A flicker of hope sparked inside my chest. “Where?”
“It’s hard to say which one exactly, but it’s one of the chambers in the underground tunnels. Nowhere else would have the exposed stone walls like that.”
“Tunnels? What tunnels?”
Liam glanced at his father, who nodded slightly, indicating that he could continue. “There are tunnels beneath the palace. They were built as an escape route in case an attack ever occurred and the family needed to reach safety undetected. They lead down into the city.”
Oh, Lucy. So that’s how she got to Desire undetected. It all made sense.
“The pin he dropped as the place he wants me to meet him is on the edge of the city limits,” Liam remarked.
“Did he say anything about whether he would bring Lucy to the meeting?” Prince Adrian asked.
“No. He just says to come alone.”
“We can send men down to the tunnels and set up a sniper team at the meet-up location in case he shows up.”
Sniper team? Was he suggesting they take out Leo? I mean, I was ready to kill him with my bare hands, but that was his son.
Liam shook his head once. “No. I’m going into the tunnels. Now that we know he has her, moving her is too risky. He’s not stupid—he’ll know we will have men everywhere looking for signs of her. She’s still in her bridesmaid dress, and that flash of blue will stand out.”
“You’re not going anywhere,” King Victor declared.
“I will take Jasper as backup,” Liam countered, not backing down.
“I’m going too!” I shouted.
Liam shook his head. “Out of the question.”
Standing, I yelled, “The hell I’m not! That’s the woman I love!” The effort caused me to feel woozy, and I dropped back into my chair, cradling my head.
Liam scoffed. “You just proved you’re not in any shape to accompany me. If you love her, you’ll let those who are capable handle the situation. You’d only be a liability down there in your condition.”
I knew he was right, but I needed to do something to ease this helpless feeling churning in my gut. More vulnerable than I ever felt in my life, I said softly, “If anything happens to her . . .”
Glancing at his wife, he nodded in understanding. “I know. We’ll get her back.”
Princess Adelaide jumped up from her perch in the corner. “No! Liam, please, we can’t lose both of you. Let someone else go.”
Liam walked over to his mother, pulling her into a tight hug before releasing her. “I have to do this. If it goes sideways, you have the children.”
All eyes turned to the three Remington children gathered around their mother. Natalie’s brown eyes widened when she realized he meant that her kids would be what was left of the family if the unthinkable happened today.
“No,” Natalie sobbed. “Liam, please.”
For a moment, I thought Liam might reconsider—Natalie had always been his Achilles’ heel—but he held firm. “I’m the best chance Lucy’s got. I know you’ll do what needs to be done if I don’t make it back.”
Natalie covered her face as she wept, but Liam didn’t waste another second consoling her. Grabbing a gun from one of the extra security guards in the room, he tucked it into the waistband of his pants.
Turning to his wife, his long strides ate up the space between them and he grabbed her face for a hard kiss that lasted barely a second before breaking away. “I love you, Ames.”
I don’t know how Amy held it together, but her voice never wavered, staring up at her husband. “I love you, too. Bring her home safe.”
The steel door opened, and Liam walked through it, followed closely by his security agent, Jasper, who was also armed. The sound of the door closing and bolting behind them was deafening, giving off an air of finality and foreboding as we all wondered if we would ever see Lucy or Liam again.
Soft sniffles were the only noise in the room until Beau asked his mother, “Is the bad man going to hurt Aunt Lucy?”
Jameson jumped in to clarify, “That bad man is our dad, Beau.”
