Pregnant with the Prince's Child (11 page)

She hadn’t been there long before Kylos came sauntering into the room, dressed in black, as usual. She looked up and gave him a slight smile. She assumed his twitch was his answering salute. She went back to the magazine and he slipped into a chair beside her, looking just as tense as she felt.

“Have you heard anything?” he asked.

“No. Nothing.” For a moment she thought they were going to have a bonding moment over the fate of his brother. He really seemed to care. A small wave that was almost affectionate went through her.

“I guess it was pretty much a surprise to you when he was told he was one of the lost princes,” she commented.

“Not really,” he replied, a pinch of bitterness in his tone. “Mykal always gets the gold ring. It seems to be his birthright.”

“Yes,” she said faintly. “I know what you mean.”

“And what about you?” He leered at her. “How do you think someone like you is going to hang on to him?”

She blinked at him. “What do you mean?”

“I told you I was going to look into your background. I’ve already found out a few things.”

Icy fingers traveled up and down her spine. “Like what?”

“Never mind.” He leered again, acting as though he liked making her wait. “I’ll talk to you about this later.”

She shrugged, reminded of how annoying he was. But she couldn’t think about her own problems right now. She had to worry about Mykal.

He moved restlessly. “What do you think? Is he going to die?”

She looked up, shocked. “No, he’s not going to die! Where did you get such a ludicrous idea?”

He shrugged, looking uncomfortable. “I thought the shrapnel was pretty deep and pretty bad, and since they kept saying—”

“He’s not going to die.” She said it with passion, but she shivered deep inside. “What we’re hoping for now is that he has no impaired motion. That his legs will work. That the operation won’t leave him damaged in any other way.”

Kylos frowned. “He probably won’t be needing the pain medication anymore, huh?”

She stared at him, wondering at such a strange question. But then, Kylos was a strange man. “I have no idea.”

He growled. “He shouldn’t have done it.”

“I’ll tell you this. If this operation is successful and he comes out in good health and spirits, we’re both going to tell him our secrets. Aren’t we? I’m going to tell him who I really am and you’re going to tell him about your parents. Right?”

“Are you crazy? He won’t be ready to hear about that. Not for days.” He shook his head and muttered, “Not for at least a few more days,” but she had a feeling that wasn’t really meant for her to hear.

“Kylos, do you have a job?”

“Of course I have a job. Well, I do contract work.”

“What sort?”

He took a deep breath and let it out. “Okay, here’s the deal. I went to law school. But the dean had it in for me so I never finished. But I got enough so that I can do some kinds of paralegal work. And that’s what I do.”

“Freelance?”

“Sort of. I’ve got a good friend, Leland Lake. He’s an attorney and he hires me for various things.”

She went back to her magazine. He moved nervously for a while, then got up to visit the restroom. Looking over at the seat, she noticed he’d left his mobile behind. And almost immediately, it rang.

She had to make a decision. His ring tone was awful, shrill and demanding. It seemed to echo off the waiting-room walls. It was way too loud. It had to be stopped.

Ordinarily she wouldn’t answer someone else’s phone like this, but the noise was unbearable. Snatching it up, she flipped it on and said, “Yes?”

“Kylos Marten, please.”

She recognized the voice. It was Griswold, the daily butler.

“He’s not here right now, but this is Janis Davos. Hi, Griswold.”

“Oh. Hello, miss.”

“Can I give him a message?”

“Uh… Oh, well, why not? Please tell him that the party in question has arrived.”

“Okay, Griswold, you’re going to have to be a bit more specific. What party in question?”

He paused, then said, “The people interested in the house. He’ll know what I mean. Tell him I will escort them about the grounds until he gets here, unless he calls and tells me differently.”

“I see.”

“Just tell him that. Thank you, miss.”

Janis sat very still with her lips pressed together, thinking that over as she waited for Kylos to come back. And when he did, she waited until he had picked up his phone and began to take his seat.

“You had a call.”

He reacted badly. “What! You answered it?”

“I had to stop the noise.”

“That’s not noise.” He seemed quite offended. “That’s my favorite band.”

Rolling her eyes, she told him, “Griswold says the people interested in the house have arrived and he will go ahead and escort them about while waiting for you to show up.” She frowned, gazing at him sharply. “What are you doing, selling the house?”

He didn’t answer, but he gave her a furious scowl and bolted for the door. “I’ll be back,” he muttered as he disappeared.

Janis frowned after him. The little bugger was selling the house, and without talking to Mykal first. She had a very bad feeling about that. She didn’t think Mykal was going to be happy when he found out. But of course, Mykal didn’t know their parents had died. And here was Kylos, selling the house out from under him. That just wasn’t right.

She went back to her magazine but she couldn’t even see the pictures anymore.
Please, please,
she kept chanting silently.
Make him be okay.

It was already half an hour later than she’d been told it would be. Time seemed to be going in slow motion. Pellea looked in.

“Have you heard anything?” she asked.

Janis shook her head, feeling lost.

“I’ll find out what’s going on,” the queen said, marching in through the double doors. And marching right back out again.

“No one’s talking,” she told Janis. “I’ll be back a little later and see if I can get anything out of any of them.”

Another half hour dragged by. Then another. She was up and pacing now, fear and panic chasing each other throughout her system. What could be wrong? Why wouldn’t anyone tell her anything?

She’d tried going in to the operating room but a nurse had sent her back out. She was going crazy with worry.

Pellea came back to sit with her. She made a few calls on her mobile, trying to scare up some information, and finally she did get a scrap.

“They’ve sent for more experts from Vienna,” she told Janis. “They sent for them quite some time ago and they are coming in as fast as they can get here.”

“What does that mean?” Janis was as shaken as she’d ever been.

“I assume it means they’ve hit a problem. But don’t worry. These guys are the best in the world.”

Don’t worry! She was nothing but worry. Any more and she would be lying in the corner in a fetal position, whimpering like a baby lamb.

But before she had time to really panic, they arrived, three of them, sweeping in through the waiting room and on into the operating theater like gods down from Olympus. Janis and Pellea stood holding each other, each whispering their own prayer. At one point, they heard shouting and Janis’s eyes filled with tears.

“Oh, no!” she cried. “Something’s happened to him.”

“Hush,” Pellea told her. “He’ll be okay.” But somehow her voice didn’t have the conviction it had held earlier.

Another half hour passed. Kylos was back. When Janis introduced him to the queen, he was like a different man, all smiles and good manners. Janis could hardly believe the transformation, but she had no time to mull it over. She had to worry. If she didn’t worry enough—superstition being what it was, she didn’t know what would happen, but she knew she had to keep worrying. It was all she had left to do.

And then it was over. Dr. Pheasar came out, taking Pellea by the hands and shaking his head. Janis began to sob, but he looked up, surprised.

“No, my dear, don’t cry. I think the prognosis is fairly good. Not perfect, but much better than I expected.”

“Oh, doctor.” Janis grabbed his arm. “Are you sure? Do you mean it?”

“Yes, I mean it. I think you’d better leave him alone tonight, but you should be able to go in and see him first thing in the morning.”

Now she was really sobbing, and so was Pellea. But they were both laughing through their tears as well, looking at each other.

The doctor shook his head. “Women,” he muttered.

But Janis didn’t care. One hurdle had been crossed. Now all that was left was for Mykal to heal from the surgery—and get his memory back.

CHAPTER NINE

C
LOSE
to dawn, Janis slipped into Mykal’s room and went right to his bed. Leaning over him, she kissed his lips and then she took his hand in hers. Slowly, he opened his eyes and looked at her. She waited nervously to see what her reception would be.

It was all that she could have hoped for. His smile was slow but it grew until his mouth was wide and his happiness reached his eyes. His gaze alone seemed to reach out and wrap her up for the keeping. Instinctively, he loved her. She could feel it. His head hadn’t gotten the word yet, but his heart knew it.

“Hey,” he said to her. “You’re back. I’ve been waiting to see you.”

“Me, too,” she said simply. “We’ve got a lot to catch up on.”

His smile wavered. “We did know each other before, didn’t we?”

“Yes.”

“I knew it. Funny how I can feel it, even though I can’t remember it.” He looked at her expectantly. “And…?”

She tried to smile was her nerves were getting the better of her. “First tell me how you feel.”

“I feel great. I could practically get up and dance right now if I didn’t have this damn IV stuck in my arm.”

“None of that. You need to stay still and heal.”

“Sure.” He smiled at her, reassuring her again. “But, Janis, I’m going to be okay. I’m not going to have to spend my life walking around wondering if any slight little jostle will render me paralyzed.” He shook his head. “You don’t know what a relief that is.”

“Oh, don’t I?”

She smiled back at him and he searched her face, then reached out with his free hand and touched her cheek. She wanted to bury her face in his palm and kiss it, but she didn’t dare do that. Not yet.

“Okay,” he said, pulling back. “I’ve told you my news. You tell me yours.” His eyes darkened slightly. “Did you find my wife?”

She nodded and she could tell her eyes were sparkling. Too bad she couldn’t hold back the excitement she felt. It might just be her undoing. And yet she was about to tell him the truth. That had to be a good thing, no matter how he reacted. “Yes, I did.”

He watched her, just barely holding back a smile. “Is it you?”

She nodded again.

His grin widened. “I had a feeling.” Reaching out, he pulled her to him. “I knew it was going to be you.” He hugged her a bit gingerly, using only one arm, but he breathed in the scent of her hair and shivered. “You couldn’t have told me anything that would make me happier.”

Janis laughed, full of joy. She ran the flat of her hand inside the opening of his hospital pajamas, caressing the chest she knew so well. This was almost the old Mykal. This was almost the old feeling. If only this moment could last forever.

Lifting her face, he kissed her lips and she kissed him back.

“Why didn’t you tell me from the beginning?” he asked huskily.

“I couldn’t.” This was going to be the hard part. “We had to be so careful not to upset you in any way.”

“But finding out I’ve got a wife like you wasn’t going to upset me,” he began. Then he saw the look in her eyes and his face changed. “Or would it?”

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and sat up on the bed beside him. “It would,” she said sadly, “if you knew the whole story.”

He looked away for a moment and she wondered what he was thinking. When he looked back, his eyes were troubled. “Maybe we should just leave it alone, Janis,” he said quietly. “Maybe it would be better to pretend it never happened—whatever it was.”

She shook her head. “We can’t do that, Mykal. Even if we wanted to. In fact, now that you are going to be royal, every single fact of your life is going to be common knowledge. You’re not going to be able to hide from it.”

He groaned and leaned his head back. “Okay. Lay it on me. What was so horrible that you’ve felt you had to hide it from me?”

“Okay.” She looked at him, all her love in her eyes. This might be the last chance she had to look at him without seeing anger and resentment coming back her way. “When you got blown up on your bike,” she began, “we weren’t together.”

“What happened?”

“Let me start from the beginning.”

She filled him in quickly, telling him how they’d met, how they had both been working for military intelligence, both experts at undercover work. “As you used to say, we lived in a world of lies and spies. We had to work hard to keep our own reality apart from that.”

His gaze never left her face as she went through their time together, how they had lived and loved, how they had secretly married.

“We were so happy together,” she told him earnestly. “We really were so well-matched. It was like a miracle. We could hardly stay away from each other all day.”

“Now that I can believe,” he said with the hint of a grin.

“But there were a couple of clouds on our horizon. Things you didn’t even know about. And it was my fault.” Her voice broke.

Reaching out, he took her hand in his, but he didn’t say a word.

“Okay, now you know most of the background. But I haven’t told you about my brother, Rolo.”

“Your brother Rolo.” He said it slowly, as though running the name through his memory banks, trying to find the right folder.

“You knew him. He wasn’t military but he did some contract work for us and you worked with him a couple of times. He’s my baby brother. I basically raised him, as our parents weren’t around much.” She took a deep breath. How to explain this? “When he was young, I adored him. He was the cutest little boy. He didn’t turn out to be what I would have wanted, but I tried.” Her voice was shaking, but she couldn’t stop now. “And I kept hoping, always hoping, if I could give him just one more chance, maybe this time he would catch on and do well at something. He always needed a break, always had everyone working against him. At least in his mind. You get the picture?”

He nodded, and she noted he was beginning to look a bit distant. That chilled her. But what did she expect?

“We’d been married about two months when he came to me in distress. He was about to be fired once again. He needed evidence to prove he could do the work they were expecting him to do. He had to have something to show them, just one bit of good information. And he wanted me to get it for him.”

Mykal winced. “I don’t like where this is going,” he murmured, eyes hooded.

Her heart sank. He was ready to condemn her without even hearing the whole story. Oh, well. She knew she deserved it.

“I wanted to help him. I wanted to believe him. He’s all I have left of my family.” She steeled herself, but her words were coming too fast now. She just wanted to get it over with. “In trying to help him, I did something very bad and very stupid. I…I went into your papers and looked for something, anything, something innocuous and simple, something I could give him to use. Something that you wouldn’t even notice.”

He was no longer holding her hand. She clenched it into a fist.

“I found the study you had done on the Grieg harbor patterns. You’d said they were useless. So I picked that. I made a copy and I gave it to him.”

He was staring at her. “Wow.”

She nodded. She knew how bad this was. “I gave him what I’d found, but he called me and said he needed the second page. When I went in to make a copy of that, you walked in and saw me.”

“Janis…” His voice was strangled and his eyes were filled with horror and he seemed to be moving as far away from her as he could go.

She closed her eyes for a moment. She didn’t want to see that look on his face. She remembered what he had said at the time. “Janis. My God, what have you done? You were my one island of safety and sanity in this crummy world. And now that’s gone.”

That probably hurt her more than anything else. To think that she had let him down cut like a knife into her heart.

“I told you this was bad. And it is the reason we aren’t together anymore.” She took a shaky breath and as she went on, her voice began to sound mechanical. “You could hardly believe what you saw at first. And you told me in no uncertain terms that you could never forgive it. That you could never trust me again. I tried to explain, but of course, it was a stupid explanation anyway and you had every right not to listen to it.”

She shook her head, wincing as she remembered that scene. “You were so angry. You felt completely betrayed. You said…” Her voice broke. “You said you never wanted to see me again. I…I ran out of the apartment and I ran and ran. I ran for miles. I finally ended up at Rolo’s new apartment, a place you didn’t know about. And I stayed with him until the next day.” She swallowed hard and went on. “The next day when the secret police came and dragged me away.”

He was staring at her. “I don’t get it. Why did they do that?”

She shrugged. “Rolo said you’d called them and given information about me, and I…”

“Me?”

“Yes. And I figured he was right. Who else would have done it?”

He shook his head as though he couldn’t believe she’d thought that of him. “I thought you said I didn’t know where you were.”

She shook her head. “Someone must have told you.”

He stared at her for a long moment, obviously frustrated that he couldn’t remember the facts for himself, and then he said, “I don’t believe it.”

She shrugged. At this point, she really didn’t know what to believe. But she’d been arrested. That much was real. “At any rate, they came. And they took me to the Granvilli prison camp in Swanson, near the border.”

He shook his head as though his mind and his heart were too full to say anything.

“I spent two months in that camp. I just got out a few days ago. And I went hunting for you. I heard you’d gone over the border and were living in the city. Someone gave me your address. And I went to your house, still in my prison jumpsuit.”

He was staring at her. “Oh, my God, Janis…”

“And there you were, all shot up with shrapnel. And about to be named a prince. So you see, I didn’t want to add to your stress level at that moment in time. That’s why I didn’t tell you.”

He closed his eyes and shook his head. Then he looked at her again. “So that wedding ring is ours?”

She half smiled, liking the way he put that, despite everything. “Yes. We only wore them when we were home. We weren’t supposed to be married. It was against the military rules.” She frowned. “So I don’t understand why you were wearing it when your bike hit that IED. Do you?”

He shrugged. “Obviously not.”

“And you don’t remember what date that was?”

“No.”

She glanced at the end of the bed where his chart and other papers were usually posted. There was nothing there.

She looked at him. He looked tired, confused. She reached out and touched his hand, but he made no move to reciprocate. Her throat threatened to swell closed if she didn’t get out of here.

“Listen, I’ve given you a lot to think about,” she said, holding back tears. “I’m going to go for now. I’ll be back around noon. Okay?”

She looked at him again, wondering if he would tell her not to bother. But he didn’t answer. He just stared at her as though he’d never seen her before. She turned and quickly left the room. And once she was in the hall, the tears began to flow. Their marriage was so over.

She walked through the halls, trying to calm herself. There was more to be done. She had to remain competent or things would get even worse. Slowly, bit by bit, she got control again.

A few minutes later she realized she hadn’t said anything to him about Kylos showing the house. But that was just as well. She would leave it to Kylos to tell him. He didn’t need to hear all the bad news at once.

She hated to leave Mykal all alone like this. She felt as though she was leaving him in the middle of a pack of wolves and expecting him to fend them off all by himself. But she couldn’t let herself use that as an excuse to stay longer. She had to leave before it became impossible to go.

And then, as she was passing a group of offices, she saw someone she’d known years before and it occurred to her he might be useful.

“Mr. Dreyfer,” she said, approaching the distinguished looking older man. “I don’t know if you remember me?”

He smiled and held out his hand. “Of course. You’re the Gorgonio girl, aren’t you?”

She smiled at him as well, remembering years before when her uncle had tried to engage Mr. Dreyfer as his defense attorney when he’d first been charged with organized crime activities. Mr. Dreyfer had come to the house for extended meetings, but in the end, he’d recommended another attorney.

“Everyone has a right to decent representation,” he’d said at the time. “But I can’t justify taking a case that won’t let me sleep at night. I have a family to consider.”

His words had stuck with her and helped her to make her decision, years later, to try to cut her ties to the Gorgonios.

“Actually, I go by my mother’s maiden name, Davos,” she told him now.

“Ah. Perhaps that’s just as well.”

“Yes.” She took a deep breath and launched into an explanation of why she was at the castle and what had happened to Mykal. “It’s wonderful that he is being given this opportunity,” she told him. “But I was thinking he really ought to have representation. It’s all so new and unexpected. Would you be interested in talking to him?”