The Lost Princes: Darius, Cassius & Monte

by Raye Morgan

  “Nothing,” she said quickly, flushing and looking away to hide it. “I just…I’m Ambrian. Or I should say, my parents were. And I work for the Ambrian News Agency in Ohio.”

  He was searching her eyes, his own dark and clouded. “So?”

  “I saw that article about the returning heroes six months ago where you were one of the soldiers featured.”

  He nodded, waiting.

  “And…well, I got some information…I’m following a lead that you might be Ambrian yourself. I’d like to talk to you about it and…”

  He frowned. “Sorry.” He turned from her again. “I’m not Ambrian. I’m American. You’ve got the wrong guy.”

  No. She didn’t believe that. She’d seen the flicker behind his eyes.

  “Wait,” she said, hurrying after him again. “I really need your help.”

  She paused, realizing there was absolutely no reason he should want to help her. She had to add something, something that would give him an excuse to get involved.

  “You see, what I’m doing is researching people who were forced to leave Ambria by the revolution twenty-five years ago. A lot of people were killed. A lot of the royal family was killed.”

  He looked cynical. “Well, there you go. I wasn’t killed. And neither was my mother.”

  Kelly glanced up in surprise. “Who was your mother?”

  If he had a mother—a real mother—that could change everything. Her entire investigation was riding on a theory snatched out of thin air. At least that was what they’d told her at headquarters.

  Her mouth felt very dry. What if she’d come all the way out here for nothing? Could she stand the ribbing she would take when she went back to her office? Could she hold her head up in meetings, or would she know they were always thinking, Don’t pay any attention to Kelly. She’s the one who went on that wild-goose chase after a lost prince who turned out to be not lost and not a prince. Crazy woman.

  She cringed inside. But only for a moment.

  Backbone, Kelly, she told herself silently. Don’t give up without a fight.

  Holding her head high, she went back into attack mode.

  “Who was your mother?” she asked again, this time almost accusingly, as though she was sure he was making it up.

  His mouth twisted and he looked at her as though he was beginning to wonder the same thing herself. “You know, I don’t get it. What does this have to do with anything? It’s all ancient history.”

  “Exactly. That’s why I’m researching it. I’m trying to illuminate that ancient history and get some people reconnected with the background they’ve lost.”

  Meaning you, mister!

  He was shaking his head. “I don’t need any lost family. Family isn’t really that important to me. It hasn’t done me all that much good so far.”

  “But—”

  Joe turned on her angrily. “Leave me alone, Kelly Vrosis. This is an important day for me and you’ve already wasted too much of it. Stay out of my way. I’ve got no time for this.”

  “Wow,” she said, controlling herself, but letting her growing anger show. “And here I thought you were a good guy. The article I read made you sound like a hero.”

  He stared at her, his face dark and moody. “I’m no hero, Kelly. Believe me.” He worked the muscles in his shoulders and grimaced painfully. “But I’m not a villain, either. As long as I’m not provoked.”

  “Oh, brother.” She gave him a scathing look. “You can’t call someone who’s never been tempted a saint, can you?”

  He studied her, his eyes cold. “I’m not really interested in your philosophy of life. And I still don’t know who sent you here.”

  “I came on my own,” she insisted.

  He stared at her, then slowly shook his head. “I don’t believe that.”

  He was striding off again, but this time she stayed where she was, blinking back the tears that threatened. There was no doubt about it, no tiny glimmer of hope. He’d closed the door. This investigation was over. There wasn’t much more she could do.

  Chapter Three

  JOE GLANCED AT his watch. It looked as if he still had a couple of hours to kill before heading to the airport. He knew he should be home preparing the place for the arrival of his little girl, and preparing his own psyche for how he was going to deal with her, but he was too rattled, too restless to stay in one place for long. He turned into his favorite coffee bar a couple blocks from his house and got into the line at the counter.

  Yeah, coffee. Just the thing to settle his jangled nerves. What was he thinking? A good stiff shot of whiskey would have been better.

  But he wasn’t going to be drinking the hard stuff anymore, not while he had his daughter living with him. Everything was going to be different.

  It had been hard enough just getting her here. Angie’s mother, Coreline, had been against their marriage from the beginning, and she’d done all she could to keep Joe from bringing his baby home after Angie died. He’d been prepared, now that he was mostly healed, to go to the Philippines and fight for custody, but word had come suddenly that Coreline had died, and that baby Mei would be sent to him right away, along with her nanny.

  Thank God for the nanny! Without her, Joe would be in a panic right now. But luckily, she would stay for six months to help him adjust. In the meantime, he would make arrangements for the future.

  His baby was coming to be with him. It was all he could think about.

  The only thing that had threatened to distract him had been his strange encounter with Kelly Vrosis earlier that morning. Hopefully, his demeanor had discouraged her enough that he wouldn’t see her again.

  He took his drink from the counter and turned, sweeping his gaze through the crowded café, and there she was, sitting in the shadowy back corner. She’d cleaned up pretty well. Instead of the baggy clothes, she was wearing a snug yellow tank top and dark green cropped pants with tiny pink lizards embroidered all over them. His own crisp button-up shirt and nicely creased slacks added to the contrast of the way they had both looked that morning.

  As his gaze met hers, she smiled and raised her hand in a friendly salute.

  “Hi,” she said as he came closer. Her smile looked a little shaky, but determined.

  He grimaced and went over to her table, slumping down into the seat across from her.

  “What are you having?” she asked, just to be polite. “A nice latte?”

  He held up his cardboard cup. “A Kona blend, black. Extra bold.”

  She raised her eyebrows. “I should have known.”

  He didn’t smile. “You’re doing it again,” he said wearily.

  She looked as innocent as possible, under the circumstances. “Doing what?”

  “Following me.”

  She pretended shock. “Of all the egos in the world! I was here first.”

  He gave her a look. “Come on, you know you are.”

  “Hey, I’m allowed to inhabit all the public spaces you inhabit until you get a court order to stop me.”

  He groaned. “Is it really going to take that?”

  She stared at him frankly, pretending to be all confidence, but inside she was trembling. She’d almost given up a bit earlier, but it hadn’t taken long to talk herself into giving it another try. Now here she was, trying hard, but it seemed he still wasn’t buying.

  “Kelly, don’t make me get tough on you.”

  Was that a threat? She supposed it was, but she was ready to let that go as long as she had a chance to turn his mind around. She leaned forward earnestly. “You know how you could take care of this? Make it all go away like magic?”

  He looked skeptical. “Maybe I could have you kidnapped and dropped off on an uninhabited South Pacific island,” he suggested.

  “No. All you have to do is sit down for an interview and let me ask you a few questions.”

  That hard line was back around his mouth and dark clouds filled his blue eyes. “So you are a writer.”

  “No, I’m not.
” She was aching with the need to find a way to convince him. “I’m not interested in writing about you. I wouldn’t write about you. I know it would be dangerous for you if I did, and I would never do anything to hurt you.”

  He studied her, uncertain what the hell she was talking about. She was pretty and utterly appealing, and he wasn’t used to being mean to pretty girls. But did he have any choice? He needed to be rid of her.

  “Listen, I came all the way from Ohio to find you. Let me talk to you for, say…one hour,” she suggested quickly. “Just one.”

  He frowned at her suspiciously. “What about? What is it that you want to know?”

  She brightened. “About you. About where you come from. Your background.”

  He shook his head. This didn’t make any sense at all. “Why? What do you care about those things? I thought you were finding places for refugees from your island to go or something. What does all that have to do with me?”

  “Because I think…” She took a deep breath. “Because there’s plenty of evidence that you might be…”

  “What?”

  She coughed roughly and he resisted the urge to give her a good pat on the back. When she stopped, she still looked as though she didn’t know what to say to him.

  “What could it be?” he said, half teasing, half sarcastic. “Maybe Elvis’s love child?”

  “No.” She licked her dry lips and forced herself onward. “Have you…have you ever heard of…the lost royals of Ambria?”

  That damn island again. This was the second time she’d mentioned Ambria and she was the second person this week to bring up that little country. What the heck was going on? He stared at her for a long moment, then shrugged. “What about them?”

  “I think you’re one of them.”

  His brows came together for a second. “No kidding? Which one?” he added, though he didn’t really know a thing about any of them, not even their names.

  She took a deep breath. “I don’t know that for sure. But I think Prince Cassius would be the right age.”

  Joe shook his head, an incredulous look on his face. “I want to understand this. You came to California just so you could follow me around and decide if you thought I was this prince?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you know how nutty that sounds?”

  “Yes, I know exactly how nutty it sounds. Everyone I know has been telling me that ever since I got the idea.”

  He stared at her for a few seconds longer, and then he threw back his head and laughed aloud. “You’re insane,” he said, still laughing.

  “No. I’m serious.”

  He shook his head again, rising and grabbing his cup. “I should have known better than to stop and talk to you,” he muttered as he turned to go. Looking back, he laughed again.

  “Now that I know you’re unstable, I feel vindicated in not wanting to have anything to do with you and your crazy theories.” He raised a hand in warning. “Stay out of my way, Kelly Vrosis. I mean it. Don’t waste any more of my time.”

  She sat very still as she watched him walk away, and the realization hit her hard: he didn’t know.

  How amazing was that? If he really was one of the princes, he didn’t know about it. It seemed almost unbelievable, and yet, somehow it fit with the way he’d been living his life. No one would have thought he was a prince.

  No one but her.

  She’d lived sith the story of the lost royals for months now. Twenty-five years ago, the mysterious little country of Ambria had been invaded by the Granvilli clan. The king and queen were killed, the castle was burned and the royal children—five sons and two daughters—had disappeared. For years it was assumed they had been murdered, too. But lately a new theory had surfaced. What if some of them had been spirited away and hidden all these years? What if the lost royal children of Ambria still existed?

  That was the question that had filled her ever since she’d read about them. And once she saw the pictures of Joe in the magazine article, she’d been sure he was one of them.

  And was she right? Could this ex-Army Ranger, this California surfer boy, really be one of the lost royals of Ambria? Could he really be a prince? He didn’t act like it. But then, if he hadn’t been raised to know how a prince was supposed to act, why would he?

  Despite all that, the more she saw of him, the more confident she was in her instincts. The DeAngelis family that had ruled Ambria for over five hundred years had the reputation of being the most attractive royals ever. Her opinion? He fit right in.

  “Mr. Tanner? This is Gayle Hannon at the customer service desk at the airport. There’s been some sort of mix-up. A little girl has arrived designated for your reception, but—”

  Joe gripped the receiver tightly. “She’s here already? She wasn’t supposed to arrive until tonight.”

  “As I say, there’s been a mix-up. She was diverted to a different flight, and it seems the required child caretaker has disappeared. She’s…” The woman’s voice deepened with new emotion. “Mr. Tanner, she’s all alone. Poor little thing. I think you had better come quickly.”

  “She’s hardly more than one year old,” he said, stunned. How had she ended up arriving alone on an international flight? “I’ll be right there.”

  All alone. The words echoed in his mind as he searched for his keys and dashed for his car. This wasn’t good. He had to get there, fast.

  Kelly was out on the sidewalk in front of Joe’s house, waiting for him. She’d spent the last few minutes giving herself a pep talk, and she was ready to hang tough this time. As he started his car out, she bent forward and knocked on the half-open passenger side window.

  “Joe, listen. I’ve really got to talk to you. There is something you should know.”

  He looked at her blankly. “Huh?” he said. “What?”

  She hesitated, sensing an opening. “Where are you going?”

  “The airport,” he said distractedly.

  “Can I come with you? I just need to…”

  He shook his head, not even listening. “Whatever,” he muttered, pulling on his seat belt.

  “Oh.”

  She took that as pure encouragement. Reaching out, she tugged on the door handle. Miraculously, it sprang right open and she jumped in.

  “Great.”

  “Hey.” He glared at her, finally seeming to realize who she was and why she was sitting beside him in his car. “Listen, I don’t have time for this.”

  She smiled. “Okay,” she said agreeably. “Let’s go then.”

  He hesitated only a moment, then shook his head and swore. “What the hell.” He grunted, stepping on the accelerator. “Hang on and keep quiet,” he told her firmly. “I’m in a hurry.”

  She did as he said. He took the city streets too fast and then turned onto the freeway. Once he’d settled into a place in the flow of traffic, she turned and smiled brightly at him.

  “So, the airport?” she said. “Are you meeting someone?”

  He didn’t even glance her way. “Yeah,” he said, concentrating on his driving. Then he shook his head and muttered, “She’s all alone in the middle of the airport and she’s hardly more than one year old.”

  Kelly waited for a moment, and when he didn’t elaborate, she asked, “Who is?”

  He glanced at her sideways. “My little girl.”

  Kelly’s jaw dropped. In all her time researching Joe Tanner, she’d never seen a shred of evidence that he had a child.

  “Your little girl? What’s her name?”

  “Mei. Her mother named her. I wasn’t there to help with it.” He swore softly, shaking his head. “I was never there. Damn it. Some husband, huh?”

  This was all news to Kelly. “You’re married?” she asked, stunned.

  He took in a deep breath and let it out. “I was married. Angie died in a firefight in the Luzon jungle a year ago. And now I’m finally going to meet our baby.”

  Kelly sat staring out at the landscape as they raced along. The enormity of what sh
e’d thrown herself into finally registered, and it was like hitting a brick wall. She thought she knew so much, and now to find out she knew so little…Had she made a terrible mistake? All those months of researching this man and she didn’t have a clue. He’d been married and had a baby? Stunning.

  What else didn’t she know? If she was so clueless about so much, could she possibly be right about his royal background? It didn’t seem very likely at the moment. Heat filled her cheeks and she scrunched down in the seat, wishing she was somewhere else.

  Traffic slowed to a crawl. Joe drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, mumbling to himself and looking pained. “What am I going to do with her?”

  Kelly sat up straighter. He was obviously talking about his daughter. Why did he sound so lost, so troubled?

  “Didn’t you have a plan when you sent for her?” she asked.

  He raised a hand and gestured in frustration. “There was supposed to be a nursemaid with her. Someone who knows her and can help take care of her.”

  There was anger in his voice, but also so much more. Kelly heard anxiety she would never have expected from such a strong personality. He’d obviously come up against something he didn’t really understand, something he wasn’t sure he could deal with. Despite everything, her heart went out to him.

  “What happened?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “I don’t know. They called and said Mei had come in early and she was all alone.” He turned and glanced at Kelly, and swore softly, obviously regretting that he’d let her into the car in a distracted moment.

  “Why are you here?” he demanded, looking very annoyed. “This has nothing to do with you. And if you think you’re going to write about this…Listen, I’m going to drop you off at a pay phone as soon as we get off this freeway.”

  “No.” All thoughts of disappearing from the scene had flown right out of her mind. His dilemma had touched her. She wanted to help. “I swear to God, Joe, I will not write anything about you and your baby. I’m not a journalist. I’m not a writer.” She took a deep breath. “And I’m coming with you.”