“As I said,” the queen spoke, “if you can’t do your job, I will find someone else who will.” Marissa stood. “Gentlemen, I expect to hear from you soon.” She turned and walked out of the room, leaving no doubt she would do just that.
Ana knew in her heart she had never loved any man before Jake.
For the past hour, she hadn’t moved from the couch, except to put on a shirt. Staring into the dying fire, she’d been trying everything she could think of to stir up more memories. Nothing worked. Just bits and pieces of a puzzle that might never be completed. Could she accept that? Could she go back to a life that she didn’t remember? Love a family she no longer knew? What about a man? She knew her feelings for Jake were strong. In her heart she knew she didn’t have a so-called lover. She would know it. No man had touched her the way Jake had. No man’s kisses had made her forget to breathe.
The cabin door opened and Jake came in along with a chilling wind. He didn’t look any happier than he had when he left her. His eyes told of his misery. She wanted to go to him. Comfort him. She, too, needed reassurance, needed to know that he had felt something for her, that she wasn’t alone.
Jake went to the hearth, removed the screen and added more wood. “Lord, woman, you would freeze to death if I wasn’t around.” He finally looked at her, his dark eyes showed his torment.
“Jake,” she began, hoping he would look at her. He did. “I didn’t want to…to stop. The memory just startled me.”
He glanced away, as if the contact was too painful. “We didn’t have a choice, Ana. I never should have let it go so far.”
“But you wouldn’t have stopped, if I hadn’t had the…vision?”
Jake ground his back teeth together to keep in control. “What do you want me to say, chère? That I wanted you? Yeah, I want you, all right. But don’t kid yourself, I have been up here a long time…alone…without a woman. I’m as human as the next guy. You offered yourself to me—”
“No! You care about me, enough to stop things when you thought I could be married,” she said, her chin raised.
“I’m not the man you think I am.”
“Oh, you’re such a bad fellow.”
“And you better remember that, because the next time you play with fire you might just get burned.”
She raised her chin defiantly, but couldn’t hide a slight quiver in her lips. “Oh, I’ll remember.” Her voice grew soft and seductive. “I’ll remember the man with the gentle touch and the kisses that took my breath away….”
He closed his eyes to shut out her words. “Stop it! In the heat of passion, a man will do about anything to get what he wants. So don’t make the mistake of trusting me. Believe me, you’ll regret it.” As if struck by a bullet, pain shot through him. Then he felt Ana’s hand against his arm. He fought to pull away, but he couldn’t.
“I will never regret anything between you and I, Jake.”
Push her away, he told himself. “Just give it time and you will.”
“I don’t need time,” she assured him. “I trust you with my life.”
He had to move away, she was tempting him again. “So did Meg and it cost her.”
Jealousy surged through Ana. Did he love another woman? “Who’s Meg?”
He cocked an eyebrow. “You’re full of questions.”
“You seem to think I have a man in my life, is it so strange for me to wonder about the woman in yours?” She hated the possessiveness she felt, but she couldn’t push it aside. “What was she like?”
He shrugged. “I’m not sure I can tell you. Not because I don’t want to, but because I never took the time to really know Meg. She was my partner.”
“She worked for the FBI?”
He nodded. “We were assigned to an undercover task force in Montana to watch a militia group. We posed as a married couple wanting to join their cause. I guess we played the part pretty well.”
It was one question she didn’t want to ask, but she had to know. “Did you love her?”
He didn’t seem surprised by the question. “We both had too much baggage from our pasts to believe in true love. We got along. The sex was good.”
Ana couldn’t stop the heat rushing to her face. “I wish I could remember if sex was good,” she murmured.
He tensed. “You can stop looking at me like that, because I’m not going to help jar your memory.”
She rested her chin on her hands. “Jake, we both wanted what happened between us. So how can you regret it.”
He released a long breath. “You’re not making this easy on me, are you?”
“I just want you to know how I feel. I don’t expect anything from you.”
“Good, because until we know who you are, we can’t let anything happen.”
She wanted to jump for joy. “That means if I discover who I am…you mean…we can be together?”
“No!” He drew a breath and released it slowly. “That means I return to the crash site to try and find out who you are.”
“You’re not going without me.”
“Right, I’m not, you’re coming with me. Maybe seeing the wreckage will trigger something.”
Her eyes lit up, then died as quickly. “What if it doesn’t?”
“Then we’ll handle it. Besides, someone has to be looking for you.”
She never felt more alone. “Then why haven’t they?”
“This weather is holding off any search. They might know where the plane went down by the tracking system, but in this rugged terrain they’ll have to wait. With any luck tomorrow we’ll get some answers.”
She felt better. It had been ten days. Not that she hated being with Jake, but she wanted desperately to know her identity. “Thanks for allowing me to come along.”
“As if you’d let me go alone.” He forced a smile. “I’ll go check on the horses, and you better get to bed. If the weather is improved we’ll hike to the site tomorrow.” He turned toward the door.
Ana had one more question. “Jake.”
He paused but didn’t turn around. “What?”
She suddenly felt shy, but needed to know. “What happened with Meg? Do you…and she…? Were you going to marry her?”
He had a faraway look in his eyes, then said, “Yeah. Then she died…and I couldn’t do a damn thing to stop it.”
The rain was light, and even in her too-large boots and long underwear under a pair of Jake’s jeans, Ana managed to keep up. Max was leading them as Jake and Ana made the hike over the ridge and into the ravine.
Ana drew a long breath. “I can’t believe you carried me all the way back to the cabin,” she said. Her voice slowly died as she looked over the destruction. “Oh, God…this is horrible.” Then suddenly sounds exploded in her head. A screeching of metal and her own screams. Her heart began to race, making her feel light-headed.
“Ana, what’s wrong?”
She shook her head. “I just heard this awful sound in my head. I think I was reliving the crash.”
“Do you remember anything else?”
“No.”
“Then come on, let’s get started,” he said. “The weather might not hold.”
Jake took her hand and escorted her through the broken trees until they passed the tail of the jet, then came upon the midsection.
“I can’t believe it held together.”
“Thank God it did,” he told her.
They went inside, the roof keeping the rain off. Ana pushed back her hood and wiped the moisture from her face. She glanced around the battered compartment, the bent and torn metal, hoping to find something familiar.
“From what I could tell, you were sitting here.” He showed her the dark stain on the upholstery. “That’s your blood on the seat. When Max and I arrived, you weren’t here. Max tracked you over to a group of trees. You somehow got out when the fire started. It ended quickly, thanks to the heavy rain.”
Ana could still smell the smoke as she searched through the rubble that had been thrown around. She hoped
to come across a purse, anything that could tell her who she was. Where she came from.
Jake was on his knees, searching under the seats, going through the compartments. Then when it seemed hopeless, he located a metal box from under the same chair Ana had sat during the flight.
“Look what I found,” Jake said as he held up the box.
“What is it?”
“Could be anything, from a first-aid kit to a toolbox.”
Using a screwdriver he’d found, Jake popped it open. He took out a canvas pouch that had Penwyck Mining stamped across the front.
“Well, it’s from Penwyck.” Jake opened it and shook out the contents. Several large milky-white crystals fell out.
“Oh, my,” Ana gasped. “What are those stones?”
Jake picked one up, weighed the pyramid-shaped stones in his hand, then held it up to the light. The stone was about seven carats and one of the smallest of the dozen in the bag. “I’m not an expert, but my guess is diamonds.”
“Diamonds. Why were they under my seat?”
“That’s the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question, chère—or should I say the two-million-dollar question?” He had his own thoughts. “Somebody was smuggling the diamonds from Penwyck.”
“Who would do that?” Ana looked at Jake, her eyes wide and innocent, then her anger flared. “You think I’m somehow involved in taking the diamonds, don’t you?”
“I didn’t say that,” he argued. He didn’t want to believe it. There had to be another explanation. “Look, the day I buried the two bodies, I discovered the pilot was a member of the Black Knights.”
She looked puzzled. Either she was one hell of an actress, or she didn’t have a clue what was going on. Jake suspected the latter.
“I told you when you came back from burying Rory, I don’t know anything about the Black Knights.”
“They’re a subversive group,” he told her.
“And one was the pilot?”
He nodded. “Yes. We have to figure out what he was doing with Rory Hearne a Penwyck security guard.”
“Wonderful. Everyone seems to know who they are except me. There’s got to be something around here that will tell me who I am.” Ana pulled up her rain hood and stepped outside.
This was worse than she could ever imagine. What if she was connected to these Black Knights and the stolen diamonds? No, she refused to believe that, and somehow, she was going to prove it.
First she went to the pine tree and found two rocky mounds. Jake had done a nice job on the graves. It caused Ana to think about how vulnerable she was. Two people had already died in the crash. Two men who could have been smuggling diamonds. How did she fit into it all?
Fighting frustration she began her search, for anything, a purse or a notebook. Anything that would tell her who she was. She found papers from the cockpit and called Jake over, showing him that they’d taken off from Penwyck Airport early the morning of the crash. She found soaked pillows and blankets as she kept digging through the rubble until she came upon a smaller notebook.
She wiped off the burgundy leather cover, exposing three engraved initials A.E.P. A strange feeling went through her. She recognized it. Fear froze her and she couldn’t open it.
“Jake,” she called and rushed over to him.
“What is it?”
“I found this.” She handed the notebook to him.
Jake studied the leather cover and lingered on the initials. This didn’t belong to Loden or Hearne. This book was going to tell him something. Was he ready? Unable to delay the inevitable, he opened it and found a calendar. The month of September was showing with several dates filled in. They weren’t run-of-the-mill business appointments, either.
“Looks like this A.E.P. person is busy. An engagement to attend Penwyck Hospital’s charity dinner.”
Jake went through the rest of the book, noting several different society functions were included, many had been held at the palace with the king and queen. He glanced at Ana and saw the charm around her neck. He had no doubt who she was. He just couldn’t rejoice in it. It suddenly felt as if the air had been robbed from his lungs as raw emotions raced through him, ripping at his gut. He wanted to close his eyes and wish it away, something he’d tried as a kid. It hadn’t worked then and it wasn’t going to work now.
Somehow he managed to walk to the midsection of the jet, Ana close on his heels. The outside of the plane had been burned in the fire, some of the paint had peeled off, but some of the lettering remained. He vigorously rubbed off the soot the rain hadn’t washed away. Underneath, he found the faint outline of a crest and the name Penwyck across the bottom. The last of the proof. That explained why a Penwyck security person had been on the plane. Rory Hearne was more than likely a bodyguard. Ana’s bodyguard.
“Jake, what did you discover?”
He looked at Ana, seeing her in a new light. Although the rain had plastered down her hair, and her face was scrubbed clean of any makeup, she carried herself with poise and beauty. He should have known she was a princess the way she acted always expecting to have things done for her—expecting the attention she deserved.
Ana stamped her foot. “Will you tell me?”
His defenses rose. “Don’t tell me you’re still having trouble remembering, Ana. Or should I say, Princess Anastasia?” He bowed.
Her eyes widened. “Are you sure?”
He pointed to the crest on the plane’s side. “Rory was probably your bodyguard. What I don’t know is how a member of the Black Knights came to be your pilot. Maybe Hearne was in on it, too.” He shook his head. “It’s hard to believe, with the reputation of your country’s Royal Elite Team, they let diamonds be smuggled out of the country.”
“Stop talking so fast, I don’t know any of this….” Ana stopped and a strange look came over her face. “No, I do remember Rory,” she said as if she didn’t believe it herself. “I remember him. He was going with me to London. We left early to avoid the storm, but we ran into it anyway. The entire plane was bouncing around. I heard the pilot radio for help. Then we started to go down and Rory called back from the cockpit and told me to put the cushions around me.” She wiped the tears off her face.
Jake grabbed her, suddenly jealous that she’d shed tears for another man. “What do you remember, Ana? Was Hearne your lover?”
She jerked away and shook her head. “No! He was my friend. And I know that Rory wouldn’t have anything to do with smuggling diamonds.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“In my heart, I know it. I didn’t know the pilot. I don’t think I even saw his face. At least I don’t remember it.” Her eyes pleaded with him. “You believe that I didn’t have anything to do with this. Don’t you?”
He nodded. “You have no reason to steal. Your family is royalty.” The words came out sounding caustic. But to him, Ana being a princess was almost worse than her being involved with someone.
“How do you know that?”
“Your family owns an entire island. In fact, they’ve been in the news a lot lately. Your brother was kidnapped recently. In fact, it was the Black Knights who claimed responsibility.”
She gasped. “My brother?”
He nodded. “He was returned back home safely.”
“So that’s where I’ll be going, too. Whenever I get rescued.”
“No, Princess,” he said as he pulled the bag of diamonds from his pocket. “Now the stakes are a lot higher. The good guys and the bad guys are both going to be looking for you.” He held up his hand. “And these gems.”
Chapter Eight
She was a princess!
Jake still couldn’t believe it as they trekked back to the cabin. Of all the people to crash-land on his mountain, he had to get a princess. He wiped the rain from his face. Hell, if he’d had any crazy ideas about starting something up with Ana, they were scratched now.
She was hands off. He thought back to last night, remembering how close he’d come to giving in to the temptation.
She’d had him so tied up in knots that he couldn’t think. Her innocent seduction nearly turned into a disaster. He climbed over the rocky terrain and glanced back at Ana as she easily maneuvered the slick trail. She looked ridiculous in the too-big raincoat and boots. Her wet hair was plastered against her face. Her beautiful face. He hadn’t been able to get last night out his mind. It was sinful how much he wanted her. How close he’d come to making love to her.
She had him thinking about things he’d never thought about before. Commitment. Marriage.
What a laugh. The princess and the ex-government agent. What had he been thinking? Truth was, he hadn’t been thinking at all. Not since he’d found her.
Well, he was thinking today.
It was his job to keep her safe until someone came for her. But who would that someone be? Penwyck’s military or the Black Knights? If the Knights managed to locate the crash site and didn’t find the diamonds, they were going to come looking for them. He touched the bag of gems in his pocket. Having dealt with subversives before, he knew that they didn’t play by the rules, and innocent lives were expendable when it came to their cause. So he knew nothing was going to stop them. Once the road cleared and was safe, they would be coming.
Jake hoped the Penwyck government would have a better bead on where the plane had gone down, because he didn’t have much in the way of weapons to hold off these guys—just the 9mm Glock that he confiscated from Rory, and an old hunting rifle back at the cabin were it. The element of surprise would be his best defense to protect Ana. And he would give his life to save hers.
“How soon before we’re back at the cabin?”
“Not long. What’s the matter, Princess, you getting tired?”
Ana glared at him. “No, what I am getting weary of is your sullen attitude. Suddenly there is something wrong with me because of who my parents are.”
The Princess Has Amnesia! (Crown & Glory Book 5) Page 9