Chapter Seventeen
Romy
C aius releases me and then steps around me to speak with Solomon. Gareth, attuned to his brother’s desires, grabs hold of my wrist and guides me away from them.
“What was all that about?” I ask, shooting Gareth a questioning look.
“Just a test.”
His cryptic answer tells me nothing. Was it a test for me? For Caius?
“Where’s Theo?” I stop and tug my wrist out of his grip. “I told him I’d meet him for a drink.”
Gareth’s usually smiling face curves downward into a slight frown. “Why?”
“He’s my friend.” I poke at Gareth’s firm chest. “He doesn’t set me in the lap of a dragon to test me because he’s my friend .”
Unlike other people…
I leave those words unsaid, but Gareth hears them loud and clear. Guilt flickers in his gaze.
“Sorry,” he mutters. “Come on. Let’s go somewhere quiet so we can talk. You’re right. I’m not being a good friend. That was careless to do when your head’s been such a mess.”
I’m unsure what that means, but I nod in agreement. Gareth snags a couple of glasses of wine and leads me over to a sitting area, away from the people milling around. I sit down on the love seat, set my clutch down, then take the offered glass.
“I’m listening,” I encourage before sipping the white wine. “Explain.”
He sits next to me—too close for someone whose brother I’m supposedly dating—and his knee brushes mine. “Solomon likes pretty things. Especially if he thinks they’re broken. Likes to fix them in his own special way.”
My skin crawls thinking about the man with the beady eyes assessing whether or not I was something he could fix. “So you led me right to him? Why?”
Gareth flinches at my harsh words. “That’s the thing. He’s the top investor of CUP. At these dinners, he always wants to be… served and it has to be of value.”
The room tilts slightly. A wave of dizziness washes over me. I’m again reminded this is more than just a game to escape. They’ve drawn me into their wicked world where they’re not the only monsters here.
“Was Megan served to him?” I demand, voice slightly quavering.
“No,” he rushes out. “She’s still alive.”
She’s still alive.
As opposed to other women who are served to this man?
Iciness creeps through my veins, numbing me completely. “You were going to just give me up to him?”
“Ro.” Gareth downs his entire glass of wine in two gulps before setting the empty glass on the table in front of us. “Listen. I wasn’t giving you to him. I was offering him the choicest…” He trails off and I don’t know that I want him to even finish that statement. “Anyway, that’s you. But I also dropped your name so he’d know you were off-limits.”
The Langston name comes to the rescue again.
“What was Caius’s part in that?”
Gareth laughs. “You’re his girlfriend. He clearly wanted to make that known.”
Their strange world of treating human beings like cattle to be traded or sold makes me sick to my stomach. To force the bile down, I, too, chug down my wine.
“If you’re my friend, help me find Megan and then give me a car to get out of here. These people are clearly dangerous. I just want to go home.”
Gareth scowls and looks away. “You’re not ever going to give that up, huh?”
“My freedom? Nope.”
“You love Caius, remember?”
I burst out laughing. “You people really think I’m someone you can easily brainwash. It’s not working. I know who I am.”
Gareth stiffens, gaze darting back to mine. “Careful.”
“Or what? Is creepy Solomon going to kidnap me and trap me in his lair? Honestly, I could use a change of scenery.”
“Ro,” Gareth clips out, hand gripping my thigh. “There are ears everywhere around here. Be mindful of your words. I can’t help you if you get yourself dragged off by the likes of Solomon.”
Somehow, I feel like he’s right. Solomon would be worse. There was something unhinged behind his sharp gaze.
“I just want to go home,” I whisper. “Please.”
Gareth’s expression pinches and I can tell he’s internally warring over something. Rather than let him talk himself out of it, I press on.
“I know you don’t want to hurt me,” I say softly, covering his hand with mine. “This will end badly for me because I’ll never succumb to these mind games.”
He’s silent, clearly still thinking it over.
“Just tell me where Megan’s at and get me a set of keys,” I urge. “I can hide them in my clutch. No one will ever know it was you.”
“I…” Gareth trails off and darts his gaze to me. “Ro, you know I can’t do that. We can’t risk it.”
The lie of me being Caius’s girlfriend has fallen to the ground, shattering at our feet. There’s a truth to his words.
“I know you’re a decent man.” I squeeze his hand, hoping to reach the thread of humanity inside him. “So do the decent thing. No one ever has to know.”
He swallows hard and then dips his head once. Was that a yes? My heart leaps into my throat and starts hammering double time when he lets go of my hand to stand. Without another word, he strides away from the sitting area, disappearing around a corner.
Am I to follow him?
Do I wait here?
Will he really go through with it?
While I attempt to get a hold on my racing thoughts, I scan the room of people. The penthouse is loft-like with its high ceilings and huge open floorplan. Stairs lead to an upper level where there are several closed doors. I haven’t yet seen Orion and wonder if he’s hiding until he makes his grand appearance.
Hopefully, I’ll be gone by then.
That man gives me the creeps.
I catch a few men curiously looking my way. It’s probably spreading that Caius is my “boyfriend,” and all these people who know the cold man are probably wondering how he snagged a young, vibrant woman such as myself. Surely they’re all asking themselves if he kidnapped me because there’s no way a Langston would shack up with one of these monsters.
If they all find out, word will get back to Dad, right?
It has to.
Dad runs with the wealthiest and most influential people on the planet. The king of media will certainly hear of this news soon.
If Gareth doesn’t come through, Dad and Bastian will be my backup plan. Maybe Gareth did me a favor introducing me to Solomon. This could be the door that allows for my mistake.
I’d rather get out of here on my own, not involving my father.
When I see Theo by a bar area, I jump to my feet. Eyes continue to watch my every move, but I ignore them in my effort to reach him.
“Hey,” I say, grinning at him. “Thought I’d never find you.”
Theo’s grin falls as he checks me out. He leans toward me and murmurs, “Damn, babe, you look fucking fine tonight.”
It’s stupid that his compliment actually makes me feel good. I mean, I know I look good. There were mirrors at Caius’s house. But since my own “boyfriend” failed to mention it, I didn’t really believe it. Theo’s raspy words confirmed it, though.
“Thanks.” I take the cocktail he hands me. “You don’t seem to be nursing a hangover.”
He snorts out a laugh. “Should’ve seen me this morning at my meeting. I thought Dad was going to thump me in the head. It was rough.”
“What did you have to meet with him about?”
“Nothing exciting. Some coming events. A new CUP acquisition…” He trails off and holds up his cocktail. “Cheers to getting wasted again!”
I want to push on the words he’s just said, but it’s evident he caught himself. I’ll need to encourage him to drink again since he loosens up when that happens.
We drink a round while Theo points out people, explaining who’s who, who betrayed who, and who slept their way around to nasty, expensive divorces. I pay attention to every name, every detail, every story. Nothing in Theo’s demeanor tells me he’s lying, so I take his words as truth, memorizing all of it.
Since Gareth doesn’t come back and Caius is nowhere to be found, I find myself relaxing in Theo’s presence. Gareth is a wildcard. He may or may not help me with finding Megan. Theo, however, can’t hide his interest in me. Whenever a man looks too long my way, Theo guides me out of their sight or steps in front of me to block their view. Again, it’d be cute and attractive if he were some regular guy I met rather than my kidnapper.
Dinner isn’t formal. It’s grab and go from a buffet table set up in the middle of the room. Thankfully, Theo grabs us a couple of plates so I don’t have to walk through the groups of strangers. After we eat and drink more strong cocktails, I notice Theo openly touching me in a possessive way—a lingering hand on my hip, a brush of his fingers over my cheek, standing close enough to sniff my hair.
“We should go somewhere,” I tell Theo, giving him a sly smile. “We can get in your car and leave. Just the two of us. Don’t you want to be alone?”
Theo groans. “You’re killing me, babe.”
“Please,” I beg, voice breathy. “We both want it.”
Before he can answer, a man approaches. I can sense fury emanating from him. At first, I think it’s Caius, finally noticing his brother staking a claim on me. It’s worse. Orion Crowne glowers at me with such contempt I’d stagger away if it weren’t for Theo’s strong body blocking me.
“Oh, hey, Dad,” Theo says in an easy tone. The sudden stiffness of his body claims otherwise. “What’s up?”
“Your obscene behavior, Theo,” Orion growls, “is an embarrassment. I knew this would be a problem.”
This being…me.
When I see Gareth from across the room, I take my leave, abandoning Theo with his furious father. “I, uh, need to visit the ladies’ room.”
Neither of them stops me. I unsteadily make my way over to where Gareth stands, shoulders tense, an edgy glint in his eyes. His hand is fisted beside him, and I pray it’s a key fob.
“Did you get it?” I murmur once I’m close.
He nods. “Open your purse.”
I unsnap the flap and he quickly drops the fob into it. Once I’ve safely closed it, it takes everything in me not to take off in a sprint toward the elevators.
“You’ll need me to get you down to the basement floor.” He scans the crowd and then nods toward the elevator. “Ready?”
“Yes,” I say, following after him when he heads for it. “What about Megan? Where is she?”
“That’s a little more complicated,” he says as we enter the safety of the elevator. “I’ll get you downstairs and then grab her. Just get out of the garage and turn right instead of left once you’re out. I’ll meet you on the side of the lodge with her.”
This seems too good to be true.
But it’s not.
He gave me a key fob, he’s getting Megan, and I’m being taken to the garage.
I can’t believe this is happening.
The elevator tilts and I curse myself for drinking too much. In my effort to soften Theo up to loosen his lips, I overindulged, and it might hinder my escape.
Stupid!
Desperation chases away the buzz. The elevator doors close, and I watch Gareth swipe his code on the panel, though I’m too unfocused to memorize it.
It won’t matter after tonight.
Freedom is so close I can taste it.
We reach the basement floor and I stumble in my heels as I rush to exit the elevator. Gareth has to grab both my shoulders to keep me from face-planting into a wall. A surge of panic rushes through me. Did he change his mind? Is he going to drag me off to some dark corner to have his way with me? Stifling a scream, I scramble out of his hold, putting distance between us. To my surprise, his features fall as though I’ve broken his heart.
Crap.
I can’t mess all this up now when freedom is literally steps away.
“Sorry,” I blurt out, rushing over to him. “Thank you for everything, Gareth. I mean it.” I hug his massive frame. “I won’t forget what you did for me.”
He squeezes me back. “Be careful, Ro. It’s dangerous out there.”
I manage to pull myself from his arms. He turns on his heel without another word, much to my relief. Once he disappears back into the elevators, I start for the garage door.
Wait.
He forgot to open it for me.
I nearly squeal in relief when I see the door is slightly ajar, a doorstopper keeping it open. Tears well in my eyes, but I blink them away so I can focus.
It takes immense self-control not to burst through the door, but I’m too close to get careless now. Carefully, I slip into the expansive garage, scanning the area for threats. My heels clack loudly on the stained concrete floor as I scramble to find the key fob in my clutch. As soon as I have the device in my hand, I mash the unlock button, curious to see what vehicle I’ll be driving.
The Maserati’s lights blink to life.
You have to be kidding me.
There’s no way this car is getting me through the snow. But I have no choice but to try. With a curse under my breath, I start for the ridiculous car. Before I reach it, someone grabs me from behind, a firm hand covering my mouth to stifle my scream.
“You didn’t think you’d escape that easily, little girl,” Caius hisses against the shell of my ear.
I try to kick at him, but all I end up doing is losing my heels.
“Scream and he’ll hear you. You do not want him to hear you.”
My whole body freezes in his grip.
Him ? Who’s him ?
“That’s a good girl. Now open your mouth. It’ll make what needs to happen a helluva lot easier.”
This horrible man pushes a pill into my mouth, forcing it down my throat until I swallow it down. Then he bends me over the hood of the car. With his hand on my back, holding me down, he hikes my dress up over my hips.
“I’m going to need to take these off,” Caius says, grabbing onto my thong. “Don’t worry, Romy, you don’t have to do anything but enjoy the ride.”
Oh. My. God.