Sweet and Spicy [COMPLETED]

The Auction Gala (pt. 6)

"Kaya!" Ransom's panic came through in his cry. 

Kaya didn't dare to look up. Not yet. She hadn't composed herself. She still felt like crying and couldn't quite bring herself to speak. Richard Aberdeen's strong presence was not a joke. 

Ransom's fingers wrapped around Kaya's wrists, tugging gently to pull her hands from her face. "Kaya. Are you alright?" 

At a loss for what else to do, Kaya shook her head. How could she be okay in this situation? 

Ransom didn't even bother to glance over his shoulder. "Leona, go find a doctor." 

"On it!" 

For as pushy as Leona had been earlier, she seemed willing enough to help now. Perhaps she, too, sensed the gravity of the situation. 

"What happened?" Ransom's fingers ghosted over Kaya's arms and shoulders. "Are you injured?"

Again, Kaya shook her head. What else could she do? There were no words to describe the conversation she had with her biological father. No ways to describe the fear in her bones. 

Ransom cupped her face in his hands, gentle but firm. "Kaya, what happened?" 

"He... he was here." 

She didn't have to finish the sentence before Ransom turned to survey the lobby. His jaw worked back and forth, angry and upset. 

Without a word or a second thought, Ransom scooped Kaya into his arms, dress and all. 

"Where are we going?" Kaya asked feebly. 

"Somewhere safer than this." Ransom stood, taking Kaya with him, and settled her more comfortably in his hold. It didn't take him long to find a hotel staff member. "The lady is ill, will you register us a room? And send someone to tell Leona Lewis to bring the doctor there." 

The female employee was more than happy to oblige. 

Kaya didn't understand how or why people obeyed Ransom's every whim, but she figured it had something to do with the authoritative presence he displayed. Even she had no arguments about holing up in a smaller, safer space. 

Her arms reached up and wrapped around Ransom's neck as they bypassed the front desk and headed straight for the elevator. 

She vaguely registered some communication between the hotel employee and someone on the other end of a radio, but Kaya didn't have the strength or focus to listen in. 

"Almost there," Ransom murmured to Kaya as the elevator ascended. 

Kaya looked up at him, still on the verge of tears and more than ready to escape reality. "I'm really okay." 

"Physically, yes. Mentally, I'm not so sure." Ransom gave her a tight smile, one meant to reassure when all it really did was concern her. 

"He didn't do anything to me." 

"We'll see about that." Ransom pressed a kiss to the top of Kaya's head. "Hang in there, we'll catch him for sure." 

"It doesn't have to be now." 

"It does have to be soon. I won't stand for much more of this." Ransom glanced at the floor readout as the elevator came to a stop. "For now, we're going to make sure you're safe and healthy." 

"I told you, he didn't do anything." 

"Just listen to the doctor's advice. It will make me feel better." 

Kaya knew, at that moment, that arguing would get her nowhere. Ransom had made up his mind and his overprotective streak had been spurred into overdrive. Calling a doctor may be overkill, but Kaya appreciated the thought behind Ransom's actions.