He snaps his fingers, and the other man stands up and walks with him out the door. Within minutes, a gurney and two men show up at the door, and Chelsea cringes behind me and slides her hand in mine. She was so cold earlier, and yet now she seeks my protection. Something happened with these men. My fingers twitch as they come near. The one with brown eyes has the audacity to smirk at her.
My muscles bunch as I prepare to attack, but Chelsea holds me back, her eyes pleading with me. I will honor her silent request - for now. If I find out he had anything to do with her, he will pay. Right now, though I'm angry enough to rip heads off their shoulders, I'm concerned with keeping Chelsea calm and safe. I can put aside my ire to tend to her.
It takes mere minutes for them to pack this stranger up and wheel her out the door. I place the man we're taking with us in front to keep an eye on him as I bundle Chelsea to my side and shuffle her out. The further we get away from that room, the more relief I feel. I'm not going to feel complete relief, however, until we're on my plane and out of Florida for good. They put the stranger into a repurposed ambulance, and we follow behind in my rental.
"Got a name?"
"Luke," he mutters, staring out the window.
"And you know John Anderson?"
"I don't, but my old man does."
His responses are tight-lipped and tell me nothing. Reaching over, I ignore him and concentrate on Chelsea. Her breathing evens out as we slip away into the night, her eyes watching the building until it's completely out of sight. The car ride is silent, but it works for now. What can possibly be said in this short time span? It will take an eternity to make up for what happened to her. Though I never worked the auction rings myself, I know what goes on in there. I know the liberties they take. If she were a virgin, no one would have touched her; however, there's video proof that she's not pure. Out of all the things I blame myself for, that is the biggest.
The plane looms up above, and my own breathing becomes a bit lighter. I wait in the car, Chelsea's hand firmly planted in mine, as the driver makes a sweep. Given the threat on our lives, he's more thorough than normal and hopefully sweeping for bombs as well. Luke doesn't even acknowledge us. Instead, he's put on a pair of headphones and starts bopping his head, completely in his own world.
Every time I move my hands to either hold her or touch her, she flinches. It breaks my heart to see her so fragile. I watch her intently, sliding my fingers through her hair. I don't want to push her away, but I need to touch her. I need to know she's really back and not just a figment of my mind. Once the driver gives us the nod, I let the other men load up the girl before motioning for Luke to climb aboard, then Chelsea, then me.
The plane door closes, and silence descends on the cabin. Finally, I can breathe. Pulling out my phone, I message Nikolai, letting him know we're off the ground. No need to send out the cavalry. Though he wants me dead, I still can't leave any stone unturned in my search for Anastacia. I follow up that message with a detailed description of her as well as her last known whereabouts. I know it's a longshot, but something, anything.
His reply back is what was expected. Of course, he hasn't seen her. Though he tells me he'll keep an eye out, I don't hold my breath. Even if I offered him all my money, he still wouldn't tell me. I'm not stupid enough to gamble my legacy on a person who could very well be dead already. My empire is the only thing besides Chelsea that’s worth having. Sighing, I shoot off another one to Aleksandr. Even if Dima had her taken, he wouldn't know where she was or tell me. There's no further reason in keeping him alive, not when he poses a threat to my woman. I'll never allow him the opportunity to get to her again.
As much as I want to kill him, I have to keep my hands clean. I have to be far enough from the situation that I can argue my case enough that his branch of the family will fall in line with mine. I will never trust them. They will always be suspect, but I will have the power of numbers on my side. With all of us looking, there's no way Anastacia can hide forever. We will find her. She will be back in the fold before too long. Everything is falling into place.
* * *
Chelsea
What do I do?I know he wants to engage with me physically, but the thought of another man's hands on me threatens to send me to the bathroom. I want to reconnect with him. I want to engage. But I can't. Not yet. The best gift he could give me right now would be time. I watch as he gets everyone settled in and ready for takeoff. My stomach flips, and the plane races down the runway and lifts off, pushing that bit of bile even further up my throat.
Scrunching my eyes, I will nausea to pass, reaching out for Grigori's strong hands to help. Having him there to lean on does help, and it makes me hopeful that we can get back to where we once were. His hands encircle mine but make no move for anything else. Sighing, I lay my head back, willing myself to let everything go. I drift off to sleep, feeling safe for the first time in a while.
* * *