I headed towards the door to the maid's quarters. The first time I'd been here, Nami had used it to sneak me into her bedroom. I didn't know if she'd since hired a personal maid or if Tanek would be in Nami’s bed, but it was the best shot I had at finding her. If she wasn't there or if something kept me from getting inside that way, I would have to improvise and, while I'd enjoyed living for the moment when Nami and I had first met on the train, when it came to something like this, being spontaneous didn't seem like the best idea.
As I neared the door, however, I heard something. A low, sad sound that I instantly knew to be Nami crying. I wasn't sure how I knew it was her, only that the sound struck something inside me, pulling and twisting my guts. I abandoned my original plan to follow my instincts and immediately followed the wall to the left. Only a few feet away from where the building curved was a low garden wall. Even if it hadn't still been light enough for me to see glimpses of trees and flowers, the fragrance coming from behind the wall would've told me it was a garden.
The sound was coming from inside, so I made my way along the wall until I found an entrance and hurried inside. What little light I'd had was fading fast and the garden was shadowed. I could still make out a path and I kept to it until I found myself at a place where the path went to the right and Nami's cries came from the left. I stepped off the path and then realized that I was still on one, just one not well-worn. A few more steps and I found myself in a different part of the garden. The plants were wild here, made even more so in the waning light. I supposed it would've been quite beautiful in the daylight, but I only had eyes for the figure tucked behind what smelled like a rose bush.
“Nami?” I said her name softly, not wanting to startle her, but she jumped anyway. Her face was pale and I caught a glimmer of tears on her cheeks. Only now did I wonder how, if she'd been trying to hide, that she'd cried loud enough for me to hear her. I didn't take the time to try to figure it out though. It wasn't important.
I took a step towards her and she flinched. I stopped, pain and anger mixing with enough intensity to make my hands shake. “Nami,” I said her name again, as gently as possible.
“Who's there?” Her voice was strong despite her tears.
“It's me.” I shifted to the side so that the rising moon could at least give me a little light.
“Reed?” She pushed herself up onto her knees. She shook her head. “What are you doing here? You can't be here.”
I closed the rest of the distance between us and crouched in front of her before she could move away. “I know and I've come to take you away.”
“Know what?” The words were sharp.
I wanted to grab her, shake her, ask her how she could let someone hurt her like that, but I knew I wasn't truly angry with her. I was angry with myself for having let this happen. I should've seen Tanek for what he really was. I should've fought harder for her. I never should have let her send me away.
I swallowed all of those feelings. Blaming myself or wishing that I'd done things differently wouldn't change anything. “I know that Tanek is hurting you.”
She stood up, anger flashing across her face. “Get out.”
I stood as well, but didn't step back from her. “I saw the bruises on your arm at the beach. That's why I was trying to talk to you. I know you saw me.”
“I saw you,” she said. “And there was nothing for you to see. I'd been on the beach for hours. I had dirt smudges on my skin. That's what you saw.”
“You don't love him,” I kept going. “Why are you protecting him?”
She shook her head. “I'm not protecting him. You don't know what you're talking about. And I have accepted a marriage without love, not that it is any of your business.”
“It is my business.” The words came out more harshly than I'd intended. “I love you, Nami, and I'm not going to let him hurt you anymore.”
She stared at me and I realized what I'd said. I'd admitted it to myself, but I hadn't said it to her. I set my jaw, refusing to apologize or try to dismiss it.
“Reed...”
“I tried not to,” I continued. “I told myself that you and I came from two totally different worlds and that it would never work. I tried to convince myself that it wasn't real, and when that didn't work, I told myself that if I truly loved you, I'd want you to be happy.” I ran my hand through my hair. “I do want that, Nami. I want you to be happy, but I'll be damned if I didn't say that I want you to be happy with me.”
“You can't love me.” Her voice was small, broken.
I cupped her face in my hands and felt her entire body trembling. “I do,” I said firmly. “I fought it because I didn't want to be in love, especially not with someone who I knew would only break my heart, but I couldn't fight fate.” I wiped the tears from her cheeks. “We're meant to be.”
Her face crumpled with a sob and I drew her against me. I didn't understand why she was crying, but she was in my arms, clinging to me rather than pushing me away, and I wouldn’t fight her on it. She would speak when she was ready. It was dangerous for us to be here like this, but if she was going to leave with me, she had to come to terms with it.
After a few minutes passed, she began to talk and I realized that it wasn't the idea of leaving the palace that had made her cry. Haltingly, she told me everything that had happened from the moment she'd told me to leave her bedroom. How Tanek had raped her, beaten her and threatened her sister. My arms tightened around her as I fought for control. I could feel the bile rising in my throat, threatening to choke me. I swallowed hard. If she could stomach telling me, I could stomach hearing it. One thing was for certain though. If I saw Tanek tonight, I wasn't sure I'd be able to keep from killing him.
When she finished, she looked up at me, face streaked with tears again. “I am so sorry.”
“For what?” I smoothed her hair back from her face with one hand, my other arm still wrapped around her waist.
“I should have known...stopped him...”
I put my finger against her lips and the words died off. “No,” I said. “None of what he did is your fault.” I ran my thumb along her bottom lip. “If it's anyone's, it's mine. I should have fought harder for you.”
She shook her head. “I told you to leave. I said that I'd made my choice.”
“And I should have gone straight to your parents, told them how I felt and then beaten the shit out of Tanek for good measure.” My voice darkened. “I should do all of that right now.”
“No,” Nami said. She reached up and put her hand on my cheek. “You can't do that.”
“I know,” I said reluctantly. “But I can do what I came here to do.”
“Which is?” She was looking down now, as if she wasn't sure she wanted to hear what I was going to say.
I hooked my finger under her chin and tilted her head towards me. “Look at me,” I said quietly. I waited until she did before answering her question. “I came to ask if you would leave with me.”
Her eyes lit up and she raised herself on her toes, pressing her mouth against mine. I closed my eyes as my lips molded themselves to hers, pulling her body even more tightly to me until I could feel every line of her fitted along me. We were still in danger and there was so much more we needed to do, but for the moment, everything was right and I was going to enjoy it for as long as I could. Even if things went to hell when we opened our eyes, I had this to hold onto.
Chapter 5
Nami
My broken heart was coming together and swelling with love so fast that I was sure it would explode. The physical pain I'd been through for the past two weeks had been nothing compared to the emotional pain. Part of it had been because of my own hurt, my own longing for Reed and for a life I knew I could never have, but more had been because I'd known how badly I'd hurt him.
For two weeks everything had been a giant loop. Tanek and his abuse, both what had been done and fear for what he would do. Fear for Halea and the knowledge that I had to stay quiet. The words I'd said to Re
ed and the expression on his face when he'd left.
Almost as bad were the memories of our times together. I'd told Reed at one point that I'd wanted to memorize everything about him so that when I was with my husband, I could remember Reed's touch, what it had felt like to have Reed inside me. After the first time Tanek had raped me, I'd known I could never allow myself to taint the memories I had of Reed by thinking of him when I was with Tanek. Instead, I'd held my memories of Reed close, but hadn't let them surface, not wanting the reminder of what I'd given up.
I'd told myself I'd accepted my life, that until I could figure out a way to make sure Halea was safe, I would bear whatever atrocities I must. Deep in my heart, I knew it was killing me, but I held on, my love for Halea the only thing keeping me going. I didn't have the hope of a rescue. I hadn't even allowed myself to hope when I'd first realized that the man in the shadows was Reed. He'd come for me, but I'd known that once he knew the truth, he would leave. I was broken and weak, not the woman he thought he knew.
Then he'd said he loved me. I'd known how I felt about him, even if I hadn't wanted to admit it, and I'd suspected that his feelings for me ran deeper than physical attraction or 'caring’. I'd told him everything then, face burning with humiliation as I'd admitted out loud for the first time that Tanek had forced himself on me. I'd made myself say it, with enough disgusting detail, that it would push him away for good.
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 back 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.