by Malone, Nana
I tried not to let my anger simmer over. How many times had he cancelled something with our friends, or my friends, in favor of doing something with just the two of us? It was almost as if he were embarrassed to be seen with me. But that couldn’t be true because he always took me around his parents and his friends. It was just my friends he didn’t want to be around.
“You can’t keep doing this to me. You’re always backing out on things that are important to me. But if it’s your favorite football team, God help me if I’m not right there next to you between your father and your brother watching as a family, and that’s a first game match. This is my birthday.”
He frowned. “You know how seriously my family takes its football.”
“You don’t even like football.” I threw up my hands. This had to be a joke. This couldn’t be real. He was not trying to abandon me on my birthday. “Robert, tell me this is a joke. That you’ve cooked up some elaborate ruse with Ariel and Michael to surprise me or something.”
He frowned and looked at me as if I had three heads. As if such a thought would never have even occurred to him. “But I don’t like surprises.”
Oh God, why was I dating him again?
“See, here’s the thing, it’s not about you. It would be a nice surprise for me. I like surprises. I like any time that my boyfriend shows me he cares about me. It’s a nice thing to do.”
“Penelope, you’re being absurd. Look, today or tomorrow, it doesn’t matter. I’ll see you tomorrow, you know, on your actual birthday. Right now, duty calls. You should know about duty. You’re a member of the Royal Guard too. You know how important finding the prince is.”
I tipped my chin up to glare at him. “Something tells me you volunteered for this particular duty. Anything so you wouldn’t have to spend time with me.” I shook my head. “I’m starting to think that maybe you and I together isn’t going to work out.”
The words left my mouth dry like sawdust, but lately it had just felt like a lot of work trying to keep us together. Robert had been a part of my family unit for years. He’d just always been around as my brother’s best friend. He was handsome, smart, and a Royal Guard. My parents respected him, and my brother adored him.
And he was good-looking.
He'd started showing interest in me. Finally, after years of crushing on him, he liked me back. It was like something about going to university had changed me. Oh yeah, I’d grown breasts. So that was helpful. I’d thought everything would be perfect.
But it wasn’t. For starters, he never actually seemed to want to have sex with me. It was just bogus. Such bullshit. Why was I the one begging for sex?
It wasn’t that I didn’t want all those things. Marriage, kids, raising another generation of the Royal Guard … and, well, orgasms. I would actually like some non-self-administered ones again though.
Ariel always made a face about that, as if there was something wrong with him. But I thought it was great. He had conviction. That was one of the things that drew me to him. He took his work seriously. He took his family seriously. He took everything seriously.
Except for our relationship.
Robert’s eyes went wide. “Penny, you know you don’t mean that. You know how I feel about you. Don’t do this because you’re being childish.”
The thing was, I wanted to do just that. Let my anger take over. Scream, and wail, and throw things. But that would have been conduct unbecoming of a lady, let alone conduct unbecoming of a Royal Guard. My parents would have flipped.
“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do because it feels like you don’t make me a priority.”
For the first time, he looked panicked, like I’d finally gotten through to him. “This is important right now, but not more important than you, okay? The unit leaves in an hour. As soon as I’m back I’ll come find you, okay?”
I didn’t really have a choice, did I? He had been given orders, and my being pissed about it wasn’t going to change anything. “Yeah, I mean if you have to go, you have to go.”
“Look, we’ll talk tomorrow, okay? I’ll pick you up and we’ll do something all day that you adore. You call the shots. Anything you want.”
“You don’t get it, do you? I want you to think about all the things that I love and plan it all out.”
His brows furrowed as if I'd started speaking Greek. “I don’t—”
I shook my head at Ariel when I saw her drive up to the bar and climb out of her Fiat. She gave me a big wave until she saw who I was talking to. Then she marched over like she was on a war path.
We’d always had each other’s backs since school. For her, things weren’t always great at home, so my house had become a sanctuary. She always said, my house was how she pictured a real home. I knew she didn’t always want to go home, thanks to things with her folks, so I had her over as often as possible.
And well, she was loyal to a fault. If she had her way, she'd start a fight with Robert and knock his ass out just to protect my feelings from his assholery. But that’s not what I wanted. What I wanted was for everyone to be happy to celebrate my birthday.
But you don’t always get what you want. “Go. Do what you need to do. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Robert leaned over and brushed a kiss on my cheek. “I really am sorry.”
“Yeah, I hear you.”
Ariel bounded over. “Why did that look so intense? Please tell me it was because he got you the wrong present and not because he disappointed you again.”
I was always comforted by having her near. We’d had each other’s backs since we were six and Jamison Briggart made it a point to steal our plantain chips every snack time. Alone we cried, but together we stood up to him. We’d been besties ever since.
I wrapped my arm around her and let her squeeze me tight despite her deceptively petite frame. “Yeah, I’ve always been a shitty liar, so I can’t tell you what you want to hear. And I just had a really long day.”
“You don’t need him. You have me, and half the Royal Guard is inside. So we’re going to let the cute boys buy us drinks until you forget your problems, okay?”
I loved her. Tonight, we’d celebrate. Tomorrow, I’d face the music. “Sounds like a plan.”
I tried not to look back at the retreating form of my boyfriend. Was there something wrong with me? Was there a reason why I couldn’t have my own prince charming? I mean, he was perfect, wasn’t he? So why wasn’t I awesome enough for him?
Ariel snapped her fingers in front of my face. “Hey, don’t let him do this to you. You are awesome. Now, let’s get a drink. We’ll do a lot of shots, dance on the tables, and let the cutest members of the guard flirt with you. We’ll celebrate your twenty-second birthday. Sound good?”
I gave her a determined nod even though I wasn’t feeling it. “Yep, sounds good.”
3
Penny …
I’d set out last night to drink my troubles away…and I had. Now a couple of elephants were trying out aggressive sexual positions in my skull. But forgetting about my troubles for a night… #worthit.
I reluctantly left Ariel’s in the morning and took the quarter-mile pathway from my friend’s up to my parents’ place. The sun beat down on my face, trying to make me atone for every single shot last night with its rays.
The grounds just below the palace were massive, sporting more than twelve gardens and the accommodations for the Royal Guard.
A series of interconnected walkways linked the fifty or so accommodations that were actually on palace grounds. The lesser guards lived off-property and commuted in daily.
I had lived on these grounds since I was little because of my father's position. And you fucked up his whole career by saying no.
I opened the door to my parents’ place and searched for my mother. I didn’t find her, though. Instead, as I wound my way through the living room into the kitchen, I found my wayward boyfriend. Robert was pushing my brother up against the sink and shoving his hands into his hair.
All I could do was stand and stare as their lips crashed together.
As my stomach plummeted, all I knew was that Robert had never kissed me like that. When they parted, their lips swollen and their breathing harsh and choppy, Michael's gaze lifted and met mine.
* * *
Penny …
I wasn’t sure how long I stood in my bedroom, frozen numb in shock, but in the distance I could hear my brother’s voice. I could hear the pounding on my door. Hell, I didn’t even know how I'd gotten there.
I didn’t know how long it was before I snapped out of it. But when I did, I used my door to the back patio and was out the back gate in seconds.
I didn’t think I consciously knew where I was going I just knew I had to get out of there. I took the winding path up to the stairs that led to the palace.
I had taken this route so many times. Maybe several thousand times throughout my life.
My leaden steps took me past the Rose Courtyard. I’d played in this courtyard so many times, teasing the koi in the pond, even though I knew I shouldn't. This was my home, but it didn’t feel that way right now as the fog of confusion and betrayal brought on a swirling nausea.
Yes, I'd left to go to university. I couldn't believe it when my father had let me go to the Chicago Institute of Art. But I had a feeling that was my mother's doing. My last chance at fun before I had to return home and take on the family's mantle: Royal Guard. That was the only time I'd ever been away from home. And it terrified me. Just like now. But after what I’d just witnessed … I couldn’t stay.
"Well, well, if it isn't the favorite pet's street urchin."
I rolled my eyes and ignored him. Prince Ashton was a grade A asshole. He’d forever tortured me when we were children. Once, he’d locked me in a closet during a game of hide-and-seek. No one had found me for hours. I'd never been so terrified.
It was finally Prince Sebastian who found me and let me out. I was so relieved I forgot myself and hugged him fiercely. I still remembered how he hugged me back, tentatively at first and then tightly. I was sobbing hysterically because well, I’d been locked in a closet, convinced I was going to die in there. My voice was hoarse from all the screaming for someone to let me out.
Sebastian had soothed me, stroked my back, and told me he was going to make Ashton pay. He’d promised me his cousin would never hurt me again as long as he was around. I’d felt safe in his arms. It was so against all the protocols in every book. Sebastian was a royal. It wasn’t proper to hug him like that. But I’d been a terrified little girl who had been rescued. As far as I was concerned, he was every fairytale prince rolled into one.
I wasn’t sure what had happened, but Ashton had never bothered me again. Though, unlike Sebastian, Ashton hadn’t been shipped off to boarding school at age eleven. He'd gone to a prestigious private school on the island, but it still wasn’t as good as Eton. Even his brother Aidan went to Eton. He’d gone off to university in the UK and come home three years ago showing all his royal asshole colors. "Is there something you need, Your Highness?"
Prince Ashton leered at me. "Yes. You, on your knees, with that pretty mouth of yours around my dick."
I didn't even break stride. This was not the first time he’d made some lewd suggestion. I knew he wouldn’t dare carry it out because at the end of the day, he was a coward. And he knew that if he touched me, my father would have his hide, prince or not. "It’s nice to dream."
"You know what? One of these days, you are going to suck my dick."
I laughed. "And I see we've gone from dreams to delusions. As always, not nice to see you, Ashton."
"You forgot to call me, Your Highness."
"You mean Your Dickhead Highness, right?"
I easily sidestepped him. He was no better than a schoolyard bully. When I reached the king’s office, I could hear my father and the king inside. My palms were sweaty as I wiped them on my pants. Are you sure this is a good idea?
Good idea or not, I was doing this. Now or never. I knocked softly, and from inside the king called, "Come in."
Pushing the door open, I took a deep breath.
My father's eyes went wide. "Penny, is something the matter?"
"No. Everything’s fine." I shifted my gaze to the king. “Your Majesty, I apologize for my earlier departure. I've had some time to think about it, and I'll do it. When do I start?"
4
Penny …
The king nodded a dismissal to my father, who narrowed his gaze at me. I’d be in for an earful later.
Once my father was gone, King Cassius spoke. “Your life is your own. I know you were probably terrified when you walked out of here and said no. But honestly, that is exactly the reason I want you for this job."
I licked my lips nervously. "Your Majesty, if you don't mind me saying, I'm a terrible King’s Guard. You know what happened with the duke, of course."
His lips twitched. "The Duke of Essex is an ass."
My mouth dropped open. "Your Majesty?"
The king laughed, and I didn't know if I’d ever seen him so candid before. "It's true. You didn't do anything wrong. Hell, you probably saved his life. Of course, outside of these doors, I can never say that. But it was the most entertainment I had all night."
I flushed. "Noted, Your Majesty."
He sobered. "Listen, I know what I'm asking you to do is difficult. But I need someone who can tell Sebastian no. I need someone who isn’t afraid to stand up to him. I need someone who can actually bring him home."
"How?" I didn't understand.
"Look, I won't send you alone. You can select one person from the Royal Guard to go with you. I know he'll be difficult. But if he suspects at all who you are, he’ll bolt. And it's been hard enough trying to locate him. My understanding is you played together when you were children but you haven't seen him in some time. So to him, you would just be a girl that he is meeting for the first time."
I frowned. "I understand, Your Majesty. But—" I sighed. “May I speak freely?”
He nodded. "You're free to speak your mind."
I inhaled deeply. "Okay. Can I ask why? Why do you need me to go after him? Why not just ask him to come home?"
"Because Sebastian is going to earn his grandfather's Regents Council votes on his twenty-sixth birthday. He will have the most powerful voting seat on the council. And right now, his life is in danger."
I frowned. "Are you sure?" My heart thudded against my ribs. In danger? Just what the hell was I walking into?
"Yes, I'm sure. I'm also sure someone will make an attempt on his life. So, Penelope, I need you. And Sebastian can never know who you are. Because I'm afraid if he does, he will put himself in more danger."
I swallowed hard. I knew what I had to do. "In that case, I know just the person to take with me.”
5
Sebastian …
"Your Majesty, you have to forgive me. I wasn't informed that you were coming to town." Noah Blake glanced over my shoulder and frowned. "I would have set up security protocols. You don't seem to have a Royal Guard with you."
I shrugged. "No one knows I'm here. You may have seen the reports of me partying it up everywhere. Doubles. I needed to be a little incognito. I need help finding someone."
Noah frowned.
Over the years, I’d learned to respect Noah Blake. When I started at the university, my father had hired a different security company. They were competent, but old guard, old school. They didn't understand that I needed more freedom of movement. So, eventually, my father switched to Blake Security. At that time, Noah and his crew were untested; his company just started. But they had been good. They kept me out of trouble for the most part. I only managed to give them the slip once or twice. And that was because there were only two of them at the time and they didn't have enough coverage. I'd never managed it again, though.
“Who do you think we can find that you don’t already have the resources to find?”
I sighed. This was where things
got delicate. "His name is Lucas Newsome. I’ve spent the last six months tracking him down. I've managed to track him from Mexico City to here, but my other resource is tapped out. They can't find him. I was hoping you could be of service. I know you’ve got a hacker on the payroll. I'm sure just a quick tap to the keys and I'll be on my way."
Noah rubbed his jaw and leaned back in his chair. "Your Majesty, of course we're happy to assist. And as you have us on retainer, it's not a problem. But I’m concerned about your … stealthy arrival. How long have you been with no guard? Do you have a death wish?"
I laughed. "Is someone trying to kill me?"
Noah frowned. "No, that's not what I meant, but you're royalty. Do you know how much you're worth?"
I shrugged. "None of that matters right now. I just need help finding this kid. Can you do it or not?"
"Yeah, of course, I can do it. Who is this kid to you?"
"I thought one of Blake Security's cornerstones was discretion."
"It is." Noah nodded. "But, as I told your father, I don't do anything blindly. I went down that path once. I'm not one of those guys who you can get to do some dirty work and then ask questions later. Integrity is our cornerstone too. So I have to point out things like the Crown Prince of Winston Isles running around without Royal Guards, looking like an American civilian to boot. It looks like you're hiding. Are you hiding? Is there something you're not telling me?"
And that was the problem with Noah Blake. He was too astute. From what I'd gleaned from Dad, he was a former special operations guy. Black Ops stuff, the kind of stuff that nobody wanted to acknowledge. He was technically on the Winston Isles' retainer, so he worked for me. "Since you're on retainer, and you signed the nondisclosure, I can tell you. He's my brother. I need to find him."
