Taken

Chapter 1

Chad jolted awake when the plane touched down on the ground.

He groaned when he realized that he’d been drooling.

Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand he looked around to see if anyone had caught him embarrassing himself.

To his relief it didn’t seem like anyone had noticed.

The first class seats were angled away from each other for maximum privacy, and even if someone had caught him drooling it wasn’t like they would say anything.

Chad couldn’t believe he’d slept for almost the entire flight. Sitting up, arching his back in a much-needed stretch, he rolled his neck. He felt well rested and refreshed, which was not at all how he was used to feeling toward the end of transatlantic travel.

The plane taxied into the gate, and Chad waited impatiently for the fasten your seatbelt sign to switch off. He wasn’t pressed for time, but he still itched to get up. Six weeks away from his mate was a long time, and now that the reunion was eminent he was monstrously impatient.

Just thinking about it made his stomach tingle with warmth and excitement.

The sign finally turned off and Chad shot to his feet.

He grabbed his carry on from the overhead bin and made his way up the aisle, exiting the plane.

By the time he reached the luggage carousel he was half jogging and his legs were jittery with excitement.

He waited impatiently for his bag—one of the first out courtesy of its yellow Priority sticker—and texted Peter.

Getting my bag and heading home now!

If traffic wasn’t too bad he should be home within the hour. He had hoped that Peter would come pick him up at the airport, but Peter had warned him he wouldn’t be able to make it. Still, Chad couldn’t help but look around to see if maybe Peter had changed his mind and decided to surprise him.

He hadn’t, but Chad wasn’t too disappointed. His phone pinged with Peter’s reply to Chad’s text, and Chad smiled as he read it.

Good. I sent a driver to pick you up. Looking forward to seeing you again.

Chad made his way over to the area where all the drivers were waiting, their signs held up over their chests, all of them looking equally bored to be there, and scanned the signs for his name.

He almost needn’t have bothered. He recognized Peter’s man immediately.

The guy was an alpha, mid to late forties, taller than Chad but lean and sleek in a way that Chad had never been, and he held himself more like a soldier than a chauffeur.

Among all the drivers, he was the only one who looked like a bodyguard.

“That’s me,” Chad said, walking up to him and nodding his head down at the neat piece of cardboard. He shifted his bag further up on his shoulder as the driver looked him over, resisting the urge to fidget under the surprisingly intense stare.

“Mr. Brand,” the alpha said, giving a sharp nod before turning around and starting to walk away. He didn’t offer to take Chad’s bag, and that—along with the gun holstered at his hip—further confirmed Chad’s suspicion that Peter had sent a bodyguard to take him home.

Chad hurried after him, having to jog the first few seconds to keep up.

“Everything all right?” he asked as they walked toward the short term parking garage. He wondered why Peter hadn’t mentioned that he was sending a bodyguard. It was weird. Chad was a mercenary for goodness sake. He could take care of himself.

“Sir?” the alpha asked, stopping next to a black Mercedes. If he thought he was passing for a driver, he was sorely mistaken.

“Usually Peter just sends one of the company drivers. Is something going on?”

Chad was met with a blank look, and then a shrug.

“I couldn’t say, sir.”

Chad waited for the man to say more, but when he just popped the trunk and waited for Chad to chuck his luggage inside, Chad realized that that was all he was going to get.

“Okay then,” he said, throwing his bag into the back of the car and getting into the backseat. The driver closed the door, and after a few seconds they were off.

Looking out the window as they exited the airport and merged onto the highway, Chad felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. It was from Peter.

ETA?

Chad laughed. Peter’s text was quick and to the point, much like Peter himself. Chad responded right away.

In the car now:) 40 min.

A second after he’d sent off the text, his phone rang.

“Did you find your driver okay?” Peter asked when Chad picked up the phone. He sounded distracted, and Chad could hear movement in the background like Peter was shuffling papers around on his desk.

“I did,” Chad said with a laugh. He closed his eyes and let himself enjoy the sound of Peter’s voice. Though they had talked often while Chad was away, it hadn’t been nearly enough for Chad’s liking. He couldn’t wait for their reunion. “Are you still at the office?”

“I’m heading out the door now,” Peter said. “I’ve cleared the whole weekend. So if you’ve made any plans with your friends, cancel them.”

Chad’s balls tightened at the way Peter’s voice went low at the end of the command. He reached down and squeezed the bulge of his crotch, taking a deep breath as his cock throbbed in pleasure. He must have made a sound, because Peter caught his breath and went silent.

“Chad?” Peter said, his voice dropping an octave lower than usual.

“Yeah?” Chad’s reply came out like a breathy moan.

“Stop touching yourself.”

Chad’s hand shot away from his crotch like he’d been burned, and an undignified whine escaped his throat.

“Good boy,” Peter crooned. He sounded smug and satisfied, and Chad could just picture the look on his face. Eyes dark and grin predatory, an aroused Peter was a sight to behold.

“So what’s with the extra security?” Chad asked, needing a distraction from his pulsating cock. Now that he’d gotten hard in anticipation of seeing Peter again, he wasn’t having much luck losing his erection.

“What do you mean?” Peter asked.

“The guy you sent,” Chad explained, looking out the window as he worked his hardest to keep his hand away from his cock. “He’s not exactly one of your usual drivers.”

Peter didn’t say anything for a second, the silence strained, and Chad froze.

“What’s the license plate of the car you’re in?” Peter demanded. His voice was hard and clipped, and for a second Chad had to resist the urge to get down on his back and show his belly.

He recited the number, his heart speeding up as he considered the implications of Peter’s question. He looked at the partition separating him from the alpha in the driver’s seat.

Was he being fucking kidnapped?

“Describe the guy who picked you up,” Peter said in between barking orders at someone in the room with him.

“Alpha, late forties, black hair…” Chad pictured his driver in his mind, trying to remember if there was something distinctive about him. Nothing came to mind. “Lean build, about an inch taller than me. Carries himself like he’s used to doing security. I just assumed he worked for you.”

Chad hoped Peter was just messing with him. He knew he wasn’t, but that didn’t stop him from praying this was just a fucked up joke.

“Hold on and stay on the line,” Peter said, putting the phone down. Chad took a deep breath and eyed the door. The lock was up, but when he tried the handle the door stayed shut. He then tried the window, but the control button didn’t work. He was locked inside.

“Okay, we’re tracking you. I’m going to transfer you to Dawn.” Peter sounded both firmly in control and quietly enraged. “Love you.”

“Peter, don’t—"

Chad was cut off as Peter transferred him, and Chad wondered what the hell he was supposed to do now. If this really was a kidnapping, why hadn’t they knocked him out—or at the very least taken his phone?

It didn’t make sense.

“Chad, this is Dawn. How are you doing?”

Chad almost laughed. “I’m fine. Do you know what’s going on?”

“You’re being kidnapped, but your kidnappers are idiots. Peter is on his way and should be intercepting you in about thirty minutes.”

Dawn sounded disdainful, like this whole thing was beneath her. Chad was honestly a little offended. Being kidnapped was a new thing for him. It was a big deal.

“Idiots how?” Chad asked. He needed to keep himself distracted from his slow-simmering panic. “Should I be doing anything?”

Dawn answered his second question first. “You don’t need to do anything. Just sit tight and stay calm. As for why they’re idiots, they’re using an old cell phone jammer. It’s doing nothing to block the 4g signal on your phone.”

Chad only had a vague idea what that meant, but given the absolute derision in Dawn’s voice when pointing out the mistake he decided not to say anything. All he needed to know was that whoever had kidnapped him thought they had jammed his phone, but hadn’t.

“Are you wearing a seatbelt?” Dawn asked suddenly.

“No…” Chad grabbed a hold of the seatbelt and awkwardly pulled it down across his chest. He hesitated before clicking it shut. “Should I be?”

“Yes.” Dawn didn’t say anything else. Fastening his seatbelt, Chad looked out the window to see if there was any sign of Peter. They were still driving down the highway toward the city, and Chad wondered where they were planning on taking him.

So far nothing suspicious had happened. If not for his call to Peter, Chad would have thought everything was as it should be.

Staying on the line, he waited for something to happen as the car continued driving down the highway.

He closed his eyes, forcing himself to remain calm as he listened to Dawn breathing in his ear.

He could hear the sound of her fingers flying over her keyboard in the background, and occasionally she would speak to someone in the room with her, but she didn’t address Chad other than to ask if he was still with her.