ROYAL ROCK(39)

I stared at him, completely taken aback. I didn’t think I had done anything special, but apparently I had. I couldn’t believe he was saying that he needed me, but there it was.

Could I really leave my parents behind? Trip would keep them safe; I was sure of that. He would never let them get hurt. But I would be such an awful daughter if I left and they were forced to stay behind.

I was so torn. Trip needed me, but I wanted to be a good daughter.

“It will only be temporary,” he said. “We can bring your parents when things calm down. A few days at most.”

I frowned. “That’s a little better,” I said.

“Please. Come with me.”

I looked into his intense eyes and knew that I had no other choice.

“Okay,” I said. “Let me say goodbye to my parents.”

“Good. Pack now. George will bring them in. I’ll be back to get you soon.”

Trip turned and quickly left.

I sighed, shaking my head.

This whole trip had gotten so far away from me. I couldn’t really believe it, but it was happening. I had never expected to go from a normal American girl to being so involved with the king so quickly.

But events were moving so fast, and I couldn’t slow them down. I couldn’t slow down myself, or else I’d risk getting left behind.

I began to pack. I’d say goodbye to my father and Lucy, and I knew they’d understand.

They’d be safe here. They had to be.

The better question was, would I be safe with Trip?

My stomach felt empty, and worry filled the rest of me.





20





TRIP





The wind bustled gently through the leaves on the trees as I walked slowly down the lawn. Ahead of me, a stream bent between a copse of bushes, and suddenly I could hear helicopters chopping overhead.

The country compound was like that. One second it was an idyllic and quiet space, and the next it was full of security agents and machines destroying whatever peace I managed to find.

There wasn’t much peace anywhere, as it fucking turned out. Maybe I liked it that way; maybe I thrived on the violence. But my people didn’t, and I needed to put them first.

Somebody had tried to kill me. That was about as much as we knew a day after the event. The assassin’s name was Roger Clark, and as far as we could tell he only had minor ties to the rebels in the south. How he became an assassin and how he got into the castle were still a mystery.

But they were mysteries we were going to solve. My team was already poring over the security records, and if someone had used their access that day, we would know about it.

I could handle a little attempt on my life. I was a king after all. It came with the territory. But what I couldn’t handle was getting Bryce mixed up in everything, too.

She’d been quiet since we’d left the castle. I couldn’t tell if she was angry about leaving her family behind or if she was still upset about the attack. I assumed it was a mixture of both, and that was understandable either way. There was nothing easy or simple about surviving an attempt on your life, especially the way it had happened that night.

Just after I finally felt her body, that bastard had to appear. It was almost as if someone had timed it perfectly. Almost as if someone were trying to pin it on a certain American girl of note.

I shook my head. No. I couldn’t let myself go there. Speculating wasn’t going to do a thing about it. Speculating wasn’t going to solve the mystery. It was only going to drive me fucking mad.

Although, I was already going fucking mad.

I fucking hated being at the country house. I hated the peace and quiet, and I hated that security was all over my ass. Of course they were going to be, considering someone had tried to kill me, but I couldn’t stand being treated like I couldn’t take care of myself.

Obviously, I could. I was the one who had taken care of the killer, not my security team.

I sighed, shaking my head. I looked back over my shoulder and waved at Al and the boys. They were hanging back a bit farther than they wanted, but they were always within sight.

I gestured and Al quickly came over to me, stopping and bowing slightly. He was clearly angry with himself for failing me and had been going really hard on the royal respect shit all day.

It was getting on my nerves.

“Al,” I said, “for the hundredth time, stop bowing.”

“Yes. Whatever you command, Your Highness.”

I sighed. “Get me Max,” I said. “I want an update.”

“Right away.” Al gestured at his team and a man was dispatched.

I leaned up against a tree, enjoying the shade.

“Have you seen Bryce today?” I asked Al.

“No, Your Highness,” he said.

“How did she seem, when you last saw her?”