Chapter 15

FIFTEEN

Cooper

I fall asleep the moment I get back to the room, forgetting all about dinner and the conversation Natalia and I didn’t have a chance to finish. Rushing out of here, the slide, and then the stairs back—although I got to use the elevator once we were back in the main part of the palace—wore me out. I don’t even recall waking up when she eventually joined me in bed.

She left me a note, though, telling me she would be back to have lunch together if I felt up to it.

I realize it’s almost eleven thirty, so I drag myself out of bed to shower, shave, and clean up a little. I feel grungy all the time, which isn’t like me, but fuck, I’m so tired and sore. I’m not real thrilled about the tooth I’m missing either. I saw a dentist both in Germany and since I’ve been here, and both say I can get a bridge or an implant once the gums heal. The implant is more permanent, but the bridge requires less healing time and will happen faster, so that’s the way I’m leaning.

I’ve just pulled on clean sweats when Natalia comes in.

“Hi.” She smiles at me.

“Hey, beautiful.” I walk over and press my lips to hers.

It wasn’t meant to be a precursor to sex, but the minute we touch I can’t seem to stop myself from kissing her like our lives depend on it.

“I don’t have time,” she whispers against my mouth as she pulls away. “I’m sorry.”

“Shit. I’m the one who’s sorry. I attacked you the minute you came in.”

“Believe me, I like it. Save some for tonight.”

“I will.”

We stay that way, with my arms around her, her lean, warm body pressed against mine, for a minute or so before there’s a knock on the door.

“I ordered lunch,” she explains. She opens the door and takes a tray from someone. “Just soup and sandwiches because I really only have about twenty minutes.”

I help her set up on her desk.

“You know under normal circumstances, twenty minutes would be plenty of time,” I tease.

She laughs. “I’m sure it would, but I have something to ask you.”

“Shoot.” I sink into a chair and take a bite of the sandwich she brought me, which is delicious.

“How would you like to escort me to a black-tie ball next month?”

I arch my brows. “I’d love to. I don’t have a tux, though.”

“We’ll take care of that. It’s a work event for me, I’ll be on duty with the queen, but they like us to stay casual during events held at events outside the palace.”

“Where is it being held?”

“In Paris.” Her eyes twinkle. “And I’ve never been.”

“Me either.” I grin back. “I’m looking forward to spending an evening with you wearing grown-up clothes.”

“Me too.” She looks incredibly excited. “And Casey’s going to buy me a gown.”

“I’m picturing something slinky. Red. With a slit.”

She has a flirty smile on her lips. “Uh huh. I need somewhere I can hide a thigh holster, but yeah. All of that. I like red.”

“Will you have any time off?”

“I’m not sure yet. Sandor said he would try but it really depends on how many of us go on the trip. Everyone can’t go, because there have to be people here to protect the kids and everyone not going. Right now, it looks like me, Joe, Ace and Daniil.”

“Four of you to protect the king and queen?”

“Along with a couple of Royal Guards.” She takes a sip of soup. “It’s hard. There’s only ten of us right now, if you include me, and I still haven’t been officially sworn in. Axel lives in Las Vegas since he’s assigned to Sasha’s detail.”

“Sasha is Casey’s adult daughter?”

“Right. And Axel’s wife, Solange, is there too. She’s also in training, but for the Cyber division of the Royal Protectors. Right now, the Cyber Security Division is just Jonas. Solange is getting her degree at the university there, and then will train with Jonas directly when she’s done. Dax is only halfway through his training—he’s in Iraq now—but he’ll need a little more time to finish up when he gets back. And right now, Lennox is on maternity leave. So we’re short-staffed. They’ll be running on a skeleton crew while we’re gone.”

“Would it be better if I stayed behind?” I ask quietly. “Just in case something happens and they need help from someone they trust who can handle a gun?”

She smiles. “I actually mentioned that at the briefing, and Joe thinks it’s better for you to be with us in Paris, for the same reason. From the outside looking in, I’m just part of the queen’s entourage and you’re my date or boyfriend. Daniil is a prince, so his presence is expected because he’s part of the royal family. No one outside of our inner circle understands that he’s a Royal Protector in addition to a prince and the Minister of Defense.”

“Damn. So even when Solange and Dax finish training, there will only be twelve of you?”

“Give or take. Sandor has a few others in mind, but he hasn’t told us who they are or when they may become available.”

“What’s the ideal number of Royal Protectors?”

“Fifteen regular, three cyber. And Joe is already in his sixties, so his days of actively protecting the king are limited. Though you probably shouldn’t repeat that.”

“Never.” I finish my sandwich in a couple of bites. “Well, if they need me, I’m willing and able to help. I’m not a hundred percent, but if we’re talking about holding down the fort, I can definitely do that.”

“All I want you to worry about is getting better.” She finishes off her soup, wipes her mouth, and stands up. “I really do have to get back to work, but I’ll be here for dinner. Probably by seven. If you want to go ahead and order for us, we can eat a little earlier.”

“Okay.” I watch as she grabs her things and heads out, and it annoys the hell out of me that I can’t go too.

Intellectually, I know this isn’t some sort of weakness on my part. I’d been beaten and tortured, so my body needs time to heal. But it’s the first time I’ve had any kind of debilitating injury since I broke my arm in the third grade. And watching the woman I’m involved with— my woman—go off to her dangerous and physically taxing job without me is killing me.

Last night’s drill just drives home the fact that I’m not ready to get back to normal yet, but I’m also bored out of my mind.

I pull on socks and shoes and say a mental prayer that I can find my way down to the security offices. I’m sure someone can direct me, but I always like to orient myself when I’m in a new place, so I’d like to figure out the lay of the land.

I make my way down the hall and see multiple elevator banks. After last night’s experience, no way I’m taking the stairs. I step inside one of the elevators and stare at the panel. The security offices are on the second floor, but there’s only one button, and it doesn’t have a number or any marking.

That’s weird, right?

I wish I’d thought to bring my phone, but I don’t really need it here. Who’s going to call me? And what’s the worst thing that can happen? I wind up in the garage and have to ask somebody to tell me where I went wrong.

I push the button and wait as the doors close.

It feels like I’m going up and then the doors open again.

I step out and freeze.

Where the hell am I?

It looks like the foyer of a nice house, with a chandelier and beautiful flooring.

A startled maid comes around the corner and shrieks, dropping the linens in her hand. Then she starts yelling and the next thing I know Erik comes around the corner with a gun pointed at my head.

“Hey, it’s just me!” I immediately put my hands up so he doesn’t do anything rash.

“Jesus fucking Christ.” He lowers the gun and shakes his head, saying something in Limaji to the poor maid, who’s now hyperventilating.

“What are you doing here, Ryan?” Casey asks as she joins in soothing the maid.

“I’m so sorry,” I say, grimacing. “I saw an elevator and got on it. I thought I was going down to find Joe but somehow wound up here…” I pause. “Where is…here?”

Erik chuckles. “This is what is formally called the Royal Apartment.”

“Also known as our home,” Casey adds, bending to help gather the discarded linens.

“Oh hell. I’m so fucking sorry.” I start to back away. “I was bored and thought I’d start learning my way around. I apologize. Truly.” I look at the maid. “How do you say I’m sorry in Limaji?”

“ Zignomi ,” Erik replies. “But she speaks a little English.”

“ Zignomi ,” I tell the woman, who looks about forty. I put my hand on my heart. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Is okay.” She manages a shaky smile.

“My name’s Ryan. I’m Natalia’s friend.”

She nods, murmuring something I don’t understand but she seems calmer now.

“Well, since you’re here, and I was just about to go back to work, let’s walk together.” He hands Casey the gun and she seems to know what to do with it, taking it as she walks away.

“You and Natalia need to come for dinner,” she says over her shoulder.

“You ready to learn where the correct elevator is?” he asks.

“Yes, sir. And I truly do apologize.”

He waves a hand. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sorry I pulled a gun on you, but Lita screamed ‘intruder,’ and after all the attacks, we tend to react quickly.”

“Of course. Understandable.”

I still feel like an idiot, but he doesn’t seem upset.

“So, there’s a direct elevator from the floor most of the Protectors live on to our apartment so they can get to us quickly. It’s not marked for obvious reasons, but we’ll go back to your floor and start over so you can see the difference.” He pushes the same button, and we wind up back where we started.

We step out, and he points. “That’s the elevator that will take you to the security offices and pretty much anywhere else you want to go. Our elevator has no distinct markings, but you’ll know you’re in the wrong elevator because there’s only the one button.”

“Got it.” I make a note of which side of the hallway the other elevator is on. Coming from Natalia’s room, it’s on the left, and I’m left-handed, so that should be easy to remember. I hope.

We get into the correct elevator and as expected, there are a bunch of options. He points. “Basement, which you should avoid. If you go there, you won’t like it.”

I grimace. “Dungeon?”

“Dungeon. Interrogation rooms. Jail cells.”

“Noted.”

“Garage.” He points. “And then the regular numbers. This the ground floor, we call it zero here. That will take you to the main kitchens, one of the indoor pools, the gym, stuff like that.”

“Is there a map?”

“There is.” He pushes the button with the number two on it. “If you’re looking for Joe or even me, this is where you’ll go.”

“I feel like an idiot.”

He laughs. “No big deal. Other than poor Lita.”

“You could have killed me,” I point out.

“And I would have.” He’s suddenly serious. “We don’t play around with intruders. And Lita hasn’t met you yet, so we need to rectify that with the staff. They know Natalia has a guest, but they haven’t all seen your face. We should probably circulate a picture. It just makes things easier.”

“Whatever you think.”

“Good morning.” Joe and Sandor look up in surprise as we walk into the surveillance room.

“I found a stray,” Erik says, “who wandered into the apartment and scared the hell out of Lita.”

Sandor grimaces. “Did she get you with the frying pan?”

I pretend to shudder. “No. Erik almost shot me, but that sounds preferable to a frying pan.”

“Cast iron,” Joe adds. “It wouldn’t be pretty.”

“The plan is to learn my way around so this doesn’t happen again,” I say.

“Well, I have some calls to make, so I’ll leave you in these capable hands,” Erik says. “And we’ll figure out a time to have dinner.”

“Thank you.” I watch him disappear around the corner and then groan.

“Jesus. That is not the impression I wanted to make on my girlfriend’s boss.”

Sandor shrugs. “Technically, I’m her boss, so you’re okay. Unless Erik decides he wants you beheaded.”

I make a face. “That’s okay as long as it doesn’t reflect badly on Natalia.”

Joe shakes his head. “We walk a line here between hardcore diligence when it comes to safety and low-key when it comes to personal relationships, friendships, and how we behave with Erik when we’re off-duty, so to speak. It was an honest mistake. This is the first time we’ve had actual guests on the floor where most of the Protectors live, and we should have thought to warn you about the direct elevator.”

“Isn’t Natalia normally with Casey?” I ask in confusion.

“Yes, but Erik went home for lunch today, so she went to run an errand for me. She’ll be back in a little while.”

“Look, if you have a map, I can find my way around. I just wanted to wander because I’m bored out of my fucking mind. Mark where I’m not allowed to go, and I’ll steer clear.”

“Nothing is off-limits except the private residences,” Sandor says. “The king’s, mine, etc. If you walk into the kitchen, someone will try to feed you. If you wander into the laundry room, they’ll be confused but they’ll smile and hand you towels. Garage is expansive and the guard and mechanic down there will probably tell you that you don’t have permission to take a car.” He shrugs. “So really, there isn’t a lot of trouble you can get into beyond private residences. Because I promise you Lennox will shoot first, ask questions later.”

I nod. “Understood.”

Joe hands me a map and shows me where we are, as well as where Natalia’s room is, so I have some perspective. I study it and then nod. “I think I’m going to head to the gardens. Is that okay? I’m not used to being inside so much.”

“Sure. You might see some of the preschool-age kids—their teacher takes them outside when it’s nice, but otherwise, it’s peaceful. Don’t wander into the woods until you’ve learned your way around. Not because it’s dangerous, but there are guards and it’ll turn into a whole thing.”

“Great. Thank you. Sorry to have been a problem.”

“You’re not a problem.” Joe smiles. “We’re happy to have a friendly face around. I’m usually off on Wednesdays, so as you’re feeling better I’d love to play a round of golf or head into the city for a beer. I don’t get out much.”

“Sounds good.” I stuff the map in my pocket and head for the elevator again.

I’ve had about all the excitement I can handle today.

A walk outside sounds great.

Then I’ll be ready for my nap.

Jesus.

Just thinking the word nap makes me want to cringe.

I’m not a good patient, so I’m going to need to get back on my feet sooner rather than later.