ROYAL BRIDE (A Billionaire Bad Boy Romance) (17 page)

When he finally allowed himself to admit he loved the woman, no matter how crazy she made him, he also allowed himself to understand that he had loved her since the moment he saw her walk into her brother’s office wearing that ridiculously inappropriate bikini. It hadn’t been the clothing—or lack thereof, as the case had been—but the way she defiantly refused to change. It hadn’t taken him long to get her to see his way of things, but it was the strength in her that made him want to rip off the slip of fabric, have his way with her, and carry her off.

“Your Highness.” Julian interrupted his thoughts.

Antonio swept his gaze from his plate of untouched fruit and eggs to where Julian stood with several papers gripped between his fingers. “What is it?” Antonio scrubbed his face with his hands. Having had too little sleep and too many worries, he was on the edge of a very bad mood.

“Karen Vega has been found.”

“Spit it out, man. What happened?” Antonio leaned back in his chair.

“She was found several clicks from the original house, badly beaten and left for dead in a ditch. She hadn’t been moved as we originally thought. She escaped.”

“Has she been taken to a hospital? Have her parents been notified? What about the media—who is handling the media?” Antonio shot out his questions as Julian shook his head.

“There are other pressing matters, Your Highness. When she was questioned last night, she admitted to having a relationship with a man from your wife’s country.”

The hairs on the back of Antonio’s neck stood up at the mention of Isabella. “That’s not a crime. Why do you say it like that?”

“The man is Claudio. He’s involved with Libertad. A lower-ranking member, but he set her up for the taking.”

“Tell me the rest, Julian. Stop stalling.” Antonio clenched his fists. Julian had never hedged a subject before, but he obviously didn’t want to say what he needed to say.

Julian sighed and handed the papers he was holding to Antonio. “The man Claudio is brother to your wife’s friend, Elisabeth.”

Antonio’s eyes ran rapidly over the papers before him which listed the events his security believed Claudio was involved in. For several years, he had played the loyal soldier to Tobago while working with the Libertad to take down his government.

“I want this man captured. I want to speak with King Renaldo immediately, and I want my wife brought back here right away. No excuses, and no matter how much she fights. I don’t care if you have to haul her ass over your shoulder, I want her back in these rooms now.” Antonio’s fist landed on the table, rattling the plate and spilling his coffee. “Go!” he barked at Julian, who turned and scurried from the room with much more haste in his step.

ISABELLA

“He did what?” Isabella sat across the desk from JoAnna at the UIC campus, completely blown away by the information.

“Your husband called me this morning.” The woman repeated herself with a less than enthusiastic smile. “Quite early, in fact, to tell me to send the bill for your tuition to him. Once we have chosen your classes, I will forward the information to the email he gave me.”

He hadn’t said a word to her about his change of mind—although she hadn’t given him much of an opportunity that morning, having dashed out quickly before he could stop her to inspect her schedule.

“I’m sorry if he disturbed you this morning,” Isabella said with an apologetic smile. From the tired eyes of the councilor and the early hour they met, she assumed he had called her even earlier. Or maybe it had been after she went to sleep the night before.

After taking her shower and tucking herself into bed, he had come in and sat with her for a little while. She could hear his breathing and the shifting of his body every now and then, but he hadn’t spoken to her. As upset as she managed to get herself, she still found his presence in the room comforting. An odd feeling, she thought, considering it was her relationship with him that worried her the most.

Their squabbles had become less frequent, and she often caught him watching her while she sat across the room reading or when she was trying to listen to whatever speech he had dragged her to for the evening. His hand often found her knee, resting gently on her leg. A simple act to some, but one that sent a gentle shiver through her each time. It was as if her body was made for his touch. Every time they were in contact, her body would relax and soon after, she would have the urge to have him kiss her, hug her, take her. It was becoming unsettling, just how much she enjoyed a simple brush of his hand across her jaw or a quick peck of his lips on her cheek.

If there was any hope of them having a relationship made of more than simple pleasantries, she needed to become more educated, more elegant, and a lot less of a spoiled brat.

She knew she’d been seen as a spoiled brat since she was young. When she had asked for something, she was given it with very little resistance. The few times her father had tried to tell her no, tears were easily conjured and he completely caved. It was the only weapon she had. The man couldn’t abide tears. However, the older she grew, the more she understood how little worth he saw in her. Instead of fighting against it and proving him wrong, she simply stayed out of sight. What they’d all perceived as her lounging on the beach had actually been strict studying.

It wasn’t a surprise to her at all that she had managed to test out of several math courses and English compositions as well. She’d studied those two subjects at great length. Science wasn’t as strong for Isabella, but she had no desire to go through a science track.

“Have you decided where you’d like to focus your studies? Because of your high test scores, you’ve been given credits for two algebra courses as well as composition courses.”

Isabella opened the course catalogue to the page she’d earmarked. “I’d like to study economics.” She placed the open catalogue on the desk. Antonio had the country’s security completely under control. She wanted to be of some assistance to him, and to do that, being able to contribute regarding their economy and fundraising efforts would be the best choice.

“Excellent. The summer session is about to begin, but your husband mentioned he would prefer you wait until fall. Is that something you’ve discussed with him?”

He hadn’t discussed anything with her. As usual, he jumped in and took control. Well, this was her life, not his, and she would do what she felt was the right thing.

“I don’t see any reason to wait. Maybe just one class for the summer session. It’s been a while since I was in a classroom setting.” She smiled weakly. She’d never been in a classroom setting. Her father had hired tutors for her until he threw in the towel and changed her educational course to cover more “practical” subjects such as beauty and fashion.

JoAnna eyed her cautiously with her fingers hovering over the keys, as though she wasn’t really sure what to do.

“It will be fine, I assure you. I’ll talk with my husband as soon as I get back. It’s not an issue.” Isabella waved hand over her desk, trying to get her to move along. She had a meeting on the other side of town in an hour, and she needed to be on time—and be alone. Ditching her security detail would be more difficult than usual, and she needed to get going.

“Very well.” After scanning the courses, she smiled. “How about you start with a general education class, something a little light before you dig deep into the bowels of economics? There is a history class that will require a lot of reading—is that suitable?”

“Oh yes, perfect. I believe we will be doing some traveling in the next few months, and reading will definitely be something I’ll have time for.”

Having that settled, she checked her phone for any messages from Claudio. He had arrived in town the previous night for a surprise visit to Elisabeth and asked if they could meet for lunch. There was more information he wanted to give her and wanted to do it in person. That suited her fine, as she hadn’t seen him in many years.

“I think I can handle the rest if you need to be elsewhere. I’m sure your life is scheduled to the second.” The smile on JoAnna’s face appeared genuine, as though she really did understand and sympathized.

“Thank you, I do have to be across town soon. If you need anything at all, please call me or email me at the address I put on the application.” Isabella stood from her chair. “Thank you for all you’ve done with getting the application pushed through so quickly and setting up my classes. I will repay you by making sure my husband keeps his phone turned off until the sun has at least begun to rise.”

JoAnna laughed and nodded. “That would be greatly appreciated. Although I truly didn’t mind. It’s not very often I hear from a husband of one of my adult students, and it’s almost never that I hear from one who wants to be involved.”

“Yes, he does like to do that.” Isabella sighed. “Thank you again.” They shook hands, and she left her office and headed down the hall.

Feeling her two security guards behind her as she walked, she began to put her plan into motion. “I’ll be right back. I can meet you at the car.” She stood in front of the women’s room door, signaling that she would be going inside.

Marc and Dimitri looked at each other and back at her with scowls on their faces. “We’ll wait out here, Your Highness.” Marc pointed at the floor where they stood.

Her lips pulled back into a rueful smile, and she nodded. “Very well, I’ll only be a few minutes.”

The washroom she had chosen contained two entrances. If the men had gone to the car as she suggested, they would have rounded the corner and approached her as she exited the second entrance. Thankfully, they were as predictable as the sun.

She ducked into one of the stalls and quickly removed her skirt and blouse. She changed into a pair of jeans and cropped sweater and stuffed her original outfit into her bag. Raphael had always joked that her purse could double as a suitcase, and for once, his smart-ass remarks had come in handy.

Isabella checked to be sure the hallway was clear and walked out of the second entrance. She hurried down the hall. The car was parked in front of the doors, so she walked past them to the last exit from the building where several cabs were lined up. This wasn’t usual so, extremely grateful, she ran to the first cab and threw herself in the back, calling out to the driver where she wanted to go.

As the car pulled into traffic and began driving away, she looked out the window and saw Marc and Dimitri running out of the building looking panicked as they ran to the car. They wouldn’t find her there, and she hoped they wouldn’t find her at all until she wanted to be found.

Isabella found Claudio sitting by himself in the back corner of the coffee shop where he’d asked to meet her. He’d aged since the last time she had seen him. It had been nearly five years, but the graying of his temples and weathered look of his skin gave him the appearance that it had been ten.

She inhaled deeply as she walked into the coffee house, reveling in a familiar smell from her homeland. As her island mainly exported the beans, there was almost always coffee brewing somewhere within smelling range.

“Bella!” Claudio’s serious expression softened when he saw her approaching his table. He had been working out a great deal since she last saw him and was all muscle and strength as he wrapped his arms around her in a friendly hug. Although it was a brief exchange, she felt his heart hammering inside his chest. “I ordered you a cappuccino.” He pointed to the coffee sitting across from him at the small table.

She looked around the little shop after his eyes swept the room several times. “Is Elisabeth joining us?” she asked, looking over her shoulder.

He laughed nervously. “No, no. She’s busy at work—you know my sister.” He waved a hand in the air, dismissing the topic. “Don’t let your drink get cold, Bella.” His eyes settled on her cup.

“Of course.” She nodded and picked up the cup, carefully bringing the hot beverage to her lips. After several sips, she held the cup in her hands. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen you!” She moved in her seat to get more comfortable.

“Did you manage to get away from your detail?” he asked her with a frown.

After taking another sip of her drink, she nodded. “Of course. I wouldn’t bring them here. They are back at the university.”

“University?” His eyebrows shot up. “You’re going to school?”

“Is that so hard to believe?” She playfully slapped his hand that rested on the table.

“No, not really. You always did have your nose in a book. I just didn’t think your husband would allow it.” He shrugged. “Is the coffee to your liking? Does it need more sugar?”

“Sugar?” She laughed, taking the last sip. “If it were any sweeter, I would need an insulin shot.”

“Sorry.” He looked over her shoulder again.

“Claudio, I promise you. I wasn’t followed.” She patted his hand and leaned closer. “Tell me what you need to say, then we’ll change the topic. Even if Antonio’s men find me, we’ll be well past the part of our conversation that would alarm them.”

His dark brown eyes shifted, and he pulled his hand out from beneath hers. “Did you tell your husband I was involved?”

“Of course not,” she insisted. She hadn’t yet. As much as it was probably damaging her marriage and any chance at gaining her husband’s pride and trust, she had not betrayed Claudio.

Suddenly, her stomach turned viciously, and she felt a strange pull on her mind, as though everything were spinning out of control. “Oh.” She touched her forehead, hoping to stop the spinning.

“What’s wrong, Bella?” His voice sounded different, more menacing than concerned.

“My head… my stomach.” Another strong wave of nausea hit her just as her vision blurred. Everything was out of focus. Looking at Claudio, she could make out his figure but not see his face. “I need to use the washroom, I think.” She tried to push up from the table but landed on the floor.

“Hey, is she alright?” a voice called from the distance.

Footsteps fell quickly, chairs scraped against the tiling, and large warm hands were pulling on her. “She’s fine.” She heard Claudio’s voice and more talking, but she couldn’t make it out. She was being lifted into the air. Her stomach lurched, but it was the dizziness that plagued her more. She was being moved, but before she could ask a question or turn her head, she lost consciousness.