Compromising Kessen (The Vandenbrook #1)(60)
Author: Rachel Van Dyken

Christian got a good look at his face but honestly couldn’t believe his eyes. Either he was drunk or Duncan was wearing a police uniform. A police uniform, which upon further inspection, appeared to be much too tight for his body.

“Is that Duncan?” Christian asked, dumbstruck.

“Uh … no. You must have hit your head before you passed out last night,” Nick informed him, then turned him around to face the east end of the property.

“The only area left unchecked is the east end.” Nick subtly dropped the hint.

Christian looked between Nick and the policeman, who he was now convinced was Duncan, and crossed his arms. “What’s really going on here?”

Out of the blue, Lady Newberry approached Nick and began chattering, “Now, Nick, I know I’m supposed to act sad, but I’ve had a terrible time with these eye drops. You say to drop them into the corner of my eye and let them burn so I tear up, but I just can’t seem to—”

Christian’s mouth dropped open.

Lady Newberry straightened. “Oh hello, Christian. Dreadful, isn’t it? It’s times like these I wish I had one of those tracking devices they put into humans.”

Nick cleared his throat. “You mean the people finder devices, right, Lady Newberry?”

“Why, yes, of course. They have them in dogs you know.” She patted Christian on the arm and smiled. “Oh well, I’m just too upset to be outdoors. I’m going to go see about catering for our guests!”

All of Christian’s doubts were back full force as he scoured the lawn again. He was looking for a clue, for anything really, that would point out the strange happenings going on at the house.

Because of his grief he hadn’t noticed many of the police officers had mismatched uniforms. He asked Nick about them as he began walking, but Nick merely shrugged and said they were from different counties.

Christian finally hit a good question when he found a young fellow he knew he had trained at Newberry and Co. just the week before. He had on a shirt that said “BBC 2“ and a camera wrapped around his neck.

“George?” Christian asked.

The kid turned around and smiled. “Oh hello, sir. I must say it’s exciting to be out here for all of this. Hello, Nick!” He held out his hand to Nick, who shook it reluctantly.

“And what exactly are you doing out here?” Christian asked.

George looked to Nick for help. Christian stood between the two just in time.

“Taking pictures,” George said.

“Of what?” Christian asked.

“The kidnapping, of course,” George said gravely. He put his hand over his heart and sighed. “It’s been a trying day for everyone, sir. I’m just helping out the news channel.”

“Which channel?”

George stuttered before answering Channel 6.

Christian laughed as Nick cursed behind him.

“Thanks, George. That will be all!” George trotted off. Christian turned around and glared at Nick.

Nick saw he was out of options and screamed at the top of his lungs, “Abandon ship!”

Everyone in the yard perked up and began running into the house, leaving Duncan, still in his police uniform, and Nick out in the yard with Christian.

Duncan walked by Christian and dropped a map into his hands. “Have fun,” he said, and high-fived Nick as they walked back into the house and locked the doors.

Christian swore.

Then he looked at the map and swore again.

It had Kessen’s name on an X and a starting point of the yard with Christian’s name on it. He was going to kill them. He was going to rip their heads off. But not before he found Kessen. In fact, he was so pleased Kessen hadn’t been kidnapped after all, he started running in the direction of the tiny tree house cottage.

He ran the entire way and stopped at the base of the tree, clueless as to how to save her. Did he barge in? Was he supposed to call for her? Did she know it was a trick? Was she afraid?

He took a deep breath and climbed the ladder to the door.

****

Kessen thought she heard footsteps, but she couldn’t be sure. For precautionary reasons, she grabbed the closest thing to a weapon she could find, which was a small gardening shovel that had been left in the cottage.

She gathered it into her still-tied hands and waited. The sound of her own breathing was her only comfort. In and out she breathed until she saw the doorknob twist. Before she had time to think about who was behind the door, she threw the shovel, hitting the person square in the stomach.

It was Christian.

Did he kidnap her?

He was howling in pain. “Why’d you do that?”

“I was scared!” she cried in outrage. “You didn’t have to be so creepy, turning the doorknob as slow as you did!”

“I was trying to be quiet, in case you were sleeping!” he screamed.

“Sleeping? After being kidnapped! I think not!” She kicked in his general direction just to show how angry she was, but did nothing but lift dust off the floor.

He scooted towards her and began untying her wrists.

“I think it was Duncan and Nick.” Her teeth were clenched. They felt so tight with stress she thought they might fall out from being held so firmly against her jaw.

“It was them, and I have proof,” Christian mumbled. “I have no idea why they thought this was a good prank. I was nearly out of my mind with worry.”

Kessen pushed Christian’s hands away and settled into the corner. “Just leave me alone.” She swore at him. It hurt too much to know he was worried about her, to know he cared even a little, when he was to be with another woman.

“No!” he barked.

“Excuse me?”

“I said no, I’m not leaving you alone. Not now—not ever. Now get up!” He was standing over her.

“No!”

“Please?” His voice was still gruff, but she relented. She did want to get out of this place, if only so she could go and murder the two men who had put her in this mess.

Kessen pushed up onto wobbly legs then promptly swooned, for the first time in her life, into Christian’s strong arms.

In her mind she was screaming, trying to push away, but he held her tight against his chest.

“No,” he said softly.

She was still fighting when she heard more noise outside.

The door flew open, revealing Duncan and Nick with huge grins on their faces.

“Oh look! You’ve found Kessen!” Nick said, as if he had no idea where she had been the entire time.