Billionaire Bachelors 6 ; Runaway Heiress(23)

"Chad, you know her brothers aren't going to stand idly by, so why don't you just tell them what they need to do, give them a crash course in rescue, whatever it is you need from them, because I agree with Trenton. The more of you there are, the greater chance you have of a safe rescue," George said. He was speaking in a reasonable tone but there was an undercurrent of authority in his voice as well.

"She's our sister, we're going," Austin insisted.

"Okay, but you don't make a move unless I specifically okay it," Chad announced.

"To hell with that," Trenton shouted.

"It's either that or you can wait here for us to return," Chad said as he moved so he was standing toe to toe with Trenton. He wasn't budging an inch and he certainly wasn't jeopardizing Bree's safety. What Chad really wanted to do was knock Trenton's lights out, but he knew it wasn't the right time to get into a boxing match  –  no matter how much better it would make him feel. 

"Fine," Trenton conceded.

"We should call the cops," Amy said as she entered the room. The men turned in her direction. She was pale and her eyes were swollen from the tears she'd shed. "I've been trying to convince all of you of that for an hour."

"We told you, baby, we can't do that. If the cops rush in, Bree could get hurt. Plus, as Chad explained, we don't know how far this thing stretches. If these people have cops in their pockets and we notify the authorities, we could be warning them of our arrival. They may figure out Bree has a tracking device on her, remove it, and make it impossible for us to locate her again," Lucas said as he wrapped his arms around his wife. She shook in his arms as her tears started flowing again. She and Bree had become very close over the years and she was terrified for her friend.

"The cars are ready, sir," a man said quietly as he stepped into the room. He took a step back as seven huge men turned to stare at him. "The keys are in them," he finished, then made a hasty retreat.

"Thank you, Armon," Joseph replied, stress evident in his eyes.

Joseph laid his hand on Chad's unhurt shoulder and the gesture instantly calmed him. The man seemed to have magic inside, because he'd been able to do the same thing for Chad as he grew up. He could be spitting mad, or feel completely defeated, and the smallest touch from Joseph would somehow ground him.

"Go get your girl back," Joseph said in a knowing tone. Everyone in the room heard his words and turned to glare at Chad. He ignored them and walked to the front doors. Joseph was right. He didn't know how or when it had happened, but he did think of Bree as his. He prayed he found her safe and sound so he could figure out where it was all leading.

***

Bree woke up and the darkness surrounding her nearly sent her over the edge, into panic. She attempted to move, then panicked even more when she realized her arms were tied to something. She struggled for several long minutes, the ropes securing her arms, tearing into her flesh. Finally, the pain was overwhelming and she lay back silently.

Calm down, you have to keep calm, she told herself. She slowly turned her head and looked around the small, dim room. She was tied to an old army cot and no matter how hard she tugged, she knew there was no chance of breaking either the rope or the metal bed. She had to figure out another way to get free.

Taking several deep breaths, Bree strained her ears to see if she could hear anything. Were her attackers nearby? She couldn't hear a sound. She listened a while longer before giving up. That had to be a good sign. No one was coming after her for at least a few minutes. That gave her time to break free.

She strained her memory to figure out the last thing she remembered. She could recall being in the van with several huge men, then the world going black. They must have chloroformed her. That would explain her raging headache.

She focused on her surroundings. She was in a small room with the windows boarded up. It looked like a house, maybe an abandoned one. She didn't know her location. Even if she managed to break free, she could be in the middle of a huge farm, for all she knew. She tried not to let hopelessness wash through her. She was an Anderson, and they didn't give up. Her father would lecture her for years if she were to throw in the towel.

Her wrist throbbed horribly, but the ropes weren't overly tight. She had nothing but time so she started working on the knots, grateful she could move her hands between the ropes. After what seemed like hours, she was ready to start crying. They weren't budging. She heard footsteps and froze.




 

 

There was a sound like someone inserting a key into a lock, then her door started opening. She made her body lay motionless and shut her eyes.