“It’s not for that.”
“Then what?”
She buried her face in her knees again, and her legs muffled her whisper. “What if Pierre finds us? What if he does something to you and then takes me to Monaco?”
“And you’ll—what? Shoot it out with his highly trained Secret Service agents?”
Flicka tucked her head between her knees and whispered, “No.”
“Then why would you—” Horror formed in Dieter’s head. “Oh.”
She nodded.
“No,” he whispered, his voice hoarse with emotion. He wrapped his arms around her slim form, sheltering her from that terrible end. His fingers found her delicate jawline and silky hair. “Don’t do that. Don’t even think about that. If anything happens, if we get separated, you stay alive.”
She shook her head.
“Yes, you will. If he gets you, I’ll be there soon to take you out. It may take a few days to put together the forces, but I will. I’ll move Heaven and Earth, and I’ll swoop down out of the sky and take you out of there. You stay alive and wait for me.”
“What if you can’t?” she asked. “Then, what? Then I’m locked up there forever, breeding heirs for him.” She shuddered in his arms. “Which means that he’ll rape me until I’m pregnant over and over again, until I die.”
“I’ve already set up a dead-man switch,” Dieter said. He’d hoped he wouldn’t have to mention this. “This morning, I wrote a series of emails. If I don’t sign into a certain account for two days running, emails will go out to my Rogue Security captains, and they will know exactly what has been happening. You will not be abandoned.” His intense whisper hissed with his promise. “If something happens to me, the whole operation continues exactly as planned, except that Magnus Jensen will be the one leading you out. He was our driver today. He’ll take you to Wulfram, and you’ll be safe with him. Understand?”
Flicka laid her head on his shoulder, and her satiny cheek brushed his. “The Prince’s Palace is a medieval fortress. You can’t just barge in and haul someone out.”
“It was built during medieval times, the Dark Ages. What year was it?”
“In 1191, and it’s been standing ever since. It’s a fortress. It’s a stronghold. No one can get in there.”
“It’s a medieval fortress, built during the medieval era to withstand medieval weapons and tactics. It was built seven hundred years before Carl von Clausewitz wrote On War. It was built before helicopters, paratroopers, shaped charges, automatic weapons, flash-bang grenades, tear gas, or night-vision goggles. I can get in there and take you out in five minutes, but it might take a few days of operational planning.”
“I’m scared,” she said, huddling closer to his chest. Her head was bowed and tucked under his chin.”
“Our first priority is to keep him away from you. We’re going to Paris to consult with the pre-nup lawyer to figure out the most expedient way to divorce him or annul this marriage. It might be that simple, you know? Wulfram is a devious man. He might have an annulment agreement in there. If we can trigger it, all of this will go away. If Pierre tries to take you, it’s kidnapping. His royal immunity won’t matter because your brother has enough connections to make people care. While I’ve been standing at his back, I’ve heard several heads of state nervously ask him not to lose their number.”
Flicka nodded, the silk of her skin sliding over his palm.
Dieter lifted her jaw to look in her eyes. Tears lined her lower lids, and the green of her eyes appeared more brilliant. “And you’re a celebrity in your own right. You don’t have to protect Pierre Grimaldi’s reputation. If you vanish, people will ask where you are. If you have WiFi access for a few seconds, tweet or post that you’ve been kidnapped. Don’t be vague. Tell the world that you’re a prisoner. Add some searchable hashtags. The tsunami will bury him. Social media is the law, these days. Burn him to the ground.”
Flicka blinked her elven eyes, and he could see the gears turning in her head. She looked less frozen already. Good.
Her arms slid up his shoulders and encircled his neck.
He said, “I will come for you. Even if I’m dead, the Rogue Security machine will take over, and we will get you out. Stay alive.”
She nodded, and her eyes looked less desperate.
The horror of Flicka threatening suicide faded, leaving Dieter with the realization that he was holding her tightly against his chest, his arms wrapped around her, with her arms around his neck, and her soft lips were very near his.
Flicka looked back and forth between his eyes.
He didn’t move.
She stretched her neck, and her arms tightened around his shoulders.
The gulf of inches between their lips narrowed.
Dieter bent and took his mouth with his. The warm, sweet taste of her lips were everything he remembered, and her body curving against his jolted a year’s worth of memories through his mind.
That kiss was his life flashing before his eyes as he lay dying, the moments of passion and nights lying in her arms. It was fire and life and the sweetness of desire as his lips caressed hers.
He knew she needed comfort, so he backed off, reluctantly.
Flicka settled against his side, laying her head against his shoulder.
Dieter surveyed the train car, noting the other passengers and lack of threat. Only a few other businessmen were taking a Sunday afternoon train to Paris for early Monday meetings.
He cradled Flicka, treasuring the feel of her in his arms once again.
A few minutes later, she was dozing as he held her, just like a few years ago.
This didn’t mean anything, he told himself. Adrenaline was a potent aphrodisiac. When they got to Paris, Flicka might not want to continue this. She might think that kiss was a mistake, a moment of weakness, or him taking advantage.
But for those moments, he had her in his arms again, so he would savor them.
A few minutes later, a customs inspector ambled through the speeding train, glanced at Dieter’s backpack that held illegal weapons and millions of dollars in diamonds, and passed by.
Dieter rested his cheek against Flicka’s forehead and maintained operational security, but they were on a high-speed, mag-lev train en route from Geneva to Paris.
He smiled a little as Flicka slept in his arms.
See In Shining Armor
at Google Play.
A Note From Blair Babylon
So, by now, you probably have figured out that these books are not only about Flicka von Hannover, Wulf’s little sister, but also about Dieter Schwarz.
Dieter Schwarz—the hot-blooded, sarcastic, brooding chief of the Welfenlegion—has been a reader favorite ever since Billionaires in Disguise: Rae was released several years ago.
Readers have been clamoring for Dieter’s story, and I’ve been cagey as heck about it in my newsletters and in Babylon, the Facebook readers’ group.
I put up a poll in the Babylon group about a year ago, asking which character people wanted to see me write about.
Dieter won by a mile.
To answer your question: Yes, Dieter and Flicka have been meant to be together all along.
But I had to be coy about his story. I wanted this to be a surprise, at least for long-time readers.
That blurb that was up during pre-orders was all lies. I giggled the whole time I wrote it.
When people asked about him in the Babylon group, I very carefully crafted answers like:
“The next two years of my writing schedule are planned out with Flicka’s books and then Maxence’s story.” (Totally true.)
“When I write about characters in previous books, like the Killer Valentine books, I generally bring in a new character for them.” (Also a true statement.)
“Writing Xan and Georgie was really hard because both of them had so much backstory already incorporated into canon. I’d have to be crazy to do that again.” (Completely true. I am insane.)
I also thought I had co
mpletely given it away in a few of those epilogues.
I hope you enjoy Dieter and Flicka’s story. She’s been waiting a long time for him.
~Blair Babylon
Blair Babylon Books
~
BILLIONAIRES IN DISGUISE SERIES
READING ORDER
Here’s the theoretical and chronological reading order:
Working Stiff (Runaway Billionaires #1, Casimir)
Stiff Drink (Runaway Billionaires #2, Arthur Duet, Part 1)
Hard Liquor (Runaway Billionaires #3, Arthur Duet, Part 2)
Billionaires in Disguise: Rae, Complete Omnibus Edition
Falling Hard (Billionaires in Disguise: Lizzy, #1) ~FREE!
Playing Rough (Billionaires in Disguise: Lizzy, #2)
Breaking Rules (Billionaires in Disguise: Lizzy, #3)
Burning Bright (Billionaires in Disguise: Lizzy, #4)
What A Girl Wants (Rock Stars in Disguise: Rhiannon)
Somebody To Love (Rock Stars in Disguise: Tryp)
Every Breath You Take (Billionaires in Disguise: Georgie and Xan, #1) ~FREE!
Wild Thing (Billionaires in Disguise: Georgie and Xan, #2)
Lay Your Hands On Me (Billionaires in Disguise: Georgie and Xan, #3)
Nothing Else Matters (Billionaires in Disguise: Georgie and Xan, #4)
The Rock Star’s Secret Baby (Rock Stars in Disguise: Cadell)
Santa, Baby (Rock Stars in Disguise: Peyton)
Runaway Princess Bride (Billionaires in Disguise: Flicka)
Stiff Competition (Runaway Billionaires #4, Maxence)
You don’t have to read everything perfectly in this order. I try to recap or make books as standalone as possible. The mini-series within this overall list, such as the Lizzy books or the Georgie books, should be read in order. ~BB
Check for New Releases by Blair Babylon at Google Play
~~~~~
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading Billionaires in Disguise: Flicka.
If you’d like to know when my next books come out, please visit my website or sign up for my newsletter.
Sign Up for Blair’s Newsletter Here
Email List subscribers get lots of free stuff:
- Sneak peeks at works-in-progress
- Free stories
- Epilogues to previous books
- And notices of new releases and special sales or coupons.
Every newsletter has something new, fun, free, or discounted in it, just for you!
If you can’t click and fill out short forms on this device,
Please type this link into a browser:
http://smarturl.it/Babylon-Email
I hope that you’ll also leave a review with your thoughts where you bought this ebook. Reviews are the best way to let other readers know about new books or to tell the author that you enjoyed it.
Again, thank you for reading!
Blair Babylon
Shockingly, Blair likes to talk.
You can chat with Blair Babylon at:
Website | Newsletter | Goodreads | Twitter
Like Blair’s Facebook Page
Join Babylon ~ A Fun Facebook Group!
Copyright 2018 by Malachite Publishing LLC
All Rights Reserved
This is a work of fiction.
Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s wild and naughty imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission from the author or publisher.
1st Edition: April, 2018
Once Upon a Time: Billionaires in Disguise: Flicka Page 24
