Chapter Ten – Wanda
Wanda's heart thudded in her chest as she raced through the palace halls. She had just received a phone call from Christopher, telling her to meet him in the garage. Something had happened to Adam, and he needed her right away. Images flashed through her mind of Adam hurt, bleeding, Jonas laughing over his dying body. Part of her wanted to run and hide, to pretend that everything was going to be okay. But she wasn't going to get any more information until she got to him.
The king's brother waited for her at the entrance to the garage. He paced in circles, clearly distressed about Adam's wellbeing. Dread filled Wanda and she rushed to him, grasping his hand when she got close enough.
"What is it?" she demanded. "What happened?"
"Adam's fine," Christopher assured her. He grasped her elbow and herded her towards a car. "There's just been a… development. It's going to be okay, though. He's going to be okay."
His assurances did nothing for Wanda's nerves. Probably because he sounded like he was trying to convince himself. She hurried into the passenger seat of a sleek Chevrolet, feet tapping against the floor anxiously as she waited for Christopher. He held his phone to his ear as he rounded the car, but she couldn't hear what he was saying.
"Buckle up," he told her when he slid behind the driver's seat.
Wanda waited for him to start talking as they pulled out of the garage, but he was silent, his knuckles white on the steering wheel, his gaze steadily ahead. He was so nervous… Clearly, something horrible had happened to Adam. Why wouldn't he tell her the truth?
"What happened?" Wanda asked eventually, unable to hold it in any longer. "You said that Adam needed me."
"Yeah. I did. I don't think you understand just how deeply he feels for you, Wanda. I don't even think he knows how much he feels for you." Christopher's shoulders sagged. "I have never seen him this way before. So concerned for someone who isn't himself."
"Then you don't know him," Wanda shot back. "Everything he's done, he's done for other people. He wants people to be safe and healthy and not have to kill like he has."
Christopher grunted. He glanced at her. There was a look in his eye… Guilt? Wanda twisted her hands in her lap. What did he have to feel guilty about?
"I'm sorry," he said. "I know that you don't deserve this. Any of this. But if Adam has done everything for others, then I guess I'm the one who does everything for myself. There isn't any other way. If he had only just given me the money—" He cut himself off and shook his head. "But of course he didn't. Maybe if I had told him the truth. But if I had done that—"
"What are you talking about?" Wanda demanded. Fear tingled in her fingertips, but she refused to allow it to cow her. "Where are you taking me, really?"
Christopher was silent for a long moment. He sighed. "When you were with Jonas, did you know a girl named Melissa?"
"Melissa?" Wanda knew her. She was a dark-skinned beauty that Jonas saved for his most special missions. Just before Wanda was taken to Adam, there were rumors that she had picked up a boyfriend outside the house. Something Jonas strictly forbade. "Wh-why are you asking about her?"
"Because I met her in Cabo, and we… we fell in love. Jonas agreed to free her if I could deliver a bunch of drugs for him, but I failed. Now the price of Melissa's freedom is two million dollars. Or something worth even more."
The dread already building in Wanda's body solidified, squeezing her insides until they felt like so much mush. She couldn't breathe. She knew where this was going. "You mean me. Because Adam… Because with me, Jonas can bargain… blackmail. He'll use me against Adam."
"If I don't hand you over, Jonas will kill Melissa."
"Adam is on his way to Jonas' house right now. You can't—"
"We planned for this. Ever since Jonas gave you to Adam, he's been waiting for Adam to come after him. I really am sorry."
"No," Wanda whimpered.
What would Jonas do to her to get at Adam? What use was a hostage if he handed her back over? She would be separated from Adam forever and remain in Jonas's clutches… The thought made her want to vomit. She thought she had finally escaped that beast. But now it seemed like she would have no escape.
"I have to protect the woman I love."
"There has to be another way. Please, Christopher. Don't do this."
Christopher swallowed hard. "He won't hurt you. You're worthless to him dead. But Melissa? If I don't do what he says, he will kill her. I can't live with that."
"And what about Adam?" she asked. "What about him?"
"I know he'll kill me for this. But Melissa is worth it. Please, try to understand. I love her. I haven't loved anybody since I lost my wife when I was human. I can't let another person I love die because of me."
She yanked off her seatbelt. If she couldn't get away, she'd jump from the car. Christopher saw what she was doing, and grabbed her firmly by the wrist. She yanked away, but his grip was too tight. When she unlocked the door, Christopher yanked her over, pulling her half onto his lap, arm tight around her waist.
"No!" Wanda screeched, trying to yank the steering wheel around. Even one-handed, Christopher was too strong. "Please, you don't know what he'll do to me."
"He won't hurt you. He's not suicidal, and if he hurts you, he's got nothing against Adam."
Wanda jabbed her fingers at Christopher's eyes. He slammed her back into her seat, then grabbed her by the collar and all but threw her into the back. Her hand slammed against the window and she cried out, black spots waving before her eyes. The locks back here weren't accessible; she tried to scramble back to the front, but Christopher threw out an arm and stopped her.
"He will get you back, one way or another," he mumbled, still sounding like he was trying to convince himself. "He'll save you. Tell him… Tell him I'm sorry."
"I'm not doing anything for you," Wanda hissed. "You selfish, horrible—"
"I'm doing it for Melissa. And what about you? If you had told Adam about the other girls that Jonas has as prisoners before this, then he could have dealt with him long ago! You call me selfish for trying to save the woman I love? What about you, who escaped his clutches and then did nothing to stop him?"
Wanda froze. All her excuses flitted through her mind, but in the end, she could do nothing to deny it. She had been selfish, horribly selfish. It was her fault that those girls were still in Jonas's clutches. Yes, she had told Adam about them, but only after weeks of being free.
How many of them prayed that she would come back to save them?
She sat huddled in the back for the rest of the trip. She wanted to plead or bargain or scheme, to find some way that Christopher could still save Melissa without handing her over, but nothing she thought of would work. Even if she did come up with a plan, she was certain Christopher wouldn't listen. He was too focused on saving Melissa. Any deviation from the plan he had been given by Jonas would put her in danger.
When they pulled into the garage of a large two-story house on the opposite side of town from the palace to find Jonas waiting for them with a dozen guards, Wanda nearly threw up. This was what she had been dreading more than anything, and it had happened. Her heart palpitated, hands trembled, and every cell in her body felt like it was frozen. She didn't even fight against Christopher when he dragged her out of the car and passed her over to Jonas.
The familiar bruising grip made Wanda whimper. She wanted to punch or spit at him, but her survival instincts kicked in and she couldn't make herself do anything but stand there, staring at him.
Jonas grinned at her. "Finally, I have something that I can use against His Royal Majesty. Who knew that a pitiful little human would do the trick?"
"He's going to kill you," Wanda blurted, finally finding her voice. "Adam is going to tear you to shreds, and when he's done, there won't even be a body for them to find."
Jonas chuckled. At any other time, he would have hit her for daring to speak back to him, but he knew he held all the cards. Wanda tried to free herself unsuccessfully. He grabbed her by the neck and pulled down her collar, revealing the scars he had given her.
"You always belonged to me," he whispered. "And you always will. My brand will always be there."
"Where is Melissa?" Christopher demanded.
Jonas cast him a disdainful glance and gestured behind him. Two of the guards left the garage through a door into the main house and returned with Melissa pinned between them. Her eyes were wide frightened, but she looked none the worse for wear. When the guards released her, she ran into Christopher's arms. When she saw Wanda, she froze.
"What did you do?"
"Are we free to leave?" Christopher asked, wrapping his arms around her.
Jonas nodded.
Melissa pulled back a little. "What did you do?"
Christopher ignored the question, picking her up and running back to the car. Wanda watched them go silently. Dread filled her, but she pushed it back little by little, focusing on her situation. Jonas wanted to use her against Adam? Well, she would just have to find a way to make sure that couldn't happen. She had always been able to escape before. No matter where they put her, she would get out. She would make her way back to Adam.
And Jonas would pay for what he had done.