by Nancy Gideon
Frannie came in, full of energetic chatter as she made her cash drawer while Amber settled her own. Amber glanced up when the other female broke off mid-sentence to see suddenly-gleaming eyes targeting the rear door. Amber braced before following that avid stare.
He’d been hurt. She could tell by his guarded movements and tight expression. Both his hands were crudely wrapped. The abrupt knowledge that a Terriot prince was here for her infused Amber with a sudden sense of awe as she went into the back to get her purse and coat. She found his gaze riveted on her when she returned, his solemn stare, she realized for the first time, the color of gleaming amber, just like her name, rich, warm and filled with mysteries.
“All set?”
She nodded then remembered to thank Fran for taking her slot. Her co-worker’s quirked smile confirmed she knew that ‘just friends’ was a lot of nonsense. A fact Rico reinforced when his palm fit to the curve of Amber’s spine.
The afternoon was gray and nowhere near as inviting as Rico pulling her up tight against him when they settled onto his bike. His tension was as obvious as his purpose as they traversed the streets to her tiny home a scant quarter hour before Evie was due home.
Rico hung his leather coat on a kitchen chair and silently took a seat as Amber got him a cold soda from the fridge. He didn’t open it, his grim attention seemingly fixed on a loose seam in her scuffed linoleum. That gaze flickered up when her palm scooped beneath the softening bristle of his chin whiskers then closed as she bent to softly touch her lips to his. He sighed into that light kiss, eyes remaining shut even after Amber lifted away. Her hand remained, moving in a slow caress along his jaw, feeling it work, tense and strong with something he didn’t want to speak.
So, she started. “Are you okay?” She left that open to pains of body, mind or heart.
His gaze lifted, shrouded with troubles. “A little banged up, but nothing like the one we just buried.”
“I heard. I’m sorry.” When she eased back to take her own seat, Rico caught her hand as it withdrew, enfolding her fingers with his atop the table. “Can you tell me about it?” She kept her question general when she wanted to demand outright if it had something to do with her brother.
Quietly, methodically, he relayed the events of the prior morning, his attention fixed upon their enjoined hands so he didn’t see the building horror in her eyes at the possible tragic end to his bravery. Then his stare rose abruptly, and she saw the damning question in them.
“Amber, I need to know about your brother’s part in this.”
She couched her answer carefully. “I don’t know what I could tell you, Frederick, that you don’t already know.”
“You could tell me if he’d have something to gain by dealing with our enemies.” His fingers clutched tight when she started to pull her hand away. “You’ve told me what he’s done in the past. Is he capable of doing treason now? Was he trying to save my life or his own?”
Indignation flaring, she jerked free. “Don’t you think if I knew my brother was planning to harm or betray you, I’d have said something?” When he remained silent, she added, “If you have to think that hard about it, maybe you need to leave.”
Instead of moving, he argued, “Amber, I’m a pretty good judge of character, and he’s up to something. I just don’t know what. You know it, too, or you wouldn’t be so upset.”
“And you think if I was hiding something like that, I’d let him get you killed?”
His features turned to granite. “I know folks are capable of doing anything to protect their family. I know you’ve covered for him in the past, kept him from facing the consequences of what he’s done by putting yourself and that little girl in harm’s way. I’m not going to let you do that now. He doesn’t deserve it. He doesn’t deserve you.”
“How would you know?”
He blinked at her harsh tone then admitted woodenly, “I know because that’s what I’m doing now. I’m playing a role to protect my family. Rueben Guedry and my brother Colin cooked up this scheme of me supposedly breaking away from my clan so I could get close to the Patrol, so they might trust me enough to confide in me, so I could find out who’s working with our enemies.”
The significance of his confession settled deep when she considered her part in his ploy. “So, you’ve been using me this whole time, playing on my sympathy to get you on the inside.”
“No. No! Amber, you’ve never been a part of it. Never.”
“Letting me fuss over you, thinking you were abused and abandoned, taking you in.” She sucked a choking breath.
Rico saw the death of all the good things they’d started to share in her stark expression. “I’m being honest with you. It had nothing to do with you up until this minute, so I’m telling you—trusting you—because I care about you and don’t want you caught in the middle if Gus is in over his head.”
“Thank you for your concern,” she bit out, “but I can take care of myself. I’ve been doing it since I was Evie’s age.”
“And it’s been one big picnic, hasn’t it? Doing everything alone. Don’t you think I know something about that, too?”
She took a few hard swallows, obviously struggling with what to believe.
“Believe in me,” Rico wanted to shout. But then when had anyone ever done that.
Amber ran a shaky hand across her eyes, saying in a small, strained voice, “You should go. Evie will be home any second, and I don’t want you here.”
“Ever again?” His heart bobbed up at that question.
She checked her phone and frowned, distracted. “She should have been here by now.”
Rico slumped back in the chair, the wind and all hope going out of him as he said, “I’m sure she’s fine. Amber, we need to get past this.”
“Why? What’s the point?”
Her answer offered no future, and that he couldn’t allow.
“The point? We’ve got something good started here. I’m not giving that up.”
“Something built on lies.”
“And secrets,” he challenged. “I’ve told you mine. Tell me yours.”
They both fell silent, prideful, fearful, needing the other to give them anything but a reason to say good-bye.
Her phone rang.
"That must be Evie." Amber's relief at the interruption gusted out as she reached for her phone. "Hi, baby. Where are you?"
Color bleaching from her face, she staggered out of the chair onto wobbly legs. Her chest jerked with frantic breaths.
"Amber?" Rico leapt from his seat to grip her arms, fearing she'd drop from whatever shock she’d just received. "Amber, what's wrong?"
Panic crowded his throat as her stark gaze rose to his, not focusing on him as fright blanked her features. He took the phone, checking the screen, but the call had already disconnected. What the hell? His heart pounded.
"Amber, what is it? Is it Evie? Tell me!"
The sharpness of his tone cut through the edge of her hysteria. She whispered his name, not Frederick, but softly, with a terrible, strangling anguish, "Rico," clasping him about the neck, fingers twisting in his hair. Her tears burned hot against his cheek.
He clutched her close, pitching his voice low and soothing. "I'm here. Talk to me. Tell me what's going on. Let me help you." He gave that time to sink in then asked in the same measured calm, "Is she hurt? Did something happen at school? Do you need me to take you somewhere?"
Her frantic swallowing sounded painful. Then her words, so much worse.
"He asked if I knew where my daughter was."
Chapter 14
Breath punched from his lungs. It took a moment to recover enough to gently ask, "Who, Amber? Was it school? The police?" A longer pause. "The hospital?"
She shook her head. Rico eased down into his chair with Amber straddling his lap, squeezing him between her knees, her arms locked tight as she panted against his throat.
"Let me help you. Trust me. Don't shut me out."
Slowly, in tiny increme
nts, Amber leaned away from the shelter of his body heat. Their eyes met. Hers held a familiar uncertainty, not sure she could count on him. He touched her hair lightly, the gesture small, tender. She leaned into his bandaged palm, eyes closing, wetness tracking her pale face.
"That's all he said," she whispered. "An adult, not a child. I didn't recognize the voice. He has Evie's phone. Oh, Rico, he has Evie's phone."
The significance twisted, a knife in the gut. "I'll find her. I'll bring her home to you.”
Her head bobbed in a faint affirmative.
The rattle of a key and the kitchen door opened. Evangeline James blinked at the sight before her. "Oh! Sorry."
Amber scrambled off Rico's lap, sweeping her daughter into a choking hug. "Are you all right? Where have you been?"
"Mom. Mama! I'm fine. Geez. I lost my bag with my homework and phone. Ms. LaRoche waited while I looked. I knew you'd be mad if I came home without it."
Rico pried Amber away from the confused girl, holding her against his side as he told the puzzled preteen, "Someone prank-called on your phone. It shook us up a bit. We were ready to call out the National Guard."
That earned a grimace as Evie imagined the embarrassment. Looking between the two of them, she blurted, "If you're not mad, I've gotta pee," then dashed from the room.
With her out of sight and hearing, Amber’s knees buckled.
Rico eased her down onto the chair and went to one knee in front of her. Her hands lying limp and cold within his, he rubbed them gently back to life, asking, "Amber, do you know who might have done this? Do you know what they want?"
A curtain came down over her vulnerability, shutting him out.
"I'm just trying to help," he insisted, keeping a death grip on his calm. "I'm not trying to get in your business. I just don't want to see anyone get hurt." He paused. "Is there a danger of that, of you or Evie getting hurt?"
"I don't know," she told him, voice inflectionless.
"But you've got an idea of what it's about." That wasn't a question because he read a dark knowledge in her eyes. "Tell me what’s going on."
"We don't need your help."
Delivered like a hard push away, Rico rocked back from the force of her claim. He stayed silent for a long beat, carefully considering how he should react before finally saying, "If not my help then how 'bout my protection? Do you feel safe staying here alone tonight?"
A quick glance cut toward the bathroom, betraying the answer she wouldn't speak aloud.
He placed a hand on her tense shoulder, rubbing in firm circles. "You and Evangeline bunk with me tonight. You two take my bed, I'll take the couch."
Instead of arguing, she asked, "What should I tell Evie?"
"I'll take care of it."
He rose when Evie returned to the room. She hesitated, glancing between the two of them until Rico's infectious grin distracted her.
"Hey, I was talking your mom into a movie night on my big screen. Since you've got no homework, how 'bout we kick back, the three of us, order in and gorge on bad food and cheap entertainment until we conk out?"
"A sleepover? Really? Yes!"
"You ladies pack light. We're not going formal. Guess I'd better call a cab. Looks like I'm going to have to get a car. As much as I hate having to find a place to park one, I can't go toting the both of you around piggyback on my bike."
The significance of his words hit both adults at the same moment. The three of them were going to be more than just a casual thing.
* * * * *
After devouring an obscene amount of pizza and sides Rico had ordered, the lethargic trio stretched out on the sofa to watch a Family Friendly Duane “The Rock” Johnson, rather than the Action Hero version Rico and Evie would have preferred. Stuffed and lazily content, Rico stretched out in baggy workout clothes, leaning into the sectional's corner with Evangeline propped up against his thigh lounging in the opposite direction. Amber, finally able to relax from her fight-or-flight vigilance, had the other sectional end piece reclined, trying not to be distracted by the way Rico’s bare toes had tucked under her thigh. Lights were off, just the flicker of the screen illuminating a scene that stole Amber's breath. Lover and daughter trading popcorn and laughter. Like family.
Seeing Evie so happy struck a low blow of truth. This was what her child needed, this secure triangle providing a stabilizing base that she could never form alone.
Frederick Terriot baffled her with his interest and devotion, things she'd never expected from any male, let alone a prince from a rival clan. He had nothing to gain with his determined pursuit. A bartender with another man's child? What could possibly be the continued attraction? Would he find their company appealing if he knew their background and circumstances? Her fear the answer was “no” kept her stubbornly hanging onto her secrets.
The Terriot prince wasn't what she'd at first assumed—a vain, foolish, reckless, even dangerous male—after a little sex and sympathy and the chance to play at being part of an intimate family unit. She'd tried to use Evangeline as an excuse to stay clear, but her daughter thought the sun rose and set on him. Trouble was, so did she. Wasn't it time to admit she wasn't as afraid of him disappointing them as she was of failing him?
He glanced over, catching her intense study. A slight smile tugged at his lips, as if he didn’t remember how she’d spurned his help just hours before. How could he forgive so easily?
But tiny hurts weren’t devastating truths.
* * * * *
The hour grew late, too late for a school night. When Amber got up to box the leftovers, Rico scooped up a dozing Evie. Her arms banded his neck trustingly. None of his bodily aches and pains could compare to the pang of devotion crushing his chest. When he started toward the bedroom, Amber made a move to follow. He waved her off with a smile. I got this. Cautious Mom stepped back, letting him continue.
Without turning on the light, Rico freed a hand to toss back the spread. When he bent to deposit Evie on the smooth sheet, her arms stayed about his neck, holding his rough cheek to her soft one.
"I love you, Rico."
The statement, so simply said, coaxed a reply without hesitation. "I love you right back, kiddo."
"How 'bout my mom? Her, too?" A shiny stare affixed his, reading the truth before he spoke it.
"You know I do. The two of you mean everything to me."
"Then why haven't you told her?"
"I'm working up to it. I don't want to scare her off."
Evie drew him close to whisper in his ear, "You know she's out in the hall listening to everything we say.
He grinned and murmured back, "Yeah, I do. That'll give her the head's up, so she has some time to get used to the idea that I plan to be permanent."
"Good." Evie settled back into the covers with a contented smile.
As he tucked the comforter in around her, Rico broached, "Your mom got quite a scare today when she thought something might have happened to you."
Evangeline's features grew grave. "I know." The fact that she understood without explanation set off Rico's alarms again.
"As a favor to me, you be extra careful, so she doesn't have anything to worry about."
Even though he wasn't scolding, her expression reflected a very adult consideration. "I will."
There was more he wanted to say. He wanted to ask her about her uncle, about any strangers hanging around her mom, but he didn't because he'd promised Amber he wouldn't.
For now, he'd done all he could do except to add, "You be smart and you be careful, because if anything happened to you, or to your mom, it would kill me. Okay?"
"Okay."
"Now, go to sleep and have sweet dreams."
"'night, Rico. See you in the morning."
"Yes, you will."
He switched off the light and quietly left the room to the sounds of her hunkering down in his care. A feeling like no other. Until he stepped into the hall, closing the door behind him, and turned right into Amber James's arms.
&
nbsp; She clung, so he held her tight, burying his nose in her hair until her grip eased. Then he steered her back into the soothing dimness of the living room and settled them side-by-side in the reclining portion of the couch, him stretched out, her on her side overlapping him with arm and leg, her head on his shoulder.
"Thank you for being there for us, Frederick."
Frederick. So, it was back to formality. He covered her forearm with his own to solidify her embrace, murmuring, "No problem. I always will be."
That sentiment dangled in the following silence. He felt her tensing for more of their conversation in her kitchen, so he began carefully, trying to tiptoe through the minefield of her hidden fears.
"I'm sorry about earlier. I’m not exactly a subtle guy." He grinned so she could feel it where his face was pressed to the top of her head. "I've got no business prying in yours except that I care about you and Evie, so let me tell you what I do know. I know you're in some kind of trouble, me being kind of an expert in that area." He rubbed her arm in soothing repetitions. "Don't worry, I'm not going to push that tonight." He took a breath and got into it as much as he dared.
"I want you to know there's not a damned thing in this world that you could tell me that would make me think less of you as a person, a female or as a mother. I know you, Amber. You're strong and good and kind."
She made a soft little sound in her throat but didn't stop him.
"Things happen to all of us that we can't control. Hell, my family, my brothers, we're poster boys for a screwed up childhood. We were damaged in ways you couldn't imagine. In ways I don't want you to imagine. Up until now, I thought my name defined me. I was a Terriot prince and that was enough to get me anything I wanted, except self-respect, and I didn't see that as ever changing until I met you. That you could look at me, at who and what I was, at what I did, and could see something worth even a second of your time still amazes me. I'm not my father. I'm not what he wanted to make me. I want to be what you see when you look at me.”
Her fingers spread wide, inviting his to slip between them as he continued.
