Forever Guarded

by Kathleen Brooks

  * * *

  Piper and Aiden spent the next hour walking through the beautiful gardens talking about Keeneston and Lynton. They didn’t mention marriage, but Piper noticed when talking about the future, Aiden said we a lot. In that moment, it was easy to forget the realities of their situation. They were safe in a picture-perfect palace, and her lab and work were far away. Their real lives were pushed to the side as they pretended everyday could be like this.

  And then there was the kissing, the touching, and the almost sex behind giant rose bushes. By the end of the hour, Piper’s head and heart were spinning circles. She loved him. She wanted him. She couldn’t have him. There would be an ocean separating them. There was also someone trying to kill her.

  “Piper, stop thinking.”

  “What?”

  “I can see you thinking and freaking out. Don’t borrow trouble. We have enough as it is,” Aiden told her as he pulled her against his side while they walked back inside.

  “How can I not think about the future and the problems we face?”

  “Because I’m an expert problem solver. And let’s live in the moment. We don’t have to plan our whole lives right now.”

  “Boss.” Piper heard a deep English voice behind her. She turned to find a tall, muscled man with a shaved head standing about fifteen feet away. He was wearing the same outfit as Aiden—slacks and a button-down shirt.

  “Eddie.” Aiden grinned before quickly introducing them.

  “I’m sorry I wasn’t there—”

  Aiden cut him off, and Piper felt horrible. This man blamed himself for Piper’s kidnapping. The two men continued to talk, and Piper learned her things had been put in her room. Dylan joined them, then Piper excused herself.

  “Wait, Dr. Davies,” Eddie called out before hurrying to catch up with her. “I’m sorry, we usually have these meetings away from the client. We like to all be on the same page.”

  “It’s okay, Eddie. And please call me Piper. I just thought to jot down some ideas I had. I’ll let Aiden fill you in. And thank you for coming on such short notice. I hope your family isn’t upset.”

  “It’s a pleasure. My wife divorced me after my second tour of duty and remarried. I’m raising our daughter, but she’s at boarding school right now, so the house is pretty quiet until she comes home for Christmas.”

  “How old is your daughter?”

  “Sixteen. She’s into science too. If she finds out I am protecting you, she’ll be so jealous.”

  “I’d love to meet her,” Piper said as they approached her room. Eddie held out his hand to stop her from entering.

  “Give me a minute to make sure everything is clear.” Eddie disappeared into the room and a couple minutes later came back out. “Now, if you promise to stay in this room until dinner, I’ll finish my briefing. But if you need me, I can put it off until tonight.”

  Piper smiled gently at him. “I promise to stay here. Thank you, Eddie.”

  Piper closed the door and took a deep breath. She had so much to think about, but her mind kept wandering to Aiden. Live in the moment. Be in the moment. She could do that. It was against her nature, but she should at least try. Her cousins always rolled their eyes at her and her ten-year plan. Maybe she did need to live more. And if that meant having Aiden in her life, surely that wasn’t a bad thing.

  * * *

  With a one-week plan in mind, Piper pulled out the things Eddie had brought from the lab and went to work. Before she knew it, Aiden was knocking on the door. “Come in,” she called out.

  Aiden pushed open the door carrying his bags. “I hope this isn’t presumptuous of me, but Eddie should be nearby and I was hoping to spend the night with you so I gave him the room next door.”

  Piper’s heart answered for her. It flipped and she felt her pulse race. “I’d like that.”

  She bent her head into her work as Aiden set his things down. “It’s time for dinner.”

  “I’m not hungry. I think I’m onto something. It’s like I said . . .”

  Piper trailed off and didn’t even realize she’d done so until a plate of food appeared in front of her. When she looked up, the room was cast in evening shadows, and Aiden was quietly slipping through the open connecting door where Eddie was sitting watching her from his room. How long had they been like that?

  “I thought it was time for dinner?” Piper called out, stopping Aiden’s progression into Eddie’s room.

  “It was, two hours ago. I knew you must have been in the zone so I brought you some food. I’ll stay out of your way until you’re done.” Unlike past boyfriends, Aiden smiled and meant it. In the past, they’d been upset if she’d ignored them while absorbed with work.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Of course. I’m not a young chap who needs constant attention. I am a grown man with my own interests, you know.” He winked and Piper felt her face blush. Oh, she knew he was a grown man.

  “I’m so close to figuring this out. I can’t wait to get my sample back and get into the lab. I can do some of it in Lexington, but I’ll need my sample.”

  “That’s great. I’m proud of you. Now, eat and work. And when you’re done, we’ll play.” Aiden’s voice dropped for the last part and Piper licked her lips. She could play forever with him, but his praise gave her the extra motivation to get back to work.

  Eddie had gone to bed three hours earlier. Aiden sat propped up in bed reading as Piper scribbled away. Her fingers flew over a calculator, her mouth moved without words coming out, and her hair was now pulled half out of her ponytail. She was beautiful. It was something to watch her work. He could see her brain connecting the dots, filling the information in, and calculating like no other brain could. Aiden felt honored to be able to watch such brilliance at work. Soon his girl would save the world. Aiden smiled with pride and went back to reading.

  It was three in the morning when Piper screamed and jumped up so fast she knocked her chair over. “What is it?” Aiden asked, dropping the book and leaping from the bed.

  Piper jumped again, then giggled.

  “Oh, yeah, I sleep in the nude. I can grab some shorts.”

  “No!” Piper said, giggling again as she ran over to him and jumped.

  Aiden caught her in his arms but had to lower her because she was a ball of energy. “I got it! At least I’m almost positive I got it. I think I know how to fix it. It was there all along,” Piper said so quickly Aiden struggled to hear her as she began to pace. “I mean, it was the nanoparticles—it’s like baking. Vary the ingredients, temperature, baking time, and it affects the food. Same thing here. I wasn’t cooking them long enough and that led to them being unstable. Once they’re stable, I’ll add in the antiviral component, and I think they’ll be able to be delivered into the host. I just have to test out my theory. I can’t believe it was this easy!” Piper stopped pacing and her face fell. “Maybe it’s not this easy. Maybe this isn’t it at all.”

  Aiden grabbed her and pulled her to him. “You have a good idea, and you’re going to try it. I bet it works. I’d bet my life on you and that magnificent brain of yours. You were mesmerizing to watch work.”

  “What if it doesn’t work?”

  “Then you’ll try something else. But you have an idea and I think you should run with it.”

  “Phobos,” Piper cursed.

  “Will be caught soon. In the meantime, I think we should celebrate. All your bouncing around has given me an idea.” Aiden’s idea was poking her excitedly in her stomach.

  Without warning, he wrapped his arm around her waist and fell back against the bed, pulling her on top of him. “I like this idea,” Piper said with a mischievous grin. She ground her hips against his, sending his eyes rolling back in his head. When he opened them again, she was straddling him. She reached down and slowly stripped her shirt from her body and tossed it on the floor. Her breasts brushed his face as she leaned for the drawer and pulled out a condom. Oh yes, his Piper was something else all right.

&
nbsp; 23

  The plane ride home was not what Piper was expecting. First, Draven had insisted they take his private plane. He’d told his bodyguards he was going to his regularly scheduled orgy and ditched them at the palace, assuring them that the royal member would be in safe hands. Dylan, Eddie, and Aiden didn’t like the implication, but Draven winked as they boarded the plane and Eddie asked if Draven really did have a scheduled orgy.

  Once on the plane, the men laughed and told stories as if they were old buddies. The food was excellent, the drinks delicious, and Piper actually enjoyed herself. She even discovered there was a funny, nice man under Draven’s horniness, but only after a couple minutes of him complaining about missing an actual orgy.

  “We’re on our descent,” the pilot told them over the intercom. Piper looked out the window at the sun setting over the Bluegrass Region. It made everything glow a warm orange. The rolling hills, the bare autumn trees, and the miles of fences all glowed. Piper watched horses gallop through their pastures as the plane flew closer to the airport.

  “Dylan said your cousin Jackson is meeting us at the airport,” Aiden said, sliding onto the couch next to her. He put his arm around her shoulder, and she leaned into him. “He’s an FBI hostage rescuer?”

  “Yes. He’s very good at his job too. And his two main partners are hilarious. Talon Bainbridge is Australian. Lucas Sharpe is from northern Alaska and says he grew up playing with polar bears.”

  “Just when I thought I couldn’t love your town more,” Aiden said with a chuckle as his phone rang. “It’s your mom,” he said to Piper as he accepted the video call.

  Only it wasn’t her mother on the other end.

  “Phobos!” Piper gasped. Dylan and Eddie moved quickly and silently toward her so they could listen better.

  “I figured you’d run to your boyfriend. Where are you, Piper? It’s not polite to run out like that.” Phobos’s voice was mocking but deadly. She’d angered him.

  “Where are my parents?” Piper asked instead.

  The phone was turned and Piper stopped breathing when she saw them. “You tied up my mother?” Piper screamed. “She’s nine months pregnant!”

  “And she and her baby will die if you don’t bring your work to me now.” Piper saw a man put a knife to her mother’s belly, a man she recognized as Royce. Her mother would have cussed him a new one, but her mouth was covered by tape. Her arms and legs were bound together, but at least they’d put her feet up in the recliner. Her father was similarly bound and gagged on the couch next to her.

  Piper didn’t dare look at Dylan. She could imagine the way his eyes went from twinkling with laughter to flat with death in a split second. There were times her own brother scared her, but she’d never been more relieved to have him with her.

  “What formula?” Aiden asked Piper. “What does this man want with you?”

  Piper was too stunned to talk at first. But then Dylan kicked her foot out of range of the camera and gestured for her to play along. “I made something this man wants.”

  “Something? Like a new drug?”

  “Yes, something like that,” Piper said as her mind couldn’t tear itself away from her mother and father held hostage. Rage and fear battled as her heart felt like it would explode before either emotion won out.

  “Then give it to him!” Aiden practically yelled.

  “That’s right. Listen to your boyfriend,” Phobos grinned as if he’d just won.

  “It’ll take time. It’s not here right now.”

  “And where is here?” Phobos asked casually, but she knew it wasn’t casual. He wanted to know, and she was at a loss for what to say.

  “We’re about to land in Rahmi. Piper was found dehydrated in the Surman desert.”

  “Then you have ten hours to get here with your work, or I’ll start killing. I’ll start with your unborn sibling and move to your mother, father, and then your little sister. She sure is cute.” Phobos held up a family photograph and set it down. “Don’t think about calling in for help either. I have people hidden all over town. One move from your cousins or from the Rahmi guards and I start killing. And I won’t stop until the formula is here. Do you understand?”

  “I understand,” Piper said as she slowly nodded her head. “Please, just untie my mother.”

  “No can do. The bitch almost ripped one of my guys’ eyes out. See you soon, Piper. And only Piper.”

  “But I can’t bring it all myself. My brother can help me,” Piper said, trying to find a way to get Dylan into the house.

  “I don’t think so. I’ve seen pictures of your brothers. One is a crack shot, even if he’s a doctor, and the other looks like a tank. He can come. The scientist. Royce said he was boring as hell. You’re lucky he only drugged him and didn’t kill him.”

  Aiden looked affronted but kept quiet. “Okay. Can I have twelve hours? The stuff is hidden, and I’ll have to pack it up real well. There’s lots of it,” she lied. It was really only a few vials and her notes and there was no way she was going to be able to get to them in time.

  “I’ll give you eleven hours. Not a second more.” Then he disconnected the call. Aiden held up his finger to stop them from talking until he had completely disabled his phone. It sat in three pieces on the table before anyone talked.

  “I’ll kill them,” Dylan said simply.

  “I’ll help,” Aiden said.

  “Me too,” Eddie put in.

  “Not me. I’m too important to get in a shoot-out.”

  Piper punched Draven. His head snapped back and Piper yelped as she shook out her hand. “You can’t compare to my parents.”

  “I didn’t say I could. I just said I can’t die. I’m a king, not a soldier. Plus you haven’t met my cousin who would take over the crown if I die. He’s a complete asshole. But I can hire a mercenary army in a heartbeat for you.”

  “No need. We’ll handle this ourselves,” Dylan said as the plane touched down in Lexington. “We have Jackson, Talon, and Lucas. That’s six trained men.”

  “And one pissed-off woman,” Piper said as rage won out over fear. She’d always been the passive one, but not now. She wanted to kill someone badly. Someone named Phobos or Royce who dared put a knife to her mother. And she knew how to do it.

  “No, you’re staying at the farm,” Aiden told her. Piper spun at him and glared. Aiden glared back.

  “I’m coming.”

  “I’ll make a deal with you. You can come, but you have to stay in the car and promise to leave if we tell you.”

  “Fine. Give me your phone,” Piper said, turning to Dylan.

  “Who are you going to call?”

  “Give me the phone,” she said with a new seriousness.

  Dylan quickly handed his phone over. He’d never seen her this way. Emotional, sure. But deadly calm? Nope, and he was probably as scared as she should be if Piper could feel anything right now.

  “Dudley, this is Piper. Want to earn your way back into my good graces?” Piper waited as Dudley quickly agreed. “Good. I need you to bring some things to the private jet wing of the airport right now. I expect you there in thirty minutes.”

  When Dudley said he was ready, Piper rattled off the list of things she needed and hung up. Her mind was flying a mile a minute as chemical formulas flashed before her eyes.

  “Um, luv,” Aiden said slowly. “You do know that some of those things can be made into a bomb, right?”

  Piper just nodded as she grabbed a napkin and started scribbling. She had a plan. First thing was to get bulletproof coats for her and Aiden. The others would have vests. But now she had work to do while the guys made their plans.

  Draven directed the pilot to taxi straight into the rented hangar. The plane came to a stop, the door opened, and Draven exited the plane first. Piper was the last one out as she was still jotting down formulas. When she walked down the steps, she found Jackson, his dark hair cut short and his silver eyes hard as steel, talking to Dylan. It was clear introductions had bee
n made and the group of soldiers was getting down to work.

  Jackson saw her first as he strode over to her, his face hard and impenetrable. “We’ll get your parents. I swear.”

  “I know, because I have a plan.”

  Jackson’s eyebrows rose as the men began taking over a large steel table in the hangar. “Piper, hostage rescue is kind of my thing. I think we’ll go with my plan.”

  “We’ll see,” she smiled as she took a seat in the corner of the hangar, grabbed some paper, and got to work.

  “What is she doing over there?” Talon asked as they all stared at Piper spread out across the floor. Papers were scattered. Dudley was pulling tons of supplies from his car and laying them out on the floor in front of her.

  “I don’t know, but she hasn’t talked to us in thirty minutes and lots of those chemicals can be made into a bomb,” Aiden said, watching now as small vials were set out.

  “I know, but she wouldn’t blow up our parents or their house, so I’m not really sure what she has planned. But I know that look. I’ve never seen it on Piper, but when my mom gets those crazy eyes, you just back the hell up and do whatever she says,” Dylan told them.

  “Thanks for the advice,” Aiden said with a smirk.

  “Whoa,” Jackson said, looking back and forth among Aiden, Piper, and Dylan. “Are you two together now? What’s happened in the past week? And how are you okay with this? I’d kill any man who touched my sister.”

  Aiden’s smirk turned into a full-sized grin. “Want to tell them how we met, mate?”

  Dylan shot him the finger and turned to his sister. “Piper, um, do you need any help?”

  “Nope, this will only take a little bit,” Piper said, not looking up.

  “I’m pretty good with explosives. There’s not much to do in the wilds of Alaska during the long winters,” Lucas said with a shrug. “Want any help?”

  “Really?” Piper asked, looking up.

  “Babe, I’d wager to say all of us know how to build a range of different bombs,” Aiden said, looking at what she had laid out.