Broken Ties Read online

  A soft knock interrupted her reverie, but before she could answer Levi opened the door. He crossed the room without a word and came into bed beside her, pulling her back against his front and wrapping his arms around her.

  “Sleep,” he whispered, kissing her softly on the ear. His breath ruffled her hair, and she sighed in contentment.

  Within minutes, her eyes shut and she began to dream.

  “I don’t want this to happen, Gabriel.” Her mother’s voice was hushed and agitated.

  “Jeanne, there is nothing we can do. It must happen, regardless of what you want.”

  “How can I allow it? She is my child.”

  Sidra peeked beneath the carousel horse, watching Gabriel’s hand tighten on her mother’s arm.

  “There is only one way to stop it, Jeanne, and I don’t believe you are ready to pay that price.”

  Her mother paled and jerked her arm out of his grasp.

  “I will find a way to keep it from happening,” she promised. “The ties must be broken, and I will do what it takes to sever them.”

  “You will die,” he warned. “And your family with you. It is up to you. Will she know pain in the future or death at this tender age?”

  Sidra gasped, and he crouched down, his eyes meeting hers beneath the horse’s belly. Eyes gray as the rainy sky bore into hers as his mouth formed a grim smile that bared his straight white teeth.

  “Your mama would like to play a game, my sweet,” he told her.

  “Gabriel, no,” her mother hissed, but he lifted his hand and flipped the switch beside him. The lights and music surged to life, and the carousel jerked forward, faster than normal, as Sidra clung to the bar beneath the horse. She tried to stand, but the motion was so fast she found it nearly impossible, and the horse caught her on the shoulder, knocking her down. Tears sprang to her eyes at the jolt of pain and the dizzying effect of the ground rushing past.

  Her mother screeched for Gabriel to shut the carousel down, but he simply laughed and leapt onto the platform. He lifted Sidra effortlessly and placed her on the horse as her mother flipped the switch that stopped the wild ride. Without warning, Sidra opened her mouth and vomited on the painted back of the white horse she rode.

  “Sidra.” Levi shook her shoulder and she opened her eyes, glad to find herself in bed on solid ground, not spinning wildly into oblivion as her cousin laughed like a maniac.

  She only realized tears were streaming down her face when Levi brushed his fingers across her wet cheeks.

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  She shook her head. She wasn’t certain what it meant. It felt like a memory, but perhaps it wasn’t. Perhaps it was just a very realistic dream.

  He pulled her back down beside him, arms wrapped around her as she turned toward him.

  “I can’t believe Teddy knew about me all along and never said a thing.” She was more hurt by Teddy’s duplicity than she had let on earlier, but now it came out in a rush. “How could he know someone might try to kill me and just go along his merry way? Even if he thought he’d always be there to protect me, there was no guarantee. I mean, look where we ended up, and if you hadn’t been there, I’d be dead now.”

  He was silent as she continued. “And don’t even get me started on Philippe. I don’t care what was promised in another country, twenty-something years ago. I wouldn’t marry him if my life depended on it.” She rolled onto her back, throwing an arm over her eyes. “But that’s the whole problem, isn’t it? We aren’t sure exactly what my life is depending on right now. Neither of them told us one darn thing that would explain why someone is trying to kill me.”

  “Maybe neither of them knows,” he offered.

  “Philippe has to know. We were obviously close when we were young. He knew me when I was abducted. There has to be some reason behind it. Obviously, it wasn’t because the person who took me wanted me. They just wanted me out of Medelia. Permanently, it would seem.”

  Unable to lie still, she sat on the side of the bed for only a moment before surging to her feet.

  “We’ve talked to both Philippe and Teddy, and we don’t know much more than we did when we started out.” She began to count on her fingers. “This is what we know. One, I was kidnapped, which we knew yesterday. Two, someone wants to kill me, which we also knew yesterday. Three, my entire family is dead, which probably has nothing to do with this. And four, some elusive relatives of mine told Teddy about it years ago, and he kept it a secret from me all this time.”

  “You forgot five,” he said. “You’re marrying Philippe.”

  She rolled her eyes in response, and he chuckled.

  ****

  Levi wanted to grab her, pull her back down to the bed, and make love to her. She wore a long, sleeveless nightgown of a soft pink material that hugged her breasts and waist. Her hair was a tousled mess, but he watched as she pulled a brush through it before disappearing into the bathroom.

  He could still feel her in his arms, taste her on his lips, and every fiber of his being wanted more of the sensations she awoke in him. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that acting on his attraction was unfair to her, given all that had happened. She was confused and scared, and he didn’t think she could possibly be thinking as clearly as usual.

  When this was over, if she wanted to move forward, he would be more than willing. Until then, it was best if he kept his distance from her, both physically and emotionally. Neither of them could afford to let emotions distract them from the very real danger she was in.

  She stuck her head out of the bathroom, a toothbrush gripped in her hand and her mouth full of toothpaste.

  “Where is your room, anyway?” she asked before disappearing once again. She reappeared seconds later and waited for his answer.

  “Down the hall, second door to the right. Why?”

  “I just don’t think I can make love in the playroom.”

  “Are you planning on making love?”

  “Yep.” She cocked her head to one side. “How about you?”

  Good God, yes, was what he thought. What he said was, “Sid, really, I don’t think it’s a good idea, with all that’s going on.”

  “Listen, I know you have some asinine idea that I’m in such a fragile state of mind right now that I don’t know what I’m doing. Or that I can’t be sure what I want. But you’re wrong. I know exactly what I’m doing, and I know what I want.” She straddled him and leaned her face so close to his they were almost touching. “And you are it.”

  She kissed him then, a long slow kiss that ate up every thought he had other than the feel of her mouth claiming his. When she pulled away, he followed, and before he knew it, she was wrapped around him as he carried her down the hall to his bedroom.

  Much later, she snuggled up against him, her face smoothed of worry for the moment, and her body spent. He kissed her forehead, sighed contentedly, and slept with her in his arms, where he was becoming more and more certain she belonged.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Dawn was barely turning the sky purple when Sidra tiptoed downstairs, hoping not to wake anyone. She needed a little time alone to think and to plan her next move. The first thing on her list was to research Medelia on the computer she had seen in the living room last night.

  She tried not to notice the darkened Christmas tree in the corner or the ceramic Christmas village set up in the large bay window. She focused only on the computer, thankful there was no password needed to gain access.

  She searched for Medelia, pulling up several photos of high, rocky shores and white sand beaches. A vague sense of recognition met each one, until at last she clicked on a small thumbnail that linked to a picture of the castle she remembered. A strange sort of homesickness swept through her as she studied the large stone structure perched atop a high hill.

  She touched the screen, her hand trembling as it met the cold hard glass. She had known her parents’ love there. Was there anyone there who still loved her?

  “Do you
remember it?” Teddy asked from the doorway, and she spun around to face him, a hand clutched to her chest. He grimaced. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “I’m a little jumpier than usual, you know. I remember it vaguely. In my mind I don’t know what’s real and what’s not.”

  “Can’t Philippe help you decipher that?”

  “I don’t know.” Her gaze wandered back to the screen, and she clicked on another picture. This time, a small village, with barefoot children dancing in the streets, popped up.

  “I’m not sure I trust him, Sid. Your relatives didn’t mention a fiancé to me, so I have no idea if he’s who he says or if it’s just a ploy to get close to you. What do you make of his story?”

  “I’m not sure. You did say they told you something about marriage and birthdays.”

  “Yeah, but I don’t know if they mentioned that your marriage was already arranged.”

  “I know that I knew him, but my feelings for him are friendly, almost sisterly, not in any way the feelings I want to have for the man I marry.”

  “Those are the feelings you have for Levi, aren’t they?” His dark eyes bore into hers, and she nodded.

  “Yes.”

  “And he feels it for you.”

  “I don’t know about that. He’s overly protective and controlling, but he’s the same way with you. So I don’t give it much weight.”

  “No, he is much different with you than he is with anyone else.” He shook his head, a bemused smile playing about his mouth. “No wonder he didn’t want to hire you. He must have realized his heart was at risk the moment he met you.”

  She thought of the way their relationship had changed in the last two days. Were those changes purely physical to Levi, or was his heart involved? She didn’t have to ask about her own. Her heart had been involved since walking through the door of Tanner and Tanner. A part of it would always belong to Levi, whether he wanted it or not.

  “How long have the two of you been sleeping together?”

  She wanted to deny it, but the heat that rushed to her face gave her away.

  “Not long, huh?” he said with a knowing smile. “Was there ever any hope for me, or were you in love with him from the beginning?”

  “You have always been my friend.”

  “That’s what I thought you’d say. Thankfully, that’s enough for me. But if I had ever wanted more, before you and Levi, would you have given it to me?”

  She shook her head. “I’m sorry. I’m not blind. I know you’re a very good-looking man, and I care about you very much. But I’ve never felt what I feel for Levi.”

  “No, I’m glad you’ve been there for him. I’ve been worried about him.”

  “Me, too.”

  “He wouldn’t answer the phone or return any calls.” He ran a hand over his face. “The family has been really broken up over it. None of them could understand why he chose to turn his back on us.”

  “He feels responsible for you getting shot.”

  “Why?”

  “He says he hesitated too long.”

  “He drew down on a twenty-year-old kid who didn’t appear to be armed. No one can blame him for not shooting.”

  “You know Levi. He doesn’t see it that way. He sees it as failing you, letting his emotions get in the way of his job, which was to keep you safe. It’s been eating him up for months.” Tears sprang to her eyes. “It’s been torture to see him in so much pain and not be able to comfort him.”

  “Although my big brother might think he knows it all, he doesn’t. He’s not omniscient, and there’s no way he could have known that kid had a gun.” He sank down in one of the large easy chairs. “It took me a while to figure that out, but once I let myself see it, I knew it wasn’t his fault. And his job was never to keep me safe. His job was the same as mine—to do some surveillance on a suspected embezzler and report back to the company owner. Neither of us were prepared to be confronted by the bad guy’s lookout.”

  “You can tell him that all you want, but he can’t—or won’t—forgive himself.”

  “Because he thinks he has to be responsible for everyone and everything. He’s always thought he could control the world by sheer willpower and superhuman strength.” In an exasperated voice, he added, “He’s never been able to accept he’s just a human.”

  “I’ve noticed that.” She thought of his assurances that he would protect her, find her assailant, and stop him. With Levi, they weren’t just empty platitudes meant to calm her. He truly believed his own words, and he would do what he could to keep her safe and stop the people who were after her. But he was only human, albeit a human who would die trying to save her. The truth of it was like ice water to her veins, and she wrapped her arms around herself, trying to ward off the chill of fear.

  Teddy leaned forward, his hands closing over her upper arms. He’d always been able to read her like a book.

  “I know you’re scared, Sid, but we aren’t going to let anything happen to you.”

  “Will you promise me something?”

  “It depends,” he answered warily.

  “You owe me a promise for lying to me for the last four years.”

  “Fine,” he grudgingly agreed. “What do you want?”

  She pulled his hands into her own and held them tightly.

  “Promise me that if it comes down to it, you won’t let him die for me.”

  Teddy paled and shook his head. “I won’t promise you that.”

  “You owe me.”

  “I owe you, so I’m supposed to let you die? I’m supposed to force my brother to let you die?”

  “If that’s what it comes to, yes.”

  “Damn it, Sid, you can’t ask that of me. Or him.”

  “I mean it, Teddy. You and I both know he would die to protect me, and I don’t want that.” She squeezed his hands. “Promise me.”

  He hesitated a long moment before finally giving her a curt nod.

  “I promise.” He placed a quick peck on the cheek before standing up. “I also promise it won’t come to that.”

  “Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to make promises you can’t keep?”

  “Sure they did,” he said with a grin. “Right before they taught Levi how to avoid kryptonite. Neither of us learned our lessons very well.”

  ****

  Levi woke to an empty bed and a surge of panic as he realized Sidra was gone. He jerked on a pair of jeans and bounded down the stairs, calling her name.

  “Sidra!” he called as he rounded the corner into the kitchen, where she stood at the stove, scrambling eggs and frying sausage.

  “Good morning!” she said, a smile spreading over her face. “Sit down. Breakfast is almost done.”

  “I thought you might sleep late this morning,” he told her.

  “She’s been up since before daylight,” Teddy said from the breakfast nook.

  Levi turned to find Philippe sitting at the table with Teddy, who smiled benevolently at him. Philippe’s scowl, on the other hand, encompassed him and Sidra equally.

  “She should not be cooking for us,” Philippe interjected. “Do neither of you understand who she is?”

  Sidra turned, a bowl of eggs in her hand. “I like to cook,” she told the man, “especially when there are people to enjoy it with me.”

  “When we marry, you will not cook.” He sniffed disapprovingly as he ran his eyes down the pink chenille robe that covered her nightgown. “And you will not traipse around in your nightclothes.”

  “For the last time, Philippe, I am not your fiancée, and we will not be marrying.”

  He leaped up, the palm of his hand slamming down on the tabletop.

  Levi and Teddy both surged forward, but to his credit, the man faced them without flinching.

  “We will leave for Medelia today,” he announced. “You will return to your home, and you will realize and accept the truth.”

  He waved his hand around the room, encompassing everything in sight and possibly the en
tire world beyond.

  “You do not belong here. These are not your people. This is not your world.”

  “It’s the only world I’ve ever known.”

  “It’s the only world you remember. That is not the same thing.”

  She flinched from his words, her eyes meeting Levi’s. There was no denying the truth he saw in their liquid depths. She was halfway to leaving. He was losing her already.

  “Sidra,” he began, but had no idea where to go from there. He couldn’t blame her for wanting to know the life she had been snatched away from. She was a princess. What girl wouldn’t want to return to that?

  “You can’t go while someone’s after you,” Teddy supplied.

  Levi breathed a sigh of relief at his brother’s words. It was true. They still had no idea who was behind the attacks. The only thing they knew was they were somehow related to Medelia. His eyes met Philippe’s cold green ones, taking in the thin lips and chiseled jaw.

  “He’s right,” Levi said. “She’s going nowhere while she’s still in danger.”

  “Once she’s home, we can keep her safe.”

  “Yeah, right,” he scoffed. “You do realize she’s here because of a massive failure to keep her safe there, don’t you?”

  The thin lips grew even thinner as a hiss of anger escaped them.

  “She was kidnapped at six, and it took your country two decades to find her,” Levi pressed. “I think the fact that she’s survived here for that long is proof positive we’re better equipped to keep her safe.”

  “You have no idea what you’re dealing with!”

  “No,” Levi said, moving toward the man, who took a quick step back. “But you do, don’t you? And so far, you haven’t been as forthcoming as a loving fiancé should be. At least, that’s my opinion. What’s yours, bro?”

  Teddy had slipped up behind the retreating man, a conspiratorial gleam in his eyes as he spoke so close to Philippe’s ear that the man jumped.