by A. L Long
As he unzipped the bag, he said, “I’ve got an idea.” Pulling his laptop from the bag, he sat back down on the bed. “If she was some sort of princess, there would have been something about her going missing twelve months ago.”
I had to agree with Peter. There was no way a missing princess wouldn’t have hit the news. Taking a seat beside him, I waited while his computer booted. With the mobile hot spot app on his phone, he connected the Wi-Fi and began his search. It was a matter of a couple of clicks before the news popped up ‘Princess Isabelle Moraco of Kierabali goes missing’ in the search engine results. When Peter clicked on the link, a paged open reveling not only a picture of Paige, but also a picture exactly like the one I had found in her wallet. Scrolling further down the page, there was an article regarding the death of her parents and how some Maxwell Moraco was given guardianship over her and all her assets. It also stated that she was to marry a Victor Walsh, who was chosen at birth to be her husband and the new Prince of Kierabali. Everything I was reading was so messed up. Who in their right mind would want to marry someone they didn’t know?
The good side of this messed up story was at least we knew who she really was and where she more than likely was taken. We just needed to figure out how we were going to get to her. At least that is what I was thinking. Peter had a whole different look at the situation.
“Well, so much for that, bro,” Peter said, closing the lid on his laptop.
“What are you talking about, Peter?” I asked.
Looking at me with confusion, he replied, “You need to let this go, Hawk. There is no way the Kierabalian government is going to let us just waltz in and bring her back to the States. It isn’t even certain that she wants to come back here.”
“Are you serious, Peter? No one comes to the States, changes their name, and lays low for twelve months just for shits and giggles. There is a reason she left Kierabali and changed her name. It’s because she didn't want to be found,” I cursed.
“You’re nuts, Hawk. You need to let this go,” Peter commanded, rising to his feet and stuffing his laptop back in his duffel bag.
“You know what, Peter, I don’t need your fucking help. Matter of fact, why don’t you both just go back to New York?” I was so pissed. I couldn’t believe, of all the people in the world, that Peter would back away from helping me.
“Come on, Sly, let’s get out of here,” Peter zipped his bag and slung it over his shoulder. Just when I thought he was done, he turned his body toward mine. “Don’t do anything stupid, Hawk.”
As they both went out the door, Sly reached over and patted my shoulder. The look he gave me said it all. He knew how I felt, only his hands were tied. He would be stupid to go against Peter’s wishes. Giving him a slight nod, letting him know I knew how he felt, I watched as they walked away. Within minutes of letting them leave, a yellow cab pulled up and both of them got in. I still couldn’t believe that they left like that. Whatever happened to the ‘one for all and all for one’ pact?
I was alone in this, so I needed to get a plan in order. I just didn’t know what the hell that was going to be. I just knew that I had never felt more for a woman than I did for Paige, or Isabelle, or whatever her name was. All I knew was, I was falling for her and I couldn’t see being without her in my life. I was going to do whatever it took to get her back.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Isabelle
Isabelle Elaina Moraco, aka Paige Harper, that was me, alive and well after a near death plane ride. Stuck in a palace by an evil uncle whose only selfish plan was to keep me locked up so that he could inherit the money promised to him for not only bringing me back, but marrying me off to a man I didn’t know nor want. I would have given up a million dollars to be with the man that I could see spending the rest of my life with. A man who did things to me that no other man would ever be able to.
Looking out the window into the blue sea, I heard a light tap on my door. Without taking my eyes off of the crystal blue water, I yelled, “Come in.”
I could hear the wheels of the service cart as one of the maids of the house began wheeling it in my room. It had been three days that I had been kept in this room. There was always a palace servant at my beck and call, but that didn’t matter. All I wanted was to get back to Hawk, where I knew I would be happy. I just didn’t know how I was ever going to be able to do that. Focusing my thoughts on Hawk, I heard a soft voice.
“Your dinner is ready, Princess Isabelle. If you would like, I can draw you a bath once you are finished eating,” the young girl, who couldn’t have been more than eighteen, said.
Turning to face her, I said, “A bath would be nice. I’m not very hungry. Can you please get it ready for me now?”
“Yes, Princess. Right away,” she answered, lowering her head and stepping backwards a few steps before she turned to go to the bathroom.
Even though my appetite left the minute we landed on Kierabali, the food on the cart smelled wonderful. Pushing from the bench in front of the window, I walked over to the cart and lifted the dome off of the plate. Underneath, on the porcelain set in gold plate, was a small Cornish hen seasoned with rosemary and thyme. On the side of the hen were a few sticks of asparagus covered in some sort of sauce. As inviting as it looked, I just couldn’t bring myself to eat anything. So instead I poured a good portion of red wine from the decanter into a crystal wine glass and took a seat on the couch. Taking a sip, I waited for the servant to enter the room to let me know that my bath was ready.
Holding a silk red robe, she walked over to where I was sitting and held the robe open while waiting for me to undress. Slipping into the softness of the silk, I took hold of the sash and tied it securely around my waist. Walking towards the bathroom, I remembered my glass of wine that I sat on the small end table while I got undressed. Turning, I could see that the servant had picked up the glass and was now holding it in her hand. Giving her a small smile, I turned and proceeded to the bathroom where I could smell the scent of lavender and vanilla.
The warmth of the water began making my body relax. Taking a bath in the large tub was the only benefit of being back in the palace. It was about the only thing I missed when I first left the island. That, and my parents. Sliding further down into the tub, the bubbles covered my body, filling my nose with the sweetest of scents. As I soaked in the water, my thoughts began drifting to memories of Hawk and the last time we were together. I wanted to have that feeling again with him. Lowering my hand down my body, my mind began wandering on thoughts of Hawk caressing me the way he did whenever we were together. As my fingers moved downward between my legs, I could see Hawk touching me when I closed my eyes. It was so real. Like he was right here with me.
Gliding my fingers between my folds, I could feel his hand moving up and down before his fingers slid deep inside my wet channel. The feel of him taking me this way set my desire for him on overload. As I began moving my hips to the rhythm of his finger inside me. I could feel his other hand on my breast. The pinching sensation of my nipple between his fingers sent my body spinning. The faster I moved the deeper he was inside me. It had been three days since I felt his touch. Three days since I felt him inside me. As the water surrounded me, my need to release began taking over. Knowing that Hawk would want me to hold on to my control, I heard his voice, “Don’t come until I tell you, baby.” It was so real. Pulling my finger from inside me, I tweaked my clit between my thumb and index finger while still tweaking my nipple with the other. As the intensity of my urge to come increased, I pulled back and once again slipped my finger inside. It took everything I had to control my need to come. Then it came, his voice. One word, “Come.” Just like that, the urge that my body was holding on to came with the force of a stampede behind it. It was only then that I realized that the voice I imagined in my mind wasn’t in my mind at all. It was standing at the door.
“Do you know how beautiful you are when you come?” he said with a grin on his face.
“Victor, don’t you k
now how to knock?” I spat as I lowered myself into the water, trying to cover what was exposed of my body.
“I did knock, Isabelle, but you must have been preoccupied,” he replied with a chuckle.
“Get out!” I shouted, throwing the bath sponge in his direction and missing his entire body.
As he left, all I could here was the annoying yet sexy laugh as he closed the door. If there ever was a more embarrassing moment than this one, it wasn’t on the top of the totally humiliating chart with this. Pulling the plug from the bottom of the large tub. I pushed up with my hands and stepped over the edge. Grabbing the plush, warm towel from the towel warmer, I wrapped it around my body, hoping to cover some of my discomfort from minutes ago. When I was dried off enough. I covered myself with the red robe and tied the sash tightly around my waist. When I opened the door, it didn’t surprise me that Victor was sitting at the table eating the meal that had been prepared for me.
As I stared at him in disbelief, he said with a smile, “You know, this is really quite good, You should have a bite. Your lack of appetite is beginning show on your already thin body.”
“Why the hell should you even care about what my body looks like? You will never see it, nor touch it, for that matter. Ever.” I cursed.
“My, my, aren’t we in a mood,” he said. “No matter. I’m here to let you know we are going to be making a formal announcement of our plans to marry. Just wanted you to be prepared.”
I could have strangled him, but unfortunately I didn’t get the chance. He was up and out of his seat before I had a chance to get my hands around his neck. Holding me close, I could feel his breath on my neck as he said with arrogance, “You know, Isabelle, you really should stop fighting this. I will always win.”
Before I could say another word, he was at the door. Grabbing the closest thing I could throw at him, I threw the pillow as hard as I could. When it hit him in the back of the head, I jumped for joy inside. It was only after he picked it up and placed it on a small table by the door that I knew I shouldn’t have done that. The look he had given me was more evil than any look I got from my uncle. When he left the room with no other word, I fell to the couch and took in a sigh of relief. I knew that I needed to be very careful around Victor Walsh. He was not a man to mess with.
~****~
As my toes extended and my body stretched, I could feel some of the tension I had built up yesterday begin to relax. After my little episode with Victor, my body was knotted with tension and frustration. He had no right to come into my bedroom, let alone stand there and watch me masturbate while in the bathtub. I didn’t know who he thought he was, but the fact that he might be the next prince did not give him the right to have control over me.
Pushing from the bed, I grabbed my robe and headed to the bedroom door. Opening it just an inch, I could see that the guard assigned to my room was still standing at full attention. Just like every other day that I had been cooped up in this room. He was there in the morning when I got up and he was there in the evening when I went to bed. Going to the bathroom, there was a green floral dress, matching sling-back heels, and a green hat with lace draped in the front neatly placed on a hanger. Even the clothing was picked out for me. This was going too far. It was one thing to have my husband chosen for me, but my clothes? No way in hell. Grabbing the dress, I walked over to the walk-in closet and hung the dress back up. Rummaging through the dozens of dress and pant suits, I finally found what I was looking for. Tucked away in a corner were a pair of jeans and a faded t-shirt. Even though I had no choice in panties and underwear, at least I still had the clothes that I was most comfortable in hidden away in the back of my closet. My dad used to tell me all the time, I should have been a boy. While girls usually played with dolls and had make-believe tea parties, I was playing in the mud with rocks and fishing off the rocks by the ocean.
Slipping on my jeans and the t-shirt, I had to smile at how comfortable I looked. I also had to chuckle because Victor and my uncle were going to flip out when they saw me wearing jeans instead of the green dress that was laid out for me. I couldn’t care less about how I looked when Victor announced his plans for marriage. Matter of fact, I thought I might just make myself scarce during that event. As I was putting my hair back in a pony there was a sharp rap at the door.
Heading towards the annoying sound, I was greeted by my never-to-be husband, “What the hell, Isabelle? We are due to announce our wedding plans in fifteen minutes and you aren’t even dressed,” he cursed.
“I am dressed, and this is as good as it is going to get,” I replied.
I guess I must have said the wrong thing, because before I knew it, Victor’s hand came across my cheek, sending a burning sensation all the way around my head to the other side of my face. “You will not defy me, Isabelle. I will always win. You have five minutes to change out of those ridiculous clothes and into something more appropriate.”
Just like that, he was gone.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Hawk
After Peter and Sly left, I knew that I needed to start somewhere to find a way to get to Paige. The only place I could think of to look was in her apartment. I was pretty confident that she would have taken a piece of her childhood with her when she fled the country. Locking the door to the motel room, I got in my car and drove the few blocks to her apartment. I hoped that Nikki was there so she could help me find the information I needed to get to Paige.
Rounding the corner of the bar and heading down the alley, I put the car in park and headed up the steps to Paige’s apartment. I lightly tapped on the door, hoping that Nikki would be opening it. The minute the door opened, I was thankful that she was still here.
“Hey, Hawk. Any more news on Paige?” she asked.
“Yeah, found out her real name is Isabelle Moraco and she is the princess of Kierabali. Just like you said, she ran away because she was being forced to live a life she didn’t want,” I replied. “We need to search her apartment to see if we can find out any more information on her. Looks like it is just going to be me and you working together to get her back.”
I hated having to bring Nikki into this, but she was the closest person to Paige and knew more about her than anyone else. Walking past her, the first place I began searching was her bedroom, while Nikki began searching the living area. I knew that a bedroom was like a woman’s castle. If there was anything to be found, it would be there. Opening the door to her room, I thought about how messy her room was and also how a princess could be so messy. I was no Mr. Clean myself, but she was a pig, though still a very beautiful one. The first place I went was to the small dresser. Pulling open the drawers, there wasn’t anything out of the ordinary inside: bras, panties, socks. The basic essentials for a woman. When nothing came up in my search, I decided my next search would be in her closet. It would be great if I could find a shoe box or something filled with the treasures I was looking for. Once again, only clothes and shoes.
These were the two obvious places that a girl would hide stuff. Sitting on the bed, it dawned on me. There was only one other place that Paige would have hidden her past. Rising from the bed, I took hold of the mattress and flipped it off. There it was, the mother-load. Only it really wasn’t. Laying on top of the box spring was a manila envelope. Sitting back down on the box spring, I flipped the envelope over and undid the clasp. Shaking the contents onto the bed, I could see that the envelope did indeed hold information about Paige’s past. Picking up the first piece of information, I unfolded the documents to find it was actually death certificates on her mom and dad. As I scanned the documents, I couldn’t help but wonder how two people in their forties could have died so tragically. Scattering the rest of the papers on the bed so I could see everything, I grabbed a picture of a mangled car. I could only assume that it was the car Paige’s parents were driving, which caused their death.
Running my hand through my hair, I could only imagine how horrible it must have been for Paige to lose her parents at such a youn
g age. Taking a closer look at the picture, I noticed that there was something inside the engine that didn’t look like it belonged. As mangled as the car was, I knew the components of a car engine like the back of my hand, and this thing, whatever it was, wasn’t part of an engine’s makeup. Rummaging through the rest of the items from the folder, I came across another interesting piece of information. It was a picture of two men exchanging briefcases. It seemed kind of odd that Paige would have a picture of this among her things. Most of the rest of the stuff really didn’t make sense to me. A few pictures and a couple of legal documents. Holding on to the two pictures, I put everything back inside the envelope.
I knew that there was no way that I would be able to do this on my own. My only prayer was that Peter and Sly’s flight hadn’t taken off yet. Pulling my cell from my pocket, I pulled up Peter’s contact info and dialed his number.
“Hawk, If you are calling to talk me into changing my mind, you don’t need to,” Peter stated.
“I think once you hear what I have to say, you will.” I asserted.
“Whatever it is, it can wait. We are on our way back to the motel,” Peter began. “You are my brother, and I can’t just leave you hanging dry. It just took me some time to realize it. Well, that and the help of Sly.”