THEIR_VIRGIN_PRINCESS by Shayla Black Lexi Blake Read Free Book Online Page A

to
     figure out who plotted her kidnapping. Knowing what she endured during her
     captivity might provide clues.”
    Tal leaned forward intently, his jaw tight. “Are you telling
     me you know this wasn’t random? Alea is a beautiful girl. Isn’t it possible
     that she was taken and held for the highest bidder? It makes sense that she’d
     be targeted because she hid her wealth. The person who nabbed her might have
     believed she wasn’t protected.”
    Law’s head shook, shooting down Tal’s earnest hope. “Not a
     chance.”
    “What my brother means to say is that we have proof to the
     contrary. Turn to page five of the file. It’s a photocopy of the note that brought
     Alea to the club that night. It was found amongst her things from New York,”
     Riley said quietly, the very somberness of his voice an answer to the question.
    Meet me at 7 at the
     Jackson Club downtown. Please. I need help.
    It was unsigned, but the stationary was unmistakable. It had
     come from the Bezakistani embassy in New York.
    “We’ve seen and discussed this note.” Dane sighed. “You’re
     right. She must have believed she knew who wrote it. Whoever’s behind her
     abduction knew she would respond to a request from the embassy. It stands to
     reason this person knew exactly who she was and targeted her. Motherfucker.”
    “The question is why,” Riley said, then turned to Tal. “You
     never received a ransom note?”
    The sheikh shook his head. “No. I would have paid. I would
     have paid anything.”
    “Then they weren’t after money,” Dane concluded.
    Riley shrugged a little. “We can’t be completely sure of
     that, but there’s one other reason we’re convinced this wasn’t random. If we
     were just dealing with slavers filling an order, she would have been raped
     about ten minutes after her kidnapping. You’ve read the medical file. You know
     that didn’t happen.”
    Dane’s whole body had stiffened. Coop wasn’t any happier.
     When they had first heard Alea’s story, he, Dane, and Lan had sat down and
     talked. Even if she hadn’t been raped, she’d been through a lot. They had
     backed off physically because of it. Coop had started reading about the
     psychology of victims, trying to understand.
    Law frowned. “From what we’ve been able to tell, Alea was
     brutalized in every other way imaginable. They left her virginity intact for a
     reason.”
    Tal slapped at the table. “Do we have to talk about this?”
    “The information won’t leave this room,” Coop vowed. “But
     you asked us to be responsible for Alea’s well-being. It’s hard to do that if
     we don’t talk about information that might be relevant.”
    “This is none of anyone’s business, even yours. I tasked you
     with making sure she doesn’t get hurt again. That’s all.” Tal glowered.
    Ouch. That hurt like a
     bitch. But Coop refused to back down. “Knowing what she endured may tell us
     what happened to her and why, so yeah, I think it’s my business. I also happen
     to think that protecting her life is more important than protecting her
     modesty. She’s not just a job to me. She’s a good woman who deserves to close
     her eyes at night and sleep soundly, knowing that she’s safe.”
    Tal drew in a calming breath. “Sorry. You’re right. I know
     how you all feel about her. I’ve seen how Alea reacts to you three. I asked you
     here for a reason, and it wasn’t as her security team.”
    That was news to Coop. The last he’d heard, the sheikh had
     reminded all three of them of their completely non-royal status. Dane had gone
     the “I hate authority” route, while Lan had slid into his whole “woe is me/I
     grew up in a trailer so no woman can love me” pile of shit. Coop…he’d seen the
     play for what it was at the time.
    Back then, Tal had been in a bad place with Piper. He’d been
     a bear growling at anything that even halfway moved. Dane wasn’t known for his
     subtlety. Lan sometimes stepped in