"You, too."
He ran back to his chambers and combed every inch. Nothing. He checked to make sure Sarah's clothes were still there. Nothing had been removed. He picked up the towel and held it up to his face. It smelled like Sarah and bubble bath.
"Where the hell did you go?"
His gut told him that she was in trouble. He knew she wouldn't just leave without either confronting him first if she were mad or letting him know that she was going somewhere if she wasn't.
An hour later, the guards reported back that they had found nothing. Luke summoned the head of the guards and told him that no one was to leave the castle until he returned. "I don't know where Lady Kayleigh is at the moment but find her and put her in the guest quarters. No one leaves."
He walked out the back door of the castle. Kayleigh was going to be pissed, but as far as he was concerned, she was one of the prime suspects. A scorned woman, whether for real or imagined, could be a ruthless bitch. Even in his mind, he knew that Kayleigh would have no reason to kill his father, let alone his mother, but at the moment, all of his thoughts were on Sarah.
As soon as he was clear, he rose into the air and headed for Colorado.
Chapter Twenty-One: Failed Escape
Sarah Hale
Sarah paced back and forth in her cell, for lack of a better word. Her back ached from the tiny cot, and her stomach growled. She kept having flashbacks to being locked in with one of her brothers in a similar situation, but that time she didn’t have the baby to worry about.
What if I went into labor right now?
She still had many weeks to go, but the possibility was always there. She forced herself to sit down and breathe deeply.Stress yourself out, and you’re going to put yourself in early labor.
Food was also a concern, and hunger pains weren’t something she could turn her mind away from. She had no idea how long she had been held captive. Time seemed to have stood still in the darkened room, but she hadn’t seen anyone since the beginning.
Are they just planning to leave me here until I die?
They wouldn’t do that, not if they wanted the baby. She had to believe that Luke would literally tear the castle apart brick by brick until he was satisfied that she wasn’t there.But what if Kayleigh convinced him that you left?
Tears ran down her cheeks. She could almost feel Luke’s fear and desperation as he tried to find her. He had to know that she wouldn’t just leave him. They had just reconnected and had a future planned. She wouldn’t have just walked away.But how convincing is the bitch?
She swiped at the tears and sucked in a slobbery breath.
Stop it!
He would go to the ranch, find out she wasn’t there, and tip off her family that something was wrong. Together, they would form a posse and do whatever it took to find her.
Believe your own thoughts.
The Hales had been in tight situations before; this one would be no different. Eventually someone would cave and give away her location, or the castle would be dismantled. Either way, they would find her.
Her stomach growled again. She stood up and put her hand on the wall. “Distract yourself.” Her words echoed in the empty chamber. She felt her way along the wall, just in case there was a hidden switch that would open a door.
She nervously giggled at herself. Now she was depending on movies to save her. “You’re not Indiana Jones. No magical door is going to appear.”
Heavy footsteps sounded in the room. She turned toward the door and waited. A moment later, the goon working for Kayleigh appeared, carrying a large bag.
“I hope that’s food, or this baby is going to be worthless to you.”
He grunted and shoved the bag through the bars on the window in the door. “Bon appetit.”
“Why are you doing this?” Maybe if she was nice, she would sweet talk her way out.
“We all work for someone.”
“Yeah, but usually kidnapping and hostage taking isn’t in the job description. Do you realize that I’m the future queen? Don’t you understand what I can do to you once I’m out of here?”
He snorted. “You’re not getting out so it doesn’t matter. Kayleigh will be queen.”
