Alexander & Rebecca (Royals of Valleria #1) (17 page)

Rebecca was just finishing up a meeting when Tavin came by her office, his hired security agents in tow.

“Any inquiries from the press release?” he asked.

Rebecca shook her head. “It was pretty standard. She’s had to cancel events before, so it didn’t really raise any red flags.”

“You may get some anyway. They’re evacuating the school she was supposed to visit.”

Rebecca’s eyes widened. “Why?’

“The press release states it’s a gas leak.”

Rebecca’s mouth formed a thin line. It had to do with the threat, she was sure of it. She glanced at his security. “Does your security know what going on?” she asked in a low voice.

He nodded. “They’ve been briefed on the basics; their security clearance doesn’t permit any details.”

Rebecca nodded. Her own security agent was standing just outside her door.

“I’m on my way to a lunch meeting, but wanted to drop by on my way,” he said as he turned for the door. “If anyone calls, just keep it consistent.”

Rebecca bristled. “I know how to do my job, Tavin. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“Good,” Tavin said.

“Sir?” one of Tavin’s security men said. “We must leave soon.”

“Coming, Leffie. You staying in for lunch, Rebecca?” he asked as he stopped in the doorway, his security team waiting at the ready close by.

Rebecca had decided to go shopping for lingerie on her lunch break, but wasn’t mentioning that to him. “I’m just going to head home, actually. I’ll be back soon enough, though.”

“Talk to you later, then.”

“Bye, Tavin.”

She glanced at the clock, and decided she had just enough time before her next meeting. It was past noon already, so she’d have to hurry. She’d also have to move past the embarrassment of having her male security agent know she was buying lingerie, but she’d get through it.

She grabbed her bag, let Catharine know she was going out for lunch, and headed on her way.

***

The crowd had reassembled in the Situation Room just before one o’clock. Marcello, deciding not to be on site to avoid drawing more attention to the situation, was instead supervising the crew remotely as they searched. Once the school had been evacuated and the press had left the scene, the task had become much easier. Bomb control units had entered through the back of the school, away from the press, but now that they’d gone they roamed freely over the secured grounds.

Anticipation grew in the room as the clock crawled towards the deadline. Several large screens showed different views of the school and the crew, who each wore cameras on their uniforms. Marcello wore an earpiece with narrowed eyes as he scanned each live image for something that may have been missed. He whispered directions to various members of his team as they searched.

When the clock struck one, they all held their breaths. Then gasped as the explosion rang out.

Only the explosion didn’t happen at the school.

Another section of Valentia, their capital city, had been hit. The bomb squad heard the sound and watched as a black cloud of smoke rise up from a corner of the city.

Marcello began shouting instructions to his men and lieutenants while bringing up real-time cameras scattered around the city. Within seconds he’d narrowed down the base of the explosion to a section across the Rhone River.

Alex’s gut clenched as he realized that section of the city was where Rebecca’s apartment lay. He pulled out his phone and messaged her. His pulse beat faster and faster each second she didn’t reply.

“We’ve got the building,” Marcello said as he coordinated with local police and fire stations to secure the area. The charred wreckage of the building came into view moments later.

The color fled from Alex’s face as he saw it was, in fact, her building.
Rebecca
.

She still hadn’t answered. He messaged Cat next, hoping Rebecca was with her in a meeting.

She messaged back.
Rebecca’s gone home for lunch.

The words echoed in his mind.
Rebecca’s gone home for lunch. Rebecca’s gone home for lunch.

Alex’s hand instinctually reached for his father’s next to him, underneath the table. Gabriel, about to give his son a silent lecture on protocol, paused when he saw his son’s pale and horror-struck face. Gabriel glanced around, relieved that no one had noticed.

“Stand up, Alex. Come, my son,” Gabriel whispered and Alex responded with a tiny nod. Marcello noticed them head to a side room from the corner of his eye.

“What is it, my son?”

“Rebecca,” he choked out, and held out his phone. Gabriel read the message, then put the pieces together.

“Is that Rebecca’s apartment?” he asked, then swore when Alex nodded. “We don’t know for sure that she was home. She may already have been on her way back. We’ll have Marcello contact her security; they’ll know for sure.” Gabriel put his hands on his son’s cheeks. “Keep hope, Alex.” He kissed his son’s forehead, then left the room.

Moments later, Alex noticed Marcello enter. Alex could hear voices through Marcello’s earpiece that were being ignored. “You know whose apartment that is, don’t you?” Marcello asked.

“Rebecca’s,” he said and checked his phone again to see if she’d answered.

Marcello gave him along look. There would be time for conversations later, he knew. “I’ll confirm she’s safe, Alex,” he said as he gave Alex’s shoulder a squeeze and contacted the Royal Protection Service as he swept from the room.

Minutes, or it may have been hours later to Alex, Marcello returned. “She’s safe.”

Alex rose and gripped Marcello’s arms. “Are you sure?”

He held his breath until Marcello said, “I’m sure. Rebecca was out shopping during lunch, she didn’t go near her apartment. I just spoke with her and her security agent. Before you say anything else, I’ve already added more security.”

Alex sagged into the chair. “She’s safe. Thank God she’s safe.” He pulled out his phone again, this time messaging her own phone, not the one he’d given her, non-secure lines be damned. “Was anyone hurt?”

“We’re still fighting the flames, but we’ve evacuated her whole block. She’s insisting on going back there to see it for herself.”

“Over my dead body, she’ll go back there. The only place she’s coming is the palace. We’ll put her up for the night.”

Marcello gave his brother a long look. “She was about to call her parents and let them know. No doubt they’ll want her to stay with them.”

Alex gave Marcello a look that wasn’t to be argued with. “Not if our national security team tells her we’re keeping her in the castle for her own safety.”

Marcello ran a hand over his face as more questions buzzed in his earpiece. “I haven’t got time to argue with you, so I’ll go along with it. For now. But you can deal with the arrangements and the press. Better let Cat know, too.”

“I’ll go see her now; she should be told in person. Does Papa need me?”

“He’s fine. He’s told everyone you’re preparing a statement for the press. Papa will read it on air tonight in a national address once we know more.”

“That your idea or his?”

“His. He doesn’t want to hide the threat anymore. We don’t need to tell the public everything, but we can’t tell them nothing anymore. If I thought we could get away with the gas leak explanation twice in one day, believe me, we’d be using it.”

Alex nodded. “Thanks, Marcello. I know you have questions.”

“And I know you have the answers.” Marcello put a hand on Alex’s arm. “You’ll tell me later?”

Alex nodded.

“Good. I’ll let you know when your girl’s back on palace grounds,” Marcello said before opening the door and heading back into the fray.

Alex took a deep breath and reached for the door handle himself, a little unnerved to find his hands shaking slightly.
Get a grip
, he told himself.
She’s safe. Rebecca’s safe
. As if on cue, his phone chimed with a message from her. Though he felt some relief, he knew he would feel unsettled until he had Rebecca in his arms again.

With another deep breath, he messaged his love again and left to deal with business.

Rebecca was emotionally and physically exhausted. She’d been to see the charred wreckage of her home, despite the objections of her security team, and had cried at the site of her belongings destroyed. Things she’d worked hard to earn and save for, gone in less than a moment.

Thankfully, none of her neighbors had been hurt, though the other apartments in her building would be condemned as well; the building was too unstable for any of them to return.

From there, she’d gone to the palace grounds and to her parents’ house. They’d learned about her apartment minutes before the media announced whose home had been targeted. Though her parents wanted her to stay with them, the security team with her had flatly refused such a request; she was to stay secure in the palace itself.

Her mother had prepared a bag of clothes for her. Rebecca often left clothes behind for those times she stayed there. Unfortunately, none of them would do for work in the morning. She already had a terrible headache, and the thought of work only made it worse. Her mother suggested she take a nap at home before she headed for the palace.

“I’m sorry, miss, you cannot do that,” one of the agents replied.

“Don’t you speak to her that way,” her mother snapped. “My baby is taking a nap, then she’ll go to the castle, and that’s that. If you or anyone else has a problem with that, you can answer to me,” her mother said as she crossed her arms over her chest and gave the agents a fierce look.

“I wouldn’t argue with her,” her father said nearby. “But then, I’m a man who knows when he’s lost a fight.”

After a moment, the agent nodded and went to the opposite side of the room.

“Jackass,” her mother whispered under her breath as she helped Rebecca into her childhood bedroom. Rebecca giggled and felt mildly better.

She gave her mom a kiss. “Thanks for taking care of me, Mama. You know they’re only trying to do their job, don’t you?”

“If they’d done a better job, you’d still have an apartment,” her mother said as she turned down the bed.

“Mama.”

“It’s true. I know it’s not fair.”

“Remember that someone planted that bomb; put your anger towards them.”

“They’re not the ones standing in the living room between me and my baby, now are they?”

“No, I suppose not,” Rebecca said as she slipped under the cool, familiar covers. “Stay with me for a while?”

“Of course,” her mother said as she slipped in beside her. Rebecca curled up next to her, laying her head on her mother’s chest. Her mother’s arms came around her and one hand began to smooth over her hair in soft, regular motions. The steady beat of her mother’s heart helped calm her.

She may be a strong, independent career woman, but she still loved comfort from her mother once in a while.

Her phone beeped but she ignored it, guessing it was probably Alex again. Rebecca smiled as she thought of the messages of concern and worry he’d sent all day long. She hoped he wouldn’t be worried when she didn’t reply right away, she thought just as she slipped into dreamland.

***

Alex headed towards Cat’s offices. Marcello had let him know that Rebecca had finally returned to the palace, and he just couldn’t wait another minute to see with his own eyes she was safe and whole.

As he entered the offices, he heard Cat’s trembling voice then, as he walked into her office, saw that she had Rebecca in a stifling hug. He’d never been jealous of Cat before, but he was now.

“You should let the girl breathe, Cat,” he said as his eyes raked over Rebecca’s unhurt form, taking in everything from her exhausted expression to her wrinkled dress.

Cat pulled back from the hug and wiped away a few tears. “I can’t help it, Alex.”

“Well, try,” he said. Rebecca’s eyes connected with his and he couldn’t wait any longer. “Rebecca, I apologize but I must speak with you about today’s events. Cat, can you give us a few minutes?”

“All right, just don’t upset her, Alex. Unless, you’d like me in the room, too?”

“No,” Alex said a little too quickly. “I think we’ll be fine. Rebecca, let’s head into your office,” he said and gestured for her to go first.

As soon as they entered her office and shut the door, Alex took her in his arms. “Rebecca,” he said softly as he buried his face in her hair. “My God, Rebecca.”

“Oh, Alex.”

He peppered her face with kisses before taking her lips in a long, gentle kiss. “Are you all right, darling?”

She nodded and leaned her head against his chest. “I’m all right. Alex, it’s just awful, isn’t it?”

He held her close and rubbed his hands down her back. She seemed so fragile underneath his hands, and he wanted to carry her away to someplace safe and secluded. “I know, Rebecca.”

She shook her head and pulled away from him. “You don’t know. How could you, raised as a royal. I worked so hard to save money for that place,
my
place.” She began pacing. “Now everything is gone, and the other apartments are useless, too. All my neighbors need to find a new place to live and a roof for the night. They could have all been killed.” She slumped onto the couch in her office and put her head in her hands.

He sat gently beside her and continued to rub her back in slow, consistent movements. He kissed her temple, then said, “I know I haven’t had to struggle as much as you, but I can empathize. I almost lost you today, one of the most precious things in the world to me.”

She sat back and looked up at him. “Alex, I’m sorry. I’m not really upset about losing all my things. Well, I am, but, you know.”

“I know. I’m upset about the same thing, too. Someone’s coming after me and the people I love and work with. That doesn’t sit easy with me, Rebecca.”

He watched Rebecca wince and grip her stomach. “It doesn’t sit easy with me, either.”

He shifted to rub a hand over her belly. “Are you hurt? You look like you’re in pain.”

“I’m all right. Just tired,” she said as she leaned against him, her face on his shoulder, and his arms fell easily around her once more.

“How did it go with your parents? You never responded to my messages.”

He felt her smile against his shoulder. “You’re so impatient. I was taking a nap.”

He kissed her forehead. “If you’re still tired, maybe we should get a doctor.”

“No, I’ll be all right. My parents wanted me to stay with them, but I’m worried about putting them in the crosshairs if these people come after me again.”

His arms tightened around her. “They won’t.”

“They could.”

“Not while I have a breath in my body,” he said fiercely.

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Alex,” she said and he looked down at her. His practical Rebecca was right, but that didn’t mean he had to agree with it.

“You’ll stay in the palace tonight.”

She shifted slightly back and gazed at him through narrowed eyes. “Was that your doing? My staying in the castle?”

“Yes,” he said truthfully. “I asked Marcello to arrange it. I need to know you’re safe.”

“But the palace isn’t safe,” she said as her eyes wandered to the corner where they’d found the camera. “Not even this office.”

“It’s safer than your parents’ house. There’s extra security everywhere, and particularly with you.”

“I know,” she grumbled and he had to admit even with that expression on her face, she was simply adorable.

He kissed her forehead. “We’re hoping for new information soon. Marcello and his team are working around the clock.”

“I know they are,” she sighed. “I just don’t like this feeling.”

“Which feeling?”

“The feeling that someone wants me dead, not because of anything I did, but just because I’m convenient.”

“You aren’t convenient, not anymore,” he said fiercely and held her closer.

She took a deep breath, then sighed. “So, since you’re responsible for my staying here tonight, do you at least know where in the castle I’ll be?”

“Ready to tuck in for the night?” he asked with a faint smile on his face.

“After some dinner and long bath, yes. I feel positively filthy,” she said, then shuddered.

He held her close for another moment before letting go and standing up. When he held his hand out to her, she took it and stood up.

As if on cue, Cat came in a moment later. They only just separated their hands in time. “Are you hungry, Rebecca? You should eat something since you skipped lunch again.”

“You haven’t eaten since this morning?” Alex asked, his voice tight and his lips in a thin line.

“No, I suppose I haven’t,” she said with furrowed brows.

“Then you'll eat with us," Cat said. "That’s all right, Alex, isn’t it?”

“Of course it is,” he said as his anger was replaced by unexpected opportunity.

“Dinner with you both?” Rebecca asked.

“No, dinner with the family,” Cat said as she walked out to get her purse. “Mama and maybe Papa will be there, too. I suppose Marcello will be too busy to come.”

Alex watched as Rebecca’s mouth dropped open in surprise. “I, uh, I can’t eat with your parents.”

“Why not?” Alex asked as he quirked an eyebrow.

“It wouldn’t be appropriate.”

“Wouldn’t it?” he murmured just moments before Cat returned.

“There’s no sense in arguing,” Cat said. “It’s decided. Now, where are you staying tonight? With your parents?” she asked as Rebecca picked up her things and they left the offices. As they slowly began heading towards the royal apartments, Alex sent a quick message to his parents about the additional dinner guest.

“No, I’m staying here in the palace somewhere. I’m not sure where, though,” Rebecca said.

Cat gasped and grabbed Rebecca’s hands. “But you must stay with us!” Despite Rebecca’s shocked expression, she continued. “We’ve got all sorts of guest rooms in the family wing. Oh, it will be great, and you know you’re safe if you’re there.”

Alex could not have planned the moment any better, even if he’d thought to arrange it. He could have; a few well-placed words with Cat would have done the trick. However, her natural consideration had done it for him. “I wholeheartedly agree, Cat. She’ll stay with us. Papa would recommend it anyway, given how close he and your father are, Rebecca.”

Alex almost laughed at the look of dismay on Rebecca’s face, but held back. It wouldn’t do to tip his hand just yet. While Cat chattered on in front of them, Alex whispered, “It will be all right, darling. I think it’s time you met my parents, don’t you?”

Rebecca glanced around; they were alone but for the security agents surrounding them. “Don’t whisper at me,” she hissed as she moved forward beside Cat.

You can run away now, but you’ll speak to me later
, he thought as he sent another message to his parents, letting them know about their new houseguest. Alex had the perfect room picked out for her as well, he thought with a smile.

***

Rebecca was full of nerves as she entered the family wing of the palace. Closed off from a great deal of the remaining palace, it housed several apartments for all of the royal children, and many extra besides. She had never been in them before, though she’d seen glimpses in sanctioned photographs through the years. She had heard of Cat talk about them before, but it was one thing to hear about something, and another to experience it.