Keeping my eyes closed, I didn’t want to give away that I was awake while I cataloged what I could before adding the visual aspect. The first thing I noticed was that it was cold, much colder than the church earlier, and I would go so far as to say it was colder than the early spring air.
Taking inventory of my body, I gathered that I was sitting upright, but when I tried to move, I couldn’t. My shoulders were burning, and I felt the sharp bite of something rough around my wrists when I wiggled my hands—they were tied behind my back, likely with rope, as it felt too prickly to be a zip tie. I couldn’t move or close my legs, so my powers of deduction told me I was tied to a chair.
Go figure, my knowledge of bondage implements and techniques came in handy when my life was on the line.
I tried to take a deep breath but couldn’t draw air through my mouth—something was stuffed inside it. Great, so I was bound and gagged.
This is bad.
My heart raced with the knowledge that whoever dared to take me was not afraid of the consequences. I was the King’s granddaughter, and they clearly knew that with how mykidnapping was planned. They were either insane or stupid—neither scenario would bode well for me.
Trying to breathe through my nose was more difficult, but I managed. Craning my ears, I listened for any sounds that might give me more clues as to where I was and who I was with. The longer I pretended to be knocked out, the better my chances of overhearing something I wasn’t meant to hear.
“You’re not that good of an actress. I know you’re awake.”
There wasn’t time to dwell on the fact that I’d been caught because that was a voice I recognized. It was a voice I’d known all my life but hadn’t heard in almost a year.
Opening my eyes, the person standing before me didn’t match up with the memory of the man I knew. His blonde hair was long now—reaching his shoulders—looking greasy and stringy from lack of washing. His brown eyes appeared sunken in his too-thin face, sporting a scraggly, unkempt dark blond beard. Tattered clothing hung off his body, but it didn’t matter. I’d know that voice anywhere.
He might not look the same, but there was no doubt that the man behind my kidnapping was my very own brother.
“Hey, baby sis,” Leo sneered.
Unable to respond with the gag stuffed in my mouth, it was probably a good thing because I would have given him a piece of my mind. Instead, I scanned my surroundings. We were in a ten-by-ten-foot room with stone walls. I knew exactly where we were—one of the many underground chambers accessed through the tunnels beneath the palace.
My heart sank, knowing that even if I did manage to escape this room, I wouldn’t get far. There weren’t many places to hide in the tunnels, and I had no way of knowing where we were located in the massive labyrinth created as a security measure.
I guess it only worked to keep you safe if one of your own didn’t turn against you.
Pulling on my restraints, testing to see if they had any give, Leo’s sinister laugh echoed off the stone walls. “Don’t bother. You’re not going anywhere.” Then he added, “It’s not my fault you’ve been spoiled by fancy silk ties.”
That got my attention, and my eyes widened in shock as they snapped to his.
Casually, he stalked toward me. “What? Did you really think there was anything that goes on in this country that I don’t know about? I have eyes everywhere. You’d do well to remember that.” Thoughtfully, he added, “I suppose I should be thanking you. If it weren’t for yourextracurricularactivities on New Year’s Eve, I wouldn’t have been able to access the tunnels without notice.”
New Year’s Eve. That was the night Preston revealed himself to be the man behind the mask and then drove me home. I’d been so distraught that it never crossed my mind that I would have left the tunnel access open by not going home the same way I arrived.
Had Leo been living down here since that night? With the dirty way he looked, it was hard to believe otherwise.
God, I was such an idiot. My recklessness put my entire family at risk as I allowed the monster to sneak in the back door. All because I needed my freedom.
Maybe Iwasthe selfish brat Preston thought me to be. I hadn’t cared about anyone else when I used the tunnels—only myself.
While my mind raced, Leo had gotten close enough to bend low next to my ear to taunt me. “If I knew the kind of sick shit you were into sooner, I would have had a taste for myself.”
Bile rose up my throat, and I willed myself not to vomit—I was gagged and would choke on it. If Leo went so far as to take me, he likely wouldn’t have any qualms about letting me die.
“Can you promise to stay calm if I remove your gag?” I nodded enthusiastically, desperate to take a deep breath so I didn’thyperventilate. Staying still, even as my skin crawled where he touched it, I heard him remark, “You always were too shrill.”
The moment the cloth was removed from inside my mouth, I took in huge gulps of air. Now, it was time to get him talking so I could figure out his motives.
Putting all my effort into not letting him see how rattled I was, I kept my voice steady, asking, “What do you want, Leo?”
He walked away from me, and that’s when I noticed the two security guards from the car sitting against the stone wall opposite me. Before Leo turned around, I glanced behind me to scan for additional accomplices, but thankfully, it was just the three men. Not that three adult men against a petite woman were great odds, but it could always be worse.
“I want my rightful place restored.” Leo’s voice was eerily calm.
“What are you talking about?” I knew the answer already, but my training told me I needed to keep him talking.
