Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 149641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 748(@200wpm)___ 599(@250wpm)___ 499(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 149641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 748(@200wpm)___ 599(@250wpm)___ 499(@300wpm)
Taggart moved, his motion causing everyone to jump to action. TJ and Cooper headed out, Kala following.
Tristan had a tablet in his hand, his eyes studying it carefully.
Ben took the moment. “Mr. Taggart, I’m so sorry. I can’t begin to apologize. Kenzie was right about everything, and if she’ll let me, I’ll do what it takes to get better.”
Taggart’s head shook. “It can’t be strictly about her. She doesn’t allow or disallow your healing process. You realize you’ve been in an abusive relationship for years, right? I know your masculinity is threatened by that fact, but you can’t move on to anything healthy until you acknowledge and accept that it happened.”
He’d been battered emotionally by a master.
He didn’t want to think that he was being held back by toxic masculinity. He was far more evolved than that. And yet it was there. The rage at the thought he was in a “relationship” with Manny. But how else would he explain it? The turmoil he felt proved Taggart’s point. “I hate him. I want so very, very much to not care. I want to not think about him. I want a life with Kenzie and a home. I’m tired, and I didn’t know it until I met her.”
“You can forgive her for lying to you?” Taggart asked.
Somewhere in that cage he’d been held in a weight had lifted.
She hadn’t required proof to believe him, to change the course of her life for a man who couldn’t love her. Who did love her.
“I forgive her wholly and unreservedly, and if I get the chance, I’ll prove it to her,” Ben promised.
Taggart sighed. “Then you’re ready for the talk. But I need to explain to you that if this is all performative bullshit, I’ll bury you.”
“Understood.” He felt changed already. Lighter than before.
He’d been alone because he wouldn’t let anyone in. But he’d meant what he said. Kenzie was his priority, and he would leave Manny Huisman to Ian Taggart. He would trust this man to take care of the situation.
“Then we should get back to The Garden. I’ve got a plane waiting. We caught Kenzie on CCTV at a private airport outside of London. Tris is working on figuring out what plane she took and where it went,” Taggart explained.
“Uhm, Tris isn’t doing any of that.” Tristan held up his tablet. “Tris has been following the trail of breadcrumbs our princess has been leaving behind. She’s in Bulgaria. The location hasn’t changed in six hours, so I think that’s her final destination. I connected her location to an old castle purchased by one of the Huisman Foundations’ many companies. I have her.”
“Breadcrumbs?” Taggart asked.
“Nanites,” Tris corrected. “Lou was working on this project, and Kenzie figured out how to drop them in single units…”
“Which would then send out their location, but only if you’re looking for it.” Taggart’s head shook. “Kenzie planned this. She knew her sister’s heart can’t handle another of Huisman’s sessions and so she found a way to get us Lou’s location. And she brought you in.”
Tris winced. “She did, but she asked me to keep quiet until I had the final location. Which I now do and yes, I know I’m going to get my ass kicked.”
Taggart walked right up to Tris and hugged him. “I think you’ll find a lot of forgiveness if we get our people out, Nephew.”
“I know I should have stopped her, but she’s right. This is our best bet,” Tris whispered.
“Then let’s go get her.” Taggart stepped back, a light in his eyes. “And she’s grounded. Forever.”
Tristan moved in behind Taggart as they started out of the cell. “I don’t think you get to do that now. I hope my parents can’t do that anymore. You know shrink wrapping a person gives you time to think. My dad’s an expert.”
Ben followed, desperate to get to her, to save her, to be with her.
Chapter Seventeen
Kenzie shivered in the cold stone cell she found herself in. She was finally in a castle. A princess in need of rescue.
Yeah. Her fairy tale kind of sucked.
Bulgaria. She was pretty sure that was where she was given the distance and the language she’d heard being spoken at the private airfield. Not that the pilot would tell her, and there hadn’t been a nice flight attendant who gave her champagne. Nope. She’d had three guards and was lucky they hadn’t tried anything. This was where her trail would end since she’d been forced to change into a hospital gown when they’d arrived at this cold, stony, seemingly rundown castle. She’d been careful about it, treating the jumpsuit made from some of the most technologically advanced material in the world like it was nothing more than polyester and Lycra. If they looked closely they would likely figure it out, but she had to take the chance.