brioche.”
Turning on his heel, he walked past the photographer who was still snapping pictures. His hand shot out and grabbed the camera before the man knew what was happening.
“Hey!” the paparazzo yelled out.
Dane flipped him a business card. “Call this number in the morning,” he said. “You’ll get your camera back. In the meantime, I’ll babysit it for you.”
“Hey,” the man yelled again, following but not quite daring to do anything about it. “You can’t do that!”
But he’d already done it, and he was out the door and into his waiting Aston Martin before anyone could stop him.
CHAPTER TWO
ALEXANDRA Acredonna, only daughter of Luther Acredonna, recently deposed leader of the Nationalists, whose rule of Carnethia was ended by Crown Prince Dane, his father and his brothers, was in despair.
It had been a huge mistake to come out in public. She shouldn’t have risked it. It had been so long, and she’d been so hungry for some sort of social contact, that when some dear friends had invited her to a birthday celebration at Chic’s, she’d been too tempted to turn the offer down. She’d gone, swearing she would only be at the club for an hour, in and out, gone before there would be time for anyone to notice her and send out the word.
But it hadn’t worked out that way. Dane had obviously been tipped off. Which meant there might be someone in her entourage who was giving information to the Montenevadas. A chilling thought. If they had leaked once, they would leak again.
She stared into the dressing room mirror, trying to concentrate on solutions. She had to be supersecret and supercareful from now on. She was going to have to become more disciplined. Ridding herself of all the people around her was the first step. Only one or two of her closest advisors should know where she was at any given time.
She was staying at the Lion’s Mane Hotel here in Darnam. It was a huge place and she’d registered under an assumed name and taken one of the cheaper suites for her party, so she’d thought she would be lost in the shuffle.
No such luck. Now she was back in the hotel room, looking forward to a long, sleepless night and wondering who among her people might be a traitor.
But most of all, she was thinking about Dane.
She’d been shocked to see him standing there in the club. He’d looked good—healthier than when she’d seen him last. Her heart had seemed to jump in her chest when she saw him. Every cell, every nerve, came more alive than ever. She saw things, felt things, she didn’t see or feel when he wasn’t near. She knew she would never be free of the emotions he conjured up in her just by being within reach.
The way he’d looked at her! The way his blue eyes had penetrated her self-confidence and stripped her to the bone. For a moment she’d been afraid she had no defense against him. But she’d regained her balance quickly enough and pushed through that to find her inner strength.
Still, she knew now that he was on to her. He’d heard things. He probably wasn’t sure of the facts yet. If he’d been sure, he would have done more than dance around the subject. He would have grabbed her, thrown her over his shoulder and carried her out of that place if he’d known for certain that she’d had his child. And next time, that was probably what he would do.
Her cell phone rang and she picked it up, expecting to see one of her brothers’numbers on the screen. But no. The number wasn’t one she recognized. Again her heart began to thump in her chest. It had to be Dane.
She wouldn’t answer. She’d just let it ring. Biting her lip, she tried to stand firm on that. One more ring and she crumbled.
“Hello?” she said breathlessly.
For a beat or two there was silence.
“Did I wake you?” he said at last, and she let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.
“Of course not,” she managed to say airily. “But you are interrupting,” she added, lying through her teeth and unapologetic about it. “I’m having a nightcap with a…friend,” she added, making sure to imply the friend was male.
He chuckled. “No, you’re not.”
She hadn’t thought he could get more infuriating, but she’d been wrong.
“Prove it,” she demanded. “How could you possibly know what I’m doing in my own hotel room?”
“Prove that you’re not two-timing me with someone else?” he said mockingly. “Isn’t that your role?”
That statement was too outrageous to challenge. He might as well have accused her of having an affair with a Martian. She wasn’t even going to dignify it with a comment. At least, she knew she shouldn’t. But in the end, she was just too irritated to let it pass.
“How could I be two-timing a man I haven’t seen for six years until tonight?” she demanded reasonably.
“Are you going to ignore that week during the last month of the war?”
She drew her breath in sharply, wondering how much he remembered, how much he was just fishing in the dark. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I think you do, Alex. I’m sure you remember more about our last encounter than I do. I was unconscious most of the time, after all.” His voice hardened. “But bits and pieces of that scene are beginning to clear up for me. And what I’m looking at presents quite an interesting picture.”
She closed her eyes, wishing she knew how to convince him to drop his probing. Wasn’t there something she could say, something she could imply? “Your imagination is working overtime.”
“You think so? Well, that’s exactly what we need to talk about. See you in the morning.”
“Wait,” she said, her fingers clenching the cell phone tightly. “How did you get my number?”
“I’m the head of state of a country with an intelligence service, Alex. You should remember that. Your family used to be in charge here, and I know you had one. Our people are a little rusty, but they’re getting the hang of these things.”
“Of course,” she said softly.
“See you in the morning,” he said again.
She closed her phone without answering.
She shivered, her heart in her throat. It was time she faced facts. She was at such a disadvantage. He had all the power now, and she had none. If he knew the truth, if he was sure, he would find ways to take her baby from her. She had to do something to protect him, to protect herself.
She would take measures. She would become even more elusive. She would dye her hair and wear a veil and…and…
She groaned. No matter. He would find her. And he would find the truth. It was only a matter of time. What could she do?
Run. That was the only thing she could think of. Run and hide and keep running.
For how long?
She closed her eyes.
For as long as it took.
“Excuse me, miss.”
She looked up. Grace, the new nanny, was in the doorway looking hesitant. Or was she looking guilty? Was she the one who’d snitched? Alex winced. Was she going to have to go through the rest of her life not trusting anyone?
“What is it, Grace?” she asked.
“I know it’s late, but the baby’s fussing a bit. I thought maybe…”
She nodded, feeling her milk come in. The anticipation of holding her child made her smile despite everything. “Of course. I’ll be right there.”
Baby Robbie was the one shining bit of happiness in her life.