The American Heir(28)

I slipped once or twice on the narrow wedges that wound around, catching   myself in time and proceeding more cautiously. My slippers had slick   soles, which made for slow progress in the first place. I kept one hand   on the wall, clutching the stonework as well as I could for balance. I   made a note to have a handrail installed.

I followed the voices to the third floor. As I approached, I saw light   spilling as if from a flashlight into the stairwell and the voices grew   loud and heated. There were no halls in the tower. All the chambers  were  directly off the stairwell.   





 

I hid just outside the large chamber, listening and trying to get a peek   at what was inside without being seen. Riggins had his back to me. The   other man was obscured from view.

"Are you blackmailing me?" Riggins' voice was hard and angry.

"I prefer to think of it as cutting you a deal," the other man said. He   sounded almost amused. And confident he'd get his way. His voice was   deep with middle age. "I may not have been much of a father, but I did   die for you. Remember that. You owe me something."

Father? My mouth fell open and went completely dry. I tried to remember   what Riggins had said about his dad. I thought he was dead. Of course  he  was dead! Otherwise Riggins couldn't be the duke.

"Died for me?" Riggins snorted. "You faked your death for profit."

My heart raced. If Riggins' dad was still alive, Riggins wasn't the   duke. This whole thing, everything we'd done and been through, was for   nothing. His father would destroy the dukedom before Riggins inherited   it. It was mine. My family legacy.

My mind raced, but I couldn't think straight. What should I do? What did I dare do?

"Semantics." Riggins' dad wasn't backing down. "What will it be? Is   taking revenge on your old dad and denying him his last wish worth your   birthright and a dukedom?"

My heart beat so loudly in my ears I could barely hear anything else. I   shook so badly I had to hang on to the wall. I waited breathlessly for   Riggins' response. My heart was so loud I marveled that it didn't give   me away. I stood poised, ready to rush in and intervene. Ready to   promise Riggins' dad anything he wanted if he would leave and leave the   dukedom to Riggins.

"You arrogant bastard." Riggins' voice was hard. "This dukedom is mine. For Haley. For my baby. For myself."

Tears filled my eyes. How was it possible to be ecstatic and frightened at the same time? Riggins wants the dukedom.

"You have a deal." Riggins' voice was still as sharp and hard as a polished steel blade.

I slumped against the wall, my knees weak with relief. Riggins' response   was the answer to a prayer. The granting of a wish. And then I   remembered that security was on its way. That I had quite possibly   called down the destruction of everything the Dead Duke had set up and   planned for us. Destroyed what I'd so desperately come to love.

The baby kicked again, once again taking me by surprise. I let out a small noise.

"Who's that?" Riggins' father moved toward the door.

I stepped out of hiding and into the doorway.

"Haley?" Riggins took a step toward me.

"There's no time. We have to hide your dad. Security will be here any minute."





Chapter 13





Haley

The two men stared at me in disbelief. Riggins' dad actually got a soft,   emotional look on his face as his gaze travelled to my baby bump.

The sound of a car racing toward the tower made us all jump.

"That's security!" I gave the men an entreating look. "I'm sorry. I   called them. I didn't know." I glanced around frantically at the bare   room, looking for something, anything to hide a man in. "We have to   hurry!"

Why didn't anyone else feel my sense of urgency?

Riggins pulled me to him and crushed me against his chest. "You're freezing. You shouldn't be out in the cold like this."

"I'm fine. Or I will be once we hide your dad." My voice broke. I loved   Riggins beyond reason. We were on the verge of our happily ever after.   He wanted the dukedom! He wanted us. I wanted him. What more could I  ask  for?

Riggins' dad swore. "Bloody security. The bane of my nonexistence." He   winked at me. "Nice to finally meet you, daughter." He nodded toward my   baby bump. "May I? I'd like to feel my grandchild. This may be the only   chance I get."

Riggins scowled at him. But I had sympathy for his dad. If he'd made a   mistake with his son, he at least deserved a chance to make it up to his   grandchild. I wanted to be able to tell my baby that his only living   grandparent had wanted to hold him or her. I wasn't going to be the one   who denied this dying man his wish or ruined the story for the future.

I pulled away from Riggins and presented my growing belly for him to   touch. His large hands were warm and gentle as he cupped my belly.   





 

"The baby doesn't move often-"

And then, just on cue, the baby kicked as fiercely as it ever had. I   gasped. But the look of wonder on Riggins' father's face as it he felt   it move was something I'd never forget.

He squeezed my belly as if hugging the baby, leaned down, and cooed to   it softly. "There, there, my little duke. Nice to meet you."

"We don't know it's a boy." I rubbed my baby bump.

He straightened. "You're carrying low. Just like Riggins' mum did. It's a boy, all right."

Outside the tower, a car door slammed, the sound magnified in the still night air.

"There's a way back to my hiding room that avoids all the cameras."   Riggins' dad nodded toward the staircase. "But I need you two to cover   for me while I escape. If I'm caught, I'll make up some story about   being a long-lost relative of yours." He winked again, still almost   amused by the adventure.

I thought that given a chance, I might have liked him. He had Riggins' charisma.

"Good plan." I nodded and turned to Riggins. "Call the security control   room and tell them everything's okay and under control. That you   couldn't sleep and decided to explore the tower. I'll go downstairs and   talk to the security guys that are already here and send them away. If I   hurry, I can meet them at the entrance."

I turned and dashed into the stairwell without waiting for a response.   My feet were on the stairs. Down, down, the spirals, taking them as fast   as I could.

"It's all right!" I called out to security. "We're fine."

I rounded another corner. The steps were farther apart here and worn   completely smooth. I misjudged and caught the edge of a step with the   toe of my slipper. My foot slipped. My balance was already off. The   sudden surge of forward momentum propelled me before I could catch   myself with the wall.

I floundered, trying to get my balance. Where was the wall? Where was the damn wall?

I tumbled forward. My scream pierced the air. Instinctively, I wrapped   my arms around my belly, trying to shield my baby. I hit the cold stones   arms and belly first. "Riggins!"

My head hit something. I felt dizzy and disoriented. Unable to right myself, I tumbled. And tumbled, screaming.

Someone else was screaming and calling my name. There were footsteps on   the stairs behind me. I tumbled end over end, bouncing off the walls.   Banging my head again and again as I kept my arms wrapped around my   baby. Banging my body.

My thoughts were jumbled. I was too surprised and shocked to feel pain   as I kept falling and falling. My vision narrowed to a small tunnel. My   ears rang, drowning out the commotion around me.

I hit the floor at the bottom headfirst. The tunnel grew narrower. The   ringing louder. I could barely breathe. Riggins. I wanted Riggins. I   tried to form his name.

There was a beam of light. Someone was standing over me.

"I'll take care of her. Go!"

Riggins. Thank goodness. Riggins.

"Run, man, run! Hide," he said. "It's what she would have wanted." His voice was firm and desperate.

Suddenly there were arms around me. I was chilled and shaking. Trying to   scream his name and barely managing to make a feeble whisper.   "Riggins."

"I'm here, Haley. I'm here. Hang on. Help's coming. Just hang on."

Hang on? To what? Why?

He gently brushed the hair out of my eyes. In the narrow tunnel of my   vision I saw his fingers. They were sticky with blood. Why was he   bleeding?

"I love you." He sounded desperate for me to know. "You'll be all right. Don't let go of the baby. Just don't let go."

"I won't," I whispered, wondering, What baby?

The tunnel narrowed to a pinpoint. My world went dark.



Riggins

I cradled Haley in my arms, trying not to move her as my father disappeared into the dark.

I waved my flashlight around. "Here!" I yelled as the security guard came into the tower.