Fallen Princess

by Chantal Fernando

  I rest my forehead against his.

  “I don’t know how I got so lucky,” I whisper.

  Felix is a hero, just like I always knew he would be.

  At least one good thing came out of this whole cop mess. If I’d never gone against everything and taken the plunge to enroll in the academy, I never would have met him. It’s crazy how things work out like that. I don’t know if it’s fate or just chance, but I’m so happy and feel so lucky to have this man in my life.

  “I feel the exact same way,” he replies, and we sit there just watching each other.

  “Charmaine called, I need to go and help her,” I tell him, giving him another kiss. “I don’t want to leave, but this is my mess, and I need to go and fix it.”

  “What’s happened?” he asks, trying to sit up.

  I stop him with my hand. “Don’t move, Felix. You need to rest. They found out that she helped us, and someone has kidnapped Amelia.”

  “What?” he yells, trying to move. “I’m coming. I can’t just sit here while this is going on. Is Amelia okay? No one better have hurt her!”

  “And this is why I didn’t want to tell you, but Mom suggested I be honest,” I grumble, standing up and leaning over him. “I have it under control. I’m not going anywhere alone; Mom and Dad have my back and are going to help me get Amelia. You are going to rest and get better, okay? And just in case you try anything, your mom and Uncle Tracker are sticking around to guard you. I love you.”

  One more kiss, and then I leave his room, hating the fact that he’s injured and I can’t stay, but I have a little girl to save.

  After stopping at the station to speak to Jones and tell him what the hell has happened, I jump back in the car with Mom and Dad inside. Apparently we’ve turned into some vigilante family, working together to save Amelia.

  “What happened?” Mom asks as soon as I close the door.

  “I filed a missing-children’s report, but it’s early, so no one was taking it seriously. Charmaine already called and notified the police, so they’re aware. One of the men at the house with Reaper wasn’t held, so it has to be him,” I explain, scowling. “Why the hell did they let one man go? They were all clearly involved in the drug deal in some way or form; it’s bullshit. It’s like if you want something done right, you have to do it your damn self, or breathe down everyone’s neck.”

  “Welcome to life,” Dad mutters from the passenger seat. “At least you’ve covered all your bases. The cops know she’s missing and can do what they do from their end, meanwhile we can try to find her ourselves, since they don’t seem like they’re in a rush to do anything.”

  “That’s true. So what’s the plan?” I ask, looking between them both from the backseat.

  “Pick up Charmaine first, I think,” Mom suggests, tapping her fingernails on the steering wheel. “We need to work fast. The timing right now is pivotal in saving this kid. You mentioned there was a guy who wasn’t arrested—did you get his name? Maybe we could speak to him and find out something. We need to find out where he is.”

  “Yeah, Niall Gregory,” I tell them. “He’s Reaper’s right-hand man. He could be anywhere by now though. I wrote down his address, but if he’s just sitting at home, he’s not very smart.”

  Dad immediately pulls out his phone. “We can go there and see if we can find any clues. I’m calling in the Wind Dragons. The more of us there are looking, the better our odds are going to be.”

  He has a point.

  Between us all, I’m confident we can track down this guy and save this poor little girl who has done nothing wrong.

  When we pick up Charmaine, she’s a mess but tries to hold it together as we drive to Niall’s house, which is about ten minutes away.

  “Stay in the car,” Dad tells me and Charmaine, like I’m a kid instead of a police officer. I guess some things will never change.

  “We will find her,” I promise her, reaching out and taking her hand. “All right?”

  She nods. “She’s all I have. I can’t believe he did this, just because I gave up their location. This is why I didn’t want to be involved in the first place; these people are evil. I can’t believe I ever associated with them. Amelia deserves so much better than all of this.”

  She starts to cry, and I get it, but now isn’t the time. “Don’t cry, I need you to be strong right now, okay?”

  I get out of the car and listen, because if I hear a gunshot or something from the house, I know that they will need me. When I’m standing there for five minutes with nothing, I decide to go in and investigate myself, telling Charmaine to lock the car. I head around the back, and seeing the door already open, assume Mom and Dad must be in there. It’s dark inside, and I instantly don’t like the vibe. I follow Mom’s voice, which leads to a room covered in photos and paperwork.

  “Mom,” I whisper, not wanting to alarm them. “What the hell is taking you guys so long?”

  She points to the wall. “He’s been investigating something. What are the chances that this guy is an undercover cop? And that’s why he didn’t get arrested?”

  “Why would he kidnap Amelia then?” I ask them, frowning.

  And why didn’t anyone at the station tell me? I guess if it’s above them, they wouldn’t have even known. At the end of the day, we’re at the bottom of the food chain, and all the detectives know much more about cases like these.

  “Because you ruined the case for him?” Dad suggests, leading me back outside. “He might have been on the verge of getting what he wanted when you stormed in.”

  “If he’s a cop, then Amelia is safe though, right?”

  Neither of them answer me.

  None of this makes sense. “Maybe he had to prove that he was on their side,” I think out loud. “Kidnapping Amelia shows he’s getting revenge for the men who did get arrested and now will potentially spend time behind bars. Maybe he needs to redeem himself somehow? They might blame him for leaking the location if he was the one they trusted the least.”

  I’m just speculating at this point, trying to make sense of things. Who knows what is really going on, but we need to find Amelia tonight. I’m not resting until she’s back in Charmaine’s arms.

  “But if Reaper was the one running the show, with him taken out, what now?” I mutter to myself, tapping on the window for Charmaine to unlock the door. We all get back into the car, and I don’t even know where the hell we’re going to go next when my phone rings.

  “Hello,” I say distractedly.

  “Hey, Clover, it’s Johanna.”

  I sit up straighter. Johanna is a police officer and my Uncle Ranger’s wife. Uncle Ranger was a member of the Wind Dragons but stepped aside. He’s still family to us though, and that never changed, even if we see him less often than everyone else.

  “Aunt Johanna?” I ask, confused. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yes. I have some information I thought might help you. Niall is one of ours, however he hasn’t checked back in with us and seems to be off the grid. We don’t know where his loyalties lie anymore. Luckily for us, our superior sensed this and we’re able to track his location. I’m sending you the address right now.”

  “Thank you,” I tell her. “I really appreciate this.”

  “No worries. We’ve been keeping our eyes on this, and when I heard you were involved I knew I had to help. Just go and save that little girl,” she says, hanging up.

  Her message comes through, and I rattle the address off to my parents.

  I don’t know what we would have done if Aunt Johanna didn’t decide to step in and help.

  Loyalty.

  I have that in tenfold.

  Mom steps on the gas, and we rush to the address.

  Charmaine sobs, clutching my arm, silently putting all her faith in me.

  I’ve got this.

  When we get there, Dad tells me to stay in the car again, but I don’t listen. “Dad, I’m coming in,” I tell him, quietly exiting the vehicle. “This is my mess, so I
need to fix it. I can’t always have you guys saving me.”

  He grumbles but doesn’t say anything else as I follow behind them. We check all the doors, but they’re locked, so Dad kicks down the door and then we all enter, guns pointed and ready for war. We check each room until we find Amelia in a bedroom, sitting on the bed, crying. She has a doll clutched in her arms, and when she sees me she all but jumps into my arms.

  “I knew you’d come,” she says to me after she calms herself down.

  With my parents on each side of me, we search every other room, but come up short.

  He got away.

  I carry Amelia to the car and hand her to Charmaine, their reunion is so emotional that I have to look away.

  I send Aunt Johanna a quick message, saying that we saved the girl but Niall had already left.

  Her reply makes me grin, evilly.

  Don’t worry about him, he’s mine.

  I breathe a sigh of relief.

  Amelia is safe, Felix is going to be okay, and Johanna is handling my only loose end.

  Fuck, what a day today has been.

  I wanted excitement, adrenaline, and emotion, and I got them.

  I also nearly lost the man I love, and that’s something that I don’t want to experience ever again.

  Before I return to the hospital, I head back to the station and hand in my badge and my gun. Once Amelia was safe, I knew it was time for me to hand in my resignation. Too much has happened, everything about this job is tainted.

  This is the end of my career as a policewoman, but at least I’ll still have Felix.

  And I’m okay with that.

  SIXTEEN

  “I JUST wanted to say thank you for protecting my daughter,” I hear Dad say in his gravelly voice. “It’s no secret that I wasn’t exactly over the moon about her wanting to be a cop, and dating one, but . . .” He trails off, composing himself. “I owe you my life, Felix. And I can see why Clover loves you. You’re a good man.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Felix replies from his hospital bed. “I really do love her, and I’d never do anything to hurt her.” He pauses, and then adds, “And if I did, she could probably kick my ass anyway.”

  Dad chuckles under his breath. “She’s a strong woman. Stubborn. But she has a heart of gold.”

  “I know,” Felix says. “I want to ask her to move in with me. If it’s okay with you, of course.”

  “Clover can make her own decisions,” he replies, surprising me. “Trying to control her and be too overprotective made her run away to business school, then join the police force without her feeling like she could even talk to us about it. That’s not the relationship I want to have with her, so from now on, I’m just going to love her and be there when she needs me. But if she wants to live with you, that’s her choice. She will always have a home with me, and I will always protect her, but I think I can step away a little now. If you fuck up I won’t hesitate to kill you though.”

  Felix is silent for a few seconds, then laughs uncomfortably. “It won’t come to that, sir. I can assure you. I’m crazy about her. We’ve been through so much together in such a short time, and she has become not just my girl but my best friend.”

  “Save the speech for Clover,” Dad grumbles, but I peek my head in to see him offer Felix his hand. “Welcome to the family, Felix. And good luck, because you’re going to need it.”

  “Takes a special kind of man to handle a strong woman like us,” Mom says from behind me, scaring the shit out of me. She wraps me in a big hug and kisses the top of my head. “We aren’t for everyone. We’re proud, strong-willed, and our self-respect and dignity can sometimes mix in with our ego, but we are rare, Clover. You are rare. I’m so proud to have raised a young woman like you. When I was pregnant I would think about what I wanted my child to be like, and you’re everything I could have dreamed of, and more.”

  “Mom,” I whisper, emotion hitting me. I hug her back tighter. “Thank you for loving and supporting me even though I’ve made some dodgy decisions, recently.”

  “You have to make mistakes to learn,” she replies, stroking my hair. “Trust me, I’ve made more than a few in my lifetime.”

  “Hopefully none for me for a while. I quit my job, and now I can just focus on Felix getting better until I plan my next move.”

  “Lucky you have a shitload of money in your bank to hold you down until then, right?” she teases, gently nudging me with her hip.

  “I know, I’m spoiled. And grateful.”

  Not many children have what I do, and I know how blessed I am to have a family who will look after me and have my back no matter what. Still, I’d rather be out making my own money than using my savings Mom set up for me, and she knows that. I’m not one to sit idle. I might wait a week and then decide if I want to find a new job, or go back to college and finish another degree.

  Or both.

  And now that Felix wants me to move into his apartment with him . . .

  I duck my head, smiling widely. “Felix wants me to move in with him.”

  “That’s a big move,” Mom murmurs, studying me. “You sure that’s what you want? There’s no need to rush into anything.”

  “It feels right,” I reply, glancing up at her. “I don’t think I’m rushing into anything with him. I think that’s where I’m meant to be. And if I’m wrong, lucky I have a room at your house that will never be converted into something else.”

  “Yes, you are. And he’s a good kid. You chose well,” she says, hazel eyes happy.

  “I’m glad I did something right.” I grin, nodding toward Felix. “I’m going to save him from Dad and pretend I’m surprised when he asks me to move in.”

  Mom laughs and shakes her head, auburn hair framing her face like a curtain. She’s such a beautiful woman, my mother.

  “I love you.”

  “I love you too, Clover,” she says.

  I step inside the room, letting myself be known.

  Dad stands, kissing my hair as he passes, and then exits with Mom, leaving me and Felix alone.

  “Are you okay?” I ask him, sitting down and taking his hand. “Is there anything I can get you?”

  “I’m fine,” he says, rubbing his thumb along my knuckles. “All I had to do was take a bullet for you to get your family’s approval, who knew it would be so easy?”

  “Can you not joke about that?” I deadpan, lips tightening. “They would have come around eventually anyway.”

  “Well, this sped up the process,” he says with a wolfish grin, pulling me onto the bed next to him. He moves over and lifts up the blanket. “Come and spoon me, Nurse Clover.”

  I roll my eyes but slide onto the bed and rest my head carefully on his shoulder. He’s been in here for a few days now and is doing much better. The doctor said he might be able to go home soon.

  “Are you doing that thing where you overheard another conversation but aren’t going to say anything about it?” he asks, making me chuckle.

  “You knew I was listening? I’m just waiting for you to officially ask me to move in. I’m not going to ruin this moment; it’s going to be a first for me,” I tell him, kissing his cheek. “What if I’m a difficult person to live with?”

  “What if I’m a difficult person to live with?” he fires back. “I could be messy. Or lazy. I guess we’re both just going to have to find out the hard way.”

  “You’re not messy. Your house is spotless. You sure as hell aren’t lazy. You’re always doing something—exercising, cooking, cleaning . . . I don’t think I’ve ever seen you just sit there and do nothing. So what else have you got?” I ask, arching my brow and waiting to see what comes out of his mouth next.

  “Okay, you got me. I’m perfectly house-trained.” He smirks, rolling me over onto my back and looming over me. “And I’m decent in the kitchen. I make a mean cob loaf.”

  “You’ve been holding out on me. I love cob loaf.”

  He brushes my hair off my face. “We just haven’t had much time to do stu
ff like that, but we will. I can’t wait to wake up to you every morning.”

  “I haven’t said yes.”

  “You haven’t said no either,” he replies, softly kissing my lips. He cups my face with his hands and looks me in the eye. “Move in with me. I’ll wake you up with my mouth on you and then feed you. You’ll never be bored. And I’ll love you like no other man ever will.”

  My eyes flare at his declaration. “I can’t really say no to that, can I?”

  I kiss him.

  Deeply.

  The nurse walks in, and gasps. “That is not going to help his recovery.”

  I slide out of bed—a little red-faced—clear my throat, and sit back down on the chair.

  “On the contrary, I think that’s going to help me very much,” Felix says to her with a straight face.

  She makes a tsk-tsk sound, checking his vitals and the wound. When she leaves, he holds out his hand to me, like he just needs to touch me.

  The feeling is mutual.

  SEVENTEEN

  “HOLY hell!” I yell, covering my eyes with my hands. “Fuck! I can’t unsee that! My eyes! They burn!”

  I run out of the room and sit down on the couch, completely scarred for life.

  “You could have knocked,” Rhett says as he walks into the room, after having slid on some black sweatpants.

  “Nate told me Cara was here alone!” I explain, wincing. “Future leader or not, I’m going to kill that little shit. Seeing my best friend’s penis is not how I wanted to start this morning.”

  “What? You don’t care that you saw Cara naked, just me?” he asks, scowling. “Why am I taking the heat for this? Next time, you should knock, Clo.”

  “Oh, trust me, I’ve learned my lesson,” I grumble.

  Cara walks out fully dressed. “Is everything okay?” she asks me.

  “No,” I tell her, frowning. “I saw my two best friends naked; I feel violated.” I pause, then add, “Well, I’ve already seen Cara naked various times, so it’s mainly just seeing Rhett’s junk.”