“You’re pregnant too, but Florence doesn’t seem to care about what happens to your child. I wonder why that is? Oh, probably because my child is a Bamford, and yours isn’t.”
“How can you say that?” Leonie wails.
“You’re obviously just jealous of me, you bitch.”
Fiona puts a comforting arm on Leonie’s shoulder. Leilani checks her phone again and sees that Bryan is missing a third fingernail. Her stomach clenches—she’s running out of time to help him. Who knows what his kidnappers will do when they run out of fingernails?
Leilani’s phone buzzes again, and she sees a message from an unknown number. She reads the message once and then again: Do you need some help, Felicity? She looks behind her at the Bugatti and tries to see through the tinted windows. Andrew is the only person who ever calls her Felicity, but she blocked his number. She looks back at the car—soggy cigarette butts litter the ground outside the driver’s window.
Has Andrew really waited for me this whole time? She wonders. I can’t trust him, but he’s the only person with a car near here, and I can’t afford to lose any more time. Going with him is dangerous, but Leonie and Fiona will make sure that the Bamford’s know where I am. Hopefully, Waylen will rescue me before too long.
Leilani chews her lip and looks between the car and Leonie. Leonie narrows her eyes suspiciously and shrugs her mother’s arm off her shoulder. Leilani slowly backs toward the car, keeping her hands raised protectively in front of her stomach.
“I don’t have time to stand around and talk with you about this,” Leilani says.
“If you’re so keen on helping Florence, take my message back to her. Tell her I know she misses me, and I promise to see her soon.”
Leonie splutters angrily and waves for the bodyguards to come over, but Fiona grabs her daughter’s arm.
“Leonie, we can’t let anything happen to her,” Fiona says.
“If she wants to go running about at night, that’s none of our business. If something happens to her, she’ll surely blame us, and we can’t afford to take responsibility for her. Let’s just worry about your child for now.”
“But Mom!” Leonie wails, “We can’t just let her leave. What should we do?”
“Don’t worry,” Fiona says.
“We’ll send some guards to follow her and report on her location. If she wants to go running around, f.u.c.k.i.n.g every man in the city, we can’t stop her. All we can do is make sure Waylen knows.”
Leonie smiles and snaps a picture of Leilani and the car. Then she backs away toward the Bamford cars. Leilani opens the passenger door and hops into the car. The air is thick with stale cigarette smoke, and Leilani coughs and rolls down a window.
“Take me to the Dragon Bay,” she says.
“The casino?” Andrew asks, frowning slightly.
“Yes, I don’t have time to explain myself to you,” Leilani says.
“Bryan is in danger.”
“That place has a terrible reputation,” Andrew says.
“It’s full of gangsters, mafia, and worse.”
“So, of course, you know it well,” Leilani snaps back.
Andrew chuckles and says.
“Okay, Felicity, I’ll take you. If you manage to make it out alive, I’ll respect you even more. The lion was nothing compared to these men.”
Leilani ignores him and looks down at her phone. She dials Waylen’s number and listens to the phone ring and ring until it finally goes to voicemail. She tries Robert’s phone, and the same thing happens. Frustrated, she drops the phone onto her lap.
“Where’s Waylen?” Andrew asks.
“Why didn’t he come to your little date?”
Leilani closes her eyes and presses her hands against her churning stomach. It feels like there’s a heavyweight pressing against her chest, and she gasps for breath. Why didn’t Waylen come to the date? She wonders. Has he really been imprisoned by his grandfather? And how did Bryan get himself into this situation? I know he likes gambling, but how could he be so careless and stupid?
Her phone buzzes, and the screen lights up with another picture message. She bites her tongue, but she can’t bring herself to open it and look at Bryan’s bloodied hand. She flips the phone over so she can’t accidentally see the screen.
“Can’t you drive any faster?” she asks.
Andrew’s hand shoots across the car and snatches the phone from her lap. With one eye on the road, he looks at the pictures on her phone. Then he picks up his own mobile phone and presses a few buttons.
“There’s something I need you to deal with at the Dragon Bay Casino,” Andrew says into the phone.
“There’s a man named Bryan there—pay his debts and make sure they don’t lay another finger on him. The price doesn’t matter.”
Leilani bites down harder on her tongue. She wants to refuse Andrew’s help, but she knows it might be Bryan’s best chance. She can’t let her personal grudge against Andrew get in the way of helping Bryan.
She glances across the car at Andrew and whispers, “Thank you.”
“Wow, that might be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me,” Andrew says with a smirk.
“Now that Bryan’s been taken care of, I want to take you somewhere. Will you come with me?”
“I’m in your car—what other options do I have?” Leilani asks.
“You’ve got the point,” he says.
“Well, Leilani, let’s go to the hospital.”
Leilani presses her lips together and looks out the window. She’s surprised that Andrew wants to go to the hospital, but she knows he has health problems. Besides, she’s more worried about Waylen and Bryan than wherever Andrew is taking her.
“Don’t you want to know why we’re going to the hospital?” Andrew asks.
“Doesn’t it seem a bit strange to you?”
“You’re sick, aren’t you?” Leilani replies.
“True, I have a disease, but my medicine isn’t in the hospital,” Andrew says with a wink.
“It’s sitting right next to me.
Leilani rolls her eyes, wishing she’d never said anything to him at all. I should know better, she thinks. He’ll take any opportunity he gets to try to flirt or seduce me. I need to learn how to keep my mouth shut. Andrew glances over at her and laughs at the expression on her face.
“You’ve stolen my heart, Felicity,” he says.
“Actually, you’ve stolen Charles’ heart,” Leilani says.
Andrew’s phone rings, and he answers it immediately. He nods twice and then hangs up.
“Bryan is fine,” he says.
“My men have handled the situation, but you better warn him to steer clear of the Dragon Bay Casino from now on.”
Leilani feels relief flood her body. She nods and closes her eyes, resting her cheek against the cold window. When she wakes, two hours have passed. While she was sleeping, Andrew must have dr.a.p.ed his coat over her body. The wool itches her skin, and she pushes it off.
The car is parked in front of a small building surrounded by green trees. Small insects and moths fly in the glow of the street lamps. It’s not raining, but the ground is wet, and puddles reflect the dim light. Leilani looks at the building and frowns—it looks more like a nursing home than a hospital.
“Where have you taken me?” Leilani asks angrily.
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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