Queen Her

by Laine, Terri E.

  “Shawn, but he told me to ask Lizzy about Matt. It was weird that he knew Lizzy, but I thought maybe that had something to do with me telling them my last name was King.”

  Connor didn’t seem bothered I’d borrowed the name. Though I guess as it turned out, I was a King either way. “What did he look like?” Connor asked.

  I described him. “There weren’t any distinguishable features.”

  “His hair wasn’t blond?”

  “No. Dark brown. Is he Matt, Lizzy’s brother?”

  “I can’t say for sure.” Though I could tell he considered it a possibility.

  “I think he’s been helping us along the way. He mentioned making sure my wallet wasn’t found when they’d had me in New York. I also believe he’s been keeping an eye out for Natalie too.”

  “If it isn’t Matt, then it’s someone close to him.”

  “Why would someone, him, help? It has to be him,” I surmised.

  “He could be an undercover that won’t allow innocents to be victims of crimes they can prevent. I can’t say for sure. But Matt calls Lizzy occasionally. We’ll have our answer soon enough. In the meantime, we need to get Royce on board. I’ll round up Kalen and Griffin on my end.”

  “I’ll grab Grant and Dad.” It still hit me again that Uncle Ted was my dad.

  We ended the call and Grant appeared. “Brother.” He was the first to say it. Then, I hugged my brother.

  “You always knew,” I stated.

  “You always felt like one from the beginning.”

  A memory of my younger self out in a clearing in the woods, holding out a hand as Grant tossed me a ball, hit me. Even when I missed the catch, he’d been there to practice with me the way our father had taught us. I was reminded that I’d always been family to Grant and Dad even when they didn’t know how close. The emotions held me in a choke hold for a second. “Brother,” I murmured and also thought the words, my best friend.

  “Let’s get your girl,” he said.

  The King family rallied behind me. Whatever we did had to work.

  I met his eye because I hadn’t forgotten about him. “Did you get yours?” I asked.

  “We’ll talk about it later. I have so much to tell you, but it can wait.”

  An hour later, the sons of Kings were gathered on a video call. There was a little time spent with introductions as Connor and Kalen hadn’t met their uncle. Dad had only seen pictures of his nephews. I didn’t interrupt that much needed meeting. Not long after, we got to work devising a rock-solid plan that had to be executed flawlessly.

  Mom insisted on cooking before we left for New York in the morning. As we sat around the table and talked, I looked at each member of my family. Even knowing who Grant and Ted were to me didn’t change how this was the same. We’d always been this way. Knowing the likely truth hadn’t made us different people.

  The next morning, Mom held me back and I hated the shadow in her eyes as she spoke. “Liam.”

  I hugged her. “I don’t blame you. I really don’t. To be honest, it’s a relief. Royce is an asshole. Ted has been a father to me all my life. Now that he is my father, it feels right. You should marry him,” I said and watched her eyes grow wide. “The two of you haven’t hidden your feelings from each other well. He’s a good man.”

  She wrapped her arms around me again. With weeping words, she said, “Oh, honey. I love him. I love you too.”

  “I know,” I said, holding on a little tighter like I did when I was five.

  “I can’t wait to meet Natalie. I love her name by the way.” It was the first time anyone had mentioned that they shared a name. “Isn’t it funny she grew up just a few towns over?”

  “Yeah. It is.” If I believed in that kind of thing, I would call it fate. What else could it be?

  “Go bring her home. I can imagine how she feels. When you were deployed, I prayed every day you’d be safe.”

  I kissed her cheek. “I am.” Then, I walked by Dad to go to the car. On the way, I said, “You can kiss her,” with a smile, enjoying his shocked expression. I turned around in time to catch him scooping her off her feet.

  “Gross,” Grant said with a wide grin as I got in the back.

  We were all going. It was time all the King men met.

  Twenty

  Natalie

  My second time on a private plane I wasn’t in tears. I knew the man I loved was alive and fighting for me. Soon I hoped to see him. This time when I sat, I was determined it was going to be my last flight with my father.

  “Did you find Valentina?” I asked him.

  He turned to face me slowly, likely because there had been a little smugness in the way I’d asked. “No. Is there something you’d like to tell me?”

  Crap. I should have kept my mouth shut. “What would I know?”

  “You’ve been spending a lot of time with my wife and all of a sudden she leaves me.”

  It had taken him a while, but he’d come to the right conclusion. That didn’t mean I’d give him the satisfaction of the truth. “Maybe she saw how you treated your daughter and realized what a monster you are.”

  Okay, I probably shouldn’t have said that either. I was feeling too optimistic about my future after all the warnings he’d given me.

  The distance between us closed as he leaned across the aisle and sneered, “She knew exactly the monster she got in bed with on our wedding night and she didn’t leave.” He sat back. His dark eyes burned like coal on me.

  I swallowed. He wore all his masks well and this devil one was damn scary. That didn’t mean I would cower in his presence. “Everyone has a limit,” I said, adamantly. Then I turned away as his hired bullies got on the plane and the flight attendant closed the plane door behind them.

  It was a matter of time. I prayed to whatever power would listen that I could get out of this and my mother and Liam would be safe. I dozed a bit on the flight so I would be sharper when we arrived. I had no idea when I may have to act quickly.

  There was a car waiting when we landed. I wasn’t given any information where we were going. What I knew was that I was that much closer to Liam.

  The limo came to a stop in front of a building with a glass panel façade. Its design was fascinating in a way that kept my eyes lingering as it was something I’d never seen before. There were three doors spaced out the width of the building. A doorman met the car as if he’d known we were coming. Dad’s security got out first, then we were hustled toward the center door as if there were threats waiting for us.

  An elegant woman, dressed in business attire, met us in the foyer. “Welcome to the Baccarat Hotel, Mr. Cortez. We have our signature two-bedroom suite ready for you.” As we walked, she continued to speak. “It is our best room. With the closures we can’t offer you dining in the restaurant, but we will bring that dining to you.”

  My father showed no outward appearance of being impressed. He got to business. “I’ll need a stylist, and were you able to book a spa appointment?”

  She leaned in. “Our spa is technically closed, but we secured someone willing to come to your suite as long as you wear a mask.” When my father didn’t speak, she quickly added, “We will provide the mask, of course.”

  His nod was short and business like. “The stylist is for my daughter.” His glance my way was filled with disdain. “We have an important meeting to attend tomorrow.”

  The woman turned her attention to me. I wondered if she’d thought I’d been his much younger arm candy until he said otherwise. “Oh, lovely. Yes. What size are you?” she asked me.

  A flush rushed to the surface of my skin as all eyes were on me. I wasn’t one who adored the spotlight. I give the woman credit as she sensed my distress and jumped in. “No bother. I’m a good judge.” She winked at me and headed to elevators. She stepped in and used a card to access a button. “Our concierge will meet you upstairs and show you around.”

  The hotel Liam and I’d stayed in had been nice, but this was over the top elegant.r />
  Upstairs we were met by staff in front of double gray doors, in a hallway with walls covered in art deco gray wallpaper. The doors were heavy and thick and opened to a wide room with white furniture, including sofas and tables. Accent pillows and other decorations had pops of gray and red throughout them. I caught the host mentioning that the art on the walls and the sculptures were unique to each room. The other thing he said that caught my attention was that the mirrors in each room also doubled as TVs when activated. Fancy.

  The master bedroom was grand with a modern four poster bed in metal framing, but I kept my oohs and aahs to myself. The second bedroom had two beds and I feared Father had plans to assign a guard to share the bedroom with me.

  Before our assigned staff left, Dad ordered food and sent Shawn with the host to the suite he’d gotten for his bodyguards. I let out a sigh of relief as he sent the other goons out into the hallway to wait when the host left with Dad’s food order.

  “Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” I asked when we were alone.

  “We are meeting your fellow tomorrow morning.”

  I smiled. “I thought you said he wouldn’t come through. So far he has.”

  “Nothing’s in stone, Daughter.”

  “So why the stylist?” I asked, flippantly.

  “You can’t go to the meeting dressed like that.” His disdain was obvious.

  “You let me meet David dressed like a hooker,” I challenged.

  “David was a boy. We were appealing to his baser side. Royce is a King of men. Well respected among businessmen in this country. He won’t be swayed to allow even a bastard son to marry a whore. He also won’t appreciate wealth thrown in his face. We have to be subtle in our choices. No labels shown, but labels known. A man like him will know something’s worth by its tailoring, not obnoxious symbols of a fashion house displayed for all to see.”

  I was impressed by how prepared he was. I could also see him salivating on the idea of me marrying Liam now.

  “This is a better match for me then?” I asked, wondering if he’d be honest.

  He waved the thought away. “David is a Royal. A well-respected name as well. As long as their financial instability isn’t known, he’s a fine choice too. He doesn’t need to be convinced. He wants you. I’ve seen it in his eyes. I won’t grovel to any man. Not even to a King.”

  I didn’t know much about the Kings or the Royals for that matter. What I did know was that Liam thought his father was an asshole. I didn’t see this going well.

  A while later, a man came with a measuring tape and took my measurements as my father described the look he was going for. It wasn’t a slut dress, thank God. It also wasn’t a suit. I wasn’t surprised there. Men like my father and, likely, Mr. King didn’t want a smart wife, just an obedient one.

  Shortly after, lunch arrived. We ate while C-SPAN played in the background.

  “Can I have my phone?” I asked when we were finished. “You’ve already warned me. I’ve given you no cause to believe I won’t follow your ridiculous plans.”

  He eyed me a second. “You went into my office.”

  “To look for my phone. I could have fled to the neighbors and called the police instead. I didn’t. I could have done all those things when I was with David. I didn’t. I could have told him this was all happening against my will. How much more do I need to prove? I just want to talk to my mother.”

  He steepled his fingers while he thought. “Tomorrow.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  “I don’t want you to call him.”

  “Why not?”

  “He doesn’t know you’re here. I would hate for him to try something heroic and ruin this meeting.”

  He did want that meeting with Royce. “I’ll give you the phone in the morning. You can call your mother then.”

  I took another chance. “Will you let her know I’m okay? Please?”

  “I’ll think about it. Be a good girl and I may even take a picture of your smiling face and send it to her.”

  A chill ran through me. I didn’t like the way he said that.

  I spent the rest of the day watching the news in my bedroom when father’s masseuse showed up. If not for the guard, I would have left the room when they went behind the closed doors of the master suite. I also considered calling my mother on the hotel phone. Having stayed in hotels while traveling as a nurse on occasion, I knew all calls would be recorded. My luck, my father would get electronic access to daily charges and would see the call. So I was stuck in a waiting game.

  The tailor arrived in the morning with a selection of dresses. These were tame compared to the fiasco I’d worn that first meeting with David.

  After a mini runway show where I tried on the dresses in succession and ran out of the room when they dismissed each choice, I was left in a tame navy number. A dress that cost a fortune and was made in Italy.

  The jersey like material fit me like a glove on top. There were sheer striped insets which showed some skin, a crew neckline in an A-line silhouette that ended on me mid-calf. They’d also brought me heels. The famous ones with the red sole bottoms. Though they were simple, I didn’t feel quite as small standing in them. Though I hardly wore heels every day, considering my job, I did wear them, being vertically challenged. They would hurt like a bitch, but I wouldn’t wobble on my feet.

  Dressed, I was escorted by my father and trailed by his guard. The limo was parked out front. Our drive wasn’t long. We stopped in front of a building with a marquee for all to see this was King Enterprises.

  The door opened and my father reached out and took hold of my arm. “Be on your best behavior, Daughter. Many lives rest on it.”

  He didn’t need to say more. I wasn’t to embarrass him under any circumstances.

  The Kings had security too. We entered the building and were checked for weapons. Of course, his thugs had them.

  “You may have one unarmed guard with you,” their security head told my father.

  He nodded at Shawn, who handed his gun to one of the other guys. Father had no idea the mistake he’d just made. I had a feeling Shawn worked for the FBI. I was betting my life on it.

  We were escorted to an elevator and much like the woman at the hotel, their security head placed a card on a reader and selected our floor destination, the top, before leaving us to go up alone.

  “It’s likely they’re armed, or someone is upstairs,” Shawn said to my father.

  “I would agree. However, I don’t expect the need for violence at this stage,” father replied.

  “Can I have my phone?” I asked because he hadn’t yet given it to me.

  He blew out a breath and pulled it from his pocket. “To call your mother,” he declared.

  I took it and would have shot off a text to her, but the doors opened, and a big guy met us at the door. “Can I offer you some refreshment?” he said, in a heavy accent. Scottish was my guess.

  Father waved him off. “No thanks. Please direct us to the meeting.”

  The office building was fairly silent. The Scottish man, whom I couldn’t make out his role, walked us into a glass conference room. We walked past a man in the lobby area who was working on a computer. Only two men waited inside the room. An older man with graying hair and a younger version of that man. Liam.

  Our eyes locked and I suddenly felt lighter. There was so much I wanted to tell him; especially how sorry I was for all of this to happen.

  Liam stepped forward but shy of getting close enough to take me in his arms.

  “Nicolas Cortez, this is my father, Mr. King.”

  My father extended a hand. “Mr. King, can I call you, Royce?”

  Even I could see it for the test it was. The elder King’s answer would let everyone know just how welcome Father was.

  “Call me Ted. Everyone does.”

  Confusion covered my father’s face. “Ted?” he said, suspiciously.

  “Short for Theodore. Everyone has a middle name,” he said.

/>   Father nodded. “Fine. Ted. You may of course call me Nicolas. This is my daughter, Natalia.”

  “Natalie,” I said before I thought about it.

  Father shot me a cautionary glance and I closed my mouth shut. “Has your son told you why we are here?” he asked Liam’s father.

  “I’d prefer if you told me,” Liam’s father said.

  I found myself searching for the resemblances between them. It was there in the eyes and the mouth.

  “I’m willing to pay you a generous sum of money for your son to marry my daughter.”

  Ted looked thoughtful. “Sounds like human trafficking.”

  “Remember who is paying who?” Father said.

  “I haven’t asked for anything. What do you get out of this?” Ted asked.

  “Favors, introductions, maybe a partnership.”

  “Sounds illegal. I’m not willing to use my businesses for you to launder money through.”

  Father dismissed that with a huff. “I have my own business for that. I want my daughter to have your name and all that comes with it.”

  “Just so you are clear, I’m not willing to do anything illegal. If my son wants to marry her, that’s his choice,” Ted said.

  “It’s important for you to be on board with this,” Father said. “As I mentioned, I would want certain introductions. That could happen, let’s say, at a wedding and I’m willing to pay you this.”

  Father reached for a pad of paper sitting in the middle of the table and took a pen from a cup near it. He wrote down a number with several zeros. I had to blink at it thinking maybe I was seeing double. He spun the paper around so the elder King could see.

  “I can’t accept that,” Liam’s father said.

  Father wasn’t dismayed. “The amount or you’d rather I not send it to you?”

  “As I mentioned, I’m not in the business of buying or selling human beings,” the elder King said.

  “There is another interested party I could barter my daughter to.”

  Liam snatched the pad from the table and wrote a number on it and tapped the paper while staring at my father.