There was no reply.
He had probably already gone to bed.
Nicholas slid his phone back into his pocket.
A large garden separated the banquet hall from the main house.
He had just rounded the path into the garden.
A dark figure, like a phantom, cut through the air with a powerful force, striking from Nicholas's rear blind spot.
The movement was incredibly swift, both vicious and precise.
Without a hint of hesitation, the attack aimed straight for his neck.
Nicholas's languid, weary expression sharpened. The instant the attack came from behind, he immediately moved to block it.
His long, tapered fingers looked like sculpted marble in the moonlight.
They were certainly beautiful to look at.
But at this moment, they were as sharp as blades.
Just as he was about to grab his attacker and counter...
His peripheral vision caught a reflection of the person's face in a nearby surface.
Nicholas's movement paused for a fraction of a second.
Hazel?
Serena's best friend?
Didn't she go with the Lancasters to their estate? Why was she back here?
And how did she, once again, sneak into the Blackwood family's manor undetected?
In that moment of hesitation...
Black Jack's hand locked around Nicholas's throat.
The man was simply too tall.
Executing the chokehold was a bit of a strain for Black Jack.
She used leverage to keep Nicholas from using his strength while her other hand
drew a small knife, pressing it against his back. Using a voice changer, she spoke in
a robotic, electronically altered tone, "Don't move! Come with me quietly!"
Nicholas let out a soft chuckle.
In the silence of the night, the sound was exceptionally clear.
Black Jack jabbed him with the handle of the dagger. "What's so funny?"
1.n
"Miss Hazel," Nicholas's voice was low and lazy, tinged with a faint smile. "Not bad. I can tell you do this sort of thing often-ambushing. people from behind. But... your timing and angle were off just new Didn't you survey your surroundings before you attacked? The window to your front right could catch your reflection. If you had been slightly more toward the nine o'clock position, you would have perfectly avoided all lines of sight."
Black Jack was completely baffled.
She wasn't surprised he had recognized her.
But she was in the middle of a kidnapping! A kidnapping, did he understand?
And he was giving her a live tutorial?
She, Black Jack, had been doing this for years. Did she really need a lesson from him?
Black Jack Simply turned off the voice changer. "Since you've found me out you'd better behave! For my friend's happiness I'm afraid you're swim afgotike coming with me whether you like it or not!"
Nicholas raised a languid eyebrow.
So, Serena's best friend had come for Serena's sake?
Nicholas narrowed his stunning eyes, hiding the smile within them. "Oh? And just
how do you plan on 'handling' me, Hazel?"
Black Jack pulled out a rope.
She clearly remembered her promise to Demon.
Once they were in Elyndor, she would tie up the man her best friend wanted, deliver
him to her bed, and let her do as she pleased.
She, Black Jack, never made empty promises.
When she said she'd tie someone up, she meant it.
Nicholas fell silent.
He paused for two seconds.
Then he proactively held out his hands for Black Jack to tie.
Black Jack glanced at him, her gaze a little suspicious, as if wondering if he had
some kind of special kink.
But time was running out.
She grabbed the rope and trussed Nicholas up.
Once he was tied, Black Jack jabbed him again with the dagger handle. "Shut up! No more talking. Let's go!"
Throughout the entire process, Nicholas was extremely cooperative.
Black Jack pushed him along to the underground garage.
She'd come on her motorcycle, which wasn't practical for a kidnapping. She needed to steal a car from the garage to transport Nicholas to Demon.