Read Online Taken by Lisa Harris - Free Book Online

influx of those coming and going from the church. She had to admit that knowing he was in the background helped tame the butterflies chasing each other around in her stomach. Despite her hesitations, she was grateful she’d agreed to listen to his advice.
    Tourists with their backpacks and cameras gathered outside the church, where a street musician sang Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” She closed her eyes for a moment to listen to the words and let the music settle her nerves. But all she could think about was that her sister was dying and she might not ever see her niece again if she didn’t figure out what was going on.
    Feeling out of place, she pulled out her cell phone and snapped a photo of the church, trying to remember what else she’d read about the cathedral. It had been constructed with over five thousand gargoyles, held priceless paintings, and the largest bell in the tower was close to four hundred years old and weighed over 28,000 pounds.
    She snapped another photo of the front of the building. Rachel had the same shot of the church with her and Sophie standing in front of it from one of their visits to Paris. Smiles on both their faces...
    “Kate?”
    She turned toward the voice. “Chad.”
    He walked up to her, gray slacks, white button-down shirt and pullover sweater. Kate could see why Rachel had fallen for him with his ruddy good looks and European accent. He’d always been sure of himself, charming enough to sweep Rachel off her feet. Today, he stood beside her, his gaze sweeping the crowd, nervous and clearly leery that someone was watching them.
    He shoved his hands into his pockets, stopping beside her as he stared up at the church from the open plaza.
    “Stunning, isn’t it?”
    “Much more so than I expected,” she answered.
    “Walk with me inside. Visiting the cathedral is free.”
    She hesitated briefly, then followed Chad through the entrance. While the outside of the building had left her amazed, the inside of the church, with its long halls, vaulted ceilings and the beauty of the soft lighting from stained glass windows, was enough to leave her breathless. But today, even that wasn’t enough to shift her focus. She was here for one reason and one reason only.
    Chad stopped in front of a votive rack and lit one of the candles. “It might be the most visited cathedral in the world, but I’ve always found it peaceful here. My mother used to bring me to mass on Sundays, though I suppose today, my going to confession might be more appropriate.”
    Kate pressed her lips together at the comment. A confession wasn’t going to be enough to change what had happened.
    He turned away and guided her down the majestic hall, his voice barely above a whisper this time. “Were you followed here?”
    “I’m not sure, but I am certain that they know I’m in Paris. I told you two men tried to grab me off the streets already.”
    “I’m sorry.” He kept moving, avoiding her gaze. Clearly scared.
    “I’m sorry, too,” she said. “I need to know what is going on.”
    Despite the sense of awe and serenity from walking through the cathedral, anger had settled into the pit of her stomach. In her sister’s eyes, Chad had always been the knight who’d rode in and swept Rachel off her feet. How that romantic scenario had turned into her fighting for her life, she had no idea. But it had.
    “Tell me what’s going on, Chad. How do they know I’m here?” she asked.
    “I don’t know.”
    She shook her head, not believing him. He clearly knew much more than he was willing to tell her.
    “Then at least tell me who
they
are.”
    He slipped into one of the rows of pews and sat down, waiting for her to join him. A woman in her mid-forties wearing a pale gray scarf around her neck slipped into a pew behind them, her head bowed in prayer. Across the aisle a mother with her daughter, no more than six, sat down across from them. A coin dropped from the little girl’s fingers and rolled under the