Page 37 of Ruthless Prince

“No!” I kept fighting, kicking my legs up and down like I was swimming to make it as difficult as possible for them to grabme.

One of them finally managed to take both of my legs and hold them in an unforgiving grip. A sob tore from my throat as they tied something around myankles.

“This is for your own good,” the mansaid.

The van was moving now, unlike me. I was completely immobile, trapped face-down on thefloor.

“This isit.”

The van stopped with a jolt, and I heard scuffling sounds as my abductors opened the door and climbed out. I expected them to drag me along with them, but instead they closed the door and left mealone.

A voice drifted over to me. “What’s yourname?”

My heart skipped a beat. I wasn’t alone after all. “Who’sthere?”

“I’m David. David Grant. They picked me up before you.” His voice was deep with a slight southerntwang.

“You’ve been here this whole time?” I whipped my head from left to right, trying to figure out exactly where hewas.

“Yeah. Unlike you, I chose to stay calm and quiet. I don’t believe them when they say they won’t hurtus.”

“How did they getyou?”

“I was walking home from a late lecture at Georgetown. Two black cars went past me. Slowly. Like they were checking me out. A few minutes later I saw some masked men and a van, and they grabbed me. I’ve been lying on this floor with a bag over my head eversince.”

“That’s exactly how they got me,” Imuttered.

“Who are you,anyway?”

“I’m Willow,” I said. “WillowRhoades.”

“Wait,theWillow Rhoades? The president’sdaughter?”

“Yes,” Imurmured.

“Holy shit. These guys aren’t fuckingaround.”

I swallowed hard. “I know. They managed to get rid of my security detail without me evennoticing.”

“Jesus.”

The door slid open again, and I heard a girl shrieking all sorts of threats as the kidnappers dragged her over and threw her on the floor next to me. “Do you have any idea who my father is? He’s going to kill you! He’ll skin you alive and throw you into a fucking volcano, you fuckingassholes!”

My eyes widened beneath the bag. “Simone? Is thatyou?”

She let out a stunned gasp. “Willow?”

I should’ve known she was next. She’d spotted black cars outside her place too. “Are you okay?” Iasked.

“No! I mean, they didn’t hurt me, but what the fuck? What’s happening to us?” Her voice was an octave higher thanusual.

“I don’t know. But we aren’t the only ones. There’s a guy heretoo.”

“Hi. I’m David Grant. Nice to meet you,” David said, voice thick withsarcasm.

Simone was quiet for a few seconds. “Regular Grant or oil Grant?” she finallysaid.

“Oil.” He sounded slightly embarrassed to admitit.