by Emma Lea
“Meredith,” he said.
I didn’t turn around, but I did wait for him to continue.
“There is a pretty decent gym downstairs. We haven’t trained for a couple of days, do you feel like a workout?”
“You didn’t get enough when we were just down there?” Danika asked and any hope that I had that maybe I had misconstrued what I’d seen, fled.
“Hardly,” Jamie said. “That was just a warm up.”
“Maybe later,” I murmured, moving toward my door once again.
Before I could escape, Jamie was behind me. I could feel the warmth of his body on my back even though he wasn’t touching me. I could smell his aftershave. The scent would always be one of my favourites but now it would also be a reminder of what could have been.
“Mer,” he whispered in my ear. “We need to talk.”
I scrunched my eyes closed and clenched my jaw against the sob that wanted to break out of my chest. Nothing good ever came from those four words.
“Not now,” I said. I needed to get away from him.
I tried to open my door but he hooked his arm through mine and spun me around to face him. My defensive reaction was automatic and my forearm came up to press across his throat while my other hand gripped his wrist. He didn’t move but looked at me with a sardonic smile and a quirked eyebrow.
I took a breath and relaxed my stance, letting him go, but not before I saw Danika step up behind him as if she was going to intervene to protect him. Wouldn’t he just love that? Two women fighting over him. Fighting for him.
I dropped my head and shook it slightly. No. He wasn’t like that. Although it was possibly a fantasy that most men indulged in. Jamie wasn’t the type of guy who would get off on it. We were genuinely friends and I had thought more.
“Maybe I will go to the gym,” I said, lifting my eyes to his.
“Great. Let me just—”
“Alone,” I said and turned around to go into my bedroom to change.
I closed the door behind me and leant against it for a moment. I could lay the blame of this whole debacle at the feet of my mother. If she hadn’t sent me that list then I wouldn’t have even entertained the idea of something more happening between Jamie and me. The thought of the two of us potentially being in a real and public relationship wouldn’t have even entered my mind if I hadn’t been forced to think about my future partner. Yep. This was all my mother’s fault.
I strode over to the chest of drawers and pulled out some training gear. I changed quickly and grabbed my phone and earbuds, jamming them in my ears and hitting play on my playlist. ‘Alter Bridge’ blasted in my ears and I relished the heavy rock as I escaped my room and then the suite without making further eye contact with either Jamie or Danika. I needed to find my Zen so that I could get back to the place I was when I first arrived at the suite. The relaxed and calm Meredith that had been massaged into a boneless lump was long gone, and in her place was a twisted and bitter woman with her mad on. I needed to burn off this ugly feeling with a hard workout and maybe I would find sanity while I was at it.
Jamie
I stood from the couch as Meredith came out of the bedroom dressed for the gym. I went to speak, but she didn’t even look at me and she had her earbuds in, so she wouldn’t have heard me anyway. I was clueless to know why she was giving me the cold shoulder. I needed to talk to her about what Alyssa said to me. We needed to be on the same page if Alyssa took her aside and questioned her too. I would have gladly spilled everything to Alyssa if I knew that was what Meredith wanted, but something told me she wanted to keep what was happening with us under wraps for now.
“Can you show me that move again?” Danika said from behind me.
“Huh?” I turned around to face her.
“You know, that hold you just had me in. You were going to show me how to get out of it.”
“Oh right,” I said with a little shake of my head. I had seen Meredith and had completely lost my train of thought. I couldn’t help the little grin that turned up the corners of my mouth. No one had ever had that effect on me. Seeing a beautiful woman had never been enough to distract me, but Meredith was a whole different matter. The woman had the ability to make me lose every rational thought that came into my head.
I pulled Danika back into my arms, holding her close, caging her in.
“You need to make sure you can get your hands under my arm, here. Do you see?”
Danika nodded as she wiggled her fingers between my arm and her chest.
“And then you need to able the right amount of pressure—”
“Oh whoa! Sorry man. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
I looked up at Cody who had just walked into the suite, dropping my arms from around Danika.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, puzzled by the slick grin on his face.
“You need to hang a sock on the door or something if you are going to go all co-ed on me.”
I turned to look at Danika who grinned back at me and I suddenly realised what it must have looked like. Oh god. Meredith had seen the same thing. No wonder she had been so cold toward me. I was such an idiot.
“There’s nothing going on,” I said gruffly. “I was just showing Danika…Why am I even explaining this to you? I have to go.” I needed to get to Meredith and explain what she had seen. I would get down on hands and knees and grovel if I needed to.
“You’re not going anywhere,” Cody said, all teasing gone from his voice. “Benjamin wants to see you in his suite.”
I ran a frustrated hand through my hair. “What about Meredith?”
“What about her?” Cody asked. “Benjamin just said you and Danika.”
I swore under my breath. If he wanted to see just the two of us then it had something to do with Kalopsia.
“Fine,” I said. “Let’s go.” Meredith would have to wait. I just hoped that she was going to be in a more forgiving mood by the time she got back from the gym.
The suite where Benjamin and the rest of the team were staying was one floor down. The floor we were on was split into two penthouses - Alyssa and Will were in one and Meredith and I were in the other. There was a guard placed at the elevator doors as well as outside both rooms. The level below had four suites. One was set up as a communications room and the others were for the various personnel who had accompanied us - other guards and support staff.
I knocked on Benjamin’s door and waited for it to be opened. Daniel nodded to me before stepping aside to let me in. He stepped out and closed the door behind him leaving Danika, Benjamin and me alone. The weird Skype alert sounded from Benjamin’s computer before either of us could say anything and then Von Bartham was on the screen.
I tried not to show the tension that knotted me up inside. I was desperate for news from home. For ten years I had had little or no news and I had tried to forget that I was a prince in hiding, exiled by those I had been born to serve. Now, I was getting regular updates and each one was worse than the one before. I had been gone too long. I tried to reason with myself that this was what the people had wanted. That they had willingly and knowingly supported the coup that had destroyed my family and displaced me, leaving me without a home, without even a country. Now it seemed that most people hadn’t even understood what was going on. My heart broke for the innocents who chafed against this new rule and bore the brunt of arrogant and narcissistic men who had no care for anyone but themselves and their own interests.
“Take a seat,” Benjamin said and I realised I was still standing just inside the door.
I nodded once and moved across the suite to the large mahogany table where Benjamin sat. He angled the laptop so I could see Von Bartham and there was a spread of aerial photos on the table around the laptop. Arial photos that looked very like shots of the castle I had once called home.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
Chapter 9
Meredith
The suite was quiet when I returned. The guard on the door nodde
d to me, but I didn’t know him well enough to ask the questions I needed answers to, namely where was Jamie and did he leave with her?
Where the solitude of earlier had felt good, now it felt suffocating. I didn't know where things stood between Jamie and me and sitting around the suite waiting for him to return felt too passive. The workout at the gym helped but I still felt restless and unable to settle, like a cat on a hot tin roof. I showered and changed, my actions automatic as my brain revisited the snapshot of Jamie and Danika in an embrace. It felt so out of character for Jamie but I couldn't deny what I saw.
“Ugh!” I growled to myself. “Stop it!”
I paced around the bedroom. We had a ‘night off.’ It was probably just as well because I didn’t think I would be very convincing as Alyssa right now. My laptop pinged with an incoming message and I shot daggers at it, wishing I had actual daggers to throw at the offending machine. My hand even went to my thigh where I had a knife strapped, but I clenched my fist, grabbing air instead of the knife and growled out a frustrated noise not unlike some wild animal. I couldn’t stay here. I couldn’t sit around and pretend I didn’t see what I saw between Danika and Jamie. I couldn’t sit around and let my mother’s plans for me fester in my brain. I needed to get out and just forget about this nightmare that my life had become.
I pulled on my shoulder holster and then a light jacket to cover it. I left my long hair down and only put on the barest hint of makeup. I was not pretending to be Alyssa tonight. This was just me and I wanted to feel like the real me for a change. Since this tour started I had been pulled in so many directions and I hadn't been able to just let my hair down and be Meredith. I was either playing Alyssa or I was acting like a wealthy, anonymous celebrity. Tonight I was neither. I was just me.
I walked out of the suite, nodding to the guard on the door, but not engaging in conversation. The guard at the elevator pressed the button for me when he saw me coming and by the time I was standing at the doors, they opened. I stepped in with a small smile of gratitude and hit the button for the lobby. The Mayfield had a casino and several restaurants and bars on the ground floor and that was where I was headed first. A cold, alcohol laced drink was exactly what I needed.
I wasn’t someone who usually turned to drink to solve my problems, but tonight I just wanted a little relief from the internal dialogue that was on repeat in my head. I wanted the kind of relief that only alcohol could give me.
I stepped out of the elevator and the buzz and energy of the crowd bumped up against me, beckoning me forward. It was then that I realised I was on Le Beau. Which sounded weird, but the truth was, until now it had only been a theoretical knowing. Now I could feel the party atmosphere that infused the island. I had never been to Le Beau, but I had heard the stories. It was the Las Vegas of the Mediterranean and I would have missed it all if I had stayed in my room and sulked. We were only here for two days before we set sail again and I had been so caught up in my own problems that I could have missed it completely.
I changed my mind about getting a drink in one of the hotel bars and walked out the front doors instead. The sun was shining and I slipped my sunglasses on, letting a smile cross my face as I took a deep breath. I set off on foot, heading down the strip that was lined with more decadent hotels and casinos than I had ever seen in one place. Long, sleek limousines glided gracefully along the road beside small, compact rust buckets that weaved in and out of the slow moving traffic, horns blaring in contempt. I felt like a kid at Disneyland. There was so much to look at and so many things I wanted to do but I didn't know where to start.
My stomach growled and I realised I hadn’t eaten in hours. So, food. I wanted to start there. I looked around to see what took my fancy. I saw a sign for a dessert bar. Dessert. Bar. Two birds, one stone. I strode inside and was greeted by a smiling hostess.
“Table for one?” she asked.
“Just a seat at the bar,” I replied.
She nodded and then led me deeper inside. The bar was all dark leather and wood. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the low lighting, but by the time I slid onto the stool at the bar I was already feeling much more relaxed. The hostess handed me a menu and then left me to peruse. There was a page of just desserts and a page of cocktails. But my favourite page was the one that combined the two.
Dark chocolate brownie drenched in crème de cacao, topped with Irish cream ice cream.
Tiramisu laced with Tia Maria and Frangelico cream.
Fruit salad soaked in red wine and served with Champagne jelly.
Melon balls marinated in Midori and served with coconut rum sauce.
My mouth watered and I didn’t know where to start.
“What can I get you?” the bartender asked, coming to stand in front of me.
“I can’t decide,” I replied. “It all looks good.”
“Can I suggest the Drunken Mess?”
I looked up at him and grinned. “Drunken Mess?”
“Like an Eton Mess,” he said with a grin matching mine, “But with alcohol.”
I closed the menu and nodded enthusiastically. “Yes,” I said. “That.”
He winked at me and walked away to place my order. I took a moment to look around the near empty bar. I suppose I was a bit early. A dessert bar seemed like a late night thing and the sun hadn’t even set yet.
“Can I get you a drink while you wait?” the bartender asked, coming back to stand in front of me.
“Yes,” I replied.
Jamie
My mood was no better when I left the meeting with Benjamin. We had a clearer understanding about what was happening on Kalopsia, but still no idea how we were going to change anything. By all reports, the country had descended into a pit of corruption and destitution. The people were suffering. The innocents and those most in need were being discarded and forgotten about. General Anastas, as he was calling himself, was a despot. His rule was worse than anything he accused my father of. The whole thing left me wanting to punch holes in walls. What I really wanted to do was storm the castle and take it by force, but my hands were tied. This was about more than just me and my need to see justice served. A diplomatic solution needed to be floated first and then I could look at a show of force. Except…me and what army? I was a displaced prince living in a country that was not mine and without a security force of my own. I couldn't ask Merveille to go to war on my behalf. And truly, would a war even be the answer? Hadn’t there been enough bloodshed?
All I wanted right then was to hold Meredith in my arms. There was something about having her close that soothed the raging tempest inside me. I stalked into the suite, alone. I refused Danika’s attempts to accompany me. I needed to speak with Meredith and I needed to do it without interruptions.
The suite was empty.
I stalked from room to room looking for anything that might give me an indication of where Meredith might have gone, but there I couldn't find anything. No note. Nothing. I pulled out my phone to check for a message but there wasn’t one. I strode back across the suite and flung the door open.
“Where is she?” I asked the guy on the door.
“She left a couple of hours ago,” he replied. “She didn’t tell me where she was going.”
I stepped back inside the suite and slammed the door, not caring what the guard thought of my tantrum. I ran a hand through my hair, tugging at the ends hoping to release some of the pent up anger and worry that I felt. I pulled out my phone again and called Cody.
“Do you know where Meredith is?” I asked without any preliminaries when he answered.
“I haven’t seen her,” he replied.
I stabbed at the screen to disconnect the call and then pulled up another number.
“Meredith is gone. Did you send her somewhere?”
“No,” Benjamin answered.
I disconnected from him and paced around the suite. Finally, not able to stay inside the room any longer, I crossed to the door and flung it open again. I crossed the hall an
d pounded on the queen’s door, ignoring the guard who stood there. Scott opened the door and gave me a disgruntled look.
“Is Meredith in there?” I asked.
“No,” he said. “I haven’t seen her.”
“Dammit,” I growled. “Where the hell is she?”
“She left the building,” the door guard said.
I turned to him. “Left the building? Where did she go?”
He shrugged. “No idea. All I know is that she left and headed out onto the strip.”
I growled low in my throat and took off down the hall. The elevator doors opened as I approached and I got in and stabbed the down button. Where would she have gone? Why the hell had she left without letting anyone know where she was going? It wasn’t like Meredith to be so irresponsible. The last thing I needed right now was to be traipsing around Le Beau looking for her. Didn’t she understand that?
I charged out of the elevator when it finally opened on the ground floor and headed straight for the front doors. The strip was a hive of activity, but I didn’t take any of it in. My focus was wholly and solely on finding my partner. I looked up and down the street, hoping that she would just appear. Of course she didn’t. Nothing in my life ever happened easily. I took a punt and headed down the street, glancing at the buildings that I passed. The island may have been relatively small, but with the amount and size of the buildings along the strip, it could take days to search each and every one of them for her. I didn’t even know what frame of mind she was in when she left. Did she come out here to find something fun to do or was she running and hiding from me?
We had never even been out on a date, so I didn’t even know what she might want to do for fun. Our relationship had been after hours in the training room and the occasional stolen moments while we were on shift together. I didn’t even really know what she liked to eat or drink. Our food was provided at the palace and it was usually something ridiculously healthy to ensure that we were always on top of our fitness. Even while we had been on tour, the food had been served with little input from us. We just ate whatever was placed in front of us. So I had absolutely no idea where she would go when left to her own devices.
