"Stop! We're not going to Dallas because Tori won't be there. She'll be on that bloody plane to London with us. How much rope do we have? And dear god, tell me we have some sort of gag because I don't think she'll go quietly."
Callum's jaw dropped. It was good to know he could surprise his brother. "What the hell are you saying?"
"I'm saying that I'm a Bezakistani citizen and I have rights in this country. We're not going to Dallas on our hands and knees. We're not going to beg. Tori chose to hide in Bezakistan and I'm going to claim my right. Brothers, we're going to steal our bride."
* * * *
Tori looked out over the gardens and wondered if the three brothers were on their plane back to London yet.
Her heart ached at the thought. She would never see them again. Never touch or hold them or even talk to them. Their chats had always been the best part of her day. She'd loved working at Thurston-Hughes. The dynamic environment meant there'd always been something happening, and she'd enjoyed the challenge of dealing with the British press.
Except when the press was after her. She stared out into the night and tried to tell herself she'd done the right thing. She couldn't handle being the center of attention. She couldn't handle their high-profile lives. There was a cost that came with the money and fame. She didn't mind the money, but she loathed the fame. She wanted a quiet life. They couldn't give it to her.
And she couldn't give them what they deserved. She couldn't give them a whole heart because she was too afraid.
"How are you?" Piper asked as she walked out onto the balcony.
At least her sister was still talking to her. She was fairly certain Talib wasn't. When she'd asked him to send the Thurston-Hughes brothers home, he'd become frustrated with her, pushing her to tell him what had really happened. She'd cried until he'd given in but she could tell he'd been deeply disappointed in her.
"I'm fine. I'm ready to head home." Her bags were packed. She'd leave for Texas in the morning mere hours after the best men that ever happened to her got the boot from the country. She wondered if they hated her now.
"Is it really home? I'm not there. You don't have any friends in Dallas, do you? So why is it home?" Piper seemed to feel the need to ask her hard questions today.
But her sister was right. Dallas wasn't home. Tori wasn't even sure she had one. Home was where the people you loved live.
God, home was England, and she would never go back.
"I'm going to make it my home." Tears threatened, but if she showed Piper a single sign of regret, her sage sister would be all over it.
"Tell me why you sent them away. And I swear I will scream if you tell me that they meant nothing to you beyond sex and you're over them."
At least she could answer this one. "It wouldn't work. It was good for a night, but it can't work long term."
"Why not? It works for me."
Tori sighed. "But that's the norm here. The law. Not so much in London."
"You didn't even try to make it work," Piper pointed out.
She fisted her hands at her sides. "I don't have to try. I've watched those men for the last six months. They can't share, not long term. They fight too much. Last night was a moment out of time. It was great … but it wasn't reality. I know you think I'm making a mistake, but I believe everyone going their separate ways is the right thing. London just isn't like here. You saw how the press tore me apart for falling down the stairs. Can you imagine what they'll do if we actually got married?"
"Every marriage has its issues. You won't ever have to worry about money. And don't discount the beauty of that. You'll have every need met. Is there a tradeoff for that? Yes." Her sister leaned against the banister. "But I think you have a skewed view of the world. I'm kind of shocked that I never saw it before. You're very good at hiding it."
"I have a realistic view of the world, Piper. I live out in it. You're the one who's sheltered." She lived in a palace surrounded by guards and loving husbands.
Piper's lips turned up. "Am I? Do you know what I did two weeks ago?"
"I'm sure it was fabulous."
"I visited the border. We have refugees streaming in from the Middle East and we have to figure out how to house them and feed them because we can't turn them away."
The border was dangerous. Though Bezakistan had some cushion from the fighting happening all over the Middle East, it was still dangerous for anyone, let alone a royal. "Did Tal know? He would never let you go in there. Is that why there wasn't any press?"