Royal Opposites (8 page)

They’d fallen a bit behind among the cars, but hadn’t given up the pursuit.

“Crap. Give me the next right,” Tom demanded. The left turn lane was full of cars waiting for traffic to clear in the other lane so they could turn.

“Twelfth, but it’s pretty far ahead and going the opposite direction of where we’re trying to go,” Joan pointed out.

“I know. Look for a way to loop around to get us back on track, but using right turns.” He risked a glance at her expecting to see a puzzled frown on her face. Instead, she gave him an understanding nod.

“So we don’t have to stop in traffic. Got it.” She scrolled a bit more. “Right on Twelfth, right on Colter. That’ll swing us back around to Sixteenth.” Tom slowed to turn right on Twelfth. “Wait. I take that back. Keep going. If we do Central to Colter to Seventh, we’ll loop around to their front door.”

Tom gave her an admiring nod. The woman caught on quick. He pressed on the accelerator again. He followed her directions to the letter. When they skidded on to Colter, he slammed on the brakes.

Joan’s attention was snatched from the phone and she reached out to brace herself on the dash. “Do not enter. Figures.

Turn wherever you can and I’ll catch up.”

Tom nodded. He swung right into the gas station and waited. “You know something? I don’t think they can do much of anything to us while we’re on the move.”

Joan followed his gaze to the guards who’d just pulled into the station. They sat waiting in their car, too.

“You want the direct route to the FBI?”

Tom glared at the men. “That’s exactly what I want. Then, I want you to call them to let them know we’re coming.”

Chapter Eight

“With pleasure,” Joan said and focused her attention back to the phone’s screen. She rattled off their new route then tapped on the icon for the FBI headquarters and Tom got them moving again.

Several options came up to call the agency, show them on the map or even go to their website. They bounced over a pothole when she tried to select the call option. She tapped the go to their website instead. “Shoot.”

Tom shot a quizzical look her way then checked the rearview. “What is it?”

Joan shook her head. “Just hit the wrong thing, that’s all. Oh crap.” Joan scrolled down the tiny webpage and read in disbelief. “I think the FBI is out.”

“What do you mean?” Tom stopped at a traffic light and looked at her. She held up the phone that now displayed the wanted poster with their pictures on it. “Are you kidding me?”

“I wish I was.” She slumped in her seat. “What do we do now?” We can’t go to the police. We can’t go to the FBI. We have Boo Boo and Tu Tu on our tail. We are so screwed.” Just when she’d thought she was about to get her life back on track, too.

Would this never end? Or better yet, would it have a good ending, meaning one that didn’t have her in jail for the rest of her life.

Running from the local authorities was one thing. Evading a federal agency like the FBI was a whole different ball of wax.

Tom eased forward in the flow of traffic, but spared her a look. “Come now. Surely, you’re not ready to give up.”

“What else can we do? It’s not like there’s some accessible higher authority over the FBI. Maybe we should turn ourselves in and take our chances.”

“We do have one more option.”

“Yeah? What’s that?” Joan frowned.

“Come home with me.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “Excuse me? I don’t have a passport and yours is in Los Angeles, most likely under lockdown by the local cops. Not to mention the fact that even if I could afford a plane ticket, chances are pretty high that I’m now on the ‘no fly’

list. So how exactly do you propose we leave the country?”

Tom smiled at her and held out his hand for the phone. She pressed it in his palm and stared out the windshield. What a ridiculous idea. Even if they could leave the country, she couldn’t just pick up and go. She had a life to—then she remembered. Life as she knew it was, for all intents and purposes, a thing of the past.

She fiddled with the camera case that contained the one thing that might get her life back on track. Assuming she could find someone to believe her.

“There’s been a change of plans. I need you to send the jet after all.”

Joan frowned when she tuned in to Tom’s conversation. The jet? Hope had the nerve to sprout in her chest. Of course he had a jet. After all, he was royalty, right? She’d almost forgotten about his little revelation from earlier. Maybe he hadn’t been pulling her leg.

“I’m fine, Mother. Send it to Dallas. We’ll meet it there.”

Joan watched him closely. She wondered at the blush staining his cheeks all of a sudden. He glanced at her, but looked away just as fast. What was that about? And Dallas? Why not Phoenix? That’s where they were.

“Thank you, Mother. See you soon.”

He hung up the phone, but stared straight ahead for a bit.

When it became obvious he wasn’t going to volunteer anything, Joan prompted, “Dallas?”

He focused on her at last. “Yeah. It’ll take a couple days for the pilot to get here and I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to stay put for too long. It’ll take us a day or two to drive to Dallas.” He checked the rearview again. “But first, we must lose our friends.

Then we’ll drop off the grid until we can get to safety.”

Joan had to admit. She liked his plan. Anything that had to do with their getting to safety was all right with her. Except for one little thing. “But how do we get through airport security to board your jet?” She tried not to be flabbergasted she was talking to someone who had a jet. Wonder if they offered coupons for that.

He smiled at her. “Jai, my head of security, will prep for our arrival.”

Joan rubbed her forehead. What
had
she been thinking? Of course he had a head of security. And of course he’d prepare for their arrival. How ridiculous of her to think otherwise. If she hadn’t felt out of her element before, she certainly did now.

She stared out the back window at their pursuers. “We could use your head of security right about now.”

“Given my abrupt change in plans, I expect him to arrive with the jet.” Tom gave a one shouldered shrug. “Even when we were kids, he was always a bit overprotective.” Tom snickered in a very un-‐-royalty-‐-like manner. “Meaning, no one could pick on me except him.”

Joan raised an eyebrow and looked at him. Who was he kidding?

“You’re asking way too much here. First, you tell me you’re royalty and now you expect me to believe you were anything less than epitome of the ‘in’ crowd?” She glanced out the back window again. “How does a prince manage to not be popular?”

“It’s pretty easy if you’re a scrawny little fellow with huge teeth who’s sent off to boarding school where princes are a dime a dozen.” Joan turned to look at him again. Even though his tone was flippant, it didn’t quite hide his distaste for those memories. “After months of enduring my complaints, my parents sent Jai to the school.”

“The two of you became fast friends and you no longer cared what anyone else thought of you.”

Tom slanted her a look and laughed. “I wish. Jai had everyone on campus charmed within five minutes of his arrival.

That’s when the comparisons started. ‘Why can’t you be more outgoing like Jai, Tomas?’ or ‘Jai has already completed his assignment.’ Then there’s my favorite, ‘Analee is going to ask Jai to the Fall Dance.’”

“Let me guess. You were in love with this Analee and couldn’t bear to see her dancing the night away with someone else.

So you declared your love for her at the worst possible moment, she dumped Jai and because you deigned to continue speaking with him afterward, he was forever in your debt.” Joan settled in her seat to listen to the story, almost forgetting they were being pursued by two men who’d accused them of being bank robbers.

Tom took an onramp to a freeway and slowed to merge with the thickening traffic.

“I think I like your version better.” Tom gave her a smile while they inched along in the rush hour traffic. “I worked up my nerve to confront Jai.” He paused in thought. “Although, you are right about the worst possible moment. I confronted him at the dance.” Joan cringed. “Bad move.”

“Tell me about it. I accidentally on purpose spilled red punch all over his white tuxedo. I knew my parents were footing the bill for his tuition even if no one else did. I taunted him that I’d be happy to replace it since I knew he didn’t have money for a new one.”

Joan cringed and focused out the passenger window. Once again, the obvious class difference between them reared its ugly head. “To my surprise, he didn’t get upset at all. Instead, he laughed, took me up on my offer and went back to dancing with Analee like nothing had happened. Everybody else acted like it didn’t matter to them either. That’s when I knew they didn’t like me because of me. Not because my kingdom was smaller or whatever else I’d assumed.”

“Then what? How did he get to be your head of security?

And good friend if the affection in your voice is any indication.”

Joan couldn’t help but ask. She’d never admit it out loud, but she was curious how Jai had gone from his low lot in life to hobnobbing with a prince. If he could do it, then maybe there was hope for her. Despite everything, she had to admit she kinda liked Tom. The jury was still out on how he felt about her. Sure, he was going out of his way to help her, but that was only his well-‐-

developed sense of honor.

“After the dance, he treated me like a pal despite the fact that I’d tried to embarrass him. If anyone said anything bad, he was quick to defend me. Even when there was no reasonable defense.”

Tom tapped the steering wheel. “I’ll admit, I was, without a doubt, in the wrong on many of those occasions. In public, he stood with me. In private, he read me the riot act.”

“So he was a true friend to you?” Joan nodded her understanding. Maybe there was no hope for her after all. She was the one who needed help. Not the other way around.

“Yeah, he was. Is,” Tom corrected. He looked at her. “I’m nowhere near perfect, Joan. But quite a bit of who I am is because of Jai.”

She met his eye. “Why do you say that like you’re warning me off or something?”

Joan watched indecision cloud his eyes for a moment. Up to this point, she’d seen many things in the man. Indecision had never been one of them. It had to be a terrible quality for a man who was about to be crowned king to have.

“I don’t want you to think… I mean… oh shoot.” He scratched his jaw. “It’s been my experience that people who haven’t grown up around royalty tend to have skewed perceptions and want to… test their theories so to speak.”

Joan frowned. What in the world was he talking about?

Tom shifted in his seat before elaborating. “The problem is the worst with women.”

Joan’s mouth dropped open when what he was saying dawned on her. Did he think she was going to jump his bones the first chance she had just to give ‘royalty’ a test drive? She closed her mouth and tried to form words. She had no idea what to say.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’d be honored to be your lab rat.

Unfortunately, I cannot. Not this close to my coronation.” Tom checked over his left shoulder and merged into the next lane that was moving a bit faster. “Celibacy is a requirement of the year before.”

Joan stared at him. The man was serious. She had to admit that the celibacy thing surprised her. How had he managed that living in Santa Monica for the last year? Unless of course, he hadn’t.

She didn’t dare ask. Not for reasons of decency, but because she didn’t want to hear about some little beach babe who had been worth his attention while she wasn’t. She glanced out the back window at their pursuers. The guards were a couple cars back, but still with them. Perfect opportunity to change the subject.

“I think we have more pressing issues at hand. Wouldn’t you agree?”

He checked his mirror again. “And we’ve been addressing it during our discussion.” He smiled at her. “I’m glad you understand.”

Joan glared at him. She wondered if he’d be willing to be her lab rat if she wanted to smack him around for a while. Given how much he was annoying her with his ‘experience’, that was one experiment she’d be eager to run.

“How exactly are we addressing the issue? ‘Cause it looks to me like they can stay with us forever.”

“How funny you should ask, m’lady.” Tom slowed the car so the cars around them sped past. A significant gap opened between them and the car in front of them for a bit. Cars from other lanes filled in the space. After a moment, the cars behind them passed, too, leaving no one between them and the guards.

“This is your brilliant plan to escape them? Why don’t you pull over and yell, ‘take me now’?”

“Calm down, Joan. We want them close.”

“For what possible–” She was tossed back in her seat when Tom stomped on the accelerator. He found holes in the other three lanes of traffic and zipped across them straight to an exit. The guards weren’t so lucky. She watched the guards fight to negotiate the traffic to keep up with them. Despite causing numerous other drivers a few tense moments, the guards missed the exit. Joan smiled while they coasted down the off ramp toward the intersection.

“That was my brilliant plan,” Tom confirmed with a smug smile.

“Well played, sir. Well played,” she conceded. “How about we not stick around the vicinity, though? It’s not going to be long before they reach the next exit and double back.”

“My thoughts precisely.” He took the right at the end of the ramp then turned onto a boulevard. “With any luck, though, they’ll figure we headed back to Los Angeles and go there. It’ll give us some time to get to Dallas.”

****

Tom hoped. He negotiated traffic on the city streets then pulled into a gas station. He’d filled up last night while Joan had been dozing in the car, but he wanted to get a full tank while they had a brief reprieve. If their ruse worked, they’d have plenty of time to vacate the area before the guards returned. If not, then they were on borrowed time.

He inserted his credit card in the reader then replaced it in his wallet when Joan stepped out of the car. He started the flow of the gas then gave her a reassuring smile. She didn’t smile back.