Reluctantly Royal(84)

“I’m calling the authorities.” Max pulled his phone out of his pocket. “He could hurt somebody.”

Adrenaline pumped through my veins and I was moving before I realized. Grabbing the keys from a hook near the door, I ran out to the driveway.

“Meredith!” Max followed closely on my heels and grabbed my arm.

“I have to go after him.” I looked at Max. “I’m not going to let him kill someone.”

He looked at me, his phone still tucked to his ear.

“Fine, but I’m driving.”

I handed him the key and jumped into the old work truck that was parked out front. Max said a few quick sentences as he climbed into the driver’s seat before throwing the phone down on the bench between us.

His bodyguard ran up to the window as Max threw the truck in reverse.

Max stuck his head out of the open window and told him to follow us.

I sat back in the seat, gripping the door handle as Max sped down the driveway in pursuit of my father.

Silently I prayed that my father wouldn’t hurt anyone.





SIXTEEN

THE ROADS WERE wet from an earlier shower and the old truck didn’t have much get up and go, but I made the best of what I had.

Meredith sat next to me, her face a pale mask of nerves. Her knuckles gripping the door were white. She chewed on her bottom lip as she stared out at the road.

“Where would he go?” I asked as we rounded a bend on the curvy road.

“I’m not sure.” Letting go of the door, she wiped her palms on her pants legs. “The local pub, maybe.”

“Then we’ll try there.” We hit a pothole full of water and sent a wave of it crashing into the foliage along the road. “The police are looking for him.”

“God, I hope he doesn’t hurt anyone.” She shook her head, and I didn’t think she realized that she was rocking in her seat.

I didn’t say anything. There was no way to make her feel better until we had the old man accounted for. At another curve in the road was what looked like fresh tire marks, suggesting that a car had slid, but no car was visible.

We were almost to town when the first of the wreckage caught my attention. There was glass strewn across the road and I slowed the truck and pulled over into the grass.

Just the rear end of the sedan was visible from where it was stuck among the trees. It must’ve rolled because it was upside down, the undercarriage exposed to the sky.

“Oh my God.” Meredith threw herself against the old truck door, but it didn’t open at first. She hit it with her hand several times before almost falling out onto the wet grass.

“Meredith!” I climbed out of my seat and ran after her. The last thing I wanted was for her to find her father dead.

“Dad!” She hollered as she slid down the slope and into weeds near the trees. “Daddy!”

“Meredith!” I slid down the knoll on my side, just barely catching her before she could get to the car. “Stop!”

“He’s in there!” She fought against my arms.

“Let me go look.” I turned her to face me. “Let me look, Meredith. Go get my phone and call the police.”

“Let me go!” She wiggled in my arms. “He might need us!”

I looked down into her eyes and let out a ragged breath before letting go. She turned and ran for the car, falling to her knees near the wreckage.

“Dad?”

I knelt down next to her and peered into the torn-up vehicle. He was hanging from his seat by his seat belt, but there was a large gash on his forehead.

“Daddy?” Meredith’s voice sent chills over my body. There was so much pain in that one word that my heart almost broke in half.

“Let me look at him.” I pushed her shoulder gently so that I could get a better look. He was breathing, but the cut on his head was bleeding profusely.

“Charles!” I hollered for my bodyguard.

“Here, sir.” I could hear him sliding down the slope. “I’ve contacted the authorities.”

“Come take a look.” I wasn’t sure if we should move him or not. On one hand he could have a broken neck or back, and on the other I wasn’t sure that we should leave him hanging upside down.

Charles slid around to the other side of the car and knelt down to peer through the broken windshield.

“We need to put a compress on his head,” Charles’s gruff voice instructed.

I pulled my jacket off and balled it up before placing it against Arthur’s head.

“Should we move him?” I asked.

“No!” Meredith shook her head vehemently. “We don’t know if anything is broken.”

“She’s right. I don’t smell any gas or I’d say we need to pull him.” Charles looked at me with serious eyes. “Has he said anything?”