by A. C. Arthur
“Nothing,” he whispered while rubbing his cheek against hers. “Nothing is impossible, baby. If we want it, we can have it. Just tell me you want it.”
She leaned into him but shook her head again.
“Just say the words, V,” he insisted as he inhaled deeply.
He loved the scent of her hair. It was fresh and sweet. Their bodies seemed to fit so perfectly, no matter what position they were in.
“Just say it,” Roland implored once more, his fingers tingling as they gripped the material of her dress. “Please, just say it.”
“Roland, I—”
The knock at the door seemed extra loud. Valora jumped and immediately pulled away from him as if they’d been caught doing something illegal. She looked as if she were about to be tried and sentenced, and Roland was instantly irritated.
“Valora Michele Harrington you open up this door right this moment!” A woman yelled. “I know you’re in there, so you just need to come on out here and let me speak my piece!”
“Who is that?” Roland asked.
Valora stood perfectly still staring from the door to Roland. Back and forth until she finally stepped toward him and put her palms on his chest.
“Go back in the kitchen and wait for me to take care of this,” she whispered to him.
“What? No. Who’s that at the—”
“Listen to me this time, Roland. Just stay here and let me handle this,” she said through gritted teeth. “If I mean anything to you, just...please.”
He didn’t like it. Not at all. But Roland lifted his hands in defeat and took a few steps backward until he was completely in her kitchen. When she continued to stare at him, he even leaned against her counter and folded his arms over his chest. “It’s your house,” he told her. “Do what you need to do.”
“Thank you,” she whispered after a second of hesitation. “Thank you.”
Chapter 12
“Curse you, Valora Harrington!” Cora screamed the moment Val opened the door.
“Shame! Shame! Shame on you!” Idelle, Cora’s trusty sidekick came bustling into Val’s house right behind her very riled-up friend.
This was the second time today people had come into her house without an invite. Val closed the door behind them with critical words burning her tongue. She wanted to get this visit over with as quickly as possible. Then she could go back to the other surprise visitor and...she had no idea what she was going to do about him.
“Hello, ladies,” Val said to them as she went to stand beneath the archway that led from the kitchen into the dining room.
She wanted to make sure she put space between them and the prince. The last thing he needed was to be found in her house. Especially by these two.
“What can I do for you today?”
“You can stop running around here acting like a harlot!” Cora shouted. “Didn’t I warn you last week? But no, you didn’t want to listen to me. Just kept on pushing your way into that palace and now look what you’ve done.”
“A crying shame, that’s what it is,” Idelle said, her words sounding exactly like something Cora would say. “Now your daddy’s out there trying to defend you and getting beat up in the process.”
“What?” Val asked suddenly.
She’d been barely listening to the women because they never said anything she wanted to hear. She’d had no choice except to let them in, but she’d been determined not to let them upset her. Until now.
“What happened to my father?” she asked them.
Idelle’s very thin, bright-painted lips snapped shut, as if she’d said something wrong. But that wouldn’t have been the first time. Cora shook her head, the auburn hair hanging down today in big fat curls.
“You’re so busy chasing men, you don’t even know that your father got his face busted up last night by some man in a bar. That man had the audacity to say something about you trying to be Prince Roland’s next conquest,” Cora snapped.
“As if the prince would actually want to be bothered with his brother’s leftovers,” Idelle added, her voice only a fraction lower than Cora’s.
Val gritted her teeth and took a step toward Cora. “Tell me what happened to my father.”
The woman huffed, the action almost making the extreme amount of cleavage on display in her torso-hugging green-and-white dress topple out.
“He was down at Jen’s Bar, getting drunk like he normally does, and then he starts trading words with this younger guy. Before anybody could really tell what was going on, your father yelled something about the DeSaunterses being a good family and Prince Rafferty being a better leader than anyone before him. The guy yelled back that no matter how much Hugo kissed up to the royal family none of those men were ever going to marry you, and Hugo slugged him.” Cora shook her head then. “From what I heard, that was the best lick Hugo got in the entire fight. When Jen’s daddy dragged Hugo out to his car, he said his face was swollen up like a balloon.”
“Oh, no. Why didn’t he call me? Why didn’t somebody call me last night and tell me what had happened to him?” Val moved immediately to grab her phone so she could call her father. But Cora stepped in front of the small table that held her house phone.
“Now just wait a minute,” she said touching a hand to Val’s shoulder.
It was a stronger touch than Val would have expected and she took a step back to keep from falling.
“You’re the cause of everything he’s going through right now. If you’d stop wandering around popping up everywhere the royal family is—even going as far as to fake like something is wrong down at the museum so that Prince Roland would have no choice but to come down there and check on the place...you might avoid losing your job,” she blasted Val.
“And getting people to park fancy cars outside your house to make it look like somebody rich is in here with you,” Idelle interrupted with a hearty shake of her head. “Just plain despicable.”
“Exactly,” Cora agreed with her counterpart. “And whose car is that anyway? Why are they playing this game with you? You know there’s gonna be hell to pay when Prince Rafferty gets tired of this nonsense. You know he’s trying to plan his wedding and he has no time for foolishness like this from you and your father.”
“That’s precisely what I was about to tell you two ladies,” Roland said from behind Val.
Idelle’s eyes grew so big that Val thought for sure they would pop right out of their sockets like a cartoon character’s. Then the woman immediately fell into a deep curtsy, bowing her head so her bulging eyes were no longer visible. Cora showed her surprise in a much classier fashion. After she closed her gaping mouth, she made a lavish curtsy, coming up slowly and inhaling deeply to assure her cleavage was even more visible.
Both women were murmuring “Your Highness,” when Val turned to look briefly at Roland, who was now standing right beside her, before she moved to push Cora out of the way so she could get to her phone.
She was dialing her father’s number when she heard Roland speak. “While I appreciate you ladies trying to protect my family’s reputation, you should know that the vehicle parked outside is my car. And that I drove here today to see Ms. Harrington. Not to discuss her father or anyone in my family. I was actually looking for a dinner date. But as she obviously now has something else she must take care of, I’ll ask you to excuse us while we ensure that her father is okay.”
Hugo’s phone was just ringing but there was no answer, so Val hung up and immediately made a move to get her purse off the chair so that she could leave. They could all keep standing right here talking about whatever for all she cared. She was going to go find her father.
Roland, however, must’ve had another plan. He took her hand in his and once again stood beside her.
“Well,” Cora said, her gaze going down to their hands, then up
again to Roland’s face.
She didn’t speak to him, but instead looked to Val as she whispered, “It’s not proper. People will continue to talk about this.”
“They can direct their concerns to me,” Roland told her. “Be sure to tell them that.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” Idelle said with a nod of her head just before she started pulling on Cora’s arm. “Come on. Come on,” she said.
Cora was smiling at Roland, who had looked away from her to stare down at Val.
“Were you able to reach him?” he asked.
“No,” she replied.
“Then I’ll drive you to his house right now,” he told her.
They were at the door only seconds after Cora and Idelle had made it through. Val grabbed her purse on the way and asked Roland to turn the small lever on the door so that it would lock once they were out.
* * *
Roland remembered where Hugo Harrington lived. He’d been to the man’s house twice since the night of their last poker game. He hadn’t expected to return to the dwelling, but tonight was an exception.
Valora had been silent as she sat in the passenger seat looking out the window. When he reached out a hand to hold hers, she’d accepted, letting her hand sit comfortably in his. But she still did not speak and did not look at him.
When he finally pulled into a parking spot, she pulled away from him and released her seat belt. The moment the car was turned off, she was opening the door. Roland hurried out and around to the curb to close the door. He fell into step behind her as she made her way to her father’s front door. Apparently she had a key to Hugo’s place, because she reached into her purse. When she found it, Roland reached out to take the keys. For a moment she hesitated, and then she just let him take it, asking him to hurry.
He did, and before she could say another word the door was open and Roland was stepping inside ahead of her. When he found a light and gestured to her, she moved inside, immediately calling out to her father.
“Dad! Dad, are you here?”
There was nothing.
Her cries grew louder, and Roland started to walk around the house, following her closely. Then Val went toward the back room where they’d played cards while Roland took the stairs.
“Hugo?” he called as he knocked on a closed door.
When there was no response, Roland opened the door. He had to walk inside to find a light but when the space was illuminated he saw there was no one there. On to the next room and then the bathroom. He was just about to leave when he heard a shuffling sound. Acting on instinct alone, Roland decided to stop calling to Hugo and he didn’t call down to Valora, either. Someone was up here and he wanted to know who it was before he possibly put her in harm’s way.
He heard the scratching sound again and looked up. There was a cord hanging from the ceiling and Roland pulled on it. Steps unfolded and he climbed them to the attic. It was dim but not totally dark, as there were two circular windows that reminded him of the portals on the navy ships he worked on. It wasn’t quite night yet, but the sun had already set. The waning light cast throughout the space gave Roland a glimpse of rundown black shoes.
“Hugo?” he called out. “It’s me, Roland.”
There was silence and then movement. Hugo pulled his feet out of the light before whispering, “What are you doing here? You said I didn’t owe you a dime.”
Roland held on to his sigh of relief, but climbed farther into the attic. He wasn’t exactly dressed for this today, wearing slacks and a button-front shirt, but he did it anyway. There wasn’t enough room for him to stand up straight, so he bent forward and walked in the direction of those shoes. The closer he came, the more of Hugo Harrington he could see lying with his back propped against the wall. Roland bit back a curse.
“Do you need to go to the hospital?” Roland asked him.
“No,” Hugo answered immediately.
“Why are you up here instead of in your bed with some ice on your face?”
“Because I don’t want to lay in bed,” Hugo snapped.
“Wrong,” Roland said and knelt close to Hugo.
He reached out and touched the arm that he noticed the man was holding close to his chest. Hugo yelled out.
“Dad!” Roland heard Valora yell as she started climbing the steps. “Are you up there?”
“Don’t let her see me like this,” Hugo implored. He’d leaned forward so more of his battered and bruised face was visible to Roland. “I can’t take it if she sees me like this. That’s why I came up here.”
Hugo was using his good hand to tug on Roland’s arm.
“Take her downstairs. Please,” Hugo insisted.
“If I do, when I come back up you’re going to tell me everything that happened and then you’re going to let me take you to the hospital.”
“No,” Hugo shook his head. “You can’t take me.”
Roland was about to pull away from him, but Hugo held on to his arm.
“I mean, call and have your people come and pick me up. I’ll go, but I don’t want her to have to deal with it. I want you to stay with her. Keep her safe,” Hugo told him. “Please keep her safe.”
Roland didn’t understand why the man was asking him to keep Val safe, but he did pick up on the love in Hugo’s voice. For whatever reason, he was afraid for Valora’s safety. That was enough for Roland. For now.
He moved from the corner and stopped Valora before she could get to her father. As they were both bending over, it wasn’t hard to shield Hugo from his daughter.
“Let’s go back downstairs,” he told her and reached for her hand.
She pulled away and asked, “Are you crazy? My father’s over there and he’s hurt. I’m not leaving him.”
Roland hadn’t expected any other reaction from her.
“I know that,” he told her. “That’s why we’re going to go downstairs and call for an ambulance.”
“It’s that bad?” she asked. “I need to see him.”
“Look, it’s uncomfortable up here for all of us. Let’s just go downstairs and make the call. The sooner we do, the sooner they get here and can help him. That’s the most important thing, right?”
He hoped that little bit of reverse psychology worked. Valora was stubborn, and considering the women she’d just dealt with, not in a very good mood. There was a chance she’d push Roland to the side and get to her father anyway.
“What if he can’t get down on his own?” she asked. The hurt in her voice was like a punch to Roland’s gut.
He touched her shoulders. “I’ll help him. Let me just get you downstairs safely and then we can make the call. It’s all going to be fine, trust me.”
She hesitated, and Roland recognized the hurt he’d heard in her voice. He now felt it, too, from the way she’d hesitated at his words.
“Just let me take care of this, Valora. I’ll get your father the help he needs and then you can see to him,” he said. Now was not the time to explore why Val’s not trusting him was such a big deal.
She surprised him, and probably herself, when she turned. “We’ll be right back with help, Dad,” she yelled to Hugo as she headed for the steps.
Once they were both down in the hallway, Roland pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. He made a call to Brunson, who he knew would be parked right outside, telling the man that they needed a car and a medic, not the ambulance with its blaring lights and noise. Neighbors would see that and no doubt begin talking. He figured that was the last thing Hugo wanted right now, more gossip swirling around about him or his daughter.
“Thank you,” she told him when he completed the call.
“Don’t,” he replied. “I’m just doing what’s right.”
Val opened her mouth and looked as if she wanted to say something but quickly closed i
t again. He was thankful she had. He knew that he couldn’t take another blow like the trust thing again, so it was better if they just took care of her father for now.
“You should go downstairs and wait at the door for the car. When they get here, send them up. I’ll wait with him until then,” he said.
She still looked like she wanted to say something, but nodded, instead. Sighing, Roland headed back up to the attic.
“Alright,” he said to Hugo as soon as he’d moved to the corner where the man was still sitting. “What the hell happened to you, and why do you think Valora isn’t safe?”
“He told me she wasn’t,” Hugo said with a shake of his head.
Roland leaned in close to the man and asked, “Who told you that?”
“The guy that put his boot in my face. The one that used to work at the palace for the princess-to-be,” Hugo said.
Roland didn’t even question how Hugo knew who worked where in the royal household. The man had made it his business to try and get his daughter married into their family; of course he would know everything about his family.
Roland was much more concerned with who Hugo was actually talking about.
“You said he used to work there. Are you talking about Amari Taylor?” Roland asked and held his breath waiting for the answer.
“Yes,” Hugo said. “But that’s not his real name.”
Chapter 13
“So the fight wasn’t about me?” Val asked Roland when they arrived at his house an hour after leaving her father at the hospital.
She hadn’t seen him. Roland had taken her to his car and was already driving away when the transport he’d called for arrived and the guards who worked for him had gone into the house to get her father. He’d said they would all meet at the hospital, and they had. There was no way they could have known that the doctors would be so eager to look at her father’s injuries that they would go down to the emergency room entrance. She figured that’s probably what happened whenever the prince called in to the hospital personally and requested assistance.
Twenty minutes later the doctors had come to the waiting room to say they would have to operate on his arm and that he would probably remain heavily sedated throughout the night. They’d suggested she go home and get some rest and come back in the morning.
