“Oh, good. He’s coming,” Marisa whispered as she leaned on the door to the room, her body sagging. Tara glanced at Marisa.
“What are you talking about?” Tara took the final few steps to the king.
“The captain,” she slurred. “He’s coming to protect the king.”
“Sorry, King Dominic, but you were in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Tara lifted the gun into the air and slammed it down onto the King’s head. He slumped over in his chair.
Something clicked in Marisa’s brain. “No!” she cried, lurching forward, but falling to the ground.
“Be quiet, Marisa!” Tara spat. “Get up. He’ll be fine. You are happy, remember? And you are strong, too. You do what I say.”
She crawled toward Tara, her stomach scraping the floor as she went. She knew she had to get to Tara, but her body didn’t want to do it. It was so heavy.
“How long until he get’s here?” Tara said, exasperation in her voice. “Hurry up.”
When it didn’t seem Marisa would be able to do as she wanted, Tara hurried over to her and dragged her to the vault. After she scanned Marisa’s card and inserted the key into the large walk-in safe, Tara pressed Marisa’s thumb into the little indent next to the keyhole.
The lock inside the door clicked, and Tara opened the door. Marisa wanted to know what she was doing in there, but she couldn’t bring herself to get up and look.
“He’s coming,” Marisa murmured. “Tap. Tap. Tap. Perfect.”
Tara stuffed a few more items into her jacket and after sprinting out of the vault, she shut it. “Is there another way out?”
Marisa nodded almost imperceptibly.
“Lead us to the other exit,” she said, lifting Marisa. “Be quick.”
Marisa pointed to the desk, and Tara helped her get there. She moved her arm, but she couldn’t get it do what it needed to. Tara lifted Marisa’s arm and helped her make the movements. With her index finger, Marisa hit a little notch on the wood finish work near the desk and a door behind them swung open. Marisa leaned on the desk. “Come.” Tara grabbed the king’s wheelchair and pushed him inside. Marisa groaned and did not move. Tara returned and dragged Marisa inside. “How do we close it?” Tara looked out into the record’s room with an anxious expression as she wrung her hands.
Marisa lifted her arm about a half a centimeter, and Tara followed the movement to a button on the wall and pushed it.
The door closed. A headache assaulted Marisa, and she curled into a ball on the floor.
“Where does this lead?”
Marisa groaned. Tara shook her and yelled, “Tell me where this leads.”
Marisa’s head pounded. She screamed out as Tara rolled the king down the passageway.
***
She couldn’t breathe. It seemed that only a small part of her still existed, and it was not good. It was full of pain. Something was crushing her chest.
Something touched her. She couldn’t respond. She could only feel it. Skin touched her face. She wanted to scream, but she was paralyzed. Even the desire to scream began to fade. Happy. She was happy.
Next thing she knew, her body felt weightless, warm, secure. Was someone talking? She was suffocating. Someone needed to help. Then everything stopped. She was aware of nothing.
11
Marisa woke with a gasp and sat up straight. She was in the medical room in the castle. She felt like she was going to explode, adrenaline rushing through her. A doctor and a nurse stood over her. “Try to relax.” She coughed and coughed again as the nurse pulled her breathing tube out of her throat. “Your throat is going to feel sore, but that will go away with time.”
“I-I,” she croaked.
“Shhh! Shhh,” the nurse said, placing a hand on her arm. “I’m sure you have questions.” The nurse rubbed Vaseline on her lips.
“We pumped your stomach and filled you with IV fluid to push the rest of the toxins from your blood and tissues. Your body was full of a terrible drug.”
She grabbed at her throat, swallowing repeatedly, searching for moisture. Finally, the nurse gave her some ice chips that she ate gratefully. “You are one lucky lady to be alive. Five or ten minutes longer without medical attention, and we might never have been able to bring you out.”
She held her throat still and said, “What happened?”
“That’s what we’d like to hear from you. What can you remember?” It was the doctor she’d encountered so many times in front of the women’s chamber.
“No wit today?”
He patted her arm. A hot flush took over her as she remembered going along with Tara’s suggestion to sneak into the castle. Her stomach rolled, and her whole body spasmed. The royal family. Were they safe? What had she done? She looked anywhere but at the doctor.
“Thank you, Doctor.” Her voice was rough, uneven.
The captain of the guard entered. “I’d like a few minutes with Signora Marisa if she is out of danger.”
Marisa felt her face flame.
“One moment.” The doctor checked her pulse. “Her pulse is a little high, but considering you just walked in, it is understandable. Could this wait?”
“No. I’m sorry. Time is of the essence.” Despite the shortness of his tone, Marisa couldn’t help but notice a sadness in his eyes that she’d never seen before.
The doctor nodded, and he and the nurse left the room. Two guards stood by the door. “Please stand watch outside the room while I’m here.” They did, without question. Christian glanced at her and their eyes met. A burst of flame assaulted her heart, but it was quickly extinguished by the cold, hard way he stalked toward her. His footfalls didn’t even sound like him. “Tell me everything from the second you sneaked into the castle. Don’t leave one thing out.” He stood, towering over her as she tried not to cower in her bed. So many feelings warred within her, making her quake. When she looked in the captain’s eyes she felt guilt and shame for what she’d done, but anger and embarrassment, too, for the way he’d tried to trick her. And still, even with that, she couldn’t deny the powerful desire she felt. It was dizzying.
“Marisa—you need to try to remember. It’s very important.”
She tried to recall what happened and things were all jumbled, frayed, and distant. She would not be able to give him what he wanted and a part of her liked that. Another part wailed for the information. What had she done?
“I-I-I’m not sure. I can’t remember.” She shook her head.
“You can remember.” His firm voice left no doubt. She had to figure it all out. She thought that if she closed her eyes, she might be able to do just that.
“Marisa. Please. We don’t have much time. The queen will be here soon, and I may lose all control at that time.”
What did that mean? Was he trying to help her or find stuff to hurt her? “I’m trying. Everything is foggy.”
“The doctor told me you’d been drugged, but I doubt you were able to drive to the castle drugged. You must have been drugged after that. Maybe if you start thinking about how you got here?”
Marisa closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and started to talk. “Tara drove.”
“Who? Who is Tara?”
Something sparked in Marisa. How dare he forget Tara so easily? She had been in his house at least once. “Tara from the club, you know.” She realized she had no idea what Tara’s last name was.
“I don’t know a Tara.”
She raised one side of her mouth and scowled. “How can you not remember a girl you dated? A beautiful girl.” She described her to him and his face screwed up in concentration.
“I’m telling you, I don’t know the girl you are describing.”
Something tickled at the back of her neck. Could he be telling the truth? She had tricked Marisa, but why? What had happened while she was drugged? “But she was the one who gave me the photo,” her eyes shot up. His face remained lined with confusion.
“I lost that over six months ago in my apartment. I never bring anyo
ne to my apartment. Ever, let alone a girl.”
“You mean you didn’t date her?” Marisa’s voice was weak, and she understood now how vital the rule was that the captain of the guard did not have any romantic connections. Her simple, new feelings for the captain had led to this, whatever horror she had been a part of.
He shook his head. “You were conned. Tell me what happened, everything you can remember.”
“I went with her to a restaurant. We talked about,” she stopped there and edited herself. “We talked about all kinds of things, and then somehow she got me to agree to drive to the castle. I don’t remember anything after that. What did I do?”
“You brought her inside the castle. She stole some artifacts from the records vault and attacked the king. You let her into the tunnels, from which she escaped.”
Marisa snapped her hand to her mouth, her eyes burning with fear and frustration. “No!”
“The cameras were down, so we don’t know what she else she might have done while in here. You were inside the castle for two hours with her.”
Marisa shook her head, tears cascading down her cheeks now. “I would never. No. It can’t be—I mean, I’m a traitor. The king.” Her breaths were coming fast and hard now.
“You both wore head and face masks, but she was in all black. You’ve got to remember. I know the doctor said this drug, this truth serum makes people forget, but there are some that have flashes of memory while on it. I just read all about it. I can’t believe they use this stuff during surgeries. There must be a way to unlock the memories. You are no traitor. But I’m not sure how I can help you. There are no video feeds. No one saw you but the king, and he doesn’t remember right now either. He has a concussion. As far as I can tell, you will be heading for the royal prison and then execution for being traitor.”
Shame and embarrassment filled her. She nodded. “As it should be.”
“Don’t say that,” he said, moving to her and taking her hand.
“I’m guilty as charged. I have no defense.”
“I’ll find you a defense. Don’t tell them anything.”
“I can’t. I don’t know anything.”
“I mean about Tara. Say nothing. Say you remember nothing.”
“Why? Why are you doing this?”
“Because you, Marisa Donati, could never be a traitor.”
Men from the prison guard burst into the room, fighting against the protests of the two castle guardsmen stationed at the door.
“Let them come,” Christian said. “They must assure collection of their newest inmate and traitor.” He squeezed her hand and winked at her as the guards at the door continued to stare each other down.
He leaned down close to her and whispered, “I’ll find evidence to free you. Be brave. Be silent.” His face turned hard, cold as he stood and left the room, taking the two castle guardsmen with him.
The doctor and nurse came bustling in next. “Wait a minute. Just wait one minute. Signorina Donati is my patient, and I have not cleared her to leave this facility. You may stand guard at the door, but nothing more.” He stood between Marisa’s bed and the guards, his chest puffed out. They retreated to posts inside her room on each side of the door, facing her.
Captain Di Stefano gave her a sad look as he left the room. The nurse hurried to her side.
Cold filled her. The doctor checked her eyes. His badge read, Dr. Achilles Bellandi. “The king. Is he going to be okay?”
He nodded. “He got hit pretty hard. A concussion and a good loss of blood. He needs rest.”
Marisa was tough and few things made her cry, but she was about to cry for a second time in the space of a half an hour. She took a shuddering breath, but held back.
He took all her vitals and looked at her with concern. “You may not know this, but I have known your father, General Donati, for many years. We were in battle together ages ago, and we keep in touch whenever feasible. He is a good man, and my instinct is that you are also a good woman. I don’t think anyone can grow up in a family like his and be a traitor.”
“Even unwittingly?”
“Even so. A person cannot be a traitor without intention exposing them.”
“Thank you for that. Maybe you can convince the captain and the king, but I doubt it.”
“That is another matter entirely.”
“How long will you get to keep me here?” She spoke low, in a quiet whisper.
He leaned in, “As long as I am able.” He winked and stepped aside, writing on some paper in his clipboard.
Her stomach growled.
“Finally hungry?” Nurse Falco asked.
“I guess so. How long have I been here?” Marisa straightened her legs, moaning as she did.
“About twelve hours.”
“Twelve?” she cried.
Nurse Falco nodded. “When the captain carried you in here, we didn’t think we’d have you for more than an hour, you were in such bad shape.”
“The captain brought me?” Tingles spread through her veins.
“He did. He seemed very concerned about you. He didn’t leave until Doctor Bellandi kicked him out right before we pumped your stomach. Pretty great that he cares so much about his subordinates.”
Marisa knew this meant something, but what? She clutched her head in her hands.
“Headache?”
“Yes. I can’t think.”
“That’s a side effect of the drug. Not so bad considering what happened yesterday.”
There was an edge to her voice. At least Marisa thought there was.
“Well, your lunch should get here any moment, and we can give you some pain meds to take after you’ve got something in your stomach.”
“Just something mild, like Tylenol. I need to be able to think.”
“That can be arranged.”
“Thank you.”
Nurse Falco left the room. When her food came, the prison guards inside the room checked the food, the person who brought the food, and the tray it was brought on thoroughly.
The full-flavored broth hit the spot, and the crackers filled part of the void she had in her gut. She wanted the rest filled, and as she went to push the nurse’s button, the doctor walked in. The guards searched him as he rolled his eyes.
“I see you’ve eaten, that’s good,” he said in a rush. “What we need to do now is get you moving.”
“Actually,” she said, “I was hoping to maybe get a second helping of that fabulous food. I need to be able to think, and I can’t with all that growling going on.”
“Sorry. Last thing we need is you puking your guts out. Now, let’s get you out of this bed and into the bathroom.”
He put his arm under hers, holding her up and she said, “Is Nurse Falco helping someone else or something?”
“Actually, yes. She is with the king.”
She sucked in a breath. “Please tell me he’s still improving.”
“Of course. Slowly, now.” Marisa was surprised at how light-headed she felt moving from sitting on the bed to standing. He had been right. She did need to get moving.
By the time she made it to the bathroom, she was feeling significantly better. He helped her inside and turned on the shower. She gave him a look. He flashed a cell phone at her. Her dad’s name played on the open call. Her eyes widened, but she forced herself not to look at the guards.
“Do you feel steady enough to undress and shower on your own?” Doctor Bellandi asked, handing her the phone and giving her a significant look.
“I think so.”
“Just do everything slowly and you should be okay. I”, he raised an eyebrow making sure Marisa paid attention. “I will be waiting for your call. Here is the call button. Press it if you feel dizzy or need help of any kind.” He nodded at her and then shut the door behind him.
12
She put the phone up to one ear and a hand over the other to help her hear over the rush of the shower. “Dad?” She held in a sob.
“Tell me everything.
Start at the beginning.” Her dad’s gruff voice gave her a sense of calm and sureness.
She told him everything she remembered, which was almost nothing. “I’m sorry I let you down. I deserve this. What happened is totally and completely my fault.”
“No it isn’t. You are a victim, and I plan to show the royals that.”
“Dad. It’s okay. I’m willing to be accountable for my actions. I deserve to go to jail.”
“Marisa, you’ll be tried for treason. If you’re found guilty, you’ll be executed.”
Marisa swallowed hard. “I know. I deserve that, too.”
“Absolutely not. I will not allow it.”
“There’s nothing you can do, Dad.”
“Yes there is. Listen. I’m going to send someone for you. When they come, do whatever they tell you to do. Understand?”
“Dad, no. I’ve accepted my fate. In the end, the right thing will happen.” She wanted to show her dad that despite her failings, she was honorable.
“You grew up in my home, and you are living in a fairyland now? Nothing good will come of this. We need to find the person who did this and clear your name.”
It was like she’d been punched in the gut. She had worked so hard to be independent, to prove that she could make it on her own in the castle guard where he had no influence at all, but now he was swooping in to save her. “It will never be clear.”
“You will never work for the royal guard again, but you will become a functioning citizen of Monterra who will do the best she can at whatever she ends up doing. No daughter of mine will rot in prison, not if I have anything to say about it.”
His words stung, and really all she wanted to do was turn back time and start yesterday over. Since that was impossible, she was willing to give in to her fate. Not even her father could save her from her own stupidity.
“You will do as I say. Be ready to go at a moment’s notice.” The line went dead.
As she showered, she made up her mind that the right thing to do was to stay and face her punishment. She would not go with whomever her father sent. She would not return to being his baby.
The Royal Guard Page 7
