by Kat Mizera
“Why? Where was the best stuff hidden?”
He chuckled and walked to the refrigerator, using his bulk to move it, eventually sliding it out of place. The more he moved it, the more visible a door became, and I realized it was a vault.
“Holy shit, there’s a safe back there?”
“A safe room filled with actual safes. That’s where all of our valuables were. It wasn’t a lot, thank goodness, because my parents took most of them when they moved out of the house. They’d left some things, though, and Vardan had added more, so as soon as he was killed, Uncle Ben sent some loyal soldiers to get everything and bring them to us. Anwar still got some valuables that were in the bedroom, but it was all jewelry, things Vardan had bought for his fiancée and more sentimental stuff, like the Rolex she’d bought him.”
He pushed the refrigerator back into place and we went through the room, into a formal dining room. It was magnificent, despite the cracked mirror on the wall and the handful of broken chairs surrounding a long table. This setup would seat twenty-two, ten on each side of the table plus the seats on each end.
“Twenty-two,” I said thoughtfully. “Your parents must have loved to entertain.”
“Well, there were six of us, plus Uncle Ben’s family was another four, Uncle Isak’s family was another six, plus seats for grandparents since they were alive when we were little.”
“That’s so lovely. I never had anything like that.”
“No?”
“My mother got divorced too often to count on anyone at the holidays, and she’s not the sentimental type.” I looked around. “That mirror needs to go, but the chairs could be repaired and recovered, maybe refinish the table, and you’d have your childhood memories brought back to life.”
He looked around. “Yeah, maybe. But what if I didn’t want to bring those memories back? What if I wanted to create new ones?”
“That could work too. There’s so much we can do here with a little time, effort and money. Some things we could do ourselves, even though we don’t have much time, but I think it would be fun.”
“Me too.” He met my eyes and smiled. Then he got a look of mischief in his eyes. “Wanna see the bedrooms?”
I laughed. “I’m not getting naked on anything that might have bedbugs.”
He blanched. “Jesus, no. Okay, thanks for ruining that little fantasy.”
“I’ll make it up to you.” I grinned.
We went upstairs and as he’d said, the master suite was a disaster. It could be fixed, and the glory beneath the rubble was still visible in the ornate tray ceilings and the raised dais that housed a massive four-poster bed.
“Was Vardan tall like you?”
Sandor smiled. “An inch taller.”
“Wow. Daniil is what? Six-four?”
He nodded. “And Elen is tall too, five-ten. My father was six-five and my mother was five-nine, so us kids are all pretty big. Anwar was always jealous. He was only five-ten.”
I laughed. “Asshole.”
“You got that right.”
It wasn’t until we got to the guest room with the wrapped wedding gifts that both of us sobered. It was jarring because they were still so pretty. As if time, soldiers, looters, and even dust hadn’t touched them. A few had been strewn around the room, but most sat in a neat little stack against one wall.
“Fuck.” Sandor sank onto the edge of the bed and swiped at his eyes. “This part never gets easier.”
I sat beside him. “What would you like to do with them? Should we just dispose of them? We could also open them and give the items away to people in need. Or…” I let my voice trail off as I ruminated another possibility that I wasn’t sure how to present.
“What? Tell me.” He looked genuinely interested.
“What if we had a…celebration?” I wrinkled my nose. “Like, a celebration of their lives? You guys didn’t do that when they died, right?”
“No. The funerals happened quickly and they were cremated because there wasn’t much left to bury after the explosion.”
“So what about a celebration of their lives, like on a Sunday, after brunch. We gather your family, and anyone close to you like Jesper… Then you open the gifts like they’re yours. Not to take anything away from them, but to celebrate what they would have done. In the U.S., we often do a gift-opening event the day after a wedding if the couple hasn’t left for the honeymoon yet. Everyone gathers and there’s food and mimosas and it’s fun. We could do something like that, and maybe you, Daniil and Elen could open them and read the cards—I see cards attached to most of them—and then even split some of the items. Put them in your houses as a loving reminder of the brother and sister-in-law you lost.”
“We.”
“We what?”
“You and I. We. We could open them.”
“Well, yeah, but I mean, you probably want your brother and sister—”
“I want you.”
“Okay.” I met his eyes questioningly. “But won’t it be weird if—”
“No.” He turned to me with a questioning look in his eyes. “You came up with a beautiful, loving idea and I want to do it, but I want to do it with you. Will you help me?”
35
Sandor
We planned Lennox’s thoughtful gift-opening brunch event for the Sunday before Christmas and I was looking forward to it. In the meantime, the kids had all arrived from Vegas and Monte Carlo, along with Jayson, Liz, and their new baby, Elijah. Nick and Skye had come with Luke and their girls, Madison and Megan, Uncle Ben and Aunt Kari were here, and Teal and her boyfriend, Matt, had arrived yesterday. The palace was full, every suite housing people we cared about, and it was a nice feeling. Casey and her staff had decorated for the holidays and gone all out, every wall, door, window, pillar and bannister touched by something red, green, silver or gold. It was beautiful and I’d opted to have a medium-sized tree delivered to my suite as well, so Lennox and I could enjoy some of the holiday festivities in private.
There was a lot of chaos, though. The kids were everywhere, exploring every inch of the palace, and we were busier than ever. Not just a dozen new people to keep track of and protect, but the sheer planning required for everything. Meals, shopping excursions, parties… It was exhausting. Tonight we were taking everyone to the tree-lighting ceremony in the town square in Hiskale, where Erik would be the one to flip the switch that would turn on the lights on the forty-foot tree. Staff had been decorating for several days and we would arrive at six o’clock to prepare. Erik would make a short speech, welcoming the holidays, and the tree would be lit at eight.
I’d been on site most of the day, securing the perimeter, checking every possible position for a sniper to set up. We couldn’t check private residences or businesses, of course, but I couldn’t control what I couldn’t control, so I focused on the things that were accessible. Joe was with me, along with some trusted guards from the palace, and we hadn’t had a break all day. He’d had to fill in when Ace had been unexpectedly called away, so we’d had to update the security roster at the last minute.
It was two o’clock now and I had to do another check of the tree itself, make sure nothing like an explosive had been slipped between the branches since a lot of people had access to it. It was cordoned off, so the general public couldn’t get to it, but there were probably two dozen decorators and others from around town that could.
My phone buzzed and I saw a text from Lennox, asking specifically where I was. I frowned, but gave her my location. A minute later I heard my name and turned. Lennox, Casey, Sasha, Leni and the twins came bounding over to me. Lennox held out a box filled with something that smelled delicious.
“Lunch for you and the guys.” She smiled.
“Thank you.” I leaned down for a kiss and the twins and Leni started to giggle.
“Shush.” Casey was laughing as she hushed them.
“What are you all up to?” I asked them.
“Shopping!” The ladies all spoke in unison and I
laughed too.
“Better you than me,” I told Lennox.
“It’s fun.” She shrugged. “I may or may not have done some shopping myself.”
I feigned horror. “Jesus. Is there enough room in our suite for that?”
“You’ll have to wait and see,” she said with a cheeky smile.
“Looking forward to it.” I kissed her once more before they took off. Logan was with them as well, keeping a slight distance to watch for anyone possibly following them or trying to approach from the rear, so I wasn’t too worried about them. In general, we’d never been concerned about taking unplanned trips into the cities and towns. The people loved the royal family and usually the only issues were with people trying to get autographs and pictures. But with Omar on the loose, still trying to get to the family, we had to be vigilant in keeping an eye out for him. The children had been briefed, repeatedly, about what he looked like and who he was, so they were aware he was dangerous and to be avoided at all costs.
As it got later in the day, the temperature dropped by more than fifteen degrees and we all headed into a local café to retrieve heavier jackets that we’d left there earlier. Our family had known the owners for decades so we felt comfortable using it as an unofficial home base for the day, and they spoiled us with hot coffee, sweets, and a warm place to use the restroom.
I paused at the counter, smiling at the owner, Mr. Kreshi. He was in his seventies now, but as spry as ever, his blue eyes twinkling as he poured me a cup of his famous black and white cocoa—a fun mixture of two different flavors, one made with white chocolate and the other with dark. Instead of mixing them, he would pour them simultaneously, from two separate jugs, allowing them to swirl together. It was one of my favorite things, and I made a mental note to bring Lennox here on a day off.
“I need to show you something,” I told him as I accepted the cup and took a sip.
“Of course.”
I got out my phone and pulled up the picture of Omar. “This man. If you see him, even if you think you see him, I need you to contact me immediately.”
He frowned, staring down at the picture. “I’ve seen him. He comes in for the cocoa sometimes. Usually on Sundays. He never speaks, pays cash, usually takes it to go.”
“Good to know.”
“But not every Sunday. Sometimes Saturday.” He frowned. “Can you text me this photo? I’ll show my wife and son, so they’re aware also. I don’t want to scare the waitresses, though.”
“No problem. I appreciate it.” I had his number programmed into my phone so I quickly texted it to him, took my cocoa and headed back outside.
“Hey.” Joe fell into step next to me. “What’s that?”
“You’ve never had the black and white cocoa from here? Oh, come on.” We turned around, got him situated and were finally back out on the street ten minutes later.
“Almost better than sex.” Joe grinned at me.
“My friend, if any food is better than sex, you’re doing it wrong.”
“I said almost.”
We laughed.
“Erik and the family will be here soon,” he said. “Crowds are already lining up on both sides of the street around the tree. How many men do you have coming from the Royal Guard?”
“Fifty.” The Royal Guard consisted of active members of the military specially chosen to work at the palace and/or guard the king during public appearances. They wore special uniforms so they were easily recognizable and I’d spent weeks personally vetting every single one of them. The entire force would be here tonight, helping to protect Erik and the family, but I wasn’t taking any chances. We had surveillance set up all around the perimeter, Chains was monitoring everything from Las Vegas, and the core group of us that were on site were wearing earpieces, allowing us to communicate constantly.
Lennox had just let me know that the family was en route, so I made my way to the café to wait for them. It was a five-minute drive from the palace to here, so they would arrive momentarily. Mr. Kreshi came out with a tray of plastic cups filled with his black and white cocoa and I smiled, hoping the kids would enjoy it the same way Erik and I had as children and even teenagers. Xander was inside, monitoring the new batch that had been made and assuring that it wasn’t tainted between when Mr. Kreshi’s wife made it and it was delivered to the family.
I waved as the big black SUV arrived and several of the Royal Guard surrounded the vehicle. Erik got out first, waving to everyone that began to cheer when they saw him. He reached in a hand for Casey, helping her out, and the kids followed. They all accepted the hot cocoa and then we began a slow walk towards the Christmas tree.
Luke fell into step beside me. “This is lame,” he said, a scowl on his face.
“How come?” I asked. Luke wasn’t usually like this and I’d been worried about him lately.
“Everything is such a big deal. We’re not a normal family. Having divorced parents was way better than all of this. Maybe I’ll just stay with Dad and Aunt Skye instead of moving here.”
Ouch. I wondered if Erik knew he felt this way. “You think maybe you’re not giving it a chance?” I asked lightly. “I mean, last year, you didn’t want anything but to be with Erik. Now you’re all grumpy. I think you miss your mom and aren’t getting enough attention from your dad so you’re being a brat.”
Luke sighed. “Maybe.”
“How about you give it a chance? Spend a little time getting to know Hiskale while you’re here, try some of the cool foods—like the hot chocolate you haven’t even touched—and learn a little about your new country. I mean, you are the Crown Prince.”
“Ugh. That was my worst decision ever.”
“Kiddo, you need to be talking to your parents about all this, not me.”
“I don’t want to hurt Dad’s feelings, you know? I just…want to be normal again.”
Sometimes it got confusing, hearing him call both Nick and Erik Dad, but they were okay with it, so it wasn’t my place to say anything.
“I know. And I promise, it will be. I mean, it’s never going to be like your life in Vegas. That ship has sailed. You’re the son of a king and you’re someday going to rule this country. So you have to adjust to that new reality. But as far as family goes, everything is going to settle down. You’ll go to school, come home and do homework, watch movies with the family, go on vacations. The important stuff is going to be a lot more normal once you get here for good. Six more months and you’ll see how much better it’ll be.”
He swallowed. “I hope so, because this sucks.”
I wanted to chide him but decided not to. I wasn’t his father and it wasn’t my job to parent him. I wanted to continue to be his cool uncle. “Promise me you’ll give it all a chance and you’ll talk to your parents instead of bottling it all up.”
“I promise.” He didn’t sound happy about it, but he’d promised, so that was good. Parenting was hard, I thought. And yet, I’d started thinking about it. Especially now that I had someone as wonderful as Lennox in my life.
We weren’t ready for marriage yet, but I wanted to get her something for Christmas that would be a promise of sorts. Jewelry was nice, but we weren’t kids and a promise ring sounded dumb, even in my head. Diamonds probably weren’t her thing, and something random like earrings wouldn’t signify the message I wanted to portray since I’d already bought her some. It was two weeks before Christmas, and I had nothing except one inkling of an idea that was a little far-fetched. It was probably time to break down and talk to Erik. He was the king of an entire country, but he was also the king of romance. He’d give me a little shit, but it wouldn’t be in a malicious way, so I needed to suck it up. We just needed to get through tonight.
“Oh, wow, the tree is huge.” Luke’s eyes lit up for the first time since he’d arrived in Limaj and I breathed a sigh of relief. The sweet young man I knew was still there, just buried under hormones and teenage angst. Hopefully, we’d see more of this guy while he was here for the holidays.
&nb
sp; 36
Lennox
Christmas was almost here and I didn’t have anything for Sandor. I’d been racking my brain to come up with something, but what did you get a billionaire prince who essentially had everything?
“Something basic,” Casey told me when I asked her. “Because even though he has all the money in the world, he doesn’t have the time or the patience to shop. I used to order his socks and boxers for him in bulk. Like he told me the brand and size and I would order twenty-four at a time for him so he wouldn’t have to worry about it.”
“I’m not sure we’re so comfortable that we’re at the socks and underwear stage of gifts,” I laughed.
She grinned back. “You know what I mean. Like, you might think that great leather jacket you saw is no big deal, but for a guy like him, it might be exactly what he needs. That was just an example, but you get the idea.”
“Yeah.” I hesitated. “Does he have a Rolex? He mentioned that Vardan’s had been taken from his house after Anwar took power.”
Casey frowned. “You know, I don’t know. Let me talk to Erik and I’ll let you know. He’d know that kind of thing.”
“Thank you.”
“In the meantime, do you want to finalize the details for Sunday’s brunch?”
Sandor had asked me if I would do most of the planning for the event because he didn’t have time, and he’d enlisted Casey and Edita to help me. We hadn’t told anyone except Casey and Erik what the purpose was, making it a surprise for Elen and Daniil, and parts of it would be a surprise for Sandor too. Erik had thoughtfully gotten together a video photo collage of Vardan, Krystal, and Sandor’s parents, and it would be played once everyone arrived. The lack of closure and inability to say goodbye had probably been hard on all of them so we hoped this would be cathartic. Not only so everyone could heal, but also to help them move on.