Beautifully Broken (The Broken Series Book 2) (5 page)

When
I looked back up in the mirror I discovered Michael leaning in the doorway with
a concerned look on his face. “Are you okay,
mon coeur
?”

I
shook my head as a single tear slid down my cheek. “No.” I turned around and leaned
against the sink as Michael closed the distance between us.

He
gently kissed my tear stained cheek. “You’re exhausted. I’ll wash up so we can
eat.”  

I
was beyond exhausted, but I was also very hungry. Michael had taken me to the
airport before breakfast, and I had refused to eat on the plane. I hadn’t eaten
a single thing the entire day. The lack of food had left me feeling shaky and
weak, and it appeared to be compromising my ability to think. I took a deep
breath and tried to reign in the tears I was still struggling to keep at bay. I
had to keep it together just a little while longer, at least long enough to eat.

I
walked to the back of the bathroom to look inside the basket of toiletries. I
was in desperate need of a toothbrush. I returned to the sink as Michael began
drying his hands. “Do you happen to have a toothbrush and some toothpaste I
could use?”

“Yes,
of course. Your toothbrush is right here.” Michael opened a drawer under the
sink where I was standing.

I
reached for the toothbrush, then froze. The drawer was filled with my favorite
toothpaste, face lotion, cleanser, and makeup. I forgot all about the
toothbrush as I reached for an unopened box of perfume.
Bvlgari Omnia Green
Jade
? The perfume and all the other items in the drawer were the exact same
brands I used at home. I set the perfume back inside the drawer. “How do you know
my sizes and the products I use?”

Michael
shrugged. “I watched you shop.”

I
eyed him suspiciously. “Was today the first time you were in my apartment?”

“
Oui,
ma chérie
. Now, please, can we go eat?” Michael didn’t wait for a
response. He placed his hand at the small of my back and led me back into the bedroom.
He pulled the table away from the couch and sat down on the rug. I tried to sit
in one of the chairs, but he reached for my hand and pulled me alongside him on
the floor.

I
scooted a few inches away from Michael and leaned against the base of the
couch. My eyes were immediately drawn to the crackling fire. The fireplace was
real, and it was putting out a lot more heat than the gas versions I had grown
accustomed to in Virginia. The heat was soothing and already coaxing me to
sleep. My thoughts drifted as I stared at the glowing embers.

I
couldn’t believe that Michael had been following me, and I hadn’t caught him
doing it, not even once. I had suspected he was in DC when he sent an e-mail lamenting
the fact I was dating another man. He claimed that Kadyn could never love me as
much as he did and warned I would soon be back in his arms. He swore that
nothing would keep us apart. I glanced at Michael as I reflected on the e-mail.
He had certainly made good on that promise.

Michael
handed me a glass of wine. “
Santé
.”

I
remembered the toast from our first date. “To your health,” I repeated without even
thinking.

Michael
tipped his glass against mine. His gaze drifted toward the fireplace as he drank
the wine.

I
raised the glass to my lips and took a small sip. The wine tasted of ripe
berries, black pepper, and something reminiscent of cigar smoke. “It’s nice,” I
commented, more out of habit than anything. I examined the wine in my glass a
bit more closely. I wondered how much I could risk drinking. I knew it would dull
my pain, but I feared that drinking too much would leave me even more
vulnerable to Michael. I took another sip and relished the warmth that spread
through my chest as the alcohol hit my empty stomach.

“
Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge,” Michael explained while softly
swirling the wine in his glass. The flames from the fireplace danced in the crystal
facets, then reflected against his ridiculously handsome face.
Michael
took another drink before setting his glass on the table. As he lifted the lid from
the silver tray, the smell of lobster quickly filled the air. A basket of large,
flaky croissants was nestled between two steaming bowls of lobster bisque soup.
Two small plates of cheese and champagne grapes were set off to the side of
each of the bowls. “
B
on
appétit
,” Michael encouraged softly.

I
was too hungry to refuse the food. By the time we finished the soup, Michael had
visibly relaxed. I hadn’t noticed the tension in him earlier. I was too busy battling
my own emotions, but the difference in him was clearly noticeable now. He
should have felt stressed. Thousands of lives were threatened, and he had to
bank on the fact that his threat was sufficient to ensure my cooperation. I
studied Michael. How far was he planning to push me with this threat? Would he
expect me to succumb to his every whim?

As
I sipped on my wine, I wondered whether Michael would eventually tire of me. It
was quite possible that he was pursuing me simply because I rejected him. After
what I witnessed today, I was certain that Michael was used to getting what he
wanted. Possessions and power were clearly important to him. So, would he try
to maintain his hold on me regardless; or if I offered little resistance, would
he get bored and let me go? I turned the idea in my head. Resistance hadn’t
proven a good strategy for me in the past. It had only led to more pain and violence
from my ex-husband and from Justin when he kidnapped me.

I
turned and eyed the bed behind me.
Was I willing to give Michael everything
he wanted? Did I even have a choice?
I turned back around to stare at the
fire, hoping to find some answers there. Finally, I looked at Michael. He was quietly
watching me over the top of his wine glass.

I
took a deep breath as I attempted to establish some boundaries. “I will not
sleep with you, Michael.” I said it as firmly as a person could to someone who
was willing to kill thousands of people to get his way.

Michael
looked amused. “Sleep with me? What do you mean?
Sex
?”

I
was certain my face turned red. I could feel the heat flooding my cheeks. “Yes,
Michael, sex. I will sleep in this room… in this bed with you… but I will not have
sex with you.” Like an idiot, I thought that sleeping in the same bed together might
appear to be a compromise.

Michael
chuckled softly. “I will respect your wish tonight,
mon coeur
, as it is
late and we are both tired from the trip.” Michael leaned over and kissed me on
the cheek before whispering seductively in my ear. “But I can also promise you
this,
mon
amour
. Soon, there will be no part of your body that I
have not caressed and kissed. You
will
want me more than you have wanted
anything or anyone. Then,
and only then
,
will we make love.”

Kadyn
didn’t bother going home. When the federal agents cleared out of Kri’s apartment,
he called Patrick to let him know what he had found. He asked Patrick to relay
the information to Senator Rockefeller but asked that he tell the other staff
members that Kri was sick. He wanted to minimize the chances the kidnapping
would be leaked to the news media.

Kadyn
changed into some fleece pants that he kept at Kri’s place and collapsed on her
bed, the same bed they shared most nights. Her pillows still smelled of her
perfume and the lavender scented shampoo she used in her hair. Kadyn reached
for Kri’s pillow and tucked it against his chest. Hours passed before Kadyn finally
fell asleep. When he did, he was still clutching Kri’s pillow to his chest.

*
* * * * *

Kadyn
woke early the next morning. He stayed in bed for a good hour, unwilling to
part from the only place where he could still feel Kri. He thought about where things
had stood between them when she disappeared. Kri hadn’t known it, but he had
been planning to propose. They had only been together for ten months, and he
knew she needed time to heal from her abusive marriage and from Morris’s
abduction. So he had been waiting for the right time. He had assumed they had
all the time in the world. And now? She was gone.

Kadyn
sat up and leaned against the headboard as he sifted through the long list of
things he needed to do. He wasn’t planning to call Kri’s family or her friends
in Montana. He was going to put that off for as long as possible, let them
think she was safe for as long as he could. Kri left her purse and her cell
phone behind, so he’d know when people started leaving messages and getting
concerned.

Kadyn
turned off the alarm he had set for work. Then he called Phil.

The
phone only rang once. “Kadyn, you were supposed to call me back last night.
What the hell happened?”

“Phil,
you haven’t told anyone that Kri is missing have you?”

“Only
Marie,” Phil responded warily. “Why?”

Kadyn
chalked that up as unavoidable since Marie was Phil’s wife. “Okay. I’m going to
let Cenia, Roger, and Mason know tonight after work. I don’t want it going any
further than that.”

“Do
you mind telling me what’s going on?” Phil prodded a bit irritably.

Kadyn
blew out a long breath. “She’s been kidnapped,
again
.”

Phil
sighed. He had suspected as much. “Any connection to the bombs at the Pentagon?”

“The
two events are definitely connected. The bombs at the Pentagon were intended to
send me a message and to keep me sufficiently engaged so I couldn’t intervene.”

“I’d
say that was a remarkably effective diversion. “I’m assuming Justin Morris hasn’t
secured his release from jail and taken her again…”

Kadyn
shook his head. “No. This is Michael Garcia’s work. He made sure I would know
it was him.”

“How
so?” Phil asked curiously.

“He
left me a present at Kri’s house, all tied up with duct tape for a bow.”

The
phone line grew quiet as Phil waited for further explanation.

“He
left our lease officer tied up here so she could give me a message.”

“And
the message was….” Phil prompted impatiently.

“That
everyone I know and love will die if I try to find her.”

“Holy
shit,” Phil breathed out.

“And
this guy has the means to carry it out. He allegedly has ties to some terrorist
group.”

“And
that’s where I come in?” Phil asked, already knowing the answer.

“Yes.
That’s where you come in. I need you to dig up everything you can on Michael
Garcia, identify any other names he might use, and try to pinpoint which
terrorist network he is involved with.”

Phil
sighed. “That’s a tall order, my friend.”

Kadyn
closed his eyes. He’d rather not think about how impossible his request was. He
took a deep breath and continued. “Use a secure network. I don’t want anyone
getting wind of this. You can tell Marie but no one else. We need to keep this
out of the news, otherwise he’ll hide her some place I’ll never find her.”

“I
understand,” Phil responded. “I’m really sorry, buddy. I know how much you love
her, and with everything you two have been through...” Phil’s voice trailed
off.

Kadyn
nodded even though Phil couldn’t see him. “I do love her, but I’ve failed her
twice now. Why can’t I keep her safe?”

“I
don’t know, Kadyn, but if anyone can find her it’s you,” Phil said encouragingly.

“Thanks,
Phil,” Kadyn responded before ending the call. He leaned back against the
headboard. Phil was incredibly skilled in cyber security and
counter-intelligence. If there was any information to be found on Garcia, Phil
would find it.

Kadyn
reached for Kri’s pillow and inhaled deeply, smelling her perfume one last time
before he forced himself from the bed. He wasn’t going to find her here. If he
wanted Kri home, he was going to have to go get her. Michael Garcia had
seriously underestimated him if he thought that threat would stop him from
searching for Kri.

I
woke with a start. I sat up and looked around the room, which was now bathed in
soft sunlight. Michael was nowhere to be seen. Relief bled into sadness as I
fell back against the thick feather pillows. The tears came hard and fast.
Why
does this keep happening to me?
First Tom, then Justin, and now Michael.
Every single one of them had robbed me of my life in one way or another. Tom
and Justin had hurt me. Would Michael hurt me too?

I
rolled to my side and curled into a tight ball. I missed Kadyn so much it hurt.
It felt like an invisible hand was squeezing every last ounce of blood from my
heart. How could I ensure Kadyn’s safety when I knew full well he’d come for
me? The thought that I might never see him again… the thought that he could be
killed because of me… that he might already be dead… each dark thought tore mercilessly
at my heart. I reached for a pillow and pulled it over my head as I began to sob.

I
eventually found myself standing in the center of the bathroom, with no memory
of how I’d come to be there. I shook my head, then walked to the shelves to
retrieve the lavender bath salts I had spotted last night. I programmed the
water for the bathtub using the small electronic panel that Michael had shown
me before we went to bed. The panel had been secreted under the tile alongside
the tub. The musky scent of lavender filled the air as I sprinkled the bath salts
into the warm water. I had long relied on lavender candles, shampoo, lotions,
and bath oils to relax, but I knew it was going to take a lot more than
lavender to soothe me now. I slipped out of the black silk nightgown that
Michael had given me and sank into the steaming water.