Page 34 of Princess of Pride
I don’t reply to any of the texts, but I worry that Lachlan or my family can track my phone. My dad’s hounds found me easily enough in the past, reminding me before I went into a party or a club that I was being watched, but stopped when I moved back home and agreed to marry Lachlan.
Dad has connections with the Greenwich police too. If Lachlan was serious about finding me, he could use my dad’s network in addition to my phone to track me. But if I get rid of my phone, I’ll lose all my contacts. Like anyone has those memorized.
Still, I should do something, or all this will have been for nothing. Dammit.
After giving Peter a semi-true story about an arranged marriage to a monster, I talk him into stopping at a strip plazawith a bank, a T-Mobile, and a discount store Mom would never set foot in.
For an extra-large tip and my designer wedding dress for his newly engaged daughter, Peter did multiple things to help the terrified-young-woman-on-the-run story I gave him. He let me snap pictures of the contacts with his phone before discarding mine. The only additional thing I’d need is my bank app and password, which I chose years ago and know by heart.
Peter then bought me a new phone, a dress and purse from the discount store, waited outside the SUV while I changed, and put my slightly mangled wedding gown in the back. According to Peter, his daughter sews and can fix the snag.
The maxi dress he picked out for me is awful. The top half is white, and the bottom half has a blue and white diamond pattern. If Alice in Wonderland and Jessica Rabbit had a dress baby, this would be it. He was probably stressed and grabbed the first thing he could find. I should consider myself lucky that he’d agreed to help me at all. But this dress has more than design flaws. It has zero support and does nothing to conceal my breasts.
I didn’t ask Peter to buy me a bra. It didn’t cross my mind because the wedding gown had one built-in. Now, I wish I remembered I needed one, no matter how awkward the request would have been. My lace thong isn’t helping either. It’s not seamless so the outline shows through the clingy material. I can’t believe I’m going to walk into the Carlyle dressed like a Mad Hatter version of Pretty Woman.
We stop at a bank before leaving the strip plaza. I withdraw cash, stuffing it into the small purse Peter bought me that’s shaped like a poodle with a red bow.
Once again, I’m thankful that my trust fund was signed over to me or else none of this would be possible. Since Lachlan signed it over to me, neither he nor my dad can block my access.His act of generosity by granting my wish shows how little he feared I’d do something this extreme.
Maybe after a safe amount of time has passed or I can convince Lachlan to leave me be, I can book a room at Adelaide’s family hotel. The Sea House is in Rhode Island. I would have booked it first, but it seems too easy a place for my dad or Lachlan to find me.
I scan the website for availability, the act nothing more than wishful thinking. A special note appears on the home page. Adelaide’s dad died and private services will be held at the VonAston Castle. That’s where Kingston—the love of her life—lives. Did they finally work things out and he’s helping her?
She never shared good stories about her dad, more like how he neglected her in favor of his new wife and her daughters. One of them was worse than the other. Clementine was a nightmare. She even stole Kingston for a while, and he blew off Adelaide as if they were never friends. She hated them both, rightfully so.
Regardless of her difficult relationship with her dad, this can’t be easy for her.
If I hadn’t gotten myself in this messed up situation, I could have gone to her. I could have been at her side if she needed me.
I feel like a horrible, selfish person. If I had dutifully followed the rules, rules I agreed to in my dad’s office when I signed my life to Lachlan’s, I could have negotiated a trip to visit Rhode Island for a few days. Now, I can’t even contact her without worrying she’ll get interrogated by my husband.
There is no place you can run that I won’t find you. Consider yourself warned.
Would he hunt me down like a dog? With the way he kept declaring I’m his, maybe. The man has serious control issues.
I could never put Adelaide in a situation where she’d haveto lie for me. If I call her, shewillhave to lie to my family or Lachlan if they contact her in an attempt to find me.
The last we spoke, I said I had an earful for her. She probably hasn’t reached out to me, thinking her situation would bring me down. We’re such a pair in that way.
I’ll send a huge bouquet to the VonAston Castle with a sympathy card and tell her we’ll catch up when things die down. This cat and mouse game between me and Lachlan can’t last forever. Once it’s settled—preferably in my favor—I’ll fill her in on the truth.
I order the arrangement on my new phone so I don’t forget and glimpse an ad for a spy TV series that flashes at the bottom of the page. It shows a clip of a man being physically interrogated.
My stomach bunches with thick knots.
Would Lachlan do something like that to Raphael? I’ve never seen him act violently. Mom said he’s well-mannered, but he has anger issues. I don’t know what he’s really like or the lengths he would go to get me back.
I slam my fist down on the leather seat, wanting to kick myself for involving Raphael.
When I glance out the window, I realize we’re in the city. Slower traffic, cars honking, people walking the sidewalks. I read the GPS on the dashboard. Eight minutes until we’re at the hotel.
I want to call and check on Raphael, but I’ve never had his cell number. I didn’t need it to sneak out to meet him in the backyard. Even though, I want to believe he’s fine, I don’t want to assume anything.
I stifle a groan of frustration. Everything in me doesn’t want to do this, but I can’t live without knowing I might have caused serious problems for Raphael or his dad.
I pull up Lachlan’s contact information on my phone. Iadded his number along with my family’s, Adelaide’s, my bank, and a few others.
Before texting him, I Google how to block my new number and follow the instructions.
