by Malone, Nana
"I'm not saying she doesn't. All I'm asking is, why put her in unnecessary danger?"
Ariel nodded. "I hear you. And I understand your concern, but we've got to do something. We can't just sit in a holding pattern waiting for something to happen."
Sebastian nodded. "Okay, let's give it some thought. Everyone’s dismissed. Theo, hang back for a minute."
Theo didn't look too thrilled, but he stayed back. Ariel walked with me as we left. Tamsin signaled to me that she'd call me later, and Jax was already on the phone to Neela. Trace hung back with Theo. And Jameson, well, she was already on her tablet, trying to work on something. New recruits weren't really invited to Team Winston Isles meetings yet. But that was coming sooner or later.
As all the others strolled by us, Ariel slid me a glance. "You know we’ll need to use Derrick as bait, right?"
"Yup. That's why I didn’t cut him off when he suggested it."
"Good. Sounds like we have an understanding. Will Theo be a problem?"
I glanced back at Sebastian's office. "No, I don't think so. Besides, I just won't tell him."
Ariel sighed. "I don't suggest that. After everything you guys have been through, being honest is a better policy. But he has to understand you’ve got to do your job."
"Don't worry, he won't be a problem." I just hoped that was the truth.
* * *
Zia…
While Theo and Derrick were both covered, I headed back toward the Rose Garden and our suite. It had been a long day, and I wanted to take a shower, grab some ice-cream, and watch trash television, just to give my brain a break.
When I rounded the corner, I stopped short to find Garrett at the entrance to the Rose Garden. “Oh, hi. What are you doing here?”
He gave me a sheepish smile. “Would you believe an evening stroll through the gardens?”
“Sure, if the Rose Garden didn’t lead to some of the private residences. There are more popular gardens in the palace, Garrett.”
He shuffled his feet. “Sorry. That was lame. I’d heard you were staying in the palace while you were on billionaire watch. And the rumors are flying that there are two of them. Someone saw both of them leaving the king’s office. Is it true? Have you been shacking up with two of them?”
The bark of shrill, hysterical laughter surprised me. “What the fuck? Are you out of your mind? You know what, yes. I’m shacking up with two billionaires. And I have to tell you, it’s a wild ride. Is that what you want to hear? Jesus.” I rubbed my eyes. “I am doing my level best to protect a man, and you’re here in my face wondering if I’m getting my threesome rocks off?”
I shook my head and tried to shove past him, but he grabbed my arm. “I’m not done talking to you.”
“The hell you aren’t. Let me go, Garrett.”
“Look, I was just worried about you. I can only imagine the kind of life Derrick Arlington leads. I don't want you caught up in that.”
I frowned and crossed my arms over my chest. “I need you to remind me, how is that your business again?”
He let out an exasperated puff of air like I was being deliberately daft. “You know why.”
“Nope. I haven’t the foggiest. Explain to me why you’ve lost your mind.”
He stared at me for a long moment. “I love you, and I want you back. How can you not see that?”
Jaw. Unhinged.
Whiskey. Tango. For fuck’s sake.
“Are you drunk right now? Is that what’s happening? I don’t have time for this.”
I tried to move past him, but he blocked my path, trapping us in the dimly lit corridor before the garden’s maze. “Let me by, Garrett. There’s nothing for us to talk about.”
“I just need you to listen for a minute. Sure, I messed up, but seeing you with that guy, it made me realize some things. I want to be with you. Publicly. For real. I’m sorry for everything. You can’t be with that guy. I mean a billionaire, fine, but he’s not capable of caring about you. I know guys like that.”
“You mean guys like you?” I tried to wedge my arm free, but it didn’t budge. “Let me go.”
He didn’t, instead his grip on my wrist tightened. The hell? I clamped my left hand on his hand that held my right wrist, then swung to the left before quickly twisting my right hand around to the pressure point on his wrist.
When he cried out and released me, he lunged for me, wrapping arms tight around me then slamming his lips on mine. The vomit rose up in my throat, threatening to choke me.
His arms were too tight. I couldn’t move. All I could do was rely on instinct… so I bit his lips, hard. The explosion of copper in my mouth made the gagging worse, but I didn’t let go of his lip until he let go of me.
“Fuck! You goddamn bitch. I gave you something that you wanted, and now you're acting like you're too good for me? What? Because now you're dating a fucking billionaire? Do you think that billionaire dick is so good?"
I wiped his blood from my lips. "News flash, asshole, it is that good."
He reached for me again, and I turned to run. But he was bigger, stronger. I sent back an elbow, making sure to dig the pointed part of my skeletal structure between his ribs. He oofed and his grip loosened, but I went tumbling down face first. Stupid heels.
I rolled onto my back in a fight stance. Hands up, one leg up. I'd already kicked off my shoes. I was ready for this. He lunged on top of me, and I kicked at him, but he managed to avoid my leg in his effort to try to climb on top of me. I tried to wedge a knee between us, delivering hammer strikes the whole time. When I was sure he was close enough, I used my head to butt his. I could feel the blood from his head dripping onto mine before I could see it, and when my gaze levered up, I could see a gash in his forehead. But he still didn't give a shit. "Be quiet. Just be still." His hands ran up my skirt, and the fear was back.
Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God.
No. Fight. Fight for your goddamn life. Fight like someone was going to kill Theo.
That was all I needed for motivation, and suddenly I was twisting and moving. I managed to shift myself, thanking God for the ab work that I'd done over the course of many, many years because I was able to use my core strength and wiggle out of his grasp. Then I was standing, but he was already leaping for me, grabbing me again. The fabric of my blouse tore as I ran. I delivered an elbow back behind me and connected with something hard. Skull? Shoulder? I didn't fucking know, but I was running. A hundred feet. One hundred feet and I would be in the safety of the Rose Room. I would be safe. There were cameras everywhere, and someone would come for me.
Act as if there's no one to save you. You are the one who saves people.
I was the one who saved people. What would happen if I couldn't save myself?
Fifty feet away, and I was sure I was finally free. Then pain exploded in my skull as he grabbed onto my hair, jerked my head back, and slammed me against the stone wall surrounding the palace. My senses were bathed in the sour odor of his sweat and adrenaline.
He panted in my face as he ground out, “You're such a fucking bitch. You think you're too good for me now? You're not. You weren't even good enough for me then. Everybody knew you were the easy lay, the one nobody wants to keep."
"If this is going to happen, you might as well get it over with." I jutted my chin up. "So, I was the easy lay? Is that why you couldn't keep it up for more than thirty seconds most of the time?"
I saw it then, the fury behind his eyes. He reached an arm back, and I knew what was coming. I knew that soon I would be seeing stars and be in so much pain I’d want to die.
But I had some fury of my own. I knew what was coming and braced myself for it. I’d take the pain, but then I’d come back at him with some wrath-of-Kahn level ass-whupping. But he needed to believe I was beaten first.
Buck up, buttercup, you can do this.
I braced myself for the hit, preparing to go artificially limp and planning my counterattack. When Garrett either decided to kill me or worse, I’d headbutt him
then use my palms to slam over his ears. Then I would punch him in the throat and wedge a knee between us to get his ass off of me. Then I’d kick the ever-loving shit out of him.
And God was I looking forward to that.
But the thunder of pain never came. And neither did payback. Instead, he was being forcibly removed. He was moving away from me, and as I fluttered my eyes open, I saw an angel. Theo. Oh God, Theo had come for me. What the hell was he doing? I was supposed to be protecting him.
Take the win, Barnes. At least you won’t be hit tonight.
That was a bonus.
But the strangest thing started to happen. Once Garrett’s weight was off of me, adrenaline flooded my body and I started to shake. I could only watch in shock as my love did the thing I couldn’t do. And I wasn’t sure if I was grateful or pissed off that I wasn’t the one doing the ass kicking.
Theo had thrown him down on the ground and was lunging and punching at him. Theo. Theo had ridden to my rescue. Just like so many times before.
I couldn’t even move my arms I was so weak. All I could do was lean against that wall. I was shaking. Oh God, I was shaking so bad.
Then someone was pulling Theo off.
Why would they pull him off? They should let him kill Garrett. I wanted to shout out ground-and-pound technique advice. Jesus, he was sloppy. Why was he so sloppy? I’d seen him fight better than that.
He was effective but inefficient. What was wrong with him? But he was dragged back and next thing I knew, he was wrapping his arms around me, and I knew I was safe. My Theo, he was holding me.
I leaned in and let my body sag as I inhaled deeply. My nose wrinkled. I took another whiff. No. No. He smelled wrong.
I jerked back. Not Theo. Derrick.
"Hush, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. I swear to God. I'm just making sure you're okay. I'm not going to hurt you. You don't have to be scared."
I frowned. “I’m not scared. I’m pissed off. I had him.”
But Derrick wasn’t listening to my words. He was saying the words, words that made sense to me, but he was not Theo; he was Derrick. I tried to stumble back, and he allowed me to move back from him slightly. I wanted him to understand. "It's okay, Zia. I'm not going to hurt you, okay? You're all right. You're safe now."
I looked over his shoulder and saw Jax. It was Jax who’d stopped him from killing Garrett. I narrowed my gaze at my friend as if to convey that I had that shit under control.
Sure you did.
My eyes flickered back to Derrick’s face. " I—I thought you were Theo."
Derrick sighed. "Come on. Let's get you back into the suite. Okay?"
And I don't know what happened, but my body started to shudder, and I couldn't move. Nothing worked, my brain least of all. And then I was a sobbing, slobbering mess. I just sank into the ground. Derrick kept his arms around me and sank down too. "Okay, we can sit right here. I already texted Theo, okay? He'll be here soon."
He stroked a hand over my hair, soothing me. And all I could think about was how I wanted Theo and his hand stroking me. I wanted to be in Theo's arms, and I wanted Theo to understand me. That I didn’t need protecting here. That I was beyond furious. For once I hadn't been strong enough. And as my eyes started to close, his name was the last thought in my mind.
20
Theo…
I got the text and ran from Sebastian's office. I just bolted. Trace was hot on my heels, but I didn't give a fuck if he was able to catch up or not.
She was in trouble, and I hadn't been there. I ran for her, praying to God that I wasn't too late. Praying to God that the worst hadn't happened or that she hadn't had to kill someone.
When I rounded the corner to the Rose Garden, I stopped short. There was my brave, beautiful girl… in the arms of my brother.
Her hand clutched on to his shirt in a tight fist. Her eyes were closed, and he was stroking a hand over her hair. She was crying.
"What the fuck?"
She sat bolt upright at the sound of my voice. I scowled and lunged for my brother. "What did you do to her?"
He frowned. "Nothing. This wasn't me. I stopped him. I had Jax text you. Jesus."
I knew he was saying words that mattered, words that were important, words I needed to pay attention to, but Zia was hurt and in his arms. My brain put two and two together that he was the one who caused her pain, so I was going to cause him pain.
But Trace stopped me. Why was the guy so goddamn big?
He wedged himself between the two of us and shoved me back. "Focus your anger, asshole. He's not the culprit. Her ex was."
I blinked. My gaze flickered to Trace, then to Derrick, and then to Zia, who still looked so small sitting there on the grass, her back to the wall, head hung down.
Fuck. I hoped the apology in my eyes was enough to assuage Derrick because I didn't have time to deal with him at the moment. Instead, I knelt in front of Zia. "Hey, beautiful. I'm here. I'm so sorry I was late."
She shook her head. "Derrick didn't do anything wrong. He helped me."
"I see that now. I was wrong. I overreacted, okay? My bad. I'm so sorry."
"I almost had him."
My lips quirked for a minute, but then I went solemn. "I know baby. You're always strong enough, but once in a while it's okay if you let someone else be strong enough on your behalf."
She nodded slowly, and I took her hands and helped her to her feet. I tucked her into my side. I held her, and I could feel her body melt and relax into my arms. Over her head, I leveled a gaze at my brother and mouthed, "Sorry."
He nodded at me and then frowned as he watched her. "She didn't relax like that when I held her. It's you. You're the one she wants."
I knew I was supposed to be comforted by that, but the fact that she needed me like this infuriated me.
My gaze landed on Trace as I cupped her head.
He nodded and mouthed back that Jax had Garrett, which meant he would be interrogated by Royal Elite.
Zia was trembling, but it was hard to tell from what. Obviously, she’d just been assaulted, but I knew her. She had to be beyond angry. She liked to think she could handle anything. In this instance though, I was grateful that my brother had been there.
Garrett was likely going to end up in a very dark hole somewhere soon. I was cool with that, but I wanted in on that ass-kicking. And I wanted Zia to be in on it too. She’d hold onto this one for a while. I just mouthed back for him to call me, and he understood.
I held her and walked her back to our suite of rooms.
Derrick helped me by opening all the doors ahead of us. When I walked her into her room and gently laid her on the bed before heading to the bath to start running the water, he hovered in the doorway. "Is there anything else I can do?"
I shook my head. "No. I think you did more than enough."
"I want to kill that guy."
"Get in line."
"Shit, Jax should have just let me kill him."
I cleared my throat and tried to keep my voice even. "Was he going to…?"
Derrick was quiet, and I turned to face him. I could see the rage behind his eyes as his lips set in a grim line. "Yeah, it looked like it."
"Thanks for letting me know. And thank you for saving her."
"It's not anything you wouldn't do for someone I loved."
I watched him carefully. He was my brother. I'd been fighting that idea, but that was the truth of it. My brother. I had someone who cared about me enough to fight for the woman I loved. That was some real family shit. The kind of shit only Kyle and I had. I wasn't used to having that from other people.
"Right."
He nodded. "I'll let you get her settled. If you need anything, just holler."
I nodded. He might, at one point, have been the world's biggest dick. But at that moment, I would have done him any favor he ever asked because he’d saved the woman I loved. Whether she’d needed saving or not.
* * *
Zia…
The n
ext morning, I didn't feel much like moving. I was sore and tired, like the energy required to move my muscles had been all used up.
But there was no avoiding a royal summons. It came at six in the morning, which was delightful.
Jax accompanied me to Sebastian's office, and before I knocked, he gently tapped me on the shoulder. "Love, no moving about in the palace the next couple of days without one of us, you hear?"
The British accent was always somehow comforting. "I'm a King's Knight. I need to be able to do my job."
"’Course you do, but until we flush out any asshole friends your ex has got, just stay low profile. Use the buddy system."
"I can't agree to that, but thanks."
"Well, good luck not agreeing to it when the king and queen suggest it."
I scowled at him. "Is that what this meeting is all about?"
He shrugged. "It's a smart move. It's what I'd tell you."
I knocked, and Sebastian's low timbre was barely audible through the door. When I pushed it open, he was sitting behind his desk. Queen Penny was in a robe that was strapped tight across her belly. She looked adorable, and he looked pissed.
"Your Majesty, you summoned me?"
"Jesus Christ now isn't the time to bust out that 'Your Majesty' shit."
"Well, you looked pissed. Sorry."
"I'm pissed because one of the fucking Royal Guards assaulted you."
"Well yeah, I'm pretty pissed about that too."
Penny rolled her eyes. "Sebastian, you're doing a shitty job of this." She waddled over to me, took my hands, and then urged me to sit down. "Zia, I am so sorry. My apologies are not even a drop in the bucket of what you deserve to hear. Nonetheless, you have them. I know what it's like to be in that position."
Far too many women had a similar story in their background. Prince Ashton had cornered Penny in one of the palace tunnels before, and her experience was almost as bad. She continued, “If you want to talk to anyone about it, I'm always available to you."