Alec's Royal Assignment (Man On A Mission Book 3) (19 page)

The king’s eyes gleamed. “So you could see yourself living here...indefinitely?”

“When I first found out I was being posted to Zakhar, I thought I was being rewarded for something, and I still feel that way.” He chuckled. “Your sister told me one of the reasons she loves Colorado is that it reminds her of Zakhar. I’m just the reverse. I love Zakhar partly because the mountains here remind me of the Colorado Rockies. So it won’t be a hardship to stay here until my next transfer.”

“Ah, yes,” the king said. “About that...let me ask you a question, Alec. And before you answer, I would like you to consider everything very carefully.” He steepled his fingers and held them to his lips for a moment, as if he wanted to choose his words wisely.

“Given your stellar accomplishments here, I would not be surprised if a promotion were offered you sometime in the next twelve months. You could accept that promotion, accept relocation to someplace else in the world. Your performance in your new location could easily lead to another promotion a few years down the road. That would not surprise me, either. You have intrinsic leadership qualities, qualities that cannot be taught. They must come from within.”

Slightly embarrassed, Alec felt compelled to say, “Thank you.”

“As I said, you could accept that next promotion, and put in motion a chain of events, the ultimate outcome of which cannot be predicted. Or,” he said, his voice dropping a notch, “you can accept your government’s appointment as the RSO here for the remainder of your career. Until you retire in the normal course of things.”

When Alec just stared at him, the king said, “I have already broached the possibility with the president of the United States. I have offered in exchange unrestricted use of the missile bases your government has here for a reduced fee, for as long as you are the RSO.”

“What?” Probably not the most diplomatic of responses, but Alec was too stunned to say anything else.

“Nothing has been formalized, you understand,” the king was quick to point out. “Nothing
can
be unless you give your assent to the agreement. But your president seemed...amenable.” The king smiled as if he couldn’t help it. “
Eager
is perhaps a better word. He is sure a deal can be worked out that will be mutually beneficial to all parties concerned.”

The first thing Alec thought of was Angelina. Of how his staying in Zakhar permanently would affect the two of them. He’d never be reassigned, and he wouldn’t have to sacrifice his honor to stay here. He would still be able to keep the vow he’d made to Angelina and to himself—
this stops here.

He could author a case study based on his experience at the US embassy in Drago, pointing out the danger signs for other embassies to watch for—not just US embassies but those of their allies, as well—and how to prevent what had happened here from happening anywhere else. He could be a guest lecturer—not just at the DSS training center in DC, but everywhere women were at risk.

And he could be an advocate within the DSS for a stronger focus on fighting human trafficking, not just in Zakhar, but around the world.

Then there were the children he’d reluctantly acknowledged he would never have—
could
never have—because he could never allow himself to be an absentee father. Now he wouldn’t be. Now children were back in the realm of possibility. Children Angelina wanted as much as he did.

“What do you get out of this?” Alec asked abruptly, needing a moment to consider this incredible offer. To figure out exactly what it meant for everyone concerned, not just for him. And why it was being offered. “What’s in it for you? For Zakhar?”

The king smiled his faint smile. “Zakhar gets an incorruptible man at the US embassy. And after the two previous RSOs—corrupt men who made possible a terrible crime against the women of Zakhar—that is not a small thing.”

Alec wasn’t convinced. “That’s not good enough, sir,” he said, automatically using the more formal designation rather than the king’s given name. The king raised his chin and his eyes narrowed, as if he was being accused of lying. “I’m sorry, sir. That explanation might be true, but it doesn’t cover something of this magnitude. You’d be signing away treaty rights indefinitely. And I need to know why.” He hurried to add, “You must know if I accept this offer, I couldn’t owe you anything for it. I couldn’t accept it under those conditions. My loyalty can’t be bought, and it can’t be divided.”

The smile that had disappeared from the king’s face when Alec told him his explanation wasn’t good enough returned. “Loyalty that can be bought is worth no more than a wife who can be bought,” he said in a soft, meaningful voice. “No, Alec, I am not trying to buy your loyalty. I am merely trying to repay my debt. Oh, not to you,” he clarified when Alec started to speak. “To Lieutenant Mateja.”

Alec wasn’t surprised the king knew about their relationship, given what Captain Zale had told him regarding Zakhar’s secret intelligence service. But he
was
surprised the king knew the depth of their attachment. “How did you—” he began, but then stopped short.

“How did I know?” The king picked up a letter from the center of his desk and handed it to Alec. “Because of this.”

Alec skimmed the few sentences, then shook his head in disbelief and began reading it again. Then read it a third time, his thoughts in turmoil.

“Lieutenant Mateja resigned her commission yesterday,” the king told him. “I take it you were unaware she intended to do so?”

Alec shook his head, still in shock. “I had no idea.” His Angel had resigned her commission for him. He hadn’t asked her, couldn’t have brought himself to ask her. But she’d done it anyway. Because she loved him enough to sacrifice everything for him. Because she understood—
really
understood—the sacrifice of his own happiness he was willing to make to be a force for good in the world.

“She gave that letter to her captain, who turned it over to Colonel Marianescu,” the king continued. “My cousin called her in to discuss it at length, and pried the full story out of her. Then he came to see me.”

“I don’t under—”

“I owe Lieutenant Mateja a debt that can never be repaid with money,” the king explained. “And not with honors, a promotion or anything of that nature. She saved the life of my son. Priceless. I would sacrifice my own life for him, but she made that unnecessary. If I can give her the one thing she cannot give herself without tremendous sacrifice—a life with the man she loves—then I will have repaid her for what she has done for the queen and me.”

The king smiled. “
And
I keep Lieutenant Mateja here in Zakhar. Captain Zale has agreed to take over as head of my son’s security detail, a post for which he is eminently qualified. I also plan—but please keep this to yourself for the time being—to promote Lieutenant Mateja to head the queen’s security detail in Captain Zale’s place. Even more than my son, my wife is the most precious thing in my world. I would give anything to keep her safe. I would also give anything to make her happy. She is particularly attached to Lieutenant Mateja, especially after the lieutenant saved our son’s life, and counts her as a friend.”

His smile deepened. “As I said, this way I not only keep Lieutenant Mateja in Zakhar, keep her guarding my wife, but I give her everything her heart desires—her job and you. Can you put a price on those things, Alec? I cannot.”

When the king put it that way, it made perfect sense. Alec realized once again the king was a brilliant tactician. He’d divined the problem and had devised an ingenious solution. All that was necessary for this to work was for Alec to sacrifice certain career possibilities. A sacrifice that was no sacrifice, all things considered.

He’d be doing a job he loved—making the world a safer place—for the rest of his professional career, with the woman he loved at his side. A woman who loved him as fiercely as he loved her, who was willing to sacrifice everything for him. A woman who
understood.

That made his choice easy. “I accept,” he told the king. “Assuming you can swing it with the State Department and the DSS, I accept.”

* * *

Angelina hurried inside her apartment building’s front door to escape the cold, stamped her boots on the rug and impatiently brushed the snow from her hair. After a quick check of her empty mailbox, she headed for the elevator, only to find a discreet out-of-order sign taped by the button.

She sighed. It wasn’t the first time and wouldn’t be the last. She loved her apartment in this older building, especially because of the breathtaking view of the royal palace on the hill and the river winding its way through Drago. But sometimes the inconveniences—such as the elevator breaking down with regularity, or the hot water turning ice-cold without warning—made her yearn for something more modern, more reliable. Although she’d long since accepted the sacrifices she had to make for her charming home, that didn’t stop her from muttering maledictions as she began the trek up eight flights of stairs.

Then she consoled herself with the reminder that she needed the exercise anyway. She’d had to cut her jog short this morning because the overnight snowdrifts hadn’t been cleared yet, and the footing had been hazardous in the extreme.

Still, Angelina was glad when she reached the seventh-floor landing and knew she had only one more flight to go. She turned the corner, her hand on the railing, and stopped short at the sight of Alec sitting on the top step, his head and shoulder propped against the wall. Fast asleep.

Her heart had already been pounding from exertion, but seeing her indomitable Alec waiting for her, his face soft and vulnerable in sleep, kicked her pulse into overdrive and sent a wave of tenderness through her body. She knew—because she’d suffered from the same lack of sleep as he obviously had—that his decision to break things off with her had cost him dearly since she’d last seen him a week ago. Mentally. Emotionally. Physically.

She also knew there could only be one reason why he was here—somehow he’d found out she’d resigned her commission before she could tell him. And he’d come here to...tell her what? That he wasn’t worth the sacrifice? That he couldn’t accept it?

Alec had unilaterally decided to end their relationship the first time around. And though she understood why—because of the way he’d been raised—it was time he learned there were some things he was going to have to compromise on. And a life-altering decision was something that had to be made by both of them...together.

The stairwell door on the bottom floor slammed shut, and faint footsteps mounting the stairs could be heard in the distance. Alec jolted awake, his hand reaching for his SIG SAUER in the same instinctive move Angelina herself would have made.

Their eyes met across the distance that separated them. But instead of the despairing expression she remembered from the last time she’d seen him, now his face glowed with hope. And Angelina’s hope was kindled, too.

She rushed up the stairs, but Alec met her halfway, his arms closing around her in a bear hug that lifted her feet from the ground and threatened to crack her ribs. He did nothing else, just held her tight, not saying a word. But the tiny flame of hope in her heart was fanned into a blaze.

Angelina didn’t know how long they stood there on the stairs, lost in each other’s embrace, but when the footsteps mounting the stairwell below them grew closer, she murmured, “This is not the place. My apartment, yes?”

Somehow they made it into her apartment without letting each other go. And as soon as the door closed behind them Alec was kissing her as if his life depended on it. Angelina matched him kiss for kiss, understanding his fierce need the way she understood
him.

When Alec finally released her long enough for them both to catch their breaths, he pressed his forehead against hers and his eyes squeezed shut. When they opened again she saw that same dampness in them she’d seen when he’d listened to Caterina’s story unfolding. Only this time the emotions he was fighting weren’t painful to watch. This time they gladdened her heart.

“You resigned for me,” he whispered.

“Yes. And no.”

He pulled back slightly and his brows twitched together. “I don’t understand.”

She smiled a little at his bewilderment. “I resigned because I love you, but not
only
because I love you. I also resigned because this is work that
must
be done, and
you
must do it.” She drew a deep breath. “Even though I always intended to eventually resume my career in the law, Alec, it was not an easy decision. Even though I have been seeking job counseling from some of my former law professors, it broke my heart to resign now. But I did not want to put it off, because—”

Air gusted out of Alec’s lungs. “That’s just it, Angel. You’re not going to believe this, but neither of us has to resign. Neither of us has to sacrifice our honor...our duty...to be together.”

Her smile faded. “Now
I
do not understand.”

Alec explained. Quickly. Succinctly. “So you see, there’s no need for you to resign after all. And the king refuses to accept your resignation anyway.” Then he said in a low voice, “I love you, Angel. No one will ever love you more than I do. Please believe that. I just
couldn’t
ask you to give up everything for me—”

“Because you love me,” she said swiftly, cutting him off. “Yes, I know. But I also know your love is rooted in honor, the same as mine. You could not love me otherwise.”

“You
do
understand.” His words were barely above a whisper.

“Of course. The same way you understand me. You could not love me if I were not who I am. And I could not love you if you were anything other than the man you are.” She cradled his face in her hands and kissed him.

When his lips finally left hers—reluctantly—he said, “When I read your resignation letter, I knew you loved me more than I ever dreamed possible. But more important, I knew you understood.” His brown eyes were very dark, very serious. “God—through the king—has given us a second chance, Angel. Has given
me
a second chance at happiness.” A trace of uncertainty colored his next words. “Please tell me we can start over. Please tell me you want there to be an
us
as much as I do.”