by Gemma Hart
“I don’t care,” I finally said.
“Well I do,” Xander retorted, his eyes narrowed at me. “There’s no way in hell I’m letting you throw yourself to the wolves like that.”
I pressed my lips, not wanting to lose it but feeling the whirling tornado of heartbreak beating inside me. “This isn’t your decision!” I cried. “It’s my country, my people. And as their princess, I have the right to make my own decisions.”
Xander matched my heated gaze, inch for inch, not backing down. His throat muscles tightened as his square jaw grew sterner. “Well, you’re my woman, my girl,” he said, not breaking his gaze. “And as your man, I have the right to protect you, even from your own decisions.”
I glared at him evenly before our stare off was broken by a small gravelly cough from the screen.
“Well,” Commander Wolffe said, clearly understanding that there was more to the picture than he had thought, “either way, I made an agreement with your uncle to keep you safe and protected for as long as possible. And I doubt, wherever he may be, that he has changed his mind about that.”
I stared at the screen. Although Commander Wolffe spoke with a firm, gravelly deep voice that seemed to never carry more that one tone, I could see the pressing meaning in his eyes.
Your uncle flew you across the globe to keep you safe and even in the face of torture and kidnap, has worked to keep your location hidden. Don’t undermine what he has done for you.
Tears stung my eyes. But that was exactly why I had to go help him. He had done so much for me, sacrificed so much, how could I not work just as hard for him?
“But you said there has been international pressure,” I persisted. “You can’t keep me for too much longer. Eventually, for the sake of Loranza, I must come out of hiding. There’s a time limit, remember?”
Commander Wolffe nodded. “True, we can’t keep you hidden forever. This Pryto seems hell bent on destroying everything in his path till he can get his hands on you.” I shuddered at his very apt description of the minister and Xander squeezed my thigh, reminding me that anything that wanted to get his hands on me would have to first go through him.
“But we have some time before we’re pressed for a decision,” Commander Wolffe continued. “So we should use it wisely. We need to map out exactly what our best strategy is and how to best utilize your position once you come out of hiding. That way we don’t just throw ourselves at the mercy of the enemy.”
There was something reassuring about hearing the Commander say ‘we,’ even though I very well knew it would be just ‘me’ in the end.
“I agree,” Xander said. “We should think of where her best allies might be so that she could perhaps set up a safe house there.”
“Prince Gregory initially had gone to France before meeting with Pryto,” Commander Wolffe said. There was a subtle misgiving tone in his voice that told me that Commander Wolffe had not approved of Uncle Gregory’s decision to meet with Pryto on his own. And clearly, it had been a bad decision. “Perhaps there are French sympathizers who would house Princess Sofia while….”
The words washed over me. I heard Xander and Commander Wolffe discuss possible plans for me and my future. They clearly wanted to keep me hidden for as long as possible and wanted my eventual reveal to be done in a way that would still keep me safe and away from Loranza.
But didn’t they know? Couldn’t they see?
There was no way that any of this would end without Pryto and I meeting for one last time. Who knew when, where, or how but that’s how I knew it would end. Pryto and me.
It had always been that way. From growing up in a desolate palace to the exclusive parties of America, all I had known was Pryto as the center anchor in my life. He was the one that had reared me, exiled me, and now he was the one who was calling for my head.
No, Xander and the commander might have an understanding of battlefields that is beyond me.
But I understood Argus Pryto better than they did. I understood that what he wanted was me.
And he would do anything to make sure he got me.
***
“Are you sure?” Xander asked, standing at the bottom of the porch. Even with him standing at the bottom and me standing at the top, we were just barely eye level. The man was physically overwhelming.
I nodded and leaned my head against one of the porch posts, trying to look drained, which wasn’t hard to do.
“I think I want to lie down for a bit,” I said. “I just…I just need to close my eyes.”
Xander’s eyes swept over me. I could see concern and worry laced through his expression but my act must’ve been convincing enough since he nodded. “Alright,” he said. “It’s probably better you stay and get some rest instead. Try and sleep if you can. I shouldn’t be more than two hours.”
He gave me a quick kiss and I held myself in check and tried not to hold him closer.
I nodded and waved him off as he drove down the drive.
Jeannie had called Xander, letting him know that some of the men from town were going to the river to put up some temporary fencing so no more children would be tempted to play in the river. She had asked him to come down and give some expert advice and help. He couldn’t refuse and I had made sure he didn’t.
Since being put under Xander’s care, this was the first time I was truly and really on my own. Even during the Simone Retreat, when I was teaching separate classes from him, I was still near enough to Xander that he could find me easily. After all, he had been close enough to be able to run to my rescue when I had fallen into the river.
But this time, he would be miles away while I was at the ranch. Alone.
A sudden gust of independence hit my chest and made me a little dizzy by the overwhelming power I suddenly found myself with again. But oddly, instead of emboldened, I felt frightened. Xander had been such a protective constant in my life recently that losing his presence, felt unsettling.
But I firmed my jaw as I headed back into the house. Better get used to it, I told myself. After all, this will be the last time you see the man.
I took in a shaky breath.
That's right. That short conversation, that quick kiss, and that little wave goodbye was it. That was how this relationship with the one man I truly loved would end.
But that was how it had to end. If I had given any rise to suspicion, I couldn’t carry out my plans. And I had to carry out my plans. Uncle Gregory’s life depended on it.
48 hours.
That goon on the video message and Pryto had given me 48 hours to show myself. We had wasted an entire day talking with Commander Wolffe about what to do. And now, another day was nearly finished. I needed to get moving.
I ran upstairs and quickly packed a few essentials into a bag. I threw on one of Xander’s large jackets and cap and ran out the back door of the house. I had noticed a small sedan near the shed one day. I had asked Xander about the car and he said that sometimes some of the men would bring their cars to him when the town garage was busy so he could take a look at it.
The sedan was fixed and all that needed to be done was to have the owner come pick it up. But the owner didn’t seem to be in a particular hurry and the car remained there behind the shed.
Well if your owner doesn’t have immediate need for you, I thought as I switched on the ignition, I do.
And with my hands shaking from adrenaline, I drove down the drive, not looking back as I bid farewell to the only place that had ever felt like home with the only man who I had ever wanted to come home to.
***
Just like I thought.
The closest airport hardly had any international flights and most of them had unbelievably ridiculous layovers. I stood in the main terminal of the airport, studying the screens that held their paltry flight schedule.
I pulled out my phone and looked up the flights in L.A. I realized it would actually be faster to fly back to L.A. and to catch a flight from there to France than to fly out from Wyoming itself.<
br />
Fine. Then the next step was to buy my ticket to L.A.
I stood in line at the small ticketing booth where an elderly couple stood before me in line. It was a small airport but it was surprisingly busy. There were several people walking up and down the terminal as they searched for their gates and there were several people lining up to either check in or to purchase a ticket.
I pulled my cap down lower to shield my face.
Although I wasn’t too worried. I had spent weeks inside Simone and no one seemed to even be remotely aware of the situation in Loranza or their missing princess. I doubted it’d be any different at this small airport.
That was until the TVs were interrupted with a breaking news report.
It was that same blonde anchorwoman, Miranda, again.
“It is now over 36 hours since the kidnapping video of Prince Gregory of Loranza has been released,” Miranda reported. “The video demanded the missing Princess Sofia return to Loranza at once to stand trial after abdicating her title. So far, no sign of the princess has been made yet and the international community is beginning to wonder if perhaps the princess is even alive.”
Of course they would wonder that. My heart broke. That would be the only explanation for why a niece wouldn’t fly to her beloved uncle’s rescue. I felt horrible and guilty, standing there alive and well.
Photos of me floated across the screen as Miranda continued, “If Princess Sofia does not reveal herself within the next twelve hours, it is assumed that Prince Gregory will be executed. At this point, the UN have called Minister Pryto and his protestors’ actions ‘a secret coup’ and are calling for an immediate cease of actions. But so far, no response from the Loranzian minister.”
No surprise, I thought. Why would he stop now? He was winning. He even had the prince in his clutches. Why stop now?
I had been staring at the screen with such rapture, that I hadn’t noticed the elderly couple standing in front of me.
“A missing princess,” the elderly woman mumbled to her husband. “Can you imagine? Like a fairy tale.”
More like a nightmare, I corrected internally.
The husband nodded before glancing behind at me. He looked as if he was going to ask me about my thoughts on the missing princess when he suddenly stopped, his mouth still open with the unformed words hanging in it.
I stared at the man quizzically before realizing the possible danger I was in. I pulled my hat down low over my head.
“You know,” the older man started, squinting at me from under my cap. “You bear a striking resemblance, young lady, to the—”
“I think you have me mistaken for someone else, sir,” I said, trying to keep my voice monotone to drown out any accent.
But my protest only made the man’s brow rise up. He elbowed his wife. “Ethel! Ethel! Don’t you think this girl here looks like that missing princess?”
The man had meant to grab his wife’s attention but he had spoken so loud, he had also grabbed the attention of the woman behind the counter. She looked up in surprise and eyeballed me. I could tell she wanted to laugh off the man’s suggestion. After all, what would a royal princess being doing out here in the middle of nowhere? But I could see doubt suddenly clouding her gaze.
She squinted as well at me.
My heart immediately pumped faster. I couldn’t be discovered now! I had planned to reveal myself once I was on a flight to France. That would buy me time and then there’d be no way for anyone to divert my flight or destination. Once I landed in France, they’d be aware of my arrival and would have the proper security there to greet me and hopefully, keep me protected.
But if my cover was blown now, I’d have no control over how or when the media would leak my location. The US government would probably intervene and they would have greater say in where I would be sent. And I couldn’t be sure they would send me to the friendliest ally.
Ethel turned around and studied me. “She does have her build, doesn’t she? Kind of that waif-y sort,” she said to her husband. Then looking at me, she said, “Dear, you couldn’t possibly be—”
I stumbled backwards, trying to put space between myself and the prying gazes. I noticed the ticket woman looking back and forth between the TV screen and me, her eyes getting wider and wider with every look.
“No, no,” I said. Dammit! How had Xander managed to get me through a bustling airport like LAX and I couldn’t get myself a ticket at this tiny little airstrip without already getting caught?
“I think you have me confused, ma’am,” I said again in that stilted monotone voice that clearly wasn’t doing me any favors.
The couple took another step towards me and I hastily backed up, walking straight into a man and his rolling suitcase. I stumbled over the both of them, falling hard on my ass with a grunt.
“Oh, miss! I’m so sorry! I totally didn’t see you!” the man said in apology.
I groaned as I waved a hand. “No, no,” I said, blowing a strand of hair off my face. “My fault. I ran into you.”
Then I heard a gasp.
And I realized how easily I had blown that strand of hair away. I looked around me frantically and saw that my hat had been knocked off in my fall and that I now sat on my ass in front of a small gathering crowd, with my face fully on display with nowhere to hide.
“It is her!” the elderly man crowed in triumph. “It’s that missing princess! Right here! In Wyoming! Can you believe it?”
I saw wide eyes circling me as I stumbled back to my feet, unsure how I could possibly outrun this situation. People started reaching for their phones and despite putting a hand over my face and insisting they were mistaken, I heard the clear snaps of my blown cover.
“A princess!”
“Here! Of all places! Wow!”
“No, get a better picture! From this angle! Get her from this angle!”
“Princess! Can you look at the camera for me? Princess!”
I tried to maneuver out of the crowd but they moved with me, keeping me right in the center.
“I’m sorry,” I said, trying to cover my face while also simultaneously trying not to burst into tears. “You have the wrong person. I don’t know who—”
An iron rod suddenly swooped out of nowhere and grabbed me by the shoulders. The smell of well worn leather surrounded me and I looked up to find myself under the covers of Xander’s leather jacket. His arm held me close and he curved his jacket about me, covering and protecting me.
From underneath his arms, I saw the square jawline, set and strong, and pressed against his hard chest, I felt the comforting hardness of his steely muscles. And even though I had had every intention of running away from him, I nearly cried in relief in seeing him again.
Without a word, he used his sheer size to push our way through. I heard the people protesting and calling out for one more picture. He lead me through the crowd and down the terminal. I followed, having little to no choice, but started to slow down when I saw him approaching the exit.
“What are you doing?” I whispered frantically, trying to dig my heels down.
“Taking you out of this mess before anyone tries to hogtie you and sell you to a magazine,” Xander said, not looking down at me. I could tell he wasn’t serious but something about the blood thirst in the crowd made me think it wasn’t entirely out of the realm of possibility.
“No!” I said. “I have to get back to L.A.! I have to get on a plane now!”
Xander stopped and pulled me up close. So close that I was pressed right up against him, my head craning back to look up at him.
“I’m not letting you go anywhere without me,” he said slowly, his eyes burning into me. “Do you understand? Wherever you go, I go. So don’t try to pull another stunt like this again.”
Tears burned my eyes as his words pierced my heart. I had never had someone I could truly call an ally. And the feeling was too incredible to describe.
“But…” I protested. “I have to get to L.A.”
Xander kept me pressed close to him. “Sof, we will find a way to get your uncle and to keep you safe,” he said. “Remember, this is what your uncle wanted. Throwing yourself into danger won’t help anybody. You couldn’t even make it out of this airport without trouble. What would happen once you landed in Europe? I understand wanting to take action but you have to be smart about it.”
He held my gaze one moment longer before taking my lips, as if unable to keep from reassuring himself that I really was safe in his arms.
“You don’t understand,” I said weakly once our lips had broken apart.
Xander gave me one more look before pushing me out the door. “Then help me understand,” he said. “But at home.”
Chapter Fourteen
Xander
“Are you insane?!” I raked my hand through my hair, the scenes of the people from the airport replaying through my mind. I had never seen a celebrity sighting before but it had been unnerving to see the absolute hunger and bloodthirst that came into their eyes as soon as they had seen Sofia.
They had closed in on her like tigers on a wounded prey. Even as I had pulled her out of there, I had felt their hands tugging on my sleeve to try and get at her.
“Do you know what kind of danger you could’ve put yourself in? That you have put yourself in?” I demanded. Sofia leaned against the kitchen island, looking away. She neither looked repentant or sorry for her actions but I could tell she was somewhat shaken. She had been surprised at being spotted in such a small airport. I had been as well.
But by the defiant tilt of her small chin, I could tell she’d do it all over again if it meant she’d get away.
Seeing her small chin, her delicate jawline, her slender throat, I felt all the more explosive for the danger she had put herself in. She was already in a precarious situation as it was.
“What will happen when those pictures leak? Your position is now compromised,” I said.
Sofia’s head finally snapped towards me. “You don’t know that they’ll leak,” she argued but I could see in her eyes that she didn’t even believe her own words.
