Lorenzo & Lily (Royals of Valleria #8)

by Marianne Knightly

  “I see it,” Hector whispered. “All the fucking time. Practically every time someone opens the goddamn door, I expect to see someone shooting at me. Even all these years later. I can’t stop it.”

  Lorenzo put his hand over Hector’s. “You can, you just don’t have the tools to do it. It’s been six, almost seven, years since we got back. We both tried to start living again, and we both failed, because we couldn’t move beyond the past. For us, every day, it was like we were back in the jungle. The doctors helped show me the way. I’m still trying. Sometimes, working here, I see it so close to the surface, and I have to remind myself it’s the past, and that it’s not going to hurt me. And now…now I’ve got a little girl. I’d never do anything to fuck that up.”

  “So, it went well last night?”

  Lorenzo gave him a brief overview of what happened. “Liliana seemed to take it in stride. Lily and I are still working through things.”

  “You really want to marry her? Even after she left you? Is it because of Liliana?”

  Lorenzo shook his head. “No. Two parents who aren’t together can raise a child together, even a royal one. She made the choice to leave me, but she didn’t want to. I need to forgive her for that, and let go of the anger I feel towards her because of it. Last night, I talked to my therapist, and I think I finally got there. Lily and I have a child; I certainly don’t want Liliana to grow up holding grudges, or have two parents who hold one, either.”

  He certainly didn’t want the fresh start they were about to make overshadowed by past hurts, or even recent ones if he included their phone call this morning. He’d need to beg her forgiveness later for that.

  “No, I want Lily because I still love her. What she did to me, I know she had her reasons, but I still want her. Maybe that’s naïve, but it’s the truth. When I saw her at the beach yesterday, I knew. I didn’t accept it then, but I don’t have a choice now.”

  “Does she want you?”

  “Not yet.” Maybe not ever after their conversation this morning. “But I’ll keep trying. In the meantime, the world finds out about her and Liliana in a couple hours.”

  “Worried about the press?”

  “Yes, that, and about a million other things. I’ve got some things to take care of, so I need to head out. How about this? If you’re feeling better in a couple days, let’s go get a beer.”

  “Did you start a happy hour at the MARC?”

  Lorenzo grinned. “No. Alcohol doesn’t usually mix well with meds or depression. I meant we’ll go out. There’s a pub down the road a ways, if you think you can handle the walk. If not, you could always use a wheelchair.”

  “No.” Another quick, short answer. “I mean, no, I can walk. I’ll be fine.”

  “Ask your doctor if you drink with the meds you’re on. If you can’t, we’ll get virgin drinks instead.”

  “Sounds lame.”

  Lorenzo laughed. “It’ll be fun, I promise. I’ll see you tomorrow, in any case.” When he reached the door, Hector called his name and he turned back.

  “Listen, Cap, I, um, just wanted to say thanks. I know you pulled some strings to get me a bed here, and I appreciate it.”

  Lorenzo walked back and curled a hand around Hector’s nape. “We don’t leave a man behind, if we can help it. Got it?”

  “Got it, Cap,” he said softly.

  “There’s no shame in taking your time with recovery. We both fell back after we thought we’d got up. Now we’re both going to stand, and stay up. I have faith in you, you got me?”

  “Yes, Cap.”

  He gave his neck another squeeze, then let go. “Good. See you soon, yeah?”

  “Yeah, Cap.”

  He walked out and through the halls, greeting people as he did. By the time he reached his offices several minutes later, Rio was already hard at work.

  “Captain.”

  “Rio. We all set with the press release?”

  “Yes, Sir. I also checked in with the movers and they arrived on time and packing is currently in progress.”

  Lorenzo checked his watch; barely eight-thirty. He’d likely win the bet and, regardless of their fight this morning, he’d collect his kiss from Lily. “Good. Come into my office for a minute. There’s something else I’d like to discuss with you, but I didn’t have time to do this on the phone last night.”

  Rio’s brows drew together, but he nodded. “Of course. Your brothers are set to arrive soon, Cap.”

  “This shouldn’t take long.” They entered his office and Lorenzo gestured for him to take a seat. As he took his own, he wasted no time laying it out. “You avoided this question yesterday, but you can’t avoid it anymore. Are you overworked, Rio?”

  Rio opened his mouth to speak, then shut it again. He shifted in his chair before saying, “No, Cap. I love my job. I’m quite happy here.”

  “Bullshit.” Lorenzo grinned. “You’re a fucking fantastic employee, but you’re doing too much. Don’t worry, I’m not firing you, I’m hiring someone else to share the load.”

  Rio relaxed in his chair. “Oh, I see. When will they start?”

  “So, here’s the thing: Lily will be taking over management of the conference center and event space. She’s done event planning for years, so has tons of experience for it. I know it’s also nepotism, but I don’t really care how that’s perceived. You’ll get a title and pay bump, and take on more responsibilities for the MARC. There’s a new program I’d like to launch, and I want you to oversee it.”

  Rio’s mouth dropped open. “Lily? Your Lily, Cap?”

  He felt a pang, wondering if she’d ever really be his. “Yes. She recently lost her job and was looking for another. We’ve been doing well here financially, and I can bring on more staff.”

  He gave Rio an assessing look. “You’ve told me in the past you wanted to work more on MARC-related projects, and that you preferred that over event planning. Is that still the case? If not, we can revisit and revise. I’m sure Lily would be happy to–”

  “Cap, if I may? I very much appreciate all of this. What I’ve said in the past is still relevant. I would like to spend more time working with fellow soldiers, even if that’s administratively.”

  “You’ll be doing more than that. Now that I’ve got a daughter, I want to spend time with her. I’ll still be involved in the day-to-day, but for the short-term I’d like someone to help shoulder a good brunt of the load. Are you up for that?”

  Rio sat taller in his chair. “Yes, Cap.”

  “Good. Your new title will be my chief of staff.” He ignored Rio’s wide eyes and continued speaking. “I’ve never really needed a full chief of staff before, but things are changing and you’re perfect for the job. You’ll get higher security clearance, which means you’ll need additional training and vetting, but I don’t think that will be an issue other than the time it will take to do it. We’ll need to hire at least one other person to handle all the admin duties you’ll no longer have time for. We’ll make the hiring decision together, as they’ll be my admin as well, but you can work with our HR rep to select the candidates for interview, and they’ll report directly to you.”

  “I-You-Yes, Cap. I’ll get started on that.”

  Lorenzo nodded. “We still have the threat of a dock strike, so we won’t post the position until after that mess is resolved, and the media fervor over my daughter dies down. Will you be all right until then?”

  “Yes, Cap.”

  Lorenzo scribbled a number on a piece of paper and handed it to Rio, then watched with a grin as his eyes bugged out. “That’ll be your new gross salary. It won’t kick in until next month, but I hope it’s enough to keep you here.”

  Rio was still staring at the paper. “I wasn’t thinking about leaving.”

  “You’re excellent at your job.”

  Rio looked up.

  “You’ve handled everything I’ve thrown at you and then some. While you were doing excellent work, the work you were doing was not all that excellent, it wa
s tedious. Employees don’t stay in tedious positions, and you’re someone I’ve come to rely on for discretion and efficiency, as well as quality. Those are not easy traits to find, and I want to make sure you know how much I appreciate all you do here and ensure that you stay.”

  “Consider yourself assured, Cap.”

  Lorenzo heard the voices of his brothers coming down the hall. “That’s good to know. If you’re ever unhappy here, Rio, I want to know about it. Am I understood?”

  “Yes, Captain. And you should know how much I appreciate the chance you’ve given me, and the responsibility. I won’t let you down.”

  “I know you won’t.”

  Marcello knocked on the open door. “This a bad time?”

  Rio stood up and carefully folded the paper in his hand. “No, Sir, we were just finishing up. May I get everyone some coffee?”

  “Yes, please,” Lorenzo said as his brothers entered and Rio shifted out. “Have the kitchens bring me something to eat, too. I skipped breakfast this morning.”

  Rio nodded and left, closing the door behind him.

  Lorenzo turned to Alex. “Rio already connected with Tavin, Mara, and Corrado. You and Rebecca called them last night?”

  Alex nodded. “We also spread the word to our sisters.” His face split into a wicked grin. “Except for Arianna, they’re all joining us for dinner tomorrow night.”

  “Fabulous,” Lorenzo muttered. It wasn’t unexpected, but it was irritating. “I’m surprised Rebecca isn’t here now. She could start annoying me before the others get here.”

  “She’s enjoying a well-deserved morning off and pampering herself a little. Plus, she wanted to be there to welcome Cecilia and Liliana when they arrived.”

  His irritation faded. “That’s very kind of her. I’ll be sure to thank her when I see her.” He checked his watch. “Speaking of, I’ve only got a little time before I head over to welcome them myself. Any updates?”

  Marcello nodded. “I looked into Cecilia’s family. The father and brother are both out of jail. Somehow, her mother managed to keep their social standing, so their life hasn’t changed all that much. They seem to be living off of some family trusts, since the family company was dissolved after their convictions.”

  Fucking assholes. He’d bet they were living off Lily’s money. He wanted to confront them, but they didn’t deserve his attention right now. “Thanks. I’ll let you know if I need further information. Any new info about the strike from your contacts?”

  Rio entered with coffee and pastries, then left before Nate spoke. “I reached out to some of the other Council members, though they didn’t say much. Some had heard rumours of other members – including Bruno Paget, Minister of Energy and Transportation – speaking to Field, but none had seen it firsthand.”

  “Or admitted to seeing it, at any rate,” Marcello added. “I did some digging into Field. What Laura inferred at the meet yesterday was just the tip of the iceberg. We found years of covered up harassment claims, even some assault claims that were filed with the police, but then retracted. My guess is Field or someone who works for him leaned on the women involved.”

  “Not only that,” Eddie continued. “But we believe he’s also abusing his wife, Susan. She’s never filed charges against him, but when I was digging into his family life and speaking to some neighbors, they tipped me off to it. Said when they first moved in, Susan had some visible bruises. Now, they don’t see bruises anymore but, every once in a while, she walks as though she’s in pain.”

  “They have any kids?” Ethan asked.

  Eddie shook his head. “No. She was pregnant at one time, but was rushed to the emergency room about four months in, covered in bruises. They lost the baby. She claimed she fell down the stairs, but the doctors didn’t believe her. She wouldn’t change her story, and the hospital couldn’t push anymore, so they left it be.”

  Lorenzo rotated his coffee cup on its saucer, seeking to control the anger he was feeling; he’d never understand men who violated and perpetuated violence against women. Never. “So, he’s an asshole. That’s not news. What we need is evidence that he’s done something illegal, or that he’s going to try and control the vote through fraud or other means. If we can arrest him right before the vote, it could change the outcome.”

  “You didn’t let me finish,” Eddie said with small smile. “I also got a chance to speak to Susan. I waited until Field left for the day before approaching the house. She was hesitant when she opened the door, but she recognized me from the wedding and from all the press Cat and I got a while back. She let me in.”

  “Fame does have its privileges,” Marcello noted. “Though most of the time you’ll hate it.”

  “Tell me about it,” he muttered, then shook his head. “Anyway, after a few minutes talking with her, I just came right out with it. I figure Field’s gonna know we’re looking into him anyway, he just thinks he’s untouchable for some reason. So, I laid it out. I told her we wanted to question her husband regarding some fraud. She got really nervous, started trembling a little.”

  Alex nodded. “She knows something.”

  “You bet your ass she does. She started asking me questions at that point and, when she found out the lengthy jail term for voter fraud, she stopped being so nervous.”

  Ethan’s lips tightened. “Something must have happened to flip that switch. He must have done something to her recently, if she’s considering turning on him now when she hasn’t in the past.”

  “She was limping a little, but whether that’s from an old injury or new, I couldn’t say. At one point, when I followed her into the kitchen for some coffee, I saw an empty prescription bottle in the trash. I caught a closer look at one point and noted part of the name: Misopro…Misoprost...”

  Ethan cursed. “Misoprostol is my guess. There are a lot of uses for that drug, but it’s often used for women who have had miscarriages in an early trimester, to help push the tissue out of the body without invasive surgery.”

  Nate shook his head in disbelief. “So, he may have hurt her again, and caused her to lose another child?”

  Marcello sighed. “We don’t have proof of that and, without her coming forward we won’t get it. Maybe if we can convict Field on fraud charges, his wife will come forward, too. In the meantime, let’s focus on the fraud. Right now, it’s just a theory. I’ve ordered the Election Commission to re-validate all voting sites and machines.”

  Alex scoffed. “In one day? If you were hoping to delay the vote, I doubt this will be enough.”

  “My people work fast, and I’ve brought in trusted outside contractors – like Eddie’s team – to assist. Just the order alone might call into question the results, no matter how the vote turns out. The election inspectors are being deployed now. I’ll give everyone a status update tonight.”

  Lorenzo shifted back in his chair. “What about his finances? Lots of people get taken down by tax fraud when there’s not enough evidence for something else.”

  Nate nodded. “I’m checking into that, but nothing so far. He has some business ventures on the side that I’m delving deeper into, with Marcello’s help.”

  “Someone should also probably follow Field, just to see what he’s up to today,” Ethan said.

  “I have some agents on it,” Marcello replied. “He’s covered, along with a few others in the union. Since Gaston mentioned that Field has been reaching out to the other union leaders, I’ve also started digging there, too. Maybe the other leaders are being blackmailed for their support. Or maybe they all just want to see the strike happen. Who can say at this point, but I’m hoping to have answers soon.”

  Alex placed his now empty cup and saucer on the desk. “Will you have another meet with the dockworkers before tomorrow?”

  “I think I should, just to take the pulse before the vote tomorrow morning. We’ll have to make it a night meet, though.”

  Eddie pursed his lips. “More dangerous to meet at the docks at night.”

  “Y
es, but I’m not leaving my daughter until she’s sound asleep in her new room. And, since I know you’re going to force me to bring someone along, Ethan, do you want to come with me again?”

  He nodded. “I can go along. Also, as an FYI, my orders to ship out were delayed a couple more days, so I’ll be able to see everyone at family dinner before I go.”

  Nate quirked a grin at Marcello. “Using your princely influence to get the order delayed?”

  Marcello gave him an even look that no one believed. “The ship he was leaving on needs some more repairs; everyone got delay orders.”

  Ethan nodded. “It’s the only reason people like having me on ship; it usually means a shorter deployment.”

  Nate clapped him on the back. “I’m sure people value your medical expertise, too, baby brother.”

  Ethan glowered at him.

  Lorenzo’s phone buzzed with a message; the movers had arrived at the castle and it was only nine-thirty.

  “The girls have arrived. I’m going to head over there unless there’s anything else we need to discuss.”

  Alex stood. “We’ll go with you.”

  Lorenzo wanted them to meet his little girl, but not until after he’d spent time with her first. “Come over for lunch. You can meet her then.” He grabbed a pastry and left without waiting for a response.

  A skittering excitement brushed over his skin and goosebumps erupted. His daughter was finally here, under his roof. He would finally get to know her and protect her and guide her.

  He wouldn’t mess this up. He would succeed. He had no other choice.

  As a Masillian resident, Lily knew of the castle. She’d seen many, many pictures of it. As Lorenzo had renovated it and made it relevant as more than just a royal holding, more press and pictures had followed. She and Liliana had even walked by it on occasion.

  None of that had prepared her for this.

  Though she supposed Lorenzo was used to opulence and luxury, Lily had learned to live without it for the last several years. She associated luxury with her past and her parents, and it’d had no place in her present.