MIDNIGHT Bride The CEO's TEMPTATION

By the time Nancy and Crystal  made it to the car, Clark was half asleep. But after all that he had been through, this was no surprise. Not only had Michelle burned the boy's arm and beaten him, but she had also deprived him of sleep and nutritional food. When he heard his mother's voice, though, he opened his eyes and sat up straight. He nuzzled up against her and said, "Thank you for saving me, Mommy."

Nancy ran her fingers through his hair and said, "Clark, my sweetie, we are going to leave all the bad people behind us, and they will never find us. We will live together forever, and we will be happy."

****

Having rescued Clark, the next step was to rescue Nathan from the castle and meet up with the ship that Noah had arranged for them. After crossing the border of Kuerto, Vic would send a helicopter to greet them. Then, they would go their separate ways. Nathan would go off on his own, Noah would return to the island, and the other three would proceed to Seattle.

Noah was sitting in the driver's seat, and Crystal  was sitting behind him. After they had been on the road for a while, she tapped him on the shoulder. "Are we going to the port now?" she asked.

Noah smiled and nodded.

Crystal  frowned. "But what about Nathan?"

"I have sent some of my men to rescue him," Noah replied. "He will meet us at the port."

"Are you sure that everything will work out okay?" Crystal  asked.

"If there are any problems, my men will contact me. Don't worry."

Crystal  had been tempted to leave Nathan behind, but she knew that once Paul and Eric were set free, they would be out for blood. She did not think Noah would be any safer, though. She met his eyes in the rearview mirror. "I still think that you should come with us," she said. "I worry for your safety."

Noah sighed and said, "I wish that I could, but there is something that I still have to deal with." 

Crystal  begged him. "This may be your only chance to escape. If you are on the island, Eric and Paul will not let you go, and there is no knowing what kind of torture you will be forced to endure."

"I am aware." Noah lowered his eyes. He sighed and said, "If I could go, I would. Please don't make this any harder for me than it already is."

Nancy began to cry. "You have done so much for us; too much, really. If I had known how much helping me would cost you, I never would have let you get involved. This is all my fault, and I am so sorry."

Noah smiled. "No matter what happens, I am glad to have helped."

"Mr. Laurent, will you please leave with us?" Crystal  asked again.

Noah sighed, and a tear ran down from his eyes.

Suddenly, it occurred to Crystal  that she may know what was holding Noah back. She turned to Nancy but did not say anything. It was not long before Nancy's brow furrowed.

Nancy was confused, "Why are you staring at me?"

Before Crystal  could reply, Noah interrupted, and for the first time since they had met him, he sounded angry. "Won't you let the matter rest?" he asked. "I would like to go, but I cannot. Now stop going on about it!"

Crystal  and Nancy were taken aback.

The car remained silent for a long time. Nancy was not ready to let the matter go, though, and she leaned over to whisper in Crystal 's ear: "What should we do? I don't want him to get hurt."

"Maybe he has his own principles," Crystal  suggested. "Maybe we shouldn't force him..."

"But..."

Crystal  smiled. "On the other hand..." she whispered. "...if you insist on ensuring his safety, we could knock him out and take him with us."

Nancy's eyes lit up, and she thought Crystal  always had the best ideas!

Crystal  put her hand on her friend's tight and said, "Don't get too excited. You may save his life, but he might resent you for it..."

"That is a risk that I am willing to take."

****

Back at the castle, Paul and Eric, and Nathan were all asleep. After having struggled for so long, their energy was completely depleted, and they passed out almost immediately after the women left.

Time passed without incident, and Paul was the first to wake up. Then, because he was hanging upside down, the sock in his mouth had loosened up, and he was able to spit it out. He saw that Eric and Nathan were asleep, and he shouted at them until they woke up, and they were also able to get the socks out of their mouths.

"I wish you hadn't woken me up," Nathan groaned. "I had a wonderful dream."

"You and I both," Eric complained.

"Never mind that!" Paul exclaimed. "You sound like a couple of little girls! We need to work together and find a way to escape." He turned to Eric. "If we shout loud enough, your subordinates are sure to come. Right?"

"I doubt it," Eric replied despondently. "I believe they have been compromised..." 

"How did it come to this?" Paul whined. "I have always been the master of my universe, but now look at me. Tied up like this - upside-down - I cannot even take a piss! It is so humiliating." 

"We definitely underestimated the girls," Paul replied. "And I never would have guessed that Noah had recovered to such an extent." 

Eric sighed. "I don't get it either. One minute he is on his deathbed, and the next, he is hauling you about the house like some strong man. It makes no sense!"

Paul smiled and said, "At least they can't escape."

"I have this island in my back pocket," Paul explained. "Nobody comes or goes without me saying so."

"That's all good and well," Eric scoffed. "But if nobody comes to our aid, we will surely die here. After having that sock stuck in my mouth for so long, my body is already dehydrated. I am so thirsty!"

"Someone will bring us water soon," Paul predicted.

Just as Eric opened his mouth to argue Paul's prophecy, a guard opened the door and walked in, and he had a bottle of water in his hand. There was another guard behind him, and Paul recognized them as belonging to Eric. 

Eric's jaw dropped open.. "How did you know?" he asked.