by Nic Saint
Which reminded him.
Where was the fucking cavalry?
They should have been here by now, taking these assholes down.
He’d called them in the moment he heard what was coming.
The elevator jerked to a stop and they were led into the deepest part of the building: the underground command post where all of the security for the castle and parts of the capital and kingdom were monitored. State-of-the-art and constantly manned by security personnel, CCTV feeds were all centralized here. This was Montinia Security GHQ. And now it had been breached.
How did they get a hold of the codes? All the systems in here were secure, only accessible with the right access codes.
The moment he stepped into the cavernous concrete space, he saw the body.
“Armand!” he thundered, and was upon the man, kneeling down beside him, cradling his head. He was out cold, but when he felt for a pulse he was relieved to find one. He was knocked out but still alive, thank God. He directed a look up at the three terrorists who stood staring down at him impassively and his voice shook with barely veiled rage. “You’ll pay for this!”
The leader of the outfit merely chuckled lightly. “The old fart tried to be a hero. Even drew a gun on us. Imagine that.”
He abruptly took a hold of Diana’s arm and steered her toward a bank of computers in the center of the room. Jack saw a small group of security personnel seated in a corner. They’d all been bound and gagged and were held at gunpoint by yet another terrorist. He counted at least three more. This operation was even bigger than he’d anticipated.
The man in charge shoved Diana down on a chair in front of a computer console, then tapped a few keys and the screen lit up.
“All I need from you, my dear,” he drawled, “is to look pretty and smile.”
Jack walked up to the pair and stood watching stern-faced as the screen changed into camera mode, the small built-in webcam capturing Diana’s features and projecting them onto the screen.
The camera zoomed in on her left eye and she blinked.
“Keep your eyes peeled, Anastasiya,” the guy growled. “Wide open. Now!”
Diana did as she was told and stared into the camera. The screen morphed into a surprisingly detailed image of one of her gorgeous blue eyes. The image captured all its aspects and nuances. He frowned when an overlay appeared, and the software started connecting dots. Suddenly the screen went dark and there was a noticeable hush as the terrorist stared intently at the screen. Three of his men had joined them and also stood staring expectantly.
Then the screen suddenly popped to life again, and a welcome message popped up. Alekskombank. A loud whoop and holler rang out amongst the terrorists.
“We’re in!” said the leader, pumping his fist. He practically shoved Diana from the chair and took her seat, then started tapping the keys frantically.
So this is what they wanted. Access to some Russian bank. But why?
The terrorist turned to Diana. “Thank you, my dear. You would never have thought it, but deep in his heart your dear old father has a soft spot.” He tapped the keys frantically. “I don’t know how, but at some point Yuri Gornakov discovered that he had a third child. Perhaps your real mother told him. I don’t care. All I know is that he felt there was a wrong to be righted, and he set up a secret account in your name, the funds to be disbursed the moment you tied the knot and got married. You were never to know where the money came from, the whole thing handled through a law firm. You were to be led to believe some distant uncle had died and left you a substantial amount of money. The only way to unlock the funds was with an iris scan.” He laughed. “Brilliant, huh?”
He gestured to the screen where a transfer of funds was being initiated.
“Unfortunately you will never get to enjoy your daddy’s money. But then you never really had any need for it anyway.” He eyed Jack. “Now that you’ve managed to snag your very own prince you won’t even miss these couple of millions.”
Suddenly, as if on cue, three men took a hold of them.
“Hey!” shouted Jack, fighting back.
The terrorist leader was in his face before he could shake off his assailant. “Contrary to what you might think I’m not a violent man, Your Highness, but I will use force if necessary—even lethal force.”
To demonstrate his point, he raised a small handgun to Diana’s temple. “You wouldn’t want to have to bury your fiancée before the wedding now would you?”
Jack scowled at the man. “Touch her again and you’re dead,” he snarled.
The terrorist shrugged. “Suit yourself. It’s not like I need her anymore.”
And then he pulled the trigger.
CHAPTER 15
Rob watched one of the terrorists signal the others. As if on cue, they all made their way to the door. Then, after a last glance around the room…simply walked out.
For a moment, no one dared to move. Like idiots they all sat there, even though the guards were gone. Then Rob rose, as did his brothers. He quickly darted to the door, and when he stuck out his head he saw to his surprise that the hall was empty. He jogged to the main staircase, glancing down. Not a soul in sight. It was as if the terrorists had simply vanished into thin air. What the hell…
He ran back to the room, meeting some of the hostages tentatively checking if the coast was clear. He gave them a thumbs up and when he met Mike, said, “They’re gone! The fuckers have left the building!”
“You’re kidding,” Mike said incredulously. He was clasping his bride’s hand tightly in his oversized mitt. Both of them stared down the corridor in amazed relief.
Rob returned to the room, shaking his head. What the hell was going on here? What kind of hostage-takers would just walk away? He didn’t have a clue. All he knew was that he was starving, and that a fine royal wedding buffet stood awaiting them.
But then he remembered that Diana was missing and his appetite vanished.
He caught sight of his parents. They were huddled together, both in tears, clasping each other in a desperate embrace. His heart broke at the sight of them. He knelt and hugged them close. “We’ll get them for this,” he managed to mutter. “We’ll get the bastards.”
Then he saw that Yulian was standing next to them, clenching and unclenching his fists. “I—I’m sorry,” the billionaire muttered, clearly not used to dealing with these kinds of situations.
Anna looked up. “It’s not your fault, Yulian. You couldn’t possibly have known.”
Yulian shook his head. His wife Julia was at his side, clasping his arm, relieved to be reunited with her husband. “I should have known. Somehow…” His voice trailed off. “Thank you for looking after my…sister,” he finally managed, controlling his voice with an extreme effort.
“She will always be our little girl,” Anna said simply.
Rob nodded. No matter what, Diana would always be his sister.
He stood and clapped Yulian on the shoulder. “Looks like we’re brothers, huh, buddy?” Yulian muttered something unintelligible, then started to walk away, but Rob didn’t let go. “Who would have thought?” he added pleasantly. “The Petrovs and the Gornakovs. One big happy family.”
With a vicious grunt, Yulian turned to the door. Rob stared after him with a wistful sigh. Now that he finally had a billionaire brother the man didn’t even seem to like him all that much. He shrugged. No matter. Yulian would learn to love him—would learn to love them all—like his very own family. Then he jogged after the billionaire. “Hey, Yulian!” he called out. “Wait up, bro!”
He caught up with him as he strode from the room, and placed a hand on his shoulder, only to find it instantly shrugged off with an irritated growl.
Undeterred, he fell into step beside his newfound relative. “So tell me all about yourself, buddy. I feel like we have a lot of catching up to do. First off, the most important question of all. Yankees or Mets?”
“Fuck off, Rob,” Yulian grunted, none too friendly.
“Hey, is that a way to treat your brother!”
“You’re not my brother,” hissed Yulian as he descended the stairs.
“Well, if you wanna get all technical about it,” Rob grumbled, easily keeping up. They’d arrived at ground level and he suddenly turned serious. “Where do you think they took her?”
Yulian cast him a quick glance. “Only place to get access to anything is the command center in the basement, so I’m assuming that’s where we’ll find her.”
“How come you know so much about this place?”
“Ruslan got the grand tour the moment we arrived.”
Ruslan was Yulian’s personal jack-of-all-trades. Manservant, butler, bodyguard, secretary and chef, he’d been Yulian’s shadow for years. Wherever the billionaire went, Ruslan was never far behind. Except today.
“I hope nothing happened to him,” Yulian grunted.
“I hope nothing happened to Diana,” Rob added.
Both men exchanged a look of understanding. Whatever their relationship, they were going to save Diana or die trying.
They’d arrived at an inconspicuous elevator that Rob would have passed by. Producing a key from his pocket, Yulian slipped it into the lock and turned. Within seconds the car arrived and the door slid open. “This takes us straight to the command center,” Yulian told him.
Rob was going to ask him how he’d managed to get a hold of the key but then thought better of it. The billionaire was a very special guest of the king. He’d probably been granted this exceptional access as a way to make sure he felt safe.
As the elevator zoomed down, Yulian warned, “Better keep your eyes peeled. Those assholes might still be around.”
Rob cursed under his breath. He wasn’t packing. “They better not have harmed my sister,” he growled.
“Our sister,” Yulian corrected.
They stared at each other for a beat, both men mentally readying themselves for whatever awaited them down in that dungeon. Then the elevator jerked to a stop and the door swished open.
The sight that met their eyes took their breath away.
CHAPTER 16
She’d dreamed of her mother, or at least that’s what she thought as she came up for air. It was as if she was drowning in a deep blue sea. Slowly it all came back to her. As she splashed about with her mother, father and siblings, she noticed she’d been drifting ever further away from the beach, and now suddenly found herself in open water, the shoreline almost disappeared from view. The water had become colder and the surface more choppy and there was no way she would ever be able to reach safety now.
The sound of her brothers laughing and frolicking in the surf on their boards was nothing but a distant memory, the warning call of her mother still ringing in her ears: “Don’t swim too far, Diana, honey.”
Well, that’s exactly what she’d done. She’d swum out too far and now there was no way she could ever get back.
The water was so deep here, so cold, her breaststroke but a feeble attempt to propel her body through these dangerous currents sweeping her out to sea.
She tried to call out, to shout, but a gulp of salty water prevented her from using her voice. She coughed, quelling a rising sense of panic.
The surface was closing over her head, tons of water pushing her down into the darkness, deeper and deeper…until a glimmer of hope surged in her chest.
A voice called out—a hand caught hers and pulled her back up.
Who was calling her name? All she knew was that her heart trilled at the sound of his voice.
“Diana! Diana, wake up!”
She groaned and shook her head, straining to resurface.
Her mother…Anna…where was she? Why had she ever allowed her to be swept away?
“Diana? Come back!”
She tried to open her eyes but they were heavy. Finally, with supreme effort, she managed…and gazed into eyes the color of amber. She sighed in relief when strong arms held her and pressed her close.
“Jack,” she whispered. “Oh, Jack.”
“Diana, thank God,” he murmured, his voice betraying his emotion.
Then she noticed she wasn’t out at sea but safe on the hard floor of the palace basement. She must have collapsed, and now found herself being rocked in Jack’s arms, reveling in the feel of safety that washed over her at his touch.
“You gave us quite a scare, young lady,” a familiar voice sounded next to her.
When she found herself gazing into Rob’s trusty greens, she smiled. “Rob.”
He grinned down at her. “We thought you were a goner.”
“They must have drugged her,” muttered a third man, whom she recognized as Yulian. Vaguely she remembered something about him, though at the moment she couldn’t recall what it was. There was something about this man…something very important…but what?
Then she remembered, and her eyes widened. “Yulian…you’re my brother!”
He nodded. “That’s right, Anastasiya.”
She winced at the name. “I think I prefer Diana.”
“Me too,” Rob chimed in.
“What happened?” she groaned, only now becoming aware of nausea sweeping through her.
“They put a gun to your head, spraying you with some noxious gas. It knocked you out cold.” Jack shook his head. “Thank God it wasn’t a bullet.”
“Seems kinda weird that a terrorist would use gas,” muttered Rob.
Diana gingerly rose and checked around. They were in a cavernous underground space, more a bunker than a ballroom. Then she remembered. She was in the command room. She stared at a man sitting on the floor nearby. He was holding his head in his hands. She vaguely remembered having seen him.
Jack followed her gaze. “Armand. Our security man. They knocked him out with the same concoction they used on you. He’s just now coming to.”
“Where are the terrorists?” she asked.
He grimaced. “They left the moment they got their hands on the money.”
She remembered she’d granted them access to her bank account. “So they got what they came here for.”
Jack pulled her close. “God, I thought you were dead,” he grunted.
The warmth of his embrace did much to dispel the nausea and confusion. She squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them again as a sudden fear assaulted her. She jerked back, staring at him imploringly. “The others…are they all right?”
“They’re all fine,” he rumbled. “They haven’t harmed a single person.”
This was all so weird, she decided. Terrorists invading a castle, then harming no one and managing to get away scot-free.
“The most important thing is that you’re safe, Diana,” he stressed, clasping her in his arms. Automatically she raised her lips to his and reveled in the heat of his kiss, drowning out all the horrors and fears of the past few hours. Whatever had happened, it had brought her at least this one gift: Jack.
CHAPTER 17
Jack could have kicked himself for letting any harm come to Diana. He’d sworn to protect her and instead he’d allowed that asshole to put a gun to her head and pull the trigger. He’d lunged at the man in a last ditch attempt to knock the gun from his hand, but the sickening sound of a click had told him he was too late.
He’d plowed into the terrorist head first and had managed to take him down, but when he looked back, desperate, he’d seen Diana prostrate on the floor and the sight had knocked him for a loop. He’d immediately moved to her and cradled her in his lap. It had taken him a few moments to realize what was wrong with the picture: no blood. No head wound. Nothing. Only the vague scent of some gaseous substance released in the air.
Behind him the terrorist had scrambled to his feet, but he hadn’t paid attention, all his focus on the woman cradled in his lap.
Vaguely he sensed the man standing over him, looking down. If at that moment the madman had wanted to take him out he would have had a clean shot.
But then retreating footsteps had sounded and then suddenly silence
reigned.
Now that Diana was safe, his mind was finally free to focus on catching the bastards who did this to her.
Not letting Diana out of his sight, he moved over to Armand, who sat staring before him, dazed and confused. When he caught sight of Jack, he smiled feebly.
“Jack! What happened?”
“My question exactly,” Jack grunted in reply, checking the man for any signs of physical duress. He found none. “You’ve been knocked out with some type of gas,” he told the old security veteran. “What is the last thing you remember?”
Armand frowned, trying to collect his faculties, then shook his gray head. “I—there was some commotion at the elevator. When I went over to see what was going on…” His eyes widened in shock and he looked up sharply. “We’re under attack!” he urged. “Some men in black…they barged in here…” He frowned, confusion clouding his mind. “But how? How did they get past the security lock?”
“They had a key,” Jack told him.
“But that’s impossible,” exclaimed Armand. “Those keys can’t be duplicated.” Tremulously, he asked, “What happened? The king…” He brought a distressed hand to his face. “Oh, my God, the wedding! Mike and Emily…”
“They’re all fine,” Jack assured him. “They were all held at gunpoint in the main banquet hall until the terrorists could get at their real target.”
“The king?”
“Not the king.” He gestured to Diana, who’d risen to her feet and stood swaying now, surveying the scene. In a few words, he briefed the security man on what had taken place. The man expelled a shaky breath. “God, I should have—”
Jack cut him off immediately. “There’s nothing you could have done. These people were well-armed, well-prepared and well-trained.”