Royally Lost (14 page)

She hoped he felt as strongly about her as she did about him. She gazed into his eyes, one marred by the black-and-blue bruise he earned trying to defend her. “Yes, I’d like that.”

His face melted into a smile. “This way, when we’re not together anymore, we’ll always know that this lock is here as a reminder of what we’ve shared.”

“Thank you,” she whispered.

He swept her into his arms. “I love you, Becca.”

“Oh, Nikolai. I love you, too.”

He kissed her sweetly. Becca could never remember a happier time, yet the fact that they had to say good-bye in a couple of days loomed at the back of her mind.

He released her. “So where are we going to put it?”

“I don’t know, but I guarantee that we’ll find a place.”

They looked up and down each spindle, trying to move the locks to eke out just enough space to hook their lock. Finally Nikolai found a spot.

“Over here, at the top. If I slide this one over, I think I can fit it.”

Becca held the other locks to the side, feeling as if this were a sacred act. Nikolai slid their lock into place.

“You put our names on it.”

“I did.” He smiled.

“Not afraid of being discovered?”

“With you? Never.” He clicked the lock closed, pulled out the key, and handed it to her.

“What do I do with it? Save it?” she asked.

A woman nearby who watched them spoke up. “No, you throw it into the canal, so your love can never be unlocked.” She smiled.

“Thanks. I like that,” Becca said. “Ready?” she asked Nikolai.

“Go ahead.”

She kissed the key and tossed it high over the fence and into the water below. “There. Now you’re stuck with me forever.”

“I’d be okay with that,” he said.

“Would you like me to take your picture?” the woman offered. “You should have a photo of this moment.”

“Thank you, that would be great,” Nikolai said.

They posed with their arms around each other in front of their lock. At the last second Nikolai removed his cap and ruffled up his flat hair.

The woman snapped two pictures. “There you go.” She handed back Becca’s phone.

“Thank you so much,” Becca said, showing the picture to Nikolai as he slipped his hat back on. “Look, you can see your black eye.”

“Great. I forgot about that.” He laughed. “We better stop for some sunglasses soon so people don’t think you hit me.”

Becca raised an eyebrow. “I know you think you’re funny, but you’re not,” she teased.

A small crowd had gathered to look at the locks. She overheard a girl talking to her friend.

“I’m telling you, that’s Prince Nikolai. And that’s the same girl who’s with him in the picture in the paper.”

Becca’s gut lurched. He’d been recognized. Heck, she’d been recognized, too.

“You’re totally right!” her friend said, snapping a picture.

“We better get out of here. Come on.” Nikolai took Becca’s hand and quickly slipped through the crowd as word of his identity spread.

22

Nikolai
breathed easier when they put a couple of blocks between them and the crowd on the bridge.

They arrived on a street with one foreign government building after another. He spotted a three-story building with an American flag flying high above.

Becca gazed up at the fluttering flag. She’d been away from home for so long, this was a welcome sight. “I must say, seeing the U.S. flag here in a foreign country makes me proud to be an American.” She squeezed his hand.

He felt the same pride in his own country, despite all his problems. The U.S. flag reminded him of how very far away Becca lived, and that the chances of them staying connected would be nearly impossible.

“Do you want to come in, or would it be better for you to wait here?” she asked.

Nikolai noticed a figure on the corner across the street. He looked at the embassy doors, back to the familiar man, and frowned. “You go ahead. I think I better wait here.”

“Are you sure? It might take a while. You could go to a café, and I’ll call you when I’m ready.”

“And risk you getting lost in Prague? No. I’ll be waiting right here.”

“Okay. Wish me luck.”

He kissed her. “Good luck.”

As Becca disappeared into the embassy, Nikolai saw his father’s chief security officer, Visar Shaban, walking across the street toward him.

“Good morning, Your Royal Highness,” he said as he approached. “Are you enjoying your holiday?”

Nikolai tried to appear confident on this uneven ground. Here he stood, unshaven, with a bruised face, and little money.

Normally, he only encountered Visar at the palace, Nikolai’s domain, or at high-level security events when it was Visar’s duty to remain unseen.

“Hello, Visar,” Nikolai said evenly.

“I trust you are well,” the stoic man said, popping a candy into his mouth.

“You didn’t need to come. I planned to return home in a couple of days.” Nikolai watched the traffic go by.

“Ah, that is where you are wrong. The king is dismayed with your recent notoriety and wishes your return to Mondovia. Immediately.”

Nikolai’s chest tightened. “No, Visar. That won’t be possible. Not yet, anyway. I have obligations for the next two days and then I will be wherever you, or the palace, require me to be.”

Visar considered Nikolai, giving away nothing. Nikolai stared, refusing to back down. Would Visar grab him here on the street and force him to leave?

What about Becca? He couldn’t possibly leave without saying good-bye. Visar was only one man. Nikolai could hold him off.

Two more days were all he wanted. That wasn’t asking much. He glanced at the doors to the embassy.

“I trust you aren’t thinking of asking the United States Embassy for asylum.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Nikolai snapped.

“I’m afraid that I am not the one who’s been acting ridiculous. Prince Nikolai, come along, and let’s put an end to your antics. You’ve become an embarrassment to the palace.”

“As I said, I have other obligations. I will not return a minute sooner. Have I made myself clear?”

“Perhaps I have not explained my presence here properly. I am under direct orders from the king to return you to Mondovia, posthaste.”

Nikolai fought to keep his emotions under control. Losing it wouldn’t help. “I quite understand your purpose, and will ask you the kindness to relay a message back to the king.”

Visar’s eye twitched.

Nikolai continued. “I fully understand my future legacy and will dedicate the rest of my life to Mondovia. However, the next two days will remain mine, to be spent as I see fit.”

The door to the embassy opened and Becca appeared.

“Are we understood?” Nikolai growled.

Visar nodded. “I will relay your message,” he answered and walked away.

Nikolai hoped this would be the end of his father’s interference.

“Who was that?” Becca asked.

“Some guy who was in the wrong place.”

“Lost?”

“Yeah, you could say that. So how did it go? Are they able to get you a new passport?” He started walking in the opposite direction of Visar, but glanced back to make sure the man hadn’t changed his mind and come back.

“Yes, thank God. Apparently this sort of thing happens all the time. They will have it ready tomorrow. That’ll leave us plenty of time to ride to Nuremberg the next day for my flight.”

Nikolai sighed and put his arms around her. “How am I possibly going to say good-bye to you?”

“I don’t want to think about it or I’ll start bawling. Trust me, you don’t want to see that.”

He smiled. “No, I don’t suppose I do.”

After leaving the business district, they passed through a quiet neighborhood and some retail shops. Becca spotted a small grocery store. “Let’s see if they sell sunglasses.”

They ducked inside and found a rack of sunglasses in the corner. While Nikolai tried on glasses, Becca picked up a few items for lunch: some grapes, crackers, and sliced cheese. They met up at the checkout. She put her items on the conveyor belt hoping they didn’t cost too much. “I feel really bad that I can’t help pay. Do you have enough?”

“It’s all right. If I can’t buy you a few meals, I’m not a very good date. I wish I could do more.”

“Don’t be silly, this is perfect.”

A tiny older woman with long gray hair glanced at Nikolai after scanning each item. He shot Becca an uneasy look. She wished she knew a better way to hide him.

The clerk smiled. “I’ve never had a prince in my store before.”

Nikolai grimaced. “I’m sorry, you must be mistaking me for someone else.”

The woman removed a newspaper from the rack next to the checkout and laid it before them. “You are Prince Nikolai.”

Dumbfounded, Becca stared at the cover of the
Daily Enquirer
. It showed Nikolai on the ground after the mugging, with her kneeling next to him, clearly distraught.

“There weren’t even that many people there. How is this possible?” Becca asked.

“Trust me, there are a lot of people eager to post their pictures online the second they take them. That explains the guy watching my bike this morning,” Nikolai said.

“Haven’t you seen the news lately? There are sightings of you reported on television every day,” the clerk said.

“No, we haven’t,” Becca said. She had barely turned a television on since the trip began. “We’ll take the paper, too, please.” She needed to know what the article said.

The woman smiled as Nikolai pulled money from his wallet, paid for their purchases, and then slipped on his new sunglasses.

Around the corner from the store, they found a small park with old trees, a thick blanket of grass, and chirping birds.

“I don’t understand how people recognize you so easily. With your unshaven face, you look more like a street person than a prince.” She ran her fingers over the soft bristles.

Nikolai stretched out next to her on the grass and opened the newspaper. “It says here that I attacked the man first because he flirted with you.”

“That’s a total lie!”

“They write what they think will sell papers. It also says that they still don’t know who the mysterious beauty is that lured me away.” He lowered his sunglasses and flashed his eyebrows at her.

“Really? You’re making that up!”

“No, I’m not. It’s right here. You can take it back to the hostel and have Kristoff translate it for you.”

“That just proves that they make all this up.”

“Au contraire.” He brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “Not only are you beautiful, but you are funny, and sexy, and have mesmerized me into following you through four countries.”

Tingles danced over her skin. She wasn’t used to such flowery compliments. She pointed at the article. “What else does it say?”

“The palace has finally admitted that I took off on an unapproved excursion.”

“That’s what we’re on? An excursion?” Being together felt more like a fairy tale, and she was waiting for the clock to strike twelve.

“Apparently so.” He sighed, tossed the gossip rag aside, and lay on the grass looking skyward.

Suddenly her phone rang. They looked at each other; a streak of panic ran through Becca.

She pulled out her phone. “It’s Vicky!”

“Are you going to answer it?”

“No way!” Both Vicky and her dad had called multiple times when they learned she and Dylan weren’t on the next flight, but Becca had ignored them all. Dylan had said he’d deal with them.

She stared at the phone until it stopped ringing. A minute later the phone beeped that she had a message. Becca didn’t want to listen to it, but worried something horrible could have happened so decided to go ahead and check it.

“She’s just touching base to make sure I’m all right,” Becca said, hanging up and feeling a little guilty about disobeying Vicky. She had tried to plan a nice trip for them.

“Are you going to call her back?”

“I’ll text her later that everything is fine. I don’t need help from her or Dad. I can handle being on my own.”

“I’m afraid my parents wouldn’t be calling to see if I was okay. They’d be demanding I come home on the next train.”

Becca rolled closer to him, her face close to his. “I’m sorry this is so horrible for you. Actually, I’m sorry this is your life. It sucks.”

He turned his head in her direction. “But you make it worth every second. I hope you know that. Before, I ran away to be free from them and escape the person I was turning into. Since I met you, I’ve been myself for the first time in my life, and I like this guy.”

She leaned forward and kissed him slowly, repeatedly, helping him forget his troubles. Her hair cascaded around their faces, a perfect curtain of privacy. Nikolai captured her with the intensity of his deep blue eyes, as his arms slid around her. He kissed her back, their lunch forgotten.

“Okay, which way next?” Nikolai tried to keep quiet and let Becca navigate through a tangle of streets to a gift shop they’d passed yesterday. She wanted to bring something back to her brother.

“It’s down this side street,” she said, studying the shops and street signs. “I’m sorry this is taking so long, but it was the perfect T-shirt for Dylan. It said
Czech Mate
and had a king chess piece. Dylan played chess in high school and was really good.”

They reached the end of the block. “Are you sure this is right?” he teased, admiring the way Becca scrunched up her face when she concentrated.

“Positive. Turn here.”

They entered a crooked street that looked more like an alley. Signboards stood outside various shops and restaurants.

“Okay, maybe not positive.” Becca nibbled the edge of her lip.

Nikolai slipped an arm around her waist and kissed her cheek. “That’s all right. You’ll never be lost when I’m around.”

They turned the bend in the narrow street and Nikolai stopped cold. Ahead, about fifty feet, stood three men from the Mondovian guard. Even though the men were dressed in street clothes and not military detail, Nikolai would recognize them and their steely, determined eyes anywhere. They were on a mission, and that mission was him.

“Becca,” he said, taking her arm. “We need to turn around and go in the other direction.”

“But I know this is right. I’m sure of it.”

The three men walked toward them, their eyes fixed on Nikolai. He knew he should give himself up and go quietly, but he wasn’t ready. Not by a long shot.

“Becca. Don’t panic, but see those men?” He spoke in a calm voice and tried to lead her away. “We need to get out of here.”

She looked at the men and back to Nikolai with fear in her eyes. “Oh my God,” she uttered, turning with Nikolai and rushing back the way they came.

Nikolai grabbed Becca’s hand and they took off, dodging tourists. The men started running. His heart pumped and his mind raced as he tried to figure out an escape plan.

He glanced back. The men were gaining on them fast. He pulled Becca along.

She stumbled and went down. He pulled her up by the waist and kept running.

“Nikolai, who are those men?”

“My father sent them. They’re here for me, not you.”

Just as they reached the corner, a crowd of tourists blocked their way.

“Excuse me, pardon me.” He dragged Becca through the mass.

They turned the corner and came up short against a souvenir cart of handbags and a crush of more tourists.

“Prince Nikolai!” a commanding voice called out, much too close.

Nikolai hesitated for an instant, then continued on, only to have Becca’s hand ripped from his.

“Nikolai!” she screamed.