“I met Sir Reginald Winchester in Miami… at a casino. He hired me to come here and pretend to be an heiress, to seduce you. He said he wanted to humiliate you, to prove you weren’t fit to be king.”
I’m afraid to look up. I can’t bear to see his face as I say this. “I brought Ava with me because I never leave her behind. Our parents are dead, and it’s always been up to me to take care of us. We’ve been on our own since we were kids.”
Rowan still doesn’t speak.
When I dare to glance up at him, his jaw is set, and a gleam of anger is in his eyes. My insides crumble.
“I’m telling you this because I’m so sorry, Rowan.” I fight the tears. “As soon as I met you, I knew Reggie had lied to us. But it didn’t matter. He wasn’t interested in the original job anymore. He’s been working with Wade Paxton. He used us as a distraction, a smoke screen to help him get back in the country. He was behind the sabotage of your car, and he had Ava shot… I’m next. I know too much about his plans. He’s going to kill us both.”
Rowan’s hands lower, and I see them clench into fists. Ice-cold fury is in his voice. “Reggie did this.”
He leaves me with that, and I watch as he crosses the room to one of the men standing guard. They speak in French, in low voices, and the man’s eyes harden. He nods, speaking into his cuff before turning and striding quickly to the elevator. Rowan stays in the space where the man was a few moments longer, and I watch as his chin drops.
He takes a few deep breaths before returning to me. Anger is still in his eyes, and I swallow hard, summoning every bit of strength I have left to do this one last thing. I have to get this promise before I run.
Standing, I meet him halfway. “I only have one thing… one request.”
“Zelda—”
“I know you hate me. I know you’re going to throw me out, but if you would please, please, Rowan… Take care of Ava. Please believe me, she would never be here if it weren’t for me.”
“She lied to me.”
“Only to protect me.” My eyes heat, and I feel the pressure in my chest growing tighter. “You have to understand. Not being able to tell you the truth was breaking her heart. I’ve never seen her so happy… or so miserable.”
His expression is closed, and I do the only thing I can think to do before a king. Dropping to my knees, I’m not ashamed to beg him. I look up at Rowan’s eyes, and the anger has been replaced with confusion.
“You love her, don’t you?” I’m taking a chance, but I have to do this for my sister.
He only pauses a moment, his blue eyes traveling around my face. Another beat, and he nods. “I do.”
The slightest glimmer of hope encourages me on.
“She loves you.” I take a shaky inhale. “I promised her I’d always take care of her, but now… after all that’s happened, I realize I’m putting her in danger. Only you can keep her safe now.”
His lips press together a moment. He pauses again before answering me. “I intend to ask her to marry me.”
My eyes slide closed as relief surges through my body. “You’ll make her so happy.”
“She’s made me so happy.”
Blinking fast, I rise to my feet. “I have to go. This is just the beginning. I know what they’ve done and who’s involved. They’re coming for me.”
“No—you can’t leave. We’ll protect you—”
“Don’t you understand? They’ve been planning this for years! They’re way ahead of us. You saw how fast they got to Ava. They had a gunman at the track before I even got there.”
“I won’t let them hurt you.” Rowan’s voice is a low command. “We’ll find them.”
“The way you found the person who sabotaged your car?”
Anger burns in his eyes, and I know he’s hearing me. I’m petrified with fear, but I have to get as far away from this place, from Ava, as I can. My insides tremble at the memory of what Wade Paxton promised to do to me. After all I’ve seen, I’m sure he wasn’t bluffing now. I only hope I can stay ahead of them.
“Seth is waiting. He’ll help me hide.”
“Seth?”
Shaking my head, we don’t have time. “I owe him money. Ava can explain it to you. Thank you, Rowan. Thank you so much. I’m so sorry for what I did, for helping them. One day I hope I can make it up—”