Page 47 of Paradise & Vodka

While I knew getting kidnapped after a tsunami wasn't my fault, I had hired Nick, and now we were both probably going to end up dead. "You might die because of me."

"Baby." He pulled me against his side, wrapping me in a tight hug. "This isn't your fault."

"If I hadn’t hired you, you would be safe in Vegas." He snickered, and I looked up at him. "That's funny?"

"No. I'm laughing because it's ironic."

"What do you mean?"

"All of my Saddles & Racks buddies have been in some sort of danger in Vegas. I never thought that I would be in danger—in paradise, no less."

"Oh, right," I replied, remembering the stories he'd told me on our flight to Fiji. But as he'd told me then, they all had some sort of background that would lead to danger: an abusive ex, working undercover for the FBI, a brother who was a criminal. Well, most of his friends. His teacher friend didn't have that same background, but the girl he married had worked for a notorious drug dealer. "Too bad they aren't here to help us."

"Yeah," he breathed. He stood and hit the wall with the palm of his hand. "Fuck!" It was the first time I'd ever seen Nick angry, and I didn't blame him.

The door opened, and I jumped. Nick came to block me as though he was my shield. It wasn't the first time he'd tried to protect me, though before it had been more of a security blanket against my family. I would giveanythingto be fighting with them again, rather than fearing for my life, scared of the three dark-skinned men with guns. I swallowed and waited, clinging onto Nick's T-shirt as though he could really shield me.

"Where is your new husband?" one of the men asked.

I didn't respond, but Nick did. "What new husband?"

"Not you. Her!"

I peeked around Nick to see that the man was pointing at me. "Me?" I questioned, even though I was the onlyherin the room.

"Yes, you, bitch. Where's your husband?"

I drew my head back. "My husband? I'm not married."

The man laughed and looked at his friends. "She thinks she's smarter than us."

"She's telling you the truth," Nick stated. "She isn't married."

Another guy stepped forward and punched Nick in the gut. He doubled over as I screamed in horror, instantly feeling bad and again thinking all of it was my fault.

"This isn't the time for lies," the main man seethed. "We know you got married yesterday."

"That wasn't my wedding!" I protested.

The guy punched Nick in the stomach again. He groaned in agony.

"See what happens when you lie?"

"I'm not lying!" I argued.

The man stepped forward and grabbed me with one hand, pressing my cheeks in. "I'm going to make this simple for you. You call your husband, get him to bring a million dollars to where we say, and then we will let you go. It's that easy."

He dropped his hand, and I cried, "But I'm not married."

"I'm assuming he thinks you're Everleigh," Nick groaned and stood upright again.

"Yes," the guy agreed. "Everleigh James, now married to Douglas Alexander, who is the son of Samuel Alexander, Attorney at Law in New York City. You flew in on a private jet—"

"I see you've done your research," Nick interrupted. "But your research and your spying didn't show that Everleigh has a twin sister."

The guy snapped his gaze to me, and I nodded, holding up my left hand to show I had no wedding ring. "Everleigh is my twin sister."

"And you are?" he questioned.