“To be poor?” I asked, looking up to the ceiling and blinking away an unexpected wave of tears. “Oh, it’s awful. Trust me. I spend most of my day sick with worry. I worry about how I’ll take care of my dad and my little sister, and about the apartment, which needs repairs I can’t afford. I worry about…everything. I worry so much it’s hard to sleep. Sometimes I feel like there’s no way out, but I have to wake up and keep moving.”
Alex reached out and touched my hand. “I had no idea, Chloe. You are so brave.”
I gave him a sad smile. “What else can I do? Crawl into a corner and weep? No, thank you.”
One of the cameramen, a tough looking man in a black t-shirt, wiped away a tear. Even Dirk seemed to be affected by my words. “You are amazing. We fell in love with you because you saved the prince, and now this…” Dirk got choked up. I couldn’t believe his was happening. First, I’d been a hero because people thought I’d selflessly taken a bullet for Alex. Now they thought I was a hero simply for taking care of my family. Wouldn’t anyone else do the same? It didn’t seem particularly heroic to me, but when Dirk finally managed to finish his sentence, he had real tears in his eyes. “I can’t imagine anything worse than what you’ve lived through.”
“I can.” I hugged my arms around my torso, holding myself tightly so I wouldn’t shatter into a million pieces and embarrass myself on national TV. “Do you know what’s worse than losing your mother, watching your father disappear slowly, and finding out you have absolutely no money, no help, and more debts than you can possibly imagine?”
“What?” asked Dirk.
“Finding out someone you trusted, someone you cared about, someone you actually may have even loved, betrayed you. It truly destroys what’s left of a person’s heart.” I’d started going off script. This wasn’t what Norah and I had planned, but I couldn’t stop myself. I stared right at the camera, wanting to speak directly to Nico. Wanting to hurt him as much as he’d hurt me. “What hurts the most is when you think you’ve finally found what you’ve been looking for, something extraordinary, and you discover it’s all nothing but a lie.”
“Stop,” said a voice from the darkness behind the cameras. “Stop it now, Chloe.”
I held up my hand to shield my eyes from the light as I tried to see who was talking. “Ella?”
Ella stepped forward, wringing her hands as tears streamed down her face. She was wringing her hands, too? Dear heavens. We’d turned into the Brönte sisters.
Dirk waved Ella over, offering her a seat on the couch next to me. “This is your little sister?”
I nodded. “Yes, and she’s supposed to be at school. Why aren’t you at school, Ella?”
She wiped away her tears with the back of her hand. “I had to come here. I had to tell you what I did. It was me. I called the newspaper. I told them about our family. I thought I was h-h-h-helping. I thought I was doing the right thing. I was so sick and tired of lying about it all the time, pretending our lives were okay at home. I thought you were sick of it, too. I didn’t know how mad you would get. I didn’t know it would ruin everything.”
“Baby,” I said, pushing her hair away from her face. “You didn’t ruin anything.”
“Yes, I did. Nico was perfect for you, and I messed it up.”
“Um, who is Nico? I thought you and the prince were dating…” Dirk looked back and forth between us, trying to figure out what was going on. He’d lost control of the entire interview, poor guy.
Alex straightened his jacket. “We were never dating. It was all a ruse. A deception.”
I looked at him in shock. Was he about to spill the beans? It could ruin all the good work he’d done, with his foundation and with building all those libraries for poor children. I couldn’t let him do it. I just couldn’t.
At that moment, Nico burst into the room. The camera guys shushed him, but he ignored them, his jaw tight and his eyes darting back at forth. A man on the edge. He probably thought I was about to ruin the prince’s reputation, but I had another plan in mind. I’d been living a lie for so long, I no longer recognized the truth anymore. It had taken Ella’s confession and her tears to make me understand, and I finally knew exactly what I had to do. It was time to come clean.
“I lied,” I said, staring directly at Nico. “About everything.”
Nico stared at me, confused, his brow furrowed in a frown. I wished more than anything I didn’t have to do this. Now that I knew Nico had not called the papers, there was a chance we could pick up where we’d left off. A small chance, but still a chance. By telling the truth right now, though, I knew I’d destroy any hope we had of being together, but I had no choice.
Alex watched my face closely. “What do you mean, Chloe?” he asked.
I turned to him, embarrassed and ashamed at what I’d done. “You’re a good, decent, and honorable man, Alex, but I didn’t mean to save your life. I tripped crossing the street and fell into you. It was totally on accident.”
“Why did you lie about it?” he asked. “What purpose would it serve?”
Ella answered for me. “You did it for us.” she asked, her voice soft and her green eyes huge in her face. “For me and for Daddy, so I’d have enough to eat and he could have the therapy he needed.”
I nodded. “And so I could buy you a school uniform which actually fits.” I gave her jacket a playful tug. “I’m sorry I lied, but I’m sorry I lied to you most of all, Ella. We’re stronger together, aren’t we?”
“Always,” she said, giving me a hug.
There was a moment of dead silence, and then slowly, one by one, the people in the room clapped. It was unexpected. A standing ovation for being a liar and a cheat.
One person did not seem as quick to forgive as the others. Nico looked furious, his eyes as hard and cold as stone.
“I know some people thought I wanted my fifteen minutes of fame, but that wasn’t true. I didn’t plan for any of this to happen. I knew it was wrong. I did it to help my family, but if I’d known the other damage it would cause….” I shook my head sadly, pleading Nico with my eyes to forgive me. “I never would have done it. I swear.”
Dirk stared at me in astonishment. “Ms. Burkhart, what a brave thing to do. To come out publically and admit you’ve done something wrong,” he shook his head. “Frankly speaking, it’s amazing.”
I stared at him, shocked. “Amazing?”
“I concur,” said Alex.
I stared at him in shock. “You don’t hate me for what I did?”
He shook his head. “You saved my life. Whether it was by accident or on purpose, you’ll always be a hero in my book. And I lied, too.” He turned and faced the cameras directly. “I’ve let everyone think I was involved with Chloe, but that isn’t true. She’s a lovely, wonderful girl, but I’m afraid I’ve fallen head over heels in love with someone else. Chloe’s best friend. Norah Knowles.”
Norah, who’d been holding her clipboard in front of her face, slowly lowered it. She looked like she might turn around and bolt from the room. This had been what she’d been hiding for me? Well, it was better than dating that lacrosse player, or Bill from accounting.
If I hadn’t been so upset at the moment, I might have laughed. Alex and Norah were actually quite perfect for each other, but I’d been too wrapped up in my own problems to see it before.
“Norah, come up here please,” said Alex, and she shook her head vehemently. He smiled at her. “If you don’t, I shall drag you up here myself.”
Norah walked to the stage, and I could tell she was swearing under her breath. It was probably a good thing she didn’t have a microphone on. She’d have to work on her cursing now that she was dating the prince. When her eyes met mine, I thought she might cry. “I’m so sorry, Chloe,” she said quietly, her back to the cameras.
I pulled her into a hug. “There is nothing to be sorry about, No-No. I’m happy…for both of you.”
As Norah moved to sit near Alex, my eyes searched for Nico in the crowd. He stood o
ff to one side, shaking his head in disbelief. I understood how he felt. There had been quite a few revelations in the last ten minutes or so, but there was more I wanted to say. I wanted to tell him I was sorry, and that I loved him, and that last night had been the best night of my whole life. Before I could say anything, however, a man stepped out from the shadows next to Nico. He had a beard and glasses, and I couldn’t figure out why he seemed so familiar to me until I caught of whiff of something strange. Body odor and mint.
Nico must have smelled it at exactly the same moment, because his eyes widened in shock. I screamed his name just as Sergei Paloka took a gun out from inside his jacket and raised it toward Alex’s heart.
~
If I’d had time to think things through, I don’t know that I would have jumped in front of Alex, saving his life. It was an instinctual reaction, not something planned out and calculated. It turns out what I’d said as a lie in my first interview with Dirk had been the absolute truth. I couldn’t watch an innocent man get shot and not do anything about it. But I didn’t plan to get shot again myself.
Twice in two weeks. It must be a new record.
Nico was the first one to reach me. He gathered me into his strong arms, assessing the damaging as he dabbed at the wound on my forehead with a handkerchief. “Chloe. Please be okay. Please don’t be hurt,” he said as he used his handkerchief to apply pressure to my temple.
I tried to answer him but couldn’t because Ella and Norah were both next to me, crying hysterically. Alex was there, too. His security team tried to hustle him into the back room, but he refused to go.
“I won’t leave her,” he said. “So back off. Now.”
I squeezed Nico’s hand. “Sergei Paloka? Did you get him?”
He nodded, his face pale and his expression grim. “He’ll never bother us again. I promise.”
My head burned when the bullet had struck me, and it hurt. I could feel blood running down the back of my neck, ruining the blue Dior dress I’d borrowed from Norah. Dang it. I should have chosen a black one. The color would have hidden the bloodstains better.
“Nico. There is something I need to say to you.”
“Stop talking, my darling. Save your strength.”
“No. It’s important. Yesterday, I told you if I died today, I didn’t want to have any regrets. Well, I don’t. I’m glad last night happened. I only wish we could have had more time together.”
He rolled his eyes. “We’ll have plenty of time together. I promise you. The bullet barely grazed your temple.”
I frowned at him. “Are you sure?”
He pushed the hair from my forehead and looked deeply into my eyes. “You’re fine. Completely and absolutely fine. You’re bleeding a lot because you’re a redhead, and because head wounds are notorious for it. But, there is something I must tell you, too.”
“What?”
“Chloe Burkhart, I fell in love with you the first moment I saw you.” He kissed my cheek, so softly, so sweetly, it brought tears to my eyes.
“When I got shot in the butt?”
He laughed, and I could feel the vibration of it from somewhere deep inside his chest. “It was a few minutes later. In the ambulance, when you apologized for being cranky, you crazy, beautiful, impossibly brave, and very stupid girl.”
I scowled at him. “I’m not stupid.”
He gave me a little smile. “I just said that to see if you were paying attention.”
“Is she going to be okay?” asked Ella, sniffling. “Are you sure?”
He nodded, unable to take his eyes from my face. “She’s going to be fine. It looks a lot worse than it is. She can’t seem to help herself. First getting shot in the middle of the street, and now in front of the national news. Always playing the hero. It’s so annoying.”
“Shut up and kiss me, Nico. You’re the one who’s annoying.”
And he did, until my toes curled and I felt a little dizzy. It could have been caused by the blood loss, but I suspected it was all Nico.
Dirk Deacon sat off to the side, his face pale. “Ladies and gentlemen. This is Dirk Deacon reporting.” He ran a trembling hand through his perfectly coiffed blond hair. “Holy heck. Did you guys see that? She saved his life…again. Chloe Burkhart. The Cinderella of Park Avenue. The hero of our city, and of our hearts.”
~
I didn’t have to stay in the hospital this time. As Nico had predicted, the bullet had barely grazed my temple. I needed a small bandage, a couple painkillers, and a little rest. Soon, I’d be as right as rain.
Nico told me how terrified he’d been. “It could have hit your heart,” he said, his voice deep and tortured as he held me close. “It could have killed you.”
“But it didn’t,” I replied. “I’m fine. We’re fine. And, apparently Norah is fine, too.” I shook my head in disbelief. “Who’d have thought…Norah and the prince…?”
He kissed the top of my head. “Who’d have thought? America’s sweetheart, Chloe Burkhart, and some guy from Latovia….”
I smacked his arm. “You aren’t just some guy. You’re my guy.”
“Good to know,” he said with a slow, sexy grin. “And I think your fifteen minutes of fame are just about up. Are you okay with that, or will you continue to yearn for the spotlight?”
“Not even a little.
When Nico brought me back to the apartment, I was surprised to see my father, dressed and waiting for me in his wheelchair. Ella stood by his side, beaming.
“Hi, Daddy,” I said. “You’re looking well today.”
He smiled at me. It was the ghost of the smile he used to have, but more than we’d seen in years. “I’m probably feeling better than you at the moment. Ella told me what happened. I’m so sorry, Chloe,” he said, covering his mouth with his hand, the anguish apparent in his eyes. “I left you all alone…for so long.”
I knelt next to his wheelchair, tears streaming down my face. “You’re getting better now. Nothing else matters.”
He nodded, putting a hand on my cheek like he had when I was a little girl. He winced when he saw the bandage on my head. “Saving princes again? Is this your new hobby?”
I shrugged, rising to my feet. “It beats quilting.”
My father laughed, an actual real laugh. Then he reached up to shake Nico’s hand. “I owe you a huge debt, Monsieur le Comte.”
I stared at my father. “Daddy, I think you’re confused. This is Nico.”
My father’s green eyes were clear and focused. “Oh, I know exactly who he is. I met his late father years ago when your mother and I traveled through Europe. His name was also Nicolai Mercia. The Count of Maldona.”
“The Count of Maldona?” I turned toward Nico so quickly, I got a bit of vertigo and swayed on my feet. “Whoa. I feel a little dizzy.”
Nico immediately swept me into his arms and carried me to my bedroom, placing me gently on my bed and covering me with a blanket. “Do I have to remind you that you were sort of shot today and lost quite a bit of blood?”
“Do I have to remind you that for this relationship to succeed, we need to be open and honest with each other? What did my father mean? Are you seriously a count?”
“Yes.”
I waited, but he didn’t say anything else. I nearly growled with frustration. “Honestly? No other explanation at all? Well, it does explain the arrogance, and your aristocratic attitude, but I thought you were a security guard. An employee of the prince.”
He shook his head. “No. I am his cousin. I happen to own a company that provides security services.”
“So you put yourself in danger like this all the time?”
“I mostly specialize in cyber security, but there is occasionally a client who requires other services as well. I’m not usually in the field. I have a nice desk in a lovely office a few blocks away from here and I’ve been shot at fewer times than you, Ms. Burkhart.”
“Thank goodness. I’m not sure I could handle you getting shot at all the time. It’s trou
blesome.”
“Now you understand how I feel. I can’t seem to turn around without you getting into some kind of trouble. I guess the only solution is to never leave your side again. Ever. Would you agree to my plan?”
He leaned down and kissed me, gently and sweetly, the way he always did. I smiled up at him, never so happy in my life. Everything had finally come together. My father was on the mend. Ella was doing well. Norah was blissfully enraptured with Alex. I’d agreed to publish my story with Burkhart Books, and I had Nico, the person I’d wanted most of all.
“Well, Monsieur le Comte. You are a royal pain in my bottom, but I kind of like your plan. In fact, I just might love it.”
“And I love you, Chloe Burkhart. With all my heart.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Abigail Drake travelled the world, collecting stories wherever she visited. She climbed mountains to see hidden temples, ate things that maybe weren’t quite dead yet, slept through three typhoons and an earthquake, and was once tossed onstage with the Red Hot Chili Peppers by a herd of punk rockers (eventually they allowed her to climb back off). She writes romantic women’s fiction and is a member of RWA, Pennwriters, Mindful Writers, The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and she is the president of Three Rivers Romance Writers. Three of Abigail’s books were released in 2016, “Traveller,” “Saying Goodbye, Part One,” and “Saying Goodbye, Part Two.” “Lola Flannigan,” part of the “Valentine Kisses” anthology, and “Delayed Departure” were released in 2017, and “Traveller” is the winner of the RWA Prism Award for 2017. Abigail also writes Young Adult books under the name Wende Dikec. Her most recent releases are “Tiger Lily,” “Starr Valentine,” and “The Bodyguard.” “Tiger Lily” was a finalist in the Golden Pen 2015, the Golden Leaf for Best New Book of 2016, and the Dante Rossetti Prize for Young Adult Literature. It won first place in the International Digital Awards 2016 for Best Short Length Young Adult Novel. “Starr Valentine” is currently on the long list for the Cygnus Award for Science Fiction.
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