“Your suffering has arrived, Simon,” the masked man went on before laughing bitterly. “If you ever want to see your father alive again, you won’t do anything stupid. You can try going to the police, but they can’t save your father. Now, wait until you receive further instruction from us.”
The screen went black, and the room was again swallowed by darkness. Gasps and screams erupted as the lights suddenly flickered back on.
He blinked rapidly, his eyes trying to adjust to the sudden brightness of the room. “Heather, we have to get you out of here.”
Simon didn’t care if she argued or put up a fight. He was determined to get her to safety. Nothing was going to get in the way of that.
He held on to Heather’s hand and started to guide her away from the table. The ballroom was already in chaos as guests started racing towards the exits. How the hell was he going to get Heather out of here before the crowd prevented them from leaving?
Cursing under his breath, he scanned the room and spotted Jake, Dover’s security head, barreling towards them.
“We need to get you two out of here!” Jake barked.
“How?” Heather’s voice was shaking, and Simon detected the hint of panic in her tone.
“Follow me,” Jake instructed. “I know an easier way out.”
“I’m not leaving while people are still stuck here,” Simon said.
Heather gasped as he released her hand. “Simon, no!”
“Go with Jake,” he commanded. “He’ll protect you until I find you.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to leave you behind, sir,” Jake said.
“I’m ordering you to get Heather safely out of here,” Simon said, narrowing his eyes.
Jake frowned before finally nodding. “Okay. I’ll keep her safe.”
“You’d better.” Simon didn’t wait to listen to whatever Heather was shouting at him. No doubt she would be pissed off, but he had a duty to his company.
As the panic in the ballroom seemed to rise Simon raced into the crowd, looking for anyone who needed help. It wasn’t easy to ignore the voice in his head telling him to get to safety. Wasn’t easy to focus on duty while his father had been kidnapped and Heather wasn’t by his side. But his staff was counting on him. Even though security was already around to help Simon stuck around to help anyone who tripped, found stragglers who got so scared they hid under tables, and helped some of the more elderly staff members out of the ballroom and out of the hotel to their cars.
By the time the crowd thinned, he was exhausted. Making his way to the lobby, a wave of grief washed over him. His father was gone. Taken. That masked man on the screen had threatened his life. And he had been so helpless that he had stayed behind to help Dover’s panicked staff. Stayed behind because it was the only thing he could think to do in his shock. Doing something was always better than waiting around for the worst to come, but now, as he wandered through the hotel lobby, he felt totally drained. Drained and numb with a grief that hurt so much, nothing could get in.
He stumbled through the lobby until he was outside, the fresh air doing nothing to ease his troubled mind. His phone rang and he retrieved it from his pocket.
“It’s me,” Jake said on the other end. “I’m waiting with Heather in the parking lot. She refuses to leave without you.”
“Of course she does.” Simon sighed heavily. “I’m on my way. See you in a few.” He hung up and headed for the parking lot.
Heather was leaning against his car, standing beside Jake, her arms folded, her face tear-stained. When she caught sight of him she raced towards him and flung her arms around him. “I got so scared. For a second I thought you had been taken as well. Don’t you ever leave me like that again.”
His arms wrapped around her trembling body, holding her so tight he worried that he might break her. But he couldn’t let go of Heather. Not now that she was the only thing he had left in the world. “If they hurt him—”
“Don’t think like that,” she said fiercely.
When she spoke, her voice sounded so distant. Like he was hovering over the scene unfolding in the parking lot. Not really there, too deep in shock to do anything but disassociate. Detach himself from the horror. They were in the aftermath of the worst moment of his life, and it was all so surreal he could feel himself going even more numb than before.
She slipped out of his grasp to look at him. That was the only way she was going to get out of his embrace. Heather had to be the one to let go, because if it was up to him he’d hold her until the sun came up.
Sirens blared in the distance.
“The cops are on their way,” Jake said as he walked over to them. “They’ll probably want a statement from you. I would advise talking to them. If you cooperate with them, they’re less likely to suspect you of anything.”
“To hell with that,” Simon ground out. “This is my father we’re talking about. It doesn’t matter if I’m not protected or if the cops suspect me. I’m doing whatever it takes to get him back in one piece. If that means we don’t rely on the police, then so be it.”
“It might help to talk to them,” Heather said gently.