The Forbidden, page 18
They freeze when they see me, Wade’s mouth actually hanging open.
It’s Trey who breaks the silence, his gaze going to Ethan who comes to stand beside me. “What’s this knucklehead doing here?”
“He’s here about Kat,” Ethan says.
“She’s at a meeting in Lexington,” Fi says in her Irish lilt. “Then she was going out with friends after.”
I shake my head. “She’s in trouble.” Christ, this is hard… I don’t even know where to start, but I can’t seem to start with the most important thing—that I love her. Instead, I launch into the story from the beginning, talking at breakneck speed to get it all out because every minute delay is another minute that Kat is sitting there in terror. “My dad was apparently gambling and bet a very rare case of bourbon in a game of poker. He lost and the man who held the marker sent some goons to try to collect from my dad. Except, it’s not his bourbon to give. It belongs to the company, so they came to me for collection and I refused. But they want to force my hand, so they kidnapped Kat tonight—”
“What the ever-loving fuck?” Ethan yells at me, both of his hands going to my chest and he shoves me viciously backward.
I take the stumble but correct myself, eyeing him warily. Every other Blackburn plus Marcie rise from the table in alarm. “If I take the bourbon to him, he’ll let Kat go. I’m on my way right now to get it, but I had to let you know what was going on. They said she’s safe and unharmed and they’ll let her go as soon as I bring them the case.”
Fiona takes a step forward, her voice soft and surprisingly calm. “I don’t understand… why would they be takin’ Kat?”
“And why would that matter to you?” Tommy says, his voice sounding like barely contained violence as he comes to stand beside his wife.
“Because we’re seeing each other,” I say, holding Tommy’s gaze. Say what you want about her having three overprotective brothers, it’s her father I owe the explanation to.
“Bullshit,” Wade says with a wave of his hand, not believing such a thing could happen.
I don’t have an opportunity to convince him because there’s a blur of movement and then Trey crashes into me. He drives me into the wall but I manage to brace against him so the impact isn’t too hard. His fist rears back as I grab a handful of his shirt, preparing to return the hit, but then we’re being pulled apart.
Tommy and Wade each have one of Trey’s arms and Ethan puts a restraining hand against my chest.
Trey’s face is red with rage. “I’m going to kick your ass for even thinking you’re good enough to breathe the same air as Kat.”
“Get over yourself, asshole,” I bark at him. “Kat is being held against her will in some strange place and she must be terrified. You can try to kick my ass after we get her back, but I have to go now. I just wanted to tell you what was going on.”
“We should call the police,” Marcie suggests.
“No!” I shake my head. “They warned me not to involve the police and if I did, not only would Kat be hurt, but they’d come after Sylvie. I don’t know if it’s a bluff, but I’m not risking it. I’m taking the bourbon to them and they said they’d release her.”
“I’m coming with you,” Ethan says.
“Me too,” Wade grunts, letting go of Trey’s arm.
“Fuck if you’re leaving me behind,” Trey adds, his eyes glacial as they lock onto me.
“And I’m going too,” Tommy says.
“I figured you’d all want to come but someone needs to stay here with Sylvie,” I say, turning to face Tommy. I have a feeling he’s going to be the decision maker. “My suggestion is Ethan comes with me and everyone else stay here with Sylvie.”
“I don’t like this,” Fi says, her hands wringing. “Maybe we should consider the police.”
I struggle to remain calm, forcing myself to take a breath and I soften my voice. “Mrs. Blackburn… please don’t risk Kat’s life like that. Their instructions are clear and I’m gladly willing to give up that bourbon. If that gets Kat back safe and keeps Sylvie safe, that’s what we need to do.”
“I agree,” Ethan says, and his brothers nod, although Trey makes a show of cracking his knuckles. Not sure if that’s for me or Kat’s kidnappers. “Where’s the bourbon?”
“In secured storage at the distillery. It won’t take me but a minute to get it and then I’ve been texted an address in Louisville to take it.”
“Then I suggest you get going,” Tommy says.
“You should bring weapons,” Wade suggests.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” I had considered it myself but quickly abandoned it. “I really think all the man wants is the bourbon and then it will be over.”
I don’t dare tell them I was sent a photo of Kat blindfolded with a gun to her head.
“Are you sure?” Ethan asks with worry. “Because I don’t want to go to a gun fight without a gun.”
“Yeah… I mean, I’m pretty sure.”
Trey launches himself at me again but his dad and Wade intercept him. He screams at me over their shoulders. “You better be sure, asshole. That’s my sister’s life.”
“Weapons won’t be needed,” I grit out.
“Are you absolutely certain?” Ethan demands again and I get why he is pushing the point, but I’m out of goddamned patience.
“The only thing I’m fucking sure about is that I love your sister, okay? I’m going to get her now. You can come if you want but no weapons.”
Once again, the room goes deathly silent as everyone stares at me slack-jawed by my admission. But it’s Trey who breaks it by lunging again. “Going to kick your ass.”
I don’t let Tommy or Wade stop him, instead meeting him head-on. Both my hands grip his shirt and I drive him backward now, right into the counter. He grunts in pain as his lower back—hopefully his kidneys for extra enjoyment on my part—collides with the edge. “I don’t have time to deal with your bullshit. You can be a baby about this or you can man up, but I don’t have time to dick around with you.”
I release my hold on Trey and spin away from him, not concerned at all that he might attack. I saw his own fury change into chagrin when I called him a baby.
“I’m leaving. Ethan… are you coming?”
“Yeah, and I agree. Trey and Wade should stay here with Dad.”
A small argument breaks out among the brothers, the younger ones not wanting to be left behind. I don’t wait for them to figure it out but by the time I make it to the front door, Ethan’s the only one at my side.
Once we’re in my vehicle, I note the whole family standing on the front porch watching us. Tommy holds his wife close, Marcie beside Fi holding her hand. Wade leans back against the doorframe, a worried look on his face. Trey stands with fists clenched, looking like he wants to murder me.
Kat has a lot of people who love her and what do you know… that includes a Mardraggon.
I’d prefer silence between me and Ethan but he has too many questions as I drive to the distillery and I can’t say I blame him. I just dropped some bombshells and this has to be immensely shocking to him.
“Go over again the chain of events and how this occurred,” he says.
“A little over three weeks ago, not long after my dad was removed as chairman of the board, two men showed up at my house. They told me my father had been gambling with their boss… a man named Clinton Rafferty… and he bet a case of our 1921 Shadow Reserve in a high-stakes poker game.”
“And lost,” Ethan says.
“Not only lost, but refused to pay up. So Rafferty sent his goons to try to scare me into giving it up.”
“Scare you how?”
“Threatened me, went and roughed up Lionel—”
Ethan turns in his seat, his words crusted with ice. “And you didn’t think that would put Kat in danger?”
I glance at him briefly before turning my eyes back to the road. “Kat and I weren’t together then.”
“Wait a minute,” Ethan huffs with frustration. “When exactly did you and Kat start seeing each other?”
Hmmm, that’s a difficult question to answer but I might as well spill the entire truth. “Our freshman year at UK.”
“What in the hell?” Ethan exclaims and then rubs the bridge of his nose. “You were… back in college… but she never said anything.”
“Because I wanted to keep it secret.” I let that sink in and Ethan picks up on the regret in my voice.
“And she didn’t. She wanted to be open about it,” he surmises.
“And we broke up because I was an idiot. Caught up now?”
“No, I feel like I’m spiraling down the rabbit hole,” Ethan mutters. “But you reconnected when…” His words trail off and then he curses angrily as he puts it all together. “When I asked her to handle the winery with you. Goddamn it.”
“Yes,” I drawl sarcastically, shooting him a glare. “It’s all your fault.”
“No,” he snarls. “It’s all yours.”
“No,” I snap back at him, refusing to take the full blame. I can have regret, sorrow and anger that this has happened, but I didn’t cause it. “This is Lionel’s fault, but you know what… it’s your fault too. And your parents, and brothers, and Kat’s, and mine, and every other idiot ancestor we have. This stupid fucking feud that’s been egged on by generations of hate and I’m sick of it. It cost me the girl I loved eight years ago and once we get Kat out of there, I’m not going to let it interfere in my life again. So you and your numb-nut brothers need to get on board with the fact that Kat is mine and our families are tied together now, even more than Sylvie bound us.”
I brace for a blast of righteous indignation from the man but he stares out the window and I enjoy the silence.
At the distillery, I enter through the same door I brought Kat through a few days ago, a different security guard meeting us and waving us on. Ethan follows me through the mash house portion of the plant, the sweet, cereal-like aroma washing over me. Ethan eyes the large grain mills and mash tuns where we mill the corn, rye and barley down into grist before mixing it with water. It goes into the tuns to convert the starches into fermentable sugar, and from there, it goes to an annexed building and into huge fermentation tanks.
We don’t go that way though, instead exiting out the back of the mash house and walking across the campus. We pass the distillation units and finally approach the aging plant which houses row upon row of charred oak barrels, stacked ten high on shelves. This building is different from the others in that in addition to requiring a key to get in, it requires a passcode. These barrels are the epicenter of our business and the most valuable part of the plant, so they are protected with the highest security.
I punch in the code and we enter, moving down the center aisle of the long brick building with concrete flooring. At the end is another door with another security panel that requires a different passcode, this one known only to me and my Uncle Terrance. My father used to have it but I changed it the day he was ousted.
I press in the nine digits that unlock the door and glance at Ethan watching with interest. The door opens to an anteroom that has a table with two leather chairs to sit in but what causes Ethan’s eyes to bug out is the massive steel door before him. It’s as large as those used in bank vaults and just as secure. It requires my thumbprint to unlock and then I spin the large wheel to slide the bolt free. I pull the heavy door open and flip on the light.
“Whoa,” Ethan says as he takes in the custom-built wooden shelves that hold a variety of steel lockboxes. On one side of the room is a large bookcase stacked with leather-bound journals, records of all the bourbon production from the time our doors first opened in 1849. Other boxes hold important documents regarding the Mardraggon empire from land grants, trust agreements, contracts for sale and even some prenup agreements that were used down the generations. There are even some old diaries and letters, all perfectly preserved as this room is temperature and humidity controlled.
None of that interests me now because it’s the case of 1921 Shadow Reserve I’m after. It’s on its own shelf along with a handful of other rare bourbons. While the Shadow Reserve is our oldest, it’s not the only one worth money. However, I’d give up every single case right now to get Kat back because it suddenly seems silly to have such things sitting in here accumulating age with no enjoyment.
I snag the case off the shelf and turn to Ethan. “Let’s go.”
He hasn’t said a word since we set foot on the property and I see a million questions in his eyes. I can tell he’s interested in the plant, the processes and all the secrets this room holds, but now isn’t the time.
We have more important things to do.
CHAPTER 22
Kat
I have no clue how much time has passed and while I expected the cruel man named Bellamy to fuck around with me, he’s been strangely quiet. I can still feel his ominous presence though, and every once in a while, he leaves the small office we’re in.
I only know this via sound because when the brown-eyed man came back from parking the vehicle, I was blindfolded and zip-tied to the metal chair. While the plastic ties aren’t overly tight, I can’t help but struggle against them. My skin is chafing, so I try to hold still.
I can’t see anything but a thin haze of light at the bottom of the cloth tied around my face, and my cheek throbs from the two backhands I received. I don’t need a mirror to know it’s bruised and swollen because I’ve taken enough falls from horses to know what such abuse does to my body.
Try as I might, I could not get either man to answer my barrage of questions once the blindfold went on. My first one I asked tentatively, afraid I might get hit again. “Why are you doing this?”
“Because we can.” This was from Bellamy, his voice deeper and more gravelly than his partner, his words sneered with contempt. I can only glean he’s a woman hater with the small bit of knowledge I have.
But the other man added, “It’s not for you to worry about. If everything goes according to plan, you should be released soon.”
“If everything goes according to plan?” I echoed. “What does that mean? Why am I involved? What’s this really about? Am I ransom for something, because my parents have money and will give whatever is needed to get me back? If you let me make a call, I’m sure I can speed things up.”
Neither one answered and it made me more desperate. My voice was nearly hysterical. “Please tell me something. Anything. Are you going to hurt me? Is this retaliation because if so, I don’t deserve this.”
Something hard pressed against my head and I knew instantly it was a gun. Bellamy spoke close to my ear, punctuating his words, “Shut. The. Fuck. Up. Or. I. Will. Shoot. You. In. The. Head.”
“Enough,” the other man barked and the gun was gone. It fell silent in the office, but I was scared enough to keep my mouth shut.
Since then, I’ve had time to think of all the good things waiting for me in my life. My family, my horses, my sweet little Sylvie.
Gabe.
I wonder what he thinks that I never showed up to his place tonight. There’s a part of me that worries he’ll take it as a blowoff and this tenuous relationship we’ve tried to reestablish will be shot all to hell. He’ll learn differently once he finds out I’ve been kidnapped.
More than likely, Gabe is going to be worried. I’m assuming my phone is still back in Lexington near my vehicle where I dropped it. I expect he’s probably tried calling but has enough time passed that he’d call the police? Would he potentially call my parents or Ethan? If he did that, it would expose our relationship and that’s not something I want.
But I don’t want to be kidnapped either. I don’t want the threat of rape or death hanging over my head because it’s done nothing but cause a constant roll of nausea in my belly and heart-pounding fear in my chest. I think I’d gladly take Gabe exposing our relationship if it meant the police will be storming in here to rescue me.
Except… how will they know where I am? I have no clue why I’m even here because my captors have frozen me out.
I mull over their reluctance to talk or show me their faces, and the best I can figure out is that they have no intention of being caught. They are limiting my knowledge and the more they keep secret from me, the more hopeful I am that I’ll come out of this alive.
The door rasps open and I listen intently to the scuff of shoes across concrete flooring and then the closing door. My ears strain to pick up anything and I believe I’m alone.
Not that it is of import, because I’ve dutifully followed the order that I keep my mouth shut. I try to roll my shoulder, aching from the position I’ve been sitting in. I twist my wrists slightly and wince at the rub of the zip ties against my tender skin. I stretch out one leg, then the other, and try to shift on the hard seat because my ass hurts. My cheek hasn’t stopped throbbing and the pain has overtaken my entire head in the mother of all headaches. The intermittent bouts of tears I’ve shed haven’t helped at all and my throat is so parched, I’d kill for a sip of water.
The door opens again and I freeze a moment before cocking my head that way. Footsteps approach and I tense but then someone is cutting my ties free. My inclination is to bolt but instead, I force myself to remain calm and merely rub at the tender skin.
“Your boyfriend has come to get you.” I recognize the voice of the brown-eyed man.
My mind reels from his words because why in the world would Gabe be involved in my kidnapping? Why would he be the one to pay the ransom?
The blindfold is lifted from my face and the light is too harsh, so I’m forced to squint against the blinding glare.
“Let’s go,” he says, taking my upper arm to guide me out of the office.
At the far end of the building where we entered I think a few hours ago, I see the rolling doors have been pulled wide and three vehicles sit parked, headlights on. It bathes that end of the warehouse in light, but the men standing there are silhouetted. The closer we get though, I can see Gabe’s G Wagon and it’s as my captor said… my boyfriend has come to get me. A large SUV looks like the one we rode in to get to this place and next to it is a black Mercedes sedan with dark tinted windows.
