Page 6 of Liam

“Ask your team to assemble in the lounge area immediately.” Her voice was haughty and demanding, but it got her the deference she needed in this situation. She may not show it, but on the inside, she shook with nerves. There was a snake in her garden, and she needed to be careful.

“Your highness?” Derek cocked his head in question as he tried to assess her mood, but she hid even the slightest sliver of emotion from him. Derek was not a small man, but she had never sensed danger from him, and she didn’t now, but she couldn’t take the risk.

“Gather your team, now.” Her voice was ice as she spoke, and she saw the surprise in the man’s eyes as he correctly read her mood and the flinty tone as she gave her order.

Derek dipped his head and walked to the door, poking his head around it, ordering his team to do as she had bid.

Taamira resisted the urge to straighten her clothing in a show of nerves as she watched the other four men walk towards her and stand a few feet away. They varied in size, all were large, with compact muscles and a similar vibe to the Fortis men, although she didn’t get that calm confidence from these men that she did with Fortis and Eidolon—something was missing.

Taamira faced the men knowing one of them had betrayed her and still had no idea who it was. All of them had been pleasant with her and seemed good at their jobs. That they would do this shouldn’t shock her, and in some ways, it didn’t, but it did sadden her.

“I am sure you have all seen the picture which was leaked to the press of me in the gym yesterday.” She eyed each man individually, wishing she were better at reading people.

“Princess,” Derek began, but she held up her hand to silence him.

“Given the fact that the only people who have access to that room are the five of you, I have no option but to terminate your employment with immediate effect.”

Five shocked faces looked back at her, and the men began to speak.

“Your highness, I assure you a full investigation is underway,” Derek began.

Taamira turned her gaze on the man who was in charge of this team tasked with keeping her safe from people who would do her harm. Instead, they had invaded her privacy and made her feel weak. “I am glad for that, but it does not change the fact that I can no longer trust any of you with my privacy or my safety. Therefore, you are relieved of your duties. Effective immediately.”

Derek locked eyes with her, and she held her ground even as her hand began to tremble. Then he nodded, and she almost sagged with relief.

“As you wish, Princess. But I will remain in the vicinity until a replacement is appointed. To leave you without any protection is not in my nature as a guard or as a man.” Derek then tipped his head and ushered his stunned men from the room.

Taamira called to him as he got to the door. “I will have your key passes.”

She held out her hand to him, and he slid his hand into his pocket and handed her the pass, then took the ones his men held out. Once she had gathered them together, she nodded, and Derek and his team left the suite, closing the door silently behind them.

As he did, Taamira gripped the back of the cream leather couch and let her body sag with the weight of what she had done. Firing her entire protection was probably a very foolish move and would play right into the hands of anyone who wished her harm. But she could not be around people she didn’t trust. She had lived that life, where every word uttered, or action had to be twisted inside out and examined to see if damage was the outcome they intended.

Walking on slightly wobbly legs, but with her head held high, she moved to the door and secured the chain. Then she walked to the bedroom and closed the door, pushing a chair underneath the handle.

Sitting at her desk, she looked at her image again as she moved the trackpad and woke the laptop from sleep. Her hair was wet and plastered to her neck, sweat running down her chest between her breasts. The tight workout clothes would be considered scandalous among her family and her people, and she worried what they would think. But as she looked at her reflection, she was reminded again of the oppression her sisters faced; this seemed like one more example of that.

The men of her realm were permitted to wear whatever they chose, even going shirtless on the beaches. The women had to cover themselves for fear the men would not be able to control their sexual urges and they would get the blame.

While she would not have gone this far in public given a choice, she did hope to elicit change and conversation among the people of standing who created the rules in her world. Being that they were predominantly male, she knew it was an uphill battle, but ever since her sexuality was used as a weapon against her, she had known that change was needed in her country.

Men of all religions, of all lands, needed to see that women were equals. That to use the threat of rape against a woman was a charge equal to murder in her eyes and should be tried and judged as such in every country.

For now, though, she had to figure out what she would do regarding her safety and only one person came to mind.

Liam.

Picking up her phone, she knew if she called him, he might refuse, the thought of being rejected by him scared her more than the threat. She called Jack instead, knowing he would enforce his cooperation if she demanded it.

Once again pulling her mental shield into place and putting on the mantle of a Princess, she made the call.

“Yes?” Jack was curt and to the point, but he had also offered his own life to protect his sister-in-law, and she knew for a fact she would never have survived that attack without him.

“It’s Taamira.” She’d asked him to drop the Princess a long time ago, even as she forced Liam use it.

“What can I do for you, Taamira?” Jack asked in a gentle tone that she had come to expect from him. It was almost brotherly, and she wished with all her heart her own brother had been more like Jack.

“I’m in a bit of bother.”