It still wasn’t safe.
Chapter Eight
Sebastian’s laser focus remained on the car traveling behind him—or, better yet, the car beyond. They’d left the main house in a caravan of vehicles, too many to allow for chance. Vidal rode with Meredith, but she’d still been glassy-eyed and her shallow panting weighed on his mind. Shock wasn’t pretty and she’d suffered a tremendous one.
“We’re almost there, sir. So far we have an all clear. Greek authorities are sending investigators and have requested permission to access the house.” The bodyguard in the front seat was on permanent assignment to St. Christos, one he’d accepted because Armand arranged for his family to live there as well. Hans—his name is Hans.
“Within reason. The assault didn’t take place within the house.” The destruction to the garden was considerable. His mother would be heartbroken if she saw photographs—no, Armand wouldn’t allow it.
“Understood, Your Highness.” Sometimes, his title had benefits. He didn’t feel like explaining himself and, thankfully, the men didn’t question his orders. Cooperation in security went both ways, so he let them do their jobs.
“Status on Miss Blake?” It was the second time he’d asked on the short drive and he waited for Hans to contact the other vehicle.
“Shaken, Your Highness. Vidal says she is maintaining a brave front.”
Which meant she was still awake. He took it as a good sign. They’d already told him the extent of O’Connor’s injuries. He’d been wounded in service to the family, and they would take care of him.
But Meredith was about to have another ugly shock and one he wished he could spare her. His right eye pulsed, and he concentrated on the path ahead. The helicopter waited for them, the men surrounding it not just bodyguards. Retired military, they were armed to the teeth. Another part of his life he wanted to spare Meredith from—the darker, unkind reality of a life lived under siege.
As soon as the car halted, the men created a physical barricade. Sebastian slid into the turtle formed by the men. A similar maneuver would shield Meredith, but he had to wait until he was inside the helicopter to see her. He took her hands and tugged her into the seat next to him. They were airborne before he’d finished buckling her in the seat.
Her sharp gasp told him she’d seen O’Connor strapped to a gurney and secured along the opposite wall with one of the medics attending him. Of the guards on the island, only Vidal and one other, Beaumont, joined them for the ride. Their pilot was also retired military—British Armed Forces, and a skilled fighter pilot.
Hopefully, they would not need to call upon his particular talent set. Catching Meredith’s icy hands in his, he rubbed them slowly. “O’Connor is unconscious. He’s lost a lot of blood, but his respiration and pulse are steady.” He glanced at the medic for confirmation. The man nodded his assent.
“But there’s so much blood—” Meredith swallowed and Sebastian looked at O’Connor. He’d taken two bullets. Unfortunately, the one to his shoulder had punched straight through. They’d at least had the foresight to cover it with a sheet, but it was dark with the seepage of blood.
“Look at me,” he told her, needing her focus off the injured man because it wasn’t helping her. When she turned her glassy eyes at him, he found a small smile. “He will be fine. The injuries look worse than they are.”
“It’s my fault,” she whispered. “If I hadn’t gone out there…”
“No.” He refused to let her blame herself. “It was not your fault. It is the fault of the men holding the weapons and those that ordered them there.”
Tears shimmered in her eyes and he cupped her cheek. So many things they never said to each other and he’d always intended to tell her…when the time was right. He’d never imagined that their affair would bloom so beautifully or with such depth. Nor did he predict she would read into his desire to protect and shelter her from the ugliness filling the moat around his life as shame. Worse, she thought he only had one use for her.
Anger burned in his gut. That she thought so little of him—of herself—infuriated him. But this wasn’t the time to redress their egregious misunderstanding.
“You should have the freedom to go where you want, when you want,” he told her, and he meant it. “That is who you are…” His woman possessed dreams, goals, and a desire to pursue them. How the hell could she accomplish them locked in the gilded cage of a life with him?
The flight was one of the longest of his life, but he kept trying to warm her hands and distract her. When she finally leaned her head against his shoulder, he rested his cheek against her hair. The yacht was already en route towards the islands. He’d kept it nearby so he could sweep her off for a romantic impulse.
The yacht’s personnel, as with the island staff, were all military. Also, constant roaming made it much harder to pinpoint. They rarely traveled the same routes and they avoided major ports. As soon as they touched down on the yacht’s landing pad, Sebastian picked Meredith up and took her below decks. The physician was there to meet O’Connor, and they swept him toward the medical bay while Sebastian carried Meredith to his suite.
While the yacht technically belonged to the whole family, it was his home away from home. Sebastian lived onboard more often than not. For the most part, he used it to escape the burdens of public life, and it was where he’d first realized how much he loved the woman in his arms.
She roused when he set her down on the bed, but a nurse followed him and Sebastian backed off to let the woman check her vitals. Vidal knocked on the open door.
“His Highness is waiting for your call.” The unsubtle reminder that Armand wanted him in contact the moment he was aboard aggravated him.
The nurse glanced toward him. “Her pulse is improved, Your Highness. Doctor Kiriakis will be with her shortly, but I can stay with her until he arrives.”
Sebastian focused on Meredith. “Will you be all right for a few minutes? I need to contact my brother.”
The watery smile she gave him didn’t do much to reassure his concerns, but then she said, “You should call him and let him know you’re all right. Do you mind if I take a shower?”
Awkwardness aside, it was the first glimpse of his Meredith since the shooting. “Of course, anything you need.” And he said the last to the nurse as much as to Meredith. “I will be back very shortly—”
“Would you check on Terry?” Meredith slid to the edge of the bed and sat. He didn’t care for her pallor or shakiness. He cared even less for her request, but clamped down on his jealous response. In all fairness, the man had been injured in their defense and her entreaty wasn’t unreasonable or indicative of anything beyond compassion.
“Of course,” he said, grateful for the ability to add a smoothness to the response he certainly didn’t feel. Unwilling to leave her on such a note, however, he leaned in and brushed his lips to hers. She didn’t pull away. Instead, she slid her arms around him. He fought the urge to crush her to him and kick everyone out of the room.
“Will it take long?” Her whisper was so low, he knew it was meant only for him. The need in her voice eased one of the bruises on his heart.
“As swiftly as I can. Shower,” he told her gently. “Try to eat something and cooperate with the nurse and the doctor.”
She made a face and squinted at him. Her wrinkled nose promised rebellion later, and he accepted the challenge so long as she took care of herself in the meantime. “Yes, sir, but only if you promise to do the same.”
He chuckled, and it dislodged another rock from his heart. “As soon as I return.” Glancing at Eduard, “Would you have them send in a meal?”
A hint of a smile softened the man’s tense face and he inclined his head. “Of course.”
Forcing himself to leave Meredith, Sebastian strode out of the cabin and nodded to the man stationed just outside of it. For the time being, they would maintain heightened levels of security. The increased caution meant neither he nor Meredith would be left unattended. Rakin
g his fingers through his hair, he stripped off his shirt as he walked.
“What have we found out so far?” Sebastian asked, as he traded the garment for a clean shirt from his onboard valet.
“The helicopter was abandoned on one of the channel islands, and Greek authorities are on site. They didn’t have time for a proper cleaning job, so we’re hopeful. The rounds were military grade. We’re lucky the winds were higher and the rotors threw off their aim.” Vidal followed him into the onboard office. “At this time, we’re looking for at least three men. Two witnesses have stated they took a speedboat, most likely headed to one of the larger islands. We’ve dispatched a small detail to see if they can pick up the trail.”
Sebastian shared a look with him. Quietly, oh so quietly, he and Vidal had made a few decisions after the stabbing. Armand insisted on downplaying everything. Instead, he ordered the family to show restraint, but the Belarian General and his people only grew bolder, not less.
“I want one alive. I want to know exactly who is giving the orders.” They needed confirmation.
Vidal inclined his head. “Agreed.” Instead of leaving Sebastian to his privacy, however, his bodyguard hesitated.
“What?”
“Have you considered sending Miss Blake back to the States?”
“I will not send her away.” It was a selfish choice, but their relationship sat at a precarious point—too damned precarious.
“She will need a new bodyguard, and it cannot be me.” Vidal gave him a sanguine look. “My place is with you.”
Resting his knuckles against the desk, Sebastian nodded. “Do you have someone in mind?”
“Yes. It will take me about forty-eight hours to get him here. Until then, your detail will handle both of you.” Vidal stepped back to let a porter enter and set down a tray with coffee and sandwiches. He waited for the man to finish and leave before continuing. “Until then, eat, discuss what you need to with His Highness, and I will escort you back to the stateroom.”
“You’re bordering perilously on an order, Vidal.” He gave the other man a wry smile. Few would dare to step over the line with him, but he and Vidal had been together since Sebastian’s sixteenth birthday. He was the closest thing to a friend Sebastian allowed himself.
“If one were inclined to instruct a brat prince on his behavior, then perhaps it would be. However, you have been through enough the last few days and you need to settle things with Miss Blake. I can handle security and any other issues…”
“Eduard?” He was going to do something he’d never done.
“Yes, Your Highness?”
Sebastian stared at Eduard’s cool features. He’d been privy to their relationship from the beginning. He’d helped to keep Meredith’s identity a secret, even from the family. “Can she handle it?”
“It’s not my place to answer the question.” Vidal’s answer was not what Sebastian wanted to hear. “However, if one were inclined to give romantic advice, I would suggest being honest with her. She means far more to you than you’ve ever told her. You have made many crucial decisions regarding her without consulting her. If she is to be your partner, perhaps you should allow her to be so. Make your call, sir.”
It was the closest thing to a stamp of approval he was likely to receive and Vidal was right. He and Meredith had a great many things to discuss. Picking up the handset, he dialed Armand’s private number and waited. His brother answered on the first ring.
“Are you safe?” Yes, his autocratic brother cared—oftentimes more than he demonstrated.
“Yes, and unharmed.” Save for the ten years he’d lost when he’d realized what was about to happen and how close he’d come to losing Meredith. “We are on board and the captain is taking us out to deep water.” They would run under a different flag and adjust accordingly for the time being, avoiding any port waters.
“Send Miss Blake home and stay there until I can make other arrangements. We will cancel the Belarian trip and deal with them another way.”
It was so like Armand to give him instructions, but the relief in his brother’s voice was profound.
“No.” Sending her away wasn’t open to negotiation. Neither was canceling the visit to Belaria. “We cannot let them drive us underground. I will not stop living my life for them. I already gave up five years under the presumption I needed to.”
“Sending her away is a reasonable response—”
“If I were feeling reasonable, I would agree with you. I am not. If I send her away now, I risk losing her entirely.”
“You chance getting her killed if you keep her there.” He understood the tightness in Armand’s voice wasn’t anger, but fear. While Sebastian shared the emotion, his worry went deeper.
“She thinks I’m keeping her as a mistress. I cannot let her feel discarded. I can’t.” Surely his brother wouldn’t force him to decide between his family and Meredith, not now. Not after everything. “Do not make me choose, brother.”
“Have you told her?” The truth? The whys behind every step—and apparently his missteps? That he loved her above all others?
“No,” he admitted. “But I am planning to.” As soon as he got off the phone. Meredith Blake was not his mistress and, by God, she would know it.
“Sebastian, be careful.” Armand’s tone changed. “Once you make this decision, it changes everything for her.”
“It’s not only mine to make anymore.” It hadn’t ever truly been, but he’d thought she understood. Only it wasn’t the case—the misunderstanding bothered him more and more.
“Be safe. We’re going to handle this. You take care of your lady. I would very much like to meet her.”
If only wishing made it so. “Take care of Anna and Alyx. How many papers have the pregnancy?”
“Only the online gossip columns, but it won’t be long now.” So, the ticking clock on the world’s speculation had run out, and they were not fully prepared. The paparazzi were only a piece of the puzzle and more nuisance than anything. When Belaria learned, the royalists would take it to heart. Therein lay the real problem.
“And George?”
“We’ve already made arrangements and set up a new name for him. He will not enjoy being out of the limelight, but we’ve impressed it upon him. Mother was entertaining our cousins, and they are all going to take a very long trip to the country house.” Armand didn’t have to say the very private and secure country house, since Sebastian understood the decision.
“Is that wise?” Sebastian frowned.
“I do not think they are targets. It’s the family name they want to wipe out, which means they’ll likely focus on the three of us and Anna.”
“And Meredith…”
“Yes.” Armand agreed, and they were both silent for a long moment. “Sebastian, did you truly think I would order you not to see her?”
“Brother, you were very unhappy for a long time. You saw only political ramifications and the potential fallout. Also, you did not trust women.” Sebastian hadn’t enjoyed his brother’s estrangement from Anna. He’d been a miserable bastard.
“Perhaps you’re right.” Armand’s admission didn’t make Sebastian feel better. “For what it’s worth, I advise caution. If she cannot—”
“I know.” He didn’t want to discuss what it would mean if Meredith rejected his life. It would break him. “Keep me informed, and do not cancel the Belaria trip. Now, more than ever, we need to show them they cannot hunt us to extinction. If we run, brother, we will never stop.”
He was damn tired of running. They spoke for a few minutes more. Sebastian drank a cup of the coffee and picked at one of the sandwiches. Once they’d disconnected, he took the time to check on O’Connor’s condition. He’d promised her he would, after all.
Leaving his office, he said nothing to Vidal and the nurse excused herself the moment he stepped into his suite. Meredith sat on the bed, a blanket draped over her legs. She’d showered and changed into one of his shirts.
When the others
left, he crossed the room and studied her. Some of her color returned, thanks to the shower he supposed, and she didn’t look quite so rocky, but he wanted to be sure. “How are you?”
“You were right about the shock. The doctor gave me something to calm my nerves.” Her smile was wan, and she fisted the blanket. “I ate some of the soup, but they brought more food. A proper meal because I wanted to eat with you.”
He nodded slowly. “Good. Are you up to talking or would you prefer to eat and sleep?”
She gave him a long, uncertain look and bit her lower lip. “You’re angry with me.” It wasn’t a question.
“Extremely,” he admitted. “But it can wait. You need to rest.” Her health came before all else.
“We need to talk,” she admitted.
He took the invitation at her word and nodded. “There are three things you need to know. The first is I have had no lover other than you since we met.” Even knowing what she thought, the surprise in her eyes hurt, but he stayed his course. “Secondly, the only reason I never told my family about you was because I did not want Armand to order me to end the relationship. Had he done so, I would have been forced to choose between my duty and my love. My family needed me then and they need me now. I did not want to have to abandon them.”
Her eyes filled with tears. While he wished desperately to comfort her, some truths were better harsh.
“Lastly, at no point have I ever considered you my mistress. If anything, you were my lady. One I waited to claim so you could have the life and the future you craved. The life I could not give you. The life I believed, until a few hours ago, you chose for yourself.” He exhaled slowly and remained standing, his gaze fixed on her though he longed with every molecule to join her on the bed. He longed to reassure himself in every way how very alive and vital she remained.
But sex, it seemed, complicated their comprehension of each other. He could not let it cloud their judgment or their understanding, not this time.
Some Like it Secret (Going Royal Book 4) Page 11
