Twinkle of Love - Completed

Chapter 13

"What? Why?"

Lucy bit her lip uncertainly. She didn't yet know if Blaise was aware that he was now officially a famous singer and she wasn't sure if she wanted him to know just yet. There was no way of knowing how he would react.

"Dad, I heard a song on the radio today."

There was a sudden quiet on the line. That brought to memory Knyte's cautious hello when he'd first answered her call. "How could you, Dad?"

"Look, honey, I didn't know. Honest. Kim said you signed the contract. He said he thought I knew and approved. I didn't know you didn't know. That is, I suspected but I was hesitant to ask you. Is Blaise angry? Is that why you're not letting me talk to him?"

"No! No, Dad..." Lucy had known it was all Kim's doing. She recalled how he'd had that glint in his eye when they'd left the recording studio. With a sigh, she now began to soothe her father. It didn't matter if the song went public or not. Nothing mattered anymore but finding Cat and bringing her back home. "I'll talk to Blaise, Dad. I'll make him understand. Don't worry."

Lucy finally laid down the phone, exhausted from her talk with Knyte Starr. It wasn't easy explaining how an Emir had taken her little sister to another country without permission as it was too close to his own traumatic suffering of not one child but both being abducted. Lucy, herself, was still shaking. There had been no word from anyone. Not Cat, nor her mum and dad.

The door to her room swung open and Emily barged in.

"I can't sleep. I'm so worried."

Lucy drew her into her arm. "Where's Blaise?"

"Still on the phone with Jace, going over options."

Lucy swore. She needed her boyfriend there with her, not on the phone with her brother. But Jace had been as elusive to her as her parents and Cat. After that first call to him, as soon as she found out, he had been out of reach.

The door to her room flung open again and this time, Blaise marched in. "Jace is on his way."

Finally! Lucy hugged Emily to her tighter until she winced and pulled away.

"I can't believe he just took her," exclaimed Blaise for the umpteenth time. "I should have been there. It never would have happened if I'd been there."

"You're damn right. Had you been here instead of over at whoever-the-hell-you-slept-with last night, Cat might still be here." Lucy couldn't seem to hold back the toxic accusation. They had no way of knowing Sadiq was going to take this course of action. He had seemed almost civilised last night. It was unfair of her to blame Blaise. "I'm sorry." Lucy groaned. "I just can't think of what else we can do."

"What did Dad say?" Blaise demanded.

"He's trying whatever he can from his end."

"Do we file a missing person report?" He dropped onto Lucy's bed.

"Don't you mean kidnapping?" Chipped in Emily and both Lucy and Blaise winced. It would take them a lifetime to be comfortable again around that term, if that.

"I think we should wait. Just until we've heard from Mum and Dad," whispered Lucy, uncertainly. Doubt crept in whenever she thought of her little sister, all pregnant and vulnerable and caught in that sadist's vice. She shivered and rubbed her arms.

Emily moved to sink onto the bed beside Blaise. He draped his arm about her shoulder and drew her in close. Emily more than anyone was destroyed by what happened, but surprisingly she was holding her own and not breaking down into hysterical tears. Lucy stared at Em, surprised to find hidden depths welling up in the sister she thought she knew so well. But then Cat had been a bag full of surprises herself this year. Lucy shuddered and drew away, her gaze going to the windows. The urge to pace was upon her, but her restless pacing did little to alleviate her fears. It was sometime later when the door to her room opened and slammed shut again. The trio jerked out of their reverie to stare at this unexpected arrival.