"No." Dominic's steely response echoed through the quiet foyer.
"Dom—" Jake started to speak in his cool, professional tone.
In response to a subtle cue from Dominic, two guards flanked Abby with the obvious intention of escorting her out of the room. "Take her to my plane," he said harshly. "Fuel up. We'll leave as soon as I'm finished here."
Both of Zhang's eyebrows rose at Dominic's display of force. She stepped closer to Abby, ignoring the men beside her. "If this gets old and you need me, call me," Zhang said and pressed a card with her private number into one of Abby's cold hands.
Abby leaned forward and impulsively hugged the woman. Taken by surprise, Zhang stood stiff as a board for a few seconds before awkwardly returning the embrace. Abby whispered in her ear, "He's angry right now, but he would never hurt me."
Zhang stepped out of Abby's embrace and said, "I hope for your sake that you are correct."
Abby bit her lip and looked back at Dominic's tight expression. Beneath his angry exterior was the loyal heart of man who had given up everything to search for a mother who hadn't bothered to write him a farewell note. He was still the man who had taken in Mrs. Duhamel and given her financial security when many would have let her suffer the consequences of her husband's decisions. He was a good man who was reeling in the face of what he saw as a public betrayal by those closest to him.
Abby suspected that if she voiced a desire to leave him now, he would let her go, but was that what she really wanted? Yesterday she'd convinced herself that she could settle for this one adventure and be content to live with just the memories of their shared passion. After all, walking away and playing it safe was something she excelled in.
But that was before she realized how much she loved him.
His determination to keep her with him sparked some hope in her heart. He also didn't want their time together to end. He wasn't a smooth man who spoke in flowery words. He was a man of action and all of his dominant posturing suggested that no matter what he thought had happened, he still wanted her.
For now, that was enough. When the dust from the events of the day settled, they would be alone and she could explain her actions to him. He'd see that she'd acted with the best of intentions and he'd forgive her.
Being with Dominic had changed her. She was no longer willing to play it safe and lay her life at the feet of fate like a sacrifice, hoping that if she did, she could somehow minimize future losses. No, she wanted it all—the man, the passion, the till death do us part promise.
Chin high, she allowed herself to be escorted by Dominic's security out a side exit to where a limo was waiting to whisk her back to Dominic's plane.
Let the kidnapping begin.
Chapter Sixteen
Sitting beneath the same blanket she'd cuddled under during the flight, Abby watched people come and go through a small plane window. There were guards stationed both inside and outside of the hanger. They were dressed in the familiar black and white uniform.
Apparently, Dominic had not given his private security guards instructions to humor her. They were stubbornly silent, regardless of how she tried to pull them into discourse. Upon arriving at the plane, Abby had paused before reentering the open hatch. One large hand nudged her forward, prompting her to turn and snap, "Stop acting like you're forcing me. I wanted to come."
Her announcement was met with silence.
Not too long after that, one guard had followed her down the short hallway to the bathroom. She'd wagged a warning finger in his face, "Don't even think you're coming in with me. What are you afraid of? That I'll escape from the bathroom? It doesn't even have a window."
The guard had simply turned his back to her, filling the space just outside the door with his massive frame. She held back an urge to bean something off the back of his head. The longer she waited for Dominic to return, the more her agitation grew, but she wasn't stupid enough to act on it.
Almost two hours had passed without a word from Dominic. She'd watched most of the press conference on the plane's television. On the outside, Dominic had looked calm. He fielded questions about how long he had been planning this act of philanthropy. He accepted thanks from the leaders of countless organizations. Every news station was calling Dominic a role model for businessmen around the world. People speculated that his actions would forge a new and strong relationship between the US and China. Dominic accepted their praise with a calm they assumed was humility, but Abby understood was cold control.
During one part of the press release, a reporter made a statement rather than asking a question. He said, "No one saw this one coming, Mr. Corisi. You've taken the world by surprise."