Going Royal 02 - Some Like It Scandalous (22 page)

“You don’t understand. Richard is Charlie’s best friend in the entire world. I’m going to that hospital and you can go with me and I’ll do exactly what you say to stay safe or you can get the hell out of my way. But if you plan to make me stay here, kidnapping is against the law...” Her voice cracked at the end of the sentence. She couldn’t believe Richard had been hurt. Charlie couldn’t be taking it well—and no matter how cool and remote he was that morning, this was his best friend.

She had to be there.

The security guard held up a hand. “Okay, okay. Breathe.” He flipped out his cell phone and stepped into the elevator. “This is Johnson. I need three unmarked and call in Fisher and Williams. Yes, Miss Novak is joining His Highness at County General.” Inside the elevator, Kyle inserted a key and typed in a code. The doors slid shut.

Anna couldn’t stand still, her right foot tapped impatiently.

“The press already know about the accident, but they don’t have any details. They know His Highness is at the hospital, which means whoever caused the accident may as well. The FBI is on scene, as are LAPD. It could take us a little finessing to get in the door. Stay at my side, and keep your head down until I deliver you. No arguments, if it’s not safe, we’re leaving, understood?”

Her stomach twisted with nausea. “I understand. And thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Mr. Prentiss is a good guy. He didn’t deserve this.”

The elevator doors opened to the garage. Like the day Kyle arrived to rescue her from the house, an SUV waited between two sedans. Two men in each sedan and a driver in the SUV. The garage security officer held the door open and Kyle held her elbow as she slipped inside. They closed the door and Kyle spoke to the other guard before he climbed in.

“Let’s go.” Kyle ordered the driver and gave her a reassuring nod.

The forty-five-minute drive from the tower was nightmarishly long. She sat on the edge of her seat, wearing a sore into the inside of her lip from chewing it. Kyle checked with the detail at the hospital twice—Richard was in surgery and they had nothing new to report.

Flashing blue-and-red lights on the top of three black-and-whites and tape kept the press back from the emergency entrance. The cars pulled right up to the ER and Kyle glanced back at her. “Stay.”

He stepped out first, his eyes hidden behind dark shades. He scanned the area and glanced at the two men exiting the building, dressed identically to him—they seemed to know each other.

He opened her door and the flashbulbs went off and questions were shouted. She did exactly what Kyle told her to do, walking right next to him, shielded on all sides. The three men stayed with her to the elevator and they rode up in silence.

On the surgical floor, the doors opened. Two black-suited security guards stood there, along with an LAPD officer. Kyle still stepped out first and she waited for his hand to extend, motioning her to exit before following. He led her down the sterile hallway with its cream-colored walls. It reeked of antiseptic and industrial cleaners. Only medical staff moved about the quiet floor in their green scrubs—and black-suited security.

She lost count at fifteen.

Her insides trembled as they arrived at a closed door. The guard in front of it opened the door and everything else around her faded away. Charlie stood in the center of the room, his hands in his pockets, his suit jacket gone, a haggard and lonely look frozen on his beautiful face. She dropped her purse in the chair and ran toward him.

He turned as she cleared the door and then she was there, wrapping her arms around him. He remained perfectly still, then he enfolded her, squeezing tight. She closed her eyes and just held on to him. A shudder seemed to ripple through him and he gathered her closer, his face buried against her hair. She didn’t know what to say—what could she possibly say? She held him tighter, just being with him—being there for him.

They stood that way for minutes, or maybe it was hours—she didn’t know and she didn’t care. The door opened. Charlie lifted his head, but he didn’t let her go. “Your Highness, Mr. Prentiss is doing well in the surgery. We had some internal bleeding and we’ve managed to stop most of it. He listed you as having medical power of attorney and I need to discuss the situation with his spleen.”

Charlie cleared his throat. “Go on.”

The doctor cut a look toward her but focused the majority of her attention on Charlie. “The trauma of the accident has left Mr. Prentiss with a lacerated spleen. We’re having trouble stopping the bleeding, we can remove it or we can continue the efforts to halt the bleed and let him recover. But he also has trauma to one of his kidneys and three broken ribs—and we had to reinflate one lung.” The doctor gave them a reassuring smile. “This all sounds very bad, but the majority of the trauma is localized on the organs—our primary task is to stanch the bleeds.”

“And you need my permission to remove the spleen if you can’t?” Charlie’s attention was laser sharp on the surgeon, but worry darkened every syllable.

“The spleen and one kidney. He can survive with one kidney and live a relatively normal life. He’ll need immunizations for the spleen.”

“Do whatever is medically necessary to save his life. If you need specialists, name them and I’ll get them here.” Charlie’s voice was hard, unyielding and blunt.

“I appreciate that, Your Highness. I assure you that Doctor Nelson and Doctor Woodard are the best general surgeons in the state.” The doctor gave him a comforting smile. “I’ll be out to let you know as soon as they are done.”

Charlie said nothing as the doctor left. Anna rubbed her hands against his back, a slow, circular massage. He sighed. “You should be at the tower.” But he made no move to release her.

“I am right where I should be,” she murmured against his chest.

“It’s not safe. Anna, the accident—it wasn’t an accident.” His accent grew more pronounced and his voice huskier, laced with tears and self-recrimination. He blamed himself.

“Shh. I know. Kyle made sure it was clear to bring me in and I stayed right with him all the way to this door.” The tiny surgical waiting room offered no windows and only one door—and that was guarded by a half a dozen of the prince’s security.

“I need to call his family.”

“I can do that.” She leaned back, lifting her chin and studying his face.

Agony writhed in his dark eyes. “I don’t have much to tell them.”

“It’s enough to let them know what’s going on. Is his sister still in London?” Barbara Prentiss was an actress in musical theater.

“Yes. His mother and stepfather are on a cruise.”

“Okay, so it’s—” She looked at the clock on the wall and did the mental math. “After midnight in London. We can wait until after surgery to wake her.”

Charlie nodded jerkily. A muscle ticked in his face. “That might be best.”

“Let’s sit down, okay? Can I get you some coffee? Anything?”

He let her guide him over to an uncomfortable-looking sofa, but held on to her hand and tugged her to sit down when she would have gone to get him a drink. He sandwiched her hand between his and she pressed her head against his shoulder.

“I played racquetball with him today.” He stared at the floor, but she didn’t think he saw anything. “He had meetings and I made him cancel them because I needed a game. If I hadn’t...”

“Don’t do that, Charlie. You had no idea this would happen and you couldn’t have known—”

“Yes, I could.” He cut her off and blew out a harsh breath, his expression growing even more remote. Remote and angry. “I should have known. The threats directed at the family are all being investigated, vetted, and security tightened.”

“But they didn’t threaten Richard.” She understood guilt and pain, but she couldn’t imagine what was going through his mind in this moment. “You can only work what you know.”

“What I know?” He glared at her, and where once upon a time the frosty glaze burning in his eyes might have urged her to step back, she understood grief and pain. “What I know is that when you left, Richard was there. He is my best friend. If I need him, he comes. If I need his advice, he always offers it—hell, even when I don’t.” As quickly as the fury bloomed, it quelled again.

“He would not have been on that road today if I hadn’t needed—”

If you hadn’t needed to talk about me.
He didn’t say it and he didn’t have to. She would have to be blind to not notice his withdrawal or the distrust in his gaze when he looked at her. But she packed all of that away, blocking the kneejerk prick of pain stabbing her heart. She didn’t deserve his trust yet, but he needed her.

“Let me ask you this—if Richard or you realized the danger, do you think he wouldn’t have come?” She moistened her lips. Pushing may not be what he needed, but Charlie rarely backed down and even when she knew him in college, he was more critical of himself than anyone else.

He rubbed her hand between his palms and shook his head slowly. “No. He wouldn’t take security if I threw it at him either. He likes to roam and security is extra baggage.” His lips twisted into a rueful smile. “He traveled with me one summer, between his years at law school. We hadn’t managed to talk much that year—and he needed a change of pace. He said he preferred law school afterwards.”

The snort of laughter wasn’t much, but the lost look on his face faded. “After my father passed, I had to tour all of our properties. It’s far more extensive than many realize...more even than I knew. That year we went to Belgium, India, Egypt and Australia.”

“Australia?” That was a new one. What could his family have there?

“A sheep station. It’s in the middle of nowhere. We flew into Sydney, then another plane to a small airport on the edge of the outback and cars to the station. We had to travel with about eight security guards, two for each vehicle, and then Richard was assigned a personal detail while he vacationed with me. You have never heard so many complaints. He kept trying to slip his guards—testing them he called it. But later—later he told me he hated feeling watched all the time, even when they were discreet. He
knew
they were there.”

Gradually, he sat back, still holding her hand, and she scooted to stay with him. “I’m sure his detail didn’t enjoy him trying to wander away.” She didn’t know Kyle very well, but she could imagine that fierce expression if she tried similar antics.

“They made a game out of it. Richard likes to play cards and so do the guards. So if he won enough hands, they didn’t have to pay up if they didn’t lose him.”

Anna’s mouth opened. “Good grief. Did they lose him?”

“Once.” Charlie nodded, a quick smile passing over his lips like summer lightning slashing the sky.

She admitted to being suitably impressed. She couldn’t even leave the tower without the elevator stopping at the security floor. “Were they very mad?”

“Oh, they were.” Charlie reached up to rub the back of his neck. “Furious. But they paid up without complaint...and he never managed it again.”

“How did he do it?”

Charlie shook his head. “He never told me. Said it was a trade secret.” A small smile fastened to his mouth. “But Rick was the clever one—he used to find ways to sneak women in and out of the dorm, bring in a coffee cart or a kegger...”

“I remember.” Anna smiled a little. “I believe he even snuck me in once or twice—just for your birthday.”

He cut his glance up at her then and surprised pleasure rippled across his face. “I forgot about that.”

“I wanted to do something special for you, but it was spring and you took three extra classes—and you were in the library nearly every night.” She’d almost forgotten this until he mentioned Richard’s habit. “He had me put on a pizza-delivery uniform and I got past the RA, delivered the pizza and traded outfits with the girl in the room...”

“Girl in the room?” Charlie frowned.

“Oh yeah, Richard had his party while you were studying.” She grinned. “I think her name was Melody? Melanie? Melissa? I don’t know. But she was about my height and weight. We traded clothes and she took off.”

“You traded clothes while Richard was in the room?” Charlie’s brows drew together.

“Yes—but he stared at the wall the whole time and I was perfectly respectable underneath.”

“In the black lace cups and thong?” He snorted.

“You liked it.”

“That, I did.” He let go of her hand and slid an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. She snuggled up to his shoulder and sighed.

“He can’t die, Anna.”

“He won’t.” She believed that. “He’s good at sneaking in and out trouble, he’ll get out of this.”

They lapsed into silence, Charlie’s chin resting against her hair. The clock ticked off the interminable seconds. Two hours passed before the door opened again and the doctor appeared. Anna blinked away the hazy doze and sat forward so Charlie could rise.

“Your Highness, Mr. Prentiss is being moved to recovery now. Everything went well, we did remove his spleen and we’ve managed to stop all the other bleeds. It will be a few hours before you can see him and we’ll know more tomorrow about his prognosis, but it looks good—very good—right now.”

Charlie’s shoulders sagged briefly and he bowed his head. “Thank you, Doctor. We will stay here until we can see him.”

The doctor looked like she wanted to say more, but she refrained and left. Anna reached up to touch his hand, but he pulled away and slid the hand into his pockets. “I need to call Barbara now. I can have Kyle take you back to the penthouse. You should get some sleep.”

And just like that, the door between them closed.

* * *

It was well past dawn before Armand made it back to the penthouse. Anna refused to leave, even when he spoke at length with Richard’s sister, his attending surgeons and security. She waited for him, staying in the secure surgical floor waiting room. He managed to coax her into going home to sleep only after she extracted a promise that he would be along directly.

He left his coat and tie in the car, but security would send both up later. He sat with Richard until the attorney’s eyes opened. He wouldn’t likely remember it, but Armand would. Peterson arranged for a detail to remain at the hospital. Richard’s aversion to security aside—he would be in the hospital for several days if not weeks and Armand refused to leave him unguarded.