He didn’t know how long they stood there, staring into each other’s eyes. In that moment, there was nowhere else he needed to be—nowhere else he wanted to be. There was a special quality about Annabelle that sparked life back into him. She filled in all the cracks in his heart and made him want to face whatever life threw at him.
A motion out of the corner of his eye reminded him they weren’t alone. Today there was a female bodyguard escorting them. She was not the friendly sort—always on guard. He recalled Annabelle calling the woman Marta.
Having a bodyguard watch over them dampened his lusty thoughts. He didn’t like an audience and he preferred not to end up in one of those reports sent off to the Duke of Halencia. But that didn’t mean their outing should end just yet.
“How about we go to dinner? I’d enjoy trying one of the local restaurants.”
Surprise lit up Annabelle’s eyes, but in a blink her enthusiasm dimmed. “Um, sure.”
“What’s the matter?”
“Why does anything need to be the matter?”
“Because it was written all over your face and it was in your tone.”
“It’s nothing. You’re just imagining things.” She glanced away and pulled out her phone. “I know the perfect spot. I’ll just call ahead and let them know we’re on our way.”
He didn’t believe her protests. There was something weighing on her mind, but he didn’t push the subject. If she wanted to confide in him, she would have to do it of her own accord. Once she made the call, they started across the campus toward the parking lot.
After touring this university with its state-of-the-art facilities and cutting-edge technology, he realized there was a lot more to this island nation than its obvious beauty and rich history. The university was surprisingly large, drawing students from all over Europe and there were even some Americans in the mix.
There was a wealth of knowledge here. Some of the students had heard of his cafés and had pleaded with him to build one in Mirraccino. And there were other students who were anxious to work for him.
It would mean his company wouldn’t have to go outside Mirraccino every time they needed to hire personnel for the technological portion of the business. And with some combined initiatives with the university, word about the café would reach the targeted demographic.
“What has you so quiet?” Annabelle asked, interrupting his thoughts.
“I was just going over the events of the day.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed your visit. You know, I graduated from this university with a business degree. I never knew what I’d do with it, but the South Shore Project has been good for me. I like getting up in the morning and having a purpose. Too bad the project is winding down.”
“Then why don’t you find another job?”
She shrugged. “It’s hard to have a normal job when you have someone shadowing your every move.”
“Maybe your circumstances will change and you’ll be able to do as you please.”
Annabelle lowered her voice. “That’s my plan.”
Again the warning bells went off in his mind. He couldn’t resist asking, “What plan?”
She glanced over her shoulder as though making certain her bodyguard wasn’t within earshot. “I plan to show my father that I’m fully capable of caring for myself and that he no longer has to watch over me. And when you sign on with the South Shore, he’ll have to acknowledge that fact.”
“And if your father doesn’t agree? Then what?”
“Then I’m leaving. I’ve always wanted to travel. Maybe I’ll go to London, Paris,” she paused and stared at him, “or perhaps I’ll go to California.”
He didn’t believe she’d actually do it. “Could you really walk away from your father and uncle?”
“Why not?” she said with bravado. “It’ll make their lives easier. After all, you left your family. Why shouldn’t I?”
“My circumstances were different.” There was no comparison between their situations. He had to make her understand. “Your father and uncle love you very much. That’s why they worry so much. I never had anyone worry about me.”
“I’m sorry. I...I shouldn’t have said anything.”
He couldn’t leave off there. He had to stop her from making a big mistake. “When I left, my parents didn’t try to stop me. When I rejected their way of life, I became dead to them. But if you leave here, your father and uncle will never stop looking for you.”
“So they can stick their security detail on me—”
“No, because they love you and your absence would make them sad. Please tell me you understand what a gift you have here.”
“I...I do.” She twisted her purse strap around her fingers. “But somewhere along the way that love started to smother me. My father doesn’t accept that my mother has been dead for eleven years and if there were any lingering dangers, something would have happened by now.”
He sure hoped she was right. Still, there was an uneasy feeling in his gut. But then again he probably wasn’t the best judge of danger. His thoughts strayed back to his last girlfriend. A harmless day of fun had turned deadly. And he’d missed all of the signs. So maybe he was just being overly sensitive now.
They rounded the corner of the administration office when a group of reporters rushed them. Grayson’s whole body tensed. He’d known this moment would come sooner or later. He’d been hoping for later.
Annabelle’s bodyguard rushed in front of them, waving off the paparazzi.
Members of the press started yelling out questions. “Lady Annabelle, is it true? Do you have a new love interest?”
“Does the king approve?”
“How long have you two been involved?”
The questions kept coming one after the other in rapid succession. Thanks to social media, they couldn’t even visit the university without the whole world knowing.
He glanced over at Annabelle and was surprised to find her keeping it all together. But then again as a member of the royal family, she was probably used to these occurrences. Now he better understood her father’s reluctance to lift the security detail.
Campus security quickly responded. Grayson guessed that the bodyguard had alerted them. With help, they made it to their car. Marta drove as he sat with Annabelle in the backseat. But when they took off out of the parking lot, they were followed.
As their speed increased so did Grayson’s anxiety. His fingers bit into the door handle. His body tensed as memories washed over him. Usually he only visited this nightmare when it was late and he was alone. But now it was happening right before his wide-open eyes.
His past and present collided. He recalled the moments leading up to the hideous chain of events. It was like a horror movie playing in his mind and he was helpless to stop it.
“Grayson, are you okay?” Annabelle asked.
He nodded, not trusting his voice at that moment.
“No, you’re not.” She pressed a hand to his cheek. “You feel okay, but you’re pale as a ghost.”
“I’m fine,” he ground out.
Just then there was a bang. He jumped, nearly hitting his head on the roof. In the next instant, he was leaning over to Annabelle and pulling her as close as possible with seat belt restraints still on.
“Grayson, let me up.” She pushed on his chest.
He hesitated. Not hearing any further gunfire, he moved, allowing Annabelle to sit fully upright.
“What was that?” she asked, uneasiness filling her voice.
Grayson didn’t dare say what he thought it was. He didn’t want to scare her any more than necessary. Sadly, he knew what a gunshot sounded like from inside a vehicle.
“A vehicle backfired,” Marta said from the driver’s seat.
Annabelle’s hand slipped in his and squeezed.
A backfire? That knowledge should make him feel better and put him at ease, but it didn’t. There were still paparazzi in cars and motorcycles swarming all around them. Their chaotic and unwanted caravan was flying down the highway now.
“Marta, take us back to the palace,” Annabelle ordered.
The bodyguard never took her gaze off the road. “Understood. I’ll let the palace know we’re coming in hot.”
Annabelle leaned her head against Grayson’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry. Don’t worry. We’ll be at the palace soon.”
“I’m fine.” Why did he keep saying that? He was anything but fine. It was just that he wasn’t ready to open up about his past. He didn’t want to see the disappointment in Annabelle’s eyes when she knew that he wasn’t such a great guy after all.
“No, you’re not. If it’s the paparazzi, I’m sorry. I guess I didn’t think about them getting wind of us being at the university. But I’m sure some of the students got excited and were posting pictures and messages about the visit on their social media accounts.”
They remained hand in hand the rest of the way back to the palace where there was a heavy contingent of armed guards. There was no way any reporter was going to get past the gates.
As the gates swung closed behind them and their speed drastically reduced, Grayson could at last take a full breath. He felt foolish for letting the incident affect him so greatly. It’d been a while since he’d had a panic attack. There’d been a period after the accident when he’d stopped leaving his Malibu beach house for this very reason.
It’d been more than a year since the accident. He’d thought that he would have been past it by now. But the idea of the same thing happening to Annabelle shook him to the core.
When the vehicle pulled to a stop in front of the palace, he immediately jumped out. He’d made an utter fool of himself. How could he not tell the difference between a gunshot and a car backfiring? What was the matter with him?
He needed some fresh air and a chance to pull himself together before he faced Annabelle’s inevitable questions. He couldn’t blame her for wondering what was going on with him, but he didn’t know what to tell her. He’d never discussed that very painful episode with anyone but a counselor. And he wasn’t going to start now.
He took off in the direction of the beach. He knew from talking to Annabelle that it was private. He would be safe from prying eyes there.
“Grayson, wait,” Annabelle called out.
He kept moving.
“Let him go,” Marta said.
“But he...” Annabelle’s voice faded into the breeze.
The more he walked, the calmer he got. And his jumbled thoughts smoothed out. Needing a diversion, he pondered the strange note that Annabelle had found among her mother’s things. There was something about the message that continued to nag at him.
He pulled his phone from his pocket. On it was an image of the note. He’d taken the photo because his gut was telling him there was something about it that wasn’t quite right. But what was it?
He read the note once, then twice and a third time. Was it the misspelled words that bothered him? Or perhaps the mix of lowercase and uppercase letters? Or was it the fact the message just didn’t say much of anything?
Who in the world would write such a cryptic note?
And why would Annabelle’s mother place it in her journal?
There was more going on here than they knew. But what was it?
CHAPTER SEVEN
THIS WAS HER FAULT.
Annabelle felt horrible about the paparazzi’s appearance at the university and the ensuing chase. Though Grayson was a multimillionaire and famous, he didn’t appear used to the hounding press.
She hadn’t thought of that aspect when she’d made arrangements to take him there. She’d been so anxious to show him how well his business would fit in here that she hadn’t taken time to plan a rear exit from the campus to avoid the press.
If it hadn’t been for Grayson’s adverse reaction, she might have turned the situation around and given a public statement about the pending contract with the Fo Shizzle Café chain. But on second thought, she would have been rushing things. There was no verbal or paper contract...yet.
And after today, there might not be one. Unless she could turn things around. First, she needed to get the press off their trail. And then she needed to smooth things over with Grayson.
She called the palace’s press secretary and set up a brief statement to be given just outside the palace gates where the paparazzi were lying in wait. She knew from past experience that they wouldn’t go away until they got a story—whether it be the truth or a bit of fiction that they conjured up.
And next, she called the kitchen and requested a candlelit dinner to be served on the patio overlooking the sea. She didn’t know if Grayson would be in any mood to join her, but she wanted to make the effort since their prior dinner plans had been ruined.
With all of the arrangements made, she put on a pair of dark jeans, a white blouse and a navy blazer. She piled her hair atop her head. She wore a modest amount of makeup and chose gold hoop earrings and a necklace to match. Simple and presentable.
Her stomach churned with nerves. She never liked talking with the press. Some would say that she should be used to it, being part of a royal family. But she was the same as everyone else and longed for a private life.
Knowing she had to do this if she wanted the press to lay off, she made her way down the grand staircase. In her mind, she went over and over what she would say to the reporters. It was her intention to give a statement and not accept questions because quite honestly, she wouldn’t know how to answer any questions about her relationship with Grayson. It was very complicated to say the least.
This time not only was her bodyguard present, but a bunch of palace security met her in the grand foyer of the palace. And then she spied her uncle talking with the palace guards. She inwardly groaned.
Knowing there was no way to avoid the king, she walked directly toward him. “Hello, Uncle.”
“Don’t hello me. What’s going on?” His voice grew husky with concern. “I heard there was a high-speed pursuit with the paparazzi today. You know that’s dangerous. You should have used the protocols that we have in place if you are going to do something high profile.”
“But it wasn’t high profile. It was a visit to the university.”
“The university?”
Annabelle explained what had led her and Grayson to the school. And she admitted to the fact that she hadn’t anticipated the students making a big deal of the visit via social media. It was her slipup and no one else’s.
The king nodded in understanding. “You have to be careful. Your life is not like other peoples’. You must take precautions.”
“You know, sometimes when you say that you sound just like my father.”
“Well, that’s because your father is right.”
“Right or wrong, I have to go talk to the press.”
“You could let the press secretary handle it. That’s what we pay her to do.”
Annabelle shook her head. “I started all of this and if there is to be any peace for the remainder of Grayson’s stay, I must fix it.”
Her uncle sighed. “You always were a stubborn girl. So much like your mother. Do what you must, but a full security team will accompany you.”
She knew better than to argue with the king. There was only so much he was willing to concede and she knew she’d hit that limit. She was fine with the escort as long as they hung back.
She gave her uncle a hug. “I’m sorry I worried you. That was never my intention.”
“I know. Though some may think otherwise, it’s not always an easy life. There are limitations to what we can or should do.”
“I unders
tand. I will be more cautious.”
And with her uncle’s blessing she set off down the drive to address the media. Though her insides shivered with nervous energy, she kept moving. She would fix this and then she would speak with Grayson.
The household knew to alert her when he returned from his walk. So far she hadn’t heard a word. Surely he’d be back soon.
CHAPTER EIGHT
IT WAS A CIPHER.
Grayson picked up his pace as he retraced his footsteps back to the palace. The calming sound of the water and the gentle breeze had soothed his agitation as he’d hoped it would.
And now he had to find Annabelle. He had to tell her what he’d uncovered. Something told him that she’d be just as intrigued as he was.
As the last lingering rays of the sun danced over the sea, Grayson took the steps trailing up the side of the cliff two at a time. He knew she’d also want an explanation for his peculiar reaction in the car.
And as much as part of him wanted to avoid her and those uncomfortable questions, there was another part of him that was excited to tell her what he’d figured out. And yet, the conclusions he’d arrived at only prompted more questions. Hopefully Annabelle would have the necessary answers. He just had to find her.
When he reached the patio area overlooking the beach, he stopped. There before him was a beautiful dinner table set with fine linens and china. It was lit with candles, giving it a warm and romantic atmosphere.
He inwardly groaned, realizing that he’d stumbled into someone’s special plans. Someone was going to have a nice evening—a very nice evening. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d wined and dined someone.
Thankfully no one appeared to be about. He made a beeline for the door, hoping to get away without being noticed.
“Mr. Landers,” the gravelly male voice called out.
He stopped in his tracks, feeling as though he were back in elementary school. The principal had more than once caught him pulling pranks on his classmates. Sometimes he’d done it just to make them smile, but more times than not it was because he was bored senseless. No one had recognized that he had excelled far beyond his class. Not his teachers and not his parents. As long as he maintained good grades, no adult paid him much attention.
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