Christmas Conspiracy

by Robin Perini

  “Hot! Hot!” Hayden screamed.

  Kat reached out a hand.

  Victor turned his gun on her. “Don’t anyone else move.”

  Logan flashed a glance at Daniel, who stood closest to the terrorist, and made a subtle hand sign.

  “Be ready, Princess,” Daniel whispered in her ear.

  “For what?”

  “To duck.”

  With that, he and Logan launched themselves at Victor, taking him down and yanking his gun arm away from Hayden. Bullets sprayed the ceiling and ricocheted off the floor.

  Hayden was thrown free. Kat ran to him and grabbed him close, huddling protectively around her son.

  Logan tugged Victor to his feet and the arms dealer stared around the room in furious disbelief. It was over.

  “I will hunt you down, Carmichael,” he swore at Logan. “You’ll pay for killing my son.”

  Deke flew across the room and shoved a shiv in Karofsky’s stomach. “No. You will not harm anyone again.”

  Victor looked in shock at the metal shaft sticking from his body. Blood pumped steadily from the fatal wound.

  “That was for Maria,” Deke ground out. “And my unborn child.”

  “You will never find her now,” Victor spat, sagging to his knees.

  Deke stood over him, glaring down at the dying man. “I already have.”

  Pierre moved to Deke’s side, and Logan left the arms dealer under their final watch. He raced to Kat.

  “Are you and Hayden all right?” He kissed her face, then yanked her against him, careful not to crush their traumatized son in between.

  “I thought I’d lost you,” she said crying, touching Logan in disbelief. “I thought Sarbonne killed you.”

  Logan held her tight, cradling both her and Hayden in his powerful arms. “I told you he could try. Turns out I’m not that easy to kill.” He looked at her, a sheen of moisture in his eyes, and gently pushed the hair back from her cheek. “Especially when I have something this precious to live for.”

  “I love you,” Kat whispered, then sagged against his chest, listening to him murmur that he loved her, too, and everything would be all right. She closed her eyes against her own heartfelt tears, and gave thanks that they’d all survived.

  “Call a medevac. Quick!”

  Everyone turned at Stefan’s shout. The king lay over his son, blood pouring from a bullet wound in his chest. Agony contorted his features.

  “No,” Kat cried, realizing Leopold had been shot trying to protect Stefan.

  Logan ran to the king, and pressed his hands against the wound. Blood continued to seep through his fingers. “I need a pressure bandage.”

  Pierre stripped off his guard’s jacket and pushed it into Logan’s hands “Use this.”

  Kat came closer, holding Hayden’s face protectively against her so he couldn’t see the wound in his grandfather’s chest. Her son had been through enough.

  Logan’s men and Antoine locked the remaining guards into a cell. Soon the hallway cleared.

  “Father?” Kat said hesitantly, seeing the disturbing amount of blood he’d lost. Logan’s ministrations seemed to stanch the wound, but the king’s skin was mottled gray.

  Leopold rolled his head to one side to look at her. “I’m sorry, Katherine. I never meant for things to go this far.”

  “Why did you risk this?”

  Sorrow filled his eyes. “I know you don’t understand, but I had to save my country. For that, I needed an heir.”

  “Father, what were you thinking?” Stefan said. “Bellevaux could have survived economically without getting involved with the likes of Victor Karofsky.”

  “I didn’t understand what he was like. I was desperate. I did it for the love for my country.”

  Pierre cleared his throat. “I love Bellevaux, too, Your Majesty. But what you have done…it’s wrong. Many good men have died because of you.” He bowed to his sovereign one last time. “I can no longer, in good conscience, serve you as my king.”

  Leopold’s face paled. Kat stared at the man who had taken her baby from her and tried to feel pity. She didn’t know if she could ever forgive him. She’d almost lost both her children—and Logan—because of his schemes.

  She clasped Logan’s hand and kissed Hayden’s temple, grateful they were both alive.

  “Mommy, I want to go home.” Hayden clung to Kat, his residual fear evident.

  “We will, sweetie,” she said, wondering exactly where that was now.

  “You can’t leave,” Pierre blurted out in desperation. “You must take over as queen. Your country needs you.”

  Kat shook her head. “No, Pierre, my family needs me more. I don’t want this. Stefan is alive. He can take his rightful place as the king’s heir again.”

  “Pierre is right. The prince can’t agree,” Logan said.

  “It’s true,” Stefan said weakly. “He knows the reasons I cannot be king, Father.”

  Leopold sank back. “Please don’t abandon your country, Stefan. I will leave, if that’s what you want. Live in exile, never to return. I know what I’ve done is unforgivable.”

  Kat stared at her father, sadness and respect rising within her.

  “You saved my life,” Stefan whispered, the effort to speak resonating in his voice.

  “But—”

  “It’s not your transgressions that prevent me from being king.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Explain to my father,” Stefan requested of Logan, then fell back, exhausted.

  Logan held Kat close and looked at Leopold. “Your son sacrificed more than anyone could expect. His political junkets as Prince Stefan enabled him to get access to information and make contacts that were critical to the fight on terrorism.”

  “What?” The king turned on his son. “You never told me. How dare you risk your life. You are royalty.”

  “Maximillian was heir. Before his death. I wanted to do something with mine besides be a playboy prince.”

  Her brother reminded Kat so much of Logan.

  “We discovered the duke leaked Stefan’s identity to Karofsky,” Logan said. “He wanted Stefan dead. Right before the explosion at the royal court, his name appeared on a series of hit lists revealing his work with Interpol and the CIA. The wrong people know about his double life.”

  “No,” Kat whispered, recognizing the implications.

  Stefan gave Kat a regretful glance. “I’m dead now…to the world and to those terrorists. If I don’t remain that way,” Stefan said quietly, “my murder won’t be merely a ruse. It will be a reality and everyone around me will be at risk.”

  “But I can’t lose you again, Stefan,” the king insisted. “Not a second time.”

  “After today, Stefan will no longer exist. My face has been shattered irrevocably. My body, too. When I am put back together, I’ll become someone new, and dedicate my life, in whatever capacity my recovery will allow, to stopping men like Sarbonne and Karofsky.”

  “Then you have decided,” the king said sadly. “Bellevaux is lost.”

  * * *

  MEDICS STABILIZED DANIEL for his ride to the palace, where a hospital room was being set up. Noah and Hunter supervised the impending transport of a badly injured man known to the ambulance crew only as Léon—his destination would remain unknown.

  Kat clutched her brother’s hand, hating that she would probably never see him again. “I wish I could have gotten to know you,” she said. She leaned down, her mouth just inches from his ear. “My children will miss having an uncle,” she whispered, “and I, an amazing brother.”

  Léon kissed her cheek. “I think we would have been good friends. Not just siblings. Your courage in the prison saved me. Good luck, ma soeur. Be safe.”

  The stretchers rolled out. The king’s stretcher was placed in the last ambulance and as his son’s vehicle left, Leopold watched, then bowed his head, a broken, sorrowful man.

  Logan couldn’t believe the change in the king in the past hour. T
he once proud man had grown small and old, his weakened body trembling as he lay bereft on the gurney.

  “What are you going to do?” Pierre asked, his face stoic.

  The king lifted his head, his eyes dark with anguish. “What I must,” Leopold said. “I caused one son’s death, another son’s unspeakable torture and now his…loss…forever from my life. I kidnapped my own grandchild. I do not deserve to be king.”

  He turned his face away. “I must prepare our people to no longer have a country to call their own.”

  “No,” Pierre objected. “If you do not name an heir, our country will cease to exist.”

  “Perhaps that’s for the best,” Leopold said, and turned away.

  The guard couldn’t stop his distressed protest.

  “Your Royal Highness.” Pierre bowed to Kat. “Do you love your country?”

  “Of course.”

  “Then how can you let half a million people lose their identity, their history, their cultural heritage, and become lost amongst a sea of a million strangers, when you can stop it. The people need a leader to guide them. They need you.”

  “It is over, Pierre. She has made her wishes clear,” the king said. “Without Stefan, I have no heir.”

  Kat gripped Logan’s hand. Her fingernails dug into his palm.

  He met her gaze and nodded his understanding.

  “Yes, you do, Father,” Kat said. “You have me.”

  * * *

  LOGAN SAT ACROSS FROM Daniel’s hospital bed. “I’m sorry we didn’t find out you were alive earlier.” Logan fingered his Stetson, and met his friend’s gaze. “I should have believed in you more.”

  Daniel lay back on the pillows, struggling as he took a breath with his broken ribs. “The duke made it look good. If I’d seen the evidence about the M.O. on the bomb blast, I’d have believed I was guilty, too.”

  “That doesn’t excuse me for not looking into the accusations harder. Connecting all the pieces earlier.”

  “Sarbonne was a madman—and a sadist. He believed it was his divine right to rule Bellevaux, and the murder and torture he used to try to secure the throne brought him immense pleasure. We may never know exactly how he orchestrated Prince Maximillian’s death, but if Stefan’s treatment at the duke’s hands is any indication, Max suffered a lot before he died.”

  “But both you and Stefan survived,” Logan pointed out. “The duke didn’t win in the end.”

  Daniel’s knuckles whitened as dark memories obviously hit. “You don’t know what Stefan went through, Logan. I don’t know how he took it.”

  “I suspect I could say the same about you, my friend.”

  Daniel looked away, and Logan could see his friend’s emotions closing off. Daniel’s scars would take a long time to heal. Inside and out.

  “It’s weird the guy who blew up the ranch helped bring down the duke and Victor.”

  “He’ll have to pay,” Logan said, “though Kat seems to think since he saved Hayden he deserves leniency. I’m not so sure. The jury will have to decide.”

  “Your princess is something,” Daniel said, changing the subject. “Even terrified, she wouldn’t give up. When she pulled out that knife to save her brother and her son…let’s just say she’s got a spine of steel when it counts.”

  “Yeah. She’s got courage.” Logan’s heart twisted in his chest, his despair so thick he could taste it.

  “You love her.”

  “With everything in me,” Logan said softly. “We could have made it, Daniel. But Bellevaux needs her, and there’s no one else to step in as heir now. I have to let her go.”

  “Logan, she loves you,” Daniel insisted. “Don’t walk away so easily.”

  “Easily?” he said in frustration, getting up to pace the room. “There’s nothing easy about leaving her and my children! But a queen needs the right man by her side. Not an ex-CIA rancher from Texas, who may still have enemies like Victor Karofsky coming after him.”

  “Don’t you think she should be the judge of that?”

  “I can’t make this any harder on her than it already is.”

  “Then take over as captain of the guards. Sergei is dead. Who better to protect Kat than the man who loves her most?”

  Logan frowned. “So, I can be her bodyguard, watching from a distance, until the man she needs to marry comes along?” He slapped his Stetson on his knee and moved toward the exit. “I can’t do it. I’ll come see the kids, but she’s made her decision and I’ll do whatever I must to support her. Even if that’s leaving.” He gave his friend one last look. “It’s over, Daniel. This is one Cinderella story that ends without a happily ever after.”

  His footsteps heavy, Logan closed the door quietly and let his friend rest. He made his way to the refurbished throne room. The last time he’d been here an explosion had destroyed so many lives. He’d thought life was painful then. Now, he had to say goodbye to the woman who would always hold his heart.

  The king stood at a window staring out at the countryside. Kat stood near him, a vision. The sapphire-blue dress she wore hugged her figure. Her hair was swept up and a tiara rested on her head. She was a true princess. Regal. Beautiful. Out of reach.

  Hayden clung to her side. Their son hadn’t left Kat since they left the prison. Logan didn’t know how long it would take for his little boy’s laugh to come back, but Lanie and Gretchen would be here soon. Rafe had hired a jet. They were all set to arrive this afternoon.

  Logan longed to take Kat and Hayden into his arms, but with King Leopold’s reign shattered, his legacy tarnished, Bellevaux needed Queen Katherine to keep it intact.

  What Logan wanted couldn’t matter. He moved closer to them.

  “What if I’m not the right person?” Kat said to her father.

  “You are the only one who can give them hope.” The king sighed. “Once I reveal what I have done, they need someone they can believe in, Katherine. That person is you.”

  Kat tugged at the elegant gown a lady in waiting had provided. She lifted her skirt, revealing a sexy leg and three-inch high heels. “I’m going to break my leg in these shoes.”

  “A monarch makes sacrifices.” The king kissed her cheek. “But there are six pair of your American Roper boots arriving tomorrow. Your other ones lacked a certain…luster.”

  “You didn’t get rid of them?”

  “No. I’ve learned not to discard the good things in my life.” He met her gaze. “I was wrong when I didn’t contact you for so long. Then, faced with the total loss of my country, and thinking I knew better, I ruthlessly took the safe life you’d created in Texas from you.”

  The apology stunned Kat. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Say nothing. Just please, accept my apology. If I’ve learned anything in the past few weeks, it’s that a royal bloodline means nothing without courage and integrity behind it. You, my dear Katherine, have a pure heart, and the strength to fight for what’s right and for those you love. Lastly, you have the will of a warrior. Without your bravery, Sarbonne might have won and we all would have perished. Thank you, daughter. Your mother was a good woman, but very stubborn. I did love her, though. She would be proud of you today.”

  Tears filled Kat’s eyes. Had her father given up the woman he loved for the people of Bellevaux, too? If a broken heart was a requirement to rule this country, she had that part covered.

  The king stood just inside the balcony waiting for the clock to chime, signaling it was time to address the joyous crowd of loyal subjects outside. Subjects who only knew their kingdom had grown prosperous, but not at what horrific cost.

  Kat peered across the sea of smiling faces below. “What if I can’t do it?”

  Logan came up behind her, his heart breaking. He turned her into his arms. “You have a good heart. You’re smart. You can learn. Your father will help you.”

  She gazed up at Logan. “What about you? Will you help me? I need you with me.”

  “As your bodyguard?”

  “No.”
Kat swallowed deeply. “As my prince.”

  He froze in disbelief. “I’m a Texas rancher, not a prince.”

  “And I’m a Texas cowgirl, not a princess. We’ll learn to rule together.”

  “You need a real prince—another member of royalty.”

  “No, she doesn’t.” The king came to them. “Once I abdicate, she’ll no longer be a princess. She’ll be the queen. As Queen of Bellevaux, she can marry whomever she wants.”

  A ruckus at the door drew their attention. Royal courtiers came in bearing documents and the royal seal of Bellevaux. The king laid the documents out on a table near Kat. “Sign these papers, and you and your children legally become my heirs. You will lead my people.”

  Kat looked over at Logan, the man she wanted more than anything.

  Logan cupped her cheek. “You will be an amazing queen.”

  She took a deep breath. “Will you stay?”

  He stilled. “What if I endanger you?”

  She laughed. “I’m more likely to endanger you now, Logan. And what could be better than having my own security expert as my husband?”

  “You really mean this?”

  She grew serious. “I love you. I can’t imagine my life without you. You’re the father of my children, and you hold my heart in your hands. I can’t do this without you.”

  “I love you, too, and you and the children are all I need.” He looked around at the palace that had been so recently filled with horror and now rang with the sound of his still-subdued son’s laughter. Soon, his daughter would join them. “This will be strange. I’ve never imagined living anywhere but the Triple C.”

  “I know, but we can vacation there. After we rebuild. Our children will spend time on the ranch at least once a year. I don’t want spoiled brats running around this palace.”

  “Me, either.”

  She smiled at him. “Do you think there are enough bodyguards in this entire palace to keep Hayden from starting an international incident?”

  Logan smiled. “I think our little Houdini may require his own special corps of security guards. The nanny corps. Poor guys won’t know what hit them.”

  She laughed. “I love you, Logan Carmichael.”