Teasing the Princess

by Nana Malone

  I shivered. “Jesus. When you put it like that…”

  “Yup. She could be an evil criminal mastermind. But, that’s not Ariel. A pain in my ass, yes. Criminal? No. Besides, she’s too loyal. Loyalty is a big thing for her.”

  I smiled. “Yeah, it seems that way. And you two seem like you genuinely care about each other. How long had she been your partner?”

  I wanted to know more about him. Any tidbit I could get, I wanted. But he was in no mood to share any further. “Princess, why don’t you go ahead and get to work? I’m going to go and get the security setup going. I’ll be right next door. Just remember, you’re not alone. Now you can actually do the job you are meant to do without my interference.”

  “Yeah, at least we’ll need to talk about exactly how you have a full business degree. Sandhurst is a military academy.”

  He laughed as he opened the door and slipped out.

  And there was the problem. It didn’t matter that I was still angry with him. I liked him a hell of a lot. Hell, I more than liked him. I had started to fall for him before I ever went to the islands, and I was afraid I’d gone and fallen in love.

  17

  Roone

  It was much easier to do my job at London Lords. I still had no idea why it hadn’t occurred to me before. I should have just called Ben and asked for a favor.

  Oh, but that would mean you would have to depend on someone. And asking anyone for help was not in my general vocabulary. Asking for help would make your job a whole hell of a lot easier.

  Yes, fair enough. I’d learned my lesson. At 6:30, I went and knocked on Jessa’s door. “Come in.” Chloe had already left, but it seemed the spunky blond was loving the upgraded office as well. She’d brought in photos, a plant, all the things that made it feel like home. I inclined my head toward her desk. “I guess your side kick went home?”

  Jessa grinned. “Either that, or she went to hunt down Bridge. She got one glance at him and I think her jaw fell open.”

  “Ugh, Bridge is a handsome asshole.”

  “You know him?”

  I laughed. “Ben is my cousin, remember? I went to school with him, and Bridge, and East, the Lords of London. God, if there was ever a broad pack…”

  Her eyes softened. “But you weren’t part of it?”

  “Oh, don’t get me wrong. Don’t cry for me Argentina. Ben and I got on, but after my dad died, things kind of went to shit with that side of the family. So while Ben and I stayed close, we had different friends at school, and I didn’t see him on breaks and such. But we were still mates.”

  “Oh. It would have made things a whole lot easier if I had known that you knew them.”

  “Easier? How?”

  “I could have dangled that carrot in front of Chloe.”

  I laughed. “Of course. Do you want to get out of here? I figured I’d take you out and take your mind off of the situation for the day. I know that that’s probably difficult to do.”

  “Difficult but not impossible.”

  “Come on. You’ve had a long day. Let’s have some fun.”

  Her eyes lit a little, and I remembered how much fun she’d had at the amusement park. Like she’d been a kid again. It occurred to me that Jessa hadn’t had much time for goofing off or being irresponsible, and there was a part of her that needed that.

  “I don’t know. There’s a lot of work to be done. And since I apparently no longer actually have someone helping me besides Chloe, I have to do it myself.”

  “And imagine how well you can do it when you’re fresh and you’ve had a break.”

  She chewed on the corner of her lip and I wanted to take over the motion for her. I wanted to kiss her thoroughly and drown out all of her thoughts so she could finally relax.

  “Come on. Have some fun.”

  She sighed, and I knew I’d won. “Okay, but not too late, yeah? Evan wants a status update by tomorrow morning at 7:30.”

  I ground my teeth. “He still thinks he is your friend?”

  “Can we just not right now? It’s been a long day and I really don’t want to talk about Evan or his behavior at the moment.”

  “Fair enough. Come on, let’s go.” Honestly, I had no plan. I knew Ariel was going to kill me. I had alerted the follow team that had changed shifts at six. I’d told them we were going straight home. Clearly, I’d lied. I shot them a quick text as we left.

  I ushered Jessa out of the building once I had a firm plan in my head. When we got in the car, I gave the driver our destination, and we headed into the traffic of London.

  “Why do I feel like it’s a bad idea to let you be in charge of my social life?”

  “Probably because it is. But it’ll be fun.”

  So for fun, I took her to see the latest shark horror movie in the theater in the middle of Leicester Square. When we left the theater, it was loud, rash, and there were street performers everywhere outside. One performer was doing old-school popping and locking, shirtless in his joggers and wearing nothing else but a hat and a smile. He wasn’t half bad. He had a crowd.

  We meandered in the square with me knowing full well it was a nightmare to defend. But she was having fun. And that tension around her mouth had eased, so I would gladly take the arse chewing from Ariel about my choice.

  Several hours later, after I’d fed her, stuffed her full of sweet and salty popcorn, and filled her mind with sharks and blood, we called the car again and headed home.

  After we were dropped off, we headed up the front steps into the building then took the elevator up to our floor. We made a left toward our flats and she was still laughing at the absurdity of the movie, and then she stopped short.

  My eyes had been on her and her smile. Rookie move. I had missed what she was stopping for. When I lifted my gaze, I frowned. Evan Millston was on waiting outside her door.

  He glowered at me. “Just where have you been?”

  Jessa sighed. “Well, considering I have finished my work for the day, I went out.”

  Millston turned his attention to me. “You know, every time I turn around, there you are turning up like a bad coin. You’re just always around. I can’t seem to get rid of you.”

  I grinned and then headed toward my old flat.

  Evan frowned. “How are you still staying there?”

  I grinned. “Well, the new owner asked me if I’d like to stay on, and I chose to. Did you think I’d get kicked out?”

  His narrowed gaze told me that was exactly what he’d expected. He thought that by letting go of the townhouse flats, he would also get rid of me. But, not so lucky are you, arsehole? I don’t just live across the hall. I live with her. But it was semantics at that point. Helplessly, I watched as Jessa opened the door to her flat. There wasn’t much I could do except watch Millston follow her. I hated that.

  “’Night, Jessa.”

  She swallowed hard. The look I gave her was meant to convey that it was going to be okay, that everything was going to be fine. But I couldn’t let her walk in without reassuring her, and I knew that hugging her would set off Evan. So quickly, I fired up a text on my phone. She looked down at hers and nodded, acknowledging that she received it.

  Then she went inside with Evan Millston. And I prayed to God she was good at following directions. But just in case she wasn’t, I prepared to make a call as soon as I was inside the flat. Two of the other guards, Trevor and Jacob, were already there, and Jacob said, “I’ve already called Ariel.”

  I nodded my thanks and headed straight for the monitors. I just hoped Ariel would be in position soon because I didn’t like Jessa being alone with that guy where I couldn’t keep her safe as I had promised.

  Jessa

  “Frankly, I find your relationship with him inappropriate.”

  “Oh my God. Evan, what are you doing here?”

  “Well, I was going to discuss the situation surrounding the LL project with you. After careful consideration, I think I need to take over.”

  “Oh really?” I cros
sed my arms. “Are you sure Ben would agree with that?”

  He lifted his brows. “Excuse me?”

  “Evan, what is this really about? You gave me the account. You’ve been riding me the last couple of days. What have I done? Is this all because I asked for some time off?”

  “You went on vacation with him.” He pointed toward the door.

  The vein in his forehead throbbed, and I could see the veins popping on his neck as well. He was angry. This is what they’d been talking about. Roone and Ariel.

  “If you’ll excuse me, I need to wash my hands.” I walked away from him and straight into the bathroom. I ran the water for some noise as I opened the window. I saw a flash of movement outside and a shock of red hair. Ariel. Okay, that’s why Roone wanted me to open my window. Fair enough. It was so someone would be here, just in case.

  I went back out into the living room and saw that Evan was pacing. “I’m just going to take over your account. I’m the best one to head it up, and I have the most knowledge.”

  “With all due respect, I’ve been working on this account for over a year. You’ve been basically hands-off up to this point, so if you’re going to punish me by taking it away, I’d like to know why. Surely it’s not just because I went away for a few days.”

  “With him!”

  “Evan, I don’t know how to put this, but you have no say over what I do on my personal time.”

  “Your relationship with him is inappropriate.”

  “No, it is not. I’ve already told you we’re not dating. And what I choose to do in my free time is my business. I’m off work. I pay rent. And I shouldn’t have to feel like I’m always working or that my boss can come by at any time. You’ve already come here unannounced once today, and now you’re here a second time. I’d like to know why.”

  “You don’t understand. Clearly, I need to protect you from him.”

  Unfortunately, that sounded all too familiar. “I don’t need any protection, and when I do, I will ask for it. When I’m in the building at Evans PR, if you want to worry about my protection, great. Matter of fact, I’m all for it. I’ve had some office scares. But when I’m home, in the safety of my flat, you can’t be here. That’s what’s inappropriate.”

  He opened his mouth to say something then snapped it shut. After another deep breath, he started again. “I just want what’s best for you.”

  “Well, what’s best for me right now is to get some sleep. My boss wants a status report tomorrow at 7:30.”

  “Well, if you’ll just give it to me now, we won’t have to meet at 7:30.”

  “I’m not prepped now. I’m tired. It’s late.”

  “We can just talk it through.”

  What was going on with him? His eyes were all wide, and his pupils were almost pinpoints. I walked to the door and opened it. “I’d really like to be alone now, thank you.”

  “Jessa, you’re making a mistake with him. You need to know that.”

  “Right now, the only mistake is the one you’re making, by being at my flat. This is inappropriate Evan, and frankly, quiet concerning. You’re my boss. I’m not working right now.”

  I wouldn’t be able to breathe again until the door was locked behind him. I’d thought this morning was concerning, but this was downright scary. I wasn’t going to be able to keep my job.

  Not by a long shot. This was insane. I knew that at some point the next day, I was going to have to make a call to Rick. He needed to know about what Evan was doing. I stood at the door and waited. I gave him my best go on ahead, fuck with me look. He seemed unperturbed. But finally, he grabbed his jacket and left. Before I could close the door, he turned around. “You know that you’re making a mistake with him. He’s not what he seems.”

  I sighed. “People rarely are.” Then I closed the door with an audible click and locked it behind him.

  When I dropped my head to the door trying to drag in deep steadying breaths, I heard Ariel behind me. “You are never alone, Jessa. You are always safe.”

  “I know. It’s just that I see what you were talking about now, your concern about him. He’s unhinged.”

  “Yes, yes he his.”

  “I’m not going to be able to stay here, am I?”

  Ariel’s voice was soft. “No, no you’re not.”

  A second later, there was a knock at the door. A quick glance through the peephole told me it was Roone, and I opened the door for him.

  He pulled me in his arms immediately, and I was so worn out from the tension, I just sank into his embrace. Yeah, sure, worn out, that’s what we call it.

  “I might have an idea. It’s going to involve Ben again, but it will certainly be safer. Since Evans PR owned this block of homes, Evan may well have a key. And I think we all know that’s a dangerous prospect.”

  Some things never changed. My whole life, I’d been making escapes in the middle of the night, uprooting at a moment’s notice, and it looked like I was about to fall into old habits.

  18

  Ariel

  Later that night after the adventure with Millston, I’d finally caught a break when I went back to Roone’s former flat. It was a lucky break and I knew it, but I was going to take the win. I’d done a search for my father’s known associates, and I got a hit in Barcelona on a man renting a flat in Las Ramblas. I pulled video surveillance from a local bank, and sure enough, instead of his friend I found none other than my father, enjoying the good life and hiding in plain sight. I watched him take breakfast at the café and read the paper right out in the open as if he hadn’t just committed treason… and betrayed his daughter.

  Oh no, he was having a café con leche without a care in the world

  Roone came in. “Are you okay?”

  I’d been getting a debriefing from Jacob and Trevor when I heard the ping from the alert I’d set up. Jessa was trying to prep for her early meeting before going to bed, so Roone had joined us. “Um, yes. The good news is I found my father. The bad news is I found my father.”

  “Where is he?” Roone asked.

  “Barcelona.”

  “How did you find him?”

  “He’s using an alias. Juan Cornelus. He’s a known associate of my father’s. So, I need to pop over to Barcelona before he runs again.”

  “All right. I’ll handle things here.”

  I hesitated. “Are you sure this is okay?”

  Roone shook his head. “Of course. You’re my partner. This is also part of the mission. Go on and do what you have to do. I’ll hold down the fort.”

  I wasn’t even sure why I’d ever doubted him in the first place. He may not have liked me being assigned lead on this case, but he was perhaps the best partner I could have asked for. “Thank you. I honestly don’t know what I would do without you.”

  “Well, good thing you don’t have to figure it out. Now go. Get a flight to Barcelona. I have things under control here.”

  “I know that. Try not to get the princess killed or kill her yourself.”

  He just chuckled as I closed the door behind me. Now all I had to do was find my father.

  Jessa

  After a long night, I’d finally gotten to bed sometime around one in the morning. I wanted to make sure I was ready for anything Evan threw at me. But when I finally had gotten to sleep, the nightmares came at me again.

  The doubt, the fear, the worry, the confusion. Again, my father on the choppy water. Jumping in, leaving me to save him but unable to, and then of course, the doubt, the way I’d doubted him, the way I hadn’t believed in him. I was ashamed. Horrified. Confused. What if he hadn’t been crazy?

  But of the recent dangers, all signs pointed toward stalker, not to some grand royal conspiracy. I understood and believed what had happened to Sebastian, Lucas, and Penny. I just wasn’t convinced right now that it was the work of the same people. After all, how did they find me? The more Evan acted like a crazy person, the more convinced I was that he was behind all of this and that he was secretly crazy, that he w
as stalking me. Was he responsible for Toby’s death, too?

  That was next level. I couldn’t even wrap my mind around Toby. I couldn’t accept what had happened to him. I couldn’t let it go either. I couldn’t stand by and just wonder. Was Evan responsible?

  All of that running together in my thoughts led to a lovely nightmare cocktail.

  Again, Roone came into my room and gently shook me. He didn’t say anything, just peeled back the sheets, climbed in next to me, and opened his arms. It was that easy.

  I tucked into the crook of his arm. I still couldn’t believe that he didn’t ask any questions. He just accepted what was happening. He gave me a safe space. I could love that about him

  You already do.

  I could be mad at him. I could still hold on to it. But the truth was I missed him. I missed that easy rhythm we’d found before my whole life went to hell. In the comfort of his arms, I knew that I could easily let it go and give myself permission to be loved, to have someone care about me. Truly care about me. Or I could hold on to my anger and be alone.

  How long does that work out for you?

  My lids were so heavy, it was hard to keep them open with Roone’s heat around me, his scent lulling me into a safe comfortable love. My happy place.

  I was asleep before I even knew it. To be honest, I hadn’t even been aware I was asleep until I woke up sometime later to noises in the living room.

  The bed was still slightly warm, so he’d left me not that long ago. I padded out to the living room to find him surrounded by boxes. He was putting my things in boxes. The cold tentacles of panic closed around my heart and squeezed. “What the hell are you doing?”

  “Relax, we don’t have to leave now. We’re not doing this in a hurry. I just want to prepare you. You can’t stay here anymore. I hope you’re okay with me packing these things for you. But when you mentioned it last night, I knew we had to make a move. Ben, East, and Bridge are giving us a suite at their Soho location, a penthouse. You’ll be comfortable. You can still work. But you said you didn’t want to stay here anymore. So…” His voice trailed.