Young oil mogul Luke Garrett can't get his business counterpart to return his calls after a deal goes bad. After making every effort to contact the man, Luke decides to kidnap his former partner's son, Alex, to gain the man's attention to their shared problem.<br><br>Alex Parker is celebrating his eighteenth birthday by getting drunk with his best friend ... and studiously avoiding the debutantes his father tries to throw his way. His night of revelry is cut short when he finds himself a houseguest of a rather unconventional abductor.<br><br>Though he's angry and scared, Alex is drawn to Luke, whose plan falls apart when his attraction to Alex generates a change of heart. Luke can't do anything else but turn himself in to the police, much to Alex's dismay. Will Alex lose his chance at something great before it even begins?

His Enemy's Son

Alex shook himself inwardly. He had to get out of here and find Seth. He’d barely thought of his parents but Seth—oh God, what had they done to him? The last thing Alex recalled of his friend was how those guys had held him on the ground. He hoped they hadn’t hurt him, or worse, killed him.


Suddenly, bile rose in his throat. Clamping a hand over his mouth, Alex ran to the bathroom and knelt down over the toilet bowl, retching and gasping. His knuckles whitened as he gripped the sleek porcelain. Tears ran unchecked. When he was done, Alex slumped, resting his head on the toilet, the porcelain cold on his cheek. He closed his eyes. He didn’t care about the vomit and the stink emanating from it.


“What’s going on here?” A thunderous voice boomed over Alex’s head, jerking him up. His eyes bulged at the sight of Luke’s face, deep red now with fury. Alex crawled back, making himself as small as possible in the corner. He saw Luke flinch and flush the toilet.


Chapter 5