Distorted Hope (39 page)

“You try and take her from me and I will kill you.” Nathan’s voice gave me the chills.

“You can’t kill my son, Nathan.”

I gasped.
Kill the baby?
I put my hand on my stomach.
What on earth was going on in Nathan’s head? Why was he so insecure?
He was the most confident man I’d ever met, so why did he struggle in this one area?

“She’s my wife, I can do whatever the fuck I want to her.”

Tears filled my eyes as I listened to them growl at one another. I hated this! I hated getting in between them.

“Think of what that would do to her, Nathan. You’re not being reasonable.”

“It would make sure her loyalties wouldn’t be divided. Unless you care to leave.”

I clapped my hand over my mouth in shock and there was a long, tension-filled period of silence. And then, “You want me to leave?”

Another pause. “It might be for the best.”

“I won’t leave my child behind.”

I leaned against the wall, wiping the tears from my cheeks. I knew there was no simple solution to our situation, but Nathan really was being unreasonable. He needed Mark. Mark helped keep him level-headed. Mark was his face man. Without Mark, he’d have to go meet his clients himself, and I know he didn’t want to do that. He
couldn’t
do that.

“I think you better go meet Mr. Jones at the airport before I do something I’ll regret,” Nathan said in a low voice.

Mark growled and came around the corner a moment later. He saw me and pressed his lips together, giving me a sad look. “I’m so sorry, Kyra,” he said in a soft voice, and scooted past me to go downstairs.

I watched him for a moment and then walked out onto the patio. Nathan leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest and a frown on his face.

“Nathan?” I whispered.

He looked up; surprise and then guilt crossed his face. “You heard?”

I bit my lip to keep from crying as I nodded.

“Oh, Kitten…” He pulled me into his arms and held me tightly.

By the time Mark returned in the helicopter with Sebastian, Nathan had calmed down. Both Mark and Nathan had agreed I would be safe being out and about while Sebastian was visiting and so I waited with the men as Nathan went to greet the helicopter.

Nathan returned with a group of men, including Mark, Sebastian, and three other men I didn’t recognize. Two were in their mid-twenties. One was shorter than the rest, with cropped, dark hair and eyes, but boy, was he broad! The second unknown man was about six inches taller, with a boyish smile and kind, puppy-dog brown eyes. The third unknown man… Wow, was he hot! I normally wasn’t into the obviously-handsome kind of guy, but I will admit his cobalt-blue eyes made my knees a little weak. As tall as Sebastian, but more muscular, he walked with an air of authority that didn’t seem to match his age, which appeared to be about the same as me. He grinned at the group of women and I swear they all sighed at once.

Nathan, Sebastian, and the younger man laughed as they walked up the steps to the courtyard. This was a first. I’d never seen Nathan so at ease with guests around. I glanced behind me at Toby, whose brow was raised with surprise. Mark’s eyes met mine and he shook his head with an amused smile on his face as they approached.

Across the courtyard, the girls whispered to each other. There was no fear in this visit. Sebastian and the other men gave off an aura of authority, but there was nothing to fear with them. Not like the normal visitors.

“Gentlemen. Girls.” Nathan put his hand on Sebastian’s shoulder. “This is Sebastian.” He motioned toward the younger man. “This is Alexander Kunze…” Nathan chuckled. “I’m not going to attempt the rest of your name.”

The younger man laughed, blue eyes full of humor. “Alex is fine, Nathan,” he said with a thick accent. German, I thought.

“Alex it is, then,” Nathan said, and then motioned to the other men. “Seth and Tony.” Tony was the shorter man; Seth was the one with the boyish grin.

Sebastian gave me a broad smile. “Hello, Kyra,” he said, leaning down to kiss my cheek. He studied my eyes for a moment. “I understand congratulations are in order.”

I nodded.

He chuckled. “I’m happy for you.” He winked at me and then turned to shake hands with the men around me.

Nathan introduced the girls to the newly-arrived men and they each beamed at them. The men, in turn, were very flirtatious. Alex especially made the girls giggle and I noticed Seth roll his eyes and grin at Tony. Sebastian gave each girl his undivided attention as they were introduced.

When the introductions were finished, Nathan held out his hand to me and I walked over to him. “Shall we have some refreshments?” Nathan asked, kissing me on the temple and slipping his arm around my waist.

Sebastian nodded. “Sounds great.”

This visit was so unlike any other visit I’d experienced in my time at the hacienda. Genuine smiles and laughter filled the room throughout the evening. Nathan was his normal, wonderful self, and I had no fear of any kind. Even the tension between Nathan and Mark had disappeared.

After a delicious dinner, the normal after-dinner activities commenced. I’d been right in my assumptions about Alex and the girls. The girls all vied for his attention as he looked them over, finally inviting Hanne and Julia to sit with him. I swear they almost squealed in delight as they leapt to their feet and followed Alex to his seat.

Nathan smiled at me across the short distance between our two chairs. He held out his hand toward me. “Come here, Kitten,” he said in a soft voice, his eyes twinkling with affection.

I stood immediately out of obedience but a second later, I hesitated, wondering if he was going to use me. Nathan reached for my hand and pulled me into his lap.

“I just want to hold my beautiful wife,” he murmured in my ear and hugged me tightly against his chest.

I sighed contentedly and listened to his chest rumble as he and Sebastian talked specifications about a sniper rifle for Alex.

I couldn’t imagine being happier than in that moment. Nathan stroked my hair as he and Sebastian talked. But a loud crash from beyond the courtyard made me jump and instantly, everyone’s attention was focused outside.

I squinted and thought I saw movement but couldn’t discern any shapes. A moment later, footsteps echoed in the stairwell and Toby and Ajani appeared a second later.

“Nathan! We’re under attack!” Toby shouted as he jumped over the last three steps and into the living room. His and Ajani’s arms were full of weapons and they began handing them out to the men in the room. The girls screamed and ran toward the dining area, through which they could get to their rooms.

Nathan stood and pushed me behind him. The men in the room stood, as well, and the feeling in the room turned from curiosity to action. Nathan started shouting orders as he held my hand. Mark was by my side an instant later. Nathan’s eyes were grave as he looked at his friend. “Get her somewhere safe,” he said in a firm voice and pushed me into Mark’s arms.

“Nathan!” I exclaimed. “No, I won’t leave you!”

Nathan cupped my cheek. “Kyra, I need to know you are safe. I won’t be able to concentrate if you’re here.”

I swallowed and tears filled my eyes. Nathan glanced at Sebastian. “Please, Sebastian, help Mark with her.”

Sebastian nodded and said something to Alex in German. “We will keep her safe.”

“Mark, get her out of the compound if things get out of control,” Nathan said, staring at me with tears in his eyes.

“Yes, sir,” Mark said in a solemn voice and pulled at my hand.

“Nathan,” I whispered and leaned up to kiss him. “Be careful.”

He nodded and kissed me back. “I will see you soon.”

Mark pulled me away and the last thing I saw before being pulled into a dark closet was glass shattering around the men in the room and them lifting their hands to shield their faces.

Mark pulled me in the darkness and I followed him blindly. I had no idea where I was or who was with me besides him. I heard other people breathing heavily behind me as we walked quickly, but I had no idea how many were there.

After several minutes, Mark stopped. I couldn’t hear anything. Apparently, he didn’t, either, as a sliver of light appeared. Slowly, Mark’s silhouette came into view and he pulled me out of the darkness and into… Nathan’s room?

“How did we get here?” I asked, looking around. Emerging behind me were Sebastian and Alex. Mark closed the opening and the hidden passage which had led us next to Nathan’s bathroom disappeared.

“Secret tunnel for trouble,” Mark answered in a low voice.

Sebastian stepped silently to the window and peered out. “There are about… fifteen men I can see,” he said in a low voice. “There are more inside and all are heavily armed.”

Someone shouted from outside.

“Russian?” Mark tilted his head. “Don’t tell me Pavel lived up to his threat,” he growled. “Stupid man.”

“Pavel?” I asked in a shaking voice. The memory of the rape flashed in front of my eyes and I shivered. “What does he want?” I dreaded I already knew the answer. “Why?”

“His pride was hurt,” Mark said, shaking his head. “Never imagined he’d be this stupid.”

“His pride?” Alex asked, glancing at me.

Mark briefly explained the history of Pavel and what he’d done to me.

Alex nodded in understanding and looked thoughtful for a moment. “Pride can make you do stupid things,” he said with a wry smile.

Mark walked over to look out the curtained door and then cursed under his breath. “Pavel is looking this way. He knows you’re in the compound and knows Nathan hides you away.” He strode across the floor toward me. “We need to get out of here.”

I looked around. “How?” We were on the second floor of the hacienda. The only way was out the window and over the edge of a cliff, or out the main door.

“Nathan would never be trapped.” Mark pulled me into the bathroom with Sebastian and Alex following behind.

We walked into the closet and Mark handed me my sandals, then, in the back of the closet, Mark opened another hidden doorway and pulled me into the darkness. After the door was closed, he turned on a flashlight so we could see a little. I followed him down a flight of stairs and around several corners and then straight down a musty tunnel. A door appeared at the end and we stepped out of…