Page 15 of Kidnapped Bride

I was out the door, three steps past the guard, when I felt his arm wrap around my waist and haul me off my feet.

I kicked and clawed at his arm, thrashing like something wild, screaming, "Let go of me! Get off!"

But he didn't say a word as he carried me back into the room and dropped me, messy clothing and all, onto the bed.

Anya cowered out of the way as he backed up and glared at me, clenching his hands into fists.

"That was stupid," he said.

"Go to hell."

Anya was on her knees picking up pieces of the broken plate as I scrambled off the other side of the bed and stood there with my chest heaving.

"You stupid son of a bitch," I snapped at the guard, who didn't even blink. "You can't do this. This is kidnapping. Do you understand that? You're going to prison. All of you."

It was like talking to a brick wall, though Anya glanced up at that comment and dipped her head as her cheeks tinged pink.

I wasn't stupid.

There was no way Nikolai would ever let me go if he knew I would go to the police. There was obvious evidence.

My phone's location could be tracked and the last known location would be his home.

I'd told my friend about meeting him.

There were so many messages between my phone and his.

Not to mention the cameras outside that restaurant, and his car's GPS unit.

The only way I was getting out of this was in a body bag and I knew it.

"I want to talk to Nikolai. Right now."

The man looked at me for a long beat and then turned to Anya, who stood with the broken pieces of the plate gathered in a dish towel tucked onto the tray.

Coffee dripped from the edge and she caught it with her apron.

"I'll bring you a fresh plate," she said gently. "Something warm would do you good."

"I don't want your food," I hissed, fighting back tears. I would not cry in front of these people. "I want out of this room."

Anya avoided eye contact, but she appeared to get the point.

But the guard didn't leave until the maid was gone and then he locked the door behind him again.

I was too tired to chase after them this time. There was no way out of this room, anyway.

There was coffee on my bare legs and a smear of pesto stuck to my foot.

My dress had cheese and mayo on it and I looked down at myself and almost laughed at how pathetic I appeared.

For a woman who had so much fight, I looked more like a dirty, homeless person, and it disgusted me.

I peeled the dress off and dropped it on the floor. I couldn't stand the feel of it now.

It reminded me of everything I wanted to forget about the last twelve hours.

I had chosen this dress specifically to catch Nikolai's eye before I knew "Niko" was the most ruthless criminal in the city and that he'd been catfishing me. Enough to get me to sleep with him before his big reveal, which was another sore spot.