by Day Leclaire
“Don’t push your luck, Your Highness. We’ve done as you asked. Now you will come with us without any further argument or discussion.” He put the phone to his ear and spoke for another moment before breaking the connection. Thrusting the phone into his pocket, he addressed his men. “Our top priority is retrieving the princess and ensuring her safe return to His Highness.”
Alyssa struggled to maintain her composure while they spoke around her, referring to her as though she were a package. A possession. That’s all she’d been since the moment she’d stepped foot in this blasted country and she was getting darned sick and tired of it.
“What about the commander?” one of the men asked, nodding toward Merrick.
Alyssa sat up straighter. Commander? Commander of what? Not that she had the opportunity to ask, not while they were busy determining Merrick’s fate. She shot him an apprehensive glance. He didn’t seem the least concerned. She remembered comparing him to a lion when she’d caught her first glimpse of him. Perhaps she’d been mistaken. He was more of a leopard than a lion, she decided, all lean muscle built for power and speed. There was also a ruthlessness about him, she associated more with leopards than lions, a deadly intent. A crouching watchfulness that preceded explosive action.
His eyes glittered a hard, winter-bright gold, watchful and determined. Whether these men knew it or not, they’d already lost. This man didn’t fail, no matter how huge the odds or how dangerous the mission. She took a fierce pleasure in the knowledge before realizing that should Merrick succeed, she would lose. He’d prevent her from returning to her mother by any and all means at his disposal. How was it possible that every instinct urged her to trust him when it put her mother’s life in jeopardy?
But no matter how hard she tried to picture him as the enemy, what she recalled most strongly were his arms wrapped tight around her and his hands and mouth offering the most intense pleasure she’d ever experienced. “Trust me,” he’d said. She wanted to. God help her, she wanted to. And perhaps she would, if it weren’t for her mother.
Tolken had reached his decision and he confronted Merrick. “I know you, old friend. It’s too risky to bring you back on the helicopter with us. We’ll secure you here on the premises.” He stabbed a finger at three of the four remaining guards. “You will remain behind and guard him. He can be retrieved later and dealt with at that point. You will make sure he doesn’t escape. His Highness will be most disappointed if you fail to do so.”
“Prepare to be disappointed,” Merrick murmured. “I won’t be here when you return.”
One of the men still surrounding Merrick raised his hand, but a single glance at Alyssa had him thinking better of it. Still, it prompted her to sweep to her feet. “Enough! I won’t have a man beaten in my presence. In fact, you will keep your hands off him until he’s turned over to Prince Brandt. Is that clear?” She didn’t dare wait for a response since she didn’t know how much longer she could maintain her bluff of future retribution. She turned to Tolken. “I need clothing, including shoes.”
“Of course, Your Highness.” He looked discomfited. “I—”
“Closet and dresser,” Merrick said. “You’ll find everything you need.”
Tolken signaled his men to secure Merrick and leave. Alarmed, Alyssa took a swift step in his direction, only to stop short when she realized the inappropriateness of her actions. She stared at him in dismay, bewildered when he returned her gaze with one of calm confidence. A half smile hooked the corner of his mouth, his scar giving him a mischievous appearance that sat at odds with his warrior nature.
She didn’t understand it. They were going to take him away now. They’d tie him up while they returned her to Prince Brandt. Once on the prince’s turf Merrick would be punished, severely, she suspected. And there was nothing she could do about it, nothing at all, not if she wanted to protect her mother.
She should hate Merrick for what he’d done, but she didn’t. For some strange reason, she wanted to protect him every bit as much as she wanted to protect her mother. How could that be? He’d abducted her. Stripped her. Bound and gagged her. He thought she was motivated by greed and ambition. He’d taken her captive. Forced her to share a bed with him. Held her in his arms. Kissed her until she couldn’t see straight. Touched her in ways no man had ever touched her. She ought to congratulate Tolken and his storm troopers. Offer profuse thanks. Instead, she wished them all a swift journey straight to hell.
The man who’d been sent away earlier appeared in the doorway. “Sir, the helicopter’s arrived. We can depart at any time.”
Tolken jerked his head in Merrick’s direction. “Take him,” he instructed. “See if there’s a root cellar and secure him there. The rest of you wait for me by the car.”
Without another word, they escorted Merrick from the room, the men filing out one by one until only Tolken remained. Yanking open the closet door, he removed the slacks and blouse and tossed them to Alyssa. “I’ll be waiting outside the door to escort you to the helicopter as soon as you’re dressed.” He paused in front of her. “And I believe these belong to you. A wedding gift from His Highness, weren’t they?”
He opened his hand and held out the amethyst and diamond earrings Prince Brandt had given her the day before. Had it only been yesterday? Good grief. She vaguely recalled leaving the earrings in the bathroom when she’d showered. Color tinted her cheeks at the hint of reprimand in Tolken’s voice. But what did he expect? For her to wear them to bed…with Merrick? The ludicrousness of the whole sorry mess struck her and hysterical laughter vied with embarrassment.
Lifting her chin, she regarded him with as much composure as she could manage. “Thanks.” She accepted the earrings and, since he continued to stand there and wait, put them on.
He gave a nod of approval and stepped into the hallway. The instant the door closed, she crossed to the small dresser shoved against one of the walls and checked the drawers. Sure enough, she found underclothes with the tags still on them. Had Merrick chosen them, or had his sister, Miri? Not that it mattered.
The plain cotton underpants and matching bra fit reasonably well, though the bra felt a trifle snug. To her relief, they’d gotten the size of the blouse right, the soft taupe a color she often chose to wear. The plain slacks, several shades darker than the blouse, also fit well, if a little loose at the waist. She suspected the clothes had been chosen for their simplicity and in the hopes that the wearer wouldn’t attract any undue attention. Understandable, if regrettable. Had the circumstances been different, she’d have wanted to attract as much attention as possible. Next, she found a pair of sandals in the closet. They were a tad large, but the various straps and buckles could be tightened to compensate.
Glancing in the mirror, she groaned. No wonder Tolken had treated her with so little respect. She looked like a woman who’d made a rambunctious night of it. Checking the rest of the drawers, she lucked onto a comb and used the remaining few minutes taming the curls billowing around her face. That’s what came from going to bed with wet hair.
Finished, she opened the door, surprised to discover that Tolken wasn’t waiting for her after all, but another man stood in his place. “Where’s your boss?” she asked.
“I’m to escort you to the helicopter,” he replied.
“What about Merrick?”
He didn’t answer, but jerked his head toward the steps. She preceded him down and crossed to the front door. She managed a swift glance toward both the kitchen and the great room before she exited the house, but didn’t see anyone. Perhaps they’d found that root cellar Tolken had referred to and were busy tying up Merrick. It was a depressing thought.
Outside, more men stood around the vehicle waiting to transport her to the helicopter. As soon as she settled inside they drove a short distance to a narrow valley tucked between the mountains. A large black chopper squatted in the middle. Off to one side a half dozen men were lounging on the ground in a small group while another half dozen stood guard, their weapon
s at the ready. She didn’t have time to do more than glance at the contingent before being helped into the helicopter. Tolken had brought far more men than she’d realized. Clearly, Prince Brandt wasn’t taking any chances. He wanted her back and would use every resource available to ensure it.
She glanced up to thank the man who’d assisted her onboard and stared at Merrick in utter disbelief. “What? How…?”
He smiled, taking far too much enjoyment in her astonishment. “I had men surrounding the house. They liberated me.”
She fought to make sense of it all. “But, that means…. You knew Tolken would find me?”
“I had a pretty good idea. I had my men stationed, ready for that possibility.”
“It was all a setup?” she demanded. “You knew in advance that Tolken and his men would raid the house? You knew we’d wake up with guns pointed at our heads?” At his nod of confirmation, the full impact of his admission struck and unbridled fury took over. “How could you put yourself at risk like that? If one of those idiots had been a little more trigger-happy you could have died! How could you be so foolish?”
He gave her an odd look. “And you,” he pointed out. “I put you at risk, as well.”
She waved that aside. “They wouldn’t have hurt me. Prince Brandt would have had their heads if I’d been harmed. But you…Damn it, Merrick. I’m sure they considered you expendable. Those men were out for blood. Yours, if I’m not mistaken. They—” Her voice broke. “They beat you.”
He dismissed that with a casual shrug. “Fortunately for us Tolken had them well under control, a fact I was counting on since we’d both been trained by the same man—a man who abhorred unnecessary bloodshed.” He held out his hand. “Now, if you don’t mind, hand over your earrings.”
The change of subject baffled her. “Why?”
“Tolken found you thanks to them.” He hesitated. “You’ll be pleased to know they’ve also helped prove your innocence.”
Too much had happened in too short a time. She didn’t understand anything anymore. When he made a move toward her, she held up her hands. “Stop. Just stop a minute and explain it to me in short, easy-to-digest monosyllabic words. Use sentences and paragraphs only if there’s no other option.”
He assisted her into one of the seats. Tucking her hair out of the way, he proceeded to strip her of the earrings. He held them up. “Von Folke gave these to you?”
She nodded. “As a wedding gift.”
“They have a tracking device embedded in them.” He allowed that to sink in before adding, “It confirms the story you’ve been telling me about being forced to marry von Folke. He wouldn’t have needed to plant a tracking device on you if you’d chosen to marry him of your own free will. It only would have been necessary if he’d been concerned that you might try and run.”
Outrage left her breathless. “That’s how Tolken found us? I was…I was bugged?”
“Yes.”
“And you knew they’d come for me?”
He shrugged. “Suspected. Hoped.” Crossing to the open doorway of the helicopter, he tossed the earrings to one of his men. “If Tolk came after you, I could secure him and his men long enough for us to disappear. It worked. Now you and I will head out and Tolken will return to von Folke empty-handed.”
“But, isn’t this his helicopter?”
Merrick grinned. “Kind of him to lend it to us for our escape, isn’t it?”
“But, isn’t it bugged or…or have some sort of tracking device on it, too?”
“It is and it does. Too bad it’s been disabled or he’d know where we were going.” Turning, he signaled the pilot. “Now, if you’ll fasten your seat belt, Princess, we’ll take off.”
The blades began to whip around. “Please don’t do this.” She had to shout to be heard over the growing roar of the engines and blades. “Please. Just let me go with Tolken.”
“Sorry, Princess. I can’t. I’m afraid you’re stuck with me for the duration.”
The noise grew too loud to allow for further conversation. After a few minutes, the chopper lifted off and banked to the south. They climbed over the ridge of mountains separating Avernos from Celestia, a feature Alyssa remembered seeing on the map the previous evening. It didn’t take long until they were on the other side and she caught her breath at the beauty of the rolling green hills spread before them. Rain clouds drifted off and the sun broke through, sending a rainbow spearing toward earth. She’d been born there, she marveled. She’d come from this place.
Eventually, the helicopter set down in another field, bordered by a dirt road. A car was parked off to one side along the grassy verge. As soon as she and Merrick had exited the craft, the chopper departed, winging northward once again.
“You had this all carefully planned, didn’t you?” she asked as soon as the noise had faded enough to speak.
“It’s my job to plan carefully.”
Alyssa planted herself in front of the man who’d abducted her for the second day in a row, facing him with a fierceness born of equal parts exhaustion and anger. “Who are you?” she demanded. “I mean, really.”
“We were never formally introduced, were we?”
She folded her arms across her chest. “No. This might be a good time.”
He surprised her by sketching an elegant little bow. “Merrick Montgomery, at your service, Princess.”
Not only a leopard, but a graceful one with old-world manners. She didn’t want to notice such things. She wanted him to be rotten and evil so she could focus on escape, instead of being distracted by how he looked and moved, spoke and smelled. And kissed. Those kisses had been the ultimate distraction.
“This is ridiculous,” she muttered.
He nodded in agreement. “Bordering on the bizarre.”
“You still haven’t told me what you do. How did you become caught up in all this?”
“I’m commander of Verdonia’s Royal Security Force.” At her blank look, he clarified, “It’s the security contingent for the country as a whole, rather than any one principality.”
“Like the army or something?”
“Or something. A specialized armed forces.”
That explained Tolken and his men’s demeanor toward Merrick, as though they were subordinates addressing a superior. It also explained their apprehension. What the hell had she become involved in? And how could she get herself and her mother out of it? “Well, Commander, would you mind explaining to me how snatching an innocent woman is part of your job description?”
“It’s my job to see to the safety and protection of my country and its citizens. That includes you and your mother, something I’ll deal with before much longer.” He started across the field toward the car. He didn’t even check to see if she followed, though considering she had nowhere else to go, it was a bit of a no-brainer. “Now let’s start at the beginning, Alyssa. How and why did you come to Verdonia?”
He spoke English with a near perfect accent. But it still held a gentle lilt most noticeable when he said her name. Was there nothing about the man she could despise? “I was about to start a new job.”
He nodded. “Assistant Vice President of Human Relations for Bank International in New York City.”
“Do you remember my saying that, or did you have me investigated?”
“Both.”
Did they have a dossier on her? She found the idea unnerving. Did he know about all her jobs? About how, since college, she’d bounced across the country, from position to position, always looking for the “perfect” one? The perfect place to finally, finally put down roots? Did he know about her mother’s background, as well? Oh God.
“My mother—Angela Barstow—sent me an express envelope. It contained a brief note begging me to help her out of a jam she’d gotten herself into. And she sent an airline ticket.” Alyssa shrugged. “What could I do? I flew out to help.”
“This jam, as you call it—what was it?”
Alyssa frowned. “She didn’t say. She and
my current stepfather recently broke up and she often runs away after—” She broke off, aware she’d said too much. “She thought an extended trip to Europe might give her time to get over him. I don’t know why she returned to Verdonia. Maybe she got it in her head to visit my half brother for some reason. Perhaps she wanted to visit my father’s grave.”
Merrick swiveled to face her. “Is it possible she set you up deliberately? Could she be working with von Folke?”
Five
Alyssa glared at Merrick. “My mother working with von Folke? Not a chance,” she retorted without hesitation. “She’s the least devious woman I know. She’s…helpless. That’s why I need to get to her as soon as possible.”
With a noncommittal nod, he continued on to a white sedan and opened the passenger door. “That’s not going to happen, Princess. You’re going to have to trust me when I say that von Folke won’t do anything to harm her.”
Instead of climbing in the car, she slammed the door shut. “I’m supposed to trust you?” she demanded. “How can you even suggest such a thing? What have you done to inspire my trust?”
“Not a damn thing.” Merrick dropped his hands to Alyssa’s shoulders. “Since you haven’t known me long enough to trust me, consider this…. Tolken and his men know I’ve taken you against your will. I made that clear to them. They also know that you were willing to return to von Folke. Hell, you were eager to. The fact that you weren’t able to isn’t your fault and everyone will recognize that fact. There’s no advantage to hurting your mother. It won’t help his cause.”
It made sense, but she didn’t dare risk her mother’s life based on Merrick’s brand of logic. “You can’t be certain. Not a hundred percent certain,” she argued.
“I can, and I am. Right now von Folke has a certain level of sympathy. Someone has stolen his bride and that has the potential for swinging votes his way—assuming he makes that information public knowledge. I’m betting he’ll keep it quiet for the time being. There are too many variables beyond his control to risk any sort of general announcement.”
