So Kaiden was right. Another piece of the puzzle slips into place.
“I... I thought the best chance for Emylyah was to seek another union. A real one this time, so she’d have proper protection.”
And another piece. There’s just one more I need.
“So why not simply get the child marriage terminated beforehand?” That’s what I really want to know. “Why allow the charade to continue?”
Lenka takes a deep breath and looks away. “As I said, in my rush to protect Lyah, I insisted on ongoing protection. I didn’t want Zack to be able to annul the marriage when he reached the age of majority, because Lyah would still be only fifteen. So a binding contract was also put in place. It stated that Zack and Lyah had to remain married for eighteen years. I figured the Viper wouldn’t be interested in a thirty-year-old.”
She glances at me and rushes on. “You have to remember, I was desperate to protect her. In retrospect, the contract was probably too long, but it was airtight, and since the marriage was never consummated, I figured after all these years, it wouldn't matter anymore. Lyah never even knew about it, and Gordon promised he wouldn’t tell Zack, either, but I wasn’t prepared to take a chance on that."
"Wouldn't matter?" I hiss, my temper flaring again. "It matters a hell of a lot, Lenka. Do you have any idea what kind of danger you've put Emylyah in? What kind of danger you've put my unborn child in?"
She flinches at my words, tears welling in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Niko. I never meant for any of this to happen. I was just trying to keep her safe."
I step back, running a hand through my hair in frustration. "Well, your brilliant plan has backfired spectacularly. Emylyah is missing, possibly in danger, and I have no idea where to find her."
“There’s no way this is all on me, Nikolai,” Lenka retorts with a hiss, some of her imperious spirit returning. “Why did she leave in the first place, hmm? What did you do that caused her to take off, and how the hell did she slip past all your guards?”
She glares at me expectantly and the now familiar guilt rises again.
“I was angry, okay?” That’s all I give her, but her eyes narrow and her next words are harsh.
“So this is as much on you as it is me, then,” she declares haughtily. “Maybe more so.”
She opens her mouth to say more, but this is a fruitless conversation, so I cut her off. “There’s no point playing the blame game. It’s not going to help. We need to find her, fast, so what I need to know is if you have any idea where she might go?”
Lenka shakes her head. "I assume you’ve already tried Roisin…”
I nod, and my mother-in-law purses her lips.
“Then knowing Lyah, she’d probably try to fix everything. Make things right.”
I know my wife well enough to understand Lenka’s right, but I’m not sure that helps me at all. Suddenly my phone rings. I answer impatiently.
“Niko, I think I’ve got something," Darian says immediately. "One of her cards was just used at a store…"
"Where?" I demand, hope surging through me.
“I’m just hacking the store’s CCTV, but I’m hampered because Million is here.”
“At the compound? Why?” I ask in irritation. I have better things to do than deal with him right now.
“In the upheaval, we missed a meeting with him, so he’s come to check up on things and he has his daughter with him. Catriona’s already asking a bunch of nosy questions. I caught her pumping one of the guards for info earlier.” His tone says he’s not impressed.
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Fuck! Just make some excuse and set up another meeting with him for next week. Whatever it takes to get rid of them.”
“Got it.”
“And while I remember, change out the fucking guards. I don’t want a single man who disrespected my wife and allowed her to leave, remaining at the compound. They can see how they like working the streets for a while. Now, back to Emylyah…”
“Ah fuck…” Darian's voice trails off and I know I won’t like his response before he even opens his mouth. "False alarm. It's not her. Someone else has her cards."
The hope turns to ice in my veins, my blood running cold as a horrifying thought strikes me. What if she's been mugged? Or abducted. Or worse? With no protection, I've made her a target.
What if something's happened to her already? The possibilities torment me, each one worse than the last. I've never felt so helpless, so out of control.
This is bad. Very, very bad.
