“You may wonder why I’m going to him, but it’s because he’s holding Gabby as a hostage. He said he’ll release her if I agree to take her place. I don’t know why. I wish I could tell you this, but I’m scared you’d do something to tip him off, and I can’t risk Gabby’s life like that. I’m sorry. If you ever hear this recording and believe me, please come and find me. The baby is ours. I want to have it.”
The speakers crackle again and then go silent. Without Leilani’s voice, the study seems even more miserable than before. Waylen wants to get up and reply to the message, but his legs don’t work the way he wants them to. He looks helplessly at Robert.
“Sir, I told our tech team to enhance the voices in the Pleasure City video,” Robert says, offering Waylen a tablet. “Do you want to hear it?”
Waylen makes no move to reach for the tablet. He doesn’t really want to listen to Leilani’s pleasure Andrew again—the sounds already haunt his nightmares—but Robert is already pressing play. The sound is muffled and scratchy, but the words are distinct.
“Shout!” says Andrew’s voice.
“Shout what?” Leilani asks.
“S.e.x noises,” Andrew says.
“Aren’t you afraid it will draw their attention?”
“So what?” Andrew says, “At least I’m lucky to have a beauty die with me. What’s your name?”
“Felicity Winter,” Leilani says.
When the s.e.x noises begin, Waylen almost loses it. He now knows that they’re fake, but he can’t get the images of Leilani f.u.c.k.i.n.g Andrew in the bathroom stall out of his mind. Before he can ask Robert to stop it, he hears Leilani m.o.a.n his name. Waylen shakes his head and presses his hand to his chest. “Replay the end,” he croaks.
Robert rewinds the clip, and Waylen hears Leilani m.o.a.n his name again. The sound pierces his heart. Even when she was pretending to f.u.c.k another man, she still said my name, he thinks. I can’t believe I doubted her. I can’t believe I refused to help her when she begged me to save her. He struggles to his feet and stumbles drunkenly out of the study.
Waylen stumbles down the hallway, leaning heavily on the wall for support. He can hear Robert walking calmly behind him. “Find her,” Waylen rasps, “You have to find her for me!”
Robert clears his throat nervously, “Sir, the last ping on Mrs. Bamford’s GPS shows that she was in the Misty Forest. It’s very difficult to navigate that area. Most navigational equipment goes haywire, and it’s impossible to fly a helicopter to airlift her out. Also, if Mr. Clifford is keeping her at his mansion, we need to consider the possibility that he’s placed traps and surveillance equipment to slow our progress.”
Waylen turns around and tries to level an icy glare at Robert. The effort makes him dizzy.
“I’ll get the search started,” Robert says.
Waylen stares down the hallway long after Robert disappears. He seems to see Leilani standing in the dim light. Her body blurs and wavers, but she looks as proud as ever. He blinks and rubs his hands over his tired eyes, but memories of her still flashed through his mind.
He sees her standing on the dining room table and throwing dishes, arrogantly asking him if he’s fallen in love with her after a one night stand. Then she’s sitting on the couch and drawing a ring on his finger. She’s kissing him in the bathroom stall at the lingerie store. She’s making passionate love to him.
He hears her voice as if the recording is still playing. She’s saying the baby is his. She’s saying she loves him and wants him to love her. She’s saying he has to find her if he believes her.
“Leilani, I’ll find you,” Waylen whispers to the air. “No matter where you are—at the ends of the Earth or on the other side of the sea—I will find you.”
Leilani thought she was taking a path through the forest back toward the stables, but she realizes she has no idea where she is. The trees have become even denser, and she can’t see the lawn or the mansion in any direction. Even worse, the fog has started to roll in again, making everything ghostly and strange. She stops the horse in the middle of a crossroads and examines the dirt path. There are dusty hoof prints in every direction.
“Which way should we go?” Michelle asks nervously. “I don’t know where we are.”
“Get off,” Leilani says as she dismounts the horse and lands gracefully on the ground. She waits for Michelle to follow, then she releases the reins. She lets the horse lead the way and follows by his side.
Michelle follows, but she looks confused, “What are you doing?”
“Most animals know their way back home,” Leilani says, “If we let him lead the way, he might take us back to the stables.”
“What if he’s wrong?” Michelle asks. She’s half jogging to keep up with the horse, and little puffs of dust rise beneath her feet.
“What choice do we have?” Leilani says. “Neither of us recognizes the path, and we can’t exactly sit around and wait for someone to find us.”
They walked in silence for a while, and Leilani caresses the horse’s mane. Although she doesn’t know much about horses, this one looks quite special. She hopes it knows what it’s doing.
“It’s an Arabian horse,” Michelle says, unable to resist the urge to flaunt her knowledge. “It’s known for elegance and delicacy. Of all breeds, it is one of the fastest and fiercest. You’re lucky that nothing happened on the bumpy path.”
Leilani doesn’t like Michelle’s tone. The way Michelle talks about the bumpy ride makes her feel especially anxious—it almost sounds like a threat. She looks at Michelle and sees that the other woman seems deep in thought.
“So, is your pregnancy fake?” Michelle suddenly asks.
“What a load of crap,” Leilani snaps. “Look, I’m cold, and I’m sick of walking. Let’s get back on. If we come to another crossroads, we can let the horse decide again.”
She swings her leg up and pulls herself into the saddle. She waits for Michelle to get on and then allows the horse to continue its journey. Leilani keeps a tight grip on the reins and guides the horse at a slow, steady pace. Though the beast seems exhausted from its mad run, Leilani doesn’t want to risk jostling her stomach any more than she already has.
First, she hears the dull thud of hoofbeats, and then Andrew materializes out of the fog. A group of mounted bodyguards appears behind him. Andrew pulls his horse to a stop and gazes in surprise at Leilani. Leilani reins her horse in, and the beast seems grateful to stop.
“I don’t understand, and you know how to ride?” Andrew asks. “Why did you claim you didn’t?” Suddenly understanding dawns on his face, “Oh, you were trying to play matchmaker. But really, you think I like the maid?”
“What’s wrong with the maid?” Leilani asks. “It’s all the same after you turn out the lights.”
Behind Andrew, one of the guards is leading Leilani’s riderless white mare. She can’t wait to get away from Michelle and onto her own horse. She swings her leg down, but Andrew spurs his horse forward and grabs her before she hits the ground. He pulled her onto his horse and wraps his arms around her. By the time she realizes what’s happening, her back is pressing into his warm chest.
“It’s a risk for pregnant women to ride,” Andrew says, “When you’re pregnant with mine, I won’t let you ride.”
“Pregnant with your child?” Leilani says. “Did a horse kick you in the head?”
“Nothing is impossible,” Andrew murmurs. “What if my heart wants you so bad, I can’t help but make love to you. I’m sure it would be easy to get you pregnant with my children. I’d certainly love trying.”
“Ha—that’s one of the best jokes I’ve ever heard,” Leilani says. “You think I’d allow myself to carry your kid? I’d rather remove my w.o.m.b.”
Leilani can feel the frantic beating of Andrew’s heart against her back, but she can’t tell if he’s aroused or angry.
“Don’t you and Miss Peters look close,” Michelle says, trying to draw Andrew’s attention away from Leilani.
Andrew glances at Michelle, “Who are you?”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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