by Kyanna Skye
“I hope you don’t mind that I’m making us breakfast,” Jesse said. “I read somewhere in your bio that you don’t eat red meat.”
“That’s true,” she said. “Not a religious thing though, in case you are curious. It’s just fattening. I think I have had breakfast for dinner,” she said. “Sometimes when I’m traveling it’s the only thing available.”
“I see, so you’ve had your share of American cuisine,” he teased.
“Yes.”
“Alright, well I’ll try not to disappoint,” he said. “Hopefully you haven’t had a bad impression so far.” He cracked eggs into a bowl with expert ease, never looking away from her as they spoke. Was he trying to impress her? She pushed the thought away. But she did notice the only ring he wore was an onyx on his right hand; no wedding ring.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Well, I think you just did, but sure, ask away.”
“How does someone come into your line of work?”
“For me, it was fairly simple. When I was a kid, I wanted to go to college but my family couldn’t afford it. The military seemed like a good option: scholarship, training as an engineer. I was in for about a year when I was approached by my superiors. They thought that I had promise, and wanted to know if I was open to the idea of working in a special unit. And I was. We did very specialized missions,” he said softly. She noticed the look in his eyes changed. The color of them seemed darker, harder, with an almost metallic edge. “We handled all kinds of things. Tracking down terrorist suspects. Retrieving citizens kidnapped overseas. Jobs dirty enough that the government would never own up to being a part of. When I came back, it was different. It’s hard to go from that kind of action to a normal desk job, much less a normal life. My friends and I created Edgewater as a way to help people. And along the way, we have helped each other and ourselves too.”
“I can understand,” Amira replied. “It’s a calling.”
He looked over his shoulder then, pouring the egg mixture into a skillet. “I guess you could call it that. When you say calling I tend to think of something a little more benevolent, like caring for sick children.”
“There are different kinds of talents,” Amira replied. “Everyone can’t be gentle.”
He handed her a plate first and then fixed his own, but she waited for him to sit down beside her. She took a bite of the omelet. It melted in her mouth.
“This is really good,” she said with a smile.
“You doubted my skill?”
“No,” she said. “I’ve eaten at some fancy restaurants that weren’t as good, so it’s a pleasant surprise.”
They were both quiet for a while enjoying their meal. “By the way, thank you,” Amira said. “When you mentioned food I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to eat. My stomach has been doing somersaults since the hotel.”
“It’s no small thing having someone aim a gun at you,” Jesse said. “I don’t suppose you were prepared for anything like this back home?”
“I was. There are definitely things you’re taught to be ready for when you’re part of the monarchy. But I still wasn’t prepared for this afternoon. Maybe if it hadn’t been in the middle of a speech… I don’t know. My uncle, my father’s brother, was killed in an attempted coup many years ago, so the family has always been sensitive when it comes to possible threats. I will always believe that was the reason my father encouraged me to learn self-defense. People thought he was crazy for that but he didn’t care. Women are always considered easy targets and he didn’t want me being one.”
“It’s commendable, really,” Jesse picked up their empty plates and put them in the sink. “I wish I had more to tell you about the person who did this but there’s nothing yet. The police are attempting to question him but he’s got an attorney, so it’s slow going. We might not know anything for a few days.”
“A few days, a few hours,” Amira sighed. “It’s frustrating. I would like to get back to my life as soon as possible but it doesn’t seem like that’s going to happen soon.”
“Look at it this way. A one week delay for your speech tour isn’t going to make a difference. It would be better for things to go slower than to have you injured… or worse. And if you ask me, this person today, and whoever is employing him—these people aren’t playing games. Which brings me to some questions that I have for you.”
“Questions?”
He leaned forward, looking her in the eyes, and for a moment, she thought she could get lost in his. Who was this man exactly, who could speak to her so coolly but cut through her defenses with ease? Sure, he had been hired to protect her. But she felt something there. It felt like he was taking care of her in a way that was a little more than what she would expect from a bodyguard. It had taken years for some of her own guards to speak to her, to acknowledge her as more than a property which they were protecting. So many people which she came into contact with were really only there for what they could get or the connections she could make for them. Maybe she was just lonely and was sensing something in this man that wasn’t there.
“I need to know if there is anyone you think might have a reason to hurt you. It could be anything; a person you had a recent falling out with, an ex-lover. Someone who may have contacted you before who either disagreed with your politics or religious views. Or maybe a person who has a vendetta against your family in general.”
“I don’t know. Whatever this is isn’t my fault.”
“I’m not suggesting that it is, Amira,” he replied. “Very few people go through life without making any enemies. For a woman of your stature, that’s truer than it is for most.”
“If I’ve made any enemies lately no one has told me about it.”
“Alright. I had to ask. I wouldn’t be doing my job otherwise. I hope I haven’t offended you.”
“No. I probably should be apologizing to you. You saved my life today. I’m just still jumpy. And every time I have a thought about it again, I remember looking down the barrel of that gun,” she shivered. “It just gets me out of sorts.”
“It would do that to anyone,” Jesse replied.
Chapter Three
Jesse wasn’t sure why she was so put off by a simple question but it struck him as odd. What bothered him was he had a feeling that her response wasn’t entirely honest. There was something she wasn’t telling him.
Amira went into the living room and he followed. If she thought he was going to give up so easily, she was in for a surprise. Royalty or not—and despite her beauty—there were certain things he was not going to let her get away with.
She was curled up on the couch, resting her head on her hand. It was a pensive posture, and for a moment he wished he didn’t have to bring up things which were uncomfortable. But there was no way around it, and he felt it better to get the conversation over with.
He sat down across from her, folding his hands.
“Amira,” he said softly. “You’ve had a really hard day and I don’t want to do anything that will make it harder for you. Under the pressure you’ve experienced you have handled it exceedingly well. I have worked with people in these kinds of situations before and believe me when I tell you, most people have not been as collected about it as you are.”
“Thank you,” she replied. She gazed at him, and her wide brown eyes were disarming.
“I guess you should know that as part of my job I have done quite a bit of research on you,” he said. “In speaking with you, and your security team, even with your father, there were a couple of obvious questions no one wanted to address. Is there any reason to believe this had less to do with you as a person and more to do with the succession of monarchy?”
“Those things are not as entirely separate as you might think,” she smiled sadly. “You could say that I have worked my whole life to make a distinction between the two. Don’t get me wrong, I am proud of my family, and my country. I’m looking forward to being able to serve. But not in the way that people expect me to. Whe
n my brother abdicated the throne, he left a lot of open questions for us to all face. Our country has a prime minister of course, but people still love and look towards the monarchy for guidance. There is no history of a female ruler in our country and I would be lying to you if I said that most of our people were prepared for it. It’s problematic. Most of them see me as a sort of anomaly. The cute kid sister to the prince. An oddly tomboyish child with a mouth and a spirit too big for her own good. They don’t think I’m a decent fit for a Princess, much less a queen. And that will one day be my reality. Hopefully no time soon,” she uncurled her legs from beneath her, crossing them and sitting up straight. “You think someone wants me dead before I can take my place on the throne?”
Jesse shrugged. “It seems like a possibility to me.”
“Could be,” she admitted. “I don’t know. There’s not a real path for what I’m doing but I am trying to create one. The people around me don’t seem to understand I really am passionate about the topics I advocate for. We’re a small nation but there are differences to be made on the world stage, and advocating for the rights of young people is only one of them. I don’t find that to be controversial but other people do, especially since my focus is on girls. Some people see me as what’s wrong with the modern world.”
“Seriously? That’s a heavy burden,” Jesse said.
“It is,” Amira conceded. “I break too much from the traditions. I’m unmarried and not really looking to be anytime soon. That’s considered a failure on my part. And I don’t follow religion really, another thing which some find inappropriate.”
“I read that you were engaged,” Jesse said.
Amira shook her head. “In my homeland, you need to say you’re engaged in order to date anyone. Spending time with a man who is not a relative... You need to at least be able to pretend it’s a relationship which could lead to marriage. Besides that, Omar and I are something of business partners. We were working towards getting our fathers to agree on supporting legislation that would benefit both our countries. The general public wouldn’t understand.”
“So you’re not really a couple?”
“No, we’re not.”
“Okay. What about other people who are close to you?”
“I have a couple of close friends I met at University,” Amira said, “and I can guarantee none of them is a problem. It’s just unfortunate, this whole situation. I don’t know who to point you towards.”
“Okay. Since we’ve gotten Omar out of the way. What about other exes?”
Amira’s face turned red. “Exes?”
Jesse sat back. “You’re not telling me that your only boyfriend is the guy you weren’t really dating?”
“In any other circumstance, I’d say that was none of your business.”
“It’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” he said. “It’s just uncommon.”
Amira laughed. “Yes, you say so. Just to let you know. If you were a citizen of my country asking that question, there would be cause to prosecute you for a criminal offense. A serious one with jail time.”
“Princess, you’d be surprised how many countries would have legitimate reasons to throw me in jail,” he replied lightly. “There’s parts of the world I won’t travel to anymore.”
“For things you did in service to your country?” Amira batted her eyes. “That’s different.”
“Yes, but other people wouldn’t see it the way we do,” he said.
“What are we to do the rest of the night?” she asked.
“You’re going to watch television, or maybe read a good book,” Jesse told her. “I’m going to keep an eye out, make sure we don’t have any unwanted visitors.”
***
Detective Emmett McConnell was curious about the suspect in the Princess’ near shooting for several reasons. Of course, it was interesting to have someone under custody who was trying to kill an actual member of royalty. There was a certain amount of pressure to break him in interrogation. It was an honest to goodness international incident which took place in broad daylight, inside a very upscale hotel. He was also curious because the Edgewater Agency was already involved. Though Kiefer was his friend, he was aware that the cases he handled came with a higher level of trouble and mess than the Los Angeles Police Department wanted to handle. The city didn’t have the best reputation when it came to how they dealt with criminals, and a case of this magnitude drew national and international attention.
The would-be assassin's attorney was a woman named Iris Brown, a high priced attorney which he had run into on a regular basis. She was the kind who got off her share of white collared scum off, the drunk teenaged sons of rich men who got arrested for DUI’s, and serial abusers who knew how to work the system. The moment he saw her come through the door, he couldn’t help approaching her.
“Please tell me you’re not here for our fan of the Princess,” he teased.
“I’m here to see my client if you’re involved in his case,” she replied coolly. “I don’t see the need to share information unless you’re working it.”
“Of course you know I am,” he replied. “Who else around here would they shove this case at? Isn’t this a scum level a little beneath you? An actual attempted murderer?”
“Accused,” Iris said, tossing her long, light brown hair over her shoulder. There were streaks of blond at her crown, and her inquisitive green eyes were slow to show emotion. “I recommended that he not answer any of your questions, and I hope that no one here continued to question him once I spoke with him.”
“Relax, Iris,” McConnell said. “No one pressured him, though it would have been damn near impossible to do it. I don’t think he’d have spoken without a lawyer if his ass was on fire. He apparently knows his rights.”
“Good, Emmett,” she narrowed her eyes. “I just wanted to make sure we were clear.”
“I’ll have an officer bring him into an interrogation room. You might want to get some water or coffee because I have a lot of questions for him.”
***
Jesse got comfortable in the den. There was a television screen there which he was able to view the security cameras around the house from. It was like stake out work but only worse. On a stake out there would be a partner beside him, and usually an assortment of junk food and coffee to keep him awake. Though he still had an adrenaline high from the events of the day, and he wasn’t in danger of falling asleep.
His thoughts went to Amira.
She was a beautiful woman, and even though he was familiar with some of the values of the culture she came from, he was surprised at what she told him about the men in her life… or lack thereof. In a way, he thought it was a little sad. She had led such a protected life. Having traveled all around the world, she had probably seen a lot of things other people her age hadn’t, had a life which afforded her the type of privileges most would never experience. But she had missed out on simple things: a boyfriend of her choosing or even the ability to keep a messy, young relationship a secret. She would always be criticized for her actions, and it seemed that though she liked to define herself as a rebel, there were some things which she didn’t rebel against at all. Maybe there was a little more to her relationship with Omar, who was of royal blood from a neighboring country. But either way, unless it affected his case, he reminded himself it wasn’t really any of his concern.
Shortly after midnight he went into the living room and found she had fallen asleep on the coach. Deciding it was probably best to leave her be, he went into the bedroom and brought back a comforter for her. He placed it over her shoulders and pulled the edge down over her feet. She sighed and turned on her side, but did not wake. Though the wilderness was quiet outside, he still didn’t trust getting too comfortable. He decided to take up watch on the other couch, facing the window so he could look out into the yard. Holster strapped on his back, and arms crossed over his chest, he sat up. Staring at the half crescent of the moon, he finally nodded off to sleep himself.
**
*
“Jesse.”
He snapped awake. Amira stood over him, the comforter wrapped around her shoulders like a shawl. Her lips were parted, and there was a sparkle in her eye.
“Yes,” he said, standing up. “Something wrong?”
“I thought I heard a noise,” she said, pointing to the window. “Out there.”
“Come with me,” Jesse instructed. He led her back into the den and closed the door. Security footage showed an empty lawn, front and back. The house was secluded, but there was little shrubbery around the home in order to keep it free of places where anyone could lurk.
“What kind of sound was it?” Jesse asked.
“It sounded like walking. I thought someone was on the porch.”
He clicked the remote and brought up an image of the front of the house.
“Oh,” he said with a smile. “Maybe this is what you heard?”
A stray cat was on the porch, playing with something it had caught in the yard, possibly a dead mouse. He kicked it up and down the length of the porch, playing his own game of feline shuffleboard with its fallen prey.
“Gross,” Amira muttered. “I’m sorry. I woke you up for nothing.”
“No, you didn’t. In fact, you did exactly what you should do. I’d rather have a false alarm than have you think you wouldn’t wake me while there is some bad guy out there.”
“I was sleeping so well for a little while there,” Amira shook her head. “I doubt I’ll get any rest now.”
Jesse nodded. From the clock, he could estimate he’d only been asleep for about half an hour. It was too long for his liking but he knew it was unrealistic for him to think he could operate without any sleep at all. He glanced at Amira and felt sorry for her. She was shivering, even with the comforter around her and he guessed it had more to do with fear than cold. The beginnings of shadows gathered around her eyes. She was exhausted and uncomfortable.
“Come on,” he said. “You’re going to bed.”
“Huh…what?” she said.