Page 73 of The Prince and the Bodyguard
Instead, Charlie slipped inside, closing the door behind her softly. And before I could even say anything, she hugged me. It was so unexpected, so rare that it took me a second to relax and hug her back. I couldn’t even remember the last time she and I had shared a moment like this. It might have even been at Mum’s funeral, and wasn’t that a horrible idea?
“How are you holding up?” she asked when we let go.
“You heard?”
“Father informed me, but I’d already gathered as much from the sounds of shouting coming from Uncle Henry’s study. I take it things went badly?”
“They could’ve gone better,” I said, attempting lightness and failing completely. “I’ve been confided to my room. I’m surprised they even let you in.”
She waved her hand. “I told Father I would try to reason with you, so consider yourself reasoned with.”
“Thank you.” I bit my lip. “They’ve taken Bash. I don’t even know where he is.”
“On his way back to the US.”
My eyes widened. “How do you know?”
She shrugged. “I called in some favors. They drove him to the airport and his private plane is taking off right about now. According to the flight plan, they’re heading to Asheville, North Carolina.”
He was on his way to his parents. Relief flooded me. He was safe, and he would be with people who loved him. Not that I had seriously considered the possibility he might disappear for real, but one never knew. The king certainly had his ways… and plenty of connections to make it happen.
“Thank you,” I said, my voice rough with emotion. “Thank you for finding out.”
She nodded, then pulled something from her pocket, handing it to me. A phone. “It’s secure, untraceable.”
I stared at the device as if it were a lifeline thrown to a drowning man. Which, in many ways, it was. “Charlie?—”
“You need allies, Greg. And you need them fast. Father and Uncle Henry are planning to announce your engagement to Margaret next week, regardless of your objections. They think that once it’s public, you’ll be too embarrassed to back out.”
The casual cruelty of it took my breath away. They were going to force my hand by making my refusal a public humiliation for an innocent woman. “I told them I wouldn’t do it, and I won’t. They can announce it publicly, but they can’t make me go through with it. I’ll refuse. I will cause that scandal, believe me.”
“I know, and I fully support you. But you can’t do it alone, and there’s only so much I can do to help you.” Charlie sat down across from me, her expression serious. “Who do you trust completely? Who would help you without question?”
The answer came immediately. “Floris, Nils, and Tore.”
“Call them. Tell them what’s happening and see if they have any suggestions. I’ll be back in about an hour for an update, okay?”
I nodded.
She kissed my cheek. “Hang in there, Greg.”
I waited until she’d left, then retreated to my bathroom, which was the farthest from the door, so the security officer wouldn’t be able to overhear the conversation.
My hands were shaking as I dialed Floris’s number. Not only was he closest in terms of literal distance, but he was also super practical and level-headed, two traits I desperately needed right now.
He answered on the second ring, his familiar Dutch accent comforting. “Who’s this?”
“It’s me, Floris.”
“Greg? Everything okay?”
“I need your help.” The note of desperation in my voice must have been impossible to miss because he immediately picked up on it.
“What’s wrong?”
So I told him everything.
Floris listened without interruption until I finished, and then he was quiet for a long moment. “Right then. I’m coming to get you.”
