Royally Lost (5 page)

8

Nikolai
entered the hostel smiling. Something about this beautiful American girl kept him from thinking about anything else. It didn’t make sense. Becca was ignorant of the historic cities she toured. Her sense of direction was so bad she could probably lose her own shadow, and her quirky sense of humor made him constantly want to kiss her.

He nodded hello to a couple guys he recognized from breakfast that morning. He’d been lucky to score a private room. While another night sleeping in a dorm room would have been an adventure, a private room seemed a smarter way to stay unrecognized.

Nikolai unlocked his door and entered the small room, which featured little more than a full-sized bed, a nightstand, a chair, and a small dresser with a mirror. The bathrooms were shared. A glance out the window to the street revealed a smattering of tourists. He dug into his backpack, fished out his phone, and sat back against the headboard.

He turned on the phone for the first time since his mad dash several nights ago. There were too many missed calls and messages to be counted. Nikolai ignored them all and pressed Alexi’s number, feeling a little guilty that he hadn’t called her since he left.

Mostly he’d been afraid to hear what kind of trouble he had stirred up. If he stayed in the dark about the uproar he’d created, he wouldn’t feel so terrible. It was a bad sign that he’d spotted his picture in the gossip paper.

Alexi’s phone rang and rang. Just as he was about to hang up, she answered.

“Oh my God, you are in so much trouble! I’ve never seen Father’s staff freak out so much! Are you having fun? Where are you?” She fired questions so fast, Nikolai could barely keep up.

“Whoa! Alexi, slow down.”

“Sorry, but this is the most excitement I’ve ever seen around here. I don’t think Father and Mother have ever been disobeyed.”

“No, I suppose they haven’t. Is everything okay? They didn’t give you a hard time, did they?”

“They did, but I told them I was glad you left. You deserve to have fun while you still can.”

“Stirring the pot, are you? You might want to stay out of the line of fire.” He kicked off his shoes.

“No way. I figure you’re paving the way for me. They aren’t going to like it when they find out I want to be an actress.”

Nikolai laughed. “No, that will not go over well. So what’s happening?”

“Father has been in meetings with his advisors several times a day. He’s called in all his top security people. They are trying desperately to find you, so you better be careful.”

The sound of his sister’s voice gave him a twinge of homesickness. But only a twinge. Chances to get away like this never happened. This was a one-shot deal.

“Where are you, anyway? No! Don’t tell me. They’ll try to torture it out of me.”

“You’re being a little dramatic, don’t you think?” Nikolai said, smiling.

“Did you know that the press thinks something horrible has happened to you? There are reports that you’re really sick, you eloped with one of the maids, and my favorite, that you died, but the palace doesn’t want the truth to get out, so they aren’t saying anything.”

“I had no idea. I saw a paper yesterday, but didn’t take the time to read it.”

“It’s much worse today. This morning’s paper speculated that you’ve been kidnapped by rebel forces.”

“That’s ridiculous.” He reached for a water bottle from the nightstand and opened it.

“I know! Mother was really upset when you missed the state dinner, but it’s good you did. She had you seated next to the King of Kudan’s elderly mother. She smelled like adult diapers.”

He missed Alexi’s babble. She could brighten any moment.

“So is it fun? You know, being on your own?”

“Yeah, it is. I’ve met a couple of really great people.” He pictured Becca and the dreamy look in her eyes after he kissed her.

“Do they know who you are?”

“God, no. The less they know about me, the bet—”

“Uh-oh!” she whispered, cutting him off. “Here comes Mother and the head of security, and they look mad. I don’t know how they figured it out, but I’m pretty sure they know it’s you on the phone.”

Nikolai pictured the stern stare of his father’s chief security officer, Visar, as he came for Alexi’s phone. Dammit.

Then he overheard his mother. “Alexi, give me that phone.”

“I gotta go. Have fun!” she blurted.

“No! Don’t you dare hang up, young lady.”

The call clicked off. Nikolai worried about the trouble Alexi was in. Suddenly, his phone rang. Caller ID indicated Alexi’s number, but he knew it was his mother. He bristled at the inevitable conversation, so he did what he knew he shouldn’t.

He powered off his phone.

He was making things worse for himself, but he needed this. He swept his hand through his hair. He needed a chance to discover who he really was, and so far, he liked what he was finding.

It made sense that his father put a trace on his phone. He didn’t know if they could locate him if the phone was off or not, but decided not to take a chance. Nikolai opened the back of the phone, pulled out the SIM card, and crushed it under the leg of a chair like he’d seen in movies.

A smile lit his face as he tossed the phone in the trash and joined the other travelers in the common room.

“Anybody want to join us for dinner tonight?” a young guy with curly brown hair and wearing a Stanford University T-shirt asked. His friends checked out a city map on the wall for local restaurants.

“What’d you have in mind?” said a tall, skinny guy wearing frayed shorts and flip-flops. “I’m Mitch, by the way.”

“Hi. I’m James. I heard about a little place on the east side of town that has the best Wiener schnitzel for cheap and it includes your first beer and dessert.”

Nikolai weighed his choices. He could stay here and hide out. But he’d end up spending the night wondering what drama was happening at home and worrying about Alexi. Or he could take this chance to do something he’d never done before, hang out with American college kids and be treated like an average student.

“I’m in. How about you?” Mitch asked Nikolai.

They appeared to all be Americans, which meant they weren’t likely to recognize him.

“Sure, sounds great,” Nikolai answered. If his excursion was going to be cut short, he better make the most of it while he could. Nikolai would enjoy dinner with people his age. And tomorrow, he’d spend the day with Becca, free from the crush of the city. He’d have her all to himself, and after that kiss today, he couldn’t wait for more.

Even if his father’s security could trace his earlier phone call to Melk, he’d be long gone before they arrived.

Becca arrived early to St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Thanks to the spires towering so high in the sky like a homing beacon, the church was easy to find. The huge cathedral featured a courtyard with entry doors, steps to the main entrance in the front, and more doors on the other side. Nikolai hadn’t said exactly where to meet, but she assumed he meant the front entrance. She didn’t see him, so she perched on a ledge next to the front steps where she’d be easy to spot.

Who would have guessed, even a week ago, that she’d be skipping tours and meeting up with a cute guy she barely knew? She must be totally insane to cruise off to the countryside with him, but she loved it.

The bright sun warmed her skin, a welcome contrast against the cool stone of the ledge. Wearing strappy silver sandals, white shorts, and her cutest top, she crossed her legs and tried to appear relaxed.

The square outside the cathedral bustled with street vendors, tourists, and the occasional bicycle rider, but no sign of Nikolai. The clock tower struck eleven, their meeting time. She scanned the crowd, nothing, but then finally she heard the rumble of a motorcycle, or as Nikolai said, motorbike.

She hopped off the ledge as the cycle turned onto the square.

Instead of Nikolai, the rider was a heavyset man with curly hair. She slumped against the stone wall and waited, trying not to appear disappointed.

Ten minutes passed and then twenty.

At eleven thirty, Becca tried not to be discouraged. Tourists asked her to take their picture in front of the cathedral, so she did. The sun rose high, beating down on her as temperatures soared. She moved into one of the few shady spots, under an overhang, but a pigeon decided to mark its territory, some of which splattered on the side of Becca’s shorts.

Crap
.

She cringed and wiped at the disgusting goo with the edge of her Passau map. Couldn’t anything go smoothly today? She glared at the offensive bird and moved back into the sun. Her perfect date outfit ruined.

As noon approached, tourists arrived in droves, entering the cathedral for a concert. Her dad and Vicky would be there, but probably not Dylan. He was most likely chatting up a pretty German girl in a gift shop somewhere. At least he wasn’t here to witness Becca getting stood up.

Another motorcycle roar reverberated off the cathedral’s stone walls.
Finally
. She warned herself not to get excited, but still, her heart leapt as she turned to see two motorcycles ridden by a couple of guys who pulled up to a tobacco shop and parked.

Had Nikolai really stood her up? If he had, she was a fool to keep waiting. No, she wouldn’t let herself believe that. She’d only known Nikolai for a couple of days, but he seemed so nice. He hadn’t put the moves on her.

Okay, that wasn’t true. He’d totally made out with her in the library, but it was spontaneous. It wasn’t like he was trying to hook up.
Was he?
And she’d loved that quick, hot kiss and had hoped for more of them today. Heck, that was half the reason she was still sitting here waiting.

She battled with her emotions. If he showed, he’d have a really good excuse about why he was late. And if he didn’t show, well, that proved what? That she was a terrible judge of character? That he didn’t really like her at all? One more guy on a long list who grew bored with her. But in two days? That would be a record. She frowned.

Loud classical organ music drifted out from the cathedral.

Becca scanned the mostly empty square. She sighed, not wanting to admit defeat. Sweat beaded down her forehead. Thirsty, she walked across the square to a shop. They didn’t even have her Diet Pepsi. She bought a bottle of Coca-Cola Light.

Returning to the ledge, she imagined Nikolai showing up all apologetic. She knew she’d act like it was no big deal.

After a while, the concert let out and hordes of sightseers poured from the cathedral like kids after a rock concert, except that these concertgoers wore sensible shoes and prescription sunglasses.

Someone tapped her on the shoulder.

She whipped her head around with a huge smile.

9

“Becca,
what are you doing here? We thought you were going to the Bohemian Glass Museum with Dylan,” Vicky said, dressed in pressed navy slacks, a white designer blouse, and silver earrings.

Becca’s heart dropped. She fought to keep the shocking disappointment off her face.

“Oh. Um, hi. Yeah, I was. We did. But now we thought we’d see what all the talk about the cathedral was. We were just waiting for the concert to let out.”

The lies flew from her mouth without thought or hesitation.

Her dad looked around. “Where’s Dylan?”

Becca looked around the square, searching for an answer. “Ah, he’s in the bathroom. He’ll be right back.”

“Oh good, let’s get a family picture here in front of the cathedral. Maybe we can use it for a Christmas card,” Vicky suggested.

Becca didn’t know which part she abhorred more—the idea of doing a family Christmas card when they weren’t a real family, or the idea of Nikolai suddenly appearing with her dad and Vicky here. Plus, unless Dylan showed up by some sort of miracle, they’d be waiting for him a long time.

“That would be fine.” Her dad checked his watch. “But we’re supposed to meet the Hebels for lunch at the Altes Bräuhaus.”

“It’ll only take a minute,” Vicky answered, checking the area for Dylan. “Becca, you’re getting red. Did you put on sunscreen today?”

“No. I guess I forgot.”

“You can’t afford to forget. Good skin is your best asset when you get older. Look at my skin, it’s still porcelain perfect. Here, I’ve got some in my bag.” Vicky dug around in her bag until she pulled out a travel-sized tube.

Becca accepted the tube and applied sunscreen to her arms, shoulders, and neckline. “Thanks.”

“Don’t forget your face,” Vicky nagged.

Becca sighed and gave in. She’d worked hard on her makeup so it looked perfect. Now she smeared sunscreen over her blush. She handed the tube back.

“When did you say Dylan was coming back?” Vicky asked.

“I thought right away, but maybe he stopped for something to drink,” Becca lied.

“I don’t think we should wait any longer,” her dad said in predictable fashion. He couldn’t be inconvenienced by his kids, even for a lousy picture on a trip they didn’t want to take.

“I suppose you’re right,” Vicky replied. “Becca, tell Dylan he shouldn’t leave you alone like this. It’s not safe. Be sure you two stick together.”

“I will.” Becca crossed her fingers behind her back.

Finally her dad and Vicky wandered away down a side street toward the beer garden where they would taste different beers for the next two hours and then stagger back to their cabin for a nap as the boat departed.

Becca spent those two hours with her stomach grumbling, waiting for Nikolai. If she didn’t take a chance and wait for him now, she’d never see him again. They’d met several times by fate and she was sure they’d used up all their luck.

At two o’clock, she bit back her pride and accepted the fact that Nikolai didn’t want to see her again. That or a terrible accident had happened and she refused to believe that. He probably met some other girl on vacation and took her for a ride on his cycle. Or maybe, he was kissing her in a dark museum library somewhere.

The only thing that made this day less humiliating was that no one would know about it, except Dylan. Hopefully he wouldn’t rub it in her face too much, because she really couldn’t bear it.

When Ethan dumped her the day of graduation, the whole school knew, which made going to grad parties pure torture.

Hungry and needing a bathroom, she stopped first at the public restroom and begrudgingly paid the attendant the required euro. As she washed her hands, the mirror revealed her sunburned face. She groaned. On the way back toward the boat, she stopped at a little grocery store and bought Cheetos and a Snickers bar. Even though the packaging was written in a foreign script, the food tasted familiar and comforting, like home.

She wandered back to the ship, burying her disappointment in her junk food snacks.

Back on board, she locked herself in her bathroom in case Dylan showed up. She didn’t want him to know what a fool she’d been, falling for a guy with dusty blond hair, eyes deep like the ocean, and kisses that made her forget herself.

She held her head in her hands. How could she be so gullible and think some random hot guy would be interested in her? Had he been laughing at her all along? She didn’t think so. She truly felt she’d found a nice guy.

The cabin door creaked open and shut. Dylan was back. Great. He’d want to know how her day went and then, even if he didn’t speak the words, his eyes would say,
I told you so
.

He knocked on the bathroom door. “Becca, hurry up. I’ve got something to show you,” he called.

She sighed. Might as well get it over with. She looked into the mirror. Sad eyes stared back from her sunburned face. She forced a smile and looked like an idiot. Her frown returned.

“Yeah, what is it?” She left the privacy of the bathroom and plopped down on her single bed, avoiding looking at Dylan or the sunny day outside the open balcony door.

“So how was your date?”

Becca glared at him.

“Uh-oh. Did he stand you up?” Dylan held a rolled-up magazine.

She frowned, frustrated and angry that she’d been so easily played. “Yeah, you could say that.”

“Well, I think you should see this.” Dylan held the magazine under her face, forcing her to look at the glossy picture of a guy who looked exactly like Nikolai. She took the magazine and examined it closer.

Her breath caught in her throat.

“That’s Nikolai!”

On his motorcycle and wearing the same dark gray T-shirt he’d worn two days ago with his baseball cap on backward. She’d recognize him anywhere. She couldn’t read the foreign headline, but it ended with an exclamation point.

Becca looked at Dylan. “Where did you find this?”

He grimaced and shrugged. “It was at every newspaper stand I saw today.”

“Why is he on the cover? Did he do something wrong?” She paged through the magazine, holding her breath. Confusion turned to shock when she saw a two-page spread filled with pictures of Nikolai.

Nikolai at the beach with other guys and girls; a picture of him playing polo; a picture of him in a tuxedo with another girl wearing a gown. Then Becca’s eyes landed on a formal picture of Nikolai in uniform, with a sword at his belt, standing next to a young girl. A stern man and austere woman sat in gilded chairs; both adults wore crowns.

Her jaw dropped open.

“Why is Nikolai in that picture with people wearing crowns? Who is he?” she asked. And who were the girls laughing and smiling with him in those photos? Her heart pumped so fast she could feel the blood pulse through her temples.

“I don’t know, but it looks like he’s related to some royal family.”

He wasn’t an average guy. He was . . . she didn’t know who he was. Important? Royal? Rich? “Why did he lie about his identity?”

“I don’t know. Based on all the pictures of him with girls, he doesn’t need to do it to pick up women. No offense.”

No, it appeared he had plenty of gorgeous women in his life. Becca stared at the glossy photos of stunning young women. She needed to find out who he was, but she couldn’t read the foreign words.

“I’ve gotta get out of this room. I can’t breathe.” She stood, leaving the magazine on her bedside table.

Dylan picked up the magazine and held it out to her. “Becs, try asking one of the crew members. I bet they can read it.”

She snatched the magazine and escaped the suffocating room.

Becca snuck in early to the dining room and found their waiter, Melenka, setting tables. With one quick glance at the magazine, he answered her question. “That’s Prince Nikolai.”

“A prince?” Becca looked to Melenka for confirmation. “As in, the kind who becomes king some day?”

“Yes. He is Crown Prince of Mondovia. He is very well-known, or how do you say in America? Famous for the ladies.”

She took a hit in the gut. “Can you tell me what this says?” She pointed to the headline.

“It says, ‘Nikolai, the Runaway Prince.’”

So, when he said he took off without his parents’ permission, he wasn’t lying. Becca couldn’t believe it. She’d been hanging out with a real prince who was hiding from his parents—the king and queen. She shook her head, struggling to digest it all.

“Does it say how long he’s been missing?” She recalled the sadness in Nikolai’s eyes when he flippantly said he was just another derelict kid avoiding family responsibilities. It had sounded so normal at the time, but now she knew it wasn’t. He was different.

Melenka scanned the article. “It says here, since last Saturday, so that makes it four days. Oh, the picture was taken outside Budapest.” Melenka glanced up. “And we were just there! But this publication is gossip. It isn’t real news.”

“Thank you, Melenka. I appreciate it.” Becca took the magazine and headed for the top deck.

Once there, she looked out over the Danube as the ship cruised by picturesque farmland and vineyards that grew along the hillside. A road ran parallel to each side of the river.

She tried to get her head around Nikolai’s true identity—royal prince. Why would a prince randomly wander the streets of Budapest and Vienna? The magazine reported he was on the run. What could possibly make a prince run away?

She sipped lemonade and nibbled on snack mix when Dylan showed up later with a beer. He sank into the chair across from her and glanced at the magazine.

“Hot damn, Becca. You’ve been stood up by a prince. Not too many girls can say that.”

“Gee, thanks. I feel so much better now.” She gazed ahead, noticing another bridge in the distance.

“I’m just sayin’, when it comes to picking ’em, you have a special knack.”

“Do you think he planned to stand me up all along? I mean, why would he go to the trouble of setting a time and place and then not show?”

Dylan popped a sesame stick into the air and caught it in his mouth. “Truth? If it were me and I’d made plans with a chick, I wouldn’t purposely try to hurt her, but face it. The odds of me ever seeing any of these girls again is zero. If someone prettier, easier, or more fun stepped into my path, you bet I’d be onto her like foam on beer.” He raised his glass in the air and took a drink.

“You’re a real jerk, you know that?”

“But I’m a lovable jerk.” He grinned.

As they approached an older bridge, sporting decorative arches, she noticed a figure standing in the center. He seemed to be watching the enormous boat approach.

The guy waved a cap in the air. She set down her lemonade and looked closer. “Dylan, look! That’s him!”

Dylan looked up. “Well, I’ll be damned. Prince Charming is back.”