She’d freaking snap.
It wasn’t until she was halfway out the door that she realized that awful man back in her room had known things, things she’d only ever written to Leo in letters he had supposedly never received. Things that weren’t easily found through searches on her history. She spun on her heel and stared at the asshat who was, quite literally, pushing her out the door.
“How do you know about me living in a car and showering in locker rooms?”
He straightened and smirked. “The king told me about it.”
“When?” she asked, her heart ceasing pounding because she already knew the answer to her question, just like she already knew she wouldn’t like it. “I didn’t mention—”
“A few years ago, he read your letters to me over a mug of ale one night, for laughs,” Harry said slowly, cutting her off again. “He left you standing at La Guardia, waiting for him to come rescue you at five o’clock at night, if I recall correctly.”
She pressed a hand to her heart, because, God, it hurt.
Leo had lied to her about his innocence.
It had all been one big joke to him.
Harry continued on ruthlessly, obviously not caring that her heart was shattering inside her chest. “He sent you instructions to show up at La Guardia, go to the Randovia Airlines desk, and pick up tickets in his name. But instead of tickets, you found a note telling you to never write to him again.”
She staggered back, because the only way Harry would know all that was if Leo had lied from the beginning. If he pretended not to get her letters, to try and get her in his bed, and sure enough, it had worked. “I…”
“Even then he knew you weren’t good enough for him.” He crossed his arms and rocked back on his heels, giving her the most annoying smirk in the history of annoying smirks. “Why do you think he’s not here to see you off today?”
She didn’t speak.
There was nothing to argue about.
Everything the man said was true.
“You didn’t believe him when he told you he never got your letters, did you?” At her continued silence, he laughed, pressing a hand against his stomach. “Oh, that’s just rich. You fell for that ridiculous lie? You deserve anything you get, then.”
“Go to hell,” she said from between clenched teeth. “And take your precious little prince with you.”
“King,” he corrected her, his laughter dying.
All her luggage was in the car, so all that was left was for her to climb into the backseat, settle in, and leave this whole damn country behind her…
Including its lying, conniving, cold-hearted king.
“Alicia.” Leo said, coming up behind Harry and frowning. “What’s going on here?”
Harry froze, his eyes wide. “My—”
“You…You…” Just the sound of his voice, his lying, treacherous voice, was enough to send a staff of pain piercing through her chest. Breathing hard, she pointed a finger at him and snarled, “Go to hell.”
Leo stared at her, clearly taken aback at her rage. “What’s going on here?”
“I’m finally leaving,” she shot back. “You pompous asshole.”
Leo’s jaw ticked. “We’re back to this now?”
“I’m sorry for this scene.” Harry grabbed her arm roughly, dragging her forcibly toward the car. “She was just leaving, Your Highness.”
Leo growled low in his throat. “Release her,” he commanded, the corners of his mouth pinched tight as he watched Harry follow his orders. “And never grab her like that again, if you value your life at all.”
Harry paled. “But—”
“Leave us.” His jaw ticked again. “Now.”
Harry bowed and walked off without another word, but he still managed to shoot Alicia one last dirty look.
She scowled back at him, rubbing her arm where he’d grabbed her.
“I’m sorry for his behavior toward you,” Leo said softly. He threw a glance at the guards who surrounded them. “Everyone leave us. Except you,” Leo said, pointing at the driver. “You may wait in the car for Ms. Forkes.”
Everyone scrambled to do his bidding, and the whole front porch, yard, and garden cleared out. All that was left were roses, birds, and butterflies. And of course, him. “Scared they’ll hear you talking to a peasant like me?”
He frowned. “What? No. Of course not.”
“Oh, just admit that you don’t want to be seen with me in public, because they’ll know who and what I am, and you can’t be associated with that,” she said drily. “I mean, what if people found out you slept with a girl like me?”
His frown deepened. “I have no idea why you’re saying these things.”
“Sure you do. And, hey, I understand now why you didn’t want me at the hospital. I get it.”
Pinching the bridge of his nose, he let out a frustrated sigh. “First of all, that’s not why I didn’t bring you with me to the hospital. And second of all, it’s my job to always be above reproach, to never lose my head, and allowing you to call me names in an outburst of emotion in front of my men isn’t acceptable. It causes a scene I can’t afford to be caught up in right now.”
“Well, don’t worry.” She pointed over her shoulder angrily. “As soon as I get in that car, you’ll never be embarrassed by my outbursts of emotion again.”
“You’re leaving,” he said flatly.
“Yep. Just like you wanted.”
He stared down at her, his blue eyes looked even bluer in the direct sunlight. “I never wanted that, and you know it. I wanted you to stay, so we could get to know—”
She forced a laugh. “Oh, drop the act all ready.”
“I—” He pressed his lips together angrily. Lips she’d kissed last night. Lips she’d never forget. “What act?”
“I know you got my letters, and you laughed about them with Harry,” she snapped. “He told me everything.”
That brow, that cocky, annoying brow lifted again.
She ached to tackle him to the ground, pull out some tweezers, and pluck the whole damn thing right off his face before she left the country for good.
“You must have misunderstood him. I would never laugh at you like that, and as I’ve said—repeatedly—I never got your letters.”
Forcing a cool smile, she crossed her arms. “If you say so.”
“I do,” he snarled, his nostrils flaring.
Finally. He was showing some sort of emotion. “Then tell me how he knew what I wrote to you, and what you wrote back to me, if you never did it?”
“I don’t—” He froze and then laughed. It wasn’t a real laugh, though. Just like her smile wasn’t real. “Of course. I’m a fucking idiot.”
“No arguments there. But, hey, so was I for falling for your tricks when you swore you had no idea where my letters went.” She stepped back, still smiling. “But I’ll be on my way, now that I’ve been given the royal permission to go. Your pal Harry made it very clear I’m not good enough to hang here.”
He caught her elbow. “Alicia—”
“And don’t worry about your car.” She jerked free, stumbling back as she held on to her purse even tighter. “I haven’t lived in one since senior year, so it’ll come back safe and sound,” she said, taking another step back.
“That’s not—” Paling, he stepped forward, visibly shaken. “You did that?”
“Knock it off,” she snapped, because if he kept looking at her like that, like he hadn’t known, she would believe him. Again. And he’d break her heart. Again. “Just knock it off.”
“You lived in your car?” he asked slowly.
“Just like I told you,” she said, “in my letters.”
“I never got your fucking letters!” he shouted, fisting his hands. “Jesus. What is it going to take for you to believe me?”
Staring at him, she blinked, ignored the stupid hope inside of her, and asked unemotionally, “Should I curtsey as I leave, or am I exempt from that, as an American?”
He gave
her a cold look, any and all hint of anger disappearing from his eyes. “You’re so quick to believe the worst of me, to think I could callously use you and lie to you, yet you’re the one running away because you refuse to see the good in anyone else. You won’t take a risk on someone who may or may not hurt you.”
“You told me to go,” she snapped. “Had them pack up my clothes, pick up my bags, and carry them out the door. So don’t act all surprised I’m leaving.”
“I didn’t tell him to do—” He cut himself off, letting out a short laugh. “You know what? Never mind. You wouldn’t believe me anyway.”
“Believe what?” she asked slowly. Waiting for him to finish his denial. To finish saying he hadn’t sent Harry to escort her out of the castle, just hours after they had sex.
To deny any of it. All of it.
Something.
“I was merely giving you what you wanted when I told you to go,” he said point-blank. “Or is that not what you want anymore?”
“What I want is for you to tell the truth for once in your life,” she said, digging her nails into her palms.
He flexed his jaw and stared down at her. “You don’t want to hear the truth. No matter what I say, you’ll believe the worst of me. I’m done defending myself when I haven’t done anything wrong. Go. Leave. Clearly there’s nothing worth saving here.”
“I…I…” No words would come, and she broke off, staring at him with wide eyes, because hearing him say that… It made her feel ill.
It made her…made her…
Oh God.
He watched her coldly, without a hint of emotion, and she opened her mouth to tell him to go fuck himself. Instead, a strangled sob escaped, and she covered her mouth in horror. She hadn’t cried in almost nine years. Not since he left her at the airport.
She took off running, tripping over the raised sidewalk as she fled for the waiting car. She stumbled forward, catching herself, but lost her shoe in the process.
Glancing over her shoulder, she saw him striding toward her, his jaw tight, hand outstretched to help her to her feet.
“Hell,” she muttered under her breath, abandoning the shoe and bolting for the car. The second she threw herself inside it, tears streaming down her face, she slammed the door shut and shouted, “Go! Go, go, go!”
The driver stepped on the gas, and she left Leo standing in the driveway, watching her with wide eyes and an outstretched hand…
And her shoe at his feet.
Chapter Seventeen
Leo walked into his office, her sneaker in his hand and his heart beating harder than a war drum before a battle. Everything inside of him, every damn muscle and thought and nerve, screamed for him to go after Alicia.
But he’d forced himself on her enough times, and she clearly didn’t trust him, or care about him, and she never would. No matter what he said or did, she would still think he was the type of guy who would leave her standing alone in an airport, and not give a damn. There was nothing he could do to change that.
He shut the door behind him, and Harry stood, looking nervous. Good. He should be fucking nervous. “I—”
Leo held up a hand and commanded, “Silence.”
Harry shut up instantly, staring at him with fear.
“Why did you do it?” he asked, his voice hard.
“I asked Alicia to leave so you wouldn’t have to, Your Highness,” Harry said quickly, tugging on his collar. “You said this morning she was free to go, so I simply—”
“So you packed up her belongings and pushed her out the door, without telling me?”
Harry averted his eyes. “For your own benefit, of course.”
“Bullshit.” He tossed Alicia’s sneaker on the chair in front of his desk and went around behind it. “That wasn’t for my benefit, and you know it.”
“The team decided it was best for her to exit quietly, all things considered.” Harry forced a smile. “With your father gone, there’s a lot on your mind, and we didn’t want you to have any undue stress because of her.”
He nodded slowly and sat down in his chair, crossing an ankle over his knee. “And that’s also why you wrote to her, all those years ago, and left her at the airport.”
“Yes, I—” Harry froze, all signs of color leaving his cheeks. “I…uh…I don’t know what you mean, Your Highness.”
“Who decided she wasn’t worth the trouble?” Leo asked slowly, resting his palms on his desk and leaning forward. “Who made that call for me, without asking what I wanted?”
“I don’t know what you’re—” When Leo gave the other man a look, he broke off instantly, his shoulders sagging forward. “Yes, it was me. I wrote those letters.”
“Who. Ordered. It?”
“Your father.” Harry held a hand up when Leo growled. “He regretted it afterward, though. That’s why he specifically requested Baker send in Alicia when they inquired after sending an agent over. He felt bad, and after keeping tabs on her for the past ten years, he decided to try to make amends for his actions.”
Leo sank in the chair, swallowing the protests that automatically came to the tip of his tongue. “But he liked Alicia.”
“He did.” Harry held his hands out. “But you two were so young, and she was a risk your father wasn’t willing to take. But as more time passed and you still refused to accept anyone else as your wife, he thought maybe he made a mistake back then. I don’t. I think it was the right call. She’s not a fit queen for this country.”
“You think?” Leo asked angrily.
How could his father have done this?
“Despite my assurances he did the right thing, he gave her a scholarship to school, and watched over her, kept her off the streets once he realized she was living on them.” Harry shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets. “So he didn’t leave her life completely.”
“He paid for her schooling?” Leo asked, his throat tight.
“Yes. She doesn’t know, and never will, but he felt bad for not bringing her over here.” Harry shrugged. “He was going to tell you, and her, too, even though I advised against it.”
Anger at his father warred with grief, and for the first time in a long time, he didn’t agree with something his father did. He was a fair man. A good one. So the fact that he did this to Alicia was…baffling. “Why did he tell you about this, and not me?”
“He enlisted my help in writing to her back then, in sounding like you.” Harry lowered his head. “My king asked me to help him, and I did it with gratitude. It was the right call.”
Leo didn’t say anything, because quite frankly…
He had no clue what to say.
But Alicia deserved to hear the truth before she left. Deserved to hear that his father decided she wasn’t worth the risk, and intercepted her letters.
“Call my car around,” he said between clenched teeth.
Harry lifted his head. “You’re going after her.”
Leo came around the desk, seconds from pounding his aide into the floor. “Yeah. And?”
Harry cleared his throat and gripped the doorknob. “She’s not a princess. Nothing will change the fact that you can’t marry her.”
“As an advisor for my father, you should have been aware that my father passed a new law, six months ago. I don’t need to marry a princess.” Leo crossed his arms. “But I highly doubt that she’s looking to marry me, since she thinks I’m a guy who would kick her out of my house without a moment’s notice. That I’m the same boy who left her at the airport when she was orphaned and destitute. Yeah, Harry, I’m sure I’m high on her list of guys she even wants to talk to right now.” He crossed his arms, staring the other man down, unable to believe he’d trusted this guy. “My car. Now!”
Harry nodded and opened the door. “I’ll have it brought around.”
“One more thing,” Leo said quietly.
Harry cautiously let go of the knob. “Yes?”
“Pack your bags. You are no longer in my employ—not only because of what yo
u did all those years ago, but because of how you treated Ms. Forkes today.”
“Understood, Your Highness.” Harry swallowed. “But I stand by my choices.”
After the other man left, Leo covered his face and let out a long breath. “What were you thinking, Dad? How could you do that to her? To me?”
No answer came.
Of course.
It was too late for that.
There was something to be said for the fact that he’d tried to make it right, though. Isn’t that all anyone could do, after making a mistake? Try to make up for it? His father had brought Alicia here, and then by some twist of fate, he’d seen Alicia in that club, and he’d fallen for her again. Although, in all reality, he hadn’t fallen, because he’d never gotten over her. Deep down, it had always been Alicia.
Would always be Alicia.
The door opened, and Harry stepped inside, holding a pile of envelopes that looked pretty damn old. “Your car is waiting for you. I thought you could read these on the ride to the airport.”
He took them, glancing at them. They were addressed to him, were from Alicia, and there were about eight of them. Eight. “Shit.”
Without another thought toward them, he headed outside. The second he was in his car, and Commander Jonathon settled in the front seat next to the driver, he said, “To the airport. Immediately.”
“Yes, sir,” the driver said.
He lowered his head and stared down at her neat handwriting on the envelope, knowing once he opened these, he would know every little dirty detail about Alicia’s past. Everything she’d wanted him to know, once upon a time, was there, waiting for him to read it. He had every right to open those letters and read every damn word she’d written to him. But the Alicia he knew now wouldn’t want him to know these things.
Not anymore.
She didn’t like talking about her past, and from this point on, it should be her decision whether she told him what happened to her all those years ago or not. It wasn’t his place to read those letters anymore because she’d written to the boy he’d been.
Not the man he was now.
Tossing the letters aside, he glanced out the window impatiently, knowing every second he was stuck in traffic was another second that Alicia could be leaving him. The second he pulled up to the airport, he was out the car door.
The Prince's Bride (Modern Fairytales) Page 14