him?”
“Aaron rescued her,” he said. Because his fellow royal bodyguard was madly in love with Charlotte. “I got shot when we went back to where she’d been held captive and tried to discover who was behind the kidnapping.”
She drew in a quick, sharp breath. “But he was caught, right?”
He nodded, wishing again that he’d been part of the takedown. But he’d been knocked out cold from the painkillers the doctor who’d stitched up his gunshot wound had given him.
“Who was it?” she asked, her eyes wide with fear. She must have figured out that she—not Charlotte—had been the kidnapper’s intended hostage.
He drew in a deep breath, hoping to distract her. He was only responsible for her safety, not a debriefing. “We need to get back to St. Pierre, and the others can explain everything.”
Anger flashed in her eyes again, and she narrowed them. “If you’re not going to tell me what I want to know, why should I tell you?”
Debriefing wasn’t part of his job, but he hadn’t made any promises to lie to her. Only to keep her safe. “The kidnapper was Prince Linus Demetrios.”
She gasped at the name of her ex-fiancé. “No. Linus wouldn’t have shot you. He would never hurt anyone. He’s not capable...”
As sheltered as her life had been, she had no idea of what desperate men were capable. He hoped she never found out.
“He actually wasn’t responsible for my gunshot wound,” Whit admitted. “But he was responsible for Charlotte’s kidnapping.”
“He thought she was me?” she asked, her voice cracking with emotion and those dark eyes filling with guilt.
He didn’t want to tell her, didn’t want to make her feel worse. But he wouldn’t lie to her, as everyone else had. So he just nodded.
“But why would Linus want to kidnap me?”
“He didn’t want to lose you,” Whit said. While he didn’t appreciate the man’s methods, he understood his reasoning.
“How was kidnapping me going to keep me?” she asked. “Did he intend to never let me go? To hold me captive forever?”
Whit sighed and figured he might as well explain the man’s twisted plan as best he understood it. “He intended to get you pregnant, so he would have a claim to St. Pierre through an heir.”
Hurt flashed across her face. “Of course he didn’t really want me. He wanted my country.” Her eyes widened with shock. “Did he...hurt Charlotte?”
“No. He was going to go about it artificially, but she was already pregnant—”
“Charlotte’s pregnant, too?”
“Yes,” he said. “With Aaron’s baby.”
Her pain and indignation forgotten, she smiled. “That’s wonderful. And the baby is all right despite her being abducted?”
“Fine,” he assured her. “She’s fine. You can see for yourself soon enough.”
She shook her head. “No...”
Was she refusing to return or was she denying something else entirely? “What do you mean?”
“That plan couldn’t have been Linus’s alone. He wasn’t that clever or that conniving,” she said. “But his father...”
“His father?” At the ball, he’d been warned to be especially vigilant of King Demetrios after Gabby’s father made his announcement changing her engagement. The man had been enraged, but he hadn’t spoken a word, just left in a blind fury.
“King Demetrios was determined to join his country to St. Pierre,” she explained. “He could have masterminded the whole plot.”
And if that plot had been thwarted, would he have stepped in again with the help of the man who tried grabbing Gabby in the airport? Maybe his son’s arrest hadn’t stopped his machinations.
“Is everything all right?” a woman’s voice—as soft and sweet as Gabby’s—asked.
Whit turned toward the doorway, toward the woman who, except for having white hair instead of golden brown, looked exactly like Gabby. He glanced from her to the princess and back—just in confirmation of what he already knew.
And seeing the look of
“Aaron rescued her,” he said. Because his fellow royal bodyguard was madly in love with Charlotte. “I got shot when we went back to where she’d been held captive and tried to discover who was behind the kidnapping.”
She drew in a quick, sharp breath. “But he was caught, right?”
He nodded, wishing again that he’d been part of the takedown. But he’d been knocked out cold from the painkillers the doctor who’d stitched up his gunshot wound had given him.
“Who was it?” she asked, her eyes wide with fear. She must have figured out that she—not Charlotte—had been the kidnapper’s intended hostage.
He drew in a deep breath, hoping to distract her. He was only responsible for her safety, not a debriefing. “We need to get back to St. Pierre, and the others can explain everything.”
Anger flashed in her eyes again, and she narrowed them. “If you’re not going to tell me what I want to know, why should I tell you?”
Debriefing wasn’t part of his job, but he hadn’t made any promises to lie to her. Only to keep her safe. “The kidnapper was Prince Linus Demetrios.”
She gasped at the name of her ex-fiancé. “No. Linus wouldn’t have shot you. He would never hurt anyone. He’s not capable...”
As sheltered as her life had been, she had no idea of what desperate men were capable. He hoped she never found out.
“He actually wasn’t responsible for my gunshot wound,” Whit admitted. “But he was responsible for Charlotte’s kidnapping.”
“He thought she was me?” she asked, her voice cracking with emotion and those dark eyes filling with guilt.
He didn’t want to tell her, didn’t want to make her feel worse. But he wouldn’t lie to her, as everyone else had. So he just nodded.
“But why would Linus want to kidnap me?”
“He didn’t want to lose you,” Whit said. While he didn’t appreciate the man’s methods, he understood his reasoning.
“How was kidnapping me going to keep me?” she asked. “Did he intend to never let me go? To hold me captive forever?”
Whit sighed and figured he might as well explain the man’s twisted plan as best he understood it. “He intended to get you pregnant, so he would have a claim to St. Pierre through an heir.”
Hurt flashed across her face. “Of course he didn’t really want me. He wanted my country.” Her eyes widened with shock. “Did he...hurt Charlotte?”
“No. He was going to go about it artificially, but she was already pregnant—”
“Charlotte’s pregnant, too?”
“Yes,” he said. “With Aaron’s baby.”
Her pain and indignation forgotten, she smiled. “That’s wonderful. And the baby is all right despite her being abducted?”
“Fine,” he assured her. “She’s fine. You can see for yourself soon enough.”
She shook her head. “No...”
Was she refusing to return or was she denying something else entirely? “What do you mean?”
“That plan couldn’t have been Linus’s alone. He wasn’t that clever or that conniving,” she said. “But his father...”
“His father?” At the ball, he’d been warned to be especially vigilant of King Demetrios after Gabby’s father made his announcement changing her engagement. The man had been enraged, but he hadn’t spoken a word, just left in a blind fury.
“King Demetrios was determined to join his country to St. Pierre,” she explained. “He could have masterminded the whole plot.”
And if that plot had been thwarted, would he have stepped in again with the help of the man who tried grabbing Gabby in the airport? Maybe his son’s arrest hadn’t stopped his machinations.
“Is everything all right?” a woman’s voice—as soft and sweet as Gabby’s—asked.
Whit turned toward the doorway, toward the woman who, except for having white hair instead of golden brown, looked exactly like Gabby. He glanced from her to the princess and back—just in confirmation of what he already knew.
And seeing the look of
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