Princess in Peril (15 page)

“Why?”

“Spiteri has Isabelle.”

“You’re kidding. Where?”

Levi paused at the street. It was raining. He thought about hailing a cab, but traffic was heavy and the Sanctuary Offices were less than a mile away. He broke into a run, as everything Isabelle had told him about Tyrone’s previous assault on her hit him like the rain that fell from the gray sky. “The Adirondacks. He has a summer
home there. A two-hour drive from Dartmouth, near a riding stable. Find it for me. Thanks.”

He snapped his phone closed and picked up his pace to a dead sprint. Isabelle hated Spiteri. She feared him. And for good reason.

Levi couldn’t let Spiteri win.

Two armed guards met the SUV by the garage. Samantha darted from the car through the rain to where Spiteri stood under the garage awning and
threw herself into his arms. Isabelle watched in horror as her former fiancé exchanged a passionate kiss with the woman who’d been holding a gun on her the whole trip. If possible, it made her feel even more betrayed. And it did not bode well for the result of this visit.

“All right, out of the car,” Samantha barked, holding open the front passenger door.

The guard exited with his hands in the
air. “I’m just a paid guard, Samantha. I’m not on anybody’s side.”

“I’d love to believe you, but I’ve seen you act honorably too many times before. And I can’t risk you turning hero.” She pointed the gun at him.

Isabelle winced.

“Tie him up,” Samantha shouted impatiently, as though the other men standing by were supposed to have read her mind.

The next guard’s exit was much the same. When
the two burly guards were bound, Samantha gestured with the gun again, and Isabelle lowered her shaky legs from the backseat, giving the bound-and-gagged guards a wistful look. It would have been nice to just be bound and gagged.

She was pretty sure her visit wouldn’t be so pleasant.

Samantha fell in behind her and prodded her forward with the gun.

Tyrone Spiteri smiled down at her. He had
a way of smiling that was not at all friendly. “So, Princess, we meet again. When are you going to accept that the two of us were meant to be together? Each time I have to come find you, I just get more upset.” The smile turned into a fierce growl. “You don’t want to make me upset.”

He led her inside the estate. Isabelle recognized the Arts and Crafts style architecture and the white-painted
woodwork that she’d found so cheerful and comforting on previous visits. Now it held only ugly memories.

“Sit.” Tyrone pointed to a chair and sat in the one opposite it. Samantha kept the gun trained on her as she perched on the arm of Tyrone’s chair.

Isabelle looked around the room, hoping to spot some means of escape, but none presented themselves. Besides, she’d have to get past plenty of
armed men to get away. But they were on the first floor, and she knew the way to the front door. Maybe …

“You have rejected my offer before.” Tyrone’s words jerked her thoughts away from escape. “That was stupid. Now I am in a bad mood and I will not be so nice to you.” He’d always had a rough accent. She’d found it exotic when
she’d first met him, but now it only made the man sound that much
more sinister.

“Here is the deal—you marry me and bear my child, or I will kill your family.”

“W
e only have four men,” Joe informed Levi as he entered the front doors, shaking off the rain, out of breath from his sprint to the building.

“Why?”

“Dad was thinking about what you said—about the possibility that Samantha might have turned. We both agreed we only wanted men we were sure we could trust.”

Levi weighed their options. Trust or manpower? Which would be more important?
He wasn’t sure what he was up against, but he knew he was tired of being betrayed. “But the state police are going to meet us there, right?”

“Dad’s going to get in touch with them next.”

Levi knew they wouldn’t be able to do anything to Spiteri without the police on their side. If Sanctuary agents stormed the place and captured Spiteri themselves, the agents could be accused of breaking and
entering, even kidnapping, and Spiteri could end up going free on a technicality. They couldn’t risk that.

“We need them on our side—”

“We’ll have them in place by the time we arrive.”

“Okay, fine. Do we have the location of Spiteri’s estate?”

“Yes. Dad’s getting us satellite images. We’ll have to plan our attack while we’re in the air.”

“Let’s get moving.” Levi hurried down the hallway as
he spoke.

“Aren’t you going to change out of your suit?”

Levi thought about all the enemies he’d fought while in his tuxedo and with Isabelle in an evening gown, no less. “Are you kidding? This is casual for me.”

“My family is
already
dead.”

Tyrone threw his head back and laughed. It wasn’t a very comforting sort of laugh.

Isabelle shivered.

“Do you really expect me to think that you believe
that? We both know no bodies were ever identified.”

Aware of the possibility that Tyrone might be able to help her locate her loved ones, Isabelle decided to play for all she could get. What did she have to lose? If nothing else, she’d be killing time. “But none of them have ever come forward. So what makes you think they’re alive?”

“Your brother is in North Africa. Your sister is in Milan.”

“And my parents?”

Tyrone shrugged. “They are in the care of General Lucca.”

Isabelle’s mind swirled. Was it even possible? Could her family have survived the blasts? Much as she wanted to believe it was true, she knew better than to trust Tyrone. She tempered her hope.

“Do you have proof of that?”

“You have my word.”

Isabelle knew how much Tyrone’s word was worth, but she decided not to mention
that. No sense angering him further. “If I agree to your terms, you’ll help reunite us?”

“I will do everything in my power.”

His words sent chills chasing through her veins. The man had power, she’d learned that much. Where he got it from or at what cost, she couldn’t say.

“And if I don’t agree?”

“Then I will take what I want, and things will not go so pleasantly for you.”

Isabelle swallowed.
Things weren’t going to be pleasant either way. Might as well make the guy think she was trying to cooperate. “What is your plan?”

“First things first. To discover if you are able to bear my child. If not, I will have to negotiate a deal with your sister.”

“Are you sure you want to marry me? I thought you and Samantha—”

“What happens between me and any other woman is none of your concern!”

“But if we’re married—”

He completely disregarded her protests. “First, we will see if you can conceive. I will give you three months, starting now.” Spiteri rose from his seat.

No! Isabelle had to keep him talking. “The Lydian laws of succession state that in order to be crowned king or queen, an individual must be a
legitimate
descendent. That means the parents have to be married before the
child is conceived.”

“I do not believe that is what that means.”

Isabelle had to force herself not to roll her eyes. The man was so used to getting his way, he thought he could change the meaning of words and laws. It didn’t surprise her too much. “You can ask Parliament what they think it means. I’ll wait.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

Spiteri didn’t call Parliament. Instead, he crossed
the room to Isabelle and grabbed her roughly by one wrist. “Parliament doesn’t know when anyone was conceived. If we make a baby, then I will marry you. It would look bad if I had to leave you for your sister so soon after we marry.” As he spoke, he pulled her toward the stairs.

Isabelle knew what was up there. The bedroom where
he’d assaulted her before. She wondered if the eye-gouging defensive
maneuver would work a second time.

“Samantha!” Spiteri called over his shoulder. “Bring the gun! I want to make sure the princess doesn’t go back on our agreement.”

Though she hadn’t agreed to anything, she figured that was probably a moot point in Tyrone’s eyes. If she was going to escape, she’d have to act fast.

Tyrone had tight hold on her wrist, pulling her behind him as they ascended the
open curving stairway with its paisley carpet runner. Samantha stayed one step behind, the point of her gun jabbing at Isabelle’s ribs.

As they topped the final step to the balcony space whose white-painted balusters overlooked the chandelier over the two-story entrance, Samantha must have caught her toe on the rim of the stair or something because she stumbled forward and the gun fell from her
hands.

“Oh!”

Samantha’s gasp of surprise startled Spiteri, who glanced back and slightly loosened his hold on Isabelle’s wrist.

Jerking her arm backward, Isabelle pulled away from Tyrone, in the same motion kicking the gun farther down the stairs. She lunged for the railing, hoping to jump over and maybe even take Samantha out as she went.

Tyrone’s thick hands were on her immediately, his
grip excruciatingly tight on her shoulders. “You little wench!” He jerked her backward.

Isabelle fought hard, but she was no match for his greater size. Within seconds Samantha had retrieved the gun, and Isabelle stilled her fighting.

“You will cooperate,” Tyrone nearly shouted, “or I will kill your family!”

“You don’t dare kill my sister,” Isabelle reminded him. “And you don’t dare kill me,
either, so what’s the point of
having Samantha carry that gun? She knows you’ll turn it on her if she shoots me.” Isabelle added the last bit for Samantha’s benefit. She already knew the ambitious blonde wasn’t stupid. Perhaps there was some way to use her assertiveness against Tyrone.

“If I have to kill you and your sister, I will just use Valli as my puppet.”

“Valli has been asked to step
down as ambassador. He will never be crowned.”

“No matter. Stephanos Valli has two younger brothers.” Tyrone stopped at the top of the stairs and ran his fingers under Isabelle’s chin. “I don’t care how I come to rule, but I will come to rule. I liked this plan best, but if you’re going to be too difficult, I will kill you. It is as simple as that.”

For a fleeting moment, Isabelle considered
letting him kill her. It was the only way she could put a stop to his plans.

But, she realized an instant later, Tyrone hadn’t gone to all the trouble of the last five days to shoot her now. He was trying to bully her, but he’d underestimated her determination. She, too, had been through a lot in the last five days, and she wasn’t the naive schoolgirl he’d attacked two years before. And she’d
fought him off then.

And, she decided as the prod of the gun in her back drove her down the hall, she could fight him off again. Her family wasn’t dead. She wasn’t about to roll over and play dead, either.

Nicolas Grenaldo called Levi while they were en route to the Adirondacks. “The state police are sending an officer. Where do you want him to meet you?”

“
One
officer?” Levi clarified.

“That’s
all you need. He has got the authority to make the arrest. You boys can do everything else.”

Levi realized he should be grateful for that much. “Okay.

Tell him to meet us at the riding stable that adjoins Spiteri’s property. I’m going to call there next. Thanks.”

With only four men in addition to his brother and him, Levi knew they couldn’t risk going in guns blazing. He couldn’t tell how many
men Spiteri might have guarding the place. If they were outnumbered, their only hope would be to take Spiteri by surprise.

At the same time, Levi feared Spiteri might be picking up where he left off with Isabelle. The thought made his insides churn. He had to get to her as quickly as possible—there wasn’t a moment to lose. He’d promised to keep her safe. Right now he obviously wasn’t doing a
very good job.

Levi called the riding stables that bordered Spiteri’s estate and got permission to land their helicopter there. When he explained, briefly, that they were hoping to stealthily enter Spiteri’s property, the owner, a man named Willie, suggested they hire his horses.

“That would be perfect. Could you have six of them saddled and ready to go in twenty minutes?”

“Sure could,” Willie
agreed. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with a certain Lydian princess who’s gone missing, would it?”

Levi sucked in a breath. He knew by calling the stables he risked giving themselves away. What if Willie was friends with Spiteri?

“What makes you ask that?”

“Just that she was engaged to that fellow two years ago. Never could stand the man myself. Couldn’t understand what she’d see in a
guy like him.”

“Yes. You’ve guessed correctly. We suspect he’s holding her prisoner inside the house.”

“You know what the house looks like inside?”

“No, I don’t.”

“My brother had that house built back in ‘46. I’ve still got
copies of the blueprints in my fire safe. They’ve redecorated over the years, but I don’t think there’s ever been a renovation that’s moved any walls.”

“If you could find
those blueprints, Willie, we’d be indebted to you.”

“Aw, it’s no trouble. You just make sure that girl gets out of there okay.”

“I appreciate that. We should be landing in less than fifteen minutes.”

Willie gave Levi instructions on how to approach the property through the rugged terrain so as to remain undetected by anyone on Spiteri’s wooded estate. Levi thanked him for his help, all the
time praying fervently that the man’s assistance wasn’t too good to be true—and that their conversation hadn’t been overheard. If Spiteri had any idea they would be arriving, their mission would be doomed.

No sooner had Levi passed on the news about the horses to his comrades than they came within range of the stable, bringing the helicopter in low, skimming the thick woods until they reached
the open paddock where Willie had instructed them to land.

He waved to them from the doorway of the barn. “This way.”

Levi and the men hurried to meet him. The rain that had been falling steadily had begun to let up, which Levi was glad for. At his brother’s insistence, he’d changed from his wet clothes during the flight, and he wasn’t eager to be soaked again.

Willie had blueprints spread
out on a desk in the front office of the stable.

“Here’s the main entrances,” he pointed, quickly running through the layout.

The men already knew they’d be improvising their plan as they discovered what they were up against. There were
two main objectives: rescue Isabelle unharmed and capture Spiteri.

Levi didn’t know if they could do both, but at the very least, he wanted Isabelle out of
there alive. And then he was going to give her that hug he’d wanted to give her before. He’d just have to keep the true depth of his emotions under wraps. But if God saw fit to help him rescue her, he wouldn’t complain. To have her in his arms one more time. That’s all he was asking for.

Through the open doors of the barn he saw a state police cruiser pull up and come to a stop. Levi darted out
the door to greet the officer.

“Thanks for joining us,” he greeted the man, trying not to show his disappointment at the man’s frail frame and clearly advancing years. All they needed was his authority. They could do the rest.

“Glad to help. Saw on the news about this princess gal.” The older officer ambled toward the shelter of the barn and surveyed the men standing around the blueprints. “Looks
like you’re expecting some resistance.”

Levi quickly caught the officer up to speed on the situation with Spiteri.

“So that’s the deal then. I can call for some more officers.”

Hope rose in Levi’s heart. “How soon could they be here?”

“Less than two hours, I’d say.”

“But Spiteri may be assaulting the princess even as we speak.” Levi hated to admit the truth. He may have failed Isabelle already.
“I don’t know if we can wait that long.”

In spite of the officer’s advancing age, he clearly had no problem keeping up with Levi’s plans. “If you boys think you can get the job done, you bring him up here. I’ll put the cuffs on him. Deal?”

It was the best deal Levi figured he’d get. “Deal.” He
looked each of his men in the eye in turn and quickly finalized their plans.

The satellite photos
his father had procured had shown woods leading up close to the west side of the house. Levi was happy to discover the blueprints revealed the fewest windows on that side of the property. Though it would mean circling out of their way to avoid the cliffs where a creek had cut a small gorge, they could approach from the west, hopefully secure the horses just out of sight in the woods and then split
up.

Two would circle around the north side to the garage, where a large service entrance appeared to be the most promising point of entry. The other four would go around to the front of the house, with two stationing themselves just out of sight at the front door and the other two circling back toward the garage from the front, effectively encircling the building.

“Thank you for your help.”
He nodded to the officer, to Willie, then to his men. “We need to get moving.”

Willie had thoughtfully saddled dark colored horses, which would stand out less in the shadowy woods than his whiter horses might. The men headed toward the woods at a canter with Levi and Joe in the lead. When they came within view of the house, Levi dismounted cautiously. His men did the same.