Rigo shoved a hand through his hair. “That probably is the best policy.” He looked distracted. She was pretty sure he hadn’t turned up here for revenge sex. He was too thoughtful a lover—and a human—for that. Maybe he’d come here to see what she—or her father—was up to. Luckily, he was leaving none the wiser.
Rigo frowned. “This…morning’s events have nothing to do with your moving into my house. That comes with no obligation.”
How sweet of him to say that! His words made the impossibility of the situation more agonizing. She had to let him know she wouldn’t be moving. “Actually I’ve made other arrangements.”
“Really?”
“Yes, a friend of my father’s has a little house. It’ll be perfect.”
Rigo’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Where is it?”
“Uh…” She racked her mind for Altaleone geography. “Over the hill behind…the old Kroll dairy.”
A brow lifted. “Where the cement works is?”
“Uh.” Whoops. “Not exactly. But in that general direction.”
He stared at her for a moment, then turned and left without another word.
Bella stared at the door after it closed behind him. Why was she such a screwup? This whole adulting thing was exhausting.
Ari sauntered across the floor and laid himself in her lap. She stroked his soft head. “Thank goodness for all of you. You’re what keeps me sane. And I’ll figure it all out, I promise.”
The next day she was dressing for work when another knock on the door startled her. Her heart pounded as she imagined Rigo standing there, but she opened the door to see Emma and Serena. “Hi!” Their in-unison greeting unnerved her. “We’re walking around Casteleone today shooting a vlog for Serena’s channel. We need you to help because you’re actually from Altaleone and will give us authenticity.”
Bella wanted to laugh. “Wouldn’t Beatriz be better?”
“Beatriz is busy with her fashion line. We need you,” said Emma decisively. “And that outfit is too boring.” She gestured at Bella’s unusually restrained dark gray ensemble. “Put on something more…you. You know, lace and ruffles and unnecessary belts.”
Now Bella did laugh. “Thanks for summing up my style so succinctly. I guess this look is a bit of a downer.” If only she could tell them what was going on with Rigo.
If only she had any idea what actually was going on with Rigo!
She wondered if they knew anything. She had kissed him in public at the wedding, after all.
“So, you and Rigo.” Serena walked boldly into her apartment, to a volley of barking. “What’s the scoop?”
Well, that answered one question, anyway.
“I really have no idea.” She smiled and tried to look cool. “But I do know that I should behave with more professionalism where he’s concerned and I intend to do so from now on.” Phew. She hadn’t admitted to anything specific, but that could encompass the kiss if they’d noticed it.
“Nonsense. Rigo is far too professional and needs to be dragged kicking and screaming into having a personal life.” Emma bent down to pet Martini, who wound through her legs.
Not with someone whose father might have murdered his father. The thought flashed through her mind, chilling the faint spark of enthusiasm she felt at Emma’s warm words.
“Go on, get dressed,” urged Serena, who had picked up Sapphire the rat and was stroking her gently. “We need to get cracking. We’re going to go live on the hour, and we need to get in position for the first one in fifteen minutes.”
“Can I bring Squiggles?”
“It wouldn’t be a party without him.”
The day flashed by in a whirlwind of visits to rustic cafés and ancient bakeries. They drove out to a prehistoric stone circle on a windswept hilltop and live-vlogged in a sudden shower of rain. Bella and Squiggles were exhausted by the time they finally headed back to the palace barely half an hour before dark.
“I really need to get home and feed my animals,” she protested, not for the first time.
Emma and Serena shot each other what looked like a conspiratorial glance. “Okay, we’ll drive you,” said Serena.
“It’s barely a ten-minute walk. I’ll be fine.”
“Actually it’s kind of a long walk. At least an hour.”
“More like two,” chimed in Emma.
“What?”
“While we’ve been dragging you from pillar to post, movers have shifted all of your things and your animals into the old hunting lodge.”
“What?” Panic clutched her chest.
Emma smiled. “Don’t get mad at Rigo. It was our idea as much as his. And we hired a professional animal behaviorist to help keep it as stress-free as possible for all your animals.”
Bella stared. She couldn’t imagine that Pepe had taken kindly to being carted across Casteleone. There must have been a lot of screaming and plucking of feathers. “I can’t believe you would do this without asking me.” She felt…betrayed.
“We could tell that you were feeling weird about it, that you didn’t want to be a burden, and that the move was going to be difficult with all your animals, so we took the bold and rather obnoxious step of taking it out of your hands.” Serena looked apologetic. “I hope you’ll forgive us eventually.”
Bella felt tears spring to her eyes. Her anger evaporated into sadness as she realized they’d done it out of sheer kindness. Emma and Serena had no idea of the awkward position they’d put her in—living in the house of a man she’d had sex with—and who wanted to arrest her father for murder.
“All of my animals are there?” Her voice was a rasping whisper.
“Yes. And I’ve been getting texts from Mario—the animal trainer—that they’re all doing fine. He’s set up Pepe’s cage by a shaded window, but you can move it wherever you want.”
“Where’s my car?”
“At the house. We had them move it so we could take you straight there.”
“I feel like I’ve been swept away on a magic carpet.” She tried to sound cheerful when she felt like she’d just had the rug pulled out from under her.
“Great! That’s what we wanted.” Emma hugged her. “Let’s go.”
Lights shone in the windows of the baronial mansion as they drove up the long, straight drive. The building was as grand and gloomy as ever, and seemed like an impossible place for her to live.
Anxiety over her animals trumped her nerves at the awkward situation, and by the time they reached the front door her hurried entrance could probably be mistaken for enthusiasm. Suki and Tintin rushed at her as she walked in, and she knelt and hugged them tight. As least they were fine. Sure, they’d have to move again, but they’d have had to do that anyway. As long as she kept her focus on the animals, everything would work out eventually.
Wouldn’t it?
“Would you like to look around?” Emma’s eager expression suggested that she wanted to look around herself. They’d been so busy keeping her occupied all day they hadn’t had time to explore the place.
“Sure.” Her voice sounded flat. She hoped they weren’t too excited about her living here and wouldn’t take it personally when she ditched at the earliest opportunity. “Does Rigo really know I’m here?”
She wouldn’t put it past them to move all her stuff in, then surprise him with the news.
“Oh, yes. He gave very specific instructions about the animals. He’s having the old greenhouse screened so it can be an aviary for Pepe.”
“What?”
“Yes. They’re still wiring the lights out there because the house didn’t have any outdoor lights.”
Emotion welled in Bella’s chest. How sweet of him. She didn’t deserve this kind of treatment at all—but Pepe did and maybe that was who Rigo had focused on. “Where is Rigo?”
She didn’t want to be surprised by him. She wasn’t at all sure how she’d handle it. She was just as likely to break down sobbing as to thank him graciously.
“He’s holed up with Gibr
an at the palace. Darias and Sandro are with them.”
A cool knife of anxiety plunged into her belly. Had they found evidence against her father? “Oh. Okay. Let’s look around.” She tried to sound enthusiastic but failed miserably.
Still carrying Squiggles in his bag and with Tintin and Suki hot on her heels, she trailed around the ground-floor rooms, oohing and aahing at how bright the vast kitchen looked—they’d filled the fridge with goodies for her and the animals—and admiring the set of unused dinnerware, probably worth a small fortune, they’d retrieved from storage for her to use. She could picture her cats licking tuna off eighteenth-century Limoges porcelain.
Upstairs they visited Pepe, who seemed remarkably relaxed in his new surroundings—a grand bedroom with highly detailed plasterwork—preening his feathers rather than plucking them. He greeted her with a loud squawk, as if to say, “Finally, quarters worthy of my magnificence!”
Serena and Emma were clearly thrilled with all the work the movers had done. They’d even put her sheets on the grandest bed and her towels in the adjoining vintage bathroom. Bella felt like someone had gone through her underwear drawer—which they had.
When they finally left she was so relieved she wanted to sob, but she didn’t want to scare the animals so she gritted her teeth and hummed a tune while she put their dinners together and topped up their water. The house was so large that her dogs and cats found endless amusement in climbing the stairs and sneaking around behind marble columns.
I need to phone Rigo to thank him. It was only polite. He—or the staff, anyway—had gone to a lot of trouble. But why should she thank him when she didn’t want to be here at all?
She wanted to gnash her teeth and throw something with frustration at the impossible situation. Rigo was so kind and thoughtful—but also so principled and loyal to his own family and nation. Of course he wanted to find out who killed his father and grandmother—who wouldn’t? If he thought her father was guilty of something of course he had to investigate. Even she was starting to have her doubts about him, though she still didn’t believe he’d be involved in a murder.
Why Rigo he have to be so upstanding, so unassailable, so damn perfect? Worse yet, their attraction was mutual and they had amazing sex! She’d never met anyone like him, and she never would again.
Her distracted reverie was interrupted by someone banging on the door downstairs. They might have been knocking for a while She’d been so preoccupied with the animals she’d tuned out the outside world. More than a little wary about opening the door to this remote house in the dead of night, she crept down the stairs to see who it could be.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“Who is it?” The tall front door was solid, with no peephole. No doubt in the old days a butler had risked their life to open the door to unexpected visitors.
“It’s me.”
Rigo. Her heart rose and sank at the same time. First he’d moved her into his house lock, stock, and barrel like an errant concubine. Now he felt he could show up whenever he wanted.
And she couldn’t wait to open the door and see him. She must be going insane.
She struggled with the long iron bolts at the top and bottom of the door—she and Emma and Serena had come in through a side door—and was almost breaking a sweat by the time she finally pulled the heavy door back on its creaking hinges.
The light from behind her illuminated his bold features and revealed an expression of eager curiosity that tugged at her insides. “Are all your animals settled in okay?”
“I can’t believe you did this without telling me.”
“I had a feeling you weren’t going to move in.”
She frowned. “Then why did you do it for me?”
“Because I realized I’d made things awkward by sleeping with you and I didn’t want you to feel like you had to move somewhere else.”
“So without telling me you had all my animals carted over here.”
“Exactly.” His expression was changing to a more familiar one of arrogant superiority. Which was a relief. Now she could feel pique and annoyance rather than a disturbing tenderness for him.
“I hope I’m not expected to behave like some sort of…kept mistress.” She lifted a brow. “I bet this was what your ancestors did with women they wanted to have sex with. Hole them up in a nice house so they’d never want to leave.”
Rigo sighed. “There’s no denying it is an awkward situation.”
“The more so because you suspect my father of committing crimes against your family and the state.”
His expression darkened. “Are you going to invite me in?”
“Is that one of the terms of my tenancy?” She was still angry enough to challenge him.
“I don’t believe there are any terms to your tenancy since I haven’t offered an agreement and you haven’t signed one.”
“So I’m here at your mercy.”
“Pretty much.” Exasperation with a hint of amusement sparkled in his eyes.
“Well then I guess you’d better come in.” She put her hands on her hips and stepped aside. “Your majesty.”
“Watch your tone, young lady.” He swept past her. “Have you forgotten that I’m your boss?”
“Not for a single second.”
Squiggles surprised her by racing across the polished wood floor and assailing Rigo, who picked him up and perched him on his arm.
“I can’t believe he’s not biting you.”
“Squiggles is clearly a fine judge of character.”
“Or a huge suck-up.”
“He doesn’t want to bite the hand that is currently feeding the hand that feeds him.”
“I need to find another job,” she challenged.
“Not really. Didn’t your dad just give you a large cash sum?”
I’m not taking it. She wanted to throw the words at him, but that might imply that her dad was guilty.
“That money was supposed to buy my animal sanctuary building.”
“Was?”
“My dad says it’s coming. I’m not even sure he has it.”
“Hmm, maybe he’s not comfortable moving money around in his usual way when he knows that the security forces of Altaleone are watching all his movements.”
Bella stared at him. “Did you come here to accuse my dad or to have sex with me? Neither seems appropriate, or anything but downright obnoxious under the circumstances.”
Rigo had the decency to look contrite. “I’m sorry. I’ve been told that my brutal bluntness is one of my least attractive features.”
“Though being an honest lawyer does make you original, at least.” She lifted a brow. “And since I know I can count on your honesty, what have you learned? Is there some new break in the murder case?”
“I’m going to see Francine Petrie tomorrow. I hope she’ll be the big break we’re looking for.”
“How?”
“She was my father’s mistress and thus privy to a lot of his secrets and intimate thoughts. She might have some insight into the forces acting against him, if not the actual murderer.”
“What makes you so sure she didn’t murder him?”
Rigo hesitated a moment. “Maybe she did.”
“You should watch your step when you go see her.”
“You can watch my step for me. You’re coming with me.”
“Where does she live?”
“Liechtenstein. She’s from there originally and we tracked her to her grandparents’ farm, where she’s living under her maiden name.”
“What if she starts shooting at us?”
“We’ll have security following us.”
“Why is that not at all reassuring?”
“Are you afraid? You don’t have to come.”
Bella bristled. “I’m not afraid. And I’m pretty damn curious about this Francine. I’m coming.”
“Excellent.” An annoying satisfied smile spread across Rigo’s face. Suddenly she wasn’t sure if she wanted to slap or kiss it off him.
He decided for her by stepping forward and sweeping her into his arms for a powerful kiss that made her breath hitch. Her whole body sizzled with arousal by the time he finally let her up for air.
“What would your colleagues in New York say about the way you shamelessly harass your assistant?”
“Who says I’m shameless?” he teased. “I’m racked with guilt right now.” The twinkle of mischief in his eyes belied his comment.
“Then let’s head upstairs and give you more to be guilty about.” She took his hand and guided him toward the carved wood staircase that wound through the center of his own baronial mansion. It had been a long day, but the prospect of luring Rigo under the sheets of her strange bed was too tempting.
They kissed going up the stairs, groped each other in the upstairs hallway and soon reveled in each other’s naked bodies in the dim half-light of the grand bedroom. Bella kissed him with frenzied passion that came with an edge of panic.
Tomorrow, Francine might point the finger at her father—and possibly other members of the creepy Cross of Blood society—and her world would crumble. Rigo’s suspicions would be confirmed, her father would be arrested, and she’d become a pariah.
Until then she could live suspended in this magical half-world where she and Rigo came together, somewhere between royalty and responsibility, between common sense and madness. It couldn’t last, but it was too wonderful while it did.
The next morning, Bella got the animals ready with water and made sure everyone who needed to go out had gone out, then she tucked Squiggles into Sapphire’s favorite plush cat house, because there was no way she wanted to bring him along on what might turn out to be a dangerous misadventure. They set out early for Liechtenstein. The tiny country wasn’t far away, but the roads were winding and mountainous so the drive to the remote farmstead took much of the morning.
A dark SUV with three security guards followed behind them at a distance and was often lost from view. Fields of cows and sheep, punctuated by remote mountain chalets, stretched on until at last Rigo muttered, “This is it.”
They opened a gate leading into a field, and she closed it behind them while Rigo told the security staff to wait outside it. Bella felt her heart beat faster as they approached the small stone farmhouse, with its steep pitched roof. One old van with faded pale blue paint stood in the driveway. It certainly didn’t look like the residence of a royal mistress.
Taming the Royal Beast (Royal House of Leone Book 6) Page 13
