by Dana Mentink
That might only be a sign of the worst yet to come, though. If the men weren’t out looking for them, then that could only mean they were waiting and ready for their arrival. Getting her to the safe house his brother should have set up wouldn’t be a problem. After that, things could get dicey. There was no real way to tell just how her return would be accepted.
He didn’t like going in blind. He needed to call and make sure that everything was ready as they’d planned before they walked right into a trap.
Making a phone call might be just what they were waiting for. But he’d be smart about it. According to the signs, a city was up ahead. It was big enough to have a store where he could purchase a disposable phone. He’d make a quick call and then get rid of the phone before anyone had a chance to track them.
If they kept up at this pace, they would make it to Denver by evening. They could stop for the night, but he doubted either one of them would be able to sleep.
Arriving under the cover of night would work in their favor, but first he had to find out what they were arriving to.
“I’m going to stop up ahead and make that call.”
Thea perked up at his words, giving him her full attention. He’d have to keep an even closer eye on her. The brilliant mind of hers was a dangerous thing when she used it against him. He still hadn’t completely shaken the feeling that she was up to something. Thea up to something wasn’t going to be something he’d like.
TEN
Now was her chance.
Thea saw the opportunity and she took it. Ronin would be angry. The sort of angry she hoped she wouldn’t have to actually be a witness to, but he’d get over it and he’d be alive. Of course he’d come after her, but after her wasn’t the same as with her. She was their main target, not him.
She was smart enough to know she’d never be able to get away from Ronin on her own, so she’d watched and waited for the perfect opportunity and the perfect person who could inadvertently help her.
“Officer,” she whispered as she walked up to the police officer who had just entered the convenience store where they’d stopped.
“Yes?”
“That man,” she said, pointing in Ronin’s direction. A twinge of guilt shot through her, but she dismissed it. “That man has a gun. I noticed it when I brushed past him.”
That much was true. She had noticed it when she’d brushed against him. Not recently, but she knew it was there. He wasn’t going to leave it anywhere while she was in danger.
“Did he threaten you with it?” the officer asked quickly, his hand hovering over his own holstered weapon. Thea leaned around the uniformed man to see if Ronin had noticed her speaking with the officer. She didn’t want to bring him any added trouble. He was probably already going to be in enough. “No. I just thought you should know.”
“Thank you, ma’am. You should move away, get a safe distance.” As he spoke, he slowly edged toward Ronin. It was then that Ronin looked up. His eyes darted between her and the officer, who had closed the distance and was nearly beside him.
He knew.
Thea backed slowly toward the entrance, unsure whether Ronin would hurt the man and come after her or take the time to try to explain why he had a gun on him. She was counting on the latter.
She’d seen a trucker leave the store only moments before and she was hoping she could get a ride. A quick glance back confirmed Ronin’s hands were in the air and he was speaking. Probably identifying himself and trying to explain the situation. He would have whatever papers he needed, she was sure. Or he’d be able to make a few calls and prove who he was. He would be okay.
A bell above the door dinged as she made her escape. A blast of cold air hit her at the same time she heard Ronin hollering for her to stop. She didn’t dare turn around and she definitely wasn’t stopping. If Ronin went with her all the way to Denver, there was a very good chance he would die. She wouldn’t put him in that sort of danger. If he had to spend a few hours or a night at a police station, at least he’d be safe.
Chilled winter wind blew against her as she ran through the parking lot, catching up to the trucker, who had already begun to pull away. She jumped up onto the foot step of the cab and beat on the window. Within seconds the window lowered.
“I need a ride,” she stated. Second and third thoughts assailed her. Hopping in a vehicle with someone she didn’t know wasn’t one of the smartest things she’d ever done. But it also wasn’t the first time she’d done it given the fact Ronin had been a stranger, as well. It had worked out well with him, so she prayed it would work out this time, too.
“Sure, hon. Where are you headed?”
“I need to get to Denver, but anywhere other than here is fine,” she supplied.
She opened the door and climbed up into the cab, slamming the door behind her. For now it didn’t matter where she went. She just needed to put as much time and distance between her and Ronin as she could.
“Just push the stuff out of your way,” he said as she settled into the passenger seat. The space at her feet was taken up by a case of water. “Just prop your feet up on the water if it’s not too uncomfortable for you. I’m headed to Denver. You’re welcome to ride along.”
“Sounds perfect!” She wasn’t at all sure it was perfect, but it would do. She was leaving perfection behind. Six foot something of angry man was as close to perfect as she might ever get. Not that she liked Ronin angry, but she had brought it on herself. Any emotion he might show was better than none at all, she reasoned. Emotion meant there was some feeling there. He cared, even if it was only because she was his job.
The reminder of how he felt about her quenched some of the guilt she was feeling. Hopefully, the officer wouldn’t hurt him, or the other way around. Ronin would see it was for the best. If his only concern was completing his job and getting her to Denver, she could do that herself.
“Do you happen to have a phone I could use?”
“Sure thing, little lady. Unlimited, so talk all you want,” the stocky man said as he handed over his cell phone.
“Thank you, but I’ll keep it short, I promise.”
The driver pulled the truck out onto the highway. Soon, the convenience store and Ronin were only a speck of light in the distance.
Thea held tight to the phone. Her hands shook. She finally had the means to contact the outside world, but she had no idea who to call. The only number she had for her brother was the one she’d used for contact last month. He’d probably already tossed the phone or it was in the hands of the enemy. It was a chance she had to take.
Thea pushed in the numbers she knew from memory, then listened to the rings. The moments drew out as each ring signaled she could be closer to her family or even deeper in danger.
“Hello?” a voice on the other end answered. But it wasn’t her brother. Her heart hammered in her chest. She should hang up. She knew it. Tingles of fear shot up her spine.
“Who are you?” she questioned, unsure whether she really wanted to know the answer. “What have you done with my brother?”
Thea turned toward the door, keeping her voice low. She had never felt more alone and frightened than she did in this moment. She could hear breathing on the other end of the line, breathing and then muffled sounds as if someone had put their hand over the phone. She had left Ronin behind for this.
Thea stomped down the panic. She could do this. She had to do this to keep Ronin from getting himself killed.
“I have your brother here. Just stay on the line.”
They were lying. She knew it as sure as she knew she’d made a mistake in thinking she could just pick up the phone and call her brother. She should never have called the number to begin with. But she had to try.
“I know you are trying to track me,” she whispered into the phone in hopes she wouldn’t alert the truck driver to the trouble she was in. “Just put my brother on the phone if he is there. If not, I’m hanging up.”
Thea waited. She’d give him to the count of five, the
n she’d disconnect. She might not be a superspy like Ronin, but she’d watched enough police shows on TV to know what was happening. She was a fool for thinking it would be as easy as a phone call.
She could hear muffled talking and then a voice came over the phone. “If you want to see your brother, come to this address.” Thea quickly asked the truck driver for a pen and paper and took down the address before disconnecting the call.
She knew it was a trap. But if there was any chance at all that her brother really was there, she had to find out. Ronin had said her brother was safe. But if he were, how were they using his number? She couldn’t leave him in possible danger and do nothing.
Thea handed the phone back to the man and thanked him.
“Is everything all right?” he asked.
“Yes.” Thea choked on the words. Ronin was always asking her that question. “Everything is fine.” But deep down she knew everything was about as far from fine as it was ever going to get. She needed help. She needed Ronin.
*
Ronin paced the small holding room the officer had left him in while he’d gone to check his identity. For the first time since he’d learned Thea was alive, he was truly afraid. Not because without her he may never have the proof he needed to free his father, but because she was off on her own and in danger. She could be about to be killed and he couldn’t do a thing about it. Not without knowing where she was.
He didn’t have time to think about why that bothered him so much. He only knew the infuriating, stubborn woman she was had, in the short time he’d known her, crawled under his skin. She had come to mean more to him than just a way to clear his father’s name. Sometime in the past few days he’d grown to admire her, maybe even care for her a little.
Maybe if he was being 100 percent honest, it had happened sooner. In the time he’d been studying her, he’d gotten to know things about her that might have otherwise taken him years. Everything he’d learned about her, he’d liked. Meeting the actual woman was the icing on the cake. She had proven herself to be everything he had imagined she would be.
He cared for her. More than he should.
Time ticked away and with every second his irritation grew. He blamed himself mostly. He’d known she was up to something. He’d thought it several times after the rat mishap. But he hadn’t done anything about it. Not that there was anything he could have done other than tie her to his side.
He checked the time again. With every minute she was getting farther and farther away. Frustration seared through him. She’d been too quiet. Quiet was never a good thing when it came to Thea. Her mind was always working. It was one of the many things he’d admire about her if it weren’t for the simple fact that she’d used that thinking against him.
To find her, he’d have to break his silence. He’d planned on making the call anyway, but now it would have to be to admit he’d failed. He’d lost her. She could be anywhere by now. He’d only seen enough to know she’d gotten a ride from a trucker. He’d watched the taillights disappear off into the distance. The truck was headed west, but that could have changed.
He pushed his fingers through his hair and took a deep breath, staring into what he knew was a two-way mirror. His papers would check out and someone would be in here soon to release him. By that time she could be halfway to wherever she was headed. Ronin ticked off her possible destinations in his mind. The way he saw it, she would either make it the rest of the way to Denver on her own, or she’d go in search of her brother.
Neither option was really a good idea.
The door opened and the officer who had brought him in entered. “I’m sorry to have detained you,” he said, handing over Ronin’s belongings. “Everything checks out. You’re free to go.”
Ronin bit back the bad-mannered remark that popped into his head. It wouldn’t do any good to take his frustration out on the man who had only been doing his job. Afraid he wouldn’t be able to say anything without showing his irritation, he merely nodded.
“Can I give you a ride back to your car?” the officer asked.
“That would be nice.” Ronin followed along behind the man and within minutes he was seated back at the wheel of his loaner truck.
Ronin ripped open the package that contained the phone he’d purchased. That call now would be rather after the fact. Numerous calls had probably already been made to check out his story. He was just thankful that Jarrod corroborated his identity and backed him in whatever way was needed.
A quick phone call to thank him and see if there was a way available to get him to Denver faster was still in order. Minutes wasted away as he went through the tedious process of phone setup. With a little more force than necessary, he punched in the digits of his brother’s phone and waited.
“Parrish here.”
“It’s Ronin. I’ve lost her.”
He waited for his brother to lay into him about his carelessness or lack of responsibility. Instead there was silence.
“I know.”
“How?” he asked.
“She made a call to her brother’s old number. My source says it was intercepted by Henry Kross.”
“How could they have done that?” he asked.
“We’ve found our leak. It was one of the men with Leo. They have his phone.”
Ronin took a deep breath to keep from lashing out at his brother. That meant Thea was in danger. Even more danger than she knew. Henry was the current head of the Royal Guard. If he’d intercepted her call, the element of surprise was no longer on their side. They not only knew she was coming—they were giving her directions.
“What other information did your source have?”
Ronin was thankful they had sources. They’d be flying blind without them. It was a very good thing they’d managed to keep contacts and friends within the Guard—those who did their jobs and were respectful of the current rule but who still held fidelity to Thea’s father. They would be loyal to Thea and Leo as well but only after they were brought forth and officially identified as the long-lost prince and princess.
“They gave her an address in Denver and told her to be there if she wanted to see her brother,” Jarrod answered.
Ronin clenched the phone tight. Every ounce of him wanted to throw it across the truck and let go of the frustration coursing through him. He’d hoped they’d have told her something bizarre that she would have seen through in a second. She could still be safe. But hearing the words, he knew it was the one trap she’d fall for, even if she saw through it and knew her brother wasn’t there. If there was even a shred of hope that Leo would be there, she’d go. Her brother was her weakness.
This very second she was headed into a trap.
“Any chance you can get me something faster than a beat-up truck?” he asked his brother. Jarrod would probably have to pull in some huge favors, but it would be worth it. He had to beat Thea to Denver or at the very least get there when she did.
“Hold on,” Jarrod said before the line went quiet.
Ronin took a deep breath and tried not to think of the possible danger Thea was already in just from getting into the truck with a stranger. He hated thinking of her being on the road without him. She was strong and stubborn, but she’d be afraid.
“I can get you on a private flight out of Hays.”
Ronin checked his watch.
“I’ll be there in thirty minutes.” Ronin turned the key in the ignition. Dangerous road conditions or not, he’d make it. “You already have someone going to the address they gave, don’t you?” He didn’t have to ask to know his brother would have already dispatched someone. Jarrod was just as determined as he was to protect the princess. But he had to be sure Thea wouldn’t be alone if he didn’t make it in time.
“Yes,” Jarrod answered. “But hurry.”
Ronin disconnected the call and accelerated at dangerous speeds, steering back onto the interstate. He no longer needed to worry about staying hidden and remaining inconspicuous. In fact, the more attention he d
rew to himself, the better. If they were busy watching him, then it might draw some of the attention away from Thea.
He had a princess to save, whether she wanted saving or not.
ELEVEN
It was a trap.
Deep inside Thea knew she was about to become one of those Hollywood starlets who opened the door to the psychopath even though every moment up to that point had shown it wasn’t the smart thing to do. At least she was trying to be smart about it. She’d stood just outside the towering stone wall of the Denver mansion for the past half hour or so, watching people dressed in formal wear emerging from limos at the front door. She’d seen enough to know there was a party or event of some sort going on.
It didn’t seem like the sort of place a person would choose to kill someone. Neither was it the sort of place her brother would be. Or she didn’t think so. For the first time she stopped to think about how little she really did know about Leo. They’d only met once a year for the past few years, when they’d gotten old enough to get away on their own. Before that, they’d had very little contact. He could have changed.
She pushed the thought away. Leo was her brother. They were not the same person with the same personality, but she knew him. He was just as Ronin had described him. He hadn’t changed so much that he’d have anything to do with hurting or entrapping her. She was sure of it.
From her spot across the street, she watched the caterers entering through a door at the back. Seeing an opportunity, she slowly made her way around to where they’d parked their van.
Her would-be killers probably expected her to march right through the front door and announce herself, demanding to see her brother. They thought wrong. Waiting for just the right moment, she slipped inside the back door when no one was looking. Once inside, she found a server uniform and a quiet spot to put it on quickly.
Thea grabbed a tray loaded with a mix of cucumber snacks and cheeses and moved in and out of the guests, trying to blend in with the other servers. She made her way into the main room. Music filled the air from a small string quartet that had set up in a corner. People mingled and chatted. Every now and then, someone would take an appetizer from her tray, reminding her of her subterfuge.