Page 73 of The Duke Who Claimed Her

With no choice, Caspian turned and stalked down the hallway. From behind, he heard Mr. Tibbs following him.

Caspian hated this feeling. Helpless. Hopeless. At the mercy of another and unable to do anything to change it. Always, he was one who needed to be in control, and having that taken away from him was confronting and terrifying.

Worse still, he could not help but wonder what position his wife was in. And that she likely assumed that Caspian would save her… That he might not be able to do so brought such shame to Caspian that he could not stomach it.

No! I will find a way out of this.

When Caspian turned into the hallway that led to his study, he came to a stop. Standing down the end was another large man, and when he saw Caspian and Mr. Tibbs appear, he strode toward them.

“What are you doing?” Mr. Tibbs hissed and rushed past Caspian.

“The boy is missing,” the large man said in hushed tones. “I searched everywhere.”

“Clearly, you did not,” Mr. Tibbs snapped. “Honestly, the incompetence!”

Caspian chuckled, and he hoped that Mr. Tibbs heard it. He had lied about having Timothy under watch, and if Caspian knew Timothy like he thought that he did, the boy would be quite impossible to find unless he allowed it.

“Oh, is this funny?” Mr. Tibbs lost all composure as he turned and spat at Caspian.

“You lied about having Timothy,” Caspian said. “It makes me wonder what else you have lied about.”

“Wonder all you like,” Mr. Tibbs said darkly. “The boy is somewhere in the house, and we will find him. Even if we do not, we have your staff to play with. Not to mention…” He pointed his gun at Caspian again. “Your wife, and you. This changes nothing.”

Caspian shrugged. “If that is what you need to tell yourself.”

“I need to tell myself nothing!” He groaned and shut his eyes to think. “Stay close to me,” Mr. Tibbs snapped at the large man. “The boy matters not. Let him hide and cower. By the time he pokes his head out, we will be done here.”

The large man nodded once as he stepped into Caspian. He stood almost a foot taller than Caspian, and he towered over him as if trying to intimidate.

Caspian looked up at him with forced boredom, making sure that he gave nothing away. “Shall we continue?” Caspian then said. “Was it not you who wanted this done quickly and neatly?”

Mr. Tibbs laughed dryly. “Your study, Your Grace. Now.”

Caspian obliged, but he made sure to flash a smile as if he had everything under control. He did not, of course, but he enjoyed watching Mr. Tibbs lose his cool.

Unfortunately, any sense that Caspian was gaining the upper hand quickly vanished when he stepped into his study to find yet another man of gargantuan size waiting for him. This one had scars across his face, a matted beard that ran to his swollen belly, and a missing right eye. All in all, he was a truly grotesque figure.

“What, no gun?” Caspian asked as he walked into the study and made for his chair.

“One will do,” Mr. Tibbs said. “Now shall we be about business.”

Caspian sat down and surveyed the scene.

The large man with the missing right eye positioned himself right behind Caspian. He had no weapon, but that almost felt irrelevant. The other large man stood by the doorway, keeping it open, but he faced Caspian, crossed his arms, and fixed a warning glare. And finally, Mr. Tibbs sighed as he sat down across from Caspian. The gun remained nestled in his lap.

“We have your wife,” Mr. Tibbs began. “She is safe, for now. But she will not remain so unless you do exactly as we tell you to do.”

“Which is?”

Mr. Tibbs flashed a small. “In front of you is a folder. Please, open it.”

Caspian glanced down, saw the folder, and opened it as instructed. He scanned the pages found, and his eyes widened with recognition.

“And so, the final piece of the puzzle falls into place,” Mr. Tibbs chuckled. “What you see are legal documents pertaining to the ownership of this estate. Underneath that first document are various transfer documents that, when signed, will transfer a significant portion of your wealth to a new trustee. You will be signing them. Now.”

Caspian scanned the documents, and he growled when he noted the name of the so-called trustee, the one to whom Caspian would be handing over his estate and finances.

“Arabella’s father…” he snarled and snapped up his head. “He did this.”