So, of course, she pushed herself too far on an almost daily basis.
“They have to know, right? Stefan and the others. They worked up a file on you.”
“They did.” Nicki grinned. “But my heart data wasn’t in it.”
Lauren narrowed her eyes. “Why not?”
“Because I haven’t been tested for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Not officially.” She waved off Lauren’s glance. “I got the beta blockers due to migraines I had, and I take them because hey, they might keep anything worse at bay. And though I’m sure our families all got a full financial workup once the whole Emmaline thing hit here to make sure none of us needed the royal family’s cash reserves, apparently our medical conditions weren’t considered a potential threat to Garronia national security.”
“But they should know.”
“Why?” Nikki shook her head. “Worst case, I get dizzy and sit down. If it’s worse than that, well, I’ll deal with it. If I can find a way to bring along an AED, I will. But I told you before, I’m fine. I would have collapsed by now if I was going to.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I don’t not know it either.” She shrugged. “It’s kind of a moot point anyway. If the Garronia Powers That Be decide Ari is in the middle of some sort of danger zone or somewhere super public and official, they won’t let me go anywhere near Turkey. They’ll handle it with their brass and flash. But if he’s somewhere kinda remote, you gotta admit I’m great cover.”
“More like you’re a menace.”
“Well, don’t let anyone know about my heart thing, okay?” Nicki’s eyes widened, and she looked more earnest than Lauren had ever seen her. “Promise? If I get the chance to go and do this—it would mean a lot. I can’t go through life half-assed, you know? I need to actually live it, every day, every moment that I have. Promise me you’ll let me try.”
Lauren sighed, her own heart twisting. And, as Nicki said…she was probably fine. Familial cardiomyopathy didn’t necessarily affect everyone in the gene pool. Nicki might have been lucky. She was lucky, Lauren was sure. “Promise,” she whispered. Though it required all her long years of practice to keep the tears at bay.
Nicki’s grin was quick and full. “I don’t care what Emmaline said about you. You’re good people.” She was still laughing as she moved toward the door, and only then did Lauren realize that the door wasn’t closed.
Hadn’t the king shut it when they’d retired from the room? Or Cyril?
As Nicki reached for the door, however, it was pushed open. Dimitri stood there, looking larger than life. He nodded to Nicki and stood aside to let her pass, murmuring something to her that made her laugh.
Then he was in the bedroom room again, and this time, he made sure the door was closed. Trapping Lauren in with him, the movement at once too intimate, almost dangerous.
Suddenly, Lauren’s covers didn’t feel substantial enough. “Is anything wrong?” she asked as he paced toward her. “Is it my parents?”
“No.” He wasn’t thrown by her question. Instead, his attention remained focused on her. “Your parents remain unaware that you’re here. Your other friends are also unaware—I suspect Kristos may have told Emmaline, but not if he’s been overseeing the analysis of Ari’s watch.”
“Oh.” Lauren’s eyes rounded. “Have you spoken to Kristos, then? Is he okay?”
“Of course.” He took another step toward her, then another. “Finding a piece of Ari’s personal effects is a step toward closure, one way or another. It’s only a good thing.”
“Oh. Well, um, good.” She furrowed her brow at him as he finally stopped in front of her bed. “So…what are you doing here?”
“I’m supposed to be here.”
“Dimitri, bodyguard duty is officially over, okay? I’m fine. Everything is fine.” Suddenly too nervous to stay in the bed, Lauren threw the covers to the side and exited to the far side of the bed, the large piece of furniture now between them. Was Dimitri smiling? She straightened and reached for her robe to cover up her nightshirt.
“Are you cold?” The low rumble of his voice caught her up short. Before she could process what he was doing, he had moved around the bed and all the way to her side. He lifted his hand to press it against her forehead, as if she was a child with the sniffles.
“What? Of course not.”
“Then don’t dress. In fact…” He drew his finger down the neckline of her gown, feeling her heart quicken beneath his hand. “I think you might be overdressed.”
“Um.” Lauren glanced at the still-shut doorway. “What are you doing?”
“This,” he murmured, leaning down to her. With a movement as natural as breathing, she leaned up toward him as well, then caught herself, putting her hand on his chest to stop him.
“Dimitri. Seriously, you don’t need to do this anymore. Your assignment with me is done.”
His laughter rumbled in his chest. “I’m not here on assignment.”
“Sure you are.” She pushed him away. “You’re going to honestly say to me that the queen didn’t send you back here?”
The moment he blinked at her she knew she was right, and a sudden outrage took hold of her. “You know what, I’m tired of being herded around by you people, and I’m tired of hiding. I want to be taken to my parents. Now.”
“They’re not awake.”
“Oh, bullshit. Henry’s dead—and even if they don’t know that yet, they know he’s gone missing.” She shook her head. “If you think they’re casually sleeping while that’s hanging over their heads, you’re nuts.”
Dimitri sighed, clearly exasperated—but also clearly distracted, which worked for her. “You should rest. They can survive until morning.”
“No.” She pulled back from him, equally resolute. “My parents should know. I have to tell them. Now.” She put her hand on his arm when he would have protested. “Please, Dimitri.”
He spoke not another word, simply nodded, then waited for her to dress. He also didn’t speak as they moved through the long corridors, and she got the feeling that he was angry with her, but she couldn’t care about that. Henry was gone. Her sister was safe. She was safe. Dimitri’s job was finished. It was time for her to move on with her life.
Her parents were not only awake, as it happened, they were drinking some of the Crown’s finest tsipouro. When Lauren walked in with her bandaged neck obvious above the tank top sleeve of her shift, they cried out in alarm.
“What happened to you?” her mother managed first, but her father was up on his feet and hustling toward her as well. Both of them looked different. A little desperate, but Lauren accepted their embraces easily enough. It was only when they pulled back that she realized what was strange about them.
Henry. He wasn’t with them, when he’d always been with them, every time she’d seen her parents for the last several years. He’d hung around like a specter for so long, coloring everything he touched, that it was exceptionally strange not to have him at her parents’ side. Strange…and wonderful.
“Mom, Dad,” Lauren said, drawing in a deep breath. “There’s something you need to know.”
Dimitri watched the get-together with as much cool dispassion as he could muster, a distant part of his mind acknowledging Lauren’s skill at managing the announcement of Henry’s death. Her parents were startled—then outraged, especially when she explained how Henry had come to the island searching for her, and how he’d used Maddie to close the net. Dimitri sensed the grim undertone to her father’s reaction, though. He was not shocked, not entirely. On some level, he’d known the truth about Smithson, Dimitri was certain. Known it and turned a blind eye.
No wonder Lauren had distanced herself from them.
Dimitri observed their interaction keenly, knowing that he’d be called on to report this incident, to detail the reactions, the words, the protestations. To identify any potential risk to the Crown, even now, when the trouble was past. He did all this work with detached, intense focus.
But inside, he was fighting his own losing battle with his temper.
He’d seen the truth in Lauren’s eyes, there in her chamber. He’d heard what she’d said to Nicki, when she though he was still asleep. Despite what the queen might believe, Lauren was already withdrawing from him. And why shouldn’t she?
Lauren didn’t understand—couldn’t understand—that when his queen commanded his action, he acted. But the queen’s order to return to Lauren was only half the equation here. The American remained convinced that his interest was some sort of duty to her, some obligation that she could sweep aside with her checkbook or the promise that she’d take care of herself, when that wasn’t remotely the issue.
It was her choice to accept or deny his protection, yes. But there was no choice for him. His path was clear. And seeing her now, strong and steady, made it even clearer to him.
“I feared… I suspected. But I didn’t act, not fast enough.” The crack of Mr. Grant’s voice recalled him, and he realized Lauren’s father was looking at him now, his eyes hard as diamonds. In that moment, Dimitri was reminded that this man was a tycoon in his own right, a savvy businessman. And the ashen cast to his cheeks betrayed his guilt. He was correct. He hadn’t acted. Not quickly or well enough. And that was his own burden to bear.
Mr. Grant cleared his throat when Dimitri didn’t respond. “You saved her, didn’t you? You took her over to that island. You protected her.”
“Dad, it was his job—” Lauren began, but though anger flared quick and hot through Dimitri, he didn’t need to speak.
Her father did it for him.
“It probably was his job, Lauren,” Mr. Grant said, his voice now gruff with emotion. His gaze never left Dimitri’s face. “We all have our jobs. We all do them really well. But it’s not anyone’s job to make it personal. That’s what he did, made it personal. And that’s probably why you’re alive now. Alive and safe. Both you and your sister.”
Lauren drew herself up stiffly. “You knew Henry had targeted Maddie?”
“No.” Her father grimaced. “But I suspected she was the next likely pawn in his game. A pawn like you were, for far too long. I had plans in motion to take Henry down—finally—but the marriage documents…I didn’t expect that.” He shook his head. “He said you wanted it as much as he did, and…I didn’t know how to respond. Not until I spoke to you, and I didn’t have the chance.”
Lauren stared at him. “Wait. What are you talking about? What plans to take him down?”
Her father shook his head, and when he spoke, he sounded as if he was coming from a far distance, his voice remote, stark. “When Henry Smithson showed up in my office twenty years ago, he was the most extraordinary young man I’d ever met. He was quick and smart and above all, hungry. I wanted him to be my protégé, my pride and joy, and he was. He so was. I wanted to show off a young newcomer in business who could be as successful as I was…and he exceeded my every expectation. He was…perfect.” He sighed. “There was only one time that I doubted him, one time that I saw beneath the façade. A business deal we closed unexpectedly, due to Henry. It was only after the papers were signed that he revealed the sort of leverage he’d placed on our business partners. Leverage that wasn’t legal, let alone ethical. But no one complained, and the deal was the biggest of my career to date. Still, I was shocked—and distanced myself for a time. I truly did. But all too soon, I’d forgiven him.”
Mr. Grant’s gaze was fixed on the far wall, as if he tried to remember how that had happened. “It was as if nothing had ever turned sour between us. And then, later, when he expressed an interest in you, well…it seemed that he was eager for approval. Our relationship stabilized. His business grew apart from mine, and I allowed myself not to watch him too closely. But neither would he let me stray too far.” He winced. “He needed me, you see. For legitimacy. For acceptance. Me, and by extension you. I saw that, in the end. I couldn’t see how to extract myself from the situation and keep my family safe. He’d grown so powerful by then. I’d begun working with the authorities…but I was too slow.”
He shifted his gaze to Dimitri. “You have my thanks, Captain Korba. More than that, you have gratitude. Thank you for returning my child to me, my family.” He sighed heavily. “Thank you for returning my life to me.”
“Sir.” Dimitri bowed as Mr. Grant turned and frowned down at Lauren’s mother, who was weeping quietly, having sunk down to the couch, her head in her hands. “Shall I call for assistance with your wife?”
“What?” He looked up again, then his mouth creased into a tired smile. “No. I have a feeling everything is going to feel a little lighter to me now.” Leaning over, he helped his wife to her feet. The two of them turned to Lauren then, and Mr. Grant’s face betrayed his expectation of her rebuke, her disdain.
“Lauren, I have no right to ask for you to forgive me. Henry Smithson was everything I’d ever wanted to be in business, but younger, stronger. And he looked up to me, which played to my vanity and pride. He took what I gave him and grew it fourfold. When I questioned his success, he had all the right answers, and I took those answers at face value. I wanted to believe him. I needed to believe him.”
He straightened further, as if he was facing a firing squad for a crime he fully accepted committing. “And when he showed attention to you—even affection, eventually—I’m ashamed to admit I was relieved. I felt certain that with a family bond I could control Henry, ensure that all my work with him would make him an honorable man. Surely, softened by his feelings for you, he would take the higher road. When you—your mother—suggested that he was stalking you, causing you distress, all my old doubts resurfaced. But I confess I didn’t want to believe you for a very long time. Too long.” He sighed. “And when I finally did, I couldn’t tell you. I couldn’t risk Henry catching on. Everything I did was in the background, weighing, watching, hoping I would be quick enough to spare you any more danger. I wasn’t.”
His face looked hollow now, his words barely a whisper. “I should have trusted you, though, trusted your strength. Your skill. Perhaps if I had, you would have been spared this trial. Of all the things I have done, not trusting you to be the extraordinary young woman you are is my greatest regret. I am sorry, Lauren. I have no right to ask your forgiveness, but I hope one day you can give it.”
Dimitri’s gaze riveted on Lauren. She had no reason to forgive her father, in truth, no reason to accept his halting, stilted explanation.
The Lauren of a few days ago might not have.
This one, however, stepped forward, enveloping both her parents in a sure embrace. “We’ll be okay, Dad,” she said, her voice cracking. “Take care of Mom now. You and I—we’ll talk. We will.” She hugged him tighter. “We’ll be okay.”
“Lauren.” Her father seemed to collapse a little into himself, accepting his daughter’s embrace with a racking sob. Dimitri watched, marveling at the scene. The child comforting the parents, when they had never been there for her when she’d needed them most. Her mother might not have understood the importance of Lauren’s gesture, but from the look on her father’s face, he did.
Both parents were crying by the time they left the room.
Lauren’s voice was strained. “I didn’t expect that,” she said shakily. “I assumed… I mean, all this time. He was working with Henry. They were friends. Since the time I was very small, they’d been friends. He was always at our house, at Dad’s work. He was simply… present. It never occurred to me that Dad doubted Henry. Not once.”
“And now? How does that change things?”
“I don’t really know,” she murmured. “He’s gone, Dimitri. I chose to confront him and now…he’s gone.”
He nodded. “You’ve done everything you needed to do to protect your family. Your sister.”
“I have,” she said, as if trying to convince herself. She seemed lost in the middle of the sumptuous room, drawing her confidence and style around her like a cloak. But her eyes were stark and empty, unsure
of where to look next, unsure of what she’d see when she did.
He could help her with that.
He moved closer, then closer still. “It’s time for you to make another choice, Lauren,” he said. “About the role you want me to play in your life.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Dimitri seemed to be speaking from a million miles away, and Lauren tried to focus, tried to speak. But it was all—too much. Not only her father’s words, but the way he’d looked at her, looked at her mother. This man who had been invincible in her eyes had been reduced to unfeigned, heartbreaking tears. And then he’d left with her mother, the two of them locked in the circle of their mutual love.
Which left her the last woman standing. Exactly the way she’d planned to be.
And that made her feel…unbelievably alone.
Dimitri spoke again, and she came back to the room in a rush, her mind suddenly jolting back on line. “What?” She blinked up at him. Had he gotten taller? Somehow, he seemed…taller. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”
“I asked you, what role do you want me to play in your life?”
Lauren tried to understand him, but he was saying words that made no sense. “You don’t have to play any role in my life, Dimitri. You’ve done more than anyone could possibly ask.”
“That’s not what I asked. What role would you want me to play? Would you prefer for me to remain your bodyguard?” He smiled as he watched her, as if he was enjoying some private joke. “Your lover?”
Embarrassment flared through Lauren. Why was he saying this? What game was he playing? “You don’t have to do anything.”
“Again, not what I asked.” He leaned down and lifted her chin with his fingers, then brushed his lips across her mouth. The taste of him, honey and heat and spices, speared through her pain, her loss. “What do you want of me?”
Lauren closed her eyes to compose herself. Dimitri’s job was finished, and so was hers. They both needed to move on to what came next. She knew that.
Captured (Gowns & Crowns #2) Page 22
