Chapter 1
Paige
Song Choice: Breathe, Fleurie
This morning sickness thing is really taking its toll. Everything I try to eat smells and tastes terrible. My head spins as I lean over the toilet, and I wretch again. But nothing comes up. I hear water running at the sink and look over my shoulder to see Tessa’s anxious expression in the mirror as she wets a washcloth from the counter.
She sees me watching and gives me a tight smile. The entire situation seems to make her uncomfortable. Luke pounds on the bathroom door for the fifth time.
“Paige… Is everything all right in there? Please answer me.”
“Give her a moment to collect herself …will ya?” Tessa shouts back at Luke through the door. Her body covers my back as she bends down behind me with the moistened washcloth.
She places the icy rag over my face. For some reason, it smells minty—nothing unpleasant, just unexpected. The scent actually makes my stomach stop rolling.
Tessa instructs. “Hold this over mouth and nose and breathe deeply. The cool moisture will help that raw throat.”
The moment I inhale, I feel strange. Every muscle in my body goes from rigid to slack. The room tilts on its axis, and I find myself unable to stay upright. The rag and my hand fall away from my face, but Tessa is there to catch it.
“I’m so sorry, Paige.” I hear her say, but it sounds like she’s talking underwater. She picks up the rag, the rough fibers scratching my skin as it covers my face. I hold my breath and try to fight, but I can’t even lift my arm. I’m completely immobilized, my speech muted. She brushes the sweat-slick strands from my face so she can get a better look at me. Her words are warped and garbled as I struggle to keep my eyes open, my vision fading.
“I hope one day you’ll understand and forgive me.”
Inside, I’m in full panic mode, but my body remains unresponsive and calm. Whatever she’s given me has dulled my senses, leaving me detached from my body.
Oh, God! She drugged me. The person who I was supposed to trust to protect me has drugged me. But why? And what is she sorry for? A hot tear slips from my eye, wetting the hair at my temple.
No! No! No! This can’t happen again. It’s not safe for the babies. Mommy’s sorry, little ones.
I hear drums. No… It’s Luke’s insistent hammering on the door. He doesn’t sound like himself. His voice is distorted and drags as he moves closer. I can’t understand what he’s saying, but I hear his anger with Tessa. I try to tell him what she did, but it comes out a jumble of nonsense.
Tessa steps aside. Luke’s fuzzy form comes into focus as he leans over me. I can make out the strong line of his jaw, firm red lips and sable brows, which make him look so handsome. My fingers ache to touch him, but my arms won’t move. They feel like they’re chained to concrete blocks. His grey eyes swirl with emotion, and the color darkens like a brewing storm as he surveys my condition.
Thank God, he’s here.
I squeeze my eyes shut as he lifts me into his arms to carry me. My cheek, wet with tears, rests on his broad chest. I’m safe now. Luke won’t let anything happen to me.
The last thing I hear is his soothing voice. “Breathe easy, Bunny, I’ve got you.”
Mason
Song Choice: Sirens, Fleurie
My heart is racing a million miles an hour as I step into the banquet hall, looking for any sign of Luke or Paige. But the room is overcrowded. Couples dance the waltz, while the string quartet plays in the corner. Others are milling about, chatting and laughing while perusing the silent auction items and placing their bids. The scene is so out of place—surreal compared to the rush of dread rising in my chest.
A hand unexpectedly claps my shoulder, making me flinch. When I turn, I find Brent studying me with a troubled expression.
“Hey, is everything alright? You look rattled.”
“Have you seen Paige? Is she with her mother?”
“No,” Brent glances at his watch. ”Dad took Casie back to the hotel an hour ago. She was exhausted.”
“And you’re sure Paige didn’t go with them.”
I’m not making sense, and it was a stupid question to ask. There’s no way she could have left an hour ago. She hasn’t been missing that long. And it still doesn’t account for Luke and Tessa’s disappearance.
His confirmation interrupts my thought. “I’m positive. I saw them off myself.”
I curse and thread my fingers through my hair, pulling it off my forehead.
“Fuck!”
Brent lifts his brow anxiously as he observes my reaction. “What’s happening?”
“There’s no time to explain. I’ve gotta find Gage.”
I fish out my phone and hit Gage’s number on the speed dial. He answers on the first ring. Before he can say a word, I’m spouting information and commands. Brent’s listening as he follows me into the lobby, where it’s quieter, so I can collect myself.
“Paige and Luke are missing. Tessa was with them. Now I can’t find any of them. They were in my sight one moment and gone the next. I received a call from an unknown number stating they have Paige. Gather the team. Start searching the hotel. Send Dallas to look at the hotel security cameras.”
“Slow down. I can’t keep up. Start from the beginning. Where are you?”
“In the lobby.”
“Stay where you are. I’m on my way with Dallas.”
A flurry of voices and activity, along with rapid footsteps, echoes through the lobby. I’m on the phone with Gage one minute, and he and his team are standing before me in the next.
Gage’s voice is steady and composed when he addresses me. “Now explain again from the beginning.”
I take a calming breath. “Paige was not feeling well at dinner. She became nauseated. Tessa rushed her to the bathroom with Luke following after them. I was having a conversation with my sister and Mr. Solovyov. Luke was gone when I looked up a few minutes later. I had assumed he had gone in the bathroom after them, but they never came out.”
“When I went to investigate, I found no signs of them. While I was looking, I received back to back phone calls. I ignored the first two. When I answered the third time, an unknown male voice from an unlisted number said he had Paige. Before I could ask anything, he hung up. Brent found me looking for them, and I asked if he had seen Paige or if she was with her mother. He confirmed she wasn’t. That’s all I have.”
Feeling helpless, I sit on the couch in the lobby. My elbows rest on my knees while I hold my head in my hands. I’m listening as Gage tells Dallas to find Mr. Eller so they can look at the security cameras. When I dial Luke, it goes straight to voicemail. I call Tessa’s phone and get the same. When I try Paige, her phone doesn’t pick up either. This is not a coincidence.
Gage’s question draws my attention away from my phone. “Have you checked if they’re in the suite?”
“Not yet. I was about to.”
“Mind if I tag along?” Brent asks.
“Sure," I shrug. "We can use all the help we can get.”
“Take Will too and tell me what you find as soon as you get up there.” Gage stops Will, giving him last-minute instructions. “If you see any staff on the way up, ask if they've seen Luke or Paige.”
Will nods and follows us to the lift. The door creaks as the antique contraption opens to let us on.
I show the operator my room key, and he pushes the button for the penthouse suite.
Will asks, “Did you take anyone else to the Penthouse tonight?”
“Yes, sir. It was Mr. Wells-Owen and Ms. Seaver. There was another lady who was helping him carry her, but I haven’t seen her before. I felt bad for Ms. Seaver.”
“How so?” Brent asks.
“She was sweaty and pale and was so sick she couldn’t stand.”
I know should feel relieved by what the guy is telling us, but I don’t. It still doesn’t explain the strange phone call. Brent gives me a sideways glance. His apprehensive expression mirrors mine. None of us will feel better until we set eyes on them.
The lift bell chimes as we reach the penthouse floor. I dig the key card from my breast pocket and unlock the door. Everything inside the room is dark and silent, except for the lamp in the corner.
“Luke!! Tessa!! Are you in here? Paige, if you can hear me, say something.”
Brent goes toward the bedrooms while Will searches the halls.
“Anything?” Will asks as he enters the suite.
I’m about to say no as my eyes scan the room. Between the sofa and the coffee table, I see Luke. He’s holding his head in his hands.
“Luke,” I shout, grabbing him by his shoulders to sit him up. He only groans in return. His temple is bruised, and he’s bleeding from the scalp.
“Where is Paige?” I ask, fear gripping my gut.
Luke’s words come out slurred, too unintelligible for me to understand. I can only make out the word collar. He screams, and his body shakes uncontrollably with seizures.
“Call an ambulance!!”
Will kneels beside me, gently repositioning Luke on his side as I cradle my husband’s head in my lap, shielding it from the hard floor. I can hear the urgency in Brent’s voice as he speaks with an emergency services operator in the background.
Luke gives a final shudder, and his body falls limp.
I’m so lost and scared. What the hell is going on? Why is this happening? Didn't I do enough t protect them?
