by Nana Malone
They were very easy to hear in the hallway. So, I just shot him a text and said we'd catch up in the morning. There was no way I could look either one of them in the eye at the moment. Not just because I'd overheard them, or because of what happened with Tristan, but also because, well, I was mildly jealous. Which was fine.
I found the team waiting in the SUV and getting ready to head back to the office. Once we arrived, most of us immediately took off our shoes. I did a quick team round up, asking for status updates. Everyone checked in. No one had seen anyone who looked suspicious. No one was overly interested in the prince.
Everything was normal. But then Zia looked up from her tablet. "Actually, there is something interesting."
"Yeah, what's up?"
"I left a program running while we were gone to check financials, unusual payments, money moving around in ways that it shouldn't, just to see if we could track anyone who might be after the prince for financial reasons. He doesn't have any gambling debts or anything like that, but he does make monthly payments, and then big lump-sum payments to the same accounts."
I frowned. "To whom?"
"To Ella Banks.”
“Why?"
Zia shook her head. "Well, that's the problem. I don't know why. But it's been happening for three years. Monthly deposits for $10,000. Those are done by automatic transfer. And then every now and again, these larger amounts are deposited. $20,000 here. $50,000 there."
"Do those larger deposits correlate with anything specific?"
She nodded slowly and then met my gaze directly. She was quiet so long even Jax grew impatient.
"Well, Zia, out with it."
He was eager to get home. Neela had already taken the baby home an hour ago.
"Every time there's a big publicity event or they're photographed together, the next morning she receives a large lump-sum payment."
My stomach dropped.
Jameson frowned. "But why would he pay her for publicity engagements?"
Trace leaned back, his gaze on me. "Well, from my experience, I've been a bodyguard to a couple of wannabe socialites and starlets. When you got a fake romance, and you've hired someone to be your date, you usually pay them after the event."
Oh God.
My heart rate ticked up. This is not happening. But my mind kept replaying everything Penny had said about how they never touched and how they never kissed. Not once.
I didn't believe it. I didn't want to believe it. Because if that was the case, then he wasn't really engaged.
His words kept coming back to me. ‘Everything is not the way it looks. Everything is not as it appears. I know I look like an asshole, but I promise you, I'm not.’
He'd said that more than once. Oh God. I was going to be ill. The nausea swirled at my belly as the bile started to rise. I swallowed hard. "Okay, um, Zia, send me what you have." I had to swallow again and take a deep breath so that the quiver in my voice wouldn’t betray me. "I'll look into it and see what else I can dig up. Also, I want to know everything about Ella Banks. I want you to dig back into what the Barcelona police had to say about her stalker. I guess I'll see you guys back here tomorrow morning. Trace and Jax, I'll put you on Tristan duty. Zia, you can help me filter through data. Jameson, I think you and Tamsin are off, right?"
Jameson nodded. "But if you need extra hands..."
I shook my head. "No, let's get you guys rested. We've been at this a while. And don't forget the Argonauts leave at four for their match in Chile, so I need everyone rested up. Tamsin you’ll stay here, running solo, but I also need you to look at resumes for new recruits."
She nodded then pushed to her feet. "Copy that."
When Trace stood, he gently brushed my shoulder. "That new information is interesting. Whenever I saw someone in these fake relationships, they had a pretty ironclad nondisclosure agreement for all manner of reasons. So it’s likely we didn't have that information because he might not have been able to disclose it, depending on the terms."
I nodded slowly. The way he looked at me, it was almost as if he understood or could at least see the struggle. But I wasn't going to crack. "Well, any other information you can think of, let's talk about it in the morning."
It wasn't until I was locked in my room that I let myself lean against my door and sink to the floor. Holy shit. ‘I'm not the asshole you think I am.’ He'd been trying to tell me his relationship with her wasn't real. But for whatever reason, he needed it to appear real, which meant I didn't have all the information I needed.
It also means that he hasn't been cheating and you haven't done anything wrong. And you can have him.
That last thought… that was the most dangerous one.
Ariel…
I HADN'T SLEPT A WINK. Not after that bombshell last night. I kept trying to go through every interaction, every moment, trying to see what Penny saw. He was paying Ella, but why? What was he hiding? These scenarios only made sense if both parties got something out of it. So what was he getting? What was he hiding?
Do you really want to know?
He wasn't the person that I thought he was. Why wouldn't he tell me?
Because for some reason, he can't.
I had to assume that whatever he was hiding might provide a huge clue into what the hell was happening with him. I just needed to fucking figure it out. What wasn't I seeing? I needed to know.
The rest of the team had their assignments for the day. Luckily, I was Tristan-free, so I could think for a moment, even though the first thing I wanted to do was run to the palace and demand answers, demand that he speak to me.
He's not even there. He's at practice.
Which made it a lot easier since I couldn't run to him like a disgruntled girlfriend, demanding to know why he was seen with a pretty blonde girl.
A chime sounded that let me know someone was at the door. And when I checked the security camera, I groaned. Fucking Ian.
But I plastered a smile on my face and greeted him. I held a cup of coffee in my hands, needing it to warm me from the inside. But still, it didn't matter. I knew I was going to have to do the thing that wasn't going to be comfortable.
"Ian. Come on in."
"Actually, can you come out here for a minute? I want to show you something."
"Ian, I—"
"Come on, get your shoes."
He was so perky and so excited, I almost couldn't say no.
Why? You're going to have to say no in a minute. You'll crush his little hopes.
Well, maybe he wouldn't even care.
"Fine." I went into my closet and slipped on my flats. Then we went outside. He had one of those old-school Rolls Royce convertibles. Powder blue. "I came to take you on a drive."
"Ian, I—" What was I supposed to say to that? "This is really sweet, honestly. But I can't. I have work to do."
"Come on, you're the boss. You can take a day off. Hell, take three hours."
"I wish I could." I actually did have work to do. And it was presumptuous as hell for him to just turn up. "I wish you’d called. I could have told you that it's impossible. I have a couple of client meetings scheduled, and there's another research thing I have to take care of." Yeah, because the mystery of Tristan's girlfriend was beckoning to me.
His face fell. "Oh, come on, Ariel. It's just a couple of hours. What's the big deal?"
"Well, the big deal is this is my job. I have to run my business. If you’d have just called, I could have told you that today wasn't good."
"Well, when would it be good?"
"I don't know. Let me look at my calendar." Also, let me never look at my calendar because we were not going to go out again. I should have listened to my original instincts.
"Yeah, check your calendar for more days when you don’t have time for me."
"Ian, look, I like you. I think you're great, but I don't think we will work. Okay? Plus, you're super busy, and you work out of Miami most of the time. I know you’ve got that big deal that you're working with a fo
otball player here, but, I mean, you're going to go back. And that just doesn't make sense, right?"
"Well, I'm willing to try. Miami is only an hour flight."
"And I appreciate that, but that's the kind of commitment you make for someone that you really want to be with. And we just met."
"Well, I know how I feel about you."
I frowned. "And while I like you, I don't think we can move this forward."
His gaze bore down on me, and for a moment there was a shadow across his face. But then he sighed. "I came on too strong?"
"Well, a little. And what's more, I’m really not old school. I don't want someone ordering drinks for me. I don't want someone surprising me with things. I need plans, otherwise, I can't really function. I have people who depend on me. Right now, a whole palace depends on me."
He frowned. "You mean the prince?"
"What does the prince have to do with this?"
"Well, I noticed the way Tristan was looking at you."
I blinked rapidly. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Come on. You think I didn't notice you vanished with him?"
"You know what, my job is protecting him. He had some questions we had to go over." Wow. I was a shitty liar. It was because I was almost always too honest. So when I had to lie, it just sounded terrible.
"Look, I get it. He's fucking royalty. I get the appeal, but I actually care about you."
"And I'm flattered. I am. It's just… This is terrible timing, and I'm just not necessarily in a place where I can—"
"Okay, look, I hear you. And maybe I come on too strong. I move too fast. I'm used to pushing for the deal, the sale, you know? So I get that. I'll back off, I swear. I just really like you. And the idea that I screwed up somewhere… I don't know. I hate that I might have fucked up with you."
"No, you're great Ian, for someone. I just don't know if there's enough chemistry here to really continue."
"Okay. Why don't we just be friends?"
I laughed. "Why are you so determined? Why do you want to be with me so badly?"
"Because there is a part of you that's really sad and vulnerable. And I don't know... it speaks to me, I guess."
I frowned. How had he seen that? I thought everything had been pretty surface with us. Or maybe I just wanted it to be surface. "I don’t know—"
"Look, how about we have coffee at the end of the week? I'm going to Miami for a couple of days anyway."
"I swear to God, Ian. Okay, coffee. But as friends, okay? I just really can't do this right now. I have so much going on."
He held up his hands. "Friends. And then you can get to know me without any of the other stuff and see that I am not that guy. I'm not going to pressure you. I just think you're amazing, and I want to be near you. So, I can do friends."
"And I mean it, really friends."
"Of course." He held out his arms, and I almost pointed out to him that the obligation of a hug was probably just as bad as trying to force me to go on a date with him.
But I stepped in. "Thank you, Ian."
When he wrapped his arms around me, it was relaxed, friendly. He didn't try and hold me to him or anything like that. Maybe I had imagined that because it was easier.
He nodded and grinned. "See? I can do friends."
Suddenly, he was being dragged away from me, and things got chaotic. He moved so quickly, and I stuttered back several steps. But I regained my footing, and then I had my weapon out. Shit. My coffee. I placed my I'd agree with you, but then we'd both be wrong mug on the hood of the Rolls Royce, wincing a little, but keeping my weapon trained on whoever it was who’d dragged Ian off of me. Safety off. But then rapidly, I snapped the safety back on.
"Tristan?"
I glanced around, and sure enough, Jax was running up the drive. "Jesus Christ. He's fucking fast."
I rolled my eyes. "I thought Trace had an eye on him."
From behind me, Trace chuckled. "Well, I did have an eye on him."
I whipped around. "Oh, Jesus. Where did you come from?"
"Once I figured out where he was going, I came around the back. It was faster."
We all turned our attention to Tristan and Ian, who were both now basically snarling at one another with their hands on each other's lapels.
Tristan's voice was low and full of menace. "I believe the woman told you she wasn't fucking interested."
"And I believe the lady can tell me herself. You missed it. We agreed to be friends, which is a hell of a lot more than you'll ever be with her."
"Fuck you, Ian."
"What, pissed off that the little prince can't have everything he wants? You have a fucking supermodel fiancée. What the fuck do you want with Ariel? Leave some for the rest of us, would you?"
Tristan started to ease back as if he realized just how crazy he looked.
"Are your guys done yet?"
They both slid their gazes to me, Tristan's still full of fury, Ian's, confused. It was Ian who spoke first. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's not like Tris here has the real guts to go toe to toe with me."
"I will fucking kill you."
But Trace was on Tristan before he could release a hit. "Your Highness, that’s not a good idea."
Jax had a hand on Ian's chest.
"Oh my God, everybody stop it. Trace, get the prince inside. Jax, get Ian in the car."
My men started to comply. But then Ian said, "Ariel, I'll take things as slow as you want. But last night's kiss will tie me over until I can get another one."
And then in a move that I hadn't seen since training, Tristan easily escaped Trace’s grasp, and his fist snapped out, connecting with Ian's nose. The crunch was audible, and the snapping back of Ian's head was visceral. Even Jax was surprised.
Tristan turned to me. He didn't say anything, but his gaze said it all. I could feel it in my bones. Mine. He didn't have the look of a man who was engaged to another woman. He had the look of a man who was protecting his turf.
EIGHTEEN
TRISTAN…
THIS WAS IT. Do or die time.
As I was preparing to depart for Chile, Ella took my hand. I glanced down at it, unaccustomed to her touching me on purpose. "You don't have to do this."
I was aware of being watched, so I softened my gaze as much as possible. "Yes, I do."
"Then at least let me be there?"
I shook my head. "You need to be elsewhere and constantly in the public eye. You leave tomorrow for LA, right?"
She nodded. "Yeah, but I mean, is this wise?"
"You go and prepare. You're an actress, and this will be the biggest acting job of your career. Act shocked and confused as to how this happened. Do you understand?"
"I know the plan, and I know my part in it, but I’m trying to talk you out of it because you might get caught. What if he's the one who's been trying to kill us?"
In my peripheral vision, I watched as Ariel came down the stairs toward the SUVs that were going to take us to the private landing strip. I pulled Ella forward and then kissed her forehead. She stepped back, startled. "I love you too," I said loud enough for anyone listening to hear. "I'll call you when I get there."
As she beamed a smile up at me, it was scary how quickly she could just slip into character. "I'll miss you."
"Me too.”
I disengaged from her, feeling the hot sting of Ariel's gaze on my neck. When I turned, that shattered, hurt look I'd seen before was replaced with a different one. One that was quizzical and calculating, as if she was trying to figure out a problem. I knew that look. I'd seen it on her face dozens of times. Something was up.
Does she know? Does she suspect? I knew there was no way that she could. There was nothing she could do to stop me at that point anyway.
Lucas approached me. "Hey, cuz.” He clasped my hand and pulled me in for a one-armed hug. "Your first game and I'm gonna miss it."
"Well, it's not a home game. That's next week."
"Can't wait. Remember I'll be right on th
e pitch. Ooh, do you think you can make me a referee?"
I rolled my eyes and laughed. "No. Absolutely not."
"What? I'd call it fair."
"You think the other team would really believe that? We're playing Ecuador. Those guys are brutal. We're gonna have to haul ass to keep up."
"Fine. I'll watch like a good little spectator. But you're not sticking me in the box."
"Got it."
"Break a leg or whatever."
I winced. "They don't say that in football."
He laughed. "Fine, kick ass then."
"Yeah, that works."
Then he pulled me in for another one-armed hug. His voice was pitched low in my ear. "And that other thing that you're doing, the whole reason for the extra practices and extra work… I hope it goes well."
So did I. In my travel bag, I had my diplomatic credentials. I wasn't traveling with the team, thanks to my extra need for security. I'd never really used my diplomatic status before, preferring to stay with the team. But this time was unavoidable. Sebastian wouldn't have let me play, and as one of his subjects, he could have stopped me.
Luckily, he hadn't wanted to do that. He just wanted to make sure my travel plans were super secure, which made things a lot easier on me. Now the key was to time the travel with my plan for Max.
"Let's just say that I've enjoyed our practice sessions."
He nodded with a smile. "And you're ready for the big leagues now?"
I shrugged. “I don't know what you're talking about."
"Sure, you don't."
With another wave to Ella, who was chewing on one of her nails, I stepped into the SUV. Jameson was in the driver's seat. Zia was in the front passenger seat. Ariel was in the backseat with me.
In the follow car were Jax, Roone and Trace. With all the other Knights on duty, Trevor got a reprieve. Tamsin was staying behind to hold down the fort.
I had a veritable army with me. And none of them would be able to help me with what I had planned.
The flight to Chile was uneventful. I'd been given access to the bedroom in the back, but honestly, I didn't really want it. I just used the opportunity to pace back and forth, stretch my legs, stay loose. Everyone thought it was because of the game coming up, that I wanted to make sure I had no cramped muscles, but it wasn't for that. The soccer game I could take or leave. It was the game before that really mattered.