41. Van
FORTY-ONE
Van
MELISSA
Mellissa woke to a sudden lurching sensation. She tried putting a hand out to steady herself only to find her wrists connected to her ankles by a chain running through something strapped around her neck. Her body was bent over double.
Was that a collar around her neck? Terror welled up inside her, and she suppressed the horrible mewling sound, desperately crawling out of her throat.
Kidnapped.
She remembered everything, but couldn’t wrap her mind around what was happening. Why had the deliveryman kidnapped her? Had Scott orchestrated this?
Her hip protested being pressed against the hard metal floor, and her bruised ribs complained. Thick leather wrapped around her wrists and ankles. She could work the buckles with her teeth, but locks stopped her cold.
Something smooth wrapped around her neck, and a chain from her wrists went right to it.
A quick inspection revealed she was in the back of a van. The windows had been blacked out. She was alone, except for hundreds of roses tossed toward the front.
She gagged against the overwhelming rose perfume.
CJ had warned her to be careful. He told her not to trust anyone. Why had she been so stupid? But he’d texted her.
Fear filled her, but she refused to let it rule her emotions. If CJ and his friends were a tenth as good as she hoped, she needed to hold it together until they arrived.
Shivers went down her spine when a garage door rattled in its tracks. The van moved forward, and then the door lowered with a crash. A few minutes later, the door latch to the back of the van clicked.
She squeezed her eyes shut and prayed for strength.
Bright light filtered through her eyelids. She opened them a crack, craned her neck and squinted at her captor.
“Good, I’m glad you’re awake,” he said. “I tried to make the ride as smooth as possible. How do you feel?”
She remained silent. Maybe she should scream? But, who would hear?
“You’ll have to forgive the bindings, but it’s for your safety.”
Her safety? There were so many things she wanted to say.Bastard. Freak. What the hell are you doing? Don’t touch me.Instead, she remained quiet, afraid he’d hurt her if she screamed.
“I’ve waited for this moment for so long.” His eyes glistened.
She couldn’t bear to look at him and squeezed her eyes shut.
“I’ve tried to get you to join me so many times, and it seemed like it would never work out, but you’re with me now. You have no idea how special this day is.”
Hypnotic didn’t even begin to describe his tone. His words wrapped around her seeped into her, made her want to believe every foul thing he said. She shook her head to clear it from his spell.
He leaned forward, and she flinched when he touched her. “Tsk. It would be best if you learned not to do that, my Queen. It makes me mad, and we don’t want that.”
What would he do when he got mad? His face hovered mere inches away. And why did he keep calling her his queen? What did that mean? Scott had had princesses. Was there a connection between her husband and this man?
His smile unnerved her, sending her stomach into a terrifying free fall. Okay, there was a little bit of crazy going on here, which didn’t bode well for her chances.
Please, CJ! Please find me. Save me!
The deliveryman pulled her into his arms, lifting her with little effort and snuggled her close to his chest. He breathed deeply as if inhaling her essence and savoring a moment he had anticipated for far too long.
“Don’t be afraid, my Queen. I am yours, just as surely as you are mine. I will take care of you.”
His words made her skin crawl. She tried to head-butt him, but the chain attached to her neck kept her immobile.
“Let me go.” The words rushed from her lips, pushed out by her subconscious.
He shook his head. “My Queen, you are destined to be mine. Fated to serve. I’ve waited years, and now you’re finally here.”
She scrunched her forehead, trying to make sense of his insanity.
“I’ll take care of you, for now, and for always. Come, I will carry you across the threshold, just like in the stories of old. You will be my Queen and I, your King. I am so excited to have you join us.”
“Us?”
“Yes, my Queen. Your court awaits.”
A roaring sound filled her head. She could hear nothing except for the blood pounding past her ears, giving her an instant, nearly incapacitating headache. This was Scott all over again. Only this time, she wasn’t an oblivious wife. She had become a victim.
She struggled but bound as she was, her movements amounted to nothing.
He carried her through a mudroom and into a kitchen, then jerked to a stop. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Hello, Sissy.” Scott stood in her abductor’s kitchen, his face full of a triumphant smile.
Melissa screamed.