“Tereq!” Ndari gasped, glaring at her persistent cousin.
She could feel Keane tensing behind her, getting ready to launch himself at the guards. She stepped between him and the guards and held her hands out. "Everyone just calm down; we've been through this before. I'm not going back with you."
Tereq stepped forward. "You don't need to come with us, Princess. Because the Crown Prince has decided to come to you."
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Brother,” Ndari said, entering the room.
The Crown Prince Sal Kamala was sitting in a chair near the window of their suite. One leg was crossed over the other, his elbow on the table, chin in hand. He looked pensive, as though deep in thought. He turned when Ndari spoke, his dark eyes taking her in with a seriousness that had Keane stepping protectively in front of her, his hand under his jacket on his gun.
Every man in the room tensed, expecting him to pull his gun and make a violent move.
“It’s okay,” Ndari said quietly, putting her arm on Keane’s and stepping around him. He dropped his hand and allowed her to take the lead, though his body language suggested he was ready and willing to take down anyone who made a move against his woman.
“Sister.” Sal stood and stepped forward, his arms held out.
A wide grin split Ndari’s lips and she threw herself in his arms, hugging him tightly. The Prince dipped his head to kiss her forehead. “You are a brat, my fair sister.”
“Yes,” she agreed with a laugh.
Sal gently pushed Ndari away from him. He looked her up and down and said, "Becoming a fugitive suits you, my dear."
Keane tensed again and growled, "You will speak to your sister with respect."
Ndari tossed Keane a smile. "This is respect. I do believe my brother is honestly complimenting me."
"Indeed." Sal continued to look at his sister. If Keane hadn't already known, he would not believe that these two were related. Sal had to be nearly 20 years older than Ndari. He had grey in his hair and beard. He was taller than Ndari, but he was not a big man. He had a solid musculature, which Keane thought was somewhat unusual for a man in the Prince's position. In Keane's experience, men like the Prince tended to be soft. But Keane didn't get any sense of softness from this man.
While Ndari was beautiful and fun-loving, her brother was the opposite. He wasn't a handsome man; he wasn't an ugly man. There was nothing striking about him except for the aura of power and control about him. If Keane had to guess, he would suspect that the Prince used this against his enemies. He would lure them in with his mild looks and manners, then he would strike. The man was persistent. He never stopped looking for his sister, though he must have known she was complicit in her own disappearance.
Sal confirmed Keane's thoughts with his next words. "I would have left you to your own devices, but you took something of mine when you left."
"Fuck that," Keane growled angrily. "I took nothing but the Princess."
Sal's eyes didn't leave Ndari. "But did the Princess take something?"
Keane was about to deny that Ndari took anything but then realized she wasn't looking at anyone in the room in particular and her usually serene expression was marred with guilt. Keane thought back to the kidnapping, had she managed to take anything?
The fucking jewels.
"Those jewels belong to her," Keane snapped. "If you came all this way for them you can just tuck that tail between your legs and head back home. Her jewels are hers alone, her birthright."
The Prince held up a hand, which Keane would happily cut off for him. But there was something about the Prince, a sort of calmness about him that held Keane's knife hand.
"Yes, I would agree that my sister's jewels do indeed belong to her. Though I would have preferred that they stay safe in the palace. Ultimately, it is up to her what happens to them."
The Prince was sounding so fucking reasonable Keane wasn't entirely sure what to do. His normal action of ‘kill the thing that was annoying him and ask questions later’ probably wasn't going to work here. Judging by the hug that Ndari gave her brother, Keane suspected she actually liked the guy.
"Then what the fuck is the problem?" Keane asked, genuinely confused.
The Prince turned to his sister with a raised eyebrow. "Ndari, do you care to explain?"
Ndari sighed deeply. "No?"
"Try again." The Prince sounded less amused now and more like a parent about to embark on a serious lecture. Keane suspected that the byplay between the Prince and the Princess was nothing new. They had probably indulged in it from the moment she was born.
"Fine," Ndari huffed. She turned big velvety eyes up to Keane as she spoke. "It's not a big deal. It's just her jewels are different from my jewels. I love them both equally, and I couldn't really choose between them. So, I had Keane grab all of them. It's not like she's going to be using them anytime soon. I thought I could just borrow them for a few years."
Keane was starting to understand. "Whose jewels did you take exactly?"
"My wife's," the Prince said, his voice harder now.
"It's not like she needs them!” Ndari protested. “You don't even have a wife yet. If you actually had a wife who was actually using the Crown Jewels that belong to the wife of Prince Sal Kamala, then I wouldn't have touched them. But they're too gorgeous to leave untouched for as many years as those jewels have been collecting dust."
Keane burst out laughing as he realized exactly what his beloved had done. The Prince’s lips twitched as well, but he didn't say anything. Instead he held his hand out and wiggled his fingers. Ndari let out a long-suffering sigh and rolled her eyes. She reached back behind her neck to unlatch the necklace that she was wearing. She dropped it into his hand and crossed her arms while he put the necklace in his pocket and held his hand back out.
Ndari looked horrified. "But the ruby really doesn't belong behind bars! Are you absolutely certain I can't just borrow it until you get married?"
"You may not keep them." The Prince stood firm.
Ndari mournfully removed the ring from her finger, a massive ruby set in a bed of diamonds on a white gold band. She placed it in the palm of his hand and looked as though she would cry. Keane gently rubbed her back while she gave up the goods.
Sal took pity on her and patted her shoulder. "I'm going to miss you."
Anyone who knew him realized that the Prince was giving the Princess permission to finally leave the palace for good. He was handing her off into the care of another.
The Prince turned to Keane and gave him a piercing lock. "You were able to spirit my young sister out from under my intensive security team. No one has managed such a feat since I have become ruler. I am impressed. If my sister did not love you, then you would have to die for this infraction. But now, I will be able to call such a man brother-in-law. You will come back to the palace and upgrade my security."
The Prince was giving a command, not a request. However, Keane would take what he could get. Besides, he wanted to make sure the palace was as secure as it could be for Ndari when she went home to visit her family.
"You’re taking all the romance out of my life," Ndari complained. "He hasn't even asked me to marry him yet. You’re not supposed to give your blessing until after the proposal."
Sal finally unbent enough to chuckle. "I have to go back home and make sure that our sister and aunts haven't managed to burn the palace down. This is the only chance I will have to give you my blessing. But it is yours if you want it."
Tears filled the Ndari's eyes. "Of course I want your blessing. I've always wanted your blessing. Even when I was driving you insane."
The siblings embraced. And that was how Keane found himself in a chapel later that evening standing next to his new wife in the attendance of his mother, his new brother-in-law, a handful of palace guards, and some of the bad boys of Dublin.
Epilogue
5 Years Later
A wave hurtled up the sand, wetting everything in its path and touching th
e tips of the Ndari's feet. She was stretched out on the beach, leaning back on her elbows and gazing at the beautiful sparkling ocean stretched out for miles in front of her. She wore a royal blue bikini underneath a see-through white bathing suit cover that just reached her thighs. The back side of the cover was now wet from her sitting too close to the creeping tide.
"Mama!" A tiny voice hailed her from up the beach.
Ndari rolled onto her side and shaded her face as she squinted at her daughter who was running full tilt toward her, something waving in her tiny fist. Ndari grinned. She didn't know what her child was holding but she'd bet her crown it was gross. Natalia Mary Keane was just like her daddy. Loud, brash, irrepressible, and sometimes rather gross.
Ndari caught Natalia in her arms as she tripped over the sand. They both laughed and Ndari righted the four-year-old girl, dusting the sand off her knees.
"What do you have there, my little ducky?" Ndari asked.
"Seashell!" Natalia exclaimed. "With the guy still living inside."
And that was the piece of information that Ndari had been waiting for. Before she could scramble away a hermit crab was dropped into her lap. Natalia shrieked excitedly as the little arms began to poke out of the shell. Laughing like a maniac, Ndari leapt to her feet and scrambled away from the little creature. As much as she loved her daughter, she would never be able to play that game. The holding-live-creatures-in-her-hands-that-weren't-fluffy-and-cute game. Why was this child so attached to creepy, slimy and pokey things?
"Let's go up to the house," Ndari said, reaching out a hand for her daughter. "While we're waiting for your daddy, we can see if you remember what my favourite jewels are."
As they walked side-by-side up to the house Natalia rattled off a list. "Rubies, sapphires, diamonds!"
"You are such a smart little darling," Ndari exclaimed, beaming. "Make sure you tell your Uncle Sally all about the jewels next time we see him. It's about time he let you get your hands on some of those Crown Jewels."
Ndari had been living on this island with her husband and daughter for four years. This was their winter home. And it was paradise. Mary came to visit, but she never stayed longer than a few weeks at a time, though they asked her to stay for the entire winter. Ndari thought it was a combination of not wanting to overstay her welcome and her deep attachment to Ireland. Mary never seemed entirely comfortable being out of Ireland, though she did enjoy travelling once Keane got her used to the idea and Ndari showed her the joys of shopping around the globe. Natalia loved her grandmother, so they never stayed away from Ireland for long. They had a beautiful summer cottage in the same village as Mary and spent a lot of time together as a family.
Natalia was also rather attached to Ndari's family, particularly, and much to Ndari’s surprise, her sister, Alyssa. Since the birth of her niece, Alyssa had become downright friendly with Ndari, leaving old grudges behind. Natalia’s attachment to the Royal family led to them visiting the palace more often than Ndari would have thought. Somehow, as a wife and mother, the palace didn't feel quite as stifling as it used to.
Ndari helped Natalia out of her bathing suit and gave her a quick rinse in the tub before settling her down at the table with a bowl of macaroni and cheese and broccoli. Thank goodness her young daughter seemed to enjoy green vegetables, there was never a fight to get her to eat them. But it didn't hurt if they were smothered in macaroni and cheese.
When they finished eating, they went for a walk up the road to admire the sunset view. The island that Keane had chosen to settle his family on was owned by Ivan Vogel. Ivan owned a chain of them. He and Jaya lived two islands over. They weren't in residence right now, or it was more than likely that Ndari and Natalia would be staying with the Vogels. They tended to stay with Ivan and Jaya whenever Keane was out of town working. It was an arrangement that seemed to work out well for everyone. Ndari got to spend time with her best friend and Jaya got to spend time with her honorary niece. Keane was pleased to know that his wife and daughter were safe in the hands of his former employer.
But Jaya and Ivan were away on business, which left Natalia and Ndari to bond on their own. Though Ndari understood why Keane had to leave her behind, especially after the birth of their daughter, she still missed him terribly. Not a single day went by that she didn't gaze out at the ocean waiting for the sound of the chopper blades that would bring him home.
It had been a long and very quiet month without him. He had taken a lucrative contract in South America that isolated him and his team from civilization. Even their phone conversations were far and few between. Ndari was worried about him, but she tried to bury that concern so their daughter wouldn't see it.
"Time for bed little duckie," Ndari said a few hours later to her yawning child. Natalia put up her usual amount of fuss. She wasn't tired, she needed a glass of milk before bed, where was daddy? The comments and questions were endless but Ndari stood firm. Her daughter would go to sleep, mostly because Ndari was also tired and wanted to go to bed. Parenthood was exhausting business.
Ndari curled up on Natalia's bed with her, cuddling the child against her. She opened the book, The Princess and the Pea, and began reading. It was their favourite book. With her free hand she smoothed the hair back from Natalia’s face. As Ndari read the book, she could feel Natalia slowly starting to relax against her. By the time Ndari read the last page, her daughter was sound asleep. Ndari reached past her, placing the book on the nightstand, then she very gently slid her arm out from underneath Natalia, rolling the child onto her side. She pulled the blanket up to her chin and leaned over to kiss her ear. She would never get tired of this time with her daughter. Sometimes she ached at the thought of Natalia growing older and no longer wanting story time, no longer falling asleep in her mother's arms.
Ndari slid from the bed and left the room, quietly closing the door behind her. She left it open just a crack in case Natalia woke up in the night. She made her way down to the living room and stood next to the massive floor to ceiling window. It was too dark for her to see very much, but there was enough moonlight filtering across the ocean that she was able to keep up her customary vigil.
Life had changed so much over the past years, yet Ndari didn't feel changed herself. She felt like the same Princess that had grabbed hold of an opportunity, a redheaded mercenary, and ran full tilt towards their destiny. They made a fantastic team.
In the beginning, before Ndari found out she was pregnant, she travelled with Keane all over the world. He was extremely careful with her, always making sure that she was nowhere near the danger. Ndari got to travel to new and exciting places, experience new cultures, and make wonderful new friends. She still enjoyed doing these things, but Natalia’s birth had definitely slowed her down. Now her focus was on motherhood.
As it turned out, Ndari was much less selfish than she had originally thought she would be when she became a parent. She had more than enough room in her heart for her husband and a daughter.
"When did you get home?" Ndari asked softly, smiling at the reflection of her husband in the window.
Keane slowly walked up behind her. He didn't touch her, he just looked at her like a hungry wolf looking at its favourite meal.
"Got home in time to see you put Natalia to bed."
"That's too bad," she said regretfully. "You could've tucked her in. She would've loved seeing you."
Though her words were somewhat chiding, the undeniable love in her voice took the sting away.
"If I'd gone in there, the kid would have been bouncing off the walls well into the night. As much as I want to see the little duck, I wanted to spend time with my wife more."
As though they were one, he reached for her at the same time as she turned on the spot and rushed toward him. He gathered her against his chest, one hand wrapped around her waist the other cupping the back of her head. It was like coming home. His arms around her, his solid presence back in their home, his wild scent calling to her. She lifted her face for a kiss. His lips
touched hers in a soft, lingering kiss. He was relearning her, the way he did every time he came home from a contract.
Her heart soared and she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, tugging his head down for deeper kisses. Their hearts beat a matching tattoo, as though clambering to get to each other. It was always this way. The chemistry never failed. It had been this way from the moment she met him in Jakarta to when he stole her out of the palace, to now, five years later. Ndari didn't think that these feelings would ever die. In fact, they only got stronger with time.
"Ready for bed?" he asked her gruffly.
"Only if my sexy mercenary husband takes me there himself."
"As her Royal Highness desires." He reached behind his back and tugged something from his belt. Ndari let out a laugh as he placed a tiara on her head. She wasn't exactly sure where he'd gone this time, but he made it his mission in life, when they were separated for any amount of time, to always come back with the new jeweled piece for his wife. And this time he brought her favourite, another tiara.
He swept her up into his arms, careful not to jostle her crown too much. He carried her off to their bedroom where he explored her from top to bottom, whispering dirty things to her while showing her exactly how much he loved his Princess.
THE END
Excerpt: Capturing Victory
“Lovely.”
The deep voice echoed through the darkness, penetrating the warmth of her dungeon. She turned, heart beating erratically, knowing it was finally time for her to meet her captor face-to-face.
It had been two days since she’d been taken. She had no idea where she’d been brought. The men had stormed into her tiny, underground place in Portugal and put a bag over her head. They’d hustled her into a car, sped her through the rainy streets and then onto a private aircraft. When she tried to fight and wrestle the bag off her head, a man had wrenched her arms back and ruthlessly zip-tied them. When she’d screamed curses and begged her captors to let her go, the same man had pressed a gun against the side of her head and told her to stop speaking or die. She had chosen silence.
The Princess and Her Mercenary: A Driven Hearts Novella Page 13
