Tears burned Levi’s eyes as he took in Teddy’s laughing face and sun-bronzed skin. He looked good, a million times better than he had the last time Levi saw him. That had been the day they carried him out of the hospital to a waiting ambulance. A few hours later, Levi had confirmed with his mother that Teddy had arrived, transported to a facility closer to home for his rehabilitation. He had rarely spoken to her since then, and hadn’t spoken to Teddy at all.
Now, after all the months of exile and of nightmares in which he heard nothing but gunshots and Teddy’s screams, Levi felt tears prick his eyes to find his brother standing here before him. Still, he held back, unsure of the welcome he would get if he threw his arms around Teddy’s neck, certain he would lose the tight hold he had on his emotions if he did so.
Sidra had no such uncertainty. With a cry, she rushed forward, throwing her arms around Teddy as he braced himself for her onslaught. She kissed him on the cheek, twice if Levi was correct, as tears poured from her eyes.
“Good Lord, Sid, it’s only been six months, and I’ve talked to you almost every week.” Teddy’s laughter belied his protests.
“But look at you!” she sobbed. “You’re walking.”
“That I am.” He grinned at her. “Not as well as I’d like, but I’m doing it.”
He turned his attention to Levi and, with a grin, prodded him. “It’s a hell of a lot easier for you to come up here than for me to come down there.”
With no choice but to respond, Levi went up the steps and wrapped his arms around his brother.
“God, it’s good to see you,” he said through the lump of tears in his throat.
“It’s good to see you, too, brother,” Teddy murmured. “I didn’t know if you’d ever come home.”
“Yeah, I know.” He pulled back. He still wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the danger to Sidra.
“Mom was heartbroken when you didn’t show up for Thanksgiving.”
“She knew I wasn’t coming.”
“We all knew you weren’t coming. It didn’t make it hurt any less.”
“I’m here now.”
“So I see. But you aren’t here for Mom or me, are you?” Teddy’s disapproval ate at him, and Levi’s voice showed his annoyance.
“I didn’t expect you wanted to see me.”
“Yeah, well, you always were good at making assumptions.”
Familiar enough with the seemingly innocent turns in their conversation that took it to a more combative level, Sidra stepped between them, her hand on Teddy’s arm. It had always been Teddy she chose to soothe, and that bothered Levi now more than it ever had.
“I think we have things to talk about, Ted,” she said quietly.
Teddy’s face softened, and he gave her an apologetic smile. Levi fought the urge to object to their silent exchange.
“Yeah, Sid, I think we do.”
It was hard for him to fathom Teddy being involved in anything that he knew could endanger Sidra, but he couldn’t deny what was right in front of him. Teddy knew exactly what was going on, and he’d chosen not to warn anyone until now, when it was nearly too late.
“Who the hell are you?” Teddy said, looking past Sidra to the man standing in the shadows behind her.
“I am Philippe Beauchene, Princess Sidra’s betrothed.”
“Betrothed?” Teddy choked out, dark gaze swinging from Sidra to Levi and back to Philippe. “So why are you here?”
“I have come to fetch her home.” His eyes narrowed. “You don’t appear nearly as surprised by my existence as your brother and Her Highness.”
“Now that’s an impression we share, Phil,” Levi drawled.
Teddy let out a weighted sigh.
“I think we’d all better sit down for this,” he said, and pulled open the screen door.
Sidra stepped back, her smile fading as she realized what he wasn’t saying. Teddy had known, for God knew how long, about her past, about Philippe, about the men who were after her.
“I’ve got to let Coda out of the car,” she said, turning her back on him.
“I take it they’ve tried again since I talked to you earlier?” Teddy addressed Levi, but it was Sidra who answered from beside the car.
“They came to my house! They tried to kill me! How could you know I was in danger and not even warn me?”
Teddy cursed under his breath. “I’m sorry, Sid. I should have told you about all of this a long time ago.”
“All of what?” Sidra and Levi spoke at the same time.
Coda darted from the car, rushing the porch to greet Teddy as enthusiastically as Sidra had.
“Hey, there, Coda, girl,” he said before she dashed back out to the yard.
When she had done her business, she followed Sidra back to the porch as Teddy motioned them all into the living room.
“Have a seat,” he said, waving toward the sofa behind them. “This will probably take a while.”
Chapter Eleven
Sidra sat on the sofa, and Levi came to stand behind her. She didn’t protest when he laid his hand on her shoulder in a protective, comforting hold. Although she was uncertain of what the new physical dimension of their relationship meant for their future, she knew that having him nearby made her feel safe and cared for in a way she never had before. She looked up at him, meeting his dark, furious eyes. Shifting her gaze to Teddy, she felt warmth rush to her face as his eyes moved from her to Levi, realization slowly dawning.
“Tell me what in the hell you’ve got to do with this,” Levi bullied, ignoring the knowing look in his brother’s eyes.
“Sit down first. I’m not talking with you hovering over us like the damn angel of death,” Teddy said.
“Damn it, Teddy, you’d better start talking.”
“Sit down, Levi.” Sidra said in a soft, firm voice. “Let him explain.”
She was surprised when he sank to the opposite end of the sofa without argument. She smiled to herself as Levi leaned back, his arms folded as if he were unperturbed by the conversation. No one in this room would be fooled by that nonchalant pose, not when his emotions simmered off him in dark, hot waves. It took most of her willpower not to move to his side, but she told herself it was better if she remained where she was so she could watch the interaction of the two brothers as they talked.
Teddy reached for her hand, grasping it in his and staring down at it for a long moment. A slight shifting of Levi’s body toward her told her he noticed, even though he said nothing.
“Sid, before I start, I want you to know I never wanted to hurt you. Keeping secrets from you has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I only did it because it was in your best interest. From what I was told, it was the only way to keep you safe.”
“I understand,” she murmured, then shook her head ruefully. “No, I don’t. You’ll have to explain it.”
Teddy began his tale in his usual laid-back way, with a sigh and a scrub of his hand across his chin. Moved by the familiar gestures, Sidra felt tears prick her eyes. It was good to have him back, even though she knew a storm was already brewing between him and Levi. They would hash things out as they used to, and everything would be back as it should be soon. Assuring herself of the way things would turn out, she brought her attention back to Teddy.
“Four years ago I was approached by a couple who claimed to be from Medelia, a small, relatively unknown country,” he explained. “They told me their cousin, the princess of Medelia, had been kidnapped years before and presumed dead for years. However, they had received some evidence that she could still be alive, and they had come to America in search of her. They were almost certain they had finally tracked her down, but were afraid to approach her for fear she was still in danger from the people who had abducted her. They needed her to remain here in the United States, and they wanted to make sure she was protected until it was safe for her to return home.”
Levi leaned forward. “What kind of danger? And from who?”
“They didn’t g
ive me a name. If they had, I would already have taken care of the problem.” Teddy’s voice was harsh and angry. “Maybe they weren’t even sure. All they told me was that there were people who stood to lose a lot, should Sidra reappear, and those people would go to any lengths to keep that from happening.”
“And now those people have found her.” A chill moved over her at Levi’s observation.
“It would seem so, yes.”
“So why haven’t they killed me?” Hysteria edged her voice as she wrapped her arms around her waist. “The man at the train station was close enough to do it.”
“I don’t know the answer to that, Sidra,” Teddy said, her hand still clasped in his. “Your cousins haven’t contacted me very frequently. We agreed it would be too easy for someone to track you down if there was too much contact between us. I haven’t heard from them in months.”
He took a deep breath. “Maybe they tried to contact me and weren’t able to, or maybe they haven’t. To tell you the truth, I haven’t worried about it a whole lot. You never seemed to be in danger, and I knew Levi was there to protect you if you needed it.”
She couldn’t fault him for not worrying during the last year. He’d been out of commission for months, and even now he wasn’t his normal self.
Levi, however, had no such hesitation in finding fault with it. “I can overlook the last few months, Ted, but the last few years? No way. You should have told us long before now.”
“You’re probably right, but I didn’t. You know now.”
“You can’t contact them?”
“No. The last time I talked to them, they said something about birthdays and marriages, but I had just come back to Gulfview. I was on so many different meds, my brain wasn’t working right. I don’t know if I didn’t understand or just can’t remember exactly what they said. All I really understood was that it was nearly time for Sidra to go home.”
“Home?” she croaked.
“Medelia is your home, Princess,” Philippe reminded her.
“She’s a grown woman,” Levi argued. “She doesn’t have to return to some godforsaken country no one’s ever heard of, just because some strangers make arrangements for it. And quit calling her Princess.”
“Of course I can’t make her return,” Philippe agreed easily. “But I think the decision is hers, not yours. And she is our princess, so that is what I shall continue to call her.”
She could almost feel Levi’s blood boiling.
“You think I don’t know that?” he ground out. “I can’t force her to stay, any more than you can force her to leave, but I’ll be damned if you will railroad her into doing what you say.”
“They have her best interests at heart,” Teddy attested.
“How do you know that? How do I know it?” Levi leapt to his feet, ignoring Sidra’s outstretched hand. “We were a team, damn it, and you decided to do this behind my back?”
Sidra stood to face him, resting a soft, cool hand against his cheek.
“Let’s just hear him out,” she said, her eyes pleading for his cooperation.
“Fine,” he begrudgingly agreed.
When they were both seated again, she turned back to Teddy.
“You didn’t just accidentally run into me at school, did you?” Sidra demanded. “You weren’t really there to post an ad about a position with Tanner and Tanner. You sought me out and deliberately misled me. How did you know I would take the job?”
“I didn’t,” he admitted. “I figured if you wouldn’t, I’d keep contact with you some other way. Maybe I would have asked you out.”
“So you lied to both of us?” Levi barked out, his eyes narrowing at Teddy’s teasing grin.
“I had no choice.”
“You had no choice?” Levi’s voice rose. “You brought her into our lives without telling me we were supposed to be protecting her from someone who wanted to kill her? For four years? Who do you think has been looking after her since you left town? No one! Not me, because I had no idea she was in danger. Do you think I would have let her walk out alone every night if I had known that? My God, Teddy, if I hadn’t been watching her out the window the night before last and seen that guy follow her, if I hadn’t chased after them, she’d be gone. She might be dead by now.”
“I wasn’t thinking clearly when I left,” Teddy argued. “It took months of therapy to get me to where I am. I couldn’t have protected her even if I were there.”
“I could have,” Levi said quietly.
Teddy nodded. “You’re right, I should have told you.”
“What now?” Sidra asked in a businesslike voice. Her gaze encompassed both Teddy and Philippe. “You found me. Now what do we do? Is there some way to contact my relatives to find out what our next step should be?”
“Sidra,” Levi began. Surely she couldn’t be considering listening to these people.
“I have to know, Levi. I can’t just ignore it.”
“We don’t even know it’s true.” He turned to Teddy. “How do you know you can believe what these people say?”
With slow steps, he crossed the room and pulled a small book from the bookshelf. He placed it on the table in front of Sidra.
“When I told them you didn’t seem to remember who you were, they gave me these, hoping this would jog your memory. Maybe Philippe can vouch for their authenticity.”
Her hands shook as she opened the album to the first picture.
“Oh, my God,” she breathed. “Teddy, I— This is my mother.”
Her voice choked as she touched the face of the pretty brunette with laughing, sky-blue eyes and a wide smile. She held a baby in her arms and leaned against Sidra’s tall, sandy-haired father, who had one arm around her shoulders and the other around a young girl. In the background, across an expanse of vivid green grass, a large stone castle was visible.
“And that’s me.” Sidra’s fingers moved to the girl.
“You remember them?” Levi asked softly as he moved nearer to her.
She nodded, unable to speak through her tears.
“Do you remember your life there?” Teddy prodded.
“No.”
“Nothing?”
“Only little details that don’t amount to much.”
She told him just what she had told Levi after her attempted abduction: a little girl’s room, her mother, and a carousel on the lawn. She added the memory of her father lifting her up to put the star on the Christmas tree. When she got to the kidnapping, her voice shook and she clasped her hands together tightly in her lap.
“The woman was right,” she said. “I never saw them again.”
“Is any of what she remembers correct?” The lump in his throat made Levi’s voice brusque as he turned to Philippe.
The green eyes glimmered as Philippe dropped to his knees in front of her and brought her hands to his lips. “If I had any doubts you are our princess, your memories have dispelled them.”
When Sidra pulled her hands from his, scrubbing them against her jeans, Levi fought a triumphant smile. Sidra had not given in to the man’s allure yet. Perhaps she never would.
“Do you remember anything between the time the man took you and when the woman found you?” Teddy asked, and she shook her head. “What about after she found you?”
“After she found me is the only time I really remember. Anything before that is nearly blank. After she found me, I was in and out of foster homes. I was in only one longer than a year, and it wasn’t much over that. When I aged out of the system, I went to work as a receptionist at a medical office and started taking some business classes at night. I graduated with a business administration degree the month after I came to work for you.”
Levi couldn’t help but notice what a condensed version she gave, and he wondered again if her years in foster homes had been difficult. He had no idea why she had been moved so frequently, but it must have been nearly impossible for her to build or maintain bonds with anyone she met.
“Do you still have con
tact with the woman who found you?”
Apparently Teddy thought he was conducting this entire interview. Levi supposed that wasn’t a bad idea, since he’d heard it already. He could think more clearly about her answers and give his attention to watching how she and his brother reacted to each other. It was best to know ahead of time if he was going to have a fight on his hands.
He’d be damned if he’d just stand by and let Teddy have her. He had left her, for God’s sake. He had been gone months, although, from what Teddy said, they had apparently had some contact. Still he wasn’t going to waltz in here and scoop Sidra up as if she were nothing more than a possession he could do with or without.
In spite of reminding himself that he and Sidra should keep their distance from each other, he placed a hand on her back, letting his fingers run over the ends of her shoulder-length hair as she answered Teddy’s questions.
Chapter Twelve
Sidra tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable in the bed Teddy had assigned her. It was obviously the room his mother had set up for her grandchildren to use on overnight stays. Two bookshelves lined with toys, books, and stuffed animals flanked the window. A toy box in the corner overflowed with toys, and a small plastic kitchen across the room boasted a doll-sized high chair and baby stroller.
She wished she could spend the night in Levi’s strong protective embrace, but his parents would probably frown upon them sharing the playroom bed, and she had no idea where his room was located. The last thing she wanted to do was end up in Philippe’s room.
Philippe had tried to speak with her after Teddy went up to bed, but Levi had interrupted them, showing her to her room and bidding her get a good night’s sleep before Philippe could stop him.
She wasn’t sure if she wanted to hear what Philippe had to say. Part of her longed to know the full truth of what had happened to her, and why. The other part of her wanted to run as fast and as far from it as she could.
She had spent her childhood sleeping in strange beds, praying she would one day find the place she belonged. Desperate to believe that happily ever after could exist and dreams could come true, she devoured fairy tales and romance novels, fueling both hope and heartache as the years passed with no answer to her silent pleas. Now, here she was about to find the family she had dreamed of, the place she belonged, and she wanted to run away.
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