something worse happening once we’re in the air.
How dare my cousin—my greatest rival—try to take Emeryfrom me while we’re in negotiations. He and his goons are fools to think they could. The idiot Rian must have stashed her here when he heard his partner yell,run. If he were smart, he would have taken off with Emery. I’m thankful he’s a shitty kidnapper or else my wife would be gone.
