The trunk opens, light blinding me as rough hands yank me out. They march me toward a warehouse, my voice tumbling out in desperation.
“My name is Luna,” I say quickly. “Please… just tell me what you want. I don’t have much money, but I can get some.”
They exchange a look.
“You better hope you can,” one of them says. “Because you’re not worth anything to us if you can’t.”
They shove me into a chair. I stare down at the dress. It was once white, but now it’s smeared with oil and dirt. One man binds my wrists and ankles with zip ties while the other paces the room.
“When will he get the ransom note?” the pacing man asks.
“Should be getting it now,” the other replies, breathless.
“And if they don’t pay?”
He looks at me, slow and assessing. “Look at her. He’ll pay. He’s marrying her Saturday. Of course he’ll pay.”
My throat tightens. “Who are you?” I ask.
The pacing man stops. “Your biggest nightmare.”
He tears off a strip of duct tape and presses it over my mouth. I try to scream, but it’s useless.
I lean my head back, my eyes burning.
Somewhere, right now, Cole is receiving a ransom note.
And all I can think is what if he doesn’t pay?
What if this was never love to him… and he finds I’m not worth the cost?
CHAPTER 13
COLE
It’s been a busy day. I’ve been checking in with all our businesses in town to get caught up so I can take a few days off after the wedding.
After checking in at the animal shelter and approving a few more upgrades, I’m walking to my car when my phone rings. I see my mom’s name on the caller ID and smile as I pick it up. “Hey, Mom, how’s it going? You two having fun?”
“Cole.”
The one word is all she says, but I stop dead in my tracks and squeeze the phone tighter. “Mom. What’s wrong?”
Her voice is thick with emotion, and that’s not like my mom. She can always hold it together. “They took her. Luna is gone. She was trying on wedding dresses, and now she’s gone.”
“Are you still at the Wedding Boutique?”
“Yes,” she says.
“I’m around the corner. I’ll be right there. Have Paul pull any surveillance footage.”
I don’t even bother getting into the car. I start running. Stone is hollering after me, but I don’t stop. I hear his feet clomping behind me.
A few seconds later, I’m bursting through the front door of the boutique. My mother is standing in the back, and I run to her. “Where? How?”
Paul comes forward. “She was trying on dresses here. Her clothes and purse are still in there. As far as I can tell from the video, they lured her outside with a kitten and then put her into the trunk of a car.”
My whole body tenses. “Show me.”
