Freed

Twenty-Eight

Harry's POV

My phone rings, interrupting my deep thoughts. I release an irritated sigh, grabbing it and shoving it into a drawer. Okay, back to work.

However, the muffled ringing doesn't let me focus at all. I ignore it for five minutes, then ten. However, after fifteen minutes, I yank open the drawer and take out my phone to see Bart's name displayed across the screen. What the fuck is wrong with this man?

"What?" I snap, answering the call.

"Your Highness," Bart says, sounding worried. "We've lost visual on Her Highness."

"Excuse me?" I stand up, my chair wheeling backwards, and slamming into the wall. "I didn't hire you for such incompetency, Bart. Find her!"

"She left with her friend, Your Highness. He was taking her somewhere and we don't know where," Bart replies. "The streets of New York are...it would be advisable for you to call her first, and find out her whereabouts."

"I will call her, and I swear to God, if anything happens to her you two will be in trouble." I warn, ending the call. Hurriedly, I call Mus up, silently praying for her to answer. The rings go through, one after the other. However, she doesn't pick up. I call her once more. Then again. And again.

Finally, I dial Bart's number. He picks up on the second ring.

"Mus is not answering," I say. "Think, you must have some idea as to where her friend was taking her."

"No, Your Highness, we don't." Bart says, sounding sheepish. I inhale a deep breath, suppressing my anger as best as I can.

"What's her friend's name?" I question.

"I believe she called him Klaus." Bart replies, sending my heart into a frenzy.

"Klaus?" I repeat, praying to God this is a sick joke.

"Yes, Your Highness."

"You're fired after we find her," I say, ending the call. Hastily, I exit my study and head over to the security headquarters. If Mus is with Klaus, she's in no way safe. He's the crown's greatest enemy and will do anything to ruin Father. Maybe me. And now he has Mus. The things he could do to her...to our baby. I wince at the thought, blocking out the images.

I will find my wife and get her back safely.
*******

"It's been four bloody hours!" I yell, slapping my palm against the desk. "How incompetent is everyone?" The security department staff looks at me sheepishly.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but it's taking time to sift through the camera footage." Stewart says, looking as hopeless as I feel right now.

"What about the teams that have been dispatched?" I question, placing my head in my hands.

"They've got no news as well, Your Highness." I let out a frustrated yell, tossing a paper weight onto the ground with my fist. "If I don't get news regarding Mus' whereabouts by sundown, you're all fired." I threaten, standing up and marching towards the exit of the room. Slamming the door shut behind me, I yank at the ends of my hair.

Fucking hell! We're hitting dead-ends after dead-ends. Suddenly my phone rings, and I immediately fish it out of my pocket; silently praying to God it's Bart, or someone else who is a part of a search party.

"Got any news?" I ask, without glancing once at the screen, and simply accepting the call.

"You know what? I just might," a man's voice says through the other end of the line. I've heard that voice before.

"And you are?" I ask, trying to place the owner of the voice. It's definitely not someone from the security team.

"Oh come on, Harry, you can't insult an old friend like that." My eyes widen as realization slams into me like a truck.

"Klaus," I grit my teeth. "Where's Mus?"

"With me," Klaus replies. "Although, I believe you already knew that." I clench my fist, my fingernails digging into the skin of my palm.

"Where. Is. She? I do not like asking for what's mine," I say. Klaus lets out a laugh.

"You really must underestimate my abilities, eh?"

"Considering what happened the last time we met, yeah." I scoff.

"Harry, you shouldn't be playing with fire when your wife is soaked with petrol." I swear to God if I could smash this man's face.

"Okay, enough with the games. Let's talk business," I say. "What do you want?"

"You know what I want," Klaus says. "A life for a life, Harry."

"I can't do what you're asking of me." No matter how much one deserves to suffer, I am no one to pass a judgement on one's life, or take it in my own hands. However, I know that Klaus is dead serious and quite headstrong. He will not negotiate easily.

"Of course you can. He is your father, Harry, and you will do what I'm asking of you. Otherwise, Mus will suffer the consequences." Klaus warns. "Ah, and so will your babe."

"I swear to God if you hurt them - "

"Cut the crap! You know I've got the upper hand," he says. "So man up and pay the price, or lose your wife. Save my number and call me up before sundown, with your decision at the tip of your tongue." Klaus ends the call, leaving me in a state of shock.

My father's seated at one end of the dining table and Mus at the other. Unfortunately, I can only save one side. No matter how mistreated I've been at my Father's hands, I simply can't hand him over to a reaper. If I don't, however, I'll end up losing Mus, and that's a loss I won't be able to bear.

"Fuck," I hiss, kicking my foot against a grandfather clock. Opening up the contacts page, I click on my father's name.

"I was wondering when you'd call to apologize." Father says. Lord, I can feel him smirking. Maybe it is time for him pay for his pride, amongst other sins.