by A. L Long
“Come to Paige’s apartment instead. It is in the back of Hell’s Gate, down the alley. I’ve got something to show you. I think Paige is in more danger than just being taken,” I pointed out.
“On our way, bro.”
I knew that Peter would never leave me to my own devices. We had served together and had been brothers ever since. We always had each other’s back, no matter what. ‘One for all and all for one.’
~****~
It seemed like we had been at it all night piecing together the information I found in the manila envelope. Peter was pretty head smart. He figured out some things that I didn’t even see. Like the fact that the death of Paige’s mother and father happened a few days after the date and time stamped on the photo with the two men. Also the fact that this Maxwell Moraco was named the trustee for Isabelle in the event something happened to her parents. One thing we couldn’t understand was why an investigation into the death of her parents wasn’t conducted. It seemed pretty odd since with them being of regal descent; there usually would have been some sort of investigation. Peter seemed to think that it might have something to do with the picture of the briefcase exchange.
No matter, at least now I wouldn’t be doing this alone. I had my brothers with me. Calling it a night, we headed back to the motel, leaving Nikki to stay at the apartment. We told her we would be back in touch tomorrow morning and come up with a game plan. As much as I hated getting her involved, she might be our only way into Kierabali. I headed to my room, while Peter and Sly checked in. One thing nice about this town was there weren’t too many visitors and rooms were always available.
Settling on the bed, I began going over everything that we had talked about. The only thing I could think about was what Paige was doing this very moment. God, how I wished she was with me right now. Just the thought of her being here beside me made my cock jump to life. Leaning my head against the headboard, I closed my eyes and let my thoughts of Paige take over. It wasn’t long until my hand was grasping my hard cock, imagining that it was Paige’s soft lips wrapped around it. I could see the movement of her tongue on my cock as she swirled the tip before taking me deeper inside her mouth. The movement of my hand increased as I continued to think of only her. How much I wanted to feel the tightness of her perfect pussy wrapped around my cock, pushing and pulling as her walls tightened around me.
I wasn’t one to get off by myself, but to be taken by a woman other Paige was something I could no longer do. She was everything to me. I wasn’t sure what I would do if I ever lost her. “Oh, fucking God, is this what love is? To have your heart hurting so badly?” I shouted as my juices spilled on my stomach. How could one woman capture my heart to the point that I couldn’t fucking think straight?
Needing to clean up, I pushed from the bed and headed to the shower. Instead of turning on the hot water, I turned on the cold. Anything to help tone down the semi-hard erection that was again on the verge of exploding. The timing of whomever was at the door couldn’t have been any worse. Grabbing a towel and wrapping it around my body, I turned off the water and headed to the door. The minute I opened it, I knew I should have ignored it.
“What are you doing here, Erica?” I asked, looking to see if there was anyone else outside, namely Peter and Sly.
“We need to talk, Jayce,” she answered.
Tugging on her arm to get her inside, I closed the door. I wasn’t sure what she thought she needed to talk about, but I wasn’t about to stand in front of the door to find out. “Whatever you need to talk about couldn’t have waited until the morning?” I asked.
“No, it couldn’t,” she began, rubbing her hands up and down her arms as she began pacing the floor. “I want things to be the way they were between us, Do you know how hard it is to find a man that would do the things that you did?”
“We’ve already talked about this, Erica. What we had is in the past. I’ve moved on,” I replied.
“Well, there is something else you need to know.” she said.
“Yeah, there is something I need to know. The little boy. Who is the dad?” I asked, praying he wasn’t mine.
“If you are talking about Charlie, he’s not yours,” she said stopping long enough to explain. “The night before you left, I lied to you. I didn’t want you to leave. I stopped taking my birth control pills the day you told me you were leaving Stillwater and you would be gone in a couple of weeks. I knew if I told you, we would have never had that last night together. I wanted something that would remind me of you, but it was too late. I was so angry with you for wanting to leave that I went to Hell’s Gate to find comfort. Your brother was there. One thing led to another and we ended up in bed together. Drew is Charles’ dad”
“Does he know?” I asked.
“No, I’ve never told anyone. I wanted to wait until you came back. I was going to lie and tell you that you were his dad, but I couldn’t do that to Charlie. He has a right to know who his real dad is when he gets older.” she confessed.
“I can’t believe this shit. After all this time, you knew and didn’t say anything?” I cursed.
“Do you know how hard it’s been for me? You left me without even telling me where you would be. I was hanging on a dream for five years that you would come back and help me raise Charlie. We could have been a family,” she confessed.
“That’s messed up, Erica. You need to tell Drew,” I cursed
“I know I do, but I want you, Jayce. I want us to be a family. Charlie and I both need you in our lives.”
“That isn’t going to happen, Erica. You’re a beautiful woman. Drew is a good man, he will take care of you and Charlie.” I pointed out.
“He has a family of his own. I don’t care about him. I want you,” she argued with a crack in her voice.
“I love someone else, Erica,” I admitted.
The minute I said those words, something inside me broke, but not in the way one would think. The tension that I was holding all of a sudden disappeared. I finally knew the feeling I had for Paige was more than just caring for her. I truly loved her and I was finally able to admit it to myself. Even though Erica wasn’t happy about my confession, it was the truth. By the look on Erica’s face, she knew she was defeated and she would never have my love. Just as quickly as she came, she was gone. I tried to go after her, but running after a heartbroken woman with only a towel on wasn’t the most ideal situation. This was probably for the best anyway. Hopefully if I gave her a little space, she would be able to accept what I told her.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Isabelle
I cursed every word I could think of as soon as Victor left. There was no way in hell that I was going to let him know that the slap he laid across my face really hurt. Walking to the bathroom, I could see a slight bruise was already beginning to form under my eye. Grabbing my compact, I dabbed some makeup on the reddened area and hoped that it wouldn’t be too noticeable. One thing I did know was that I didn’t like being told what to do and then punished for not doing it. Somehow I needed to find a way off this island.
Taking the dress that was originally set out for me, I slipped it on and pulled the hidden zipper up. Even though it wasn’t my choice of color, I had to admit that it did look pretty good on me. Defying him, I choose to wear a more conservative heel instead of the four-inch stilettos that accompanied the dress. As far as the hat, that was definitely a no-go. Instead, I removed the lace from the front and wrapped it around my ponytail to make it look more elegant. Looking at myself in the wardrobe mirror, I had to admit, I looked pretty good. Victor would just have to accept my choice.
I had already planned what I was going to say during the wedding announcement. I was going to tell all the people that I was being forced to marry a man that I didn’t love. I was also going to tell them that I wished to give up my crown as Princess of Kierabali and that I was being held on the island against my will. The people might be angry with me, but that was my wish. Taking one last look in the mirror, I heard a kn
ock at the door. Heading in that direction, I opened to door to see the young girl that was assigned as my servant standing outside, holding a tray with a tea pot and a few crumpets.
“Sir Maxwell thought you might want some tea and a snack before your announcement to the people,” she said in a soft voice.
Moving aside so that she could pass, I asked with confusion, “I thought I only had five minutes before the announcement ceremony was to begin?”
“Yes, Princess. Sir Victor has postponed it for an hour so that you have more time to relax and prepare for the event,” she advised, setting the tray on the small table and pouring the tea into the cup. “I will leave you to your tea.”
As soon as she was gone, I grabbed the hot tea and took a seat on the couch. The tea tasted of raspberry and honey. It was actually quite good, even though I wasn’t much of a tea person. As I drank the remaining tea, there was another knock on the door. Pushing from the couch, I felt a little lightheaded. I thought it might have been because I stood too quickly. Getting my bearings, I headed to answer the door. Something wasn’t right. My head felt strange. Almost like I had gone on a drinking binge.
Managing to get to the door, I swung it open to find the Victor was on the other side looking absolutely gorgeous. Taking me by the hand, he placed a soft kiss on the back and said, “Are you ready, beautiful?”
With a nod, I replied, “Yes.”
I wasn’t sure what was going on with me, but it was like I didn’t have a care in the world. I would have jumped off a cliff if he had asked me to. With my hand still in his, he led me down the long hallway and down the steps. Maxwell was waiting for us at the bottom, as well as the servants, who were lined up perfectly with the women wearing black dresses and white aprons and the men wearing black suits with white shirts and a black tie. It was very regal, almost like they were waiting for their daily work instructions. As we walked past them, they either bowed or curtsied with their heads lowered. I didn’t know what the big fuss was about. You would have thought it was some kind of inauguration or something instead of a wedding announcement.
Walking out the front door to the podium that was waiting for us just inside the gate, I could see thousands of men and women standing on the other side. Victor stepped up to the podium waving his hands in a manner to let the people who were cheering know they needed to silence themselves. Once the people had calmed and they were no longer cheering, he began his speech.
“People of Kierabali, this is a very exciting day for not only me, but for Princess Isabelle. We would like to share this special day with you as we announce our plans to marry.” The crowd began cheering again at Victor’s announcement. Some of them even began throwing roses through the gate.
“Please, please,” Maxwell said, trying to tone down the excitement of the crowd.
“I know that you are all very excited about this wonderful news that we are sharing. The official date of the wedding will be next Saturday. Speaking for the princess as well as myself, you are all invited to witness this wonderful day.”
I don’t know what was going on with me, I just stood there watching the excitement touch everyone’s face as smiles began to appear. Victor took my hand and we turned back to the front door. I could still hear the crowd cheering and singing the anthem of Kierabali as we entered the palace
Closing the door behind us, Maxwell looked down on me and said with concern, “Isabelle, you don’t look very well. Perhaps a little rest before lunch will make you feel better.”
I did feel tired all of a sudden. “I think I will lay down for a bit,” I agreed.
Walking up the steps, the lightheadedness once again returned, only this time twice as bad. My eyes began losing focus and I could feel my body begin to fall. I was thankful that Victor was right there to catch me. Lifting me from the floor, he took me into his arms and carried me up the flight of stairs.
Once we got to my room, he placed me on the bed and covered me with the small blanket that was draped across the foot end. Brushing my cheek with his hand, he leaned over and kissed me tenderly on the lips. “Rest, my princess.” My eyes closed and everything went dark.
~****~
Walking hand in hand on the beach was so surreal. Hawk was the best thing that had ever happened to me. While the warmth of the blue water brushed our bare feet, I knew that this moment was something I wanted to share with him over and over again. Kierabali was a beautiful place, and spending every day here knowing that the man that I loved was here with me, made it that much better. “Hawk, my prince.”
Just as the wonderful thoughts of me and Hawk together filled my mind they were taken away. Unsure of what caused my eyes to spring open, my heart dropped as the blue eyes that I remembered the day my father died were staring back at me.
“If you want your friend Hawk to remain alive, you need to forget about him, Isabelle. Your life is with Victor. He is the only man that should be filling your thoughts,” he declared.
“I will never love another man,” I swore.
“I beg to differ, Isabelle. You will love Victor. And you will be marrying him next Saturday,” he vowed. “Now get yourself together. Lunch is in twenty minutes.”
Before I could respond, he was gone. My heart felt empty. All I wanted was the one man that I knew I could never be with. If Hawk was to remain safe, I needed to forget about him. That was easier said than done. There was no way I would ever forget about him. I needed to find a way off of this island. Maybe I could ask the people of Kierabali to help me. They needed to know the truth. They needed to know what was going on.
Sliding from the bed, I went to the bathroom to make myself presentable for lunch. As I looked in the mirror, I looked as if I hadn’t slept for a week. Come to think of it, it felt like I was off a little. Turning on the cold water, I splashed it on my face, hoping that would help clear my mind. Drying off my face, I could clearly see that I still looked tired.
Giving up on my appearance, I walked over to the door and rushed out before I was punished for not showing up on time. As I walked down the steps, I remembered seeing the servants earlier, but nothing afterwards. I didn’t even remember the wedding announcement very clearly, other than hearing the cheering of the crowd. It wasn’t like me to only remember bits and pieces. It was almost as if I was drugged. “Holy mother of God, that had to be it. The tea,” I thought to myself.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Hawk
Waking up the next morning was like I had never gone to sleep. My mind must have been going a mile a minute last night just thinking about what needed to be done in order to get to Paige. I hated the fact that we needed to include Nikki in our plan, but she was the only person who would be able to get close enough to Paige so that we could get inside the walls of the palace.
Pulling me from my thoughts, there was a knock at the door. I slid from the bed to see who it might be. Opening the door, Peter and Sly were standing just outside.
“Hey, bro. You look like hell. Did you even sleep?” Peter questioned.
“Good morning to you too,” I snapped back.
“We need to get going if we are going to make it to Kierabali by night,” Sly commented.
“Let me grab my bag and we can head out,” I said.
As I grabbed the remainder of my things, Peter and Sly stayed just outside the door. The minute I closed the door behind me, it finally hit me. “Guys, wait. We need to rethink our plan. How the hell are we going to get Nikki inside the gates of the palace?” I asked with concern.
“You leave that to us. You just concentrate on being with Paige,” Peter directed.
As we left the motel, I began sorting out all of the things that could possibly go wrong. This was Paige’s life we were talking about. One mistake and we all could be looking at the end of our lives. Before I knew it, we were pulling up to Hell’s Gate. Peter refused to sit in the back of my Mustang. Even thought we were about the same size, Sly would never be able to get back there with his 6’4” frame. So
, being the friend that I was, I let Peter drive while I sat in the back.
Nikki was already waiting patiently at the bottom of the steps. Sly exited the car and helped Nikki with her bag. Popping the trunk of the car, he loaded her bag and allowed her to sit in front seat while taking the back with me. Go figure, he wasn’t willing to sit in the back before, but when a woman was involved, he would gladly give up the front seat for her.
Giving him one of my “what the fuck” signature looks, I moved over to allow him to squeeze his large frame into the back seat. It was bad enough for me to be sitting in the back with no room, but to have two big men sitting on a seat that was clearly made for one was less than ideal.
“Let’s get this show on the road,” Peter said, knocking me from my current thoughts.
An hour later we were at the Tulsa International airport. It was the longest and most uncomfortable hour I had ever ridden in a car before. As we pulled up to the long term parking area, it took everything I had to maneuver my body out of the confined space. That was, of course, after I laughed my ass off watching Sly attempt the same task.