by Katie Knight
She gave a quick side-glance to see Raybourn had straightened and was looking as stunned as she felt. Good. She raised her chin to him. “Do you accept the position?”
Raybourn hesitated, then smoothed a hand down the front of his black suit coat. “Yes.”
To say Zachary “Z” Raybourn was surprised by the princess’s offer would have put it mildly. He wasn’t sure yet how he’d work this to his advantage, but he would. He always did. He wasn’t known as the best card shark in the royal guard for nothing. Not that he didn’t appreciate the palace and all its ancient grandeur, but he longed for a good burger and fries and some decent beer for a change, not the watered-down stuff they called ale here in Prylea.
“Your grace, I realize that we said you could choose your own team leads, but Mr. Raybourn is not a wise choice.” Greaves cleared his throat. “Perhaps someone more experienced and well-versed in international diplomacy might be a better selection. As I said, Sutherland is—”
“Already occupied with the king,” Z supplied helpfully. “I’m fully capable of leading the princess’s security detail, Mr. Greaves, I assure you. I was fully briefed on all things Prylean prior to being sent here and I am American. No one knows how to handle a difficult situation in the States better than me. It’s my homeland.”
He knew damned well why they were pushing for Sutherland instead of him. The guy supported the parliament’s current nationalistic views and with the king stepping back from his duties and handing more and more responsibilities off to others, Sutherland and his cronies wanted to keep the monarchy in the hands of their puppet—the princess’s cousin Silvester. Z hoped that by Esme going to America and handling the meetings her father had been scheduled to preside over with the government, it would show everyone she was a capable leader and that there was no reason for her not to be Queen of Prylea.
And yeah, maybe his last SEAL mission hadn’t exactly ended as he’d wished—it had been a total disaster, truth be told. That didn’t mean he wasn’t capable of running a tight ship when it came to those under his protection. Hell, he had the scars all over his back to prove it.
Bad enough he’d been stuck here playing babysitter for half a year. He was ready to get back in the game, ready for more. If this wasn’t exactly a huge promotion, at least it was a start. Besides, Prylea was a big piece of the puzzle in the United States’ arsenal as far as friendly ports where they could keep their military at the ready in case of attack were concerned. That was the whole reason he’d been lent out to the royal family—as a gesture of cooperation between the two countries. Silvester had recently made speeches hinting at his plans for a more nationalistic policy and less friendly relations with the US. It was contrary to the choices the king had made over the last several decades, but the king currently lacked the strength to speak out against him, and there were many in parliament who liked the idea of returning to the “good old times” when Prylea stood for itself alone. The princess was the only one standing against him, and Z intended to give her all the support she needed—blustering cabinet members or not. He’d stood his ground in front of screaming drill sergeants and irate four-star generals. He could sure as hell withstand a load of bogus crap from a room full of tired old men looking to protect their own asses.
“Look, let’s consider this a trial run, eh?” Z said to appease the glaring opponents in the room. He met Esme’s wary gaze and flashed what he hoped was a confident smile. “We’re traveling to Washington, DC. Hardly a hotbed for insurgency. And Sutherland will be there as backup if I need him.” He wouldn’t. “If anything goes wrong, you can switch us out and be done with it. No questions asked. Deal?”
He held out his hand to Greaves. The old man exhaled loud and reluctantly shook on it.
Z bit back a grin and barely resisted winking at the princess. He was going to be her head of security, at least for this mission. He was going to get a chance to work the troops on the ground, so to speak. He was going to be free at last.
And he was going to enjoy every second of it.
Grab your copy of THE SEAL’s Contract Baby here.