Along Came A Prince (24 page)

 “The next thing
to cover is whether it’s to happen in the daytime or night?” Clay asked.

“By day, there are
a lot of people around,” Ryan said. “There’s more of a chance innocent people
will get hurt.”

“You’re right,”
Clay agreed. “It has to be night.” He smiled and relaxed back in his chair. ”We’ve
covered about everything, I think, except when we do it.”

 “Tomorrow night
should give me enough time to get the details worked out. Is that agreeable
with both of you?”

Stacia and Clay
both nodded their heads.

“One thing more,
Clay,” Ryan said. “Can you shoot a gun?”

“With a father who
believes in marching into war to gain back his country at any time, what do you
think? He taught me young how to defend myself, both physically and with a gun
and other weapons. I brought a Glock 22 with me. I’ll call the limo driver and
tell him you’ll pick it up. ”

“Are you licensed
to use it in California?”

“Yes, everything’s
in the gun case.”

Ryan stood up,
grabbed his jacket and headed for the door. “I’ll be back as soon as I get our
plan into high gear.” He turned and glanced at Clay before he opened the door. “By
the way,” he said, “I’m glad you’re here.”

He was sitting at
a desk writing...

It takes a long
time to die when you’re waiting for your own death. It doesn’t happen
overnight, not unless you shoot yourself or do something else that’s quick.

But I don’t
want my life to end too fast. The timing is the most important factor. If it’s
over too fast, Audra might not be able to come for me. Then I would be
struggling through eternity, or whatever it’s called, without her. And we’d be
lost without each other somewhere in time.

Then when we
were reincarnated, I might not find her, and I couldn’t live my next lifetime
without her. My beautiful Audra should be coming for me any day now...at any
time...

Clay awoke with a
start. What the hell kind of dream was that? He didn’t want to die. He had too
much to live for. Cold sweat was crawling all over him, leaving him feeling
like hundreds of spiders were creeping and crawling around on his skin. He
touched his face, and it felt as if he’d been shoved into a freezer. Was this a
dream, or a warning that the icy finger of death was coming to claim its prize?

Snap out of it,
guy,
Clay chastised himself.
You’re in California, in Stacia’s guest
room.
Was his imagination working the night shift because of tonight’s
escape caper?

He tried to
analyze his dream. The Audra part was easy to understand because the
threatening notes Stacia received called her Audra. And death...the stalker was
a killer, and death could result if anything in tonight’s plan went wrong.

Clay finally dismissed
the nightmare as his nerves having tricked his thoughts to reveal the worst
case scenario it could create. Anyway, isn’t that how all nightmares worked? He
got out of bed and headed to the shower, wondering if perhaps he should start
writing fiction. He grinned as he thought that between his imagination and his
dreams, he certainly had a good beginning for the story.

♥♥

Stacia sighed
softly as she woke up, her mind already zeroing in on Clay. They were separated
this morning by a wall instead of an ocean.
Fantastic!

Then, the stalker
and their escape plan clobbered her. Her fast-appearing smile crept away as
worry and fear consumed her once more.

Would they make it
to SwissDen? Or would she or someone else be killed in the process? Was this
destiny’s plan for ending her life? Was her dreaded prophesy of no marriage
being fulfilled?

Enough
questions
, she scolded herself as she tumbled out of bed and made her way
to the bathroom. How she wished a shower could wash away her macabre thoughts
as easily as the water sprays descended her body. She finished her shower,
dried off quickly and dressed. Her mood lightened as her thoughts settled on
the man who’d spent the night on the other side of her bedroom wall.

♥♥

When Stacia walked
into the kitchen, a delicious breakfast awaited her. Seated around the table
were Clay and her brother drinking coffee.

“You’re finally
up, Stace?” Ryan asked. “Clay and I have been for some time now.”

“And someone fixed
breakfast, I see. Who’s responsible for that?” she inquired.

“You mean you
can’t tell my work?” Ryan teased.

“We’ve been going
over our plan for this evening,” Clay said. “Everything seems to be worked out.
Ryan’s going to drive the get-away car.”

“You make it sound
like we’re going to rob a bank or something,” Stacia quipped as she sat down
next to the two men and helped herself to some scrambled eggs, sausage and hash
browns.

“Be serious,
Stace,” Ryan said as he reached for a slice of toast. “I’ve okayed it with the chief,
and I’ll be driving the black Cadillac with the bullet-proof doors and windows.
The department uses it for high-risk visiting dignitaries.”

“Souped-up cars
and the SWAT team equipment. Guns. Bullet-proof cars. We have all the makings
of an action film here.” Stacia smiled and put some of her eggs and sausage
onto her fork. “And I have two handsome guys as stars. What more could any
actress want?”

Clay frowned. “Don’t
take this so lightly.”  

“Believe me, I’m
not.” Stacia set her fork down on her plate. “But if I don’t try to keep things
light, I may fall apart. Whenever I’ve done anything like this before, I’ve
been acting...not gambling with my life.”

“Sorry,” Clay said
immediately. “I think we’re all jittery here. The only thing that will control it
is if we know what we’re going to do backwards and forwards. I just don’t want
to take anything for granted. If I seem too serious, it’s because I can only
have one priority on my mind at a time.” He put his hand over Stacia’s. “And
right now, it’s your safety. Most of the time, it’s just you.”

And right now for
her, the warmth of his hand on hers and the look in his eyes caused pulsations
of delight to skim through her. How she wished they were at SwissDen right now so
she could concentrate on him.

“I have everything
synchronized for ten this evening,” Ryan said, breaking into her thoughts. “Will
that be a problem for you? Is it easier to fly over the ocean in the day or
night?”

Clay shrugged. “It
doesn’t matter with the Gulfstream G650.

“The Gulfstream
G650?” Stacia asked. “What’s that?”

“A jet that can
travel non-stop to Europe from the west coast,” Clay explained. “It travels at
nearly the speed of sound at altitudes up to 51,000 feet. So hypothetically, even
if the killer was chasing us in a commercial airplane, we’d be safe at SwissDen
before he could get to Europe. And I also have my crew with me. They’re in the
plane right now and have been instructed to be ready for takeoff on a moment’s
notice. My crew includes two pilots on board besides me.”

“So all we have to
do is get her to the airport. Good planning on your part, Clay.”

“We haven’t
discussed this, but do you want to come with us?”

“I trust you to
protect Stace,” Ryan said. “Besides, I need to stay here and catch me a
killer.”

A wave of goose
bumps trickled down Stacia’s arms. What if something happened to her brother in
a showdown with the killer? “I wish you’d come with us. SwissDen is incredible.
You’d love it and so would Josie.”

Ryan shook his
head. “No can do, Stace. They need me here.”

“I need you too,”
she said softly.

“You’ll have Clay,
and he’ll take great care of you.” Ryan stood up and walked over to the kitchen
counter. He leaned against it and folded his arms. “You know, Stace, there’s no
way to avoid publicity when there’ll be floodlights, vans backed up to the
doors, and the SWAT team present and ready to move. We’ll block off the traffic
at nine-forty-five p.m. and make certain everyone is inside. No one will be
allowed to come or go from the building after that. At exactly ten p.m., our
exit plan goes into action. Then we move fast.”

“We’ll be on our
way to SwissDen before any news releases can be put out,” Clay said. “Once
we’re there, the paparazzi won’t be able to reach you. And by the time you’re
home again, it’ll be yesterday’s news.”

“I’d better call
Jamie and prepare her. She’ll be bombarded with calls, if it’s like it was
before when Clay and I disappeared.”

“Not a good idea,”
Ryan said. “I know Jamie can be trusted completely, but the less people who
know, the safer you are.”

“I guess it would
work out okay if I called her in the morning.” Stacia began to pick up their
plates and carried them to the sink. Clay started to help her.

“Are you packed,
Stace?” Ryan asked.

“I didn’t think
that far. I wouldn’t even know how many days to pack for,” she said sadly,
turning to face the two men. “This stalker has completely disrupted my life. He’s
terrorized me, and sometimes, I just want to give up. I can’t even leave my
home…until tonight anyway. Yet no matter how badly I feel, it’s ironic, but I’m
the lucky one, when I think of poor Mrs. Melbourne.” She started to tear up.

“Hang in there,”
Clay said as he put his arm around her shoulder. “It won’t be long, and you’ll
be safe and not confined to four walls – once we reach SwissDen, that is.” He
tilted her face toward him and kissed her cheek.

“Think positive, Stace.
When you come home again, you can be in all the California sunshine you want.”

“And will you rip
down those ugly pieces of plywood on my skylights before I get home?” Stacia
asked.

“Will do.” Ryan
pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. “I’m going to give Josie a call. Just
to make sure she still misses me.”

“See, Ryan, that’s
another thing. I complain about what this...
monster’s
done to my life,
and you have to listen to me. Yet, he’s messed up yours and Josie’s lives just
as bad, and you don’t complain. Even you, Clay. You had to cancel whatever
plans you had to come dashing over here to rescue me.”

“You’re worth it,”
Clay said.

“No person is an
island, Stace,” Ryan remarked. “Remember when Grandpa Saunders used to say that
to us when he thought we were being selfish for one reason or another? You need
us now, and you have the right to act just the way you are because of the
stress of your situation. Don’t forget, it’s your life that’s being threatened,
not ours. I don’t want to lose...” He turned suddenly before he finished his
sentence and left the room abruptly.

“Your brother’s a
great guy,” Clay said. “I didn’t have any siblings to love and support me like
he does you.”

“I can’t remember
a time when Ryan wasn’t there for me. My mother said I even took my first steps
to him, and he’s been protecting me ever since. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t
tease me, just to see me get mad.”

“You mean you had
a
red-haired
temper back then too?”

“Well, that’s
another story in itself,” Stacia said and smiled.

The two of them
finished cleaning up the kitchen together, and then went into the living room
to find Ryan to start their countdown to ten o’clock, when the execution of
their escape mission would lead to success...or failure.

♥♥

At precisely nine
fifty-nine p.m., Stacia, Clay and Ryan stood together in her entryway, ready to
burst into the hallway when the countdown ended. All three wore bullet-proof
vests, headgear and other clothing designed for the SWAT team. Ryan held his
gun in his right hand, and Clay had his Glock steadied in his right hand also.
His left arm encircled Stacia’s waist. She covered his fingers with hers and
held on tight.

The only things
Stacia was taking with her were stuffed either in her jeans or her jacket
pockets. Clay had talked her out of bringing any luggage. One less thing to
worry about, he’d said. And it might get in the way in case there was trouble. Besides,
he’d reminded her, she could get whatever she wanted or needed at SwissDen.

The guard at her
front door, with his gun drawn, grasped the doorknob with his other hand, ready
to open the door when Ryan finished his countdown on his mic directly to his chief.
“Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One. Let’s go.”

The door opened,
and Ryan nodded to the men in the hall, then started to lead the way, his gun
aimed straight ahead of him. He glanced to the right and then the left, before motioning
for Stacia to join him. She hurried out the door to take her place behind Ryan.
Clay followed her, cramming his body as close as he could against hers to
protect her.

Ryan began to run.
Slow enough for Stacia to keep up. Fast enough to make good time. She could
barely see over his shoulder as they headed for her private elevator, but she
managed to catch a glimpse of a man she assumed was a detective or from
security holding the door open for them. No time to think of what would happen
if he wasn’t. She had to focus on following Ryan.

They ran through
the short hallway and straight into the confines of the elevator. The man
stepped in and let go of the door. Ryan punched the basement level button. The
door closed and they began to descend.

Nine. Eight. Each
second it took to reach the next floor seemed like an hour.
Why had she
decided to live on the tenth floor?
Seven. Six. Five. A sudden jerk
occurred, and her heart stopped. As quickly as the disturbance happened, the
smooth ride took over once more.

Down. Down. Down,
they went. Fourth floor. Third. Her breath was coming in uneven pants now, as
if she’d been running non-stop uphill, instead of floating downward via the
elevator. Each floor was a minor victory. Second.
Don’t stop now.
First
floor. They reached the basement garage. The door opened silently and the light
from the elevator lit up the get-away-car parked outside it. She heard its
motor running.

A second ticked by,
and it was Stacia’s turn to leave the square box. Clay’s hand on her back
guided her toward the car. Simultaneously the front car door opened, and the
dome light flashed on. Chief Brannigan exited the car, stepped aside and held
the door open in synchronicity with another detective who opened the passenger
side, back door.

Ryan raced the few
steps to the driver’s side, slid into the car and slammed the door shut. Clay
all but pushed Stacia into the back seat and climbed in beside her. His arm
went around her, and he pulled her head down onto his lap. Before he could
close the door, the car lunged forward, and they were off, tires screeching
from the takeoff speed. From her prone position, it felt as if they were
flying.

Brightness
suddenly filled the car. From the floodlights, she assumed. They had made it outside!
She peeked up at Clay’s grim face. He’d discarded his headgear. He looked down
at her and touched her nose. “We’re okay,” he whispered.