Ransom Ch. 07

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Conclusions.
8.5k words
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Part 7 of the 8 part series

Updated 06/07/2023
Created 04/16/2014
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My god, has it really been two years??! It must have been, because that's all I've been hearing about in the emails I've received. Whoops -- sorry for the wait! I got a little caught up with work, life, and my own love life and it seems time got away from me. Anyway, a shout out to you amazing people for telling me to get a fucking move on, it really did help me to eventually get motivated. This was a tricky chapter to write, with a lot of deleting and rewriting. At one point I even thought about not finishing it, because it was doing my head in, but promises are promises! So without further ado, here is chapter seven... AmandaSarah xx

***

Kailee's right ankle throbbed as she darted through the crowd of people in the ballroom; she'd twisted it within the first few steps of her sprint. Several people glared at her as she crashed into them on her way to the exit, but she didn't so much as pause to apologise. Her cheeks were damp with tears, and her head was a stormy cloud of pain, confusion, and humiliation.

Not only had Dominic pushed her aside like she was yesterday's leftovers, but Nathan now knew everything. Hell, half the guests likely knew everything by now. The expression on Nathan's face was burnt into her mind. He'd looked so disappointed, so ashamed. She could feel the same wretched shame swirling in the pit of her stomach right now.

She finally reached the front door and relief flooded through her, but it was short lived when she was suddenly blinded by a dozen flashing cameras. How could she have forgotten the paparazzi? A crowd of voices piped up, all yelling at her, one over the top of the other. She pushed her way past them, ignoring their prying questions.

"Miss Brooks, why are you leaving the party so early?"

"Is it true you're dating French millionaire Jean Marc?"

"Has he done something to upset you?"

Warm bodies were pushing against her, smothering her, demanding answers. Kailee held an arm out in front of her, trying to block the bright lights flickering everywhere.

"Get out of my way!" she cried, desperate for air. She glanced around for her driver, but he was nowhere in sight. He likely wasn't expecting the Brooks family to leave until the early hours of the morning. She turned and jogged clumsily towards the main road, a few paparazzi fast on her heels.

"Come on, Kailee, give us a smile!"

A middle-aged blonde woman with cracking make-up and a false smile grabbed a hold of her arm. "Please, Miss Brooks, just one statement?"

"Don't touch me!" Kailee screamed. She shook her arm out of the lady's grip and shuffled backwards, away from the reporters. Several of them called out to her frantically, but it was too late. She saw a flash of headlights, heard the loud squeal of brakes, and then everything went black.

***

"You fucking bastard!"

Mira pushed through the small crowd of suits and dresses that had accumulated near the stairwell. What was everyone looking at? And where on earth had Kailee disappeared to? The crowd parted just in time for Mira to see Nathan's fist pummel into another man's face.

"Oh my god, Nathan!" She cried out, but he didn't notice her. His face was furiously contorted. The man he had just hit was smiling smugly with no display of pain, despite the angry red mark fast appearing on his jaw. He was an attractive man, slightly taller than Nathan, with short dark hair and stormy black eyes that gave her chills.

"I'm so glad you did that," he said coolly, rolling up the sleeves of his shirt. Mira caught the hint of an accent at the end of his words. He swung a strong fist towards Nathan, missing only by millimetres as Nathan darted out of his reach just in time. Mira looked around, internally urging the people surrounding her to intervene, but most of the onlookers were simply watching with either disgusted or amused expressions. A few even had their iPhones out, filming the saga. The man continued his attack and this time his knuckles reached their target, splitting Nathan's lip, and causing a trickle of blood to slide down his chin.

Mira gasped and ran towards the two men, coming between them right as Nathan's fist swung out again at full speed. The strange man pulled her out of the way just in time, and she felt the force of Nathan's hand as it flew past her hair.

"Mira, get out of the way!" Nathan was staring straight past her and into the eyes of his opponent who stood behind her, his hands firmly on her shoulders, holding her steady. She hadn't even realised she was shaking, but now she could hear her own heartbeat slamming hard against her chest.

"Nathan, stop it!" she cried. "You're going to get hurt."

"You should listen to her, Nath," the man behind her said in a thick, taunting tone. "You're definitely going to get hurt."

"Dom, take your fucking hands off her." Nathan's teeth were gritted.

The man named Dom looked down at her, then back to Nathan and shook his head. "I'm just keeping her steady, Nath, the poor girl's shaking like a leaf." Nathan's eyes narrowed and Dom raised his hands in the air innocently. "Don't worry, she's not my type." His voice turned menacing. "I prefer brunettes."

Nathan's chest was heaving, his face flushed and his fists clenched. Mira placed two strong hands on his chest and tried to push him in the other direction. "Nathan, whatever it is, it's not worth it." She glanced around at the people watching them and lowered her voice. "Not here, okay?" Just when Mira thought Nathan was about to strike again, two security guards broke through the crowd.

"You two," one of them said sternly, "You need to leave now before we call the police."

It was obvious the guards wouldn't have been able to take on either Nathan or Dominic due to their size and build, but neither man would have wanted to spend the night in a jail cell. Nathan grabbed a tight hold of Mira's hand, his eyes still holding Dom's gaze. "This isn't over," he said threateningly.

"Count on it." Dom replied, the corners of his lips turning up into a promising smirk.

Mira tugged on Nathan's arm, eager to get him away from this impudent man. He eventually relaxed and allowed her to lead him away, though his fists remained tight. They hastily moved through the crowd of staring people, some whispering and some snickering. Nathan edged towards the entrance, but Mira redirected him to the side door.

"No, we can't let the paparazzi see you like that," she muttered. Nathan only nodded in response and then followed her lead. The fresh air greeted them, along with a welcoming silence, away from the band and the gossiping guests. Mira continued walking towards the main street, her eyes scanning the area for a taxi. She noticed Nathan had stopped and was leaning against the brick wall of the building, his face in his hands. "Nathan..." she couldn't hide the concern from her voice.

"Just give me a moment," Nathan muffled from beneath his palms.

Mira placed a hand softly on his shoulder and gave him his moment. Her hand rose and fell with his shoulder as he took deep, shuddering breaths. She tried to focus on keeping her own breathing calm.

A ringtone emerged from Nathan's pocket, cutting through the silence like a freshly sharpened blade. Nathan didn't move to answer it, he just continued to stand there, cradling his head and breathing deeply. It seemed to ring for an eternity before reaching his voicemail. And then, seconds later, Mira's own phone started to buzz from within her clutch. She fumbled open her bag and pulled it out to reject the call. Paul's name was plastered on the caller ID. He was likely wondering where they were. She clicked accept and spoke hastily. "Paul, can I call you back..." Paul's distressed voice stopped her mid-sentence.

"Mira! Where are you? Is Nathan with you? Kailee..."

"Paul, calm down. Nathan's here... what's the matter?" Nathan's hands dropped and he looked up at her questioningly. She heard Paul swallow and take a deep breath.

"It's not good..." Mira heard a stifled sob on the other end. "You both need to get to the hospital now."

***

"Let me pass." Dominic hissed at the short, but wide doctor blocking the doorway. The entire hospital stank of disinfectant and sterile chemicals, but the scent had increased now that he'd reached the patient wards. It invaded his nostrils and made him feel sick to his stomach.

Hands on her wide hips, the doctor looked him up and down with a frown. "Sorry, Sir, are you a family member?"

"That's not your concern." Dominic spat.

He could see from a distance Nathan's tall figure in the room, with his brother beside him and the small blonde girl sitting next to the bed in a state of distress. Nathan looked up, his saddened expression quickly forming into a frown as he met Dominic's eyes.

"What the fuck are you doing here?! How dare you-"

"Just let me see her, Nathan." Dominic demanded, speaking over the head of the doctor still blocking the doorway. "Is she okay?"

"Get. Out!" Nathan's fists tightened; his younger brother had a firm hand on his shoulder to calm him, but his own eyes were also angered.

To Dominic's surprise, the petite blonde girl stepped forward. She was a pretty girl; an angelic round face, with porcelain-like skin and innocent blue eyes that were now rimmed with red. "She's stable for now," she said softly. "The impact caused some broken bones and she hit her head," her voice cracked on the last word.

"Mira!" Nathan snapped at her.

She took a deep breath and then lowered her voice so only he could hear. "You should go. The doctors are doing everything they can. You're only going to make things worse by being here."

Dominic nodded, silently thanking the girl. "I'll be in the waiting room." He turned his back and wandered towards the waiting room, hearing Nathan's voice booming behind him.

"Not if I have anything to say about it, you won't! You hear me, Dominic?! You're not welcome here!"

***

"You're not welcome here!" A beer bottle fell from the sky and smashed at Dominic's feet, sending shards of green tinted glass all over the concrete. "Go back to your own country, scum!" A black CRX sped off into the distance, the aggressive male voices fading out around the corner and onto the free road. Dominic inhaled deeply to numb out the anger that was quickly building inside his chest.

"And here I thought bullying would have been left behind in high school." A voice from behind him stirred Dominic's silent plot for revenge. He turned around to see a well-dressed young man with friendly green eyes and a warm smile. It was rare for Dominic to come across a person who met his height, but he was just about able to look this man straight in the eyes.

"Are you okay?" The man nudged a large fragment of broken glass with his sneakered foot, moving it out of the way of the footpath.

"Never better," Dominic grunted, pulling a box of cigarettes from his pocket and sliding one into his mouth. He offered the box to the other man who hesitated a moment, but then shrugged in defeat and drew one into his mouth. Dominic lit them both up, breathed in deep and then exhaled slowly.

The other man followed suit, inhaling less, but relaxing once the smoke reached his lungs. "I went to high school with those guys. They're assholes to everyone."

Dominic smirked. "Yeah, well, when you sleep with a guy's girlfriend, he tends to get particularly pissed off."

The man's green eyes almost popped out of their sockets. "You slept with Charlotte Montgomery?"

Dominic shrugged casually, "She came to me. Not my fault if her boyfriend isn't making her happy."

The man let out a low whistle. "Logan must have hit the roof."

Dominic turned his nose up in disgust. "He has a different girl on his arm every week; I don't see why he should care."

The young man held a hand out. "I'm Nathan."

Dominic looked at the hand suspiciously, before taking it. "Dominic."

"I know. You're Jake's brother, yeah?"

Dominic frowned. "Adopted brother," he corrected. "How do you know Jake?"

"We both take International Relations. Plus his dad works with mine."

"For yours." Dominic corrected, taking another long drag from his cigarette.

"I'm sorry?"

"Your father is Samuel Brooks. Our dad works for yours."

Nathan laughed. "Yeah, okay. I was trying to be modest."

"First modest person I've seen in this place."

Nathan nodded knowingly. "So what are you majoring in? I can get you into a work placement if you need it."

"Double major. Economics and Advanced Computer Science." Nathan nodded impressively. "And I don't need a work placement. I work for myself."

Nathan cocked his head to one side. "You know, there's a rumour going around that you're the richest kid on campus..."

Dominic smirked. "Is that why you want to be my friend, Nathan Brooks? First year into your Business Degree and you're already on the lookout for powerful connections?"

Nathan laughed loudly, a genuine belly laugh that made his green eyes light up. "Have you seen the company I keep? I choose friends that are likeable, not powerful."

"You really find me likeable?" Dominic raised an eyebrow, then threw the charred butt of his cigarette on the ground, grinding it to ash with his polished shoe.

"Honestly? No." Nathan smiled, and dropped his own cigarette on the ground. "But Jake is the best guy I know, so you can't be half bad."

***

"So are you going to tell me what all of that was about?" Mira and Nathan strolled up the driveway and towards the front door. It had taken a lot of convincing, but Paul had insisted they go home tonight and get some sleep while he watched over Kailee. Nathan had detoured through every waiting room in the hospital before they left, but thankfully Dominic had been smart enough to make himself scarce.

Nathan fumbled in his pocket for his set of keys. "All of what?"

"You know what. The drama at the Grandeur, then at the hospital." Nathan didn't answer. He opened the door and started walking towards the staircase. "Dominic... " Mira spoke carefully, "He's the one who took Kailee, isn't he?"

"Mira." Nathan stopped in his tracks and grabbed a hold of her hand, desperately. "I can't do this tonight." His eyes were exhausted and full of sorrow. "Ask me tomorrow, but please don't make me talk about it tonight. I just... can't." He looked at her pleadingly. His lip was swollen and red from where Dominic's fist had made contact. Mira reached out and softly touched her thumb to the wound.

"Okay." She nodded and then followed Nathan as he walked silently towards his bedroom. When the door opened she couldn't control the gasp that came out of her mouth. There were candles set along the window sills. A bottle of champagne and a small box of chocolates sat on the bedside table. The bed was wreathed with fresh rose petals, a beautiful spatter of pale pink across the white sheets. "Oh Nathan..." she grabbed his hand and squeezed tightly.

"I wanted you to have the perfect night," he said solemnly. "I'm sorry it didn't go to plan."

Mira stood on her tiptoes and tilted her head up towards Nathan. "Can we just pretend for a moment that we've come home from a magical night at the Grandeur?" she asked quietly.

Nathan smiled lightly. "You looked magical tonight on the dance floor." His index finger came under her chin and he kissed her softly. Butterflies filled her stomach, as they did every time he was close to her. Her hands looped delicately around his neck and she opened her mouth slightly, allowing him to deepen the kiss.

Before she knew it, she was being pulled towards the bed. Nathan set her down gently, and she sat there on the edge as he began to undress. Each button of his shirt was popped open, gradually revealing his bare chest to her eager eyes. He was beautiful. Lean, but muscular. Strong, but gentle. He dropped his shirt to the floor and began undoing his belt. Mira took a deep breath and focused on the movement of his fingers as he slid the leather from around his waist and dropped it to the ground.

"Hey, are you okay?" Nathan was looking at her, concern marring his masculine features.

She didn't realise she'd been biting her bottom lip, her eyes wide in apprehension. "Yes," she answered, her pitch a little too high to be convincing. She tried again, calming her voice. "I'm fine."

Nathan sat beside her on the bed, and collected her small hand in his. He brought her knuckles to his lips and kissed them affectionately. "You don't need to be nervous," he said softly. "We're not going to do anything you don't want to do. In fact," he fell back onto the bed with a loud exhale. "We can always just go to sleep."

Mira laughed lightly, "Nathan!" She lay down beside him, her upper body half propped atop his. "I don't want to go to sleep."

"Okay." He brushed a strand of hair behind her ears. His sparkling green eyes were full of adoration. "What would you like to do?"

Mira traced her fingertips across his bare stomach, exploring the sinewy muscle and trail of dark hair that disappeared beneath his trousers. The candlelight caught on every crevice of his upper body, making him seem almost sculpted. It was breathtaking.

She slowly moved to stand beside the bed, then reached behind her and began unzipping the back of her dress. Nathan watched her curiously. One at a time, she took each sleeve of her dress and slipped it off her delicate shoulders, until the lace blue material fell to a heap at her feet. Nathan's eyes wandered over her, and the shyness she had originally felt turned quickly into an inner confidence as she saw the lust in his eyes. She wore matching deep blue underwear; nothing like the sexy lace lingerie she knew Kailee owned, but flattering all the same. The bra was a push-up, and she was happy with her choice, as she felt Nathan's eyes lingering on her cleavage. She moved back to lie beside him on the bed, and she collected his hand in hers.

"I want you." She said bashfully.

Nathan rolled her gently to her back and he positioned himself above her. He kissed her passionately, then trailed a series of kisses down the length of her neck and further down towards her breasts. Mira sighed delightfully and arched her back towards him. His fingertips came behind her back, and opened the clasp of her bra to release her breasts.

"You are so beautiful," Nathan breathed. His hands came to her breasts and she watched carefully as he began to stroke them. She let out tiny sighs as his thumbs brushed over first one nipple, then the other. He gently circled and then pinched at them. When his hot mouth covered one of them, she jumped at the sensation. "Oh, Nathan..." she moaned as he licked and sucked, his tongue undoing her completely. Without meaning to, her legs spread open, and she felt a desperate heat at her core. She remembered the way he'd touched her the day before, the way his fingers had brought her to release. She dampened at the thought of him touching her there again. "Please..." she met his eyes pleadingly and he nodded in response.

He stood and she heard the zipper of his pants. Her eyes fell closed. She could feel her heart pounding against her chest.

"Relax," Nathan breathed into her ear. His voice was warm and comforting. His fingers hooked beneath the hem of her underwear and slowly slid them down over her legs. She was fully exposed to him. He brushed a thumb gently against her core and she moaned at the sensation.

"You're so wet," he whispered lustfully.