Guard of Destiny (The Intrepid Bodyguard Series) by Tracie Delaney

Author:Tracie Delaney [Delaney, Tracie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Firefly Publishing Limited
Published: 2022-08-17T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Curled up on the soft leather sofa in the library, Destiny flicked through various apps on her phone.

Nothing kept her attention.

She’d been back at Montford for a little over two weeks, and while people’s lives continued, hers stood still. She couldn’t go back to the person she’d been before, and she couldn’t move forward while her abductor roamed free and the horrors he’d inflicted on her grew and festered.

The guilt… it crippled her.

She’d gotten off lightly compared to the other women. It occurred to her sometimes that it might have been easier if he’d tortured her as well.

At least she’d have something physical to focus on.

And then she’d berate herself for such a ridiculous notion. Only an insane person would put their hand up for torture.

But her conscious mind was a vortex of chaos where jumbled thoughts ran riot and sleep brought her no respite.

She was about to toss her phone and choose a book from Loris’s extensive library when a news article caught her eye. She stopped the scroll and read the headline.

Russia’s National Treasure Returns Home.

Underneath was a video. She pressed Play.

The footage was of Katerina with her family. Her mother clung to her as if afraid to let go, her father rested a comforting hand on his daughter’s shoulder, and Katerina beamed as she waved to the crowds who’d flooded onto the streets to welcome her back to her homeland.

To everyone in that crowd, she looked thrilled and happy to be home. But Destiny saw the truth in her eyes.

The slightly vacant expression.

The twist of pain pulling at the corners of her mouth and furrowing her brow.

The brief moment where she stared off into the distance before yanking herself back to the present.

Those who didn’t understand thought rescue was the end of the nightmare.

In reality, it was just the beginning.

“There you are.”

Loris entered the library and came to sit beside her. Apart from that first morning when they’d gone for a run, he’d left her alone most of the time, citing Intrepid business that had piled up while he’d put his energies into searching for her. But she didn’t believe him.

He was avoiding her.

To be fair, she hadn’t sought him out either.

It wasn’t difficult, in a place the size of Montford, to go days without seeing a soul other than the gardeners tending to the grounds or the team of cleaners Loris brought in once a week to clean every inch of the grand house.

She turned her phone toward him, showing him the screen. “She’s home.”

He watched the video play for a few seconds, then nodded. “All the women are back with their families now.”

Her spine stiffened. “You didn’t think to tell me?”

“You didn’t ask.” He stroked a palm over his beard. “I figured when you were ready, you’d ask.”

Fair point.

“They hated me, you know.”

His eyes flared and he squared his shoulders. “What do you mean, hated you?”

“They blamed me for their torture, and they were right. If I’d mastered Hammerklavier, then maybe he’d have let them go.

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