Except it hadn't. He'd been furious, but not with me.
And he wanted to take me away.
As I kissed him, I let myself see it. Sneaking out of the garden and through the service gate. Following Reed wherever he wanted to go. Someplace in Europe. Back to Philadelphia. Somewhere else in the States. It didn't matter where, as long as we were together and free.
I knew it couldn't be, but for that brief moment, I let myself believe, and then I stepped back.
“What's wrong?” Reed asked, confusion plain on his face.
“I can't.” It killed me to say the words, but I had to.
“Yes,” he said firmly. “You can. We've had this discussion before and I'm not having it again.” Some spasm of emotion passed over his face and then was gone again. “It doesn't matter if you don't feel the same way about me. I'm not letting you stay and be hurt.”
“If I don't...” My voice trailed off as I stared at him.
Was that really what he thought? His expression was guarded, but I could still read it. He really did think that my feelings for him weren't as strong as his were for me. I took a step towards him again. Even if I couldn't leave with him, I wouldn't send him away with a lie.
“I love you, Reed Stirling.” It was the first time I'd spoken the words and they sent a thrill through me. “And if I could, I would walk out of here with you, and never look back.”
“Then do it.” He reached out and grabbed my hand. “Please, Nami, just come with me. Your parents and your people can't want you to live like this, and if they do, they don't deserve you.”
“I'm not staying for them,” I said. Reed deserved to know the whole truth. “My duty to my family and my country might have kept me in a loveless marriage, but it wouldn't have kept me in an abusive one.”
He frowned, but didn't interrupt.
“After Tanek...the first time...” I swallowed hard. “I told him to leave the palace.” I looked down at my hands for a moment and then back up at Reed. I squared my shoulders and set my jaw. “He threatened to hurt my sister if I told anyone what happened. He said he would arrange for me to have an 'accident' and then request that his marriage contract be transferred to Halea. Anytime he thinks I might say something, he tells me, in detail, what he would do to Halea. Sometimes he shows me.”
Reed looked like he was going to be ill. “That bastard,” he muttered. His fingers tightened almost painfully around mine. “I'm going to kill him.”
“Do you understand?” I asked, hearing the note of desperation in my voice. “I want to go with you, but I cannot leave Halea to the mercies of that man. I was willing to sacrifice my happiness to keep her from being miserable, but it's so far beyond that now.”
“Go get her.”
“What?”
“Your sister,” he said. “I wouldn't leave any woman to Tanek, and certainly not your little sister. But I'm not leaving you here to take the abuse either. If your parents won't protect you both, then I will.”
I wanted to argue with him that it wasn't a matter of my parents not caring enough to protect me. Instead, there was no way to guarantee Halea's safety while Tanek's case was decided. It would be my word against his and my parents already knew that I hadn't wanted to marry him to begin with. That was one of the things I feared, that they would see this as another aspect of me rebelling against what they wanted and by the time I could convince them of the truth, it would be too late.
“Hey.” Reed squeezed my hand again. “I'm serious. Go get your sister and the three of us will get out of here.”
“And go where?” I asked. “Do what? Halea's a minor. My parents could have you arrested for kidnapping.”
He pulled me towards him and wrapped his arms around me, holding me so tightly that it almost hurt. “I don't care.” He kissed the top of my head. “I have to do it.”
“If you get arrested, it won't do us any good,” I said as I leaned my head against his chest. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed the sound of his heart beating until I heard it again.
“I'll take you two someplace safe,” he said. “And then I'll come back to talk to your parents.”
I looked up at him, eyes wide. “You can't do that, Reed. If you go in and tell them that you took us...”
His near-black eyes were serious as he looked down at me. “I'm going to tell them everything, Nami.”
I started to shake my head. “You don't understand...”
“If I'm willing to take the risk of telling them everything, then maybe they'll believe me when I tell them what Tanek's done.” He twisted a curl around his finger. “It doesn't matter how much trouble I get in if it means Tanek's out of your life.”
“Yes, it does,” I insisted. “You can't risk it.”
One corner of his mouth tipped up in a half-smile. “Nami, I'd risk anything for you. Without you...” He shook his head. “The only way I could live without you is if I knew you were safe.”
I went on my toes again so I could brush my mouth against his. I could see I wouldn't be able to talk him out of this. “What do we do now?” I asked.
He looked around. “Where's the safest place for me to wait while you go get Halea?”
I thought for a moment. “The maid's chambers. They're still empty.”
He nodded. “All right. Get her and try not to be seen. We'll go out the service gate and then to my hotel. Tomorrow, we'll figure out the best way for me to approach your parents.”
“They won't be here tomorrow,” I remembered suddenly. “They left this morning on some diplomatic trip to Greece. They wanted me to go with them, but I told them I wasn't feeling well.” My stomach twisted. “I didn't want to leave Halea alone here with Tanek.”
Reed pressed his lips together in a flat line and I could see the anger in his eyes. I let it warm me, give me strength. He'd meant every word he'd said. He would fight for me, no matter the cost to him. I didn't want him to be hurt on my account, but now his protection extended to Halea as well. For her, I'd risk everything. Even the man I loved. And knowing he understood that made me love him even more.
“When will they be back?” Reed asked.
“Wednesday night,” I said. The thought of having to stay here with Tanek until then made me sick.
Reed nodded, but didn't say anything. His arms were still around me, but I could see his expression was far away. I didn't ask any questions, giving him the time to think things through while I allowed myself to relax in his embrace.
“We do this tonight,” Reed said finally. “We'll still go back to my hotel room. Tomorrow morning, I'll make arrangements to get us out of the country.”
“As soon as Tanek realizes we're gone, he'll be looking. He'll check the airport.”
“Then I guess we'll have to rent a private plane to take us somewhere in Europe and we can decide where we want to go from there.”
I started to shake my head. “He'll be monitoring my bank accounts and credit cards.”
“Who said you were paying for any of it?” Reed gave me a small smile. “I may not be a prince, but I can take care of my princess.” He kissed my forehead and then released me. “Let's go. The longer we wait, the more dangerous it becomes.”
He was right and I reached out to take his hand as I led him out of the garden. We went back the way he came. Besides being quicker than going the other way, it also meant I didn't have to walk past the place where Tanek had attacked me. I moved cautiously, keeping an eye out for the new guards Tanek had assigned to me, but they weren't anywhere around. Over the last few days, as long as I was in the palace, Tanek hadn't insisted I be followed. He'd known I'd never leave as long as Halea was in danger.
Reed slipped into the maid's chambers and I gave his hand a quick squeeze before leaving him. My insides twisted as I walked away, but I reminded myself that this time was different. I was coming back and then we'd leave together. I wouldn’t lose him again.
Chapter 6
Reed
Waiting for Nami to come b
ack with Halea was one of the hardest things I'd ever had to do. Now that I knew the full extent of Tanek's abuse, every moment of Nami being gone was agony.
Scenarios kept running over in my mind. Everything from Tanek beating her until she gave me up to Tanek hurting Halea because of me convincing Nami to run. I kept seeing her face, bloodied and bruised, her body being used...
I shook my head and began to pace. The main room wasn't very large so I counted off steps to further distract me. If I didn't concentrate on something else, I would go after her and damn the consequences. The only thing that kept me from doing just that was the knowledge that if I did, I'd be putting both Nami and Halea in even more danger. If Tanek caught the two of them together, most likely he'd just guard them more closely. His control over Nami only lasted as long as her sister was safe. If he hurt Halea for small infractions, his secret would be harder to hide and from what I'd learned, Tanek hadn't gone this far without being arrested by making stupid decisions. He was cruel, but calculatingly so.
I was starting to imagine all of the various ways I wanted to hurt him when the door to Nami's bedroom opened. I froze. Just because I was expecting it to be Nami didn't mean it would be. A moment later, I let out the breath I was holding. Nami smiled at me as she came into the darkened room. Behind her was a young woman who looked so much like Nami's mother that I could see what the queen had looked like as a teenager.
“Halea,” Nami said softly. “This is Reed Stirling. He's going to get us out of here.”
Halea's face was pale, but I could see the same steel in her that I'd seen in Nami. The girl held out her hand. “Nice to meet you.”
I shook her hand and then turned to Nami. “Did anyone see you?”
“No,” she said. “Not as far as I know.” She glanced at her watch. “But we need to go before someone realizes we're missing.” She walked past me towards the outside door. “I'll go first.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but she gave me one of those looks that I knew she'd use when on official business.
“I'll check to see if anyone's out there. There'll be questions, but I'm not a stranger,” she said. “Halea follows me and you come behind her to make sure she's safe.”
I glanced at Halea, wondering just how much Nami had told her sister about why we were sneaking away. Judging by the stubborn set to Halea's jaw, it had been enough to convince her. I just hoped Nami had spared Halea the details. I couldn't imagine how guilty she'd feel if she knew Nami had stayed with Tanek to protect her.
Nami opened the door slowly and peered out through the crack. After a moment, she opened it wider and stepped outside. A few seconds ticked by and she motioned for us to follow. We stuck to the shadows as we went, but most of the guards seemed to be centered around the front of the palace. A few were patrolling along the fence, but they were easily avoided. When we reached the gate, however, we encountered a different problem.
The gate was closed. Before, I'd just waited until someone had needed to use it before sneaking in. That wasn't an option right now though. There were three of us and, any moment, someone could realize that the girls were gone.
We needed another option.
“I'll get him out of the booth,” I said softly. “You two open the gate and get out. I'll follow as soon as I can.”
To my surprise, Nami rolled her eyes. The gesture seemed so casual, especially considering our present circumstances, that it almost made me laugh.
“I thought we might need a distraction,” she said. She held up a hand-held radio.
There was a hint of a smile on her lips and I felt a wave of relief go through me. I'd been worried that I would lose her to what had happened, but now I could see that she was still in there. We could get through this.
She pressed down on the button and said something in her native language. I caught 'Namisa' and that was about it. Before I could ask her, Halea spoke in a soft voice, her English as perfect as her sister's, though her accent was thicker. Nami had spent a few years in America recently.
“She asked for the name of the guard at the security booth and then told him that she did not receive a package she was expecting. She is telling him now to go look at the end of the street to see if it was left there.”
“Thanks,” I whispered. I gave her what I hoped was a reassuring smile.
This had to be completely disconcerting for the poor girl. One minute, her life is fairly normal, and the next, she finds out that her sister's being abused and they have to leave with someone she doesn't know, going somewhere unknown.
I didn't have much more time for speculation as I heard the gate creak open. The security guard in the booth was walking towards it. Nami held up her hand, cautioning us to wait. It was funny. I'd thought I was coming to rescue her and now she was the one responsible for actually getting us off the grounds. Then she glanced back at me and I saw the fear in her eyes. She was absolutely petrified that this wouldn’t work, and I didn't need her to tell me to know that the only thing keeping her together was Halea.
Nami took a few steps out of the shadows and looked around before gesturing for us to follow. Halea and I followed Nami over to the gate and then out. Instead of turning towards the street, however, Nami turned the other way. As we went, I remembered Halea saying that Nami had sent the guard to the street to look for her non-existent package. Smart.
Nami led us down another side-street and then back up to the street that ran in front of the palace. As soon as we reached it, she stopped and turned to me.
“Where to now?”
Her voice was strong, but I could see the weight of it all in her eyes. I reached out and took her hand. I wanted to take her in my arms and kiss her, tell her everything would be okay. I couldn't do that with her sister here, not without making Halea either embarrassed or nervous. I didn't know how much Nami had told her about me, after all. Instead, I settled for squeezing her hand and letting her see on my face that I was taking over. She didn't have to be strong anymore. I saw the relief on her face, but she hid it quickly. She would still be strong as long as Halea could see her.
“We're going back to my hotel,” I said. “This way.”
I hated the idea of making the women walk, especially since both of them were wearing shoes that were more conducive for walking around a palace rather than walking down the sidewalk, but Saja was a small country and their royal family well-known. No one on the island would not recognize either princess. We couldn't take that risk. At least walking, they could keep to the shadows.
When we arrived at the hotel, I put myself between the desk clerk and the women, advising them to turn their faces away as we came in. I supposed the clerk would think I was bringing prostitutes back to my room, but as long as he didn't realize who Nami and Halea were, I was fine with that. My reputation wasn't exactly foremost on my mind at the moment.
Halea's and Nami's reputations, however, were my concern.
“Bathroom's right there.” I pointed. “Bedroom's through that door. You two can share it. I have some clothes in there you can use until tomorrow.”
Halea and Nami exchanged one of those sibling looks. I didn't know what they communicated in their silence, but after a minute, without a word, Halea walked into the bathroom.
As soon as the door closed, Nami turned to me. I took one step towards her, my arms open, and she fell into them.
“Thank you.” The words were muffled as she buried her face against my chest. I felt the tension flow out of her body and she sagged against me. “Thank you for saving her. For saving me.”
“Always,” I promised.
I wanted nothing more than to keep her in my arms, take her into the bedroom and make love to her until every bad memory was banished from her mind. But I knew it wasn't only Halea keeping me from doing that. I loved Nami and I wanted her, but I would let her initiate all physical contact. I would do whatever it took to make her feel safe again.
“Sleep tonight, my love.” I smoothed down her curls. “You'
re safe here.”
I had Nami bring me out a pair of shorts and waited until the sisters were in the bedroom with the door closed before I went into the bathroom and changed. I left the light on and the door cracked so that if either one needed to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, they would be able to see that I was still asleep on the couch.
I wasn't sure when I'd ended up falling asleep, but the soft shuffle of feet on carpet woke me some time later. I looked up to see Nami standing at the end of the couch. I sat up, immediately looking around for the threat.
“What's wrong?” I pitched my voice low, not wanting to alarm Halea if she wasn't already awake.
Nami walked around to the side of the couch and I could see now that she was wearing one of my t-shirts. It hung down to mid-thigh, nearly as long as some dresses I'd seen. My stomach tightened as I wondered what she was wearing underneath. I immediately pushed the thought away before my body could respond even more than it already was.
“Nami.” I started to sit up, but she shook her head. “What...?”
Whatever question I'd intended to ask was lost as Nami pulled my blanket off and dropped it on the floor. I swore softly as she straddled my waist, her hand hot on my stomach as she steadied herself.
“You don't have to...” I groaned as she grasped my cock through my shorts.
“Please.” Her voice was soft. “I need to remember that it can be good.”
My heart twisted at her words and I felt a surge of hate for Tanek, for what he'd done to the woman I loved.
Suddenly, she moved her hand and turned her face away. “I understand,” she said, her voice empty. “I am not...”
I sat up so quickly she gasped, losing the rest of her sentence.
“Don't.” The word came out harsher than I'd intended and even in the low light, I saw her flinch and hated myself for it. I softened my voice and cupped her face as gently as I could. “I want you so badly,” I confessed. “But I don't want to hurt you.”