A Player for A Princess: Dirty Players Duet #2 (14 page)

He never speaks. He bends down and plucks the end of my finger off the ground and drops it in a plastic bag, then he returns to his vehicle and drives away. My insides shudder violently. I’m on my knees, one arm tight around my waist, still whimpering, holding my hand at my stomach but afraid to touch it. It’s covered in blood and a purple line is below the bandage now stained dark red. I can’t look directly at it. The only thing I see is the ring. The tin ring Cal gave me.
I want Cal
…

Ximena runs out to me. My teeth rattle and the dizziness is back. I think I’m going to faint. Hazy shapes cloud my vision, but I feel her taking my arms. I focus with all my strength on getting to my feet, allowing her to take me into the house. Selena is at my other side, holding my waist. She’s crying. I see the slick coating of tears on her cheeks, but I can’t speak. My voice is gone. My fight is gone. They’re too strong, and I can’t win this time.

I’ve been a thief and a liar all my life, and my time in this place is the prison sentence I ran to Monagasco to escape. My motives don’t matter. Protecting Ava doesn’t matter. Only my crimes exist here, and I see this moment as the reckoning for everything I’ve done.

We’re at the sink, and Ximena speaks to her daughter. Selena runs to their bed, and I hear the sound of material ripping.

I can’t stop shaking. My body is hot and cold. I can still feel the cold metal pliers against my hand. I can still hear the notch sound, and I see half my finger fall like a bit of play dough to the ground. I see Blix’s dead eyes, and I wonder if I’m nothing more than another fish to be skinned in his mind.

“You’re in shock.” Ximena says.

I’m on the cot wrapped in a blanket. She holds a cup of broth to my lips, and I try to drink it. I try to think, but the throbbing in my head makes logic difficult. It’s interesting to note the disabling fire of a concussion can take a backseat to the searing agony of a severed finger. Two pains are warring in my body, and based on my bizarre train of thought, I think my friend is right. I think I’m in shock.

Ximena speaks in a whisper. She’s wrapping and wrapping. Selena is pale, but she comes to me.

“It’s going to be okay. Mama says it’s going to be okay.”

She’s wrapping my finger as if she has experience with such things. Perhaps this isn’t the worst thing she’s seen. I can’t imagine what that means. I can’t imagine anything anymore. I don’t know what day it is. Every day bleeds into the next like the blood pouring from my hand. I don’t know how long I’ve been here, and I don’t know what I’m looking forward to anymore.

My stomach hurts, and I need to pee. “Baño,” I whisper.

Selena takes my arm. I’m still in the beautiful dress Ximena made for me, only now it’s stained with blood. It’s a sign of our friendship. It’s a sign we’ve protected each other. She’s rescued me twice. I’ve rescued her twice. Now it’s covered in my blood.

Selena walks me to the bushes. “Will you be okay alone?”

I nod and step a few paces into the brush to crouch. It doesn’t take long for me to pee, and I wait, shaking my hips so the urine can get off me. I look around for a friendly leaf or something I can use to help. A banana plant is nearby, and I reach for a large leaf to pat myself dry. It’s slippery, and when I pull it away, I see a dark red stain on the leaf. My stomach cramps, and I know something more is wrong.

“Selena?” I whisper, trying to call her.

Do I dare attempt another prayer?
God, please, no. Please
don’t take my baby.

Leaning heavily on Selena, we stagger to the house. I go to my cot and lie on my side. Ximena crosses the room to me, but my head is overwhelming me. All of it is overwhelming me. I can’t tell her what’s wrong. I can only give in to the pain.

W
hat happens
next comes in and out as hazy visions. I hear voices. I know Ximena is beside me. I feel her hand on my head.

I drink from the familiar gourd and then pass back into oblivion. I can’t do anything. I can’t help anybody.

The day I lost my finger, the day I saved Ximena… Was that yesterday? The day before? A week ago? My baby… Is my baby okay?

My eyes are fused shut it seems. Heat rises all around us in waves, and I’m still on the cot. Darkness comes, and I’ve been asleep. Voices are around me, but I don’t recognize them. I hear Cal’s rich voice, and I smile. My eyes are closed, and he’s with me in the ocean. We’re back at our beautiful beach in Tortola, and we’ve run down to the shore like I’d always wanted to do.

We don’t need clothes. It’s our private beach, and no one is around. Twilight paints the scene in black and white, and my arms are around his neck. His large hands span my lower back, sliding down over my ass as my breasts press flat against his firm chest.

The water laps around us as our lips meet. He kisses me like he always does, firmly, passionately, demanding, taking. Our tongues slide together as the waves rise and fall, moving us slowly in a rocking motion. I feel the dark waters just at the line of my lower back. I taste the salt on Cal’s tongue as his warm, strong hands touch me, hold me, lift me against him.

“Cal,” I whisper, tightening my hold on his shoulders.

His skin is against my face. I can smell his delicious scent of citrus and cedar and him.
My Cal
… His strong arms are around me, and it’s the most wonderfully secure I’ve felt in my entire embattled existence.

I want to kiss him again, but he speaks. “Yes, my love. I’ve got you.”

My stomach flashes at the sound. My eyes fly open, and it’s not a dream. I’m in his arms. Cal is holding me against his chest. One arm is around my back and one is beneath my legs. It’s dark, and he’s carrying me into the trees.

We’re moving fast, and I’m crying. I’m holding his neck, and my body shudders with joy and relief and sobbing. I didn’t know it was possible to feel this way, as if my insides are spilling out from my eyes. I can’t speak. I can’t stop crying. I can only hold him and weep as he carries me out of this place, away from the nightmare.

“Don’t cry, my love,” he soothes, but I hear the break in his voice. “I have you. You’re safe now.”

We’re on the path I took that day so long ago when I found the beach and the baths. Someone is with us, and when we reach the beach, Cal lowers my legs to stand while catches his breath. One strong arm holds me firmly against his torso.

“Is she okay?” I recognize Logan’s voice.

Cal has me in his arms. My face is pressed against his neck, and I can’t let him go. I haven’t let him go since I woke up to find him here. I’m almost afraid to look around or speak in case this is all a dream and it fades. I’m not sure I could take that.

“She’s going to be okay,” Cal says, and joy vibrates in my bones.
It’s not a dream!
“Let’s get her to the boat.”

W
e’ve been
in Tortola two days, and I haven’t been able to get the image of Zee and the pregnancy test out of my mind. Logan convinced me to stay here, let the men we’ve hired search the islands for her, but everything I touch here reminds me of Zee.

I was such a shit to her. I was so angry. Sitting on the bed, I clutch my head in my hands as regret racks my insides. “When I find you, Zelda Wilder, I’m never letting you go.”

My phone rings, and I snatch it up. Rowan is calling.

“What’s up, Ro?” I’m desperate for word, especially now with August first looming.

Our men have been searching. We’re playing with fire, and I’m ready to say screw the detectives, forget the plans. I’ll find her myself.

“Ava thinks she has the coordinates for Zee.”

I’m off the bed and throwing open drawers at once. “How? Where did she find them?”

“Ever since the pregnancy test and Seth’s murder, she’s dedicated herself to finding the leak at Occitan. She hasn’t left the estate. She’s followed the staff, sneaked into their rooms…”

I hear the pride in his voice, and I can only imagine my beautiful, future sister-in-law invading our seaside estate.

“What happened?”

“It was Juliana.”

I almost drop the phone. “Nesbitt’s niece?” I think of the mousey girl who dropped out of school and moved in with our housekeeper last spring.

“Ava noticed she was obsessed with Seth’s disappearance. She sneaked into her room and found several texts from Hines on the girl’s phone.”

“Skip ahead,” I demand. “Where is Zelda?”

“The coordinates are fifteen point seven thousand north, sixty-three point six three-three west. Hines must have known they were coming for him He told Juliana to give you those coordinates if anything happened to him.”

My chest explodes with an insane mixture of relief and frustration. “What the fuck was she waiting for?” I shout in the phone.

“She didn’t know he was dead. Ava says the news hit her pretty hard.”

“Never mind—I’m hanging up. I’ll text you when we get there.”

“Be careful, brother,” Rowan’s voice is grave.

“I’ve got Logan and Reggie with me.” I’m jogging down the stairs, grabbing my keys off the counter. “Tell Ava good work. She found the answer we’ve been needing.”

“I’ve already requested satellite images. I’ll forward them to you as soon as they’re in.”

The small island is three hundred miles south of Tortola, which requires us to charter yet another jet and fly to Venezuela. I’m frustrated as more time slips through our fingers. We’re past our deadline, and while Rowan is working on his end to buy us more time, I don’t trust Wade Paxton not to hurt her. I can’t shake the images in that hotel room.

It takes another day, but we’re on a boat, speeding toward the small island not far from Aruba. Using the satellite images, Freddie found an abandoned pier hidden in the curve of the island where a series of mineral baths are located. I’m at the bow, staring down the wind and wishing I could push the boat faster through sheer willpower, when I feel a text come through on my phone. It’s from Rowan.

Proceed with extreme caution. A scout visually confirmed Zelda is in the camp. Sending exact location
.

An image appears on my phone, and I make my way carefully to the back of the boat, where Logan is driving, I show him the text. His jaw is set and he nods, taking us around to the location of the hidden pier.

I’m keeping my eyes out for other boats or small planes. Reggie tries texting Wade Paxton. He’s determined to facilitate a meeting between the three of us. Personally, I think he relishes the idea of turning our oversized bodyguard loose on that slime.

I make a signal, and I’m heading back for my seat when another text appears—this time from Rowan.

Pax is making good on his threats.

My stomach plunges. His threat was to hurt her. His threat was to send us a piece of her. With trembling fingers, I text a reply.
What did he do?

Rowan’s reply doesn’t answer my question.
Whatever force is needed I authorize you to use.

He’s telling me I have his permission to kill, to assassinate the prime minister of Totrington. I can’t take it anymore.
What happened?
I text. I’m two seconds from calling when he replies with an image.

I drop to my knees when I see it. My head is in my hands, and I’m barely holding it together. The sound of the boat engine dies, and my head snaps up. “NO! Get us there NOW!” I’m practically shouting.

Logan’s face is lined. “Sir! What happened?”

“We have to get to her now, Logan. We can’t lose another hour.”

R
eggie stays
on the boat as we make our way through the dark jungle in the direction of the camp. Two camps are on opposite ends of the small island. The one holding Zelda is closest to our hidden dock. A long pier is in the center of the island, and we’ve learned cargo ships make occasional, overnight stops here leaving or returning to Venezuela. As far as we know, tonight we’re alone.

“Perfect place to hide a criminal enterprise,” Logan says as we make our way up the dirt road in the direction of the first camp.

We’re armed to the teeth and dressed in black. Our plan is to retrieve Zelda, but my additional plan, once she’s secure on the boat, is to return to this Blix Ratcliffe’s shelter and cut his fingers off one by one then shove them all in his mouth and tape it shut then tie him to a chair and set him on fire. Envisioning his intricately painful execution is the only thing keeping me together as we make our way quickly and quietly to where my love is being held prisoner.

The clearing opens, and in the moonlight, I see a line of small, cinder-block huts. None of them have windows or doors, and in the dim night, they could be hiding anyone. We stand out against the white walls like rocks on the white sand, and I look around for security cameras.

“No time,” Logan whispers. “Move fast.”

I do as he says, not stopping for stealth. I charge up to the first shack, where our scout said he’d seen her taken. Pushing the curtain aside, I see a tiny room with a table in the center and three cots. In the far corner a woman and a girl sleep together, but to my right…

Emotion hits me so hard. She’s wearing that same denim halter dress from the last day I saw her, only it’s slightly different, fuller. She’s lying on her side in the fetal position, but the light from the window touches her blonde hair and cheeks. Her hair is tied back in a braid, and her face is drawn and stressed. Even sleeping, she looks so tired.

Going to her, I gently smooth her hair away. Her bandaged hand is near her face, and I lift it carefully, moving it against her chest. She exhales a noise, and I have to pause as it cuts into my heart. I want to hear her say my name, but I don’t want to scare her. As carefully as possible, I lift her into my arms. Her chest is against mine, her arm over my shoulders, and I slowly lift her.

She presses her forehead against my neck, and I sit on the bed to hold her, hugging her tight, allowing the emotions to pulse through me and into her before we set out into the darkness, heading back to the boat.

“Cal,” she whimpers, breaking my heart. I kiss her full lips gently, and her arms tighten around my neck.

“I’ve got you, my love,” I say as I stand. “You’re safe now.”

My eyes land on a pair of green ones watching me from across the room. The girl is awake, and she sees me. I’m frozen in place unsure if she’ll scream or wake her mother; if she’ll try to fight us, or if she’ll call Ratcliffe.

The girl does none of those things. She simply nods and smiles. I don’t hesitate. We have no time to waste, and I’m out the door and back to where I left Logan.

O
nboard the ship
, I’m holding Zelda in my arms as we decide our next steps.

“I wasn’t able to deal with Hines,” Logan says, his voice a low rumble. “You stay with her. I’ll finish Ratcliffe.”

The anger in my chest surges to life. “His ass is mine.” Every time I see the finger Zee keeps trying to hide, red floods my vision. “He dared to touch her. I will make him suffer.”

“I’ll make him suffer.” He nods to my fiancée. “She needs your strength now.”

It’s the only thing keeping me here. Zelda is hugged close to my side, and she seems smaller somehow, broken. My arms tighten around her, and with a deep exhale, I give him the go-ahead. He’s off the boat, disappearing into the night.

Reggie is at the stern, holding the wheel and waiting for our next steps. “Wade is in the area,” he says, slipping his phone into the coat pocket above his chest. “I’ll arrange a meeting with him, and the two of you can plan however you’d like to deal with him.”

“That’s good,” I say, standing and lifting Zee in my arms again. “We’ll be below.” I take her down the steps of the cabin cruiser to where a small living area fills the space below deck. Bench seating surrounds a table, and through a sliding door in the back is a tiny bedroom.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” she finally says, and I pull her close to me again.

She cried almost the entire way from the camp to the boat, and my heart broke over and over with her sobs. She’s been so quiet since we got onboard. I felt her recoil from Reggie, but when she heard us talking she relaxed. Her good hand is fisted in my shirt, and as much as she doesn’t want to let me go, I’m not in any hurry to let her out of my arms.

“Would you like to sleep?” I ask gently.

Her eyes close, and she melts into my chest. “I’ve missed the sound of your voice.”

Both my arms tighten around her, and I carry her to the queen-sized bed with me. I’m sitting, propped up with pillows, and she’s curled with her head on my chest. We stay that way several long moments as her breathing slows and the hole her kidnapping exploded in my chest gradually heals.

“My beautiful Zee,” I whisper, and her arms tighten on me. I stroke her forehead, then I kiss her brow. “I’ll kill them for hurting you. I’ll kill them all.”

She doesn’t speak. She only hugs me again, and a little tremble moves through her. It’s almost more than I can stand. Rolling her onto her back, I raise up on my elbows so I can see her blue eyes. They’re red-rimmed and watery. I’m feeling every emotion I see reflected at me there.

“They said you’re pregnant?” It’s a question that has haunted me for days. “You’re having my baby?”

“Oh, Cal,” she rolls forward, hiding her face in my chest. “I think I am.”

A hollow ache twists in my stomach. “I don’t understand.”

Her hand is over her mouth a moment, and she hiccups a breath. “I was bleeding.” A little tremor before she’s able to speak again. “I’m so afraid, Cal. I’m afraid something happened…”

Pulling her against my chest again, I look up at the ceiling and breathe slowly. Heat is in my own eyes this time, and I can’t believe how quickly I’ve become attached to the idea of Zelda and me as a family.

“We’ll take you to a doctor as soon as we get back. We’re leaving this place tonight. I’ll message Logan and tell him to return.”

Her body jerks, and she clutches my shirt in her fist. “Cal! We can’t leave them behind. You have to get them!”

My brow lines. “Get who, darling?”

“Ximena and Selena. The woman and her daughter who took care of me. We can’t leave them behind, Cal. They’re in danger here. If he comes and finds me gone, he’ll hurt them!”

She’s talking so fast and pulling on my shirt. I run my hands over her hair and try to calm her. “I’ll tell Logan to get them. Will they go with him? They might be afraid.”

“Selena speaks English. Have him tell her I said for them to come. Tell them my husband is here, and we need them to come with us.”

That makes me smile. I cup her beautiful face in my hands and kiss her wet cheeks. She makes a little noise, and turns her face to find my mouth. Our lips part and her tongue curls with mine. She tastes like salt and tears, and with every beat of my heart emotion rolls through my veins. I pull her to me again, holding her so close.

“My Zelda,” I whisper. “I’m going to make up for everything that happened to you here, I promise. No one will ever hurt you again.”