Some Like it Secret (Going Royal Book 4) (11 page)

Bit-by-bit, the humming in her ears dulled and the sound of Bastian’s ragged breaths punched through her, accompanied by the sweetest sound of his calming words. “We’re all right, Meredith. We’re secure for now. It’s all right.” She didn’t know how long he’d recited the refrain, but it worked to unlock the cramps in her shoulders and her neck.

“They tried to kill you,” she whispered, horrified.

“I know. It’s all right. We’re all right.”

“No, it’s not.” When she leaned away again, he loosened his hold, but only just barely. “Sebastian, they were shooting at you.”

He regarded her gravely. “I know, darling. They weren’t only shooting at me. What happened today, I never wanted to happen while you were with me.”

“How often does it happen?” How could she be completely clueless about it? Sure, he had security, bodyguards, drivers, and rules. He’d always employed a lot of security, but she’d never grasped the reality of it.

With a sigh, he stroked her cheek. “More often than I care to admit. We often downplay it and, if we can, we avoid it being reported at all.”

“But, why?” One plus one equaled a big bloody mess, and the math didn’t compute.

“Most of the time, attacks are the work of the mentally ill or the politically motivated. Advertising what happened due to someone who is emotionally or mentally unbalanced does no favors for anyone and the politically motivated want the attention, so we deny them the satisfaction. It dilutes the possibility of copycats.” The gentle rub of his thumb along her jaw helped unlock another layer of tension, but her stomach twisted with worry.

“Your stabbing wasn’t the only attempt on your life.” It wasn’t a question.

He looked almost apologetic. “No.”

She still tried to sort through information when the tumble of locks sounded. Sebastian lifted her up, away, and rose to stand between her and the door so swiftly she barely had time to process his motion. His white shirt did little to disguise the coiled line of his muscles or the level of threat emanating from him.

This wasn’t her playful lover, but someone far more dangerous and powerful. A light flashed from red to green on a panel next to the door then it opened. Eduard Vidal entered and closed the door behind him. “Your Highness, do either of you require the doctor?”

“Send for him. Meredith should be examined.” Sebastian’s tone was grim.

“I’m fine,” she began to protest, but Sebastian hushed her with a single look.

“You’re in shock.” He returned to the sofa and slid his hand along her nape. Yes, her heart was racing and she was still panting, but she didn’t think she was so bad, was she? Holding up her hand, she stared at the violent trembling seizing her fingers.

Okay, maybe she was.

Eduard pressed two fingers to his earpiece. “The physician is on the yacht. We can take you both there immediately. We’ve already called for our helicopter.”

“Kate flew out first thing this morning. Is she secure?” The mention of the other woman jolted Meredith and she gripped Sebastian’s wrist, holding on for dear life.

“Yes, sir. Miss Braddock is fine. We sustained a couple of injuries and we’ve notified Greek authorities about the damaged craft. It was smoking when it flew away.” Eduard paused and Meredith glanced up to see the censure on Bastian’s face a moment before the bodyguard switched to Norwegian.

“Who was hurt?” Meredith wanted to know. Sebastian might have been the target, but there were other people out there—bodyguards and maybe some of the house staff. She’d been too busy arguing to pay attention.

Instead of answering her immediately, Sebastian continued to massage the back of her neck and looked at Eduard. “How long?”

“Ten minutes. I want you both in vests. We’ll handle everything else.” The man nodded and let himself back out, the light flashing back to red when the door sealed. It was a panic room. The belated realization seemed to come from some distant part of her mind which persisted in trying to sort through the data.

Sitting back down, Bastian pulled her into his lap once more. “Meredith, I need you to focus on me.”

“I am.” Why did he keep acting like she wasn’t? She shifted in his grip and faced him. He was so beautiful, dark and haunted. She’d been so angry with him and now all she wanted to do was hold him and make sure he was all right.

“Your breathing is still off.” He frowned. “Concentrate, slow breaths. In for a count of four and then out for a count of four.”

Of course, she could count to four. She tried to obey, but the air seemed to back up in lungs, and she let it out with a whoosh. The quivering sensation was everywhere and icy heat slid over her skin. “You’re scaring me. What happened? Who was hurt?”

“O’Connor was hit in the shoulder. He has lost a lot of blood, but two of my men are field medics—Meredith, breathe.” The last two came out on a whip of command and she sucked in a noisy gasp and then another under his implacable stare. He exhaled slowly with a nod and continued to rub her back. “They’ve stopped the bleeding, but he will be on the transport. We have a physician and a fully appointed medical bay on the yacht. He will be all right.”

The roaring was back in her ears again. “I have to see him—”
This is my fault.
He was hurt because of her. She’d chosen to go outside. If not for her, none of it would have happened.

“You will, you will.” Sebastian didn’t let her go. “In a few minutes, they’ll bring us bulletproof vests. You will put it on.” His tone brooked no arguments. “We’ll leave as soon as the helicopter lands. They’re securing the landing pad right now.”

She clutched onto the control in his words. “Should we leave? I mean if they sent a helicopter before…?”

“This is a stationary target and they’ve never come at us here before, but things are changing and changing swiftly. The yacht is mobile and easier to secure. We’ll also be able to see anything coming at us.” He sounded so matter-of-fact and calm.

“I’m sorry I’m not handling this well.” She wanted to do better. “I’ve never—no one’s ever shot at me before and why? Why would they? It’s like something out of a movie.” A bad movie, a terrible thing, and Bastian? He’d taken her all the way to the ground. He’d covered her so they wouldn’t hurt
her
. Flashes of ice and flame consumed her.

“Meredith.” The command in his voice snapped through her again and she blinked, bringing his face back to into focus. “Breathe.”

Aggravation at her weakness flared. She was a wreck while he was a rock. “How can you be so calm?”

“I am not calm,” he said in oblique fashion, but the door locks tumbled again and once more Sebastian rose. Instead of setting her on the sofa, he put her on her feet. He stayed between her and the door.

Eduard entered and passed over a vest. Bastian took care to help her into the oppressive item. It weighed more than she expected, but he made sure it was secure before sliding on his and covering it with a jacket.

“ETA?” Sebastian asked.

“We’re ready now. His Royal Highness was notified and has handled security arrangements for the rest of the family. They are all secure. The yacht is holding a stationary course and we’ll confirm once we’re in the air.”

Sebastian pressed a hand to her face. “Stay with security…”

“What? Where are you going?” She hated the needy sound invading her voice.

“Shh.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I will be with you, but we’re going in separate cars with separate details. Vidal will be in charge of yours.”

Which was apparently news to the other man. Shock rippled Vidal’s normally placid expression, but he seemed to recover quickly.

“You
will
listen to him, and do exactly as he tells you to do. As soon as we’re onboard the helicopter, we’ll be together again.” He dragged her close and kissed her hard enough to steal her breath then he was gone. She was shuffled into the center of a half dozen very large men, but her heart was in her throat because she could think of only one reason he wouldn’t ride in the same car with her.

It still wasn’t safe.

Sebastian’s laser focus remained on the car traveling behind him—or, better yet, the car beyond. They’d left the main house in a caravan of vehicles, too many to allow for chance. Vidal rode with Meredith, but she’d still been glassy-eyed and her shallow panting weighed on his mind. Shock wasn’t pretty and she’d suffered a tremendous one.

“We’re almost there, sir. So far we have an all clear. Greek authorities are sending investigators and have requested permission to access the house.” The bodyguard in the front seat was on permanent assignment to St. Christos, one he’d accepted because Armand arranged for his family to live there as well.
Hans—his name is Hans.

“Within reason. The assault didn’t take place within the house.” The destruction to the garden was considerable. His mother would be heartbroken if she saw photographs—no, Armand wouldn’t allow it.

“Understood, Your Highness.” Sometimes, his title had benefits. He didn’t feel like explaining himself and, thankfully, the men didn’t question his orders. Cooperation in security went both ways, so he let them do their jobs.

“Status on Miss Blake?” It was the second time he’d asked on the short drive and he waited for Hans to contact the other vehicle.

“Shaken, Your Highness. Vidal says she is maintaining a brave front.”

Which meant she was still awake. He took it as a good sign. They’d already told him the extent of O’Connor’s injuries. He’d been wounded in service to the family, and they would take care of him.

But Meredith was about to have another ugly shock and one he wished he could spare her. His right eye pulsed, and he concentrated on the path ahead. The helicopter waited for them, the men surrounding it not just bodyguards. Retired military, they were armed to the teeth. Another part of his life he wanted to spare Meredith from—the darker, unkind reality of a life lived under siege.

As soon as the car halted, the men created a physical barricade. Sebastian slid into the turtle formed by the men. A similar maneuver would shield Meredith, but he had to wait until he was inside the helicopter to see her. He took her hands and tugged her into the seat next to him. They were airborne before he’d finished buckling her in the seat.

Her sharp gasp told him she’d seen O’Connor strapped to a gurney and secured along the opposite wall with one of the medics attending him. Of the guards on the island, only Vidal and one other, Beaumont, joined them for the ride. Their pilot was also retired military—British Armed Forces, and a skilled fighter pilot.

Hopefully, they would not need to call upon his particular talent set. Catching Meredith’s icy hands in his, he rubbed them slowly. “O’Connor is unconscious. He’s lost a lot of blood, but his respiration and pulse are steady.” He glanced at the medic for confirmation. The man nodded his assent.

“But there’s so much blood—” Meredith swallowed and Sebastian looked at O’Connor. He’d taken two bullets. Unfortunately, the one to his shoulder had punched straight through. They’d at least had the foresight to cover it with a sheet, but it was dark with the seepage of blood.

“Look at me,” he told her, needing her focus off the injured man because it wasn’t helping her. When she turned her glassy eyes at him, he found a small smile. “He will be fine. The injuries look worse than they are.”

“It’s my fault,” she whispered. “If I hadn’t gone out there…”

“No.” He refused to let her blame herself. “It was not your fault. It is the fault of the men holding the weapons and those that ordered them there.”

Tears shimmered in her eyes and he cupped her cheek. So many things they never said to each other and he’d always intended to tell her…when the time was right. He’d never imagined that their affair would bloom so beautifully or with such depth. Nor did he predict she would read into his desire to protect and shelter her from the ugliness filling the moat around his life as shame. Worse, she thought he only had one use for her.

Anger burned in his gut. That she thought so little of him—of herself—infuriated him. But this wasn’t the time to redress their egregious misunderstanding.

“You should have the freedom to go where you want, when you want,” he told her, and he meant it. “That is who you are…” His woman possessed dreams, goals, and a desire to pursue them. How the hell could she accomplish them locked in the gilded cage of a life with him?

The flight was one of the longest of his life, but he kept trying to warm her hands and distract her. When she finally leaned her head against his shoulder, he rested his cheek against her hair. The yacht was already en route towards the islands. He’d kept it nearby so he could sweep her off for a romantic impulse.

The yacht’s personnel, as with the island staff, were all military. Also, constant roaming made it much harder to pinpoint. They rarely traveled the same routes and they avoided major ports. As soon as they touched down on the yacht’s landing pad, Sebastian picked Meredith up and took her below decks. The physician was there to meet O’Connor, and they swept him toward the medical bay while Sebastian carried Meredith to his suite.

While the yacht technically belonged to the whole family, it was his home away from home. Sebastian lived onboard more often than not. For the most part, he used it to escape the burdens of public life, and it was where he’d first realized how much he loved the woman in his arms.

She roused when he set her down on the bed, but a nurse followed him and Sebastian backed off to let the woman check her vitals. Vidal knocked on the open door.

“His Highness is waiting for your call.” The unsubtle reminder that Armand wanted him in contact the moment he was aboard aggravated him.

The nurse glanced toward him. “Her pulse is improved, Your Highness. Doctor Kiriakis will be with her shortly, but I can stay with her until he arrives.”

Sebastian focused on Meredith. “Will you be all right for a few minutes? I need to contact my brother.”

The watery smile she gave him didn’t do much to reassure his concerns, but then she said, “You should call him and let him know you’re all right. Do you mind if I take a shower?”

Awkwardness aside, it was the first glimpse of his Meredith since the shooting. “Of course, anything you need.” And he said the last to the nurse as much as to Meredith. “I will be back very shortly—”

“Would you check on Terry?” Meredith slid to the edge of the bed and sat. He didn’t care for her pallor or shakiness. He cared even less for her request, but clamped down on his jealous response. In all fairness, the man had been injured in their defense and her entreaty wasn’t unreasonable or indicative of anything beyond compassion.

“Of course,” he said, grateful for the ability to add a smoothness to the response he certainly didn’t feel. Unwilling to leave her on such a note, however, he leaned in and brushed his lips to hers. She didn’t pull away. Instead, she slid her arms around him. He fought the urge to crush her to him and kick everyone out of the room.

“Will it take long?” Her whisper was so low, he knew it was meant only for him. The need in her voice eased one of the bruises on his heart.

“As swiftly as I can. Shower,” he told her gently. “Try to eat something and cooperate with the nurse and the doctor.”

She made a face and squinted at him. Her wrinkled nose promised rebellion later, and he accepted the challenge so long as she took care of herself in the meantime. “Yes, sir, but only if you promise to do the same.”

He chuckled, and it dislodged another rock from his heart. “As soon as I return.” Glancing at Eduard, “Would you have them send in a meal?”

A hint of a smile softened the man’s tense face and he inclined his head. “Of course.”

Forcing himself to leave Meredith, Sebastian strode out of the cabin and nodded to the man stationed just outside of it. For the time being, they would maintain heightened levels of security. The increased caution meant neither he nor Meredith would be left unattended. Raking his fingers through his hair, he stripped off his shirt as he walked.

“What have we found out so far?” Sebastian asked, as he traded the garment for a clean shirt from his onboard valet.

“The helicopter was abandoned on one of the channel islands, and Greek authorities are on site. They didn’t have time for a proper cleaning job, so we’re hopeful. The rounds were military grade. We’re lucky the winds were higher and the rotors threw off their aim.” Vidal followed him into the onboard office. “At this time, we’re looking for at least three men. Two witnesses have stated they took a speedboat, most likely headed to one of the larger islands. We’ve dispatched a small detail to see if they can pick up the trail.”

Sebastian shared a look with him. Quietly, oh so quietly, he and Vidal had made a few decisions after the stabbing. Armand insisted on downplaying everything. Instead, he ordered the family to show restraint, but the Belarian General and his people only grew bolder, not less.

“I want one alive. I want to know exactly who is giving the orders.” They needed confirmation.

Vidal inclined his head. “Agreed.” Instead of leaving Sebastian to his privacy, however, his bodyguard hesitated.

“What?”

“Have you considered sending Miss Blake back to the States?”

“I will not send her away.” It was a selfish choice, but their relationship sat at a precarious point—too damned precarious.

“She will need a new bodyguard, and it cannot be me.” Vidal gave him a sanguine look. “My place is with you.”

Resting his knuckles against the desk, Sebastian nodded. “Do you have someone in mind?”

“Yes. It will take me about forty-eight hours to get him here. Until then, your detail will handle both of you.” Vidal stepped back to let a porter enter and set down a tray with coffee and sandwiches. He waited for the man to finish and leave before continuing. “Until then, eat, discuss what you need to with His Highness, and I will escort you back to the stateroom.”

“You’re bordering perilously on an order, Vidal.” He gave the other man a wry smile. Few would dare to step over the line with him, but he and Vidal had been together since Sebastian’s sixteenth birthday. He was the closest thing to a friend Sebastian allowed himself.

“If one were inclined to instruct a brat prince on his behavior, then perhaps it would be. However, you have been through enough the last few days and you need to settle things with Miss Blake. I can handle security and any other issues…”

“Eduard?” He was going to do something he’d never done.

“Yes, Your Highness?”

Sebastian stared at Eduard’s cool features. He’d been privy to their relationship from the beginning. He’d helped to keep Meredith’s identity a secret, even from the family. “Can she handle it?”

“It’s not my place to answer the question.” Vidal’s answer was not what Sebastian wanted to hear. “However, if one were inclined to give romantic advice, I would suggest being honest with her. She means far more to you than you’ve ever told her. You have made many crucial decisions regarding her without consulting her. If she is to be your partner, perhaps you should allow her to be so. Make your call, sir.”

It was the closest thing to a stamp of approval he was likely to receive and Vidal was right. He and Meredith had a great many things to discuss. Picking up the handset, he dialed Armand’s private number and waited. His brother answered on the first ring.

“Are you safe?” Yes, his autocratic brother cared—oftentimes more than he demonstrated.

“Yes, and unharmed.” Save for the ten years he’d lost when he’d realized what was about to happen and how close he’d come to losing Meredith. “We are on board and the captain is taking us out to deep water.” They would run under a different flag and adjust accordingly for the time being, avoiding any port waters.

“Send Miss Blake home and stay there until I can make other arrangements. We will cancel the Belarian trip and deal with them another way.”

It was so like Armand to give him instructions, but the relief in his brother’s voice was profound.

“No.” Sending her away wasn’t open to negotiation. Neither was canceling the visit to Belaria. “We cannot let them drive us underground. I will not stop living my life for them. I already gave up five years under the presumption I needed to.”

“Sending her away is a reasonable response—”

“If I were feeling reasonable, I would agree with you. I am not. If I send her away now, I risk losing her entirely.”

“You chance getting her killed if you keep her there.” He understood the tightness in Armand’s voice wasn’t anger, but fear. While Sebastian shared the emotion, his worry went deeper.

“She thinks I’m keeping her as a mistress. I cannot let her feel discarded. I can’t.” Surely his brother wouldn’t force him to decide between his family and Meredith, not now. Not after everything. “Do not make me choose, brother.”

“Have you told her?” The truth? The whys behind every step—and apparently his missteps? That he loved her above all others?

“No,” he admitted. “But I am planning to.” As soon as he got off the phone. Meredith Blake was not his mistress and, by God, she would know it.

“Sebastian, be careful.” Armand’s tone changed. “Once you make this decision, it changes everything for her.”

“It’s not only mine to make anymore.” It hadn’t ever truly been, but he’d thought she understood. Only it wasn’t the case—the misunderstanding bothered him more and more.