by S. E. Rose
“It was lovely meeting you all. Feel free to stop by and visit anytime you are in town,” Mrs. Simpson adds as she shows us the door.
We pile back into the car and begin heading toward the airport. Anna doesn’t even bat an eyelash in my direction as she taps away again on her phone.
“You gonna share how you knew that?” I finally ask.
She glances over her phone at me and shrugs. “It didn’t dawn on me until we were pulling up to the Edgewaters’ house that I should check out the three neighboring properties. I did a remote search on the neighbors and the info came back that the Simpsons had been regularly going to Puerto Rico for the last twenty years. I figured it was worth inquiring since I’m sure the Edgewaters know where their neighbors vacation, and if Mia knew…well, it could be a possibility.”
“I think she’s there,” I confess.
Anna sets her phone down in her lap and looks over at Logan. I feel a silent conversation occur between them. Sighing, Anna looks back up at me.
“I’m pregnant.”
I feel my face scrunch in confusion. “What?”
“I’m pregnant. Baby, in here,” she says, motioning to her belly.
“What? When? How?” The words spew from my lips without any thought behind them.
Anna rolls her eyes. “Well, when a man and woman love each—”
I glare at her, and she stops speaking.
Logan clears his throat. “It’s early. We only found out three weeks ago. We were going to wait at least another week or two before saying anything.”
“Wow. Uh, congrats. That’s amazing,” I stammer as I try to wrap my head around all the information being thrown at me.
“So, I can’t go with you on this little adventure.”
I look at Logan and nod. I wouldn’t allow my pregnant wife to go gallivanting around the world in search of someone’s missing girlfriend either.
“I will provide you with support from home, but you’re on a solo mission, Lion,” she says to me as she reaches over and takes my hands in hers. “Go find her and bring her home.”
I nod and squeeze her hands. “I’m going to be an uncle,” I say out loud, testing out the word.
Anna giggles. “That you are.”
“Does Auggie know? Dad?”
She shakes her head. “Just you, me, and Logan.”
“I’ll keep it quiet until you want to announce it,” I offer.
“Thanks,” she replies as she sits back and leans her head against Logan’s shoulder. His hand reaches out and covers her belly protectively. They will be great parents. And I hope they have a little hellion half as stubborn and fierce as my little sister because if that kid is more than half as stubborn, they are in big trouble.
I glance back to my phone, where I’ve pulled up the island of Vieques. I don’t know where you are here, Mia, but I’m coming for you.
Chapter Seven
Mia
It’s Tuesday. I only know it’s Tuesday because Timmy’s, a burger joint, has a sign that says Taco Tuesday. It also has French Fry Friday and Mofongo Monday. Basically, it’s comfort food, every day.
I sit at the same table every time I come here. It’s against the back wall and faces the walkway along the water. No one can come at me from behind, and I can see everything.
“Hey, Liz,” a waitress named Maria says as she brings me my favorite local beer. “Tacos?”
“Sounds perfect,” I reply. I had to pick a name that I would respond to, and my middle name is Elizabeth. For whatever reason, my grandad used to call me Lizzy, so it works for now.
“Great, I’ll have that out to you shortly.”
I nod and sip the water she has set down for me. I can’t stay here much longer, but I’m not sure where to go next. The fake passport that I acquired is good but still makes me nervous. I had decided to buy one months ago after another encounter with the mystery man. I needed to be able to get away quickly and I knew if I did, I’d have to use a fake identity. It was surprisingly easy getting one. The topic came up one day when Susanna was talking about something related to criminals. I took notes, and three weeks and several thousand dollars later, I had my very own fake passport.
“Here you go,” Maria says as she sets a platter of tacos in front of me. “Enjoy.”
“Thanks.”
I start eating while scrolling the internet on my burner phone. No news of me missing. No news out of Norddale at all.
I’m mid-taco when I glance out at the sea. A man that I swear is Christian is walking by, I catch just a quick side profile before he’s gone. Jesus, am I hallucinating?
I feel my eyes glaze over for a brief second before I manage to pull myself together. I miss him. I miss him so much, but I can’t go to him, not now, maybe not ever.
I finish my tacos quickly and leave cash with a tip before walking in the direction of the man I saw. Several tourists and a family are walking along the road, but I don’t see the man anywhere.
After four blocks, I turn back. I’m seeing things. I need to head to the guesthouse and start figuring out what to do next. It’s been almost three weeks now. Three weeks of pacing, worrying, analyzing everything and everyone.
I walk by a newsstand and purchase a paper. I’ll need a distraction for later.
I pass a dog named Bruno, a kid named Diego, and a white cat that greets me each afternoon. I’ve established a routine and that isn’t a good thing.
Walking into the guesthouse, I open the sliding doors and stare at the water. It’s a quiet day. No waves, just a glassy ocean. I can see fish swimming along the reef and a turtle out in the distance.
“It’s a beautiful view,” a voice says from behind me.
I jump and grab the closest thing to me, an umbrella, but in the instant it takes me to turn, I already recognize the voice. Christian.
“How?” I ask, my eyes meet his as I slowly set the weapon down.
He’s sitting on a chair along the back wall of the living room. He doesn’t look royal at all. He has on shorts and a t-shirt and sandals. He must have arrived at least a few days ago because he’s tan. I haven’t seen him this tan since we were in the Bahamas rescuing Logan after Anna discovered a plot to kill him.
“What? No kiss?” he asks. His voice is laced with anger, and I tremble under the vibrato of his words.
“How did you find me?”
He cocks his head to the side. “I think you can answer that for yourself. The real question is, why did you hide?”
I let out the breath I didn’t know I was holding. “I…” I hadn’t thought this far ahead. I have no idea what to say to him.
“I don’t know if I should spank you, fuck you, or arrest you?” he states as he looks me up and down. His eyes which normally are full of love are distant. He’s beyond angry. His knuckles are white where his hands grip the arms of the chair.
“I can explain,” I say softly.
“Please do. I love a good story,” he replies as he motions to the sofa next to him.
I slowly walk over and sit, but not too close to him. I’m afraid, I’ve been afraid, of everyone and everything for a while now. I don’t know who I can trust anymore and that scares me the most.
I fold my hands in my lap and steeple my fingers and then un-steeple them. I chance another look in his direction and he’s assessing me, waiting for me to speak.
“There are…things you don’t know about me,” I admit, not knowing where to even begin.
His eyes narrow. “Like that you’re a fucking princess?”
Holy shit! How did he know that? I feel the color drain from my face.
“But why do I feel like that’s not your only secret?” he muses as he plays with a ring on his finger with his royal insignia and diamonds on it.
I swallow. I’ve never seen Christian this angry. And yet, he’s hot as fuck. The anger only makes me want him more, which is unsettling and something that I need to work through later. I clear my throat, trying to collect my senses.
>
“Please, continue,” he states.
I take a few breaths. I can’t lie to him. I should lie to him. I should make up a story. I should protect him, but right now, I just want him to hold me and tell me it will be alright. I need to tell him.
“A few years ago, not long after I started working for you, I was approached by a man while in line at a coffee shop. He knew my name. He had pictures of my family. He also had DNA test results saying that I was a princess and granddaughter to King Ivan of Skogdal. He wanted me to share information with him, and in return, he wouldn’t kill my family while I watched.” I pause and look into Christian’s eyes. He looks ready to murder someone, maybe me. “I was afraid and unsure. He gave me a burner phone and said I had twenty-four hours to decide what to do. I flew home that night. Remember when I said Dad had a heart thing and I needed to go home quickly, but it turned out to be nothing?”
Christian gives a nearly imperceptible nod.
“I confronted Dad about the DNA test and he confirmed it was true. He also said that he had left that life behind and that as long as we stayed out of the limelight, he could keep us safe. He wouldn’t tell me why or safe from whom. He just said his mother had left his father because of…concerns for her and his safety and he had left his mother to be completely free of his past. I still don’t completely understand all of that, but regardless, I knew. He swore me to secrecy. He said I could put you in danger if I told you, so I didn’t. I left him with so many thoughts swirling in my head. I had an entire identity that I didn’t even know about, it was…well, overwhelming. I decided that sharing your schedule wasn’t that bad. I mean, most of your events are public events anyhow, so I did it. I…we hadn’t…it was before I really knew you.”
“So, once you did…know me, why did you continue?” he asks, his face like stone. The only tell I can see is the pulsing vein in his forehead.
“I didn’t have a choice,” I whispered.
He glares at me.
“I swear it. I was going to stop. I didn’t send your schedule one week and nothing happened. I hoped it was over, but then, I went to get coffee and he was there again. The same man. It’s always the same one. He cornered me and showed…” I trail off and blush. “He had a picture of us,” I whisper.
Christian’s eyes widen. “What do you mean?”
I blush. “He had a photo of us…making love…in the garden.”
Christian’s eyes go from wide to narrow slits. His anger just went up a few notches. Shit.
“He explained that I would either comply with his request or you would be dead.”
“Why would you not go to our security?”
“Because he told me it wouldn’t matter because he knew people and he would find out.”
“You mean Victor? Did he know Victor?” he states, referring to the former head of security who was outed after an assassination attempt on the family.
I shake my head. “No. He said there were several people at the palace, and they would know.”
Christian frowns.
“I did as I was told. I…couldn’t lose you,” I say softly, wanting so badly to reach out and touch him, but being too chickenshit to try.
“And so, you’ve been feeding this guy my schedule for the last few years?”
I nod. “And that was it. That was all that happened…until…everything fell apart with The 44 coming after you…” I trail off again as I get to the heart of why I left.
Only three weeks ago, I was sent away from him. And I had gone home, thinking I’d return soon, until the man found me, once again.
“Why did you leave now?” he asks.
“I had only been home a day or so when that man found me at a shop in town. This time was different. He knew things about The 44. He said there were more of them. And he said this time if I didn’t cooperate, he would kill all of you while I watched and then blame me for it. He wanted more from me, he wanted me to record things, plant bugs for them. He said I had no choice.” I pause, trying to calm myself. “He…had a gun. He was different this time. Colder, more desperate. I was afraid. I left Dad a note, warning him to be careful. And I left. My neighbor had mentioned this place before and I knew they hadn’t come, so I took a boat to France and then a flight with my fake passport to the Bahamas and then another boat to here.”
“Jesus, Mia.”
I stand and walk to the sliding door, staring out at the calm sea. It doesn’t make me feel any better. There’s no way Christian can love me again after what I just admitted. I feel like my heart has been crushed into a million tiny pieces. My body aches from the guilt that’s been eating at me for days, weeks, months.
“I’m sorry,” I say. I look at my reflection in the glass and am startled to find Christian standing right behind me.
I turn and he cages me against the glass.
“What should I do with you?” he asks, more to himself than me. I swallow again as fear builds in my chest. The fear isn’t just for me though, now that he knows, the fear is also for him.
Chapter Eight
Christian
Confusion clouds my thoughts as I stare down at Mia. In one way, she’s confirmed my worst fears, she’s a traitor, a liar, an enemy of the crown. But then, she’s done it all to protect me and the ones she loves. Why wouldn’t she have told me? After all this time, it’s been nearly four years. She could have divulged this a million different times, but she didn’t.
I’m angry but I’m also relieved that she’s alright. I still have feelings for her. Hell, if I’m being honest with myself, I still love her.
“I…” She trails off as we stare at each other, our breaths hitching. Her pupils dilate.
“I should want to punish you. I’m so angry,” I growl, sounding like a human version of a lion, ironic, considering my nickname.
She swallows again and I watch her throat constrict.
“I love you, Chris…” She trails off as my nostrils flare and I slam a hand against the glass sliding door, making it rattle. She cringes. Would she think that I would hurt her? Her reaction spurs a protective instinct in me which battles with my anger and wins.
I slowly move my hands to her shoulders. Her muscles tense.
“I’m not going to hurt you, pigeon,” I say softly, using a nickname I gave her after a particularly interesting day in Trafalgar Square that ended up with me needing to purchase a new shirt.
At the sound of her nickname, her muscles release, and her shoulders sag. Tears well in her eyes. “Please forgive me. I’m begging you,” she pleads. I can smell her orange blossom shampoo and the familiar fragrance wars with my sensibility.
With a long sigh, I step back from her. I need distance. This closeness makes me want to pull her into my arms and kiss her, and right now, I’m not even sure that I can trust her.
“You’re coming back with me to Norddale. If your story checks out, then we will need to talk with some folks.”
She doesn’t look away from me as she speaks. “I’m not lying. I’ve never lied to you. I just…haven’t told you those things before, but I have never lied.”
I raise an eyebrow because her omissions may as well have been a lie, regardless of whether her intentions were noble.
“Pack your bags. We leave tonight,” I command. I take out my phone and call Cain, who is waiting for me in the car. After I managed to sweet-talk the lovely couple that owns this guesthouse into thinking that I’m here to profess my undying love, they let me in to wait for Mia.
Cain knocks on the door, and I go to let him in before turning back to her. “Cain will wait with you. I have some calls to make. Be ready in thirty minutes.”
“But I paid for—”
“I will cover the cost, go!” I bark. She jumps a little and rushes into the adjacent bedroom.
Cain gives me a look that says he wants to know more, but I just shake my head. “I’ll explain more later. I need to call Anna.”
I walk outside and sit on a small bench overlooking the sea.
Pressing call on my phone, I wait.
“Well?” Anna asks.
I roll my eyes. “You know I’m here. She’s here and…” I trail off as I figure out what to say.
“And? Jesus, this better be good.”
“I don’t think good is the right word.” I give her the story, and when I finish, Anna’s silent. Anna is never silent, so I take this as a bad sign.
“I need to talk with Jack. This concerns me. I…Don’t say anything to your security while I work this out.”
“Work what out?” I inquire.
“Just…don’t go home. Go to the Summer Palace, OK?”
I roll my eyes. I’d say this was pregnancy hormones, but if I spoke that out loud, Anna would reach over the airwaves and strangle me. And it’s also just Anna’s normal personality. God, poor Logan. A hormonal Anna is gonna be a holy terror.
A door shuts behind me and I turn to see Cain and Mia walking out of the guesthouse. Mia’s suitcase is behind her, and a backpack is slung over her shoulder.
“I have to go. I’ll call you when we land,” I say to my sister before disconnecting.
The car door is open as I approach. I let Cain know our change of plans and he pulls out his phone to make the arrangements. I take a seat next to Mia. She’s already buckled in and looking out at the window.
“Where are we going?”
“Home.”
She turns to me with raised eyebrows.
“No questions. You haven’t earned any answers yet.”
She says nothing as she returns to viewing the sea. The car starts up and takes us to the airport. I stare at her, wondering how my whole world could unravel in just a few moments. Can I still love her?
Chapter Nine
Mia
The jet is just as it was when it flew me home three weeks ago. The tan leather seats shine under the warm glow of the cabin lights. I adjust my seat belt and gaze out at the clouds. The world looks so peaceful from thirty thousand feet in the air. From the looks of it, we are over the Bahamas.