Royally Kidnapped by the Prince novel Chapter 22

KENNEDY

A hum—buzz. Pressure. 

A little shaky. 

What happened? 

I was drinking wine. Seconds later, I saw a glimpse of those familiar dark eyes before my world went dark.

I licked my lips. My throat was dry as a desert. 

The humming continued. Typically, I stretched in bed before I got up, but this bed seemed small and uncomfortable for my back.

Blinking my eyes open, I finally realized that I wasn’t in my bed. I quickly rose to my feet only to get tugged my ass back, slumping to the chair.

All my senses woke up—the humming and pressure. Oh, my God.

I was secured in a seat belt. 

My heart was in my throat. It suddenly registered to me. I held and tried to unbuckle when a clearing of a throat stopped me.

“You won’t do that if I were you.” 

My head snapped to the voice at the far-end corner, grinning at me.

Filled with anger, I unlatched my seat belt and aimed a lethal glare at Lud. “What did you do to me? Did you drug my wine?” Oh, my god! Did—?

“Technically, it was not your wine. And you should be careful next time, love.” He shrugged even if I was about to strangle his trunk-sized neck. 

“Where am I, Lud?” I stopped in front of him.

Relaxed, he knocked on the wall. “Where are we?” He blinked as if he just realized something. “Oh, we’re currently twenty-thousand feet above the ground.”

I kicked him in his shin. “Turn this freaking plane around, Lud! I wanna go home.”

He faked his flinch, and he still found everything funny. “We can’t change course, or we crash in the middle.”

“And why is that? We were not in Bermuda Triangle, are we?”

“Fuel insufficiency?” He seemed not sure. His eyebrows up to his hairline.

“You are lying.” I propped my hands on my hips, ignoring my hammering headache. “Why in the hell did you kidnap me after you sent me to the airport?” 

“That was the last mistake I did, love. If I turned this plane back to America, I would not just lose my job. I wouldn’t be able to find any work again. Your boyfriend made sure of that.”

“He’s not my boyfriend, asshole!” I moved to the cockpit door and knocked loudly. “Turn this freaking plane now, or I will jump. Your choice.”

“Kennedy?”

I froze. My hand hung in the air. 

“Please, have a seat, or you’ll get hurt. There’ll be a little turbulence ahead,” Ash said calmly.

I turned around. My face was flaming in anger. “I thought you’re nice. Why did you help this jerk kidnapped me?”

“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” Lud answered instead.

“I'm not talking to you, asshole. I will sue you both,” I threatened the two big bad wolves, but it didn’t even stir them even a little.

“Better than heads detached to our bodies, don’t you think?” Lud spoke again.

I clamped my lips together, confirming what I’d suspected. When the jet started to shake, I settled to the empty seat beside Ash. “Just send me to the US Embassy as soon as we land. I promise I will not file a complaint. I will call Thayer and tell him that it was my fault that I managed to escape and that I hit you both in the head.

“Do you really think he would believe you? I just got fired before I flew to the US, and that was my last warning. Sorry, love, but I can’t help you again. My life and career depend on this mission.”

“Mission? I am your mission?” My eyes stung. My chin trembled. “So you would just hand me over to him?” I turned to Ash, so stoic beside me. “You can’t do this to me. I have a family, friends, and a career back home. I already failed and won’t ever get my promotion, and now, do I also have to lose my job? Don’t you have a heart?” I held his strong arm. His muscles clenched around my grip.

“Hands off, Kennedy. Please?” His voice was the opposite of his face right now.

I swallowed in defeat. I was scared of height, and never in my life, I tried parachuting. I was not an adrenaline-junky to try those life-threatening sports. Right now, even if I wanted to get back home, there was no way I would jump off this jet.

“I thought we’re friends. I guess I was wrong. It was all but freaking jobs. I get it you both are just doing this is to pay the bills, but I never thought you’d come this far. But abducting a poor woman? This is so low, dude. You swore an oath to serve and protect, and this is a serious criminal offense.” I sniffed and wiped the tears on my cheeks. I turned to face the window and watched the scattered clouds against the wing. “I hate you both.”

I was far from home, and I couldn’t do anything to help myself escape.

Ash and Lud went eerily silent, and there was no way I would talk to them again.

“Would you like something to drink?” A pretty stewardess interrupted the awkward silence surrounding the jet.

“No, thank you. The last thing I drunk, it led me here.” I fixed my seat. 

“I can assure you, ma’am. The last thing we would do is harm our passengers.”

“Just give her Champagne,” Ash said.

“Water will do. Bottled. Sealed,” I said firmly. 

The stewardess placed a cold bottle of water on the table. “Here you go, ma’am. If you need anything, just press the button, and I’ll be here in an instant.”

Whatever. I tried hard not to roll my eyes. It was unfair for her, but I was not in a mood to play nice. The last time I played, they betrayed my trust.

“I brought clothes if you wanna change and freshen up,” Lud offered.

“Let me guess. Things go just according to plan.” I rolled my eyes. “No. I won’t change. I won’t eat as well as long as I won’t get my demand.”

“You’re being stubborn. You know if you do something stupid, that will fall on us.”

“Well, that’s exactly the point, Sherlock. I’m here in this freaking jet, away from home against my will. So, why would I care if he cut your head off?”

“You’re upset.” 

I huffed. “Upset? Do you call this freaking upset? No, Lud. I’m freaking furious!” I turned to Ash when he hadn’t said anything. I poked his arm. “And you, do you have nothing to say?”

“I’m sorry, Kennedy. I was just following orders.”

“Your sorry won’t suffice!”

“It’s all my fault.”

“No. It’s mine, love,” Lud affirmed.

“I have a freaking impression that this is your idea.” I looked straight in his direction.

“And I am the one who planned this,” Ash admitted.

“You never even thought how would I feel about this, have you? Did you even think about my feelings?” I cried again. Jeez, I was a mess. 

I was never been kidnapped or roofied even it was just a prank. The thought alone scared the living crap out of me, even if I already knew where I would be taken to. 

“Of course, you never care. I get it, working with someone like Thayer isn’t easy. You deal with a high amount of pressure every day, protecting your client. And you seem to genuinely care about him. But what I see in you right now, you only both wanted to save your asses. So, I’m sorry but not sorry for being callous.”

“I understand.”

“No, you don’t. You never will.” I stood up and went directly towards the bathroom. I washed my face and looked at myself in the mirror. I should be happy right now that I would see Thayer again in a few hours, but I didn’t feel that way. I couldn’t feel the thrill and excitement the way I felt before.

Ash informed me later that the weather was slightly chilly. Looking down at my clothes, I would probably freeze to death, so I had no way but to change into something thick and comfortable. 

***

After long hours of torture sitting next to the two bad wolves, we finally arrived. 

I was at the back of the shiny black sedan. Ash was driving while Lud was in the passenger seat. A black SUV was following us. In my theory, it was their team.

My gaze landed on the door handle. Maybe it was just a part of a human instinct. Not a second passed by, it locked by itself.

“I’m not suicidal.”

“It’s part of my duty. To ensure the safety of my protectee.”

“Fuck you, and don't ever call me that.”

It was almost sundown when we arrived at the same manor. 

My nerves wracked as the tires halted against the gravelly driveway. The lamp illuminated in a yellow around the entryway.

I climbed out as soon as the door opened for me. I tightly wrapped the coat around myself as the chilly wind blew my face, making me shudder, but that didn’t stop me from passing through two guards holding a door for me.

“Thayer!” I called his name out, my chest heaving. My hands already formed into fists, ready to punch him in the face. I called his name again until I reached the massive living room. “Where the hell are you, Prince of Assland? I’m gonna cut your—” I gasped and froze in my tracks in shock. 

My eyes were surely about to pop out. “Oh, my God.” 

I just came face to face with Princess Aimrose while I was threatening her son. It would be treason while she looked so regal in every way. 

Everything blacked out. My mind froze. This was the second time I saw her, but she always gave me the same impression. 

I bowed like a stupid. Then I remember, men would only do that to the King, and women only curtsy to their Royal husband, or at least, that was what I had learned. “I-I’m so sorry.” I almost lost my balance. “Your Royal Highness.” I dropped my gaze. 

Thank goodness I managed to say those words correctly. Despite that, my face was burning with embarrassment. 

“Poor thing. Drop the formality. We didn’t get a chance to meet at the party.” She sauntered in my direction, and now I was regretting why I didn’t even make myself look satisfactory, and not every day you got a chance to meet a member of the royal family—and the future Queen.