The Dirty Series 1(122)

Jesus. Will I ever be finished getting myself into these situations?

The door to Jessica’s rooms is propped open. I burst inside, my heart pounding painfully, desperate to see her.

Her rooms are a hive of activity. There are people coming and going, and at first I can’t understand what the hell is going on. Then I see Claire in the center of it all, directing two assistants, their arms full of clothing.

“Anything unworn, hang it back on the racks. Then—.” She breaks off as she sees me, dipping her head, fire in her eyes. “Your highness.”

“What’s going on here?” I demand.

Claire claps her hands twice, and the motion in the main room comes to a stop. “Give us a minute,” she says, and within seconds everyone has filed out into the hall leaving us alone.

“Claire,” I say, cold fear mixing with hot anger in my chest. “What in the name of God is happening here? Did Jessica go back to the Northern Crown?”

The woman I hired to be Jessica’s companion and personal assistant squares her shoulders in a steely stance. “She’s gone back to the United States, your highness.”

“What?” The anger goes white-hot, spiking through my gut, making my stomach clench. I feel as if I might vomit. “When?” My voice comes out as a low growl.

“Her flight left an hour ago.”

Claire isn’t backing down, and when I see her rigidity, my first instinct is to lash out, shout at her, and tell her she’ll never work in Sainthall Palace again.

Then it finally dawns on me. This is exactly the kind of shit that gets me in trouble in the first place. With Marcus, with my father—every single time I’ve been hurt, resentful, pissed off, I’ve let my emotions get the best of me.

It also occurs to me that Jessica likely couldn’t leave the country without help from someone, and it would have been next to impossible for no one to notice her leaving the palace to go to the airport, yet no one alerted me. Claire must have helped her. As my employee, she shouldn’t have done that without consulting me first.

Yet how can I blame Jessica? After the things I said to her, it’s no fucking surprise she felt her only option was going back to New York City.

And this isn’t Claire’s fault for helping her leave.

It’s mine.

All mine.

I’m the one who did this.

Defeated, I blow my breath out through my lips, then turn my attention back to Claire. Her shoulders are braced. She’s waiting for me to yell at her. She’s waiting for the characteristic Prince Alexander blowup.

Those days are over.

So are my days with Jessica.

“All right,” I say lamely, and her determined expression changes to one of confusion. “Go on with what you’re doing. Let me know when you’ve finished, and I’ll make sure you get reassigned to another position on the palace staff.”

“Thank you, your highness,” Claire says, bewildered. She’s speaking to my back. I’m already retreating, heading for the door and out to what can only be a lonely life.





Chapter Forty-One





Jessica



I’ve been back in New York City for three days, and already Saintland seems like something I imagined.

It’s what I’m thinking about as I wait patiently inside the lobby of an office in a high-rise remarkably similar to the one that housed Colton-Hayes. After leaving so suddenly and giving absolutely no notice, I didn’t even consider asking for my job back at Colton-Hayes.

I had gone immediately to Carolyn’s apartment—and mine, too, I reminded myself—when I deplaned in New York.

She had opened the door, a surprised look on her face, and then pulled me into a hug. “Where’ve you been, Jess? Tell me all about it. Come on. Sit down. I have to know. Right now.” She had taken hold of my elbow and steered me directly to the sofa.

“I was hoping you wouldn’t find another roommate while I was gone,” I had said sheepishly.

She rolled her eyes kindly at me, then disappeared into the kitchen, emerging a moment later with a bottle of wine and two crystal glasses. “Why would I have done that?”

“I did just disappear…for a couple of weeks. And I still owe you rent money for this month.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Jess. Of course, I didn’t replace you. You needed a vacation.” She shrugged. “I did wonder if you’d be back. It wouldn’t be the first time you decided to up and change everything about your life overnight.”

“Yeah,” I agreed with a sigh, accepting the glass of white wine she offered to me. “Changing my life on a whim? Those days are over.”

“What happened?”