by Nana Malone
“My life is spiraling, and you’re getting a kick out of it, aren’t you?”
“Is that what you think is happening? True, I’m not a fan of yours. But I serve the crown, and I’m a decent human being. So while I believe in karma, even I’m going to side-eye her for trying to kill you.”
His gaze searched mine. “I look at you and a flood of questions is all I get. Why can’t I get you the hell out of my head?”
Fuck. This was not the conversation we should have. "I apologize, Your Highness. Obviously, we shouldn't be having this conversation."
He glared down at me and asked through gritted teeth, "Why did you come?"
I tilted my chin up and kept my gaze pinned over his shoulder. "Sebastian asked me to."
He shook his head. "No. Why did you really come?"
I considered lying. "I—I came to forget you. Are you happy now?"
He frowned. "Forget me?"
"God, you're such an asshole. For ten years you've been this looming presence in my life. And I just wanted a fucking reprieve. Every time I see something about you or hear something, I'm locked up and unable to function. And then you fucking call and you don't say anything. Who does that? I just want it to stop. I thought if I took the assignment, that I’d stop feeling how I feel."
His frown deepened. "Why do you care? I haven't heard a word from you all this time. Not a single word. Not a letter, not a note, nothing."
I frowned at him. "What the hell are you talking about?"
A blaring ringing filled the elevator. Tristan covered his ears, and I was on him. I covered him and had my gun out from the holster.
He shook his head. "Jesus Christ woman, it's just the fucking alarm because we stopped."
I frowned. "I knew that."
He pulled the stop button, and we were moving again almost instantly.
"You're not going to answer me?"
"Why on earth do you think I would chase somebody who was clear he didn't want me?"
He frowned at me. "What in the—" The elevator doors opened, and Roone was waiting on the landing.
"Your Highness, Ariel. I have notified Sebastian. The Royal Press Corp is already on it. They'll handle it if anyone got wind of anything. Like I said, the police will be here in thirty minutes. You two are okay?"
I nodded, still staring at the prince. What, he thought he could leave me and I’d just chase him, asking him why he didn't love me anymore? That was some extra-special asshole right there.
"It's fine. Thanks, Roone."
He nodded. "Ariel, if you can see to His Highness for a bit, I'm still making some calls. Sebastian has a couple of other knights he might be able to send. There’s a question on how they’ll be managed. I'm looking into some decoy cars too."
I nodded absently, not realizing that this was going to put me still in Tristan’s company.
When we walked into the apartment, it was empty. No obvious sign of Ella anywhere. "Your fiancée, Ella, seems... nice."
He chuckled. "Oh, nice. Tell me how you really feel."
"I don't feel anything."
"Yeah. Wasn't that always the problem?"
Damn. If that wasn’t ever shots fired. "What the fuck do you mean?"
“I can't—" His phone rang. He yanked it out of his pocket. "What?"
He was immediately contrite. "Sorry, Mark. No, we... there was an accident of some sort, so um, I'll need you to move that."
There was silence. Mark must have been talking.
"Yeah, I know. Oh, okay. Yeah, put him on speaker... Coach Simmons, I'm thrilled to speak to you."
Coach Simmons, was that his coach? I really didn't need to learn more about soccer. I was already a football fan.
Whatever it was they were saying, though, it was the first time since I'd picked him up this morning that Tristan looked happy.
His Royal Highness.
I really needed to remember that. He was saying something. "Oh, I'm so thrilled that we could come to an agreement. You have no idea how long I have waited to hear those words."
I was missing something. Something important was happening. I listened more closely.
"Yes. I can't wait. Believe me when I say, I haven't looked forward to anything more."
What was happening?
"Yes. I will notify the team. I look forward to working with you."
He hung up the phone. He was smiling. It was the kind of smile that I used to love. Like he had a secret and he was going to share it with just me. But then his gaze met mine and away went that secret. Away went that smile. Who the hell was he to be pissed off at me? He was the one who’d abandoned me.
"I take it you have good news?"
He smiled, but it wasn't that same sweet smile. This one had a harder edge to it. "Yeah. Looks like you're getting your wish. I'm going home. I've just been signed with the Argonauts."
EIGHT
ARIEL…
I COULDN’T RELAX. After what had happened that afternoon and the news about the prince, I was a ball of nerves. Yes, I was worried about his safety, but I was more worried about him coming home. But before I could even process that, I wanted to know why the fuck the police weren’t doing anything.
Inspectors Santiago and Morales stalked around the penthouse. They were slicker than most police detectives I knew. More polished. These guys weren't Interpol, but they were used to international cases.
Roone watched them carefully. Tristan and Ella sat side by side on the couch, not touching, but also not moving. "Inspector Morales, what do you have so far? Can you give us anything?" I asked.
His gaze slid over me and he spoke directly to Roone. "So far, the evidence we've seen points at a potential stalker for Miss Banks."
Oh, so he was just going to pretend he didn't hear me? I tried again. "So, there has been evidence of Ella being stalked?"
When he spoke this time, he did pay attention to me, but his tone was derisive. "Yes. She's a famous actress. These things happen. Someone becomes obsessed, you know, that sort of thing. That's what we're dealing with here."
I tilted my chin up and met his gaze directly. "With all due respect, you'll need to be clearer than that. We need specific evidence, something that's not circumstantial that points to Ella having a stalker."
He frowned. "And you are again?"
"You were introduced to us when you came in. I'm Lady Ariel Scott. King Sebastian's personal King’s Knight. That is Sir Roone Ainsley. King’s Knight and Royal Guard to the Winston Isles. I'm the ranking officer here. So, when you speak, I'd like you to address me. And you will actually have to provide specifics. While I am not in charge of Miss Banks’s security, I am in charge of Prince Tristan's, so I'd like some specificity about what evidence you have. Thank you."
Roone's lips twitched. He was enjoying this. He liked to see me throw my weight around. Which was irritating, but I also kind of liked it. I felt strong. And God knew I needed to feel strong right then.
Inspector Santiago was less openly hostile than his partner. "Forgive my partner. What we have is evidence in the form of anonymous emails written to Miss Banks. According to her team she had been receiving email threats prior to the previous incident in Vienna."
"And have you called Interpol? Since that incident happened in Vienna and the most recent one happened here, they would likely be able to help. Has there been anything else?"
I slid my gaze to Ella. "Anything you can think of? Someone who seemed off? Anyone from your past? We need something to go on, otherwise, the two of you are sitting ducks and we don't have enough security for this. At least not for the prince."
She slid her gaze over to Tristan, but she shook her head. "No. Nothing. I’ve already called my security company to ask for more men."
"I think that's a good idea, especially if these detectives are correct. They can't be assigned to Prince Tristan, but for your safety and well-being, please allow Roone and I to vet the new hires."
I almost felt bad for her. The guilt was still rid
ing me hard. Because of what I'd done yesterday, I could afford to be charitable today. Besides, I didn't want to see anyone hurt. Not when it was avoidable.
"Yes, I think that’s fine."
She was nicer today. Much nicer. What had changed? Or maybe that was my guilt talking.
You didn’t do anything wrong… except enjoy it.
"You know, if you're in the market for a team, I might know some people. They're based in New York and have a busy caseload, but you never know." Blake Security was a long shot, but at least if she hired them, we'd have some friendly faces to assist if need be. When I turned to Roone, he winked at me. He knew what I was up to.
Tristan spoke then. "Inspector Santiago, when we spoke after Vienna, Ella said that she felt she'd been followed from the airport. Your men said they would look into it, but you never found a suspect?"
Inspector Santiago shook his head. "No. Without a specific target to go after, we're shooting in the dark. We can put some men on her, but even that is limited for the time being."
I shook my head. "The problem is, Ella wasn't with us today. If she's the intended target, then why the hell did someone sideswipe our car?"
Morales shrugged. "Perhaps whoever was stalking her wants the prince out of the way. These things are very common."
I locked my jaw and suppressed the urge to go all Wolverine on his ass. "You don't have to explain stalker mentality to me. I understand that. But has anyone considered that maybe Miss Banks is not the intended target?"
Inspector Santiago sat forward. "We have seen no evidence that suggests the prince is the target, but some of the emails Miss Banks has received are concerning. There is currently nothing to suggest someone would have a grudge against the prince. We’ve had our men go through his fan mail already.”
Didn’t he know that shit was sanitized? “I understand, but the prince is also an international football athlete. I just want to make sure all bases are covered and that you are taking the threat seriously.”
His gaze narrowed. “We do know how to do our jobs. And we would normally have identified a suspect already, but considering Miss Banks’s celebrity profile, these types of attacks are more sophisticated. Hackers running relays in different countries, and they're impossible to track unless you can catch them in the act. Still, you are here as a courtesy to His Majesty, but we shall run point in the investigation.”
Roone coughed and slid a glance toward me.
I ignored him. If I so much as looked at him, I’d start laughing my ass off and call for my laptop to show them how dumb they were. "So you're asking me to put the prince's safety in your hands, but you're telling me you can't do anything until someone is caught in the act?"
"Well yes, it's very difficult unless you can point to someone specific."
"I'm going to need you to provide me all the information you have on the investigation and access to your servers."
Morales didn't seem keen on that idea at all. "And what are you going to do?"
"Well, I'm going to look at the investigation from the very beginning. From the time Tristan and Ella called the police. You should have made it an Interpol case. There is nothing you can do about what happened in Vienna because you have no jurisdiction there. If there's a pattern of behavior, we can at least attempt to try to compile that data and figure something out What's happening here is not working. And I have a prince to protect. Not to mention that this is no longer a local problem."
Morales glowered at me. "Sure, you have a prince to protect, but we have a job to do. If you think we're going to let you impede our investigation--"
"What investigation? So far, you’re telling me that Ella has a stalker. Okay, I can buy that. But you're telling me you don't know anything, and you can't get anything, until he, God forbid, actually gets his hands on her? And then, what if she's not actually the target and someone gets their hands on the prince?"
"Isn't that what you're here for?" He snickered.
"Yes, but apparently, it seems you can't do your job. So that's fine. I'll just go over your head. This case should have been transferred to Interpol anyway. After this afternoon’s incident, I called in a favor. We just wanted to see if you had anything actionable."
The two detectives blinked at each other. "Wait, just a minute—"
"Look, I don't care about your investigation. Run your own local investigation, if that’s what you want to call it. And you can report your findings to Interpol who will loop us in."
I didn't wait for a response. I didn't wait for compliance. I just walked out. The prince was safe for the moment, and I need to get the hell away from the Barcelona detectives. I kept my gait easy until I was within the confines of the suite, and then I sagged.
Jesus Christ. I had called in every favor I ever had. In the past, I had worked with a few different Interpol agents. Miguel Ruiz was located in Barcelona, and he’d been one of the agents I’d worked with when I was chasing my father. I was perfectly willing to believe that Ella might have a stalker, but someone had tried to run us off the road today. I wasn't convinced the Barcelona Police Department knew what the hell they were doing.
Roone followed me into the suite. He didn't say anything when I closed the door behind him and just went to the fridge. He pulled out the wine, grabbed a glass, poured it three-quarters of the way full, and then handed it over to me. "Did that feel good?"
"No. Because I still don't have any answers.”
He nodded slowly. “Morales was an asshole. I'm pretty sure Santiago knows it. He's going to give us a call with all the data and information we asked for, so you'll be able to do your thing. See if there's any connection."
"Thank you."
He shrugged. "You got this look on your face. I knew you were likely going to shoot him."
"You're right. I was going to shoot him. How can they just be so lackadaisical? Tristan's life is in danger, and they don't care?"
"I don't think it's that they don't care. I just think, especially guys like Morales, unless they have something tangible or real, they don't buy it themselves. He's not really a thinker. He's more of a doer."
"Jesus, that kind of attitude is going to get someone killed."
"Yeah, but not the prince. You're far too smart to let anything like that happen. So, let's control what we can. We'll get the data, analyze it, and we'll go from there. Don't let these guys stand in your way. You know how to do this."
"Yeah, I do know how to do this. It's just that the proper way to do this is irritating and also requires that you not shoot people."
He grinned. "I'm very, very happy that you're on my side."
"You should be, every single day."
He grinned. "I am. So, are you getting the update to Interpol, or am I?"
I laughed. "Already done. I have an old friend at Interpol, Agent Ruiz. I'm going to see if he can make sense of the information we have. If it is a stalker, then it might be wise to have Tristan separated from Ella for a bit."
Roone studied me. "Yeah, if you think it's best. You're the boss."
There was something about the way he said that, as if he knew that I had something to be guilty about. I knew that was just my paranoia talking, but still, I couldn't share it. I forced myself to grab my laptop and calm down. This, I knew how to do. I could solve problems like this. Never mind my own problems with Tristan. I was going to control what I could, because everything else, if I focused on it, was going to drive me to complete chaos.
Tristan…
SOMEHOW I'D MANAGED to pull it off. I’d managed to get exactly what I wanted. Except… why did that make me feel hollow?
Oh, I don't know. Because someone is trying to kill you?
I had known all along how serious gunshots were. I knew if I went home, the Council couldn't stop me from having any guards. It would be a PR nightmare. Or at least the optics would be shitty. But I hadn’t counted on Sebastian actually sending someone.
So now, that was all up in the air. It didn't matter though
. I was finally going home.
Is it still your home?
Regardless of how much physical time I had spent in the Winston Isles when I was a kid, it was the only place I ever felt comfortable.
Unless he was around.
But Ashton wouldn't be there anymore. I had gotten exactly the contract I wanted. No increase in salary, but I was basically going to be an endorsement cash cow for everything Winston Isles. Not that I needed the money. I'd been playing at the highest levels for over five years. Even if my monthly stipend as the prince decreased, I probably would have more money than I would ever need. It wasn't about the money, anyway. It was about the ability to play. To be me, to do what I loved. And I would finally get to do it at home. The only unanswered questions were related to dealing with Ariel.
Back in the islands, she had a job. Would she even still be running my security team? I suppose that was a question for my cousin.
Or you could ask her.
No. I would not be doing that. To see her standing there in the elevator acting like she was mad at me when she was the one who never wrote back infuriated me. Yes, I'd screwed up. I'd messed up and disappeared without saying goodbye, but I had to get out of there. If I hadn't left, Ashton would have told her everything. But I had written to her. I had written to her every single day for a year and not a single letter came back. But that was okay, I'd gotten over it.
Liar.
Just having her in my space was messing me up. It was making me remember all the things I didn't want to remember. Like her smell. It wasn't overly girly and not overly citrusy, but there was something alluring about it. It had a spicy scent to it. Slightly intoxicating. She wore it all the time. Just a hint of that scent was enough to take me home, and suddenly, I was eighteen again with the chance of a lifetime to both escape and pursue a dream. But now I was going home on my own terms.
"You're sure this is a good idea?"
I glanced up from my laptop where I'd been checking the final contract to find Ella directing three people with her luggage.
"Yeah, it is. You don't have to come."