“That first night here at the party … when you caught me with Ashley? He retrieved your phone, keys, and ID from the check-in before driving you home. He downloaded an app to your cell to give him access to everything. Even the things you google. He can hear every call, read every text. He tracks you.”
Tears fall from my eyes even as I shake my head at him, refusing to believe what I know is the truth. It has to be. It makes too much sense.
He sighs, “I know there’s no hope for us anymore. But I just thought you should know who you’ve married.” His eyes drop to my ring.
“How …” I clear my throat. “How do you know all of this?”
“Because I did it to Ashley,” he replies simply. “All the Lords do it to their chosens. Why do you think we make everyone turn in their cells for the party? It’s to give us access to them when everyone else is too busy partying.”
I swallow the lump that gets lodged in my throat. It has to be true, right? It explains so much. Why my mother couldn’t reach me. Why Sarah’s calls wouldn’t go through when he was supposed to be gone, but magically did when we returned from our weekend at the cabin. How he found me on my father’s private jet. And the fact that he placed his hand over my mouth and nose the day after I googled breath play. “How do you know he gave my father money?” I ask, my shoulders shaking.
He reaches up, scratching the back of his neck. “I know because …” He pauses, his arm dropping to his side, sighing. “Because I offered fifty for you.”
Reaching up, I cover my mouth to hide my sob. I knew he didn’t love me, but this? It was all a game to him. I was nothing more than a high-paid prostitute. My father sold me to the highest bidder.
“Blakely …” He steps toward me, and I take a step back, hitting the bedroom door. He stops. “I’m so …”
“Get out!” I shout. More embarrassed than anything. Ashamed that I thought I was doing something right when it was really the stupidest goddamn thing.
“Blakely …”
“GET OUT!” I scream, stepping out of the way and opening the door for him.
He walks toward it, pausing once he gets to the door. “Ryat was right about one thing. You really do look stunning.” Then he exits the room, and I slam the door shut, locking it.
I fall to my ass and bring my knees to my chest, holding a hand over my mouth to quiet the sobs.
Every single person sold me out. Every goddamn one of them! No one was on my side. They never asked what I wanted.
Pulling my hand from my mouth, I look down at my ring and start yanking on it. It pops off and goes flying across the room. I crawl over in my expensive dress and pick it up. Then I walk over to his bed, placing it in the center of it.
Entering the bathroom, I look at myself in the mirror. My makeup smeared across my face. I expected to look this way later this evening for a different reason. Not even bothering to wipe it off, I grab my clutch that has my phone in it, knowing I’ve got one chance and one chance only to get away. Because if everything that Matt said is true, Ryat will find me within minutes
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
RYAT
“CONGRATULATIONS ON THE nuptials, Ryat.” Gregory comes up to me, shaking my hand.
“Thank you, sir.” I take a sip of my champagne.
“Remember what I said.” He nods at me. “Need anything. Let me know. I owe you.”
I give him a nod and pull my cell phone out of my pocket. I notice that Blake’s been gone for a while now. Pocketing it, I look up and scan the crowd. I see Sarah and Gunner in the far corner at the bar.
Making my way over to them, I take another drink. “Hey, have you guys seen Blake?” I ask.
“No.” Sarah frowns. “I’ve texted her twice and no response.”
Gunner shakes his head. “But by the way … smooth, man.” He gestures to the stage and the little show I put on.
I smirk, but it drops when I spot Matt across the room. He stands with his back to the wall with a drink in his hand. It’s the smile on his face he’s giving me that makes my skin crawl. Alarms go off as he just stands there staring at me.
My cell rings, and I pull it out, dismissing him. I see it’s a blocked number, so I turn and open the sliding glass door, walking outside. I stand on the back terrace, looking over the Olympic size swimming pool lit up with floating white lights and hit answer. “Hello?”
There’s a long stretch of silence that greets me. “Hello?” I ask again, and nothing. “Who is this?” I demand.
“Your wife.”
The cold tone used for those two words send a chill up my spine, freezing me in place. “Blake?”
“How could you?” Her words shake, telling me she’s angry.
“How could I what?” I look up and over the manicured yard. “Where are you?”
She gives a rough laugh. “Want to make sure you get what you paid for?”
My head snaps up, and so does my pulse. “Blake ….”
“How could you?” she seethes. “You know, I never expected you to love me. But I was dumb enough to think you at least respected me.”
“Where are you?” I growl through gritted teeth. Spinning around, I yank open the door and enter the ballroom.
“Long gone, Ryat.”
“Where?” I demand, running through the ballroom and down the hallway.
“You wanna play games, Ryat? I can play. I can play them all day long.”
I come to my bedroom and slam the door open. Looking around, I don’t see her. “You better—”
“What?” she interrupts me. “Come back and bow down to you? Not a chance, Ryat.”
I catch sight of something on the bed. Walking over to it, I see it’s her wedding ring, purse, and cell phone. Motherfucker! She’s running. “I’ll find you,” I grind out. “I already told you that once … and Blake.” I take in a deep breath, my hands shaking. “When I do, I will drag you back by your hair, kicking and screaming.” I’ll do whatever it fucking takes. “Don’t make me hurt you.”
She gives a soft laugh, like she doesn’t believe a damn word I just said. The sound crawls all over me like hot lava, burning my skin, making me even angrier. “You can’t find what you can’t track, Ryat.”
Oh, but I will. “I’ll see you soon, Mrs. Archer.”
“No. You won’t.” Click.
“Goddammit!” I shout, throwing my cell across the room, and it hits the wall, the screen shattering in a million pieces.
My chest is heaving, and my hands reach up to fist my hair. It doesn’t matter how she got that ring; she belongs to me. This changes nothing. I will bring her back, but she won’t like how I do it.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
RYAT
ISIT ON the black leather couch, leaning forward with my elbows on my knees. My right hand absentmindedly spins my wedding band.
Till death do us partis engraved on the inside of the band—identical to my wife’s.
She has been gone for two days now. Not a single word, not a clue as to where she went. And no fucking idea where to even start looking. She disappeared—poof—like a ghost.
When I find her—and I will—it’s going to take everything in me not to fucking kill her. That’s how angry I am.
My new phone vibrates in my pocket, and I pull it out to see it’s a text from an unknown number.
Negative.
Locking it back, I grind my teeth. Well, that’s interesting. But something that I don’t have time to devote my life to right now. One problem at a time.
“What do we know?” my father-in-law asks, sitting behind his desk in his office overlooking downtown Dallas. Once again, in the middle of the night.
“Nothing,” Prickett answers, sitting to my right.
I haven’t said much since I found out she decided to run. It seems pointless because there’s not much to say.
“She didn’t return to her apartment, her car is still in the same spot it was before, and she left her cell at the house of Lords, along with her wedding ring,” Gunner informs, sitting to my left.
My father sighs while he stands by the floor-to-ceiling window. “She’s just vanished.”
“People don’t just disappear.” Her father slams his hands down on his desk. I’m pretty sure Phil wants to strangle her too. “She needs money to survive.”
“She gets a job,” Prickett offers.
“She’s never had one a day in her life. What skills does she have?” he barks. “But if she does have one, then there’s a record of her somewhere out there.”
“Not if she’s making cash, getting paid under the table,” Gunner states, sitting back on the couch. “Vegas and stripper come to mind.”
My hands clench at his words, and I want to punch him for even thinking that.
“Matt played her,” my father states, turning around to face the room. “He realized his chance with her was gone, so he chose to sabotage her marriage with Ryat.” His eyes meet mine. “He was probably planning on her making a big scene in front of everyone but was granted something better when she ran instead.”
We had watched the video of Matt and my wife in my bedroom when we first arrived thirty minutes ago, I’ve watched it more times than I can count by now. You would think that I’d realize that there is no evidence to tell me where she went.
But the video didn’t change my mind about the situation she’s left us in. I don’t give a shit how upset she is with me; she’s still going to pay for this. So will Matt, but he’ll come later. Right now, she’s my main priority.
Phil runs his hands down his face, letting out a deep breath. “Find her.” His eyes meet mine. “Find her and bring her back. By whatever force you deem necessary.”
I nod once. I’d planned on it anyway, but thanks for the permission.
“Her biggest threats are those who want to hurt Ryat,” he goes on. “A wife of a Lord is one who can be used against us. And it was just announced to the goddamn world.”
Marriages inside the Lords are always to create power. Wives have been kidnapped for ransom. Some have been raped, others murdered. Any of our enemies can see what we have and take it. Doesn’t matter if the couple loves each other or not. It still impacts our world. The wife is our toy and also our weakness.
“She’s vulnerable out there by herself.” He stands and shoves his computer off the desk. It crashes to the ground. “FUCK!” Placing his hands on the surface, he breathes heavily. “We can’t go to the press with this. We can’t do anything to let the public know she’s missing. It’ll bring a fucking war on us. Someone could see her and then grab her before we even find her.” His eyes dare me to argue. I don’t. “By the time we find her body, it’ll be too late.”
He’s right.We can’t trust anyone outside this room. “I’m going to find her,” I say calmly, finally breaking my silence. But what no one knows is that I’m the biggest threat she’s got right now.
BLAKELY
“YOU MAY KISS your bride.”
Out of everything I’ve done since I ran into Ryat in the hall of Barrington, those are the most terrifying words I’ve heard.
Kiss? The thought just hit me like a brick to the face. The blow almost knocking me out of my heels. We haven’t kissed on the lips once yet. I honestly didn’t even think of it. That this had to happen.
He steps into me, his right hand cups my cheek, his eyes drop to my parted lips and I suck in a deep breath when his chest presses up against mine.
I tilt my head up to look at him. My heart hammers and beads of sweat form on the back of my neck. Why am I so nervous? I’ve kissed a boy before. Hell, I’ve even kissed Sarah before. But Ryat? Kiss my now husband sounds too intimate—forbidden.