“I showed my father, however. Using what little money he did leave me with, I started my own business, grew it larger than my father’s ever was, and then took his over. I fired my father and brother, letting them live on whatever pittance I allowed them.” He grinned. “The lesson here being that if you cross me, youwillpay for it.”
I was trying to put on a brave front. All the same, his words sent a chill up my spine. At that moment, I was living proof of his ability to get revenge.
“So then, what are you going to do to me?”
The grin spread. “I could kill you, sure. But killing someone is too risky. Even for a man with means like myself dealing with a dead body is no small feat. After all, it’d be a tragic waste to throw away a beauty like you.”
He rose, stepping over to me.
“A man with money can get whatever he wants. And I wantyou.”
“You’ll never have me.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. I’ve found the best psych experts on earth—former CIA and KGB psych-ops soldiers—who are trained in mental manipulation. You see, if you want someone to do what you tell them, it’s a mere matter of breaking their will. With a combination of isolation, manipulation, and a few other tricks, that shouldn’t be a problem, even for a willful girl like yourself.”
“Then what?”
“Then it’s a matter of remaking you into whatever I want. With a little time, I can make you fall in love with me, make youwantto be here. That way, when your father finally tracks me down, you won’t want to leave.”
“Ridiculous.”
“Not so. I’ve been practicing. The servant who brought you your tray? Surely you noticed how…blank she was.”
I said nothing, thinking about the girl’s strange, absent face.
“They’ve barely got wills of their own at this point. And the same fate is in store for you. I’ll make you love me, make you want to be here, make you want to marry me. And if youwantto be here, there’s no kidnapping, is there? Especially when I track those men down and remove them. Once that’s done, it’s a simple matter of arranging an accident for your brother, putting you in line for the throne with me as your king consort. Then, once you have my child, my own flesh and blood will eventually be on the throne.” He leaned forward. “A pretty ingenious plan, no? Your father took something from me, so I’ll take his daughter, his son,andhis kingdom. And the best part is you’ll be happy that it happened.”
“You’re evil. And disgusting!” I spat at him.
He grinned. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“I’ll never give in,” I said. “Never.”
He shrugged. “I suppose we’ll find out, no?”
With that, he turned toward the door.
“Get some rest. You have a busy few months ahead of you.”
He left. I tried to stay strong, but I was shaking with fear.
All I could do was pray that the guys would find me, and fast.
37
AJAX
“You’re a damn idiot, you know that?”
I had a big, stupid grin on my face as Pyke hobbled into the Italian hotel where we’d been staying in preparation for the mission.
“You’ve got to be an idiot to be in this line of work,” he replied.
Pyke stepped over and pulled me into a hug. Then Kid, and finally Hud.
“There’s no keeping a good merc down,” Hud said. “Especially when the stakes are this high.”
Hank stuck out his big mitt towards Pyke. “Name’s Hank.”