“I’m not sure, sir. It was one of Prince Stefano’s guards who alerted us to the problem.”
“Find out where he is,” Eduard demanded, his stomach clutching with worry. “Find my son.”
* * *
Alora turned slowly. Her heart froze in her chest when she saw the glint of metal pressed to Stefano’s head. Fear filled his eyes—fear for her, fear for himself. Yet she could also see Stefano’s steely determination.
“Stay where you are, madame.” The familiar man spoke in French, but Alora barely registered that detail. Her entire focus was on Stefano and on the gun pressed to his right temple. The man standing behind him was an inch or two shorter than Stefano, his left arm gripping Stefano around the throat.
“Let her leave,” Stefano managed to say, his eyes dark and focused on Alora. “You don’t need her.”
“Who are you?” Alora asked before he could respond. She said the words first in Italian, and then repeated them again in French. “Qui êtes-vous?”
He laughed now, his laughter hard and brittle and proud. “You don’t know?”
“Why should I?” Alora studied the face, a dozen thoughts whirling through her mind, including the fact that she couldn’t recall seeing him before that day in Bellamo. “And how do you know me?”
“I am Ambrose,” he said haughtily. His eyebrows lifted arrogantly as he added, “I saved your life one Christmas Eve.”
Her world froze. “What?”
He cocked his head slightly to one side and looked almost apologetic when he said, “I have a soft spot for children.”
Her right hand lifted, the weapon cold in her hand as she trained it on the man holding Stefano.
“Now, you don’t want to do anything foolish.”
“You killed my family?”
“I saved your life.” He spoke brashly. “Someone else might have waited for you and your sons to get home before detonating the bombs.”
She straightened her arms and took aim. Only Ambrose’s head was visible behind Stefano. Even with all her CIA training and the hours of shooting practice, she couldn’t be sure she could take the shot. She knew how to kill in theory, but she had never done so in reality. “Let Stefano go, and I’ll return the favor.”
Ambrose laughed again. “You’ll return the favor? I don’t think so.”
Her voice was like steel. “Last chance.”
“No, madame. This is your last chance.” The first hint of doubt crept into his eyes when Alora released the safety, her eyes remaining steadily on his. Then Stefano’s arm shifted ever so slightly, and Alora felt an uncomfortable sense of anticipation. “Put down the—”
Stefano’s elbow plowed into Ambrose’s stomach, and Stefano leaned to the left. A split second later, Alora squeezed the trigger. Ambrose’s head jerked back before he dropped to the floor, a spray of blood misting Stefano’s face and clothes.
Alora lowered the gun, and immediately, her body began to shake.
Stefano didn’t look at the dead man behind him. He reached for Alora and pulled her close. “It’s okay.” Her arms came up to encircle his waist. “You did it. Everything is okay now.”
She drew a jagged breath, fighting back the tears that threatened. Her body still trembled, and she could feel that Stefano wasn’t much steadier than she was. She heard movement in the other room, and a moment later a guard stepped through the doorway.
“Your Highness, are you okay?”
Stefano nodded and then spoke to Alora. “Let’s get you out of here.”
“What about the bomb?” Alora motioned in Ambrose’s direction.
“He was planting it on the underside of the gas line when we walked in on him.” Stefano motioned across the room. “That’s how my guard was shot. When he heard you coming down the stairs, he grabbed me.”
Alora looked up at the guard. “Call in the bomb squad anyway, just to be safe.”
He looked at Stefano. When Stefano gave a subtle nod, he pulled out a phone and made the call.
“Come on.” Stefano shifted, keeping an arm firmly around her waist. “I want to get you back to the palace.”
Chapter 44
Stefano stripped off the bloody clothes the moment he stepped into his private quarters. He balled them up and dropped them into the trash can. Then he stepped into the shower to erase the evidence that he had nearly died less than an hour before. If only he could erase the memory of Alora standing in front of him holding that gun, if he could forget the look on her face when she learned that the man threatening him had been responsible for destroying most of her family.
He hadn’t been sure that she would be able to pull the trigger when the opportunity arose, and he hated that she had been the one put in that position. Never before had he been forced to literally put his life in someone else’s hands, and he could say with surety that he hoped to never repeat the experience.
No sooner had he finished dressing than a knock came at his door. Before he could respond, his brother walked in.
“Have you heard anything yet?” Stefano asked.
“The bomb squad found three bombs in the building.” Garrett leaned against the back of the couch in the sitting room. “Unfortunately, they missed one in the parking garage.”
“Was anyone hurt?”
Garrett shook his head. “Everyone had already been evacuated. The parking garage is a mess, but the structure itself only sustained minor damage.”
“Sounds like we got lucky.”
“Janessa doesn’t think it’s over.”
Stefano’s eyebrows drew together. “What do you mean? Ambrose is dead, and we’ve arrested the two men who hired him.”
“Maybe.” He folded his arms across his chest. “The link between Jacques and Luigi is still pretty thin. Janessa and the CIA have tried to find something more to tie them together besides knowing Caspar Gazsi, but the more they dig, the more convinced Janessa becomes that Jacques is being set up.”
“It’s possible that Gazsi was the only one working with Luigi. Together they could have decided to hire Ambrose,” Stefano suggested. “Any of the three of them could have killed Belinda Parnelli.”
“That’s the CIA’s take on the situation.” Garrett nodded. “They’re still trying to identify who that Cayman account belongs to, but other than that, there isn’t a whole lot more to go on.”
“I hate waiting.”
“Me too.” Garrett pushed away from the couch. “You gave us quite a scare today. Maybe you should take a day or two off and let the rest of us deal with today’s situation.”
“I need to work.”
“Are you okay? Really?”
His instinct was to hide his weaknesses, to gloss over his fears, but he and Garrett were more than brothers. They were friends. Slowly Stefano shook his head, and he could feel his throat closing up as he thought of Alora. “I keep seeing Alora standing in front of me, imagining what would have happened had she not recognized Ambrose in the lobby. Her children would have been orphaned. Hundreds of people would have died.”
“I know you aren’t much into religion, but just this once, maybe you need to recognize that the Lord had a hand in how things played out today,” Garrett said softly.
“I’m sending Alora and the kids back to the chateau.”
“Why?”
“I think it’s safer for them there. If this isn’t really over, I want to make sure she isn’t anywhere near me.”
“Stefano, are you sure that’s what you want?”
“Of course it’s not what I want, but this is what’s best for her.” Stefano took a step toward the door. “I don’t have time to deal with this now. We have work to do.”
* * *
“You want me to leave?” Alora looked at Stefano, stunned, hurt, and confused. When he had walked into her room, all she had wanted was to be held, to be told that everything would be okay. Instead, Stefano stood rigidly in front of her demanding that she leave the palace.
“I want you to be safe.�
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“There are guards everywhere. I am safe.”
“Alora, please.” Stefano’s shoulders drooped slightly. “I’ll feel better when you are back at the chateau, away from everything that is going on here.”
“Did I do something wrong?”
“Of course not.” Stefano shook his head, impatience and a barely leashed fury evident on his face. “You just saved my life.”
“And as a thank you, you’re sending me away.” Her voice shook as she found herself caught in a tangle of emotions. She held her hands out in front of her and looked down at them. “I killed a man today, a man who not so long ago destroyed my life. I have to live with that, both with what I’ve done and the fact that I have yet to feel any regret.”
Sympathy flashed in his eyes. “Do you think Ambrose felt regret about killing your husband? Your family?”
She shook her head, her eyes filling with tears. “That doesn’t change the reality though. There is a person who is no longer living because of me.”
“And there are hundreds of people who are still living because of you, including both of us.” He ran a finger gently down her cheek. “My brother seems to think the Lord had something to do with how things played out today. Maybe you were supposed to recognize Ambrose so he wouldn’t succeed.”
“It’s hard to imagine that the Lord would put me in the position to kill someone, even for His purposes.”
“Why not? It happened in your Book of Mormon,” Stefano pointed out. “What was his name? The man who killed to get those plates? Nephi?”
“That was an exception. The Lord doesn’t normally work that way.” His words caught up with her, and confusion lit her eyes. “You’ve been reading the Book of Mormon?”
“A few chapters.” His shoulders lifted. “I figured it couldn’t hurt for me to understand a bit more about your religion.”
Momentarily distracted, Alora asked, “What do you think so far?”
“It’s interesting reading.” Again he shrugged. “I can understand why Garrett would think the Lord might have interfered against someone as evil as Ambrose.”
“I guess.” She let out a sigh. “I keep thinking I should be feeling something more than I do. Remorse, regret, justice. Something. Right now, I just have this hollow feeling inside of me like I’ve woken up from a dream that isn’t completely my own.”
“Give yourself some time. Go back to the chateau and spend a few days with the boys. That will help put things back into perspective.”
“You’re probably right.”
Stefano nodded and then hesitated as though he was suddenly at a loss for words.
“Is something wrong?”
“There’s just something I need to know.” Stefano’s eyes darkened and stayed fixed on hers. “When you pulled the trigger, did you do it for revenge or did you do it to save me?”
She looked up at him through damp eyes. Hadn’t she been asking herself that same question since the moment she had ended Ambrose’s life? The first tears spilled over, and she found the answer for both of them. “I couldn’t go through it again.”
“What?”
“Losing someone.” Her voice lowered to a whisper. “I couldn’t lose someone else I loved.”
Surprise, wonder, joy. She could see them on his face as he reached for her hand to pull her closer. He lowered his lips to hers, unspoken promises pouring into the kiss. She braced for the briefest moment, afraid to hope, afraid to dream for what they could have together. Then she felt her heart open to him.
She was lost and wasn’t sure any longer if she wanted to be found. Against all logic, she felt a sense of rightness as his lips trailed up to brush against her cheek then her temple. Then his arms tightened around her, and he just held on.
Though doubts lingered, Alora refused to let them fully form. For now, she needed Stefano too much. For now, she needed to live in the moment.
Chapter 45
“We can hire someone else,” he said, desperation and frustration humming through his voice. He still couldn’t believe Ambrose had failed, that the impending audit might very well expose his involvement. How had they come to this point? “Surely the potential payoff is worth investing a little more money.”
“It’s too late,” Caspar insisted. “Interpol already knows I was involved. Most of my funds have been frozen, and the moment I leave Libya, I’ll be arrested.”
“We can’t stop now.” His voice was stern now, controlling. “The council session has already been rescheduled. If we wait much longer, we’ll lose the support of the citizens of Meridia.”
“We’ve already lost their support,” Caspar countered. “You said your countrymen would be up in arms when they found out about Prince Garrett. That didn’t happen.”
“They can be made to understand how serious Prince Garrett’s decision is. We just have to take care of the council, and then we’ll expose the princes.”
“I’m through with your elaborate plans,” Caspar told him. “I can’t function in Meridia now that I’m on Interpol’s watch list.”
“I never thought you a coward.”
“I never thought you a zealot.”
His jaw clenched, and he felt a consuming need to have control. King Alejandro had chosen him more than two decades before to lead this country in what mattered most, and then he had yanked that power away. When King Eduard had ascended the throne, he had abided by his father’s wishes, effectively limiting his reach in all things.
The royals were naïve, too far removed from the citizens to know what was really important. But he knew. He understood that they needed one of their own to rule. They needed him. “Someone has to save this country from the monarchy. If you won’t help me, I’ll take care of things myself.”
* * *
Alora walked barefoot along the water, the surf splashing over her toes, causing them to sink deeper into the sand. Giancarlo and Dante sat on the beach a short distance away building a sand castle under Brenna’s watchful eye. The chateau stretched out behind them, looking as perfect as it had the day they’d arrived, late summer roses scenting the warm, humid air.
Except for the servants going about their duties, the chateau remained oddly quiet. Janessa and Garrett had stayed at the palace with Stefano, all of them working diligently to prepare for the rescheduled council meeting that would take place in just a few days. Alora, on the other hand, found herself with nothing but time.
Janessa had insisted that she take a few days off, and the household staff seemed determined to make sure she followed that counsel. Levi and Martino had practically banned her from her office, despite the arrival of the church’s financial records, and Patrice was hovering over her like a mother hen.
Stefano called her each night in time to say good night to the children, and every night she could hear the strain in his voice. She hated knowing he was shouldering so much responsibility, that there was nothing she could do to ease his burdens.
The water surged up and over her ankles, dampening the hem of her cotton dress. A dog barked in the distance, but Alora didn’t recognize that the sound was out of place until Giancarlo and Dante rushed toward her.
Dante pulled on her hand and pointed. “Mama! Mama! Look!”
Alora turned to see Stefano walking down the steps to the beach, a golden-haired puppy squirming in his arms. For a moment, she simply stared, afraid that if she blinked he would disappear. Stefano hadn’t said anything about coming to the chateau when she had spoken to him the night before, but there he was moving toward them.
Even from across the sand, she could see the tension in his shoulders, but as the boys raced toward him, he smiled and winked at her. He set the puppy on the sand and handed the leash to Giancarlo.
“Don’t let him get away from you.”
“Whose puppy is he?”
“He’s yours,” Stefano told him with a grin. “Yours and Dante’s.”
“Really?”
Stefano chuckled. “Yes, really.”
Delighted squeals pierced the air, accented with thank yous and excited barks and yips from the newest addition to the family.
“Make sure you keep him on the leash,” Stefano warned as he crossed the few feet to where Alora now stood. He motioned to Brenna to supervise the children and then lowered his voice. “I hope this is okay.”
“This is a wonderful surprise. Thank you.” She reached out and squeezed his hand. Then her eyes narrowed fractionally. “But what are you doing here? I thought you had to stay in Calene until after the council session next week.”
“My father decided it was time to send us away in case there’s another incident.”
She lowered her voice as Stefano led her farther down the beach away from the children. “Are you expecting more trouble?”
“I hope not, but Janessa doesn’t think this is over yet,” Stefano told her. “Jacques Neuville was released last night. His alibis weren’t as tight as they would have liked, but he consented to a lie detector test, and he passed it with flying colors.”
“Why did he come to see me that day?”
“He was looking for a story, something to sell the tabloids to give him some extra cash.” Stefano shrugged. “He won’t be welcome at any royal events again, but he isn’t a killer.”
“You think someone else is still out there.”
“I don’t know what to think. I’d feel better if we knew for sure who that account in the Cayman Islands belongs to. Your friends at the Agency believe it could belong to Luigi, but if they’re wrong . . .”
“Then there’s still someone out there who is trying to hurt your family.”
“It’s possible.” He motioned to the chateau. “For now, Janessa and Garrett will return to their work at the naval base and start the process of rebuilding the security offices. I will work with the public affairs office to monitor the political climate regarding my brother’s announcement. As for you, my father is anxious for you to start on the church audit.”
“You realize this audit is a huge job, especially with only one person.”
“Martino has volunteered to help you,” he offered and gave her an apologetic look. “My father doesn’t want any outsiders involved in this audit, considering the sensitivity of the information we expect to find.”
Royal Secrets Page 27