Table of Contents
Title Page
Her Royal Bodyguard
Copyright
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Her Royal Masquerade
Coming Soon
BIO:
Her Royal Bodyguard
by
Natasha Moore
Her Royal Bodyguard
Her Royal Romance book #2
After almost getting kidnapped, Princess Angelina is swept away by royal bodyguard Rico Santori to a small, secluded village for her protection. Always the good girl, the obedient daughter, the proper princess, Angie’s tired of putting her own desires – her own life! – on hold. She could have been killed in the kidnapping attempt and never known the ecstasy of making love with a passionate man. Angelina has had a crush on the strong, loyal Rico for years and while they hide out, pretending to be a newlywed couple, she decides to practice her seductive skills on him.
This is Rico’s last job for the royal family. He’s leaving to build his own life, opening his own security firm. Angie is smart and pretty but she’s royalty and he’s just the hired muscle. But as the days go by, her attempts at seduction try the calm patience he’s known for. He warns her they can only share a bed until he returns her safely to the palace.
But when danger strikes again, it may be too late to explore the love they never expected to find.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Her Royal Bodyguard
Copyright @2014 by Natasha Moore
Cover by Lacey Savage
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
Chapter One
Rico Santori had just resigned from his position as head of royal security when all hell broke loose.
He’d been dreading the conversation with Prince Vittorio for weeks, but putting it off didn’t make it any easier to leave the only home he’d ever known. He would miss the friends he’d made over the years and the job at which he excelled. Still, it would be worth leaving everything he knew for a shot at a life of his own outside the palace walls.
And a way to get away from the temptation that had burned at his soul for months.
“Are you certain I can’t talk you out of it?” Vittorio had asked. Rico knew he’d surprised the prince with his announcement. Rico had never hinted he was planning to leave. He’d known Vittorio would try to talk him out of it.
It was long after midnight. Rico and his childhood friend, who also happened to be his employer and the Crown Prince of the small Mediterranean country of Mezzano, had been lounging in the prince’s private office, sipping on brandy and discussing the future. Vittorio’s concerned an upcoming royal wedding and eventually stepping up to the throne. Rico’s was much less ambitious, but just as important.
At least to him.
“No, Your Highness.” The plans had been put into place months ago. This conversation had been the final step. “I can recommend several men on the security team who could take my place.”
“Rico.” Vittorio’s tone was solemn. “There is no one who could take your place, my friend.”
“Thank you.” But Rico knew no one was indispensable. Unless perhaps one were first in line to the throne of Mezzano.
“I would like to hear of your plans,” Vittorio had said, just before the call had burst through the ear bud synced to the radio on Rico’s hip. What had followed was a blur of shouts and blood and too many questions.
Princess Angelina’s car had been attacked on the way back from a party she’d been attending. After Rico had seen that the injured men were getting medical help and that the rest of the team was sweeping the grounds for intruders, he sought out the princess. He had to find out what the hell happened.
He flung the door open to the private parlor where the princess was waiting for him. Her Royal Highness was perched on the edge of the upholstered sofa, flanked by Prince Vittorio and Mia, his fiancée. When Rico strode into the room, the princess shot to her feet. Rico’s suit jacket was still draped over her shoulders but it didn’t hide the splotches of scarlet staining her yellow dress.
“Enzo? Donato?” Her dark chocolate eyes were wide. Worried. And so very beautiful.
Enzo had been Angelina’s personal bodyguard for the past four years. He and Donato, the driver, had both been shot while thwarting an attempt to kidnap the princess. At least, that was what Rico assumed had happened. Neither one of his men had regained consciousness yet. He wanted to demand immediate answers from Angelina, but there were certain protocols to follow and he couldn’t command her to tell him what happened. Just as he couldn’t run his hands over her body to make sure she really was all right.
He acknowledged the royal family with a nod. “Still alive, Your Highness. I’ll keep you posted, of course.”
Her slender hand shook as she lifted it to brush her long hair from her face. Her gaze bounced around the room. “I tried to stop the bleeding…”
When Rico had thrown open the back door of the car, afraid of what he would see, Angelina had been pressing her colorful scarf onto the wound in Enzo’s side. Tears had been streaming down her face, but she’d been shouting at her bodyguard to hang on, and the fierceness in her expression made Rico think that the princess wasn’t quite as gentle a woman as he’d always thought.
“Your Highness.” He stepped in front of her and waited until her gaze locked on his. “I need to hear what happened.”
“Of course.” She sank back onto the sofa and gestured to Rico to sit in the chair opposite. “I’m afraid I didn’t see much. It was dark, of course, and I was tired, so I’d closed my eyes.” Her voice broke. “I should never have gone to the stupid party.”
Mia pulled her close. “It’s not your fault.”
Rico almost reached out and placed his hand over Angelina’s, but pulled it back and curled his fingers into a fist. He needed to know who’d done this and then he’d crack a few skulls. “Did the car stop? Or did someone start firing at the car first?”
The princess straightened, looked down at her hands clasped in her lap. “The car stopped suddenly. Something was in the road. Blocking the road, maybe? I don’t know what. Donato didn’t say. Enzo pushed me down to the floor. He said to stay down, just in case. Then he said he’d check it out.” She looked up into Rico’s eyes. “He got out of the car. Then I heard shouting. Then there was shooting.”
“Could you tell what was said? The shouting?”
She closed her eyes for a moment as if she was trying to hear it again. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t make out words. Just shouting.”
“Male voices? Female?”
“Male, I think.”
“What happened when the shooting started?”
“Donato opened his door. To help I’m sure, but…but I think Enzo yelled at him to get the car out of there. To…to get me out of there.”
Rico nodded. Gritted his teeth. “But he didn’t?”
“He tried. I know he did,” the princess said, passionately def
ending her bodyguards. “It all happened so fast. He started to shut his door, but then I heard another shot. Heard him cry out.” The pain at reliving the ordeal was clear in the princess’s voice. “I was afraid he was going to leave without Enzo so I crawled over to the open door.”
“Angie!” Vittorio cried, the reprimand clear.
She whirled to send her brother a fierce stare. “I couldn’t stay hiding and not do anything. He…Dios…he was on the ground, leaning back against the side of the car. I could see the blood from the interior lights.”
“And that means whoever was out there could see you,” Rico growled.
There was no remorse in the princess’s expression. “All I knew was I had to get Enzo in the car before we took off. I couldn’t leave him there. I couldn’t.”
“You pulled him into the car?” Mia asked, surprise clear in her voice.
Angelina nodded. “Enzo saw me at the door. He glared at me.” She glanced over at Rico, her eyes blazing. “Don’t worry, Rico, you taught him well. He was willing to give his life for me.” She sniffed, tears filling her eyes. “I leaned out of the car and he fired another shot and then boosted himself up with one leg. The other…I think he was hit badly in the other leg. I grabbed him under the arms and pulled him in and then Donato took off.”
Rico had never been so angry and so proud at the same time. The princess could easily have been taken, but she’d risked her life to save her loyal bodyguard. “So Donato was able to get around whatever was in the road.”
“I guess so. I was too worried about Enzo. Then he lost consciousness and I was afraid I’d hurt him more by dragging him in.”
“I’m certain you saved his life, Your Highness.” Her hopeful gaze slammed into his gut. He hoped he was correct. There had been a hell of a lot of blood.
“Who would do this?” Vittorio asked. “We haven’t received any threats.” He turned his glare on Rico. “Have we?”
“No, Your Highness. None at all.”
“Do you need anything else from the princess?” Mia asked. Her arm was wrapped around Angelina’s waist. The princess had rested her head on Mia’s shoulder.
Rico had never been the nurturing kind but at this moment he wished he could gather the princess in his arms. Feel her head on his shoulder. But even if he’d been that kind of man, it would never have been the proper thing to do. He took a deep breath and pushed away the image of the princess in his arms.
“One more thing. I beg your pardon for asking, Your Highness, but is there anyone you can think of who would want to cause you harm? An unhappy ex-boyfriend, perhaps, seeking to hurt you in some way?” An entitled asshole with enough money to hire thugs to attempt a kidnapping.
The princess straightened, lifted her chin even as her cheeks grew pink. “Your security team keeps track of my every movement. You know I have had no opportunity to have a boyfriend, much less an ex-boyfriend, happy or not.”
Surely that wasn’t possible. A beautiful young woman like Her Highness? For the past few years, he’d let Enzo keep track of the princess’s comings and goings. Rico hadn’t wanted to know with whom she was spending time.
But he couldn’t imagine there weren’t dozens of handsome, privileged young men fighting for time with the princess of Mezzano. His stomach clenched unexpectedly at the thought. He cleared his throat. ”So there has been no one who has threatened you? No one you have spurned who might have a grudge against you? No one who wanted more from you than you were willing to give?”
The princess rose as gracefully as if she wore an elegant gown instead of a wrinkled dress stained with blood. She lifted her royal chin. “No one.”
He sprung to his feet and nodded. “Thank you for your help, Your Highness.”
Mia ushered Angelina from the room but Vittorio stayed behind. Rico turned to the prince. “Sir, could there be a possibility of an enemy of the country attempting to gain leverage by holding your sister hostage?”
“Mezzano has no enemies.” His gaze followed his sister and his lover as they left the room. “At least that I’m aware of.”
“No, Your Highness.” Rico knew the prince would be awakening his advisors for an early meeting. He almost hoped it would turn out to be a political strike. He tensed at the thought that Angelina had been targeted personally.
“I must awaken the king now and let him know what’s happened,” Vittorio said. “Find out who did this,” he ground out between gritted teeth.
“I will get the entire team on it immediately, of course. And I’ll have a list of recommendations on your desk in the morning.”
Vittorio turned back to him. “Recommendations?”
“For my replacement, Your Highness.”
The prince placed his hand on Rico’s shoulder. “Surely after tonight you will reconsider your decision to leave us.”
Rico thought of the office space he’d set up in the city, the contacts he’d made and the former security team members he’d recruited to join him. The unfurnished apartment above the office waiting for him to make it into his own personal space, his first ever that wasn’t within the palace walls. He thought of Princess Angelina and how with each day it became more difficult to stay away from her.
“I’m sorry, Vittorio.” He trusted the security team he’d trained to keep her safe. He had to. “I haven’t changed my mind.”
After the fear and the blood and the questions, Angelina was glad to finally be alone in her rooms. She stripped out of her ruined clothes and turned the water to hot before stepping under the spray. It took forever to scrub her hands clean.
The night kept playing out in her head. The shouts. The shooting. The terror.
Rico had eased her from the car after Enzo was whisked away. She’d been shivering, but not from the cold. Rico had murmured comforting words and shrugged out of his ever-present suit coat and draped it over her shoulders. He had to have been itching to get back to his team, but he’d ushered her inside the palace and then stayed with her until Vittorio and Mia had come to be with her.
The tears started to fall as she watched the red-tinged water flow down the drain. Enzo had been with her for so long, following her everywhere. The rough-looking bodyguard with the soft heart had suffered through many shopping trips with her girlfriends and stupid parties like the one tonight.
Angelina had been so excited for this party. Since her father had only recently rescinded the royal marriage decree, she no longer had to restrict her search for a husband among royalty. Not that she was looking for marriage at twenty-one, but she’d avoided any serious dating because she’d been terrified she’d fall in love with someone she could never marry.
Any royals she’d met in the past few years had been too old, too young, too whiny, or too mean. She’d been paired up with a number of them at various charity functions or royal celebrations, but she’d never been on a real date. Not like she’d read in books or seen in the movies. Dinner and dancing and soul-searing kisses in the moonlight. She wrapped her arms around herself. Would she ever know such a romantic evening?
Of course, she would. Now was her time to have fun and let love find her. She’d hoped to meet some eligible young men at that stupid party, but the few who showed up were already matched with young women. No single men at all. And now Enzo and Donato had almost been killed simply because she wanted to meet guys.
After drying off, she couldn’t relax. She slipped on silky lounge pants and a matching top, then padded barefoot to the door. She couldn’t sleep without knowing how they were doing. She hoped whoever was standing guard outside would have an update.
Angelina flung open her door and saw Rico stationed there. Tall, broad, perfectly filling out one of those black suits he always wore. He’d replaced the jacket that lay in a heap on her bathroom floor. He used to shave his head, but she’d noticed recently he’d let his dark hair grow in. Not much. Close-cropped. Still bad-ass. Still so sexy.
His dark eyes widened and his gaze slowly ran over her before he pul
led his eyes away and glanced up and down the hallway. He’d been talking softly to whoever he was wired into, then broke off abruptly when he saw her.
She had to swallow to moisten her suddenly dry mouth. “Rico? I didn’t expect to see you here.”
He straightened, then glowered at her as if he was angry she’d left the safety of her suite. “I’m only standing guard until your new bodyguard arrives.” He glanced at the gold watch on his wrist. “Tony will be here in a few minutes.”
Tony? He’d always been Mia’s bodyguard. “Any news on Enzo and Donato?”
“They’re both still in surgery but it sounds like they’ll make it. Tony will watch over you until Enzo is well enough to resume his duties.” Rico’s dark gaze told her he still wasn’t happy with her. He took a step closer until he loomed over her. “When your guard tells you to do something, you follow orders, Your Highness. Do you understand? Princess or not, you must obey your bodyguard.”
“It all happened so fast. I didn’t have time to think about what was smart. Just what was right.”
His expression softened slightly. “We’ll find out who was behind this, Your Highness, but...” Rico paused, as if he debated whether to share more information with her.
“What?” This was her life they were talking about. “Don’t you dare hold anything back from me. I have the right to know.”
“There was no sign of anyone on that stretch of road. No blood. No bullet casings. Nothing.”
“What does that mean? Someone stopped our car. They shot Enzo and Donato. I didn’t imagine it.”
“Of course not, Your Highness. What I meant was this tells me these people were professionals. This was a planned attack and that they had the experience and the resources to quickly cover their tracks.”
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