The Royal Roommate

By

P. G. Van

© 2017 P.G.Van

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,

distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including
photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods,
without prior written permission of the author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places,

events, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or
used in a fictitious manner.
Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events,
is purely coincidental.

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 Chapter 1

“Mom, don’t talk to me like you talk to Aaron, I’m ten years older than
him.” Amy rolled her eyes as she drove on the lonely, dark highway.
Her mother took a deep breath. “Amy, I know how old you are, and
I know you are a lot more mature than your brother. I would have preferred
you staying back at the hotel instead of driving through the night.”
“Mom, that place was pathetic. It reeked of…” Her voice trailed off
not wanting to give her mom the details.
“Of?” Her mom wasn’t going to let it go.
“Of whores, Mom. There, I said it. It looked good when I booked it
online, but it was horrible. I should have known when I saw those women
in the lobby,” she grumbled.
“But driving in the middle of the night is worse,” her mom objected.
“I only have a few more hours to go, and I will be fine. Can I talk to
Dad?” She couldn’t wait to talk to her father.
“You having fun, sweetheart?” Her father’s sweet voice was always
comforting.
“Yes, I was until I called Mom.”
“Did she call you a brat again?” He laughed.
“I’m sure she thinks I’m a snob for not liking the hotel.” She
giggled.
“You’re not a snob, you just have high standards.”
“Thank you, Daddy!”
“I want you to have fun but be safe.” Her father spoke for a few
more minutes and ended the call. Her mom was always the cautious one,
and her dad gave her and her little brother the extra freedom they needed to
balance out the mama bear love.
She was driving to a new city for an exciting law internship. It was
the first time she was going to be almost a day’s drive away from home.
Her college was a few hours from her parents’ farmhouse, and she went
home almost every weekend, so her mom didn’t freak out.
She was excited to move to San Francisco, and after combing
through a list of apartments, she found a location she liked. She would have
ended up paying more than half her salary if it weren’t for the corporate
subsidy her internship offered.
The large dose of caffeine and sugar drove her to a high with her
favorite rock band playing in her mother’s minivan she inherited when she
turned eighteen.
It was almost eleven p.m. on Saturday night, and a chill ran through
her when she realized her car was the only one on the single lane highway.
She would merge onto a major highway in twenty minutes, but the eerie
feeling sunk in as she drove along the curvy road. She turned off the music
to stay focused and glued her eyes to the road.
A few minutes into the drive, her phone started to beep, the sound it
made when it was looking for a wireless signal. “Great, middle of nowhere
and no signal on my phone.”
She looked in her rearview mirror through the small gap she had
managed to keep in her fully loaded minivan to see if there were any other
cars, but no lights were in sight. She turned into a curve and slammed on
her brakes when she saw a man walk toward the middle of the road calling
for help.
“Fuck!” She almost ran into the man.
It looked like the man’s car had rammed into the rock wall on one
side, and he was bleeding. His blood stained his white shirt, and she
watched as he approached her car.
“Help, can you please call an ambulance?” The man pressed on his
chest with his hand.
Her first thought was her safety, but the pain was evident in his eyes
glistening with the unshed tears and his strained breathing. The man was
badly hurt, and to her horror, she still had no signal on her phone.
“I… I don’t have a signal.”
“Please take me to a hospital. I have a broken rib and internal
bleeding.” He sounded like a doctor.
She took one look at the back of her van trying to figure out a safe
spot for him to sit so he didn’t get injured from things falling on him. She
reached around pulling the bag on the back seat to one side to make room
for him to sit.
She hit the button to open the passenger door and watched as he
carefully got into the back seat. He was hurt, and any worry of letting a
stranger into the car vanished when she heard him groan in pain while
clipping on his seatbelt.
“Hang on, I will take you to the nearest hospital.” She continued on
her route.
“There should be one right after you merge onto the highway,” his
voice was strained. “Please keep talking to me and help me stay awake.”

She drove for almost fifteen minutes as she conversed and threw riddles at a
complete stranger while keeping an eye on her phone to see when she
would get her signal back. As soon as her phone picked up a signal, she
called the emergency line.
“Hello, I have an injured man in my car, and I am heading to the
nearest hospital.” She spoke to the emergency response team member and
provided her location and was given the exact directions to the hospital.
“We will be there in ten minutes, keep breathing, please,” she spoke
to the man who had become awfully silent.
“Don’t let me pass out,” he pleaded making a shiver run down her
spine. She blared her horn in the darkness in hopes of jolting him awake if
she was losing him. She could hear him mumble something as they rode,
and every time he went silent, she honked. To her relief, he kept talking in a
weak voice.
She was relieved to see a team of ER personnel waiting for her
outside the hospital entrance. She watched as they lifted the man from the
back seat of her car onto the gurney. She gave one of the personnel the
location of where his accident occurred and handed over the hospital
paperwork she was asked to fill out. Turning away, she was relieved the
man was in safe hands. She stopped when she heard one of the personnel
call out to her.
She took a few steps closer to the gurney when she saw the man
looking at her with his hand stretched out.
“Thank you so much for saving my life, and I need to know about
the man.” He took her hand in his and held it weakly. “How did the man in
the field know he was going to die?”
She smiled remembering the puzzle she had asked him on their way
to the hospital. “Parachute! Hope you feel better soon, and thank you for
keeping me company on that scary highway.”
 She watched as they rolled the man indoors on the gurney feeling
relieved and good about driving instead of staying at the hotel.

*****

“No roommate yet, Mom, and I’m liking it that way.” She laughed. It had
been a week, and the roommate who was supposed to move in a few days
ago had not shown up.
“Do you like the work?”
“It’s crazy… just the way I like it.”
“Glad you weren’t expecting a three-month vacation, sweetie,” her
mother teased.
“I know, and it’s going to get crazier.” She laughed happy to hear
her mom’s voice. She had briefly talked to her after she reached her
apartment and hadn’t talked to her in a few days.
“I can’t believe you only have a year of college left.” Her mother’s
voice held immense pride.
“I can’t wait to move back and work in my hometown.”
“I love you, sweetheart. You make Daddy and me so proud.”
“I have a year to go before I can be a real…” Her voice trailed off
when she heard a knock on the door. “Someone’s at the door Mom, call you
back in a few.”
She wasn’t expecting anyone, but she sprinted toward the door
knowing it was pretty late for a friendly neighbor, if any, to stop by to
welcome her. She froze in the middle of the living area when she heard the
familiar beep on the door indicating the lock is turning off.
“Stop!” she inadvertently cried out and heard the clanking of the
chain of the door guard. She saw a tall figure through the small opening as
she walked toward the door.
“Open up, please,” a deep male voice called out to her.
“Who are you?” Her light brown eyes met dark, deep-set green eyes
that bore into hers.
“I am the proud renter of this apartment. Will you please take this
damn chain off?” the guy growled.
“What? No.” She wasn’t expecting a male as her roommate.
He showed her the key card in his hand. “Do you need more proof?”
 Her mind was reeling, and she kept wondering why the agency set
her up with a male roommate when she had requested a female roommate.
She took a deep breath before unlatching the chain to open the door.
The guy in front of her filled the huge doorway. “You must be Amy.
I’m Sid.” His accent was very different, but her name sounded cool on his
lips. Elite British family?
He held out a strong arm smiling at her. She took in his casual
stance and confident manner as he shook her hand. “Are you sure you have
the right address?”
“I have the right key card.” He smirked.
“Your room is to the left,” she called out taking in the breadth of his
shoulders as he walked away from her. He seemed to be a few years older
than her but looked immature in his ripped jeans and a Marvel comics t-
shirt.
She watched him kick his bedroom door open and drop his
backpack on the bed and crash onto the mattress.
“This is awesome!” He sighed.
She cursed under her breath knowing her days of bliss and solitude
in the apartment were over. She didn’t have good vibes about the guy and
had the feeling it wasn’t going to be fun with him around.
“Amy,” he called out just as she was about to lock herself in her
room.
“Yes.” She stood by her bedroom door. She heard the wood creak
under his feet as he walked toward her.
“What’s for dinner?”
“Excuse me?” She fumed.
He laughed like he was watching a funny movie annoying her to the
core. “I meant to ask what do you do for dinner. Do you cook or eat out?”
“I don’t like to eat out.”
“You cook? That’s awesome. What’s for dinner?”
“Dude, what’s your problem?”
“What’s your problem?” He smirked.
“You… are you sure you have the right address?” She made a
mental note to check with the rental agency.
He didn’t respond immediately. “Are you in denial that you have a
hot roommate or are you… worried you can’t keep your hands off me?”
 She gritted her teeth refusing to dignify his question with a
response. She wanted to reach out and slap him, and a thought crossed her
mind as she wondered how his cheek would feel under her skin. The rough
stubble and the chiseled cheekbones were distracting, and she knew women
reacted to his rugged looks. She wasn’t going to let another pretty face let
her show any form of weakness.
“It takes a gentleman to have a woman as a roommate, and I wonder
if you know how to handle that.” She smiled before turning away from him.
“Really?” He was clearly taken aback.
“Don’t worry, it won’t take you long to learn from me.”
“Good, will you teach me how to be a good roommate by feeding
me dinner first?” The sarcasm in his voice made her stop in her tracks. Her
palm was itching to come in contact with his tanned cheek, and her nails
craved to dig into his skin. What annoyed her most was she wasn’t thinking
of the skin on his face.
What an asshole!
“Listen… Sid, I need to be in this apartment for a few months, and
I’m not here to make friends or enemies. You keep to yourself, and I’ll stay
out of your way.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest.
“Isn’t that boring, and you don’t look like you are a boring person?”
“Dude… that’s your bedroom, this one’s mine, and we share the
living area and the kitchen.”
“What about the bathroom?” It was an innocent question, but every
word out of his mouth irritated her.
“Your bathroom is that way, and I have one through that sliding
door.” She pointed to her room that had a set of glass sliding doors for the
entrance.
“What? You get a private bathroom, and I get a ‘walk through the
kitchen before you pee’ bathroom?” he grumbled.
“This is San Francisco, and this is one of those modified apartments.
It’s a tiny closet turned into a bathroom.”
“Why can’t I have that bedroom?”
“Because I requested a room with an attached bathroom, and you
didn’t.” She walked away from him before he could make another smart-ass
comment and annoy her further. She looked into his dark eyes for a brief
moment before she closed the sliding door to her room.
 “Good to meet you too, Amy.” He mocked walking back to his
room. He never expected the person of interest in his investigation to be so
young and wildly beautiful.
He shut the door before pulling his phone from his pocket.

Sid: On the ground, sir.

He put the phone away not expecting an immediate response. He

was at the Army camp when an emergency order was sent for him to
investigate a woman in San Francisco. It was not his standard task or
method of investigation, but the order came from the top. He didn’t have
much time, and if his conversations with his roommate continued as they
were, he knew it would be a challenge to get the information he needed.
His phone beeped, and he knew exactly who was responding. His
phone number was given to just one person at that time.

Eagle: What’s the ETA?

Sid: Sir, I just got here, and I need to watch her for a few days to
study her behavior.
Eagle: We do not have a lot of time. We need to know if they were
able to decrypt the information that would lead them to the Guardian and
the Royal.
Sid: Understood, sir. This is not my standard operating model, and
it will take time.
Sid: Is the Swan in danger?
Eagle: We don’t know yet. The information is hard to decrypt, but
your job is to find out what the subject knows.
Sid: Yes, sir.

Sid did not believe in the kind of investigation he was assigned to

do. He was accustomed to dealing with suspects in an interrogation room
and knowing what the suspect did or did not know within a few minutes of
the interrogation. He stared at the ceiling wondering if the innocence in her
eyes was real. He stood up to walk to the window looking into the darkness
and making a symbol with his fingers before closing the blinds.
 If it were up to him, she would be handcuffed to a chair with a
spotlight over her head, machines analyzing her every response. A shiver
ran through him when an image of her flashed in front of him, her hands
and legs cuffed, a gag over her mouth and those eyes, the eyes challenging
him to overpower her.
Sid took a deep breath ignoring his thoughts threatening to consume
his mind and body reminding himself he had didn’t have a lot of time to get
to the truth. He took on the investigation when he realized the rebel group
had connections and operations outside his country.
He kicked the door shut before slumping his body on the bed, his
need to do things to her making him hot, hard, and annoyed, knowing her
large eyes would haunt him all night.

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 Chapter 2

Amy’s alarm went off at five a.m. Saturday morning. It was the first
Saturday in two weeks she didn’t need to work after having put in sixty
hours a week. Her body objected to the movement, but she wanted to get a
run in to loosen her tight muscles after sitting so many hours in a chair at
work. She had barely spent any time in her apartment and saw her new
roommate only a few times all week. She chastised herself when she
drooled over his ass while he spoke on the phone oblivious to her eyes
roaming over his back. She was convinced it was best to stay away from
him the moment she laid eyes on him—he was bad news.
She was running on less than four hours of sleep a night since the
day she started at one of San Francisco’s prestigious law firms. She took in
the sweet, moist breeze of the San Francisco Bay before hitting the
sidewalk for her morning run.
The music blasted in her ears transporting her to her hometown of
Lanesville in Northern California. Just the memory of the endless greenery
and the happy faces brought a smile to her face. She loved her little brother
who annoyed her to death. A smile played on her lips as she ran, building
energy one tiny bit at a time with every step she took on the concrete.

Thirty minutes into her run, she halted for a few minutes and stood staring
at the bay water in the early morning sun before starting her jog back
toward the apartment. She had barely taken off when a runner swept past
her almost knocking her off balance. She looked at the tall guy who
continued to run oblivious of how he had taken her by surprise.
She shook her head and started to run behind the guy unable to take
her eyes off of his almost bare back. The tank he was wearing showed off
his perfect muscle definition without making the guy look too bulky. She
couldn’t help but admire how the muscles rippled under his glowing skin
coated in sweat. Her breath was coming fast as she took in the strong neck,
wide shoulders, and noticed in awe how beautifully his shoulder blades
moved as he ran swinging his arms. She ran a little faster to keep up with
him as he picked up speed.
 Seriously?
She was breathing hard and knew she had hit her limit. Just when
she thought she was going to start wheezing like a kitten, he slowed down
and jogged in spot as he waited for the walk symbol at the traffic light. She
walked toward the intersection her feet protesting, and her calves splitting
in pain.
“Are you following me?” A male voice cut through her haze of
breathlessness.
She looked up, her eyes clashing with the familiar dark eyes, and a
devious smile playing on his lips. Her breath hitched when she saw her
roommate, her very sexy roommate. He was sweaty, and a dirty image of
her licking the sweat off his neck flashed in front of her eyes.
Fuck! Stop it!
“Yes, I am following you. I don’t remember my way back to my
apartment.” She laughed trying to ease the tension building inside her.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah… I’m just out of breath. I’ll be fine.” She rested her palms on
her knees looking down at the ground that was starting to spin. She shook
her head when she realized she was extremely tired and knew the lack of
sleep was catching up with her.
“Amy.” His voice was gruff and sweet at the same time making her
want to close her eyes and listen to her name roll off his lips.
She looked up still bent forward, her palms pushing into her knees.
“Can you walk?” He took a step closer to her.
“You’re kidding?” She straightened her back and looked up at him.
The last time she had to look up at someone, other than her dad, was a
football player she had dated in college.
“You are swaying.” He wrapped his fingers around her arm.
“What? No,” she slurred, and that’s when she realized she was
losing control. Sleep was coming to her fast, and she had no energy to fight
it.
“Amy, hop on my back. I’ll take you home.” He turned before going
lower in front of her.
“No, don’t be silly,” she objected, but all she wanted to do was place
her cheek on his slick skin and take in his scent.
 “Are you sick?” He touched the back of his hand to her forehead,
and his touch was so warm she wanted to use his hand as a pillow and
sleep.
“No, I can walk. Don’t…” her voice started to drift, and she felt a
vise-like grip around her waist.
“Amy!”
She drifted off into darkness on the sidewalk leaning against a warm
body that felt like a concrete pillar.

*****
I want to run the tip of my tongue on his warm skin and drink in every bead
of the saltiness. She wanted to reach out and touch him, but her hands
wouldn’t move… he is so hot!
She woke up to the noise of a motorbike zooming through the busy
street feeling wet in her folds. Her eyes fluttered open as her last memory
came flooding to her. She was in her bedroom and was tucked into bed with
her running clothes still on. It had to be mid-morning, and she knew her
body got the rest it needed by causing her to pass out on the sidewalk.
A chill passed through her when she wondered what would have
happened if Sid wasn’t around when she passed out. She knew she would
have woken up in a strange looking hospital and freaked out. She lay in bed
feeling extremely relaxed—it felt like the stress that had built up over the
past few weeks had melted away with one nap.
She lay in bed looking around her room that was her home for the
next few months. The apartment was extremely quiet, and she smiled when
she heard Sid’s voice. His voice came in clusters like he was talking to
someone on the phone. She got out of bed convinced she had a good
roommate. He surely was spoiled, but he was a good guy. She pulled her
hair into a ponytail before shuffling out of her room.
The sliding door opened without the little squeak she was used to
and smiled realizing how handy it was to have a guy as a roommate. Her
mouth felt extremely dry and wondered if the weird taste in her mouth was
how the combination of hunger and sleep deprivation tasted.
 “Yes, I did.” Sid had his back to her as he stood on the small
balcony talking on the phone. The French doors were closed, but she didn’t
fail to pick up on the frustration in his voice as he continued to talk. Her
eyes wandered over his back as they had earlier that day.
She walked to the kitchen to get a drink and yelped in surprise.
“Amy, you okay?” Sid stuck his head through the French doors.
“What time is it?” She looked at the kitchen clock indicating it was
a few minutes past six.
“It is late afternoon. Looks like you were really tired.” He smiled,
relief flooding his face.
“I’ve never slept this long unless I had pulled an all-nighter.” She
shook her head in disbelief.
“Looks like you’ve only been partying every night.” He chuckled
stepping into the living area from the balcony.
“What happened?”
“Oh… you passed out, and I brought you home. You’ve been
sleeping since.” He shrugged smiling.
“Okay… why does this whole area look weird?” She scanned the
almost empty living and kitchen area and everything seemed to be in place
yet, everything was out of place.
“What?”
“Everything looks off, and I don’t know why.”
“What looks off?” His voice was suddenly calm but firm.
“Look at that plant, the soil looks like a squirrel dug through it, and
that end table is against the wall, and I know I had moved it away because I
hate to see marks on walls.”
He laughed with pure joy echoing through the room, and she felt her
annoyance creep back as he tilted his head back continuing to laugh. “I tried
to kill time by pretending to be a good roommate while you slept. Sorry if I
messed up your mental map of the apartment.”
“Sorry, I am a bit obsessive about a few things and won’t fail to
notice. Thanks for fixing the squeak on my bedroom door.” She smiled
sheepishly pouring some juice into a cup.
“It wasn’t a complete waste of time, I hope. I had my buddy who’s a
doctor come by and check you out. She told me to keep an eye on you so I
pretty much was stuck indoors.” He flopped his body onto the not-so-plush
chair and gestured her to sit down.
“Thank you for bringing me home and what did the doctor say?”
She sat across from him and took a sip of the orange juice enjoying the
instantaneous energy boost.
“She’s not like a real doctor yet, she is a resident at the city hospital.
I just needed someone to tell me I didn’t need a real doctor.”
“You told your friend that’s why you called her?” She laughed.
“Yeah, I’ve known her way too long for me to spare her feelings.”
He winked.
“Just when I thought I had a cool roommate… you just crushed your
own image to death,” she teased downing her juice.
“If I had a roommate to begin with, you are barely around.” He
laughed shaking his head.
“When do you start work?” she asked out of curiosity.
“Work?” He looked surprised.
“You are here for work, aren’t you?”
“Well, my work is twenty-four/seven. I have some downtime, but
it’s ongoing.”
“Oh… what do you do?”
He looked at her for a long moment. “I’m not at liberty to speak
about my work.”
“Seriously? Should I be concerned?” She couldn’t believe the
candor.
He looked at her for a long moment before responding. “You have
nothing to worry about if you are a law-abiding citizen.”
“What the heck? Why wouldn’t I be a law-abiding citizen when I
want to be a lawyer.” She laughed.
“What kind of law?”
“I like criminal law, but I am torn between corporate and criminal
law.” She scrunched her nose.
“Interesting.” His accent made the simple word sound so much
sexier.
“Where are you from? Your accent, I can’t tell where it’s from.”
“Any guesses?”
“I want to say British, but it’s not pure.”
 “It’s part Aussie and part British with a bit of American now.”
“How cool, what’s your story?”
“What’s your story?” he retorted.
“I asked first, and from what I told you, you know more about me
than I do about you.”
“This is true.”
“So, what’s your story?” She probed.
“Went to boarding school in London for a few years, moved to
Sydney for my last year of college and now in America for training.”
“What training?” She was curious and was slightly jealous of the
guy who had been exposed to so many cultures when she hadn’t stepped out
of California in all her twenty years.
“Training to be a good roommate to Ms. Amy and a few other
things.” He winked.
“Fine, don’t tell me.” She stood up and walked to the kitchen.
“Since you are not an asshole, I will make dinner for us if you don’t have
plans.”
“I don’t, and I will help until I get my phone call.”
“You work on weekends?”
“Yes, and that’s why I get paid the big bucks. How do you afford
this apartment on your intern budget?”
She turned her head at an angle suspiciously. “When did I ever tell
you I was an intern?”
“You didn’t, I found out.” He walked toward her and came to a halt
just a foot away from her.
“Really? How?”
“I had a background check done on you after I got the information
from the rental agency.”
“What the heck?” She flattened her palms on her hips giving him a
death stare.
“You can be mad at me, Amy, but my job needs the extra caution,
and I don’t lie,” he declared leaning on the counter looking down at her for
any signs or indications of fear but didn’t see any.
She looked up at him feeling tiny standing next to him. “I appreciate
honesty any day, and the law firm I work for reimburses a good amount of
the cost of my rental.”
 “Sweet!”
“I know! It was one of the things I asked for, and they agreed.”
“Great! What’s for dinner?”
She laughed and saw his eyebrow cock up. “I don’t know why, but it
annoys me when you ask me that question. You ask with so much authority
it makes me feel like you are ordering me to make you dinner.”
“Yeah, damn right it is for today. You aren’t really feather light, and
I burned a lot of calories carrying you here.”
She poked her tongue at him surprised at how completely at ease
she felt around him. He wasn’t a typical guy who was unsure of himself. He
had the confidence to say what he wanted to say with a lot of charm. “I
didn’t ask you to carry me to the apartment, and I don’t believe in eating
like a bird. I was raised on a farm.”
“I know that already, about the farm thing.”
“Whatever, but you won’t tell me anything about you?” she
grumbled.
“I can’t.” He shrugged.
“Fine, what’s for dinner?” she teased.
“Pizza and wings?”
“I can make pizza, no for the wings.”
“Who said anything about making it, order it!”
“Dude, I don’t eat out. I can’t… the food is too stale.”
“What a snob!”
“What did you just say?” She sneered playfully.
He took a step forward making his scent invade her space. “I called
you a snob.”
“How dare you?” She reached for the glass of water and splashed
his face and took off laughing from the kitchen while he recovered from the
shock.
She had barely taken a few steps before he caught her by her wrist,
yanking her back to him. “Your background check didn’t tell me anything
about your reactions or how much of a snob you are.”
She was laughing hysterically enjoying his irritation as she tried to
wiggle out of his grip. He held her pinned to the counter with one arm as he
wiped his face with his t-shirt.
 “You called me a snob, and I splashed water on you, we’re even. Let
me go.” She slapped on his shoulder gently and was amazed at the strength
he had to keep her pinned to the counter with his side.
She knew she was pushing it when she reached for the kitchen
faucet and turned on the tap. She pulled the extendable cord and sprayed
into his ear making him jump away from her.
“That’s what you get for holding me captive.” She laughed turning
off the faucet.
He looked annoyed and angry as he tried to empty the water out of
his ear. She knew the feeling of submerged eardrums but couldn’t stop
laughing as she watched him slap his palm against his ear.
“Sid, can you hear me?” she taunted, and when he turned to look at
her with raw anger in his eyes, she knew she was in trouble.
He moved so swiftly, she had no time to run. He held her to him
with a burning grip around her waist and breathed fire on her cheeks. “This
is the game you want to play, Amy?”
“No, stop. We need to start cleaning the floor.”
He moved closer, his hand melding her body to his as he turned on
the faucet and pulled out the cord to spray directly in her face. She gasped
in surprise but was soon laughing which seemed to piss him off further. She
felt the grip around her waist tighten as she buried her face in his chest to
avoid the endless stream of water.
“Are you sorry you splashed water on my face?” he growled.
“No,” she squealed against his chest but refused to give in.
“I will empty every reservoir around San Francisco until you
apologize,” he threatened making her quiver deep inside. Quiver with a
deep longing and not fear.
“Fine, I’m sorry.” She managed to push him away as soon as he
turned off the water.
“Now, you’ll clean up the kitchen,” he ordered.
“What an asshole. I’m not sorry I sprayed water on you, and you
will clean up with me.” She fired back fighting novel sensations that had
started to stir inside her.
“You will clean up the mess because you started it,” he fumed.
“You can’t make me,” she declared adamantly.
 He was back in her private space. “Listen, Amy, I may not be an
asshole, but I’m not a good guy. I’m sure it’s all fun and games for you, but
it’s time to start cleaning up your own mess.”
She held her chin high and looked into his dark, dangerous eyes. “I
won’t do it myself. You made a bigger mess.”
His fingers crept into her damp hair and just when she thought he
was going to say something, the words died and seemed to have gotten lost
in the thickness of their sexual tension. Her breathing was coming fast, and
she noticed he was having a similar reaction.
As if in response to the pressure on her head, she dug her fingers
deeper into his arms. She refused to look away from his eyes which held a
primitive longing, and she wondered how much she was imagining. His
gaze bore into her eyes for a long moment before he looked at her lips that
were parted and trembled invitingly.
Her skin burned in spite of the dripping water, and she felt molten
lust surge through her as she watched his face move closer to hers. Her eyes
rolled shut, and she moaned when she felt his lips on hers. For a confident
guy like Sid, his lips were unsure for a moment, and then she was lost. She
gasped when his tongue tapped on her lips before entering with dominance.
The hand that was around her waist slid up to cup her cheek, and she
dug her nails deeper into the solid muscles of his arms. His hand caressed
her cheek while the grip of her hair demanded her submission to the
devouring kiss. A kiss she had never believed could be so earth-shattering—
like the Disney princess kiss she had laughed at growing up.
This guy kissing her was a complete stranger who she had known
for less than a week, and he had an effect on her making her question her
resolve.
The moment was intense, and she felt his hunger on her lips, the
demand in his grip, and his longing against her belly. She didn’t want him
to stop because she wanted it all. Her rational side was tied up and put away
in a dungeon as she let him explore her mouth.
Her eyes fluttered open when he abruptly pulled away. She looked
at him, his lips glistening with her sweetness, and his chest heaving heavily.
He wiped his lips with the back of his hand. “Clean up!”
He left the kitchen, and a moment later she heard his phone ringing
just as the drumming in her ear started to fade.
Fuck, that was close.

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 3

Sid cursed under his breath before answering his call.

“Hang on.” He stepped into his room and shut the door before
saying another word.
“Sir, we are done with the analysis. Every sample we collected did
not indicate the presence of another person in that apartment. Her responses
to the truth serum test were consistent as well. We are now capturing audio
from the apartment,” a male voice reported on the phone.
“Is there anything else we need to check?” Sid’s voice held
authority.
“The only person she interacts with outside of the people at work is
the homeless guy who camps out at the end of the street.”
“What?” Sid ran his fingers through his damp hair.
“She stops by for a few minutes to chat and gives the person food.”
The man on the phone reported.
“Do not ignore any of it. He could be the messenger. You know this
jeopardizes the safety of the Swan, and the Eagle will have no mercy on
either of us if we don’t get this right.” He barked at the man on the phone.
They had to get to the injured guy to find out if they had decrypted the
stolen file containing the information about the royal family.
“Understood. I will look into the homeless guy’s background and
see if he is a messenger.”
“Thanks, John.” He pressed his fingers to his temple not feeling
great about losing his temper and being snarky with one of the most loyal
guys on his team.
“I’ve ordered your dinner, and it should arrive shortly.”
“John, do me a favor. Cancel what you ordered. I want pizza for
two, and I want it homemade.” He needed to make up to her. There was no
way his mission would be a success if he didn’t get her to trust him.
“Got it, sir!”
“Thank you, John. Good work today, and I will be sure to speak to
the Eagle about the great work your team did in this short amount of time.”
 “Great! Thank you, sir!”
He ended the call and looked up at the ceiling. His heart was still
pumping fast, and all he could think of was the warmth that cocooned his
tongue a few minutes ago. He felt intoxicated and had no control over his
actions. His sense of duty was in question, and he thanked the stars for
John’s timely call. He knew he would have ripped her wet clothes off in
another thirty seconds into the kiss or if she had moaned like she did one
more time.
“Fuck!” He was getting hard just at the thought of her dripping wet
hair trapped between his fingers. He could not afford to be involved with
the person of interest in his investigation. So far, his gut feeling of her
innocence was proving to be right, but he could leave no margin for error.
He needed to be sure she was in no way involved with one of the most
radical groups in the world.
He let his body slide onto the mattress and heard the shower run in
her bathroom. He gritted his teeth in frustration, as all he could think about
was to walk into the shower and join her. He wanted to run his hands over
her soft glowing skin, close his palms over the delectable mounds of flesh
that was flattened against his chest minutes ago.
He stood up and went back into the living area, and the sight in front
of him made him laugh. The counter and the floor were half clean, and there
was a clear line set up with paper towels for the area that still had water. He
shook his head smiling as he picked up the roll of paper towels and went to
work. The subject of his interest was turning out to be far more interesting
and attractive.

The warm water felt ice cold on her heated body as she stepped out of the
shower. She was not new to her bodily needs and often used her trusted and
loyal toys for satisfaction. She hadn’t yet met the guy she wanted to sleep
with, but with the one kiss from Sid and what she felt, it was exactly how
she had dreamed of going over the edge. The attraction was so undeniable,
she didn’t need to question her actions or decisions.
She may have started it, but he was still responsible for cleaning up
half the mess. If he didn’t, she was going to make him clean up, not sure
how, but she was determined to make him do it.
 She dried her hair running her fingers through it unable to stop
thinking about how it felt to have him grip her hair like he couldn’t let go.
She had not met a guy who was capable of setting her on fire the way he did
with just one kiss. It wasn’t just any kiss, it was a kiss that ruined her for
any other man’s kiss.
She pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a looser than usual t-shirt and
stepped into the living area to find Sid playing a game on his phone. She
was furious at the thought that the kitchen may still be wet, but to her
surprise, it was all cleaned up and even seemed to sparkle.
“Thank you!” She stood by the fridge running the towel over her
damp hair.
He looked up from his phone with a wicked smile playing on his
face. “For enlightening you that you are a food snob?”
Her instinctive reaction was to toss the damp towel at him, and
before she could stop herself, the towel was flying toward him. A moment
later, it landed over his face.
“Shit, I didn’t mean to do that but…” She lost her words when she
saw his face still hidden under the towel, and it seemed like he was
enjoying her smell that lingered on the towel.
She marched to where he sat and pulled the towel off his face, and
the wicked grin lingered making her want to slap him just so that she could
touch him again. She dug her nails into her palm to stop herself from
starting something she couldn’t control.
“You smell good.”
“Thank you, but I need you to get your butt into the kitchen if you
want to eat something for dinner.” She turned away refusing to show her
reaction to the words rolling off his lips which continued to lure her to kiss
him.
“That won’t be necessary,” he drawled making her twitch.
“Why is that?”
“Food is on the way.”
“Fine, you can eat what you ordered. I’ll fix a sandwich for myself.”
She walked back to the kitchen after tossing her towel over a chair.
“Amy, homemade pizza for my not-so-snobbish roommate.” He
walked over to where she stood by the fridge looking down into her eyes.
“Farm fresh, I promise.”
 “Not possible in San Francisco.”
“What if it is farm fresh? Will you bring me breakfast in bed
tomorrow?”
“Very confident are we?” she taunted.
“Yes. You like the pizza, you make me breakfast, or I do the dishes
and cleaning for the rest of my stay here.” His eyes twinkled with
confidence.
She held her hand out smiling. “Deal.”
He took her hand in his and held it firmly. “I’m talking the royal
breakfast in bed, sweetheart. You have a hot meal waiting for me when I
wake up, and you’re not making one after I wake up and laze around for an
hour.”
“You’re such a spoiled brat. I’m sure you had a butler growing up,”
she mocked.
“You’ll never find out, but I’ll tell you if you have a chance to make
a career as a butler.” He laughed making her pull her hand away from him.
“We will talk when the pizza arrives.” She walked back into her
room to dry her hair completely before their dinner arrived.

Two hours later, an empty pizza box lay on the small dining table. Amy
looked at the box as she waited for her mom to answer her phone. Sid
disappeared into his room halfway through their meal when his phone
started to go off for the thousandth time that day. She couldn’t figure out
what kind of a job required him to stay home but receive calls all day. A call
center, customer service kind of a job?
“Hi, sweetheart,” her mom cheered, her voice cutting through her
thoughts.
“Mom, guess what?”
“What?”
“I had homemade pizza that tasted just like your pizza, and I didn’t
make it.”
“Homemade pizza in San Francisco? Did you discover a new joint?”
“I have no idea who made it, but it’s better than Dad’s and came
close to beating your pizza.” She laughed wiping the moisture from the
edge of her eyes. She missed her family terribly, and all she could think
about was to finish college and start her practice in her hometown. She
knew she had it in her to fight her way through a corporate environment,
but she wanted to do more than make money, she wanted the people she
cared about to get justice. She wanted to be the one to fight for the farmers
in her hometown when a corporation tries to bully them into selling their
land or start a chain of stores that would hurt the local businesses.
“I’m glad you liked it. So, how did you get the pizza?”
“My roomy ordered it, and he wouldn’t tell me where he got it.” She
laughed.
“Your roommate is a HE?” Her mother was clearly shocked.
“Yeah, he showed up a week ago and already earned some brownie
points with the pizza.” She turned to make sure Sid’s bedroom door was
still closed.
“I thought you asked for a female roommate. You should consider
moving if you aren’t comfortable. You can be snobbish, baby.”
“Mom, stop it. I’m not a snob.”
“Oh… please, you and your dad are top-of-the-line snobs. Food,
people, behavior…” She shook her head laughing when she heard her dad
take the phone from her mom.
“Hi, sweetie, don’t listen to your mom. We just have high standards
for everything,” he declared laughing.
“Damn right we do, Daddy. I love you!”
“I love you too, baby. What’s the fuss with the dude?” he probed.
“My roommate?”
“Yes, your mom had you on speaker and voices travel in this
house.” She knew her dad wasn’t thrilled with the latest news of a male
roommate.
“He’s half decent, Dad. I thought he was an ass when he showed up
last week, but he isn’t bad,” she said in a softer than normal voice.
“Does he treat you with respect?”
“Yes, Daddy. He is a good guy.” He is a good kisser, too.
“When do we get to see you, sweetheart?”
“Dad, you saw me two weeks ago and please don’t forget to pick up
my buddy tomorrow morning.”
“You got it, sweetheart.” Her dad encouraged and gave her a crash
course on self-defense before hanging up just in case she needed it while
living with her roomie.
 She waited around for another thirty minutes wondering if Sid
wanted to watch a movie with her as they had discussed. When he didn’t
show up, she cleaned up and checked to see if she had everything she
needed for his breakfast in bed the next day. She had a tough time faking
her dislike of the pizza when all she could do was roll her eyes back and
moan as she chewed on the cheesy crust.

*****

“What the fuck is going on, John?” Sid snarled.

“Sir, he was in his spot earlier today, but now he is gone, and none
of the other homeless guys know where he went. It’s like he disappeared
into thin air. His stuff is still here, but he is gone.”
“John, this is bad. We lost the last clue. She is up to something, and
we need to find out what. Pull up all the camera footage in that area, and I
want every interaction of hers with that guy pulled up. I want to know if she
passed on information she had to him.”
“Got it, sir!”
Sid threw his phone on the mattress and raked his fingers through
his hair. Did she tease him to the point his decision about her was clouded?
Was she messing with his head on purpose? Fuck, her towel smelled so
good he wanted to live under it forever!
He wanted to kick himself for giving into the temptation and going
soft on her. She seemed to be up to something even though his heart told
him she was innocent, and every reaction to his touch was natural and
primal.
Sid’s phone beeped a notification, and the message indicated she
was downstairs tossing the pizza box in the alley. There wasn’t enough time
to run through her things one more time like he did when she slept under
the influence of the drugs he sprayed on her when he ran past her earlier
that morning. It was the safest thing to do so he could continue his
investigation but came close to being caught. He had expected an
accomplice of hers to show up when she blacked out on the sidewalk after
the run but was pleasantly surprised she didn’t have anyone watching her
round the clock.
 She had an eagle eye for things. She almost identified the small
changes his team made when they swept the apartment for bugs, bugged the
house for audio, and collected fingerprints. They rummaged through every
inch of the house for anything they could find, but there was nothing.
For reasons he couldn’t explain, he didn’t want any of the men on
his team to look through her stuff and requested specially appointed agents
who were women to look through her things. She was something, and if she
did turn out to be someone the Eagle suspected her to be, her ass was his to
grill for the rest of her life. He would make sure she never saw daylight
again; he wanted her tied up for life. The dark thoughts were making him
hot, and he gritted his teeth to curb the urge.
His phone beeped again, and this time with a link to the video
footage for the corner where the homeless man was camped out. He pulled
up the link on his computer and watched her first interaction with the
homeless man. She handed him a sandwich and a blanket.
In the next video, she talked to him but no food. He skipped ahead
to a point where she handed him an envelope and watched as the homeless
man pulled out a rectangular piece of paper and a few dollar bills. He saw
the joy she brought to the man’s face and wondered what it was that she
gave him. He zoomed in on the video to look at the piece of paper which
looked like a dollar bill, but he knew it wasn’t.
He pulled out his phone and called John. “I want the last footage
enhanced for the last three minutes.”
“I have the footage already. She just gave him money, but it wasn’t a
lot of money. She handed him four twenty dollar bills, sir.”
Sid took a deep breath to calm him down. “John, look closely, she
gave him three twenty dollar bills, and it was the fourth piece of paper that
got him all happy.”
“Oh… I see it, sir. I am sending you the enhanced image.”
Sid looked at the still image of the rectangular piece of paper which
looked like currency, but it was not. As soon as he saw the perforated line in
the middle, he knew what it was.
“John, it’s a ticket of some kind… more like a train or a bus ticket.
Most likely a bus ticket because the guy left all his stuff as they have a limit
on how much luggage a person can carry. Pull up all video footage of every
bus leaving town and run facial recognition on the tape,” he ordered getting
impatient.
“Yes, sir.”
“I heard her talking on the phone a few minutes ago. Send me the
audio file.”
“Yes, sir.”
He hung up, and John sent the audio file. A few minutes into the
conversation, Sid was smiling, not only because she thought he was half
decent, but he also knew where the homeless guy was headed.

Sid: The homeless guy is headed to Lanesville in Northern

California. Watch him!
John: Sir, you are fast.
Sid: I want all audio from the apartment sent to me directly. No one,
and I mean no one, gets to decrypt it.
John: Yes, sir.
Sid: And John, one more miss like this, and you will need to stop
calling me sir. 
John: I don’t call you sir because of the authority you have, I’m just
practicing from now on for the day you become the President of our nation.
Sid: Good night, John.
John: She is back in the cove but standing on the balcony.
Sid: Thanks, John. I got her from here.

The people of his country voted for him as the next best candidate
for the presidency in a preliminary poll, but he couldn’t imagine his life not
being a soldier and in the field. His thirst for blood was what only he knew
—no one knew how badly he needed to hurt and torture anyone who came
close to threatening the safety of his people.
He had a gut feeling she was waiting for him to come out of his
room, but he turned off the light not wanting to go out and have a friendly
conversation or something more. She was still a suspect and knew she had
secrets even if she wasn’t lying to him. It only made him want her more and
do dirty things to her while he tortured her.
Sid was thankful there were only a few people in the room earlier
that day when she started talking with the truth serum in her body. His balls
turned blue with need when he heard her confess her need to lick the warm
beads of sweat off his skin.
“Fuck it,” he growled annoyed at how hard he had turned just at the
memory of her words.

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 4

Sid was sure he was dreaming, but he didn’t want it to stop. She was
standing next to him, her hair damp from the shower. He couldn’t forget
how wonderful her towel smelled and couldn’t wait to smell her hair. There
was something floral, fruity, and something else. Something so familiar yet
so unfamiliar—the smell made his mouth water, and when he put his mind
to it, he realized her hair smelled of bacon. It was an amazing smell, but
how could her hair smell of bacon? God, it smelled so good he wanted to
eat her, and then he felt her, not in front of him but behind him.
His eyes shot open, and a piece of bacon was staring back at him an
inch from his nose.
“What the?” He turned to look into her gorgeous eyes. Fucking sexy
suspect!
“Good morning!” she beamed. “As promised, you woke up to the
smell of your breakfast.”
He sat up in bed as she turned to put the slice of meat back on his
plate. He reached under his pillow and made sure she didn’t see his weapon
he kept hidden inside the pillowcase as he placed the pillow upright against
the headboard.
“What do we have here?” He winked rubbing his palms together.
“Payback for pizza. I’ll let you enjoy your breakfast in bed, and
when you are done, you can come do your share of the cleaning.”
“Dang! You are one tough roomie.”
“Yes, your future roommates will thank me!” She turned to leave,
and he couldn’t help but call out her name. She turned to look at him, her
large eyes glowed making him wonder if she was the dark person she was
suspected to be. Something inside him told him not to jump to conclusions
without evidence.
“Yes, Sid.” She smiled sarcastically when he kept looking at her
after saying her name.
“I was kidding when I said I wanted to eat in bed. We should eat
together.” He got out of bed with only his boxers on glad his erection was
under control.
 “I’ll wait outside while you put on something more decent, and I
already ate. You didn’t think I would wait to eat the food till you woke up
and taste tested it for me?” She laughed as he walked toward her, his
beautiful body on display.
“You are such a show-off,” she teased heading back to the dining
area.
It was only moments later when he started to wonder if the food
angel who lured him out of sleep with bacon was the same person as the
one yelling on the phone at the top of her lungs.
“Daddy how could you? You know how important it was, and you
couldn’t wake up on time?”
She was visibly angry, and he wasn’t sure if he should pretend not to
care and leave the room so she could say what she had to on the phone, but
before he could leave, she gestured him to sit at the table.
“Find him, I don’t care if you and a dozen people need to drive
along the coast all day until you find him.” She barked on the phone before
hanging up.
“Everything good?”
“No, but I don’t want to talk about it.” She dropped her phone on the
table and slumped into the chair.
“Can I help?”
“Unless you have access to a dozen people who might go on a
manhunt, then yes!”
“I might,” he confessed.
“Stop kidding, Sid. I’ll let my dad deal with the situation.”
“I can help, just let me know if you want me to.”
“I will. Do you like the French toast?” She didn’t want to think of
the situation at hand.
“I do, and I’m wondering why you are pursuing a law career when
you could be on The Food Network.”
“Thank you, but I know my limits.” She laughed, her hair sparkling
with life. He was itching to touch her hair. He wanted to know if it smelled
sweet like a flower with a touch of friskiness.
His phone started to ring in his room.
“There you go… go disappear for the rest of the day,” she teased.
“I’ll be back. Will you go out with me?”
 “What?” She shook her head in disbelief.
He smiled in response but did not say anything before closing his
bedroom door.
“Hi, John.”
“We lost him, sir.”
“Was that what she was flipping out about?”
“I don’t know what happened in the apartment, but the homeless
guy never made it to Lanesville,” John declared.
“They are up to something, John. I want you to add a few more bugs
in her room. I will take her out for a few hours.”
“I think we should search her van, too.”
“Sure, can you do everything in the few hours I am away?” Sid
lowered his voice.
“I need more time, especially for the van. If she is really hiding
something in the car, I need a lot more time to pull it apart. It is parked on
the street, and I can’t do my search out in the open.”
“Okay. Give me thirty minutes, and you will have the car for
yourself for however long you need it and the apartment for a few hours.”
“That works, sir.”
“John, I want bugs in the bathroom, too!”
“I… I’m not sure if we have the moisture resistant ones handy
today.”
“Fine, place the regular ones, and I will swap them out later.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Sid… John. Call me Sid.”
“You know I won’t. Bye, sir.”
Sid turned off his phone before stepping into the living area.
“Sid, were you serious about going out?” She sat with her feet
curled up on the chair.
“Yeah… I need to shop for some clothes, and I was looking for
someone to carry my bags.”
She flung the small accent pillow at him making him laugh. “I’d
rather go with you and carry your bags instead of staying home wondering
what is happening with my buddy.”
“What is happening?” he probed cautiously.
 “When are we leaving?” He wasn’t surprised when she dismissed
his question.
“Right after I am done taking a shower.” He went back into his
room texting John about the plan.

“Amy, let’s go,” he called out stepping out of his room rolling up his shirt
sleeve. She was on the phone on the balcony with her back to him. He stood
quietly watching the softly rounded globes sway as she moved her legs. She
had simple shorts on, but something about how they molded to her made
him want to dig his fingertips into the soft flesh. His hungry eyes touched
her to satiation as they ran down her long legs and then up to her rounded
curves before they clashed with her mocking eyes.
She poked her tongue at him and gestured she was almost done. Sid
turned away from her, partly embarrassed she caught him drinking in her
curves.

Sid: I need bugs in the balcony, too.

John: Yes, sir.

“Are you done, Sid?” She mocked stepping back indoors making
him stiff.
He looked up at her casually. “Done with?” He was convinced she
was confronting him about his open drooling.
“Shower.” She shrugged innocently making him laugh.
“Let’s go.”
“Where are we going anyway?”
“Out, and I’m driving,” he declared.
“I don’t just get into strangers’ cars.” She scrunched her nose.
“Really?”
“Fine, I’ll go, but I will take a cab back if I need to leave.”
“You are a snob and a weirdo.”
“Hey,” she growled.
“Okay, out. I can lock the door.” Sid pulled out his phone before
leaving.

Sid: Leaving the cove.

 John: Got it, sir.
Sid: I want a team watching her. I need to know if she has any tails.
John: Done. Where are you headed, sir?
Sid: The pier.
John: Roger that.

“Where are we going?” Amy chirped.

“The pier.”
“I thought you wanted to buy clothes.”
“I changed my mind. I want to hang out and have lunch there.”
“Not happening, I don’t eat tourist food.” She turned around and
started to head back toward the apartment.
Sid moved swiftly pulling her by her hand. “I know a place that
doesn’t serve tourist food.”
“It doesn’t exist on the pier.”
“Yes, it does… let’s go.” He laughed pulling her into the elevator.
“You are one bossy roommate,” she mocked freeing her hand from
his grip while ignoring the waves of zing that traveled through her.
“I’m trying to be a good roommate and show you what you’re
missing out on by being a food snob.”
“Stop it.” She whacked his arm with the back of her hand.
“Accept it, you are one.”
She faked annoyance so she could feel his rock-solid muscles and
gently slapped him on his chest.
“Should I keep calling you a snob so you can keep touching me?”
He crooned, his eyes boring into hers.
She held her chin high refusing to look away. “Maybe I should turn
around so you can gawk at my ass again?”
He smiled and took a step closer as the super slow elevator made it
to the lowest level. “I admire beauty in every form.”
She felt the heat creep up her cheeks and knew they were visibly
flushed, but she managed a nonchalant tone. “Thank you!”
Amy stepped out of the elevator ahead of him and walked away in
hopes of hiding the grin that refused to go away. She knew he was playing
with her, but it made her feel good, made her feel like a woman and not a
girl, and she found it extremely entertaining.
 Sid’s Hummer was parked on the street and gleamed under the
California sun.
“Why do you need a car? You barely step out of the apartment.” She
got into the passenger seat.
“To take my roommate out and show her what she’s been missing
living under a rock.”
“On a farm,” she grumbled.
“Same thing. Why do you have yours, then? You don’t take it to
work.”
“Oh, I need it when I go home on the weekends.” She poked her
tongue at him.
“Really?” Sid pulled the beast of a car away from the sidewalk and
attempted to make a U-turn, and she screeched his name holding on to the
door handle when she realized a car was headed their way at a high speed.
She sat frozen and watched in horror as Sid turned the wheel to avoid the
incoming vehicle and rammed the front of the Hummer right into her
minivan parked across the street.
“Fuck, are you okay?” His voice was shaky.
Amy felt fine physically but was shaken on the inside. A few
pedestrians came by to help, and Sid assured them they were fine. As she
slowly got out of the vehicle, she saw how the solid metal brush guard on
the Hummer had punctured the entire side of her mom’s minivan.
“Amy, I’m so sorry.”
She didn’t respond as she stepped onto the sidewalk to look at the
vehicle her mom used to drive her and her brother to school in, miles and
miles of road trips, and the day she drove away with it to college.
Sid was on the phone while she walked around and looked at how
much damage the vehicle incurred from one thrust. He hung up after a few
minutes and walked up to where she stood in silence. “Hey, I’m sorry. I… I
had to avoid the car.”
He was thrilled his plan worked to the ‘T,’ but something deep
inside bothered him when he saw the sadness in her eyes. He reminded
himself he did what he did so his team could have her car for inspection for
more than a few hours. He cautiously put an arm around her unable to
comprehend her state of mind. “Amy, the tow truck will be here in a few
minutes, and I will get your car fixed.
 “You better,” she snarled, gently pushing him away to look at him.
“Aaron was supposed to take it to college, and I wanted to repeat all the
mean things he said to me when I was packing the minivan for college. He
needs to drive the ‘mommy van’ too.”
“Huh?”
“I want it fixed,” she barked.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And fast, I need to go back home in a few weeks, and I need it
back as if nothing happened to it. I want my little brother to drive to his
college campus in this car.”
“You are one loving sister.” He laughed knowing it would annoy
her, but he was glad everything was working as planned.
“Not funny, Sid.”
“I’m sorry. Other than the fact I crushed your dream of seeing your
brother drive this minivan, are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” she grumbled.
“Good. I’m glad to hear it. Oh, here’s the tow truck.”
“That was fast. What towing company do you use?”
“My own.” He laughed signaling the driver.

Twenty minutes later, they were on their way to the pier after watching her
van being loaded onto the truck. Sid was impressed with how well one of
the guys on his team did as a tow truck driver. The guy gave Amy all the
details, the location of her vehicle, and what she needed to tell her
insurance.
She sat next to him texting, and he drove in silence toward the pier.
He glanced sideways a few times, but she refused to look at him.
“Are you mad?”
“No… I… I just have too many memories in that car, but I know
you didn’t do it on purpose.” Her voice was so deep something inside him
twitched. The chirpy easygoing woman was lost in thought like she had lost
something important.
A few minutes into the silence, he heard a low hum, her sweet voice
sent waves of thrill to his chest. “What are you singing?”
She turned slowly to look at him. “My happy place song… it’s a
song my dad taught me so I would feel better when I’m feeling low.”
 “Wait, what kind of a college student are you? Don’t you get high
when you feel low?” He laughed thankful the silence had died.
“A slightly sensible one,” she retorted.
“What’s the song that gives you a high?”
“The Rabbit’s Home.” Her voice was soft, and he could tell she was
fond of the song. It was something no woman he had met cared to show.
The women he had known tried too hard to be strong or sassy not caring for
the little things in life, but for him, with everything he had been through, the
small things in life mattered a lot.
“Umm… should I know that song? Is that some kind of a
kindergarten poem?”
She laughed easing the guilt of making the big brown eyes gloomy.
“It was a song my dad taught me. It’s about a little rabbit that forgets
how to get home every day, so he makes up a song to memorize the
landmarks and the signs that would help the rabbit take the correct turns to
get home on a prairie where everything looks the same.”
Sid took his eyes off the road to catch a glimpse of her face and
caught the glow in her eyes. “I don’t know what to say. Am I supposed to
say it’s cool you have a song to take you to a happy place?”
“I don’t give a rat’s ass what you think, I told you because you
asked.”
“I know, and for the record, I think it’s pretty cool you remember
something your dad taught you when you were little.”
“Yeah, it’s my own song and my happy place.”
“Very cool, are we still on for eating out?”
“I am with the ‘out’ but skeptical about the ‘eating’ part.” She
scrunched her nose.
“Trust me?”
She looked at him for a long moment. “Well, after that homemade
pizza… I do.”
“Homemade Italian food,” he declared making the engine growl
through the streets of San Francisco.

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 5

Almost two hours of typical tourist shopping on the pier, Sid took her to an
Italian restaurant on the lower level.
“How do I not know about this place?” Amy whispered sitting at a
table in a private lower level room with the view of the beautiful San
Francisco Bay.
“This place is off limits for food snobs.” He smirked.
“This is so cool and the private deck is so fantastic.” She looked at a
family gathered at a big table under a pergola.
“Yeah, I come here when I miss home, and my buddy, Alberto, fixes
me a killer dish that makes me feel so good I keep smiling like a fool all
day.”
“You do that?”
“What?”
“Smile like a fool?” She laughed.
“Rarely, but I’m capable.” He looked away as his mind went down a
dark lane. The darkness that sucked away his childhood molded him to be
the person he was and still played a role in his life.
“Does this food remind you of your childhood?”
He looked at her in shock. “Only the part I want to remember, the
rest of it…”
“What’s your story, Sid?” She probed softly when his voice trailed
off.
He didn’t respond immediately but held her gaze for a few
moments. It was a novelty for him to have someone be so interested to
know him for who he was as a person and not the hero who was perfect and
capable of doing anything. She had no expectations from him, allowing him
to be his real self, which he didn’t know existed. Everyone around him
thought of him as a hero, but deep inside only he knew about the wall he
built around his darkness, and she threatened to get close. “Why do you
wanna know?”
“I’m intrigued. I don’t know what you do, and I have no idea how
you ended up in the apartment when I specifically asked for a female
roomie, but I’m glad you showed up.”
“Really?” A smile played on his lips as he leaned back looking at
her.
“Yeah, you’re half decent.”
“Just half?” he snorted.
“Don’t challenge my opinion, the word you’re looking for is ‘thank
you’ because I haven’t told a single guy what I said a second ago.”
“Interesting. So… you okay with not knowing anything about me?”
“I know what I need to know… for now.”
“Really? What do you know about me?”
“Stop fishing for a compliment ‘cause there ain’t anymore.” She
winked looking out of the window at a little girl standing on the deck
throwing popcorn into the water for a family of sea lions.
He shook his head laughing. “You are a good roommate.”
“Oh… I’m the best roommate you’ll ever…” Her words evaporated
in her mouth just like the moisture at what she saw. She got up from her
chair knocking it over and dashed toward the deck where the large family
was gathered.
“Amy?” Sid looked at her run toward the back of the restaurant and
followed her. He watched in utter shock as she dove into the bay water and
a second later he kicked his shoes off and dove right after her.
The cold bay water hit his face, and his mind questioned his motive,
but he had no answer. No reason why he dove into the water right after her
without another thought.
Sid saw her surface holding onto a little girl holding her head above
the water, and he swam to her. “Amy, are you all right?”
“Yeah, watch for that frigging sea lion.”
Amy happened to see the girl being pulled into the water by the sea
lion, and the girl’s squeal was lost in the music and the family chatter. She
dug her fingers into Sid’s arm as she held the terrified child who seemed to
be frozen in shock.
Sid pushed the little girl out of the water and handed her to the
eagerly waiting arms of her family members. Two adults diving into the bay
surely caught everyone’s attention.
“Take my hand,” a man called out to Amy, and she was grateful to
be out of the cold bay water in spite of the bright sun. Sid pulled himself
onto the deck and started to squeeze the water out of his shirt. “Is the little
girl okay, Alberto?”
“Yes, thanks to you and your guest, Sid.”
Sid threw an arm around Amy. “Thanks to Amy.”
The group on the deck applauded as they followed Alberto indoors
to change. “I have extra uniforms you guys can change into, and we have a
tiny shower if you would like to use it before you change.”
“I wanna go first,” Amy called out laughing.
“I would never fight you after that heroic save, my lady.” He
drawled making her core warm.
“Amy, the shower is down the hallway to the left. I will have Sid
bring you some hand towels and clothes.” Alberto declared gesturing Sid to
follow him.
Amy had no energy to protest, she was shaken up not just from the
cold but also mostly from what she had witnessed. She never in a million
years expected a sea lion to jump out of the water to pull a child into the
water. She didn’t want to think about what would have happened if she
weren’t looking in that direction.
She opened the door marked ‘Employees Only’ to find a small room
with a tiny shower stall to one side of the room. Diver suits hung on one
side of the wall, and she wondered why they had such a room in a
restaurant but was grateful they did.
Amy stepped into the shower with her clothes dripping. She turned
on the hot water with her clothes on to curb the shivering that had started
right after she stepped out of the water.
A few minutes later, she heard a knock, and the door creaked open
slowly. “Amy?”
“In here.” She raised her hand above the shower door.
“I have matching t-shirts and shorts for us.”
“Yay! But I’m not getting out of the shower any time soon.” Her
voice wavered.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m cold.”
“Are you still in your wet clothes?”
“Yes.”
“You need to get out of them and shower.”
 “I have no energy to change. How are you not cold?”
“I’m trained for this, don’t worry about me. Change out of your
clothes and let me know when you are ready for your dry clothes,” Sid
urged.
“Sid, find another shower. I’m not leaving anytime soon.” Amy let
the hot air run down her body as she hugged herself.
“Amy, you need to get out of your jeans.”
“No… why don’t you go check on the little girl and come back in
two hours?”
“The girl is doing fine. She is on her way to the hospital to be
checked for injuries.”
“You get two minutes, and you need to get out of the shower.”
“No… go away,” she grumbled.
“That’s it, I’m coming in,” he declared making her squeal when she
heard the shower door open.
“Hey, I’ll be fine. I just need a few more minutes,” she said
pretending to be unfazed by his bare-chested image in front of her.
“No, you won’t until you get out of your clothes and let the warm
water take care of the cold.”
“Not yet, I’m too cold.”
“Are you okay, Amy?”
“That was scary, Sid. I didn’t realize those cute animals could hurt
people.”
“It’s okay, it’s a good thing you saw what happened.”
“Yes,” she shivered visibly.
“Two minutes is up, my turn to shower.” He laughed.
“No… I’m not done, but I can share the shower if you’re cold.” She
offered and bit her tongue a few seconds too late.
Sid’s mouth twisted up wickedly on one side. “You’re willing to
share the shower?”
“Yeah, you did jump in for the rescue.”
“I jumped… you did the rescue. I had no idea why I you dove into
the water.” He ran his fingers through his damp hair while standing by the
shower door as he held it partially open.
“Why did you jump into the water?” She asked her voice
surprisingly steady.
 “Hey… you jumped into the water, so I jumped.” He laughed
shaking his head.
She held her hand out to him cautiously looking into his eyes. He
took her hand after a moment of hesitation and stepped into the shower and
stood a foot from her.
“Why did you jump into the water?” She repeated like she wanted a
different answer.
Sid looked long and deep into her eyes like he didn’t know the
answer himself, and she decided not to probe.
“You can step under the water if you like. I won’t bite.” She
managed in spite of the rage in her chest from his proximity.
He took half a step closer to her and let the warm water roll down
his skin. She closed the gap between them to place her cheek on his chest.
She shut her eyes tightly and held onto his hand and circled her other arm
around his waist. She drew in the heat from him as they stood in silence.
He did not object to the invasion of his private space. She held onto
him for what seemed like the best few minutes as she took in the
smoothness of his skin layered over rock-solid muscles doused in his
beautiful scent.
She wanted to hold on until he moved, but he stood under the water
with his other hand to his side. She wondered if he was going to pull her in
tighter to him and knew he was fighting the urge.
She finally stepped away and took a step toward the door without
looking into his eyes. “I’m good now. I’ll go change. Can you stay in here
for a few minutes?”
“Sure.”
Five minutes later, she was dressed in a bright pink t-shirt and khaki
shorts with the pizzeria’s name splashed over the t-shirt.
“I’m done,” she called out and heard him turn off the shower.
Sid stepped out of the shower in his shorts and a towel draped over
his shoulder. Amy turned away refusing to let him watch her drool over his
chiseled muscles as she attempted to dry her hair using an old-fashioned
hand dryer that refused to run for more than twenty seconds at a time.
“Looks like you are having fun drying your hair,” he teased and
enjoyed the death stare she gave him but saw something more than
annoyance play in those eyes. He knew she had the same thoughts go
through her mind when they stood together in silence under the shower.
“You have no idea. I can dry the rest of my hair at home. I’m ready
to go when you are.” She ran her fingers through her damp hair.
“We aren’t going back yet, we just got here.” Sid’s team confirmed
she had no one following them and they were done planting the additional
bugs in the apartment. He had, what he felt like a weird feeling, to spend
time with her outside the apartment where every word she said was
exclusively for him and not recorded for analysis.
“Don’t be ridiculous, I’m not signing up to be a flamingo all day.”
She pulled on her pink t-shirt scrunching her nose.
He laughed walking toward her. “That’s a poor choice of a bird for
you.”
“Yeah? What bird describes me best?” She chuckled flattening her
back on the wall as he moved closer to her.
He held the towel around his neck standing inches from her looking
down into her eyes. “A bird that is slightly graceful, flighty, and yet is a
symbol of serenity.”
Her cheeks were flushed crimson when she picked up the depth in
his words. “Flighty?”
“Irresponsible sometimes… like when you dive into cold water to
attack a sea lion.” He slowly pushed a lock of damp hair away from her
face, his fingers barely touching her cheek. “A bird that looks fragile yet is
very strong.”
“A Swan… right?” she whispered and immediately noticed the shift
in his manner.
Sid couldn’t believe he had lost focus on his mission, his mission to
investigate Amy to protect the Swan. The Swan.
“Let’s go back to the apartment. I’ll have Alberto pack the food.” He
almost growled before leaving the bathroom leaving her shell-shocked and
irritated at the change in his behavior.
Sid gritted his teeth when he realized a potential suspect distracted
him and his duty to the Swan and his country. Amy had to be treated as a
suspect no matter how he felt about her or around her. He cursed at his
negligence as he pulled his phone out when it beeped.
 John: Sir, we found a badly damaged memory card in the van.

Sid felt a punch in his stomach at the thought of being wrong about
Amy and that she could be connected to the Barkha Group.

Sid: What’s on it?

John: The team is taking it to the lab to get it analyzed. It was
coated with blood.
Sid: So it was from the guy?
John: Yes. It was hidden in the back pocket of the passenger seat.
She couldn’t have done it, sir.
Sid: Let’s not jump to conclusions. I need the data from the card. I
need to know the source of the download and if other copies have been
made from the memory card.
John: Yes, sir.

“Sid,” Amy called out stepping out of the bathroom. He was looking
at his phone standing by the deck. She repeated his name when he didn’t
move, and he slowly turned to look at her as she approached him.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” He shrugged.
“What do you mean nothing? One second you are showering me
with compliments, and the next minute you look at me like I’m your arch-
enemy.” She spoke like she read every slight expression of his like an
expert. He was unreadable to most people, and for her to see right through
him sent a shiver up his spine.
“I got a text, and I need to get back to the apartment to work.”
“Okay, you could have just told me instead of just walking out that
way… I don’t like that,” she declared adamantly making him smile.
Sid knew he was neck deep into something with her and hoped to
clear her as a suspect as soon as possible.
“I’m sorry, we can eat here if you want to…” He couldn’t believe
how much the gloom in her eyes affected him.
“No, get it to go. I don’t want to look like a pink swan.” She laughed
walking back indoors.
 He smiled looking into the open water wondering what it was about
her that calmed him and kept him away from his inner monster. It made him
wonder if it was her empathy to stop for a stranger in the middle of the
night that gave him hope there was good left in the world. He was glad he
was on a mission requiring him to hang out with a normal person rather
than the suspects he had to torture in enclosed spaces.
Amy gave him a different perspective of life and a sense of calm
and peace he had always craved. Her smile, attitude toward life, and the
way her sweet scent stirred every muscle in him. The feeling made him
think what he had with her was somewhat real, but he was convinced it
couldn’t be real and even if it were, it wouldn’t last.

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 6

Sid turned off the audio recordings from the different parts of the apartment
and scrunched his nose. It had been three weeks since he had moved in, and
there was nothing they could find to tie Amy to the radical group except for
the damaged memory card found in the van. The card was unreadable from
the damage. He was convinced she was innocent and could close the
investigation, but something about her made him want to stay back. He
couldn’t get himself to leave.

Sid: Find out why she was on that highway that late.
Sid: Is it possible that she just gave him a ride?
John: It is possible but highly unlikely. The injured guy didn’t ask
her for her contact details, and she gave the hospital a fake address.
John: She could have called 911 and left or called and stayed back.
Why bring him to the hospital? He talked to her like he was giving her
instructions.
Sid: True… is it possible she is an acquaintance to that guy and has
no clue what he was doing?
John: Why was she on the highway at the exact same time? Seems
like too much of a coincidence.
Sid: I want someone to drive to that spot of the accident, and this
time with the same phone and same carrier as Amy. See if we can get more
clues at the site of the accident.
John: It is only a few hours away, and I was planning to go to
Lanesville. Since it is on the way, I’ll do it myself.
Sid: Thanks, John.

Amy was interesting, and he found her to be more interesting every

minute he spent with her. Her quirks were annoying and cute all at the same
time. Her need to save the planet in her weird way made him laugh every
time he saw the note posted on the sink about turning off the faucet while
scrubbing the dishes. He barely saw her during the weekdays and looked
forward to seeing her over the weekend—that meant another twelve hours if
he missed seeing her before she left for work, and he couldn’t wait. He
wanted to see her at that moment no matter what she was doing, and he
reasoned with himself it was the best time to switch out the bug in her
bathroom, so the audio was clearer on the recording.
“You’re nuts, Sid,” he muttered as he walked toward her room. He
stopped right outside her bedroom door and turned away to walk back
toward his bathroom. He tugged hard enough on the flush lever and broke it
off.
“Amy.” He knocked and stuck his head through her bedroom door
when she didn’t respond. He called out again with urgency in his voice like
he was in pain.
“In here, Sid,” she responded from the bathroom.
“I need to use your bathroom… now!” He opened the bathroom
door like he had no control over his actions.
“What the fuck, Sid. Get out,” she yelled from behind the floral
shower curtain.
“The friggin flush in my bathroom is broken.”
“You don’t just barge into my bathroom while I’m using it,” she
yelled speaking over the shower.
“Just stay behind that shower curtain. Don’t come out until I’m
done.” He pulled the old bug out from behind the water tank of the toilet
and attached the new one.
“Are you done?”
“Wait! Let me pee in peace.”
“You can take your own sweet time if it is your bathroom, I need to
get to work,” she grumbled.
“Hold it, I will take you to work today.”
“Really?”
“Yes.” He flushed and washed his hands.
“Fine, get out now.”
“I’m not done.”
“You washed your hands, get out.”
“I’m looking for a towel.”
She opened the shower curtain and stuck her head out glaring at
him. “Use my towel and get out.”
“Fine.” He wiped his hands and left.
 “Let me know when you are ready, and I’ll take you.”
“Get out of my bedroom and wait by your door.” She snarled.
He laughed at her irritation and sent out a message to John that he
had switched out the bug in her bathroom. He could have done it after she
had left for work, but he couldn’t take the risk of being caught later because
he accidentally moved the bathroom roll in her bathroom by a centimeter, at
least that was the excuse he made up in his mind.

Twenty minutes later, she stepped out of her bedroom holding her tote and
shoes and looked at him with searing heat.
“What?” He shrugged.
“What was that?”
“What?” He stood up and walked toward the main door.
“Sid, why did you barge into my bathroom? What kind of a pathetic
excuse was that to walk into my bathroom while I’m in the shower.”
He stood looking at her without responding. She took a deep breath
and walked toward him and stood a foot away from him.
“Do we need to talk about what happened over the weekend a few
weeks ago after our kitchen faucet fight?” She was upfront about it, and all
he could think of doing was a repeat.
“What do we need to talk about?”
“Sid, we are roommates. I don’t want us to get carried away and
make things complicated,” she managed to say even though all she wanted
was for him to join her in the shower. She had been taking herself to her
happy place almost every night since the kiss so she didn’t rip his clothes
off every time she saw him. It had been a tough few weeks living under the
same roof and not being able to touch him or be touched as she wanted him
to every time her eyes fell on his long fingers.
“Fine, aren’t you going to be late?”
“Are we good? No barging into my bathroom again.”
He turned away from her, and she wanted to kick herself for trying
to be a responsible adult. She followed him out the door only to crash into
his chest when he stopped short.
“Stop barging into me,” he grumbled holding her to him by her
waist.
“Are you okay?” She ran her arms around him looking up at him.
 “Yeah,” his voice was soft.
“Kiss me,” she said abruptly and felt a shudder pass through him.
“What?”
“You know how to barge into my bathroom pretending to pee, but
you don’t know how to kiss me? Kiss me like you did that Saturday night.”
He didn’t move and looked at her in disbelief. She smiled going up
on her toes to brush her lips against his. “I’m not good at pretending.”
He stood frozen refusing to give in, and she planted a kiss on each
of his cheeks before she led him toward the elevator by his hand. He stood
frozen to the wall of the elevator looking at her like she was an alien.
“Have you never been kissed before?” she taunted.
He smiled shaking his head but did not respond.
“I don’t want a ride if you’re going to be like this in the car.”
“I won’t, let’s go.”
He got into the driver’s seat, his mind in turmoil to the point he
wondered if he should be driving.
“Let me drive, it’s easier than giving you instructions, and I cannot
watch another minivan get crushed by this beast.” She got out of the car and
went around to the driver’s side.
Sid didn’t respond but crossed over the center console and settled
into the passenger seat without another word. He sat in silence as she
maneuvered the powerful vehicle through the morning traffic. He wanted
her more than he had ever wanted anyone, but he knew it was a form of
obsession, and it wasn’t anything real—it couldn’t be because he knew
everything about her yet nothing about her.
“Sid, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing, I’m okay.”
“I’m sorry if I…”
“I’m glad you kissed me, Amy, and I want to kiss you back, too, but
I can’t. You don’t want to be around someone like me.”
She pulled into a smaller street and then finally into an alley. She
put the vehicle in park and unclicked her seatbelt and pounced on him with
her hungry lips. He met hers with his demanding and starved lips. There
was no tenderness, and she didn’t want any. She wanted him to kiss her till
he tasted her blood.
 She flattened her palms on his cheeks, her nails grazing his skin. He
groaned sinking his fingers into her ass cheeks when she sucked in his
lower lip between her teeth.
“Why are we fighting this?” she mumbled against his lips.
“I don’t know,” he growled, and she knew he was as confused as she
was about what they had going on between them. All she knew was there
was no explanation as to why she felt so drawn to him when her first
reaction to him was annoyance. She wanted more even though she knew
there was possibly no shot at a long-term relationship even if she wanted it.
He pulled away from her running the pad of his thumb on her lower
lip. “I want you.”
“I want you, too, will you take me out on a date tonight?”
“Yes.” He smiled and brushed his lips on hers. “I need to take care
of something before I take you out. Meet you at the apartment after?”
“Good, now let me take us to work.” She sat back into the driver’s
seat and merged back into the traffic.
Ten minutes later, she waved to Sid as he drove off smiling to
herself like a fool. She had a boatload of work to finish that day, but nothing
bothered her, and she told herself she was going to leave at six to be back
on time.

John had not responded to him in hours, and he wondered what was going
on as he waited impatiently for more information. He jumped from his seat
at the bar close to Amy’s office when he finally received his text.

John: Sir, we need to talk.

Sid called John without waiting another second. “Hello, sir.”

“Where have you been John?”
“Sir, the section where the accident happened has zero cell phone
reception. It is a stretch of twenty-five miles with no signal, and I didn’t
have signal on both the phones this time.”
“Is that why Amy drove him to the hospital?” Sid wanted her to be
clear of any link to the radical group.
“Yes. I have a feeling she was trying to be helpful and got roped into
this mess,” John declared.
 “John, I love you so much right now.” Sid laughed running his
fingers through his hair.
“I want to do one more thing before we give an all clear to Amy,
sir,” John interrupted Sid’s happy thoughts.
“What else?”
“We need to understand what happened to the homeless man, if he
was significant, and also we need to know why she gave a fake address.”
“I need all these answered in the next few hours, John.”
“Yes, sir. I’m on my way to Lanesville.”
“John, don’t make me wait. You know I’m not a patient guy.”
“I know, sir.”
“You are the best! I’ll let the Eagle know.” Sid couldn’t contain his
excitement.
“Thank you, sir.”

Sid was excited Amy was not who he thought she was and typed the
message to the highest authority but refrained from sending it. He wanted to
be more than a hundred percent sure even though he knew she wasn’t
involved.
Hours passed but no word from John. He didn’t want to go back to
the apartment and start something without being absolutely sure about Amy
as he knew there would be no turning back from the relationship. He tuned
into the audio for the apartment later that evening and heard her singing in
the kitchen as she cooked.
A typical date for him was wine, dine, and hard sex, but with Amy,
it was homemade food, rock music, and beer—just the way he liked it. He
continued to listen as she moved around the apartment and knew he was
going to be late if he didn’t hear back from John in the next ten minutes.
An hour passed, and he was still at the bar staring at his phone and
listening to the music Amy was playing at the apartment.

Amy: Hey, I’m looking for my missing roomie.

Sid: Sorry, roomie stuck at work.
Amy: What? Who is going to eat all the food and drink all the beer?
Sid: Don’t wait up. I have a feeling I’ll be late.
Amy: Excuses, excuses.
 Sid: I want you, baby. I just can’t get myself out of the situation I’m
in until I get an all-clear.
Amy: You called me baby?  I like that.
Sid: I like it that you like it.
Amy: I’ll see you when I see you. Peace out!

Thirty minutes turned into hours, and it was almost eleven that night
when John finally called.
“Sir, she is clear. The homeless man is living with a bunch of other
homeless people on this huge ranch in Lanesville.”
“What? What do the homeless guys do there?”
“They get trained to work on the farm and in construction, sir. I’m
told Amy started this when she was fifteen. She cannot be our suspect.”
“John, I love you, man. I love you so much. Thank you!”
“You get to call me sir however long you wish to do so,” Sid
encouraged.
“My pleasure, sir.”
Sid laughed gathering his things off the bar counter signaling his
personal security he was ready to go. “John, no more audio transmission
from that apartment. Turn off all communication.”
“Yes, sir. Consider it done. We suspected a good- hearted person for
helping out the wrong guy.”
“You know we can’t take any risk with the Swan, John. I’m not
worried about her giving the fake address anymore, and even if the memory
card was decrypted, she had nothing to do with it. I’m confident.”
“Yes, sir. I am going to stay overnight in Lanesville. I want to talk to
the owner and tell him what a great job he is doing running the place.”
“You have fun, John.”

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 7

It was thirty minutes past eleven when Sid made it back to the apartment.
He was sure she was pissed at him for standing her up. He tiptoed toward
her room and stood by the door taking in the moment. He was finally free to
say what he wanted to say to her.
He heard her moan as he was about to turn the knob of her bedroom
door. He held the knob and stuck his ear to the door, and he heard her a bit
more clearly. She was moaning like she was having a beautiful dream and
when he heard what sounded remotely like his name, he knew he needed to
intervene.
He opened the door slowly and walked toward the bed in the dark.
The light streaming from the living area showed him a beautifully aroused
woman who had his name playing on her lips as she pleasured herself.
He turned on the light and caught her by surprise. She looked at
him, her cheeks flushed with desire, her lips swollen from being crushed
between her teeth. She stared back at him but did not move.
“I’m sorry, baby. I can’t let you do that to yourself.” He smiled
looking at her as she spread her arms invitingly. He slowly moved toward
her as she boldly held his gaze. There was no shame in her eyes for being
caught doing what she was doing and that turned him on.
“What took you so long?” she rasped.
“How dare you touch what’s mine,” he growled taking her hand
that was stroking her folds moments ago and putting her fingers into his
warm mouth.
She moaned enjoying the dirty pleasure. “You never declared it was
yours.”
He let her fingers out of his mouth before running his hand over her
chest feeling the dips and peaks. “Are you wearing my t-shirt?”
“Yes,” she moaned closing her eyes.
“Look at me,” he commanded making her eyes flutter. “I’ve wanted
you so bad, it’s turned into an obsession.”
“Is that a good thing?” she rasped.
 “I don’t know, I’ve never felt this way before.” He lowered himself
onto her slowly, his eyes never leaving hers.
“I’ve never felt this way either. I feel high when I’m with you like
you’ve drugged me.” She fisted her fingers on his shirt collar taking on his
weight.
“I might have drugged you… once,” he mumbled running the tip of
his tongue along her lower lips.
“I’m sure you did.” She smiled pushing her lips to his snaking her
fingers into his dark hair.
“It’s so hot when you are drugged, your voice… I had a tough time
keeping my hands to myself,” he confessed remembering the first day of his
interrogation.
“You like my sexy voice?” she slurred enjoying what she thought
was role-playing.
“Yeah, so sexy I want to bury myself into your throat.”
She gasped into his mouth at the delectable threat in his voice.
“I want to fuck you so hard it scares me,” he confessed softly.
“I want you to fuck me till I beg you to stop.”
“Will you beg if I don’t start fucking you?” he challenged.
“I won’t, I will use my fingers.”
“You have no idea what my dick can do.” He bit down on her lower
lip making her groan in sweet pain.
“I don’t know what a real dick can do.” She smiled looking into his
eyes.
“What?”
“I’ve never let a dick get this close to me.”
He pulled back slightly looking at her. “Are you a virgin?”
“Technically… no. I’ve had other things in me just not any random
dick.”
“What the heck? How old are you?”
“Remember, I’m a fucking snob. I don’t let any asshole put his junk
in me… just this asshole.” She took a bite of the deep cleft on his chin.
“What was the size of the junk you put in you?”
“Standard size.” She laughed.
“I’m no standard size, baby. Can you handle it?” he mumbled into
the delicate skin of her neck as she traced a wet trail with his tongue.
 “Fuck, yeah!”
“There’s no going back once I get started.” He slid his hand up her
chest and squeezed her yearning breast making her cry out.
“Is this how awesome you’ll sound when you come?” he growled in
response to her cry of pleasure.
“Make me come, and you’ll find out.”
“Why the fuck are you so hot, and how is it that I’m the first one to
get into such juiciness?” He trailed his fingers down to find her soaking
folds.
“I saved myself for the biggest dick in the world, and I’m not
talking about your junk,” she purred making him take a bite of her neck.
“Fuck, stop messing with me and fuck me,” she ordered.
“I will when I want to,” he crooned running his tongue over her
burning skin.
“No, you won’t.” She pushed him off her forcing him to flatten his
back on the mattress. She laughed victoriously as she climbed onto him
straddling his waist as she removed the t-shirt she had on.
He held her by her hips as she put herself on display, her soft
mounds constricted in a fire red bra, her skin glowing under the light, and
the heat of her epicenter warming his skin as she rubbed against him like
she couldn’t wait.
“Are you ready to beg now?”
“No,” she growled reaching for the clasp of her bra to pull it open
making her breasts bounce out of the bra cups. She leaned forward sliding it
off and took the peaked nipple to tease his lips.
Sid lay in bed having the best time of his life—no woman had
turned him on so much, and she was a fucking virgin. He was worried he
would blast off with just her tease. He wanted to be buried deep inside her
when he did, and he knew it would be different and mind-blowing.
“You will fuck me now,” she ordered as he sucked her nipple into
his warm mouth digging his fingers into her ass cheeks so hard he was sure
he dented them forever. He switched taking the other nipple between his
teeth making her pool.
She pulled her nipple out of his mouth and started to move away
from him. She barely moved a few inches away before he caught her
pulling her back to him.
 “Where do you think you are going?”
“I’ll go get my toy if you aren’t going to fuck me,” she growled.
“Not on my watch. I’ll make you flush your toys down the drain
after tonight.”
“Really,” she challenged feeling her heart thumping as he pinned her
to the mattress bringing his weight back onto her. This time he brought his
steely shaft to rub against her throbbing clit over the silky panties that had a
moist patch.
She gasped taking in the sheer presence of the beast between her
legs and knew she would be stretched like never before.
“I wonder if you will be able to walk tomorrow.” He squeezed her
breasts hard.
“All talk and no action!”
“You are in so much trouble.” He yanked her panties half way down
her thighs before going lower to her depths like her arousal was calling him.
“How the fuck are you so wet?”
“Do you not like it?” She arched her back sticking her breast higher
up in the air. The twitching between her legs had evolved into a dull ache as
her muscles clenched in anticipation.
“I don’t like it at all,” he hummed running his tongue ever so slowly
like he wanted to eat her forever.
“Are you man enough to make me come without all the playing?”
she rasped and wondered what had gotten into her.
“Don’t ever question my manhood, beautiful.” He barked as he
brought his lips to her kissing her so hard she thought her lips were going to
burst. She didn’t care how hard he kissed her, she wanted more as the last
word that rolled off his lips played on repeat in her head.
He got off her for a few moments, and she watched him kick off his
shorts to bring the hot rod into her line of sight. She swallowed at the sheer
size of his virility.
“You ready, baby?”
“Yes.” Her voice was barely a whisper as she bounced over the
waves of pleasure building up inside her.
He ran the tip of his hardness once along her inner lips before
sliding into her like he owned the place. She gasped taking in his girth and
felt the stretch.
 “Oh my God, Sid. I’ve never felt like this.”
“Hold on, baby, it’s going to be a rough and fun ride.”
“Make my wait count, make me want to suck only your dick.”
He groaned his delight as he pulled out of her only to bury himself
deeper into her depths, and he continued switching angles with every thrust.
There was one angle where she thought she was going to go blind with
pleasure if he touched it one more time.
He knew he found her sweet spot when her eyes rolled to the back
of her head, and she moaned out a cry. “That’s right, baby, I know what I’m
doing.”
“So cocky!”
He held her hips and built up the rhythm as his balls tightened. He
knew he was ready to blast. He pulled out with great difficulty and
scrambled to find the condom in his pocket.
She opened her eyes when she heard the sound of the package
ripping and bit her lip. She watched him roll on the condom and wondered
how he tasted. She wanted to taste every inch of his ripped body starting
with the pink tip of his rod.
He leaned forward to kiss her. “I can’t stop myself from kissing you
when I should be fucking you.”
“I want it all.” She pulled him onto her not letting go of his lips.
He raised his hips and ordered, “Put me in you.”
She held him, her fingers barely wrapped around his thickness
before guiding him down her deepest depths as he kissed her sucking the air
out of her lungs.
He kissed her like he couldn’t breathe without sucking the air out of
her, and she moaned digging her nails into his arms. She was overwhelmed
with the sensations and thrills running through her body. She swirled in her
lust while falling into an abyss of pure delight as he thrust into her harder
and deeper with every drive.
She moaned imploding and felt the seismic energy ripple through
her. She bit down on his lower lip unable to handle the intensity of the
thrills threatening to shred her body to pieces. She was lost in the sea of lust
when she felt him stiffen, and she came endlessly when she felt the heat of
his desire for her against her inner walls as they closed in around him.
 “Sid, I never knew it would be like this.” Her voice was a hot
whisper in his ear as he collapsed next to her pulling her trembling body
into his chest.
Sid held her to him realizing he never expected it to be so
phenomenal. He got a taste of sex involving more than just the physical
attraction and hunger. She had fueled him enough for him to set her being
on fire. Her breathing was strained as she slipped into sleep, her cheek to
his chest. He planted a kiss on her head enjoying the taste of his own blood
on his lips—the puncture wound on his lip bringing him immense pleasure
for making her lose to him.

*****

The morning sun was annoyingly bright and what was more annoying was
his phone rumbling nonstop somewhere in the room. He moved only to pull
her warm body closer to him. Her hair was still slightly damp from their
early morning tryst in the shower. A thrill ran through him just at the
memory of her pillow lips swirling around his thickness. He couldn’t forget
the sensations he felt when she moaned closing her eyes as she drank up his
desire like it was nectar.
Sid ignored the buzzing taking a whiff of her dark silky hair and felt
like his day was made. She smelled sweet like she was the best dessert. All
he could think of doing was eat her starting with her juicy cunt. He wanted
her to rest so he could have her all night like he did the night before.
He slid off the bed, tucking her under the sheets. He pulled on his
boxers and looked around for his phone. He found his shorts he had worn
the previous night on the floor and knew his phone had to be in one of the
pockets. He fished out his phone and stepped out of her bedroom closing
the door behind him.
John had called him thirty times, and his voice messages were
overflowing. “What the fuck?” He dialed John’s number back.
“Sid!” John’s voice rang in his years.
“Wow, good morning to you, too, sir,” he teased noticing John had
addressed him with his name.
“Sir, encrypt the call,” John ordered.
 Sid knew something was going on. “Hang on.” He turned on the
security to the connection.
“What’s going on, John?”
“Sir, I just met the owner of the homeless refugee camp in
Lanesville.”
“Okay… and?”
“Sir, this man is the Guardian.” John was breathing heavily into the
phone.
“John, slow down. What are you talking about?”
“Sir, I went to meet the owner of the homeless shelter, and he is her
father. He is the Guardian… Guardian of the Galaxy.”
Sid’s mind blanked out for a second when the reference hit him. He
had not heard the term ‘Guardian of the Galaxy’ in years, and his heart
started to beat rapidly. “John… Is Amy…”
“Our Swan, sir!” John completed the sentence for him.
“Holy shit! Are you sure?”
“I recognized him, sir, but wasn’t sure until I dug up their
background. They did everything they could to keep her safe. Our prayers
have been answered. I’ve added more security around the block.”
Sid was reeling from the new piece of information as his brain
processed it but did not fail to catch the excitement in John’s voice.
“Thanks, John.” He ended the call and walked toward her bedroom,
his heart banging against his ribcage. He sat next to her and gently pushed
the strands of her hair away from her face.
He looked at her beautiful face as she slept peacefully, oblivious of
the threat to her life, and unaware of a nation of thirty million people who
waited eagerly for the return of their royal.
“Princess Amyra, I promise to take you back to your land and your
people.” He kissed her cheek rubbing the moisture from his eyes into her
skin.
The object of his hatred and anger as a child had grown into a Swan
with a promise to save him from his darkness and hundreds and thousands
of other families. She was the reason for the biggest loss in his life, but his
anger had turned to sympathy when he found out what she had lost as a
child. Sid was angry with himself for suspecting her, the future queen of his
country.
 “I promise to protect you till my last breath.” He whispered before
stepping out of the room.

Sid: Sir, we are closing the investigation.

Eagle: I don’t understand. I thought you said you had a few loose
ends.
Sid: Sir, the person under investigation is the Swan.
Eagle: I don’t understand.
Sid: My roommate Amy is Princess Amyra Jane Charles.
Eagle: How? Are you sure?
Sid: The Guardian has been located.
Eagle: Guard her Sid. She is your responsibility.
Sid: I was born to protect her, sir.
Eagle: Bring her home soon, Commander.
Sid: Sir!

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 8

The light streamed through the closed blinds bringing Amy out of her
slumber. She stretched and felt every sore muscle that resisted her
movements with painful pleasure. She smiled remembering her night and
the early morning hours in the shower and pulled the sheets over her
shoulder taking in his warm, lingering smell instantly arousing her. She
heard Sid on the phone and smiled rolling her eyes. She sat up in bed
running her fingers through her unruly hair remembering the pressure on
her scalp as she sucked him clean in the shower only a few hours ago. She
found Sid’s t-shirt she had on when he caught her pleasuring herself the
previous night and pulled it over her head.
She placed her feet on the floor groaning in sweet pain and laughed
remembering his comment about not being able to properly walk in the
morning. Never in a million years did she think she would have such wild
sex the first time around and knew Sid was gifted with not just his package
but also with skill.
“Sid,” she called out sitting back on the bed and waited looking at
the door when she heard his footsteps.
He opened the door slowly like he wasn’t sure if she was up. He
smiled when their eyes met, but the smile didn’t make it to his eyes. “Hey.”
“Good morning, come here.” She stretched her arms out when he
stood still by the door.
He walked toward her closing the door behind him to stand next to
her.
“Sid, what’s wrong?” She pulled him by his hand gesturing him to
sit next to her. She rested her head on his shoulder hugging his arm. “I’m
sore all over, and you were right, I don’t think I can walk today.”
He didn’t respond, and it worried her. “Sid, I’m not asking again.
What’s wrong?”
He turned to look at her and smiled. The smile eased her worry only
slightly. “I’m okay, just tired, and I made breakfast.”
“Your frozen breakfast?” She scrunched her nose laughing.
He laughed lightly. “No, your kind of breakfast.”
 “Seriously?”
He nodded.
She pushed him away gently. “Shut up. You are not the Sid I know,
where’s the real Sid?”
“I’m the same guy… just a new day.”
“Really?” She put her arms back around him burying her face in his
chest.
“Yes.”
“Why are you talking to me like I’m your coworker?” She caught
him by surprise.
“This is how I am… aren’t I?”
“Really? The Sid I know would have called me a snob like three
times in the last few minutes.”
“You are not a snob… you just have high standards.” He shrugged.
She slapped his arm playfully. “Shut the front door. What the heck
happened to you?”
“Nothing!”
“Fine, I’ll eat whatever you made. Let’s go.”
“I’ll bring you breakfast, sit tight.” He stood up to leave and stopped
when she held his hand.
“Sid, if you didn’t like what we did last night… just say it,” she
challenged.
He gave her a long stare before going down on his knees before her
to rest his head in her lap. She hugged his head and rested her cheek on his
head.
“I had the best time of my life last night… it is fun to be your
roommate.” He was ecstatic about the night, but it worried him that he still
might have pent-up hatred for her from his childhood and was worried it
might unleash at anytime.
“Me, too. I spent years in college hearing about my friends’
experiences, and gosh, I know I topped the charts for the best sex ever after
last night.”
He went silent again making her wonder what was bothering him.
The way he held her with his arm around her waist as he sat on the floor
next to the bed, and the way he rested his head in her lap made him seem
vulnerable. All she could think about was to address the bug that was
bothering him. He was deep in thought, and she gave him some space. She
was surprised at how much it concerned her that he was not being himself.
She kissed the back of his head and smiled when she realized she had deep
feelings for him—what she had thought was purely attraction was more
than that.
“I really want you to take your time, but my back is killing me. This
guy I know fucked me real hard last night,” she said softly hoping to break
the eerie silence.
He chuckled and looked up at her. “You should stay away from that
guy.”
“Why would I do that?” She brushed her lips over his. “Especially
when I want him to do what he did to me last night… again before
breakfast.”
He groaned sucking her lips into his mouth pulling her off the bed
and onto him. She straddled his waist forcing him to lean his back against
the side of the bed. She angled her head, opening up for him as she rubbed
her scorching hot mound over his bare belly.
“Holy… how are you so hot already?” he mumbled against her
hungry lips.
“I blame you for that,” she rasped, her voice thick with desire.
He growled pulling the shirt over her head and running his hands
over her searing skin with a promise of tantalizing every nerve ending in
her body while he fueled her inner goddess and satiated her raging need.

*****

Amy lay on the small couch leaning on her side on Sid’s shoulder later that
day. They had spent a good portion of the day in bed unable to leave each
other’s side. Every time he pounded into her, she felt a ripple through her
muscles smoothing away her soreness.
“My morning workout helped ease the kinks in my body.” She
nipped his earlobe making him laugh.
“You do that one more time, and I’m gonna slap your arse!”
She laughed nipping his skin again. “I love your accent. It’s the
hottest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“Really?” he teased with a thicker story.
 “Yeah, and I wanna know more about you. Why the fuck are you so
secretive?” she grumbled.
“I have to… for your own safety.”
“That’s such a ridiculous thing to say. So how about we play a game
of twenty questions.” She sat up to look at him.
“Twenty because you are twenty years old?”
She shook her head laughing. “Seriously? What country are you
from?”
“Is that the first question?”
“I can’t tell if you’re serious or you’re just messing with me.”
He shrugged without responding.
“Fine, where are you from and where did you get that beautiful
accent.”
“Kingdom of Edenridge.”
“Oh… I would have never guessed it. Is it a standard for people
from Edenridge to study in London just because it’s a few hours away?”
“Not a lot of people have heard of Edenridge. You know your
countries, huh?”
“Yeah, my dad and I would have geography challenges when I was
growing up. Let’s see, what do I remember about Edenridge… it is the most
secular country in spite of the royal family, and the natural resources are oil,
natural gas, and limestone.”
He smiled, and the pride in his eyes made butterflies take off in her
stomach. “Did I get that right?”
“Yes!”
“Edenridge was one of the most difficult countries to remember and,
man, my dad would ask every time.”
“I’m glad he did, it’s a beautiful country, and I can’t wait to go
back.”
“What? Are you going to go back?” She looked at him in disbelief,
and it felt like something dug a hole in her stomach.
“Yes, and I’m taking you with me.” He ran his lips along her
jawline.
She ran her fingers through his hair. “Why would I go to
Edenridge?”
 “I am going to take you,” he declared sucking her lip between his
teeth making her whimper.
“I would love to go if you promise to show me around and be with
me all the time.”
“I want to be with you all the time.” He let go of her lips to pull her
closer into his arms.
“I want to, too, and it’s ridiculous for us to feel this way in the short
time we’ve known each other,” she confessed.
He kissed her temple feeling the weight of responsibility return. The
purpose and duty in his life was to protect the Swan, and the woman he
thought was the missing piece of the puzzle in his life turns out to be the
most important person for not just him but to the thirty million citizens of
Edenridge. For a man who believed in defining his own fate, the mere
coincidence was scary.
“I guess time is not a factor… at least not with us.”
She ran her fingers on his arm following the dips and peaks of the
muscles. “How is it you have such a perfect body? All you do is run, and I
haven’t seen you spend hours in the gym.”
“You like what you see?” He snickered.
“I do, and the only explanation is being in the Army.” She looked
into his smiling eyes.
“Marines! I trained with them for three years.”
“I knew it! I always had the hots for Army dudes.”
“Marine!”
“Same thing in my mind from the way they all look,” she teased.
“Really?”
“Yeah, so what do you do now or are you going to give me your
standard, I can’t talk about it answer?”
“I am the Chief Security Officer and Commander of all the Armed
Forces of the Kingdom of Edenridge, and I report to the President.”
“How cool, and what are you doing here?”
“I was here for a three-week defense conference at the Army base.”
His voice was firm.
A gloom fell over her that he wasn’t going to be around much
longer. “How did you end up as my roommate, and when do you have to go
back?”
 He nuzzled her neck. “I came here for you, and I’m not leaving
without you.”
Her heart went on a rampage as blood shot through her veins, and a
series of thrills rippled through her body at the promise of his words.
She smiled with unbound happiness, but she knew he was being
poetic. “You’re kidding… now tell me…” Her voice trailed off when she
heard her phone ringing.
She got off the couch and ran into her bedroom. “Hi, Daddy.”
“Hi, sweetheart. What are you doing?”
“Umm… I’m just chillin’ by myself, Daddy.” She bit her lip when
she felt a pang of guilt that she lied to her dad—she wasn’t sure why she
felt the need to lie.
“Oh… isn’t your roommate hanging out with you? Is he still being
an a-hole?” Her father laughed.
“No, he isn’t that bad.” She smiled turning to look at Sid walking
into her room.
“Do you like him?”
“Dad!”
“I know you didn’t like him when he showed up, but do you like
him better now?”
“Yeah, I think I like him now.” She cupped her palm on his cheek.
“You should bring him home to Aaron’s birthday party next
Saturday,” her dad declared surprising her.
“Seriously?”
“Yeah, why not? I can invite him myself, so he doesn’t feel
awkward.”
“You can’t be serious, Dad.”
“No, let me thank him for being generous with the car payment. I
got a check in the mail for the full price for your mom’s old van.”
“What car payment?”
“We didn’t have full insurance coverage on the van since it was so
old.”
“I know.” She glowered at Sid. “He sent you a check when I
specifically told him not to pay for it.”
Sid smiled at her fury and wrapped his arms around her.
 “It was nice of him, and I want to thank him. Can I talk to him if he
is around?” her dad insisted.
“Yeah, let me see if he is in his room.” She put the phone on mute.
“Okay, it’s totally weird, but my dad wants to invite you to my brother’s
birthday party next weekend. Just say no.”
“Why? I wanna go if you’re going.” He winked.
“What? No. I don’t…”
“You think it’s too soon to take the guy you’re chilling with home?”
“No, it’s not that… I… I’ve never had a boyfriend. They know I had
dated a few guys but nothing serious, and I don’t want to pretend like we
are just roommates. I can’t lie to my mom and dad.”
“Are you my girlfriend?”
“Am I?”
“Why don’t I talk to your dad, and I’ll decide.” He took the phone
from her hand and unmuted the call.
“Good morning, sir,” he greeted professionally.
She watched as Sid and her dad conversed about the birthday party,
the minivan which Aaron would never drive since it was totaled, and the
politics in Edenridge.
She rolled her eyes listening to the two men talk and wondered why
they sounded like two long lost friends catching up. “I will see you next
Friday, sir, and don’t worry about Amy. I got her.”
He ended the call smiling and handed her the phone. “Why are you
looking at me like that?”
“What’s with the ‘sir,’ and why did you send the check for the car?”
She was furious.
“I totaled it, you didn’t want me to pay for it, so I paid the owner
and, well, Aaron is excited to meet me. I’m his superhero who saved him
from having to drive the minivan.”
“This is unbelievable.”
“I won’t go if you don’t want me to go with you.” His voice was
soft.
“I want you to go with me, but I don’t want to lie to my parents.”
“What would be the truth?”
“The truth is that you aren’t just my roommate, I have…”
 “You are my girlfriend, Amy, and I want you to go to Edenridge
with me.”
“Whoa, easy buddy.” She laughed pushing him away.
“I’ll tell them the truth if you don’t want to tell them.”
“And what would the truth be?”
“I will tell you if you tell me where you learned your shower trick?”
He retorted almost making her wonder if he wanted her to be distracted.
“I’m not telling,” she laughed remembering how she made him
come hard by running her finger into his depth in his back in the shower.
“I’ve never come so hard so fast in my life… ever.” He held her to
him nipping her skin.
“I’m not telling.”
“Really?” He ran his fingers into her waist tickling her until she was
breathless.
“Okay, stop… I will tell you.”
“I’m all ears.”
“I… I used to work at the hospital where my mom worked during
the summer as an assistant. One time I overheard these nurses talking about
how one of them got a sperm donor to come in under a minute. They talked
about the tips and tricks they used to make the donors or the patients who
came in for fertility tests get their thing out faster.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah, I have more tricks up my sleeve… not your typical virgin.”
“You aren’t, you’re the hottest virgin with the finest ass in the
world.” He squeezed her ass cheek bringing her mound to his steel shaft.
She moaned in pure pleasure and looked into his eyes. “I like you,
too, not just for your hot body and pretty face. You’re more than just
another pretty face.”
“I’m your boyfriend, and the guy who’s gonna fuck you till you beg
me to stop,” he growled making her inner walls shudder with longing.
“I know nothing about you, so how can you be my boyfriend?”
“What do you wanna know?”
“If you work for the Government of Edenridge, how are you my
roommate?”
“I am your roommate because you were an object of my
investigation in connection with the Barkha Group, a rebel organization.”
 She felt the blood drain from her face when she realized she might
have gotten in too deep with a guy who she knew nothing about and
someone who suspected her to be a criminal.

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 9

“What the heck, Sid?” She was furious and scared at the same time.
“Amy, I know you aren’t, but we had to clear you.” He gently
pushed her by her shoulders to make her sit on the bed before sitting next to
her.
“Why would I be connected to a rebel group from Edenridge when
I’ve never been to that country.”
“The guy you took to the hospital a few weeks ago was one of the
guys who got away with highly confidential information.”
“Oh my God… that guy from the highway? I had no idea.”
“I know, and you did what no girl would normally do… let a
stranger into your car in the middle of the night.”
“Well, the guy was in pain, and I was shit scared to let him into my
car but… I had no signal, and I just couldn’t leave him there even if I were
going to go get help.”
“What were you doing on that highway so late at night?”
“Well, my mom didn’t want me to arrive in San Francisco late at
night, so I had booked a room at a hotel to stay over night. I knew the hotel
was bad news as soon as I pulled into the parking lot. I got out to check in,
and it reeked of cheap perfume, and I knew I didn’t want to stay. I just
walked out and kept driving.”
“Snob!” he teased.
“Why is that being a snob?”
“I’m kidding… I’m so glad you drove all the way. You wouldn’t
have rescued that guy if you had, and I probably would never be your
roommate.”
“I know… what happened to that guy anyway? Did he make it?”
He kissed her, his lips grazing her cheek. “He managed to get away
before we could get to him, and I saw you when I watched the video
footage outside the hospital. I looked you up and found out you were here
in spite of the fake address you wrote on the hospital form.”
“Was that why you thought I was connected? Because I gave a fake
address?”
 “One of the reasons…”
“Dad…” she grumbled before continuing. “My dad is obsessed with
privacy and taught Aaron and me never to write our ranch address
anywhere. We all have fake addresses on our driver’s licenses. Don’t ask
me why my dad is weird that way and about posting pictures online. I don’t
have a picture in my high school yearbook either, can you believe it?”
Sid could not believe how well the Guardian protected his queen,
and the respect for the man who raised the woman he was close to falling in
love with grew exponentially.
“I can understand why… I still found you with my connections with
the government here.”
“Wait… you aren’t my real roommate then? What happened to my
real roommate?”
“Well, I was able to intercept and get the roommate moved to a
different location through the agency, and I showed up.”
“Who the hell are you, dude?” She slapped his chest with the back
of her hand.
“The dude who couldn’t keep his hands off your tight ass the minute
I laid eyes on you.” He laughed.
“Not funny.”
“I had no choice. I was the closest to your location, so I had to do it
myself, and I… I’m so glad I showed up.”
“I am, too.” She kissed him on his cheek. “So, what did the guy
steal?”
“He downloaded a file with classified information about the royal
family onto a memory card. We found that in your minivan when we pulled
it apart.”
“You ran into my car on purpose, you idiot. You should have told
me, and I would have let you search it. How could you?” She was angry
and started slapping her palms on his chest.
“Amy… baby, I had no choice… that was the only way we could
check the car to see if we could find any links.”
“Did you look through my things when I was at work? I should have
known when all my things seemed out of place.”
He shook his head smiling. “We did search the apartment when you
were in your room.”
 “Huh?”
“Sleeping.”
“You fucking asshole, did you drug me that day so you could search
my apartment? How did you drug me? I don’t remember drinking anything
that morning.”
“Relax, Amy. Please, I’m sorry… I was just doing my job.”
“Ridiculous. Why did you drug me?”
“I couldn’t take the risk of searching when you were away. If you
were linked, your apartment would be watched, and I couldn’t take the
risk.”
“How did you drug me?” She was in disbelief.
“I sprayed it on you when I ran past you that morning.” He smiled
sheepishly.
“You’re such an asshole,” she growled punching him in his core
which felt like she ran her knuckles into a wall.
“I’m sorry, I had a task to do, sweetheart.”
“Whatever! How much of what we did was part of your so called
task?”
“None of it, that was me. Sid, the man who thinks you are the
sweetest and smartest person ever.”
“I don’t want my parents to know any of this. You are my
roommate, and we kinda like each other.”
“Not happening. I can’t lie.” He shrugged.
“You’ve got to be kidding me. You create a fake identity and
situations, and you can’t lie to my parents?”
“I never lied to you. Everything I told you is the truth. I told you I
couldn’t speak to it when I didn’t want to tell you the truth.”
She thought for a moment about everything he said to her. She then
realized he was telling her the truth including the time he told her he had
drugged her, but she was so emotionally high on her desire for him to
realize what he meant.
“Is that why you were fighting your feelings all week?”
“I don’t like my work mixing with my personal life. It’s a huge rule
of mine I broke last night, but I’m not sorry.”
“Why didn’t you show up on time last night?”
“I was waiting.”
 “Waiting for?”
“To make sure you weren’t in any way involved… I needed to make
sure you weren’t playing me because I’ve never felt this way about
anyone.” He pulled her closer to him.
“What did you find out last night before you came to me?”
“I thought the homeless guy you put on the bus to Lanesville was an
accomplice.”
She was clearly taken aback. “What? How is Jason part of this, and
how did you know where he was going?”
“I had three things that needed to be cleared. The memory card we
found in the minivan had traces of blood on it that belonged to the guy you
saved. I knew by late afternoon why you let the guy into your car and didn’t
just call 911. I just needed to know what the link was with you and the
homeless guy, and I just lost it when that guy went missing.” He ran his
fingers through his hair at the memory of the highly tensed few hours.
“The perfect storm… how did you know I had no signal at that
spot?”
“I had someone drive through the area with a phone from your
network provider, unlike the first time.”
“So, was it just my carrier that doesn’t have coverage in that area?”
“Yup, yours and our rebel group guy’s phone.” Sid shook his head.
“This is unbelievable!”
“I needed to be very sure you weren’t a hot-assed trickster.”
“What if I was, and I cast a spell on you to get in bed?”
He laughed. “You didn’t really need to try, my balls were turning
blue just by looking at you.”
“It’s cool I have that effect on you, but I don’t want to take you
home if you are going to pack your bags and go back to Edenridge.”
“I’m not going anywhere. I can’t until I convince you to go with
me.”
“Please tell me you’re kidding. If the reality of this is for us to… to
not be together for any reason, I’d rather do it now than later.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Yes!” She looked away from him.
“Look at me when you talk to me,” he commanded making her look
up. “Now tell me you want me to leave.”
 She looked into the deep darkness of his eyes and put her arms
around him unable to speak.
“For whatever reason, we feel the way we feel about each other, so
let’s not walk away from it. I’ve given it a lot of thought, and I know I can’t
walk away from you.” He knew the feelings he had for her were stronger
than his hatred he had for her as a child.
“Don’t you dare leave me even if I ask you to leave,” she pleaded
burying her face into the softness of his t-shirt.
“I promise.”
“Will you take me to my brother’s birthday party this weekend?”
“My pleasure!”
“You can interrogate Jason while you’re there so you can clear me
one final time,” she teased.
“I would like that but not for the reason you mentioned.”
She pulled away to look at him with a puzzled expression.
“I want to see the homeless shelter you built in Lanesville.”
She rolled her eyes. “I didn’t, my dad did.”
“But it’s your idea.”
“Everyone has ideas, but it takes someone like my dad to make it
happen. My dad has done everything in his power to keep my brother and
me happy.”
“I can tell.”
“I just tell the homeless guys they could have a better life if they
took a bus to Lanesville. It’s my mom and dad who do everything for them.
My mom treats them while they are at the shelter, and when they are in
good health, my dad either gives them a job on the farm or in town on his
construction projects. A lot of the homeless guys are Army vets who
suffered from PTSD. After recovery, they work as physical education
teachers in the local schools.”
“That’s great!”
“I can’t wait for my mom and dad to meet you.”
“I’m looking forward to meeting Aaron the most.” He laughed.
“I don’t like the sound of it.” She scrunched her nose.
“You’ll be fine.”
“I better be. I can form my own rebel group even if I’m not
connected to the group you’re interested in.” She gently elbowed him.
 “So, one other reason why you were suspected to be connected was
something he said to you just before he was taken into the hospital.”
“He didn’t say anything, he thanked me for taking him to the
hospital.”
“Something about a man in the middle of a field about to die.” Sid
rubbed his forehead.
She laughed when she realized Sid had read too much into a
sentence with no context. “Who told you that?”
“One of the paramedics remembered something vaguely and
remembered it because it seemed odd to him.”
“This is so funny and not so funny at the same time. So, I think the
dude was a doctor or some medical professional because he told me he had
to stay awake to survive and asked me to keep talking to him. I didn’t know
what to say to him so I started with the riddles, and the one he had gotten
stuck on was the dead man one, and I gave him the answer as they rolled
him in.”
“Holy moly! This is unbelievable.”
“Do you know the riddle?”
“What is the riddle?” His eyebrow raised high.
“A dead man lay in the middle of a field, and he didn’t walk there,
but he knew he was going to die as he approached the field.” She winked.
“That’s why you said parachute?”
“Yeah!” She laughed shaking her head.
“I need to let my team know, so they don’t chase every man in the
middle of a field, and you fit the profile because your dad has a farm.”
“This is a ridiculous amount of coincidence, and I’m glad it’s over,”
she declared.
Sid shook his head but did not say anything.
“Now that I think about it, his accent was very similar to yours. Is
that guy from Edenridge, too?”
“I would think so since he is connected to the Barkha Group.”
“Why are you after him?”
“He is an accomplice of a traitor who worked within the system and
got away with information that could jeopardize the future of a country.”
“That sounds scary.” A shiver passed through her.
 “The Barkha Group was a protected community under the protection
of the Crown, and they went rogue when the King passed away forming
when the King’s son took over. The group got so accustomed to being
outlaws, they went to the extent of mass killings and killed every member
of the royal family.”
“Unbelievable. What do they want?”
“Their own country and all the resources in the area.”
“That’s just ridiculous. How can they not be bound by law?”
“They make their own laws, use all the natural resources in that
area, encroach neighboring countries until…”
“How can you stop them?”
“A royal family member needs to be crowned.”
“Yeah, find your king!” she cheered.
“Or queen!”
“Yeah, queen!” She laughed. “Kick their butt.”
“Yes, what else do you remember from that night?”
“I remember everything he said in the car.” She shrugged at his
surprised expression.
“What did he tell you?”
“He didn’t tell me anything just what he was saying to himself like
he was motivating himself to stay up. He was chanting names of people,
maybe his family members.”
Sid shifted uncomfortably next to her. “What did he say?”
“Something about a goal, a kingdom, and its ruler.” She swore he
shuddered, but she continued to speak. “He was hurt, and I thought he was
hallucinating, but he kept mumbling like he needed to hear himself speak.”
“What else?” Sid seemed angry.
“What’s wrong?”
“Amy, what else do you remember?”
“He… he said something about how close he was to home… no
close to returning home, and then he stopped and asked me to talk to him.”
Sid was suddenly alarmed. “What does he know about you?”
“Umm… that I was headed to San Francisco. Why does he care
about me?”
“He shouldn’t… he shouldn’t,” he murmured and shook his head
like he needed to clear it.
 “Sid, I really don’t want to talk about that night anymore,” she
finally said after a long silence.
“I’m sorry. I got into my work mode.”
“Yeah, I need you to get out of that mode and get us some
breakfast.”
“Coming right up!”

Sid stepped into the kitchen typing on his phone.

Sid: I want triple the security around the cove.

Sid: Switch out every security personnel in her path. I want the core
team; bring the Ambassador’s security, too.
Sid: Get me an appointment with one of the lawyers at Amy’s law
firm.
John: Yes, sir.
John: Do you want me to head back to San Francisco?
Sid: No, secure the Guardian. I will bring the Swan.
John: Security detail will be updated in the next thirty minutes.
Sid: Wipe out registration details on Amy’s van.
John: The van has a fake registration, too, sir. They can’t get to her.
Sid: The Guardian is good, John.
John: Yes, sir.

Sid put his phone away and called out to Amy. He was finally about
to do what he trained his entire life for, protecting the Queen.
The queen of his heart and his kingdom.

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 10

“What the heck is going on?” Amy scrunched her nose looking at the
security guards stationed outside her work entrance on Monday morning.
“You’re asking the wrong person.” Sid laughed as Amy reached to
her left to kiss him on the cheek.
“Thanks for the ride.” She smiled getting out of the car.
“Dinner at seven?”
“No, don’t count on me to go out with you during the week. I’ll
probably see you on Friday.” She winked. “It’s not easy being a law intern.”
“I’ll see you sooner, and I will have dinner with you at seven.”
“Not happening.”
“I own your hot ass tonight if I see you sooner and if I have dinner
with you,” he growled making her hot.
“At seven!” she challenged knowing there was no way she would
leave work before nine.
“See you sooner, baby.” He winked before driving off. She stood
staring at the diminishing image of the behemoth army-like vehicle smiling
like a fool. She shook her head when a little voice asked if she was falling
for him.
“Just attraction,” she murmured to herself as she walked past the
guards who seemed to be standing like statues by the door.
She walked past the front desk smiling at the woman who looked
extremely nervous with a guard in uniform standing behind her.
She walked into the conference room where all the interns were
situated for the summer. She approached the group of interns who were
whispering in a huddle.
“Hey, guys, what’s happening?”
“No idea.” One of the guys shrugged.
“Why do we have a bunch of security guards all over the building?”
“Rumor has it they may be letting a bunch of people go, and they
need guards to escort people out of the building,” another guy chimed in.
“Oh, that’s sad. Can we review the notes from the case from
Friday?”
 The guys who were in the conference room looked past her, their
faces turning pale. “What’s up, guys?”
“Why are all the partners at the firm going into that conference
room?”
She turned to look and saw the law firm’s senior partners file into a
conference room.
“I bet you it is a new case that we will be working on this summer,”
she declared with excitement settling into her chair.

Two hours later, Amy waited in a huge hall with three hundred other
people waiting to be addressed by one of the senior partners of the law firm.
“What the heck is going on?” one of the girls on the intern program
leaned closer to Amy and whispered.
“I guess they’ll tell us now.”
“Whatever!” Everyone was getting impatient.
An eerie silence fell over the room as the senior partner walked
toward the center stage. The elderly man tried to appear calm, but Amy
could tell he was either overly excited or nervous or both.
“Good morning, everyone. I am pleased to announce we will be
working on our first intercontinental case. The legal case will be against
citizens of various countries making this one of our biggest international
clients.”
Amy realized the senior partner was so excited he was having
trouble breathing.
“The security you see around the building is to protect the evidence
you will be collecting and analyzing over the next few months. This client
will make us known in Europe and Asia opening up opportunities for
people to work on international law.”
“Wow!” Amy breathed out with excitement.
The elderly man continued to beam as he spoke. “For starters, the
client wants us to start working on the laws which govern the rights of an
American citizen to press charges in a different country. This will be a great
opportunity for the interns to get exposure to international law.”
The interns celebrated, and Amy cheered with her team but she had
too many questions. She raised her hand to vocalize her thought.
 “Mr. Barry, I’m elated to work on international law, but we need to
understand what kind of a treaty America has with the country. What
country is the client from?”
The interns grumbled their annoyance at her question, and the senior
partner looked at her like she was nuts.
“I got this, Mr. Barry,” a deep and overly familiar voice boomed
from the back of the room.
She watched the heads turn in the direction of the voice, but she
couldn’t get herself to turn to look, not at least immediately. When she
slowly turned to look, like she couldn’t turn any faster, her amber eyes met
sparkling jade eyes that darkened with mockery.
“Hello, Commander Bose! What a pleasant surprise!” the senior
partner cheered sheepishly.
Amy stood frozen taking in the breathtaking view in front of her. Sid
was a few feet from her dressed in the most majestic Army uniform with a
matching peaked cap adorned with a gold emblem at the center. She held
her breath at the masculinity his body emitted as he walked toward her.
“Commander Sidney Gerald Bose, ma’am.” He held his hand out.
“Amy Watson.” Her voice wavered as he took the back of her hand
to his lips. She felt the warm breath on her skin as he pecked her hand
before letting go.
“Ms. Watson, I am from the beautiful Kingdom of Edenridge. Are
you one of the interns who will be working on my case?.”
“Yes,” she murmured looking away, unable to hold his gaze.

Almost thirty minutes later, Amy sat in the conference room fuming at the
scene through the glass wall. The women lawyers and the girls in the intern
program with her were crowding around Sid as he got coffee before their
meeting.
She tuned out the comments the guys on her team were passing as
she tried to address her reaction to Sid getting attention from her
teammates. She looked away unable to handle the burn of jealousy
spreading through her skin and told herself she was overreacting. She
forced air into her lungs in a deep breath as she acknowledged she might be
a bit more attached to her roommate than she had wanted. He was her first,
but he was a pretty high bar for any other man to come close to. She
shivered at the thought of being with another man and couldn’t push away
the image of Side and her together.
I’m fucked.
Sid’s eyes bore into hers like he enjoyed her burning glare as he
laughed walking into the room. Amy sat at the far end of the large oval table
in the conference room with the guys while the three other girls pulled their
chairs closer to where he was sitting at the table.
Sid stood up and started a lazy walk around the room as he spoke.
“Good morning, everyone. I want to start off by thanking you for agreeing
to work with me to help my government bring a group of radicals to
justice.”
One of the girls who Amy admired for being the most passionate
about her work was ogling Sid like she was all alone in the room. The girl’s
reaction to Sid’s presence was the least annoying thing—her biggest
annoyance was her reaction to their behavior. They had an interesting time
together, but she wasn’t ready to accept it meant anything to her because of
her uncertainty, but she was proven wrong every second Sid spent in the
room. He seemed larger than life in his uniform as he spoke with a sense of
duty about the situation they had ahead of them.
Amy gripped the soft leather of the chair as Sid walked closer to her
and stopped right behind her.
“On behalf of the government, I ask all of you to help us identify the
process to file the cases.”
“Why does an American citizen have to file the cases on citizens of
your country?” Amy was the first to speak up after he was done giving an
overview.
He grinned, his eyes gleaming. “The future queen of Edenridge has
an American passport, and she is the only one who can file the cases against
the outlaws.”
“Can your queen be crowned if she is not from your country? How
is it that she is a citizen of America?” Amy was curious. She was finding
out so much more about Edenridge and all she could think about was to
start working on the research on international law.
“The Princess of Edenridge had to be raised outside the country to
keep her safe. The Princess is the sole survivor and is the only one who will
be capable of bringing the group down. We need to make sure we can bring
them to justice.”
“Where is the Princess?” one of the interns interjected.
“We have identified her location recently,” his voice was soft.
“What charges will the Princess be pressing, Commander?” Amy
could not contain her curiosity.
“Charges for hunting and killing every single person in her family
including her parents.” A hush fell in the conference room, and Amy felt the
moisture evaporate in her mouth and a few beads of sweat form on her
forehead. She didn’t have to look at the others in the room to know how
they were feeling. She knew why the royal family was killed, and it made
her sick to her stomach.

Seven hours and a countless number of coffees later, she flipped through the
pages of a ten-pound book on international law in one corner of the dusty
reference section of the law firm. Sid was in the conference room with the
senior partner and his battalion of men in black suits. She wondered why he
suddenly needed all the security when he barely had anyone around him
when he was at the apartment or when they were outside.
She looked up when she heard the door open and smiled at the dark
eyes dancing with hers. Sid held a brown box and walked toward her. “Why
do I get the feeling you are hiding from me.”
“Because I am,” she laughed.
“You can run, you can hide, but you can’t escape my view.” He
winked placing the brown box in front of her.
“Sid, why do you need so much security now? Did you have all
these people following you around all this time.”
“I had some security.”
“You don’t need so many people to protect you,” she teased.
“They are all your security,” he crooned.
“Stop kidding… what’s this?”
“As promised, I’m here to have dinner with you before seven.
Lobster mac and cheese.” He opened the box making her drool.
“You didn’t have to bring me dinner,” she teased pulling the box
away from him.
He smiled leaning in the chair.
 “Where is your princess?” she asked digging her fork into her food.
“Right here.” He ran his thumb on the back of her hand.
“Cheesy,” she grumbled.
“Me or the mac and cheese?” He laughed making her catch her
breath.
She looked at him for a long moment. “You helped me make a
choice today.”
“Huh?”
“I’ve been debating between corporate and criminal law… I want to
be a criminal lawyer.”
“I’m glad to be of assistance with your life choice.” He smiled
brushing his lips over hers.
“I need you to leave now,” she ordered. “I need to finish my
research before I head home.”
“Yes, ma’am. I have a meeting with the senior partner in a bit. I will
see you back at the apartment in a few hours.”
“Be nice to my boss,” she teased.
“I’ll try.” He smiled and brushed his lips on her cheek before
leaving her to enjoy her dinner.

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 11

“Sid!” His name rolled off Amy’s lips like it was a curse word. She stepped
into the living area and was greeted with silence. She took a moment to take
in the dimly-lit apartment that always looked full when Sid was around.
She couldn’t remember the last time she came back to an empty
apartment. He was either with her or was in the apartment doing his thing,
but he had stayed up until she came back no matter what time she came
home.
She growled his name, dropped her bag on the couch, and headed
straight to the shower. Her mind was still in shock that the intern program
was canceled for the rest of the summer. Each of the interns on her team
was handed a check which paid for the rest of the summer and was sent
home with recommendation letters.
The senior partner invited every one of the interns into the
conference room telling them they had a big case they needed to focus and
wouldn’t have time to mentor them for the rest of the summer.
When asked how they were suddenly overloaded, the senior partner
declared they were working on a high-profile case for Sid’s government,
and she had a tough time containing her anger—if only she knew before he
disappeared with his battalion of men in dark suits.
“Fuck it!” She was so angry she slammed the bathroom door so hard
the thin walls rattled. She had hoped to learn a boatload from the internship
and didn’t expect to be sent home halfway through the program with a fat
check.
The warm water from the showerhead burned her skin causing her
to turn the faucet to cold. She had just finished washing her hair when she
heard the bathroom door creak open.
“Fucking bastard. What did you do?” she barked at Sid through the
shower curtain.
“Baby, where’s the love?”
“Seriously?” She pushed the shower curtain aside and flung the
washcloth at him.
 He caught the damp cloth before it hit his chest and smiled at her.
“Are you suggesting I give you a bath?”
“Get out!”
“Baby, why are you mad?”
“Are you fucking kidding me? Why the hell did you ruin everyone’s
internship program? What the heck were you thinking?”
“Amy, you have to hear me out and not try to kill me with your
washcloth.” He walked closer to her feeling the heat from her glare on his
skin.
She fumed at him in silence, her body wrapped in the dripping
shower curtain.
“You’re so fucking hot right now, I want to bury myself deep into
you.” He roared stepping into the tub and getting under the warm water
fully dressed. He still had the form fitting shirt and the dress pants on.
“Sid… get out!” her voice wavered making him smile. She was
angry, but he knew from the way her lips trembled she was turned on, too.
“You are way too precious to be wasting your time working for
someone else.” His lips trailed along her cheekbone, but she stood frozen.
“It is not up to you to decide,” she spat.
“I’m responsible for you, your everything.” His teeth sunk into the
side of her neck making her shiver and hang onto the shower curtain for
support.
“I know they were good lawyers and sucked at being mentors, but
that’s up to the other interns and me to decide what we want to learn to do
or not to do,” she managed to say through clenched teeth as his tongue
swirled over the pulse beating on her neck.
“Your time is too valuable… you are meant to do greater things.” He
meant every word he said, and his other reason for getting the intern
program canceled was for her protection. The building she worked in was a
challenge to run a security detail.
“Sid…” her voice trailed off when she realized she had nothing to
say, nothing to counter the depth in his voice which had a much deeper
meaning. She was furious about not working at the firm for the rest of the
summer. She didn’t like it when things didn’t go as planned. She was pissed
but convinced with what Sid told her, convinced so easily it scared her.
 She didn’t fight him when he pushed the shower curtains way from
her body. “I also have my selfish reasons… I wanted you for myself and not
have you spend all your time at the law firm.”
Amy shivered when he gently pushed her back into the stone wall of
the shower, lifting one leg to open her up for his invasion. “You’ll be lying
if you tell me you didn’t want me to take you on the table in the middle of
the conference room.”
She moaned when she felt his fingers stroke her inner thigh. “Your
uniform… I want you to fuck me in your uniform.”
“I can’t, but I’ll fuck you harder without the uniform.”
“Don’t make me wait,” she whispered, and it hit her she was falling
for him or worse, had fallen for him.
“I’ll fuck you hard… till you pass out!”

*****

“I want to go back home,” she whispered taking his hand to her lips. She
lay next to him, her back to his chest the next morning.
“What about your roommate? You can’t leave him behind.” He
nuzzled her ear warming her skin.
“I think my roommate is going back to Edenridge.” She felt the
lump forming in her throat after the words left her mouth. She didn’t want
him to leave but knew his duty would take him away from her.
He moved the arm on which she rested her head making her turn to
face him. “Your roommate is going nowhere without you, Amy.”
“Sid… I… I know you can’t stay here forever, you have a country to
serve.”
“Serving you is my first and foremost duty.” He smiled, and she saw
something else in his eyes. The words didn’t sound romantic, and she
couldn’t read his tone.
“Would you stay back here…” she gulped down the words, “for
me?”
“For you, yes.”
Her heart fluttered with joy as she buried her face into his chest, her
arms tightening around him, but she knew she had to let him go, so he could
do what he aspired to do— serve his country.
 “Sid, will you please take me home?” She pulled away to look into
his dark eyes that danced with her eyes.
“My pleasure, babe.” His lips brushed hers tenderly as she felt him
suck away the doubts in her mind about the future of their time together.
The sweetness of the kiss reminded her to stop and devour the moment and
embrace the emotions that made her implode every time he held her to him.

*****

Almost five hours later, she looked at Sid’s Hummer which was fully
loaded with her stuff in the back. Sid had a bag he had to pack, and she had
multiple boxes most of which were kitchenware that traveled with her.
“I have no idea how my dad got all my stuff to fit in the minivan.”
She laughed getting into the passenger seat.
“And you had room to get the rebel group guy into your car.”
“Yeah… did you ever find him?”
“Still out there. We have information he tried to look you up using
your fake address.” He looked at the rearview mirror as he pulled out of the
parking spot.
“Look me up? Why?” A shiver ran down her spine.
“He is trying to get hold of the memory card he accidentally or
purposely dropped in your car.”
“Why would he drop it on purpose?” She shook her head disbelief.
“This guy was seriously hurt and wondered if he would make it. He
probably didn’t want it on him if he didn’t make it. It was the only way for
him to pass on the information he stole to his team… by dropping it in your
van.”
“And hoping his team would have found my van easily just from
looking at the video footage from the hospital parking,” she finished his
sentence.
“Yes, I’m sure they tried more than one way to get hold of you…”
“Determined crowd.”
“Yes, they are obsessed with power and would go to any length to
get what they want.”
“What do they really want?” Curiosity was building up.
 “They want their own country, a country they create so they can
make their people perpetual slaves.”
“Slaves? What the heck? In this day and age, we are talking about
slavery?” She was furious.
“Yes, they don’t have enough people to work, so kids are also made
to work for them.”
“What the crap is your government and all these humanitarian
groups doing about it?” she growled.
“That portion of the country cannot be governed by the President as
per the pact the King made with the leader of that province almost forty
years ago. I know what happens there, the rest of the world doesn’t.” His
voice seared as if it burned him on the inside just talking about it.
“Sid, I know about this pact. Is this the one where there was a huge
fire accident, and the gas pipeline was damaged, and an entire village
burned down?”
Sid took his eyes off the road and looked at her in disbelief. “How
do you know about this?”
She rolled her eyes laughing. “My dad… let’s just say my way of
learning geography and history was extremely high pressure and
competitive.”
“I don’t understand. The information about the pact is not known to
the rest of the world.”
“My dad is a history buff, and I loved hearing all the things he
narrated, and this was one I couldn’t forget because of how many people
were… burned alive in that accident.”
“Yes, it was tragic, but the conniving leader of that province took
advantage of the King’s guilt and got him to write the pact. They claimed
they felt unprotected by the then government and ended up making it a
princely state.”
“So, how did they get out of control?”
“Well… when the King died, his son took over and tried to convince
the people of that region to join the bigger nation, but before they could
vote on it, the King’s son was killed along with key royal family members
making it an ungoverned state. The leader took charge and forced the
people by abide by his rules, and the ones who revolted were brutally killed,
and the rest ended up becoming slaves.” Sid’s voice held a grudge.
 “Sid, why can’t you just pull an Army operation on these morons?”
“Too many innocent lives at the mercy of these power- hungry
animals, and the region is protected by mountains on one side and the coast
on the other side making it a hard target for a covert operation.”
“Do you have moles in that region?”
“I’m not at the liberty to speak to that.” He smiled looking at her.
“Hey, you know I’m not linked to those idiots. Why can’t you have
a sniper as a mole in that region?”
“We did, and you are looking at one.”
“What? You were a mole? Holy crap, and you survived?”
He nodded, and she noticed how his chest heaved.
“Sid, are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“Do you want to talk about what you had to do when you were a
mole?”
He shook his head without responding, and she realized there was a
lot more to the outwardly strong man she had known for over a month.
“If you had to do things you didn’t want to do, remember you did it
to make the lives of all those people better. You shouldn’t feel guilty about
it.” She watched his jaw clench and saw the ticking.
“How much time did you spend in the region?”
Sid was quiet for a moment before he responded. “Six years.”
“How old were you when you moved there?”
“Fourteen!”
“What? How were you a mole at that age?” She was taken aback.
“I lived in that region, went to school there, and joined their Army
college and served for three years.”
“What the fuck?”
“I became a citizen of that princely state. I was one of them and had
to build the trust to be accepted into the Army.”
“Did this rebel group take over the oil rigs along the coast?”
“Yes, they have too much money for their operations.”
“Did your family go with you?”
He shook his head. “Mom died when I was seven in an accident, and
Dad worked for the government, so he had to stay back.”
“I’m so sorry.” She looked at him running her hand on his arm.
 “I had no other choice but to go there by myself.”
“What? You moved there by yourself? How did you get there? How
did they not suspect you?”
“I… I trekked the mountains for eight days to meet a family who
was working for the government.”
“Holy fish! Dude… what motivates a fourteen-year-old to do
something like that?”
“The accident my mom died in was caused by the rebel group.”
“Sid, I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be, my mom was an Army colonel before she had me, and
she died while protecting the royal family to secure the future of the
country.”
She went silent for a few moments. “I don’t want you to go back to
Edenridge if your job is to protect the royal family.“
“Edenridge is a beautiful country that accepts people for who they
are, and it was the royal family who made the country great. Every single
person who carries the royal blood is of utmost importance to the people.”
“I don’t get the obsession over kings and princes.”
“It’s not an obsession, it’s respect… respect for what the family has
done for the country and the culture.”
“I know, but I’m not a warrior heart like you are. I would hate the
royal family if my parents were killed because of them.”
“How long would you hate someone and would you kill for
revenge?” His question surprised her.
Her breath hitched as the thought of taking someone’s life played in
her mind. “I… I probably would want to give them a chance to reform
before I’d take the route of ending a life.”
“I didn’t give them a chance to reform. I shot and killed the man
who took my mother’s life.”
“What? No?”
“Yes, I shot the leader who started it all using the sniper training I
got from his Army regimen.”
“Oh my God, Sid. How old were you, and how did you get out of
that region?”
“I was nineteen when I took him out at a public event and made it
out the same way I made it in. Spent eight days trekking through dense
forest. They have no idea who shot the dictator.”
“Sid, pull over,” she demanded.
Sid felt a thread of fear circle his heart as he wondered how she was
taking in the new revelations about him. He didn’t say anything but pulled
over to the side on the highway.
“Amy, let me…” His words drowned in his throat as she reached to
her side to wind her arms around him.
“I’m so sorry for what you had to go through, and I want you to
know I respect you for everything you have done and everything you want
to do for your country.” She sobbed into his shoulder making his chest
warm.
“I want to be with you, Sid. I’ll go wherever you want to go…” She
pulled back to look at him. “I love you, Sid.”
His face lit up with a glorious smile. “Baby, I love you too, it feels
like I have for a long time.”
“Do criminal lawyers have good opportunities in Edenridge?” She
sniffled.
He laughed pulling her closer to him. “You can do anything you
want in Edenridge.”
“Promise never to leave me.”
“I promise you my life, sweetheart.” His lips found hers for an
endearing kiss and the concrete highway, the fast moving cars, and the
scorching heat were tuned out as she let him suck her lips like he couldn’t
stop himself.
He grunted pulling her onto his lap deepening the kiss. “You have
very bad timing for telling me what you just told me.”
“Hold it in until I sneak out of my room later tonight.” She smiled
pulling back and looked away when something caught her attention through
the small gap in the back of the car.
“Sid, why are there four cars lined up behind us?”
“That’s our security, baby.” He laughed helping her back into her
seat.
“Your security. You are the big shot. I’m just a normal girl from the
sweetest town in the world.”
“Right!”
“How did I not notice the security until a few days ago?”
 She pondered.
“Well, now that you are my girlfriend, I asked for more security.”
“That’s right, you need protection from your girlfriend,” she
mocked.
He laughed shaking his head as he pulled back onto the road, and
Amy watched as the security cars merged back and blended into the traffic.
She noticed a few cars joining back onto the highway a few miles ahead.
“Those cars are your security, too?”
“Yes.”
“Dude, my mom and dad are going to freak out if they see all these
cars pull into the ranch. They’ll wonder what my boyfriend does for a
living.”
“How about we tell them I work for the Mafia?”
“Great idea!” She laughed settling into the passenger seat. “And can
you drive a little faster, so we get there before it’s too dark so my mom
doesn’t freak out?”
“Or I could drive really slow, so we spend the night at your favorite
hotel.”
“Eew, call me a snob, but I’d rather sleep in the car than go to that
hotel.”
“We’ll get there before nine tonight.”
“I wouldn’t have told my mom we were coming home, but I kinda
had to tell them since I’m bringing a man home for the first time.”
“Will I have to go through an assessment before they let me in the
house?”
“No, my family is normal so stop freaking out.”
“You are their princess, and I expect them to be protective.”
“Correction, I’m the queen.” She laughed.
“Very true!” he said softly.
“So what happened to the royal family? I know the King’s son was
killed before the people voted, but how come there isn’t anyone to take
over?”
“Most of the royal family members were killed by the rebel group.”
“What?”
“They attacked the palace in broad daylight when the family had
gathered for a feast and…”
 “Bastards.”
“No one was spared, and the only people who survived were the
ones who were away for education. Only the lucky survived that day but
soon after, every single person who could take over was hunted and killed
by staging accidents in the various countries.”
“Unbelievable… Is that when your mom…” her voice trailed off
when he nodded without looking at her.
“If there is barely anyone left of the royal family, how do you put an
end to these fanatics?”
“We still have hope the Swan will protect us.”
“The what?”
“Our soon-to-be queen is under cover and will soon be crowned to
protect the people.”
“What is she waiting for?”
“Waiting for the right time,” he declared softly.
“Where is she? Does the rebel group know where she is?”
“The data that was stolen had information about people who could
lead them to the Queen, not the Queen’s information. We didn’t trust
anyone to keep her safe if the information was saved anywhere.” His voice
was suddenly authoritative.
“So you don’t know where she is, but you are hoping she would
save the entire nation?”
“We know where she is, but she doesn’t know anything about this.”
“What about the people who can lead the idiots to the royal family?”
“They were moved to safety as soon as we were able to reach
them.” Sid wasn’t ready to tell her she was the only one left of the family.
He wanted the man who protected her to tell her everything.
“Good, how did they even get to such secure information?”
“Exactly how I made it into their region. This guy was an intern in
the security systems and hacked his way to the information. We picked up
the details on the information scans after he sent the data to someone here,”
he growled.
“Where is that kid?”
“In jail.” He snickered.
“Have you considered using that kid to get back at the rebel group?”
Sid was taken aback. “I would love to hear your thoughts on it.”
 “Meet me at eleven, two thousand feet north of the main door once
we get to the ranch.”
“We’re using code language are we?” he taunted.
“Yeah, my boyfriend is a hot Army commander!” She laughed
settling into the passenger seat for a nap.

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 12

Sid pulled up to what looked like a security checkpoint with a high metallic
gate which led to the entrance of the ranch. He had advised his security to
disperse and secure the ranch. Amy had dozed off a few hours ago and had
not woken up for a bathroom break, so he kept burning the tires until they
reached the ranch.
“Welcome to the Watson Ranch. Can I see some ID please?” An
elderly but well-built man demanded from Sid.
“Daren!” Sid heard Amy squeak before she opened the door to run
around the Hummer. She ran into the arms of the big man whose eyes
glistened with happy tears.
“Amy, I didn’t realize it was you in the passenger seat. Who is this
guy?” Daren’s tone was protective.
“Daren, this is Sid. He is my roommate, and he is here for Aaron’s
birthday.”
“Is he your boyfriend?” The older man was quick to ask.
“If you tell me who you went out with on Saturday, then I will tell
you who this guy is,” she teased.
“It wasn’t like a date.” The man smiled sheepishly.
“I never said it was a date, but since you did, who is it?” She tried to
shake the rock-solid man by his arms.
Sid watched as they conversed and noticed the additional guards
stationed in a more camouflaged manner. He took in the spider cameras
hanging from the huge sign for the ranch and wondered if the fence that ran
around the ranch was electric.
The man sitting in front of the computer inside the checkpoint
stepped out and approached Daren and Amy. He whispered in Daren’s ear
making the big man turn abruptly to look at Sid.
Daren put his arm around Amy and walked her back toward the
driver’s side of Sid’s vehicle.
“Welcome to the Watson Ranch, Commander.” Daren held the door
open for Sid.
 “Daren, are you still playing with your facial recognition toys?”
Amy objected.
Daren completely ignored her as he shook Sid’s hand. “It’s an honor
to meet you, sir. Please take care of her. She is the mother I never knew.”
“Jeez, Daren stop calling me your mommy,” she spat.
“You got it, Mom, and my mom knows the way to her house,” he
teased hugging her and helped her back into the car.
“Don’t tell Dad anything about Sid!” She ordered as they drove
away from the checkpoint.
“Why do you have a security checkpoint for the ranch?” He asked
knowing the reason, but he wanted to know what she thought about the
setup.
“Oh, the ranch is partially owned by my dad’s friend, and he has
some expensive car collection sitting in one of the barns. He pays for it all,
and Daren and the other guys have jobs.”
“Interesting. What is Daren’s story?”
“Ex-military came back from the Gulf War with a serious case of
PTSD. His then girlfriend dumped him and kicked him out of his apartment
instead of working with him. He tried odd jobs, but they didn’t work and
finally moved to the ranch almost ten years ago and has worked for my dad
since.”
“Was he one of your treasures?”
“What?”
“Someone you found on the streets?”
“Yes! Daren was the first one, and I met him when we were at
Disneyland. My mom was pregnant with Aaron and went into labor right
outside Disneyland, and this guy happened to be there to help us.”
“Nice! Is that why Aaron is the Disney Prince?”
“Yes. Do tell him the name is appropriate.”
“So how much longer before we pull into your parents’ driveway?”
He asked taking in all the cameras installed on the streetlights.
“We are almost there. The internal roads are like a maze, and anyone
new will surely be lost.”
“Yeah!” He followed Amy’s directions for the next thirty minutes
before pulling onto a massive circular driveway.
“I’m nervous, why am I nervous?” She shivered.
 “Don’t be, you can dump me if your mom and dad don’t like me,”
he teased getting out of the car.
He heard the main door of the house open and saw a woman in her
late forties rush out of the house.
“Hi, Mom!” Amy called out like a little girl jumping out of the car
to wrap her arms around her mother.
Sid looked at Aaron and smiled before making eye contact with the
man who had kept the life of his country safe and secure.
Sid took the man’s hand in his. “It’s an honor, sir. Thank you!”
“Good to meet you in person, Sid.” The man smiled and turned to
look at Amy as she put her arms around him and asked teasingly. “Who is
this young man, sweetheart?”
“This is my boyfriend, Daddy, and you’ve talked to him already.”
She sheepishly smiled, her eyes dazzling at him.
Sid took in the glow in her eyes and promised himself to keep that
happiness there for eternity.
“Sid, welcome to our home.” Amy’s mom smiled shaking his hand.
“Thank you, Dr. Watson.”
“Jen, please call me Jen.”
“Nice to meet you, ma’am.”
“This must be Aaron.” Sid held his fist out and got an enthusiastic
fist bump from the eleven-year-old.
“Thanks, Sid. I am so glad I won’t be driving a ‘mommy van’ to
college,” Aaron cheered.
“Not cool!” Amy objected as they walked into the house.
Sid stepped into the house taking in the thick concrete walls, hidden
metal railing that could slide over the windows —the way the multi-level
house was built was almost like a fortress. He walked on the thick marble
floor convinced there was a basement to the house, which was rare in that
part of the country.
“Beautiful house, ma’am,” Sid cheered as they settled into the
family room.
“Thank you, Sid. What would you like to drink?” She smiled getting
up from the couch.
“Honey, I got it. Sid, do you mind joining me in the wine cellar?”
Amy’s father led him toward the back of the house.
 “Be nice to him, Dad!” Amy called out as she headed up the stairs.
“Sid, your room is up the stairs to the right.”
“Thanks, Amy!” Sid called out following her father down a small
staircase.

Amy’s father closed the heavy door shut before speaking. “Sid, how did
you find her? You were supposed to wait until I sent out a communication.
She is not ready yet.”
“Sir, we weren’t looking for her. I was investigating her as a
potential suspect with connections to the Barkha Group.”
“What?” He was taken aback. “Why would you think she was
connected to the group?”
“Amy helped a guy who had the information about you. She saved a
member of the group who took the lives of her parents.”
Her father sat down on a wine barrel shaking his head. “I don’t
believe this. When did this happen?”
“It was the night she left home to start working in San Francisco.”
Sid dug his fingers into his jeans pocket.
“I protected her every minute, and yet she came so close to someone
who could harm her?”
“Sir, she just happened to be around at that time.”
“Who was it that she helped?”
“We have an identity that turned out to be fake. This person seems
to have been living in this country for a long time and may be a facilitator
and not part of the core group.” Sid sat on a wine barrel next to the older
man.
“Sid, she is yours to protect now.”
“Yes, sir, I accept the duty with honor and respect. I am impressed at
how well you have secured her and the ranch.”
“I had to… for the promise I gave to Amy’s father.”
“Sir, you need to talk to her. We don’t have much time before she
turns twenty-one. She needs to know. She needs to know she is the Queen
of a nation that has been waiting for twenty years, the Queen who needs to
protect her people.”
“Sid, she is a child. I wasn’t planning on contacting the Eagle
because I wanted her to have a normal life.”
 “A normal life? How can she have a normal life with a fortress
around her? She needs to do what she was born to do… rule, protect, and
preserve,” Sid’s voice was elevated with patriotism.
“I lost my best friend and my baby sister to that country. She is all I
have left. I can’t let her go yet.” Amy’s father held his head in his hand.
“Sir, you kept your promise, and you have done everything you can
to protect her. She is my responsibility now. I will guard her with my life.”
“Do you love her?” Her father asked taking him by surprise.
“Yes, sir. I do.”
“Don’t break her heart.”
“I won’t, sir.”
“Sid, I’ve dreaded this day from the minute I brought her home. I
still cannot get myself to tell her the truth, she is…” his voice trailed off
when a sensor on the door went off.
“We need to go back. Amy is headed down here.” The words barely
left his mouth before Sid heard Amy.
“Dad and Sid, are you guys making the wine now?” She squeaked
from the doorway pushing the door.
“I was taking advantage of Sid’s politeness and bragging about my
wine.” Her father laughed putting an arm around her.
Sid smiled at her as she went up on her toes to plant a kiss on her
father’s cheek. “I missed you, Daddy.”
“I missed you, too, sweetheart.” His eyes filled with love for his
niece who he raised as his own child.
“I’m hungry, can we go eat?”
“Your boyfriend didn’t feed you on the way?” he teased winking at
Sid.
“The queen wanted the special pizza you make for her,” Sid called
out as he followed them up the stairs.
“Damn right, and it’s always worth the wait.”
“What happened with the law firm?” Her dad inquired casually.
“Oh, they are one messed up bunch of partners who are not good
mentors. They had a major client who they needed to work with and
declared they didn’t have time for us,” she grumbled looking at Sid.
“Does that mean you will stay home the rest of the summer?” her
mother asked enthusiastically.
 “Umm… I think so, but I might have to go back to San Francisco.”
“Why?” It was Aaron who jumped in while her parents hesitated to
ask.
“I’m planning to study one semester in Edenridge,” Amy declared
making goosebumps pepper Sid’s skin. He knew where she was going with
her thoughts and felt a high sense of pride. His belief in the royal family
wasn’t unreal—the bloodline carries the power to keep his nation strong.
“Edenridge, where the heck is that?” Aaron scrunched his nose as
Amy’s parents looked at her in sheer surprise.
“It’s too bad Dad didn’t hang out with you as much as he did with
me,” she growled at her little brother.
“Whatever!”
“Are you sure about it, Amy?” Her mom managed to recover from
the shock.
“Yes, Mom. I like Sid, and I know we have something special. He
needs to go back to Edenridge soon, and I don’t want to walk away from
what we have. I want to study from Edenridge and see if that offers a better
opportunity for me.” Her voice was soft yet determined.
Her father tightened his arm around her and looked down at her.
“You made me a proud father today, baby.”
“Thank you, Daddy! Are you mad I want to move to a different
country.”
“It’s where you belong, sweetheart, with Sid.” Her mother chimed in
wiping off a tear that gathered at the edge of her eye.”
“What the heck? You are okay with her leaving America to go to
this little country?” Aaron held his phone up with a map on the screen.
“Dude, size doesn’t matter. People matter,” Sid tried to interject.
“Amy, are you moving for him? Why?” Her protective little brother
wouldn’t let go.
“Aaron, I never realized you were more like my big brother.” She
left her dad’s side to hug her brother.
“It’s something I have been thinking about, Aaron, and I may need
to go back to San Francisco to figure out things, but for now, I plan to spend
the summer on the ranch.” She comforted her little brother who didn’t look
all too convinced and thrilled she may be moving to a different country.
“Dinner?” Amy’s dad cheered.
 “I need a drink after that conversation,” her mom joked.
“Don’t let your imagination run wild you guys, I’m… we still need
to work out some details.” Amy smiled at Sid.

*****

It was almost eleven when Sid made it to the location she had told him to
go to earlier in the evening. He smiled thinking of the happy family they
were, and it reminded him of the family back home. He was an only child,
but his dad’s side of the family lived under one roof, and his aunt raised him
until he went undercover. His life was a constant marathon, and Amy
seemed to be the anchor he needed to be grounded. He couldn’t remember
the last time he spent more than a month in one location in the last seven
years since he joined the Army. Every minute of his time was focused on
building the security for the country and keeping the rebel group from
encroaching into the area governed by the president, the Eagle.
He stood by the massive tree with a hollow trunk waiting for her. He
looked at his phone when it beeped.

Eagle: Are you at the ranch?

Sid: Yes, sir.
Eagle: When will you bring the Swan to Safe Haven?
Sid: Sir, the Guardian needs time. The Swan has no idea.
Eagle: The group is stronger than we realized in that region, and
they have been running operations to find the Swan for a while now.
Sid: Sir, the ranch is safe, safer than I had expected.
Eagle: Nothing is safer than Safe Haven.
Sid: Got it, sir!
Eagle: Why do I have a large amount pending my approval to a law
firm?
Sid: Presidential education fund for law interns. The Swan is one of
the interns. Please approve.

He put the phone away when he saw Amy walk toward him her face
glowing in the dim light.
“Sorry, I’m late.” She went on her toes to brush her lips to his.
 He wrapped an arm around her, gripping her hair with his fingers
pulling her in for a deeper kiss. “Totally worth the wait.”
She smiled angling her head letting him explore her depths. Sid took
in the warmth and the sweetness of her mouth and felt the shudder run
through him when she moaned into his mouth. He felt her fingertips dig
deep into his scalp as she fisted her fingers in his hair. He pulled her closer
to him melding her body into his.
“I love you, baby,” he whispered against her lips making her
whimper with pleasure.
She pulled back to look at him. “Sid, are you pissed we didn’t
discuss my plans to study in Edenridge before I made my announcement?.”
“Are you kidding, I love such surprises.”
“I need you to know I would only go if I get into one of the top
schools,” she teased.
“Sure, I’m sure I can pull some strings.”
“Really?”
“Will you be my roommate when I move?” she nipped on his lower
lip making him grunt. He pushed her back into the rough bark of the tree.
He didn’t care how many cameras were watching them—he didn’t care who
was around. All he could think about was to taste her and drink in her
sweetness.

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 13

Sid went down the stairs from his room and almost ran into someone he
thought was Amy. He blinked his eyes a few times realizing the woman had
a very similar build as Amy as well as other similarities. He wondered if she
was a cousin.
“Good morning, you must be Sid. I’m Hanna, and I work for Mrs.
Watson.”
“Hello, Hanna. Nice to meet you,” he managed to say still unable to
get over the similarities. Facial features were completely different, but
everything else seemed familiar.
“They are all in the sunroom waiting for you. What would you like
to drink?”
“Coffee, and I can make it myself.” He moved toward the kitchen.
“You can if you want me to get fired.” She laughed walking into the
kitchen. “The sunroom is to your right, down the hallway. I will bring your
coffee.”
“Thanks, Hanna!” Sid followed the directions she gave him, and as
he walked closer, he heard the voices, especially the one he loved to hear.
“Sid, you’re up!” Amy cheered getting off her chair to hug him.
“Good morning, babe.” He kissed her on the lips under the watchful
eye of her little brother.
“Mom and Dad, she has a boyfriend, and you guys are okay with
this?” Something bugged Aaron, and he wouldn’t let go.
“She is a big girl, Aaron, and she can make life decisions,” her mom
cheered.
“You are a good brother, Aaron. No way you’re a Disney Prince.”
Sid winked.
“She told you?” he growled.
“Aaron, everyone knows that,” Amy’s dad laughed.
“Aaron, I have a question for you. Is it me or does Hanna look very
much like your sister?”
“No, she doesn’t.” Amy was the first one to object. “Why does
everyone think that? And she is a lot prettier than me, and she should be a
model.”
“I don’t think they do,” Aaron chimed in.
“Thanks, Aaron.”
“Who else thinks you guys look similar?” Sid probed.
“Pretty much everyone outside the ranch. They somehow can’t tell
us apart.” Amy laughed.
Amy’s dad stood up and stretched. “I’m going to take a walk, who
wants to go with me?”
While everyone pretended like they didn’t hear him, Sid looked up
at him and smiled. His smile died when he saw the look on her dad’s face
and stood up when he was gestured to step out of the house.
“I’ll take a walk,” Sid declared following her father.
They stepped onto the patio and started walking toward what looked
like a barn. Sid knew something was going on when her father led him into
the barn that was a fully equipped surveillance room.
“Take a seat, Sid.”
“What’s going on, sir?”
“There has been an increase in the activity in the area, Sid. We
received requests to get access to the surveillance footage from private
investigators.”
“What? Who are these investigators?”
“I called them back asking for identity, and I was told it was for
your security?” Amy’s father’s voice was calm, but Sid felt a shudder run
through him.
He pulled out his phone shaking his head. “I’m confident it is not
my team. It is not our protocol to tap into private surveillance cameras.”

Sid: John, do we need access to surveillance cameras for my

security?
John: Sorry, sir. I’m not following you. I’m a few minutes away
from the residence.
Sid: Meet me in the barn. Sending coordinates.
John: Yes, sir.

“It’s confirmed, sir. Not my team. Did you give them the footage?”
Sid’s mind was running on high alert.
 “Yes, I sent them footage from a week ago, and I changed the time
stamp on the video. I hope they…”
Sid did not let him complete. “Even if they are looking for me, there
is nothing that would lead them to her, and if it did, I’m ready with my
team. The ranch is surrounded.”
“Even if they are here…” The words barely left his words when a
loud alarm started to blare. A robotic voice announced, ‘Security Breach—
Ranch Entrance.’
Sid watched the video on one of the monitors where he watched the
three men guarding the gate were down, and the main gate was being
rammed into by a large truck.
“How much time do we have?” Sid barked pulling out his phone
and sending out an alert to his team.
“Not enough time to get away.” Amy’s father was in shock.
“Sir, where is the entrance to your getaway tunnel?” Sid guessed
from the way the house was structured there had to be an underground
tunnel.
“It’s from the kitchen island.” Amy’s father spent a few minutes
giving him instructions to get through the tunnel.
“We need a decoy. Is Hanna supposed to be Amy’s double?” Sid
asked to confirm the thought running through his mind.
“Yes.”
Sid dialed a number on his phone running out of the barn and saw
John approach him. “John, get the vehicles ready, we are going to run a
decoy. I will take the Swan with me, and you run the decoy.”
“Yes, sir.”
Sid’s heart was thumping as he ran up the stairs into Amy’s room.
He heard the hair dryer running in the bathroom and rushed toward the
sound.
“Amy!”
“Sid, you okay?” She turned to look at him, her eyes filled with love
for him.
“Amy, do you trust me?”
“Yes.”
“Do you trust me with your life?” He held her by her shoulders, his
fingers digging into her soft flesh.
 “Yes.”
“I promise to tell you everything when we are safe.” He kissed her
on her forehead before taking her by her hand and leading her downstairs in
her slippers.
“Sid, why are you in a hurry?”
Amy’s mom and dad were in the kitchen with Aaron and Hanna.
John was standing to one side of the kitchen guiding the cars toward the
house.
“Daddy, what is going on?”
“Sweetheart, your mom and I should have told you everything
sooner, but we don’t have time now.” He cupped her face with his palms.
“Daddy?”
“Baby, listen to Daddy. Sid will give you all the answers,” her mom
urged.
“Jen, calm down, please. Amy, do you remember the song I taught
you ‘Rabbit’s Home?’”
“Yes… I do.” Amy’s mind was reeling with the stress, but it was a
song she never forgot. Her dad had taught her in kindergarten and kept
quizzing her about it even before she left for San Francisco. It was a song
that always played in her mind every time she thought about her dad and
wanted a happy moment.
“Amy, Sid will protect you. Trust him with your life, and even if it
feels wrong, never doubt him.”
“Daddy, what is going on?”
“Sweetheart, there are some really bad people trying to get to you,
the same people who killed your mom and dad.”
“What?” Amy was shivering.
“Don’t judge us yet, sweetheart. We love you.” Her mom cried as
John ushered them to the front yard.
“I don’t understand. Mom and Dad, I want to go with you!”
Sid held her to him with his arm wrapped around her waist from
behind.
“Sid, what the fuck is going on?” She was angry and confused.
“We need to get out of here before they get here.” Sid urged pulling
open one side of the island that she always thought was just a stonewall. He
went on his knees next to the island and held his hand out to her “C’mon,
baby. We don’t have time.”
“Sid…” Her eyes blurred with the tears as she bent to crawl under
the massive island. It was dark, but she could still see the crawl path slope
downward.
“Keep moving, Amy,” Sid called out, and she heard him right
behind her. She heard a piece of stone slide back into place followed by a
clanking sound.
She probably crawled for a few minutes before realizing she had
more than enough space to stand as she stood up running her palms on the
wall. The next moment she heard a small click, and the crawlway was
illuminated. She watched Sid slide down the marble incline.
“Are you okay, baby?”
“I’m not,” she spat.
He hushed her before turning on another switch and punching in a
code on what looked like a metallic wall. He took her hand in his and
placed her palm on a specific location on the wall.
“What are you doing?”
“Five minutes, then we can talk while you lead us through the
tunnel,” he pleaded as they saw the metal wall slide open to reveal layers of
metal doors that cascaded open.
“What is this place?” Amy looked around like she had no idea
where she was when she was only a few feet below her house. They stepped
into what looked like an observation space with monitors showing the video
footage from the entrance and other parts of the ranch.
“Oh my God, is that Daren?” Amy shivered looking at the lifeless
figure laying in front of the gate.
“Sweetheart, please, he was trying to protect you. He has been since
the day he got here.” Sid pulled her closer into her arms as he took in the
details from the footage. It was less than ten minutes ago that the main
entrance was broken through, and he knew it was a matter of time before
the rebel group showed up at the farmhouse.
Sid tracked Amy’s family on his phone and let out a sigh of relief
when he saw they were outside the ranch and headed north in his car with
his security. He needed to take her to safety with him being her security to
avoid drawing attention.
 “He was just beginning to live again,” she wept referring to Daren.
“Baby, every homeless man you rescued has been on a mission to
save you. Their sacrifice will not go to waste.”
She pushed him away with all her strength. “It’s easy for you to say
that, you didn’t know anything about Daren.” She hid her face in her palms
and wept.
Sid gave her a moment to mourn before taking her back into his
arms. “I’m sorry for your loss, but we need to keep moving. Keeping you
safe is my utmost priority.”
“Why? Who am I? Why did my dad say my parents are dead?” She
looked at him a million questions popping up in her mind.
A movement in one of the monitors caught his attention. “Look at
that group. They’re here to get you, and we need to go. I promise to tell you
everything when we get to the rabbit’s home.”
“Who are these people, and why would they want to hurt me?”
“Amy, I need you to focus. We are going to enter the escape tunnel
through that wall, and from there you need to take us to our first stop.” Sid
pointed to a concrete wall that looked indestructible.
She nodded, and he led her to the wall as she turned to catch one last
glimpse of the friend she had known for a decade, the guy who made a tree
house for her and taught her how to ride a tractor.
“I’ll miss you, Daren.” She sniffled.
Sid had the instruction etched in his mind as he ran his fingers over
the concrete wall in search of the button that would show the keypad. He
entered the code and placed Amy’s palm on the screen when it showed, and
a moment later the wall raised a few feet.
“I’m told this is the last time you’ll need to crawl. Do you want me
to go in first?”
She shook her head and slid her body through the opening and felt
Sid roll in behind her into the darkness.
“Stay with me.” He put his arm around her waist as he located the
button to let the concrete slab fall back into place. He spent a few more
seconds locating the light for the escape chamber and stared in awe when
the area was illuminated.
“What is this place?” Amy was the first to speak looking at their
reflection. They faced a glass wall that turned into what seemed to be
another mirrored hallway, and the reflections were making her dizzy.
“Sid, I don’t want to be down here. Get me out of here.”
He hushed and ran his hand on her back. “You need to do this with
your eyes closed. Remember the song, the song has the instructions to get
you to the rabbit’s home.”
She played the song in her head as Sid led her through the sea of
their own reflection. As she guided Sid through the maze of mirrors, she
remembered the number of times her father had made her follow the path of
the rabbit in their backyard and wondered if everything her father had
taught her was to get through this day, to survive.
After almost fifteen minutes of walking, she stopped and opened her
eyes to look at Sid when he stopped walking.
“Sid, we need to turn right here.” She looked to her right, and there
was no hallway.
“Amy… we might have taken a wrong turn at one of the previous
turns.”
“Sid, I’ve walked this path a million times in the back yard. I did not
miss a turn.” She placed her palm on the mirror, and Sid noticed the slight
vibration from the pressure.
“You’re right, babe, we do need to turn right here, and I never
thought my third code on the way in was a mirrored wall.” He laughed
trying to ease the fear that was starting to creep up.
The wall-to-wall mirror opened to reveal a well-lit hallway that
looked more appealing than the mirrored passageway.
“I can’t imagine the time and effort it took for people to build this
structure. It’s amazing.” Sid shut the mirrored door and let the metal bar
door slide shut behind it.
“We need to talk, Sid. I need to know why we are doing this,” she
demanded refusing to take a step further and slapping away his hand when
he reached out to her. “Are you messing with me? Are you part of the plan,
the plan to…”
She lost her voice when she wondered if what he told her and what
he expressed to her was real or was it part of his duty, and how it involved
her.
“Amy, I love you. I liked you for who you are even before I knew
who you really were.”
 “Who am I, and why do I need to believe you?” she growled unable
to contain her emotions.
He moved closer to her and placed her hand on his chest. “This
heart would stop beating the moment I realize I cannot protect you, and
that’s just not because it’s my duty, but because you are my everything.”
Her body responded to the sincerity in his voice and the love in his
eyes.
“Amy, your real name is Amyra, Princess Amyra Jane Charles, the
future Queen, Regina of The Kingdom of Edenridge! You are the only
person who can save the people captivated in the region ruled by the Barkha
Group.” Sid planted a kiss on her cheek.

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 14

“I don’t believe you.” She shook her head and pushed him away from her.
“Amy, have you wondered why you know so much about a country
most people haven’t even heard about?”
“I… It was part of my…”
He didn’t let her finish. “Did you know about Edenridge by the time
you were as old as Aaron?”
“Sid, what are you trying to tell me?” She raked her fingers through
her hair that was still damp from the shower.
“I will explain everything. We need to get past one chamber, and
I’m told we have a place to wait until dark.” Sid took her hand in his and
led her toward the last door.
The door opened up to what seemed like a small studio. Amy
walked around the room in awe as Sid secured the room.
“Sid, this is my old bunk bed and my dresser. I thought we donated
these.” She pulled open one of the dressers and found her clothes neatly
stacked. She realized there were clothes for everyone in her family.
“Where are my parents and my brother, and why did they leave with
Hanna?”
“Hanna is your double, Amy. It’s amazing your father had thought
through everything for a situation like this. You ideally wouldn’t have
needed me if you had known everything you needed to before this day.” He
opened the mini fridge taking out a bottle of water and throwing it her way.
She flopped her body on a chair next to the bunk bed. “Will you tell
me what it was I needed to know and why I am the princess when I’ve
never been to Edenridge.”
“Remember the history of Edenridge? The King who made the pact
with the people of that region was your grandfather, and the King who came
close to getting the princely state resolved was your father. Mr. Watson and
your father were best friends, and your mother was his sister.”
“My dad is my uncle?” She shook her head in disbelief.
“Yes, they brought you here when you were only six months old
after both your parents were killed at the feast massacre.”
 Her body shivered, and the warm room suddenly felt like an
icehouse. She started pulling all the information she was told by her Dad
and Sid together and saw how everything fell into place, but she couldn’t
digest it. “I don’t care, I don’t want any of it. I want my life back. I don’t
want to be someone I’m not.”
“Amy, you have no choice.” His voice was commanding.
“I do have a choice. I refuse to leave my home.” She held her chin
high adamantly.
“I won’t let that happen, Amy. I can’t,” he growled.
“I’m not someone’s property not to have a choice. Why should I do
what you want me to do?”
“You are breathing today because of the sacrifices of many people,
one of them being my mother.” His voice faded toward the end of the
sentence.
“What?”
“You heard me, my mother lost her life trying to save the six-month-
old baby who she thought was the future of the country. You are here in
safety because of the sacrifices your uncle and aunt made, and Daren gave
up his life to protect you.”
“No, don’t say that.”
“This is the truth whether you accept it or not.”
She drew her knees into her chest and hid her face in her knees.
Daren’s smiling face flashed in front of her, and all she could think was to
cry, and then something else started to brew. Anger, the need for revenge
not just for Daren but for the pain it caused the man she loved. She wanted
to seek revenge and fight back, not because she was told she had a title, but
because they hurt her loved ones.
“How do you not hate me for making you lose your mother.” Her
voice was muffled in her jeans, as she hid her face unable to find the
courage to look him in the eye.
She felt him right next to her. She welcomed the warmth his
embrace offered and held to him burying her face into his chest. “I’m sorry
you lost your mom. How do you not hate me?”
“Because I love you, and it’s not your fault my mom is not around.
It was a choice she made, and I’m proud of her decision. I spent years
unable to accept the fact that my mom didn’t think to hide or get away
when she should have known how much it would hurt me, but… the day I
realized why she did it, that was the day I told my dad I wanted to be the
government’s eyes and ears in that region they had no control over.”
“Sid, I love you, too. I feel bad for making life so difficult for so
many people including you.”
“It’s mine and their honor to protect you, baby.” Sid hugged her.
She pulled away slightly to look at him and caught some movement
on the monitors. “Are those people in the house?”
Sid turned to look at the monitor and walked closer observing the
men. “These guys are not from Edenridge. It looks like the group has a way
bigger presence here than we thought. They probably figured you were here
because your mom was from here.”
“They look like trained men, the way they are searching the place.”
Amy observed.
“Do you recognize any of these men? Is the guy you rescued on any
of the screens?”
She walked closer and went from one monitor to the other and
shook her head. “I don’t see him. That guy was tall, almost as tall as you
are.”
“What are you guys looking for?” Sid looked at the monitor for
answers.
“I think they are looking for my pictures. Look, this guy is running
through the family album.” She pointed at the man sitting in the master
bedroom.
“You have no pictures of you in the house?”
“Nope, not my grown-up ones, and now I know why. He would not
let me put my pictures anywhere online. The picture on my driver’s
license… the more I think about it, my mom made me put on so much
makeup I don’t even look like myself.”
“Your dad did all this for a promise, a promise he made to his friend
and sister that he would be your godparent.” Sid’s voice was so soft it made
her choke.
“That was the picture posted in my high school yearbook, and it’s on
my passport… they did all this for me, and now they have to abandon their
home for me.”
 “Amy, they are safe, and they can return home as soon as we take
care of these morons. For now, we need to get a sense of their presence.”
Sid pulled his phone and frowned when he realized he had no signal.
“We had phone signal in the first room. Do you want to go back
there?”
“No, we need to stay put until dark and get out of here.”
“Do we need to go back into the house?”
“Nope, I know the way out from here. Your dad told me we have
three options for the exit… one is an ex-Army person’s house, another one
is a barn, and the third is a bar a few miles out.”
“Where are we headed from here?”
“I need to take you back to San Francisco, and then to Edenridge
before your birthday.”
“My birthday?”
“You will be crowned on or after your twenty-first birthday.”
“Sid, I don’t know how I feel about that yet, can we not talk about it
right now?”
“Okay.”
“I still can’t believe my dad built all this and that bar is friggin miles
away… for him to dig tunnels all the way, I just can’t believe it.”
“He was probably able to do it because of all the help you found
him.” Sid smiled at her.
“Help?”
“I’m sure every homeless guy you shipped to the ranch was part of
building this structure,” Sid declared.
“Sid, look… that guy is talking on the phone.” She pointed to a man
holding a weapon standing on the front porch.
“How did they get to this location when your dad was so good at
covering your tracks,” Sid wondered out loud running his fingers through
his hair.
“Are you sure they came for me, I mean not Amy Watson, but do
you know if they came for Amyra?”
“I’m not sure… what would lead them to the ranch and why…”
Sid’s voice trailed off unable to find a solid link.
“Are they here looking for the owner of the minivan?” Amy
pondered.
 “No, the minivan has a fake address on the registration, and even if
they were here for the owner of the minivan, why bring weapons, why hurt
people?” Sid shook his head as he tried to connect the dots.
“How did they find the ranch when everything is so secure?”
Sid wasn’t listening. He was processing every detail he could pull
together to establish the connection. Amy watched his expression change
and knew he was on to something. “We had private investigators request
footage from the surveillance cameras in and around the ranch, and the
reason they gave was that it was for my security detail.”
“Huh? It doesn’t make sense. Don’t they follow you around like
ducklings?” She tried to ease the situation.
“Fuck! It was me, I led them to you. I’m so sorry, baby.” He wound
his arms around her unable to digest the situation.
“How?”
“The Barkha Group somehow found out I was here and either
followed us or found out from someone where we were headed.” Sid
walked around the room for a few minutes thinking of the link and stopped
abruptly. “Did your intern friends post pictures of me on the internet?”
“That’s it, I’m sure they tagged you as #hotcommander, and it hit a
million of their search results.” She laughed.
“Un-fucking-believable,” he growled. “Once they realized I was in
San Francisco, they figured I was up to something considering your
birthday is coming up soon.”
“Sid, it’s okay, although I think I would have wanted to hear
everything from my mom and dad, but I’m glad we talked about Edenridge
a little bit.”
“I know it’s not easy, but you did good, Amy. Are you hungry?” Sid
walked to one side of the L-shaped room and came back with a few protein
bars and juice packs. “I can’t stop praising your dad.”
“Sid, we should go to the bar exit. It’s closer to the highway. Do we
have a car?”
“I have a car available about fifty miles from here, we might have to
hitchhike until that point.” He laughed winking at her.
“Not funny.”
“I’m kidding, I can’t let my queen hitchhike.”
“Sid, we agreed not to talk about it,” she grumbled.
 He took his lips to hers to lazily brush and caress her trembling lips.
“I was talking about the queen of my heart.”

*****

“I thought I lost this t-shirt. It was my favorite.” She squeaked rummaging

through the dresser. It was almost ten at night, and the house was dark. The
group who invaded the ranch were gone, but Sid was convinced they
weren’t far.
“We need to move, baby. We need to have enough time to walk to
another exit if the bar is not a good option.”
“Yes, sir,” she teased.
“Don’t call me sir. It’ll make me want to do dirty things to you.”
“Really? Are you that kind of a guy?” She laughed.
“I don’t know what you mean, but I know what I want, but I’m
willing to wait.”
“You are so boring.” She threw one of her t-shirts his way.
“Agreed. You have five minutes to enjoy your room. I’m not sure if
you’ll be able to come back anytime soon.”
“Don’t say that!”
“I will speak the truth, nothing but the truth.” He laughed, but she
knew it to be true.
She watched him load up the cargo shorts he had on with a few
power bars and a Swiss Army Knife.
“Can I have a weapon?”
“Amy, I know it’s a weird situation, but you don’t need a weapon
tonight. This might be a fun carry.” He laughed trying to ease her mind and
tossed her a small rectangular object.
She caught it and realized it was a mini Taser gun. She scrunched
her nose and threw it back at him. “Give me a real weapon.”
“You will get to pick your weapon soon, not tonight, sweetness.
Ready?”
She nodded and turned to look at the space that protected her today,
the place her dad had built for her, a symbol of a promise made to a friend
and a sanctum of fatherly love.
They walked in silence through the dimly-lit tunnel, each lost in their own
thoughts, his mostly around her safety and hers around many others. She
spent the time reflecting on her life, connecting the dots as she made sense
of the security around the ranch, the perpetual construction, obsessive
surveillance under the pretext of trespassers—everything her family had
done for her protection.
“Sid, what would the rebel group do if they found me?”
“Amy, we have a long walk. Conserve your energy.” He kept
walking with her hand in his without turning back.
“Sid… I need to know.” She let her hand out of his.
He stopped and hesitated before turning to look at her. “Based on
what they have done to your family in the past, I expect it to be bad, and it
would be worse if they held you hostage for ransom… their kind of
ransom.”
“Idiots!”
“Are you okay?” He ran the back of his hand over her cheek.
“I’m fine. Just tired even after napping for hours. I don’t know
where you get all the energy.”
“I’m trained for this, now hop on my back.” He turned around
before going lower on the concrete floor.
“You are a pretty decent boyfriend.” She laughed putting her arms
around his neck and climbing on his back.
“Glad to be of service.”
“Sid, what does my new identity mean to you?”
“Responsibility.” His voice was firm.
“What happens to us?”
“Sid loves Amy not Amyra. Sidney may end up working for Amyra,
but all I care about is Amy.” He laughed annoying her.
“That’s not what I’m asking.”
“Amy and Sid will need to become Amyra and Sidney when we
reach San Francisco.”
“I knew you would say something like that.” She ran her shin into
his thigh.
“I may be tasked to do something else once we get to San Francisco.
I will let my boss decide if I need to be your security or if he wants
someone else to take care of it.”
 “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m going with you because my dad said I
should,” she teased.
“Really?”
“Yup, the only reason,” she said, finally the gloom that had held her
captive was leaving her.
Almost ninety minutes later, they saw the end of the hallway. Sid
was out of breath from running with Amy on his back.
“I’m impressed, Commander. I feel like dumping my boyfriend for
you!”
“Not cool!” He reached for the water bottle from his pocket and
emptied it.
“Here, have mine.” She offered her bottle, which he gratefully
accepted.
“Before we open that door, a few things to remember. You always
stand behind me. If I say run, you run as fast as you can without looking
back, no matter what.” His voice was commanding, so commanding she
nodded even though she didn’t agree.
Her heart thudded like it did earlier that day as Sid punched in the
code and stuck her palm on the pad for the final exit. “Stay with me, baby.”
The door opened outward into the bar’s massive ice room. The other
side of the door was made to look like the wall with graffiti covering the
gaps.
“Great choice for escape, Dad.” She laughed as her teeth chattered.
Sid reached into a bucket of ice and threw a few cubes in his mouth.
“Sid, we should get a water bottle if you are thirsty.”
“Can’t risk it, let’s keep moving.” He opened the door to the outer
room that was empty, and they managed to slip to the back of the bar
without being noticed.
“Sid, I love that smell. I want to get some fries.” She drooled.
“Seriously, you want to eat fries from this place? The top rated food
snob wants to eat fries?”
“Yes, eating those sweet power bars all day is no fun.”
“We can’t go into a crowded bar and think we are laying low.”
“Let me go get it, no one knows me,” she urged.
“I can’t let you out of my sight.”
 “Don’t be this annoyingly protective boyfriend. I promise not to
dump you for the Commander.” She ran her fist into his abs.
“I need to scope out the place first. Stay behind me.” He took her
hand and led her to the side of the bar and stood by a window. He looked
through a lens for a few minutes.
“I don’t see a potential rebel group member so we should be fine to
go, but only if you absolutely need the fries.”
“I do. I’ll go by myself. Why don’t you pick a vehicle to break into
while I get me some fries?” She laughed walking into the back of the bar.
“Meet me here in four minutes.”
“Dude, I’m not getting fries that have been sitting on the shelf for
ten minutes. I’m going to have them make me a fresh batch. ETA is seven
minutes.”
“Fine! I’ll find us a getaway car in the meantime.”
“I want a red one.”
“Sure, cherry red or Ferrari red?” He mocked.
“Oh, you know my choice… Ferrari!” She laughed walking into the
bar pulling her hoodie closer around her neck.

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 15

Amy sat at the bar waiting for someone to bring her a water bottle. She
didn’t want the fries; she wanted to get water for Sid. She felt guilty about
making him carry her most of the way through the tunnel.
“Can I buy you a drink, sweetheart,” a male voice slurred behind
her.
She turned to look at a big man in his thirties reeking alcohol. “I’m
fine, thank you.”
“You waitin’ for your date?”
She turned away from him and gestured the bartender, and the guy
held up one finger asking her to wait. She wasn’t intimidated when a couple
of the guy’s friends came to stand right behind her and started talking about
her like she wasn’t even there.
They were wasted, and she knew it wasn’t worth it. She knew it was
time to leave when they started betting on her bra size, and luckily the
bartender put the water bottle in front of her. She dropped a few dollars on
the bar and turned to leave. She knew the men were standing behind her but
didn’t realize they were blocking her path.
“You guys have a good night.” She tried to sound polite as she
brushed past them. It was noisy, and she was thankful she didn’t have to
hear them talking about her private parts.
She stepped out of the bar area and into a hallway leading to the
back of the bar, but she knew Sid would be to the side where the cars were
parked. She took two steps to her left before she felt a sheer force push her
against a door. In spite of her state of shock, she did not fail to recognize the
stench she had breathed in a few minutes ago.
A large rough palm covered her mouth even before she could
scream from the shock. She was being walked out of the building hidden in
a triangle of big drunk men. Her feet dragged, and her eyes searched for
another human as they carried her to the parking lot.
 “She’s a tough one. It’ll be a lot of fun when she fights,” one of the
men spat. Her lips were crushed with the pressure preventing her from
biting her captor’s hand. She watched in horror as they approached a van
with plumbing graphics on it.
“I want a go around in the van with her,” the guy behind her
growled digging his hardness into her. She was so furious at herself for
walking into the bar. All she could think about was everything people she
loved did for her for twenty years, and she was being abducted by a bunch
of drunken plumbers.
She gathered energy, refusing to give up and stretched her legs
forward so her feet landed on the side of the van. She pushed off the side
making the man remove his hand from over her mouth. Sid’s name barely
made it out of her mouth before a rough palm slapped across her face. She
swore she heard her jaw crack as the pain shot through her body making her
feeble.
She was screaming in her mind, but she knew she was inaudible.
When her body slammed against the metal floor of the van, she sat up
refusing to give up. She kicked and clawed the man who tried to hold her
down, but he was a lot stronger than her, and she watched in horror as one
of the men started to walk around the van to hold her down from the other
side.
Moments passed as she braced herself for the other door to open
while one of the perpetrators held her down and the other held her legs.
“Jack, open the door. This bitch is too strong.”
The other door opened flooding light onto her face, and seconds
later, she was free. She watched as the two men who had held her groaned
in pain and collapsed away from the van.
Her eyes caught the anger in his eyes, the weapon in his hand that
smoked from being fired multiple times and all she could do was breathe.
She was rendered useless with shock and didn’t hear what he was saying
the first few seconds.
“Baby, say something.” He pulled her out of the van and carried her
limp body toward a pick-up truck.
“Amy, are you hurt?” She heard him but could not respond. Her
mind was consumed with the pain, the pain of being assaulted emotionally
for years. The people of the region who were forced into slavery within the
rogue organization needed to be rescued.
“Sid, where did you find that gun?” she whispered as he set her on
the back seat.”
“We need to get out of here.” He shut the door before she could say
anything else and climbed into the driver’s seat.
“Sid, I dropped the water bottle in the bar. I’m sorry.” Her weak
voice made it to his ears making him want to go back and kick those
motherfuckers in their balls.
“Amy, I need you to close your eyes and sleep.”
She murmured “I love you, Sid” before a darkness enveloped her
with the throbbing pain in her jaw threating to take her down.

*****

Amy woke up to the feeling of weightlessness but was soon reassured with
the familiar scent and warmth. Her body ached and went cold at the thought
of the last thing she could remember before she lost herself to the darkness.
“Sid…”
“Sweetheart, go back to sleep.”
“Why is this happening? Why do people get killed because of me? I
hate it… I hate myself.”
He hushed her carrying her up a flight of stairs in the darkness. Her
arm was around his neck, her fingertips digging into his shoulder as tears
ran down her cheeks.
“Amy, go back to sleep.”
“Daren… he would have been alive if it weren’t for me. Your
mom… you wouldn’t have had to go to that hellhole if your mom was
alive.” She sobbed uncontrollably, and the first bead of moisture he felt on
his chest through his t-shirt burned him deep inside.
“You will save more lives, baby.”
“My mom, dad, and Aaron, they are in danger because of me.” Her
voice was weak as he laid her on the bed and slid in next to her hoping to
help her go back to sleep, but it didn’t seem to work.
“Why is my life any more precious than everyone else’s life? I am
just like any other person, and I want to go back to being Amy.” She started
to hiccup.
Sid knew she was close to having an anxiety attack from everything
she had to process in one day plus the added trauma at the bar. He got off
the bed and pulled her off the bed and into his arms. She continued to sob as
he carried her toward the bathroom. He sat her down on the edge of the
bathtub and turned on the faucet. He dampened a towel and started to gently
wipe her face.
She couldn’t see through the haze in her eyes but could smell fresh
scents and heard the water running. “Where are we?”
“It’s safe here. Can I give you a bath?” His voice reached her inner
depths waking up deeper emotions.
“Sid, don’t be so nice to me. You should hate me for what I put you
through.”
“I’m done hating everything and everyone. It’s all good, baby.” He
sat next to her pulling her to his side. She was the reason for the calm that
kept him sane through the events of the day.
“No, Sid. This is bad. People who don’t know me died because of
me. Those men at the bar were animals, but they didn’t deserve to die like
that.”
“They are injured, baby, I didn’t shoot to kill.” His voice was gruff
and held remorse.
Amy was shocked and relieved at the same time. It would have been
so much easier for Sid to kill the men for what they were about to do to her.
However, for him to just injure them was a ray of hope that he wasn’t
entirely damaged by his experiences as a teenager.
“Thank you, Sid. I know I would have killed them if I had a chance,
but I am the one to blame. I was the stupid one who walked into the bar full
of drunken men and after all the lives lost because of me and the
sacrifices… My biggest fear was I was protected for so many years and
then to be abducted by a bunch of drunk men… What if they raped and
killed me? What would have happened to all those people in Edenridge?”
“Amy, you are the reason I didn’t kill the men. It was hard not to
end their lives the moment I saw them hold you down, but I know… I know
how you feel about everything happening right now, and the being stupid
part, you are as stupid as I am in love, and I’m just glad I’m that guy.” He
kissed her cheek.
 “I love you, Sid.”
“I love you, too, sweetheart. I want you to take a bath and go to
sleep.”
“Will you give me a bath and make love to me before you put me to
bed?” She buried her face into his chest.
Sid reached for the hem of her t-shirt without saying another word.
The light from the street shed enough light for her to see him as he planted
gentle kisses on her chest like he had to worship every inch of her skin. His
lips trailed up slowly to hers to gently peck on them.
Amy knew it was going to be different from all the other times they
had been intimate. She was starting to get a taste of being loved, worshiped,
and felt his desire to express his emotions without saying a word.
Sid had never felt close to anyone. But now, he felt so close to her, it
was scary and was hard to imagine another moment without her. He took in
the sweetness of her lips and caressed them with his making her tremble.
Their lips slid over one another as he stroked her face with his hands. She
angled her head hungrily inviting him, but he slowed down the kiss further
by nibbling on her lower lip making her hot on the inside.
Amy moved her lips away from his to run her tongue along his
jawline and delicately sunk her teeth into his earlobe making him groan.
“You like that?” she rasped.
“I like everything about you. You’re the only one I’ll ever want.”
His voice was gruff, but it touched her deep inside. She felt him
deep inside even before he was inside her. It was a connection she felt
deeper in her heart and felt the promise in his words touch her soul.
“Take me, Sid. Show me how much you love me.”
He growled sucking in her lips one last time before taking her into
his arms, walking them to the bed, his mouth never leaving hers. Her back
crashed onto the cool sheets, and she felt the thick rod on her belly as he
came down heavy on her.
Amy expected Sid to rip off her pants the second their bodies hit the
mattress, but she was surprised when he held her to him without moving for
a long moment. She knew he was turned on as he gently rubbed his jean-
clad hardness over her crotch like he was slowing it down, slowing it down
to magnify the sensual state. He pulled her closer like he wanted to feel her
heartbeat against his chest, the depths of her breath, and the connectivity
between their pulses.
He gently ran his fingertips along her high-strung body feeling the
movement and enticements of every single nerve responding to his touch.
The moan she let out and the way her body arched while her nails dug into
his skin, gave him a surge of pleasure knowing she was ready for him to
please her.

Sid ran his hand past the waistband of her jeans and deep into her darkness
on the hunt for his nectar. He found the moisture warm and oozing and
couldn’t wait for his virility to take a dip and stay there forever.
He pulled her jeans slowly kissing every inch of the skin he exposed
until her jeans were gathered at her ankles.
“Sid, I can’t wait,” she pleaded.
“Baby, patience, we have all the time in the world.”
Amy knew he was right, every move, every gesture was different. It
was like he was letting his intuition guide his every step without letting his
raw need take over, and she felt the difference. His lovemaking was like an
ecstatic adventure of a lifetime, and all their hot acts of intimacy did not
stand a chance.
She took a deep breath when he raised his body off her to push his
shorts down, and when he entered, it was like fireworks went off behind her
eyelids. There was no thrusting or pounding, and the rhythm with which he
rode her emphasized the soulfulness of the act. She felt him in places he
wasn’t even touching as if he set fire to her nerve endings, and the new
sensations were building up to a climax like she had never experienced
before.
Amy was lost in the sea of thrills and rode the waves of pleasure as
he moved in and out of her and opened her eyes when he commanded her to
look at him.
“I want you to come with me, baby, and I want to look into your
eyes when you come.”
She bit her lip unable to contain her need to let go and let her
sensations burst, but she knew he was moments behind her. She looked
deep into his eyes looking at her like she was the most precious thing in the
world.
 She called out his name in a faint whisper when they finally came
and experienced the emotional vibrations of a shared orgasm and the purity
of the moment.
Her body was trembling with uncontainable thrills as he fell to her
side pulling her onto him. She squeezed in closer into a cozy position
enjoying the sound of her breath match his.
“You are a good lover.” She took the back of his hand to her lips.
“I give wicked baths, too,” he nibbled the back of her neck.
“I want one and will take one…” She turned to face him and let
their lips crash, and she came over and over again just from the feel of his
lips on hers.

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 16

A cool breeze tickled Amy out of her slumber, and she immediately became
aware of the warmth that swaddled her body. She looked around the airy
room and wondered where he had brought her the previous night.
She had passed out from the trauma after the incident outside the bar
and woke up only when Sid was carrying her indoors. The anxiety, fear, and
the guilt of putting her family in danger consumed her, but her night with
Sid alleviated some of her fear or the doubt with everything she had to
process in a day. The level of confidence she got when she was with him
gave her the power to embrace the reality of the situation. She wasn’t ready
to accept her true identity and didn’t feel the compassion for the people in
the region ruled by the Barkha Group; but after only minutes of feeling
helpless and restrained, she was ready to do what it took to free the innocent
people even if she couldn’t accept the title.
She slipped out from under his arm and went toward the door that
appeared to be the bathroom door. She wasn’t sure where she was, but she
didn’t care. She knew her family was safe and didn’t have a thread of fear
with Sid only a few feet away from her. She stepped into the bathroom, and
her skin tingled at the memory of his touch blazing on her skin the night
before while soothing and stroking her senses. She looked at herself in the
mirror and couldn’t believe the flush rushing to her cheeks.
She was in Sid’s oversized t-shirt, her hair was a mess, and there
were traces of darkness around her eyes from the mascara she had put on
more than a day ago. Her body felt like a giant bag of slush, but she realized
she couldn’t stop smiling at her image with pure joy brightening her face.
She splashed her face with water to wipe off traces of the lingering
makeup and stepped out into the bedroom. Sid was fast asleep, and she
didn’t want to wake him. It had been days since Sid had slept, and she
stepped toward the window to peek outside.
An expanse of greenery spread in front of her and beautiful
townhomes circled it. All the houses around the park seemed similar
making her wonder if she was at a gated community in a suburb of San
Francisco since the homes looked newer than the homes she had seen in
San Francisco.
She flattened her palms on the cool glass and took in the scene in
front of her as the sun started to rise. An elderly couple walked a baby in the
stroller, and a few dedicated runners circled the park. She took a deep
breath feeling the need to get in a run, but she knew better. She turned to
take a look at Sid and whistled gently to see if it would wake him up.
When he didn’t move a muscle, she turned back to enjoy the view
and decided to wait until he woke. She spotted a cute dog before she saw
the owner. The golden retriever had the shiniest coat she had seen on a dog,
and the way it moved was a clear indicator of the health of the pet. The
owner proudly threw what looked like a stick only to have his loyal friend
proudly bring it back to him. She watched the pet owner play with the dog,
and she watched from a higher level smiling.
The man repeated the throw a few times and finally decided to
throw the stick up in the air and encouraged the dog to jump and catch it
mid air. He laughed so loud she could hear him through the double pane
glass, and he looked up while facing her, and she froze in her spot.
“Sid,” she called out making him jump out of his sleep.
“Baby, are you okay?”
“Sid… that’s him, that’s the guy I drove to the hospital that night.”
She pointed at the man who continued to play with his dog.
Sid rubbed his eye, shaking off his sleep. “Are you sure?”
“That’s him! I remember the way he laughed when I told him the
answer to the riddle.”
Sid wasn’t listening to her. He walked back to the bed and dug his
fingers into his pillow case pulling out a walkie- talkie and a gun.
“That’s where you put your gun?” She seemed shocked he had the
gun inches away from him.
“John… come in,” he barked.
“Sir,” a crackled voice came through the speaker.
“What’s your location?”
“Twenty feet from the main door, sir.” A calm voice that didn’t seem
rattled by Sid’s agitated voice responded.
“I need you to run a facial recognition on the man playing with the
dog. No action, I repeat. Only recognition.”
 “Roger that, sir.”
“Sid, I want to get closer to him to confirm it’s him before you do
anything.”
“No way I’m letting you out of my sight.”
“Sid, think about it. There is no point going after a guy if he was just
the hired help.”
“What do you mean?” A cocky eyebrow rose suspiciously.
“If the guy was a messenger of some sort who was transporting that
memory card with the data, he is of no use to us to get to the rebel group,”
she reasoned.
“Why does it matter? We can pick him up anyway and find out what
he knows.”
“No, if he is a nobody and just hired help, you don’t want to alert
the group that you are on to them, you watch him as you watched me.” She
winked.
“If he is part of the rebel group, someone important, he will know
who you are… it’s dangerous.”
“Sid, if this guy is the core guy, he should have security around as
we do… does he?” she challenged.
Sid turned on his walkie-talkie and spoke into it without taking his
eyes off her. “Do we have a perimeter?”
“Around the block, sir.”
“Any suspicious activity?”
“No, sir.”
“See, I think he is the guy we need to watch,” she taunted.
“I can have him watched, there is no need for you to talk to him.”
He folded his arms adamantly in front of his chest.
“To confirm he is the guy I took to the hospital, so you are not
watching the wrong person… again.” She laughed.
“Not cool.”
“Sid, please find me some clothes.” She looked around the room.
He pointed to the bathroom door. “The closet is to the right.”
“What? How do you…”
He dismissed her question. “Move now. I want to see if he will
recognize you.”
 “Okay, okay.” She ran into the bathroom laughing and opened the
door to a small walk-in closet full of women’s clothes. She looked at the
extravagant clothes all around and wondered if there were any casual
clothes. She spotted a dresser and pulled a couple of the drawers open.
She pulled a bra and a pair of athletic pants. She pulled on the pants
stretching them to the maximum. She wasn’t chubby but had wide hips that
needed a bigger size, and she took off the t-shirt to put on the bra. The bra
was easily two cups and a size smaller than hers making the strap dig into
her flesh. She let out a breath debating whether to put on her wet bra laying
on the shower floor from the previous night and decided against it. Stepping
out of the closet, she slipped the t-shirt back on.
“Okay, what am I doing?” She adjusted the strap so it would stop
digging into her skin.
Sid had put on his t-shirt and pulled on his shorts before tucking his
gun into the waistband of his shorts. “Put on your shoes and go for a run
around the block.”
“Am I talking to him?”
“I want you to run in front of him to see if he would recognize you
or if his behavior changes.” Sid stopped when his walkie-talkie beeped.
“Go, John.”
“No hits, sir.”
“Anything on him?”
“He is clear, no weapons,” the calm voice confirmed.
“Hang tight, and I want eyes around. The Swan is in motion,” he
ordered.
“Stop calling me that.” She swatted before bending to pull on her
shoes.
“Baby, do you have to show me your ass when I’m going nuts about
putting you in front of a potential bad guy?” He slapped her on her bottom.
“Sid, these frigging pants are too small for me, and this is all I could
find.”
“Oh, yeah, Serena is size obsessed.” He laughed.
“Serena? Is this her house?”
“Yes, Serena Johnson. Serena is a doctor, works for the city hospital.
You are her cousin, visiting from San Francisco.” He opened the door
slightly and peeked.
 “Is he still there?”
“Yes. If he doesn’t recognize you, just walk past him and follow the
trail.”
“Okay. Why am I here at my cousin’s house without her?”
He ignored her question. “John, do we have eyes and ears on him?”
“Go, sir.”
Sid put the walkie-talkie away and kissed her hard. “Baby, I can’t
believe I am letting you do this.”
“You don’t want to go with me?” she pouted.
“No. I will be listening to your conversation and only a few feet
away.” He hugged her before letting her out of the door, and the door shut
behind her.
“Promise you won’t shoot anyone today,” she whispered.
“No promises. Keep walking, babe.”
She swallowed the lump forming in her throat and started a brisk
walk. She walked away from the man on the other side of the internal street
and walked along the circular street for a couple of minutes keeping an eye
on the man. She crossed the street and walked toward the man, her heart
thumping in her chest deafening her. She had no idea where Sid or the man
he was talking to was, but she walked on the green, dewy grass in the man’s
line of sight.
She felt the man’s eyes on her and waited a few minutes before
turning to look at him as she walked briskly. When her eyes met his, his
face broke into a smile, and he waved. “Hey!”
“Hello?” She stopped walking and gave him a questioning look.
“Amy,” he called out walking toward her.
She smiled back like she had just recognized him and noticed the
scar on his face from a flesh wound. It gave her the double assurance he
was the man she drove to the hospital.
“Oh, my, so sorry I didn’t recognize you. How are you? Are you
recovered from your fun night?”
He placed his palm on his chest and bowed to her. “Thanks to you!
I’m all good.”
“Oh… don’t say that.” She managed to smile.
“Do you live in the area? I haven’t seen you here before,” he asked
his voice suspicious.
 “I am a visitor. I can’t afford such a nice home. My apartment is
being treated for bugs, and I’m crashing on my cousin’s couch for a few
days.”
“Oh, who is your cousin?”
“Serena.” She squatted to pet the beautiful dog. “Is this a boy or a
girl?”
“Boy. Is your cousin Serena Jensen?” The way he said her name
seemed like he wanted her to correct the last name.
“I think you’re saying Johnson, but it sounds better with your cool
accent.” She laughed convinced he was connected to the rebel group based
on the caution in his voice.
“You are right, I always mix up Serena’s last name.” He smiled.
“This is a great community.” She blurted looking around the houses
hoping to spot Sid, but no one was in sight. She realized the joggers were
gone; the elderly couple with the stroller was nowhere in sight.
“Yeah, it’s nice. Look, I need to go, but thanks again for your help
that night. I did try to get in touch with you after I got discharged from the
hospital but couldn’t find you.”
“Oh, you looked me up online?” She stood up skewing her eyes in
the sun.
“Well, I… I remembered your license plate and tried to look you up
but couldn’t find you. I needed to thank you.”
She knew he had looked her up for the memory card he placed in
her van. She smiled wondering what Sid was doing and how long she was
about to continue the conversation. She was feeling uncomfortable, but the
man seemed to be at ease.
“Oh, you don’t need to thank me, but we can keep in touch. I don’t
have my phone on me, but I can give you my phone number.”
“That’ll be great.” He pulled his phone out and unlocked it to punch
in her number. As if that was a queue, she heard the screech of the tires as a
black van came to a halt at the edge of the greenery.
The man abruptly put his phone in her hands. “Please leave, and if
someone calls for me, please tell them ‘Tim is in Hawaii.’ Please.”
“What is going on? Who are those people?” She acted shocked
when she saw a dozen men dressed in black run toward them. He whistled
under his breath, and the sweet looking dog took off charging at the men.
 “Amy, run,” he whispered before turning to look at the men
approaching him.
She turned and walked away and heard his pleas. “Take my wallet.
Please don’t hurt me.”
She was amazed his dog didn’t defend its owner. The dog was
sitting on the grass by the van watching the activity like nothing bothered it.
She wondered if the men used a silent whistle or something similar.
“She’s innocent, let her go.” He heard the man call out behind her
making her turn.
A rock hard body that was no stranger to hers rammed into her
knocking her to the grass. His lips grazed her cheek. “You’re one hot spy.
Too bad you can’t work for me.”
“Cut it out. Get off me,” she growled into Sid’s ear.
“I can’t because I’m taking you in, too.” He dug his teeth into her
ear. “As my personal prisoner.”
“Good idea!” she whimpered as he carried her over his shoulder into
another van.”
He slumped her body on the back seat and slid in next to her
slamming the sliding door shut. “Take us to Safe Haven, John.”
“Yes, sir,” a muffled voice called out from the driver’s seat through
the glass separation.
“What kind of a vehicle is this? It’s like a limo and van got together
and had a baby.” She laughed pulling his arm closer around her.
“You did good, Amy. I think we have our first link to the Barkha
Group, and I have a new theory about how they made it to the ranch.”
“And his phone and he wanted me to tell whoever called that he was
in Hawaii.” She placed the phone in his hand.
“Sounds like a code for whoever is working with him. I’m going to
turn it off, so it’s not traceable.”
“It feels like you waited for him to ask me my number and barged
in.” She laughed as he threw the phone into the back pocket of the seat.
“How dare he ask my girlfriend her phone number?” he growled
nuzzling her ear.
“Where is his dog?”
“It’s with him.”
“What is your new theory?” She nuzzled his neck.
 “They didn’t find you because of the pictures the other interns
posted online.” He gritted his teeth.
“But the guy told me he could not find me with the license plate,
was he lying?”
“He wasn’t lying. They couldn’t trace you with the license plate
because your dad had a fake address for it.”
“Oh, how did they find me? How did they make it to the ranch?”
Her heart started to thud.
“I have a mole on my team, and I need to find out who that is.” He
gritted his teeth.
“How will you find him, and is he one of the guys in the other van?”
“There is no mole on John’s team. I grew up with these guys, and
they all lost a family member to the rebel group. It has to be the additional
security we hired for the ranch or someone on the Ambassador’s security
team.”
“How do we find that mole? You had a load of people following
us?” Her voice trembled with fear, fear for her family that was still on the
road.
“Your buddy from the park will help us identify the mole in return
for his freedom.”

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 17

Amy looked out of the darkened windows as they rode along a scenic route.
She zoned out as soon as Sid started talking on his phone. From time to
time she picked up on the anger in his voice as he gave instructions on how
to get the data that would help them identify the mole. Halfway through the
conversation, Sid cursed when he realized the mole was someone part of the
Ambassador’s security team from the Embassy and not the temporary team
as suspected.
“John, this is bad,” he growled.
“Do we still want to go to Safe Haven?” John asked his voice
wavering for the first time.
“Yes. Is the Ambassador in town?”
“She is away but should be back tomorrow, sir.”
“Okay, I want a secure channel ready by the time we reach Safe
Haven. I need to speak to the Eagle,” he ordered making Amy chuckle.
“What’s so funny?”
“Why do you have to talk like that? Doesn’t the Eagle have a real
name?”
He leaned closer to her. “The Eagle is the President of Edenridge.”
“Oh, you get to talk to the President?”
“My boss.”
“Do I get to say hi?” she teased.
“The meeting is for him to talk to you.” He kissed her cheek. Her
stomach clenched in apprehension at the thought of talking to someone who
would validate her identity as someone other that who she really was, and
she gripped his arm digging her fingers into his flesh.
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t want any of this, Sid. I don’t want to talk to anyone. I just
want to be the person I am and not someone I cannot be.” She rested her
cheek against his bicep.
“Amy, you can’t deny who you are, but I can’t force you to be
someone you don’t want to be. You will still need to talk to the President.”
He ran the pad of his thumb on her chin.
 “Okay, only for a few minutes,” she grumbled.
“Sure, whatever you say.” He laughed reaching into the back of the
van and pulled a garment bag toward him. He pulled out a suit similar to
what he had worn to the law firm a few days ago.
“You are going to wear that, and I have to stay in this bra that feels
like it’s made out of cacti?” she whispered.
“You can take it off if it’s bothering you.” He chuckled.
“You don’t get to change. I don’t care if your boss fires you for not
showing up in uniform.” She took the suit from him and put it back on the
back seat.
“John, are you ready for a new boss?” He pushed the button to talk
to his teammate.
“I know I will get a new boss when you become the President, sir.”
“John, not again. Don’t talk to me rest of the way.” He turned the
communication switch off.
“What? You are going to be the President?”
He laughed shaking his head. “Not happening. I’m a soldier.”
“You could be the President if you wanted to?” she asked curiously.
“It’s not what I’m meant to do.”
“If you think I need to be the Queen even though I don’t feel like I
am one, why should it be different for you?” Her question sliced him on the
inside. He was voted as the next best candidate for the presidency by the
entire country in the preliminary elections three times in a row. He knew the
people of his country wanted him to be the President but for the wrong
reason. He knew the people voted him for what he did to eliminate the
leader in Barkha, but he considered it his duty to serve and do what was
needed to protect the people. The president of a nation needed a lot more
restraint than what he had, and he knew it was best to be a soldier.
“It’s different,” his voice was a whisper.
“No, it is not. If people think I need to be the Queen just for being
born into the family, you fought for them, Sid. They want a leader like
you.” She pulled away to look at him.
“No, they don’t.” It was growl that sent shivers down her spine.
She took a soft yet deep breath taking in the fury in his eyes
wrapped in guilt and a darker emotion. She watched his chest heave and
held his gaze waiting for him to speak.
 “I am a killer, a cold-blooded killer who had no remorse or fear
when I watched a human being’s head explode right in front of my eyes.
Even as a nineteen-year-old, I was satisfied, and I couldn’t look away from
the blood and gore even as I was being taken to safety. It was sick, but even
to this date, it gives me pleasure… the fact that I ended that life gives me
fucking goosebumps.” He gritted his teeth looking away from her.
Her breath got stuck in her throat when she realized what he was
dealing with and had been for years. She unclicked her seatbelt to put her
arms around his neck, straddling his waist. She grazed her lips on his cheek
like she wanted to soothe away all the pain. “If I were in your shoes, I
would have blown the heads of the three men who tried to kidnap me, but
you didn’t. I’m sure it was harder for you to shoot not to kill. You had a lot
of courage to do what you did as a nineteen-year-old, and you did what was
right.”
“I want to kill everyone. I want to bomb the crap out of the entire
region even if it kills innocent people.” His breath hissed blowing heat over
her skin.
“If you could bomb the crap out of the region, why didn’t you
already? You have the power to do it. Why are you convincing a small town
girl to be the Queen?” She challenged kissing his cheek. She felt the burn
on her waist from his fingertips digging into her flesh and knew she hit the
nail on the head.
Over the years, he had molded himself to be a weapon, constantly
trying to defend his country. He had trained himself to be ruthless for the
safety of the people. He had no mercy on people when it came to betrayal,
but he could not allow himself to pull the trigger the night before in the
parking lot. The only thing he could think of doing was to blow the heads of
the three men who were in the process of abducting Amy, but something
stopped him. He knew it was something deep inside stopping him from
taking another life, a voice reminding him of how he would end up being a
monster if he didn’t stop taking lives. He wanted to be a soldier but craved
for normalcy. Nothing about his life has been normal, until he met Amy.
She managed to revive something he had only felt as a child—serenity. She
was a Swan.
Almost an hour of riding through winding roads, they pulled into a
private driveway with dense greenery on both sides. A few feet up the
driveway, some uniformed men guarded a checkpoint. They opened the
metal gate letting the van they were in along with the five other vehicles
following them.
“John, get the conference started with the Eagle,” Sid spoke into the
microphone.
“Roger that, sir.”
“Amy, we are at the Embassy, and we will be safe here. Your mom
and dad will meet us here in a day or two based on how the activity varies
in the area.”
“Okay.” She was nervous, and her voice was barely a whisper.
“Are you okay?”
“I… It’s weird. I have no connection with my biological parents, but
I can’t wait to see their pictures.”
He kissed her on the forehead. “It’s all good. You may get some
attention at the Embassy so brace yourself for it.”
“What kind of attention?”
“We have a few hundred people living on the Embassy grounds, and
I’m told they are gathered at the main building for you.”
“Oh, no, I can’t handle that.”
“Yes, you can. All you need to do is wave back when they wave to
you.”
“Okay… I just hope they don’t do anything else.”
He laughed shaking his head. “You’ve watched too many princess
movies.”
“Whatever!”
They drove past a few more checkpoints before driving toward what
looked like a historical building surrounded by gardens with the path they
drove on lined by perfectly trimmed hedges.
“Welcome home, Amyra.” He kissed her cheek pointing at a sign
posted on the top of the building.
“I’m not Amyra, I’m Amy,” she said weakly looking at the people
gathered at the main entrance to the building.
“To all the people gathered over there, you are their soon-to-be
Queen, Regina Amyra!”
“Sid, I don’t want to deal with that now.” She shook her head
refusing to look at the people.
 He took her hand to his lips, caressing the back of her hand with the
warmth. “Just smile at them!”
“I doubt if they would notice the girl next to their hero.” She
laughed. He smiled looking at her shaking his head but did not say
anything.
The van pulled right in front of the main entrance, and she could
hear the charged crowd that gathered.
A voice blared through the walkie-talkie. “All clear, sir.”
“Let’s go, sweetheart!” He took her hand in his before stepping out
of the van.
The crowd cheered calling out her name as she stepped out of the
van holding onto Sid’s hand. She smiled looking at the crowd and pushing
her hair aside.
“Look into that camera so everyone can see you on that screen,” Sid
almost yelled into her ear.
She smiled sheepishly feeling everyone’s eyes on her as she looked
straight at the camera. A second later, a hush fell over the crowd, and she
saw the surprise in the eyes of the people close to her.
She tightened her hold on Sid’s hand. “What’s wrong?”
“Smile and wave,” he said smiling into the camera.
She smiled, a genuine curve glowing on her face making the crowd
cheer.
“We need to move, sir.” A familiar man’s voice called out on the
walkie-talkie.
“This way, Amyra.” Sid directed her away from the crowd.
“Stop calling me that,” she objected, her smile playing.
“This is Edenridge soil, and you are Amyra. Nothing changes that.”
The people in front of them who stood as shields stepped aside to
make way for them with uniformed soldiers saluting and bowing as they
walked along the path to the entrance. The salutes and brisk movements
continued down the hallway until Sid stopped in front of a massive door.
Amy followed him through the haze of emotions. She felt
overwhelmed by the cheering of the crowd and salutes of the soldiers every
step of the way. She remembered being part of the crowd as a teenager at a
concert of her favorite singer, but her being the reason for people cheering
was scary and thrilling at the same time.
 “Amy?” Sid looked at her as she stared at the long aisle of the
library where he had taken her to see her parents’ pictures. She was
breathing heavily, and he knew she was in the process of accepting the truth
about herself. It was a lot to handle and process in a couple of days, but she
seemed fine until she faced the crowd.
He took her into his arms and felt the thudding in her chest against
his. “You don’t need to be in a crowd until you are ready. We had no way to
avoid the crowd at the Embassy. This was the group who worked tirelessly
the past few days to keep us safe.”
“I… I don’t mind the crowd as much as the uniformed people
saluting me. I don’t like that,” she confessed.
He laughed pulling her closer to him. “I’ve got good and bad news
for you.”
She gently pushed him away from her annoyed with the mockery in
his laughter. “What’s so funny?”
“Well, the good news is the Army wasn’t saluting you… that was
for the Commander. The bad news is, you need to get used to it because I’m
not letting you out of my sight.”
She smiled feeling relieved and embarrassed at the same time. “You
were right about me watching too many princess movies.”
He nuzzled her cheek before planting a kiss. “You did well. Are you
ready to meet your parents?”
“I guess so.” She wove her fingers into his.
“This way.” He led her down another hallway which opened up to a
large room with high ceilings and walls lined with books. At the far end of
the room were two large portraits, one of a man in royal attire holding a
sword and another of the same man with a woman and a baby.
“Amy, meet your father, our late King William Charles, III, and this
is a picture of your mother, Vanessa Jane, holding their six-month-old
princess.”
“That’s me?”
“Yes, and do you know why the crowd went into silence when you
looked at the camera?”
“I noticed, and I figured they were shocked to see me in my pathetic
outfit.” She snickered.
 He laughed shaking his head. “Not because of your outfit, but
because of how much you remind them of your mother who was well loved
by the people. You have the command in your eyes that only your dad held,
and I’m sure that’s what people saw in you. I clearly failed to see the
resemblance when I met you because I was convinced you were a suspect.”
“They look so happy.” She walked closer to the large picture that
hung high above on the wall.
“That picture was taken a few weeks before the family was attacked
at the feast.” Sid put an arm around her from behind.
Her heart ached for them, and her blood simmered with anger for
destroying the happy family in the image in front of her. “Sid, I want you to
bring every person responsible for ruining their happiness to justice.”
“Your order, my queen.”
She turned to look at him, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears.
“I’m asking you as Amy, the girl who never got to meet her parents.”
He cupped her face with his hands and brushed his lips on her
forehead. “I promise.”
“Why does it make me so sad that they are no more when I don’t
even know them?” She cried shutting her eyes.
“Because you know them, your inner self remembers them.” He felt
the moisture seep through the thin fabric on his chest.
“My dad told me everything about them. It was a fairy tale. It’s like
I’ve known them all my life as the King and Queen of Edenridge.”
“Amy, we need…” He stopped when his walkie-talkie crackled.
“Go, John.”
“Sir, the Eagle will be ready to go in ten. I have everything the Swan
needs in her chamber.” The very calm voice announced.
“Sid, who is that? He needs to stop calling me the Swan. I’m not a
bird.”
He laughed running the pad of his thumb on the edge of her eye
absorbing the moisture. “That’s John, and you will meet him later today as
my buddy and not as someone who works for me. We need to go now.”
“Where are we going?” She jogged behind him to keep up with him
as he led her out of the library by her hand.
“We have clothes for you to change into so I can wear my uniform
before I meet my boss in ten minutes.”
 “I need more than ten minutes. I need to shower.”
“No, you don’t. I washed you myself last night.” He crooned
making her blush.
“So the Swan gets to meet the Eagle!”
“The eager Eagle gets to see the Swan again,” Sid declared smiling
as he led her upstairs.

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 Chapter 18

“Sid, do we have to do this now?” Amy’s stomach twitched with

anticipation as they sat in the video conference room almost fifteen minutes
later waiting for the President to come online.
“I can move the meeting if you don’t want to meet him.” Sid smiled.
“No… I don’t know what to say to him.” She ran her hands
nervously over her belly feeling the smoothness of the silk dress she had on.
“You’ll be fine.”
The large device in the middle of the table beeped just as she was
about to say something, and her words dove into her throat when she saw
the TV come to life and a man in his fifties sitting at the table.
“Hello, Amyra, I am delighted to see you,” the man cheered, and the
smile on his face put her at ease.
“It’s my pleasure to meet you, Mr. President.” She beamed.
“Amyra, please call me George. Good to see you, Sidney.”
“Likewise, sir.” Sid almost sounded robotic and stood tall in his
uniform suit. He looked indestructible with his broad shoulders and the
determined look on his face.
“Amyra, I still can’t believe we found you before the Guardian
reached out to me. Rest assured we have been able to secure your family.”
He smiled.
“Thank you! I want my mom, dad, and brother to be safe.” She
almost demanded.
“We are very close to cracking the whip at the Barkha Group,” the
President declared proudly.
“With all due respect, we are not, sir.” Sid’s tone was blistering, and
she was surprised with the shift in his manner.
“Sidney, I have talked to the Ambassador, and she will take the
required measures.”
“I’m afraid it’s too late, sir. It is time for me to take over the
operations here,” Sid declared.
“Sidney, I need to give the Ambassador another chance.” The
President seemed pretty persuasive yet held authority over the conversation.
 “Another chance, sir? Another chance, so she gets attacked again?”
His voice blared in the large conference room making her shiver.
“Sidney… I understand…” the President started to say and stopped
when he caught Sid’s expression.
“We have a mole in the Ambassador’s security team. Would you like
for the Ambassador to take another month to identify who that is while we
wonder when we will get attacked next?” Sid wasn’t backing down.
“Commander, we have a protocol to follow.”
“Sir, this is the royal family we are talking about, there should be no
protocol when it comes to her safety.”
The President looked at Sid for a few moments. “You are right. You
have my approval to do what it takes to secure the Swan.”
Sid saluted, his face rigid as the brick wall in the room. “With your
permission, sir, I would like to be excused.”
“Thanks, Sidney.”
Sid gave her a brief glance before stepping out of the room leaving
her smiling sheepishly at the screen.
“Amyra, he likes you,” the President declared without hesitation,
and when she blushed, he laughed. “You two like each other?”
“Yes,” she whispered feeling the need to hide under the table. She
was surprised he was able to pick up on their relationship in his first
meeting.
“How I wish William were around to see you two grow up and like
each other,” he cheered.
“Did you know… err… the King personally?”
“Your father and I went to school together until he moved to
America for his advanced studies.”
“Oh… I didn’t know that.”
“I knew your father for a long time, and I miss him. We lost
everyone just when we thought we were making progress.” A gloom fell
over his face.
“How can I help?” she spoke up after a moment of silence.
“Jason promised he would give the nation its queen. Are you
ready?” His voice was calm, but it shook the ground under her.
“You know my dad?”
 He smiled. “Yes, I met Jason at your parents’ wedding. So, Princess
Amyra… are you ready to be our Regina?”
“I… I don’t know what it means, and I don’t think I can do what’s
expected of a queen.” She shook her head.
“I trust Jason to have prepped you, and you are a born queen,
Amyra.”
“I don’t believe people are born to be royals, but I will do what it
takes to relieve the people in the Barkha region,” she managed in a steady
voice.
“All you need to do is be crowned to be able to pass the orders so
my Army can take over the region.”
“Will that be Sid? Will he go back to the region?”
“Yes, we will get support from the neighboring countries if we have
your order.”
She took a deep breath. “I will do it if it helps, but I don’t want Sid
to go back to that region.”
The president narrowed his eyes. “I don’t understand.”
“The tough man you see on the outside is broken on the inside. He
has been broken since he lost his mother and it became worse after living in
the region and assassinating the leader,” she growled.
“Amyra…”
She didn’t let him finish. “I know he is your Commander, but I don’t
want to lose him. I want him to stay out of that region until it’s recovered.”
The President smiled, pure joy lighting up his face. “It is true, you
are in love with each other.”
Amy was taken aback with the comment, but a smile crept up her
lips and blushed looking down at her hands. “Yes.”
“I should have known from the way he looked at you. I’ve never
seen him that way. I am so happy he found love. I thought I lost him the day
he told me he wanted to go to the Barkha region, and I wanted to stop him
as a father, but I could not as the President.” His voice was soft, and Amy
thought she misheard him.
“You are Sid’s father?”
He smiled nodding.
“Your wife died saving me?” she restated.
“Yes.”
 “How are you able to bear the sight of me? I’m the reason your
family was ripped apart. Why do you want me to be the Queen when I was
the reason for your misery?” Her voice blared in the large conference room.
“Your life will save thousands of families, and if you are not
crowned as the Queen, all the sacrifices will have no meaning.”
She rested her elbows on the table and dug her fingertips into her
temples refusing to look at him. “I’m sorry for your loss and what Sid had
to go through.”
“You can heal him, Amyra. You are the reason for the change in his
behavior in recent weeks.”
“I… I don’t know…” She stopped when she saw a man in uniform
approach the President. The man whispered something in his ear making the
President look alarmed.
“Is everything okay?”
“Amyra, I need you to go stop Sid from what he is doing? He is in
the Celestial Garden. Please hurry, and John will take you to Sid.”
She was in shock, but she stepped out and found a man who looked
familiar. “John.”
“This way, Princess.” He led her down a hallway toward a French
door and out into a patio area.
She heard the pleas as soon as she stepped outside and noticed a
group of soldiers and a few other people in normal clothing gathered in the
middle of the garden.
“What is going on?” She followed John to the group, and as if the
group sensed her presence, they cleared the way for her, and she stood
shell-shocked looking at the sight in front of her. Sid was standing in the
center, the sole of his shoe on the face of a man laid on the ground, his
uniform drenched in blood, a baseball bat in his hand, and his hands
smeared with blood.
“Sid, stop.” Her voice was shrill from the burst of emotion inside
her. He looked up at her, his chest heaving as she walked toward him. As
she got closer, she took in the sheer rage in his eyes and saw the monster
that lived inside him. He looked scary, and her rational brain told her to turn
and run, but her heart told her he wouldn’t hurt her.
Amy figured out the man who lay on the floor whimpering was the
mole Sid was looking for, but she didn’t believe in such acts of violence and
torture. “Sid, I need you to stop.”
“Amy, leave,” he ordered gruffly.
“I didn’t come here to leave. I need you to stop.” She reached for the
blood-stained baseball bat and took it from him. She expected him not to let
go, but he let go without any resistance.
She took his hand in hers and whispered. “You don’t need to do
this.”
“Amy, leave,” he repeated making her body jitter.
“No!” Her breath was hot on his ear.
“I need you to stay out of this, and let me do my job,” he growled.
“Hurting people is not your job… protecting them is.” She ran her
bloodstained hands over his cheek pulling him to her.
He took a deep breath before pushing her away almost knocking her
off her feet. “This is the shameless dog who got sold for money.” He kicked
the man who lay limp on the floor, digging the pointed toe of his shoe into
the man’s stomach making him cry in pain. “He is the reason those bastards
came so close to you.”
She shivered at the raw need in his voice but did not let him see how
shaken she was on the inside. “Sid, don’t do this. How is this helpful?”
“This is a reminder for everyone who betrays their country.” He
snarled looking at the crowd gathered. “If anyone even thinks about hurting
her, I will squeeze the life out of you with my bare hands.”
Amy’s breath caught in her throat at the savage in his words, but her
heart swelled with the love for the monster who threatened to take a life for
her. She looked into his eyes filled with cruelty but was able to see the
dedication for his country and the love, the love for her.
“Sid, listen to me. You don’t need this traitor’s blood on your hands.
Put him away so he never sees sunlight again.” Her voice shook with fear as
she wondered how Sid was handling her interference.
She held her ground without moving a muscle when he stood frozen
without responding to her words. “Baby, look at me.”
She looked up at him when he took a step away from her. “Amy, are
you asking me to spare the life of this traitor who led those wolves to you?”
“Yes,” her voice trembled.
“No, this man doesn’t deserve to live. He deserves to be punished,
tortured until he lets out his last breath,” he grunted kicking the man in his
stomach. The crowd gasped at the inhumane action, but no one had the
courage to speak up even if they thought it was wrong. Sid was their hero,
the young hero who killed the dictator making the Barkha Group crumble.
He was their protector who held the borders strong to stop the rebels from
entering the rest of the country.
“Commander Sidney, stop!” She was loud, her voice held a
command making him freeze. “This is an order from the Eagle. I need you
to arrest this man and prep him for interrogation.”
Sid stiffened as if in response to the command in her voice, but he
did not react. When he finally spoke, his voice was steady, but the temper
scared her. “Get this dog indoors and secure him.”
He took Amy by her hand and led her away from the crowd as a few
soldiers squatted next to the man laying on the ground groaning in pain. She
felt his anger around her, the way he huffed, and the way his fingers dug
into her flesh. He didn’t utter a word as he pulled her with him as he walked
purposefully toward her room.
Sid made no effort to hide his anger as he slammed the door shut
before letting her go. “How dare you, how dare you stop me from doing my
job?”
“Sid, you can’t kill everyone who tries to attack me. How long can
you do this?”
“My entire life… I will do it until I die.” His eyes shone with anger.
“You can’t, don’t do this to yourself. You are not the only one
responsible for people’s safety.”
“I am, I am the only one responsible for people’s safety because I
failed to kill everyone responsible. I spared the dictator’s family, and now
someone in the family is doing what he was doing in the region. I should
have killed them all,” he declared making her weak in her knees.
Amy took in the image of the man she loved and saw the man who
was obsessed with duty, who held himself solely responsible for keeping
the people of his country safe and most of all a selfless soldier willing to
give up his life for a cause. His uniform had splashes of blood, and his
hands were red with blood. She took a deep breath and stepped closer to
him.
Her fingers trembled as she unbuttoned his uniform suit. “You are a
soldier and not a savage beast who takes lives. You are the hero of the
country who slowed down the rebel group from taking over the rest of the
country. You lost your mother, gave up a grand life as the President’s son to
serve not to end lives.”
His eyes widened in surprise.
“I know, your dad told me.”
“The Eagle is the President of Edenridge,” he growled.
“You lost your mother, but your father lost his wife and his child.”
“People have lost so much more, Amy, and the only way to stop
them is for you to become the queen and give me one order to take them
down.” He dug his fingers into her shoulder.
Amy smiled weakly, pushing his uniform off his shoulder letting it
fall to the floor. She led him toward the bathroom and placed his hand under
the faucet before turning on the water. “I will become the queen under one
condition.”
“Anything you want.” He scanned her face as she washed the blood
off his hands while getting the staining off her hands as well.
She reached for the hand towel and wrapped her hands around his
hands holding his wrists together.
“Anything?”
“Yes.” He pulled his hands away from her to cup her cheeks with his
palms.
“I want you to walk away from who you are now.”
“What?”
“I will be crowned as queen only if you promise to leave the Army.
Give up your position as the Commander.”
“What the heck are you talking about?” He let his hands fall to his
side.
She reached out and took his hands to her chest. “Sid, you’ve spent
too much time around brutality and bloodshed to see the full beauty of life.”
“I can’t, I was born to serve my country, and I will do so until I die.”
“Sid, the choice is yours. If you want Edenridge to have a queen…
ever, you will step down as the Commander.” She gently pushed him aside
and took a step away from him only to be yanked back to him. Her back
slammed into the bathroom wall, and she felt his fingers in her hair, tugging
on her hair to make her look into his eyes as his breath threatened to
incinerate her.
 “Why are you doing this?” He seemed intimidating and helpless at
the same time.
“Because I love you, I want you for myself.” She cried an
overwhelming emotion weighing her heart. “I’m not a selfless person like
you, I want you.”
Amy sensed the shift in his manner, his fingers loosened in her hair,
and his body stopped crushing her to the wall. His arm wrapped around her
as his lips claimed hers demandingly. His hands worshiped her body like
she was a delicate flower, but his lips were punishing making her wonder
what was going on in his mind.
“I love you, Sid,” she moaned against his lips making him shudder.
“I love you, too, Regina Amyra Jane Charles,” he groaned making
her feel the rush to her core.

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 Chapter 19

Amy woke up to gentle kisses on her bare shoulder. The warm breath of the
man who promised away his life goal warmed her entirety. She turned to
face him and brushed her lips over his. “Good morning.”
“Good morning, my queen.”
“Not a queen yet, Commander.” She smiled tightening her arm
around me.
“That’s right, I get fired the day you are crowned.” He laughed.
She had to gather a lot of courage to stop him from beating up the
mole. Watching him torture the man was a harsh reminder she was in love
with a monster. She shuddered watching him knock the man unconscious,
and strangely enough, she fell deeper for him. The more she saw him
passing threats to everyone for her safety, she felt the ecstasy building like
someone stabbed a drug into her bloodstream.
“How are you not mad at me?” She felt guilty for putting him in a
fix but knew it was best for him to walk away from the life of a soldier.
“I am, but I love you more.” He planted a light kiss on her cheek.
“I’m proud to be the woman you love.” She buried her face into his
neck.
“Are you ready to be the queen?”
“Yes, sir, Mr. Commander.”
“Not for long. Thanks to you.”
“I have no choice. I’m a selfish bitch,” she teased.
“I have other ways of serving, you know.” He snaked his fingers in
her hair pulling on her locks delectably.
“Really, what are you going to do?”
“I am going to run for Parliament in the Barkha region. I get to
rebuild the region the way I had envisioned it and… the Queen needs
someone who’ll give her a tough fight.”
“Really, how tough do you want the Queen to be?”
 “I want her to whip my ass,” he grunted rolling over her, threatening
to crush her with his weight.
“I would love that.” She bit down on his lower lip making him
groan. She knew Sid was doing what he thought was the right thing to do,
but she knew he had deep-rooted emotions he had not acknowledged or
addressed. He built a shell around those emotions never wanting them to
surface, as he perceived that as his weakness. Amy wanted him, all of him
including the darkness in his heart.

A few hours later she stood on the other side of the two-way mirror
watching the man she had rescued a little over a month ago prepped for an
interrogation. He looked tired like he hadn’t slept all night, but something
about him told her he was putting on a show.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Sid stepped into the room
setting his earpiece in place.
“Yes, and you are on the wrong side of the mirror.” She mocked.
“Prepping for my life after you become the queen.” He laughed
sending pangs of guilt through her.
“Sid, I know you are pissed. Can you at least be mad at me for
putting you in a tight spot.”
“I am pissed but not at you.” He winked.
She put her arm around his waist. “You need to step away from the
violence before… before I lose you to the bloodshed.” She placed her cheek
on his chest and felt the thudding against her skin.
“I will step away from all of it only after we re-claim the Barkha
region.” His voice was soft.
“Fair enough.” She planted a kiss on his chest.
“Why did you stop me yesterday?”
“Because the Eagle asked me to,” she murmured, but in her heart,
she knew she had a stronger reason.
“Why did you stop me yesterday?” He repeated, his voice stern.
She gently pulled away from him to look into his eyes. “You carry
enough guilt for every drop of blood you have seen. You don’t need more.”
“It’s my duty. I have no guilt in showing those bastards the
consequences of treachery.” He clenched his jaw.
 “I am not talking about Commander Sidney, I’m talking about Sid.”
She ran the back of her hand over his clenched jaw in an attempt to
smoothen it.
“There is no Sid, I am Commander Sidney.”
“I didn’t fall in love with the Commander, I fell for the guy who got
me the best pizza I’ve ever had, the guy who knows how to soothe my pain,
and the guy with the heart to spare a life for me.”
He took a deep breath pulling her back into his arms. “I love you,
Amy.”
“You are a good leader, and the people of Barkha need you.” She
tightened her hold on him.
“We are ready, sir,” a male voice interrupted their moment.
Sid pressed on his earpiece. “Let’s get started.”
Amy looked at the man seated at the table in the middle of the room.
He looked frazzled from the outside, the way his leg shook and the way he
clasped his fingers, but his eyes held a level of calm which surprised her.
“Sid, why do I get the feeling he is faking nervousness?”
“Nervousness is a sign of innocence in many cases, and he
definitely knows more. I’m just surprised he didn’t recognize you for who
you are and not just the girl who gave him a ride.”
“Well, the mole gave away the address of the ranch. What they
didn’t know was that the girl who took him to the hospital was the girl they
have been looking for.”
“This is true.”
“And there are no pictures, just a rough description.”
“Yes.”
“What was on that memory card you found in my van?”
“Couldn’t retrieve any data, it was soaked in his blood and was
completely damaged.” He looked as John stepped into the interrogation
room.
“Did you see that? He recognized John but is pretending not to
recognize him,” Sid declared. He pressed into his earpiece. “John, this man
knows you, but is pretending he doesn’t.”
John touched his watch to confirm he heard Sid.
Amy watched as John and another man in uniform talked to the
suspect like they wanted to know everything about him to be friends
forever. They started with gathering the standard information to even
discussing his dog. They asked him about the age of his dog almost to
remind him they had his dog with them.
The man spoke in a weak voice and kept asking them why he was
being held. Sid was on the computer looking at the reports being sent to him
by his team analyzing the man’s voice and also checking for the legitimacy
of the information provided to them.
“John, we have confirmation of his identity. Timothy James
Matthews, thirty-eight years old, lives in the area we found him yesterday,
owns a couple of computer repair stores, but I’m not convinced he is telling
us the truth.” Sid passed on the message to the people in the interrogation.
“Sid, does he have a family?” Amy wondered.
“There seems to be no one else at his place, but we have someone
watching the house. Serena has technically lived in that neighborhood for
years, but she doesn’t recognize the guy.”
“Who is Serena? Why did we stay over at her place?” She was
burning with jealousy.
Sid’s eyebrow raised up, and the edge of his mouth twisted
wickedly. “Do I sense something more than curiosity?”
“No, just curious. I wouldn’t let any random person bring their
girlfriend to my place.”
He laughed, annoying her but did not respond.
“You should thank her and let her know my clothes are lying in her
shower.”
“She won’t mind.” He ran his finger along her lower lip.
“Sid, I’m not asking again. Who is Serena?”
“I’m enjoying your misery, is that bad?” He winked.
“I’m not miserable. Just curious,” she barked.
“Fine, that is just one of the many secure locations outside of the
Embassy. The house is registered in her name as a decoy, but the Embassy
owns the location, and she hangs out at the house from time to time.
Serena’s dad worked for your grandfather many years ago before moving to
the states. Serena is a citizen of this country but volunteers at the Embassy’s
medical facility.” Sid pushed a lock of hair away from her face.
“How does Timothy know Serena?”
 “She technically lives there, shows up for a few of the homeowners’
association meetings, but her neighbors think she is with the W.H.O. and
travels for work.”
“Interesting and what’s more interesting is that we found this guy in
that area. What are the odds?” She ran her fingers through her hair looking
through the glass wall as John continued to talk to Timothy.
“Well, it’s been coincidence after coincidence, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, me stopping to take a stranger to the hospital, you showing
up to investigate, and oh my…” Amy was happy for where she was, but it
was overwhelming every time she thought about how her life changed in a
short period of time.
“It’s all good. I just need to keep you away from these pricks,” he
growled.
She swirled around to look at him. “No, maybe you should send me
into that room to be part of the investigation.”
“To interrogate him?” He scrunched his nose.
“No, like you took me in as a suspect. See if he would tell me
anything.” She beamed.
“I like the way you think, but let’s give the guys another hour to see
what they can get out of him.”
“We’ve been here for almost an hour, and all he has admitted to
doing is taking a memory card from a client, he has no idea what was on it,
and that he lost it.” Amy shrugged impatiently.
“You know that’s not the truth.”
“What are the odds of him being innocent?”
“Slim to none. First thing, he managed to get away from the hospital
even when he was heavily medicated, and the memory card we found was
slipped in the seat pocket of the minivan,” Sid reiterated.
Something sparked in her mind. “Sid, that night when I took him to
the hospital I was convinced he was a doctor, but he claims to be a
computer guy.”
“Why did you think he was a doctor?” Sid seemed surprised.
“Well, just from the way he was talking about his injuries. He told
me he was bleeding internally, he might have had a concussion, and that I
needed to keep him up. That’s why I was asking him all the riddles as we
drove to the hospital.”
 “He may just know a bit more about his injuries.”
“Not enough to tell the medical staff about what medication to give
him even before we got there. I called to tell them the medications he
needed, and he claimed he needed those specifically because of his
medicine allergies.”
“He might have known that from a previous injury.”
“That’s not possible in his situation. He was in a lot of pain.”
“That’s what he gets for driving an old car with a bad airbag system
into the wall of rock.” Sid snarled.
“And he claims the car he was driving was his imaginary client’s
car?” Amy shook her head.
“Yeah, he is full of shit and nowhere close to being innocent.” Sid
ran his fist into the glass wall like he wanted to punch the man looking at
the interrogators innocently.
“I can’t believe he claims to have run away from the hospital
because he didn’t have insurance.” She laughed in disbelief.
“He’s full of it, but his record is clean. Born in Scotland, moved
here for school. Degree in economics, a few jobs before he started his
computer store.” Sid read through the details on his screen.
“Did you find anything weird on his phone?” Amy remembered
Timothy handing her his phone.
“Nothing unusual. We are running a check on his contacts to see if
we get any hits, but nothing so far.”
“What is this guy hiding?” She wondered out loud.
“It’s obvious he is not the hired help. He is up there in the ranks, a
strong believer of the philosophy of the Barkha Group.” Sid seemed
confident.
“Sid, are you going to use the truth serum on him?”
He laughed pulling her to him. “Are you sure you want to be the
queen and not work for me.”
“Stop teasing me, I’m just curious.”
“We sent his blood sample to the lab so that we know his threshold
before we give him the truth serum.”
“Did you do a blood test on me before you gave it to me?” she
demanded.
 “I had access to your health records, but this guy has no record. No
medical record, no insurance. It’s like he doesn’t exist after he graduated.
Claims to make just enough from his business to pay for his employees and
the rent.”
“But he manages to live in a nice neighborhood.” Amy snickered.
“Claims to have bought that house with his inheritance money and is
scraping by, but something doesn’t add up.”
“Yeah, definitely fishy.”
“We have one more thing to do today before we try the truth serum
on him.”
“Me? Do I get to pretend you captured me because of him?” Amy
laughed.
“Not yet, we have one more card to play… the mole.”
A shiver ran through her at the memory of the man drenched in his
own blood. “Is he in a position to talk to the guy?”
“No, we’ll bring him in to see if he recognizes this guy who claims
to be innocent.”
“Hmm… interesting.”
“Do you want to go back to your room or hang out here? We are
going to have the mole look at him from this side of the glass.”
“I’m good. I’ll just stay out of the way.” She settled into a bar stool
in front of Sid’s computer.

A few minutes later, she heard a knock on the door, and two men in uniform
rolled a wheelchair into the room. The guy in the wheelchair looked to be in
his late twenties and had bandages on his hands and stitched up wounds on
his face.
The guy in the wheelchair looked at Sid with fear and remorse in his
eyes, and his eyes traveled to where Amy was sitting, and she saw the
remorse turn to anger.
“Keep in mind, she was the reason I stopped what I was doing to
you,” Sid roared.
“Commander Sidney, we don’t need a royal family to govern us,”
the man objected weakly.
“What about the remaining ninety percent of the people who are
being treated unfairly in the Barkha region. Do you not care for them?”
 “They don’t understand what the leader is doing for them,” the man
growled making Amy wonder what his motivation was for supporting the
rebel group.
“What you see in Barkha is not leadership, its dictatorship,” Sid
yelled making the man shiver visibly.
“You are a dictator, Commander Sidney. Your father is the President,
and now you have the Queen. You will turn into a dictator.” The man’s
words sent shivers through her as she watched Sid exercising a lot of
restraint.
Amy pushed the metal bar stool away from the table with a loud
noise before standing up to walk to the wheelchair. She put an arm around
Sid’s waist and looked straight at the man who was recovering from fresh
wounds. “You can keep provoking him, and if he decides to put an end to
you, don’t count on me to stop him again.”
The man visibly retreated in his wheelchair and looked away from
them. “What can I do for you, Commander?”
Sid turned his wheelchair to the glass wall and pointed to the man at
the table engaged in a conversation with John. “I want you to tell me how
long you’ve known him.”
Amy watched as the man’s eyes widened in horror and the cockiness
disappeared as he tried to get off the wheelchair in an attempt to run. The
two men forced him back into the wheelchair making him groan in pain.
“Commander… I…” the man’s voice trailed off as his body went
into shock. His body trembled, and his eyes rolled to the back of his head
before he lost consciousness.
“Get him to the medical facility, now!” Sid ordered and sent an alert
to his team.
“Sid, why did the guy react as he did?”
“Clearly, he knows the guy, and if I am guessing it right, our
Timothy here is some type of regional operations head.”
“What are all these people doing here, away from Barkha?”
“Amy… they’ve had operations for the past two decades and have
been on the hunt for you all this time,” Sid said in a soft voice taking her
into his arms helping her fight the pangs of fear that gripped her entirety.
OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 20

Sid stepped out of his room later that day and smiled looking at the guard
posted at the door. He had called John multiple times but could not get hold
of him. “Can I borrow your walkie-talkie?”
“Absolutely, Commander!” The guard offered.
“John, come in.”
A moment of crackling, and John’s stressed voice came through the
device. “Yes, sir.”
“John, why is your phone switched off?” Sid demanded.
“Apologies, sir, I have been on a conference call and…”
Sid knew something was wrong and didn’t let him finish. “Meet me
in my room, please.” He handed the walkie-talkie back to the guard and
headed back into the room. He wasn’t going to let her out of his sight or
stay away from her. He shut the door to the bedroom where Amy was
napping on the chair, her head flopped on a desk. She had spent all morning
with him as he reviewed the analysis reports from the interrogation.
“Sir, we have a problem,” John announced as soon as he walked into
the room.
“Is the Guardian and family safe?” Sid was concerned Amy’s family
had not arrived at the Embassy grounds.
“They are, and I advised the team to keep them at their current
location until we figure out the situation here.”
“What situation, John?”
“Sir, there has been some activity on the grounds since last night.”
“What kind of activity?”
“We had attempted break-ins on the grounds, suspicious vehicles in
the area, and I just got word that a group has invaded a home a mile from
here and are holding the family hostage. It’s the house up on the hill that
has visibility into part of the grounds.”
“Did the mole know we were bringing the Swan here?” Sid gritted
his teeth.
“No, we had taken him in even before we decided to bring her and
the other guy here. We were going to stay at Serena’s for at least another
day.” John was visibly shaken.
“John, I need you to get in touch with the local Sherriff and ask for
re-enforcements, and I will call into the reserve.”
“I have reached out to the Sherriff’s Office, and they are on their
way here.” John stood up to leave.
“No, I need the Sherriff’s team to build a perimeter around the area,
a wider perimeter,” Sid instructed.
“Got it, sir.”
Sid pulled out his phone and put in a call to the private security firm
that provided him the support he needed when the President visited the
country. Thirty minutes later he ended his phone calls and had a team of
two hundred men mobilized to protect the person he cared about most,
personally and professionally.
Sid’s heart sank when he opened the door and did not see Amy at
the desk.
“Amy,” his voice blared through the silence.
“Hey,” she called out from behind stepping in from a balcony.
“Don’t ever do that,” he grumbled as she put her arms around him,
laughing at his annoyance.
“Oh no, you are that kind of a boyfriend?”
“What kind?”
“The clingy kind.” She reached up on her toes to brush her lips over
his tightened ones.
“Not funny,” he mumbled against her lips, pulling her closer for a
deeper kiss. “I thought you were napping.”
She pulled back after planting a kiss on his cheek. “I was and oh…
you have to see this for yourself.” She led him by his hand out into the
balcony. “I was sleeping and woke up to a buzzing and realized it was a toy
helicopter.”

“Who is playing with a toy helicopter?” Sid looked out into the grounds and
saw a girl and a woman standing as they looked at something on the
ground. They were partially hidden behind a hedge, but he recognized the
woman.
“The woman works for the Ambassador and the little girl is her
daughter. She was one of the very few people we were able to rescue from
the Barkha region in one of our many missions.” Sid put his arm around her
waist.
“Sid, it’s unfortunate there are people like the guy you beat up
yesterday who think the Barkha leadership is good for them. How do you
change them?”
“It’s going to be tough, and the followers are mostly people who lost
their families in the oil pipeline accident and thought the pact the royal
family made was a joke. Most of them have been brainwashed and
provoked to keep the hatred building in them.” He shook his head.
“Oh… there she goes again,” Amy cheered as she watched the little
girl squeal in surprise when the toy took off into the air.”
Sid froze when he caught a better look at the flying object. “Amy,
get indoors, that’s a drone with a camera on it.”
“John, I want everyone to go into a stealth mode, turn on the cell
phone signal jammers. Communication over the walkie-talkie only,” Sid
barked into his phone pushing Amy indoors and shut the doors from the
inside.
“Got it. Out, sir.”
Sid turned off his phone and opened the drawer on the desk and
pulled out a set of walkie-talkies and handed her one of them. “Amy, do not
leave my side. If we get separated, come back here.”
“Here?” She looked around the room.
“Yes, I suspect we are under attack, and this room is the safest. This
door here will lead you into a bunker. The code is the six digit date of our
first night together.”
She blushed in spite of the situation they were in at the memory of
the delightful night. “Got it.”
“I still can’t believe we have so many traitors, especially someone
my team tried so hard to rescue and provide for a better life.”
“You mean the woman?” Amy asked as he walked around the room
securing all the windows.
“Yes.” Sid peeked through the glass French door to check on the
helicopter.
“What are they trying to do?” Amy peeked at the drone roaming
over the gardens with a blinking light on it.
 Sid looked at the flying object for almost a minute before speaking.
“I don’t get it, if they are trying to get an image of you, why is the drone
flying over the…” His voice trailed off if something hit him.
“John, come in. The activity is not for the Swan, I repeat. The
activity is NOT for the Swan.”
“Got it, sir. Do you want us to take the woman and child into
custody?”
“Negative, John. Keep a watch. Just make sure the drone is not
transmitting.”
“Positive, sir. All signals have been jammed.”
“Good, I need you to get Timothy ready for interrogation. I think
they are after him. He is more important than we thought.”
“Affirmative, sir. Give me five minutes.”
“Find out how Rachel is linked to Timothy.” Sid was angry.
“How does the woman know Timothy?” Amy asked unable to
establish the link.
“Unless she was recruited after she moved here, there is no way…”
his voice trailed off, and Amy completed the sentence for him. “She was
one of them, and you guys didn’t realize it.”
“Fuck! How many such people do we have?” He bumped his fist on
the desk.
“Sid, do you think she is his wife?”
“Rachel was never married. She had a bad relationship and broke up
with her boyfriend right around the time she moved here.”
“And she was pregnant at that time?”
“Not at that time… well, at least not visibly.” Sid raked his fingers
through his hair when he started to connect the dots.
“Is Rachel’s last name Gwyn?” She asked and swore she saw the
blood drain from Sid’s face.
“Why do you ask?” His voice was gruff.
“When I was on my way to the hospital with Timothy, he was in a
lot of pain and kept mumbling something, and one of the names he kept
saying was Rachel Gwyn. He kept saying something about GG…” She
stopped when she realized he wasn’t listening. He was looking at the ceiling
like he couldn’t believe his ears.
“Sid, is Timothy the father of Rachel’s daughter.”
 “Yes, and Timothy is Greg Gwyn, the son of the dictator I shot and
killed eight years ago.”
“What?”
“The Barkha leadership declared to the world that Greg died in a ski
accident while he was in medical school… motherfuckers faked his death,
and he turned out to be Rachel’s boyfriend. I bet you the house where he
lives is where Rachel spends her time over the weekends,” Sid declared.
“Sid, is Timothy, I mean Greg, the real leader of the Barkha
Group?” Amy wondered out loud.
“You are absolutely right, the so-called leader in that area is a
puppet, and everything makes sense. This guy has been managing the group
from here. We found the head of the snake, baby,” Sid chuckled pulling her
into his arms.
“Sid, I want to talk to the guy. I want to put an end to this
peacefully. Is your Army ready to go into the region?” she asked in a stern
voice.
“You want to talk to him? Yes, my Army is always ready to go.
What were you thinking?” Sid was suddenly at ease.
“Can we get Rachel and her daughter to be in the interrogation room
and get Timothy alias Greg to be on the observation side?” Amy’s voice
was soft but firm.
“Wow, I like where you are going with this.”
“So what was Rachel planning to do with the drone? Let their
followers know where the guards are posted?” She snickered.
“Probably!”
“I have a feeling the dude will do anything for Rachel.”
“Give up his life goal?” Sid challenged.
She placed her palms on his cheek. “Their goals are not as strong as
yours… power drives them, not duty.”
He kissed her sucking in her lower lip between his teeth. “I love
you.”
“Love… love is what is going to win the war for us. Nothing is
stronger than love.” She smiled placing her cheek on her chest.

Thirty minutes later, she was about to talk to the leader of the rebel group
who had gathered power to control an entire area’s operations from a
remote location. The moment she realized she had saved the life of the man,
who was the sole reason for the misery of hundreds of thousands of families
in the Barkha area, she knew it was time she accepted her fate. She was
born into a family with the responsibility to protect and inspire a nation to
be great, and it was up to her to try to resolve the conflicts.
“Are you ready, your highness?” Sid kissed the back of her hand, as
she was about to step into the observation room.
“Don’t say that, I’m not the queen… yet,” she teased.
“You are a queen in every sense. The only thing missing is the
crown.”
“That’s no pressure at all.” She smiled planting a kiss on his cheek.
“I got this.”
“Yes, you do, go kick some rebel butt.” He laughed.
“I want you to go talk to Rachel on the other side of the room in
exactly five minutes and keep the volume turned off so he can’t hear
Rachel,” she ordered making him smile with pride.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Five minutes, remember.”
“Why do I get the feeling he would have been better off talking to
me?”
“I need to do this. Go talk to Rachel in two minutes and make her
cry. I really want this to end today.” She stepped into the observation room
where the man sat with his hands cuffed to the table.
Timothy looked up at her and watched his expression go from
surprised to a cold expression. “Amy, I’m sorry you got roped into this. I’m
sorry.”
She sat down at the table. “I’m not sorry I got pulled into this. I was
meant to be part of this.”
“I… I don’t understand.” He looked puzzled.
“My name is Amy… Amyra Jane Charles. I’m pleased to meet you,
Greg Gwyn.”
An eerie silence fell over him as he stared at her like he was looking
at a ghost. She knew he was processing a lot of details, but he didn’t look
shaken. A devious smile played on his face as he leaned back in his chair.
Amy gave him a few more seconds to react before continuing. “Just
for the record, I don’t regret taking you to the hospital that night. When I
was told how my parents were killed, I was angry enough to want everyone
responsible to die the same way, but I can’t let my personal grudge affect all
the families who are caught up in the rift.
He smirked. “Nice to meet you, Princess, and just as I had expected,
you are weak like your father. You are just another royal trying to be noble.”
“You are a fool to think my father was weak just because he didn’t
come after you for taking my grandfather’s life. He wanted to give you all a
chance to be human again.” Her eyes spit fire even though her voice was
soft.
“You have no idea what the people in my region had to go through
for years,” he barked.
“Are you willing to ruin your future for the grudge you hold for an
accident that happened thirty years ago?” she challenged.
“My future is my ambition to free Barkha for it to be its own
nation,” he growled.
Amy smiled running her finger over the switch next to the mirrored
wall. “What about that little girl? What about her future?”
Amy looked hard for the slightest reaction, but she saw nothing on
his face when he saw the woman and child sitting at the table. “What about
that little girl?”
“That little girl and her mother were found flying a drone
transmitting images to your team so they could come rescue you, Mr.
Gwyn, or should I call you Mr. Matthews, since you’ve faked your death
more than once.” She stood looking at him with her back to the glass wall.
“I told you my name is Timothy.”
“Are you telling me you don’t know Rachel Dawson and her bastard
daughter?” She bit her tongue for calling a child names, but she needed to
get a reaction from him.
His reaction was a snicker. “I have nothing to say to you.”
“It must be sad not to be able to live in the same house with your
family, watch your child grow, have her make you imaginary tea and what’s
worse, is your daughter doesn’t know you are her father.”
“I don’t know who those people are, and I don’t have time for your
bullshit.”
“Really, I still wonder why you kept chanting Rachel’s name all the
way to the hospital.” She narrowed her eyes at him when he didn’t respond.
“Well, you will rot in jail while I take that little girl over there and make her
love the nation she belongs to. I will make her a citizen of Edenridge.”
“You have nothing against me, you can’t hold me here.”
“Oh yes we can, your hired help confessed for immunity. You are in
trouble with the local authorities as well.” She laughed and caught the
annoyance in his eyes. Encouraged by his reaction, she went on. “I will turn
twenty- one in a few months, and my first signature would be to crash
through your army.”
The man looked at her like he was running through all the possible
options there are to escape and maybe even slit her throat on his way out,
and then his gaze averted from hers. She turned to look into the room where
the woman and child were, and she watched the horror on his face when he
saw Sid step into the room and sit at the table.
“No…” Timothy hissed trying to get out of the chair and fell right
back in with the hand and leg cuffs clanking against the metal of the chair.
His body shivered, and his eyes blazed with hate.
“Oh, so you know Commander Sidney,” she chirped.
“Get that killer away from them!” He cried trying to get his hands
free.
“Killer? Really?”
“He killed my father right in front of my eyes. My father suspected
something and wiped my identity clean, and I visit for the first time to
watch my dad’s head blow up right in front of me.”
“And why do you think he did that?”
“What the fuck do you know, Princess? If you think you get to wear
pretty dresses and a crown and sip cocktails as a queen, wake up.” His
voice was charged.
“I know everything. I know how my family was killed, and I know I
was the only person who made it out alive that day out of the hundreds of
people gathered at the palace. Who do you think is responsible for that,
Greg Gwyn?”
“What about all the people who were burned alive and the reason
for that?” he barked.
“The pipeline blowout was an accident, and my family adopted the
region to rebuild, and you held every person in the bloodline responsible for
what happened?”
 “It was your fucking grandfather’s idea to run the pipeline through
the region,” he spat.
“Yes, for the betterment of the region, to create jobs, and improve
the lifestyle of everyone,” she retorted.
“Your fucking family is the sole reason for the accident, and just
because you made a promise to spend the money, it doesn’t make anything
go away.” His voice shook with the grudge that was pent up for decades.
“My pregnant mother was burned alive in the accident.”
“Greg, I’m sorry for your loss and nothing you do will take the pain
away from you and will not bring back your loved ones, but if you don’t
stop right now, there will be no end to it. Your child who I’m sure reminds
you of your mother, is not immune to the never-ending cycle of revenge.”
“You’re not sorry. You have no idea how it feels,” he grumbled.
Amy took a deep breath and looked at the woman holding the child
who was looking around the room taking in her surroundings as her mother
spoke to Sid. She could tell from the child’s expression that Sid and Rachel
were having a normal conversation. “Look at your daughter, do you think
she gives a shit about how you or I feel about what happened to us?”
When he didn’t respond and stared at her, she took the opportunity
to tell him when she had walked into the room. “There is only one option
for you to give her a normal life. You surrender your army to the
government of Edenridge, and your daughter will lead a normal life… the
life you have taken away from thousands of families because of your
personal grudge.”
“Lies, a bunch of lies.”
“This offer is valid until Commander Sidney walks into this room.
You have less than two minutes,” she warned.
“The people of Barkha do not need a queen.”
“As my father said in the past, it is not up to you or me to decide.
We should let the people decide, and if your family had let the people vote
twenty years ago, you and I would have had a different life, Greg!” she
declared.
He seemed unfazed as he continued to stare at her.
She turned to look through the glass and spoke authoritatively.
“Commander Sidney is about to walk in, the so-called team you were
hoping to rescue you is going to be ambushed in the next ten minutes by his
men, and once I hand you over to the Commander, the deal is off. Your
army is no good when you are held captive. What is it going to be, Greg? A
life with your daughter as Timothy, or as Greg in a dungeon in Edenridge,
and since Rachel is guilty of treason, your child will be an orphan.”
The door opened behind her, and from the expression on the man’s
face sitting across from her, she knew it was Sid. She turned smiling and
was delighted to see him walk in with the little girl who seemed fascinated
by the equipment in the room. From where she stood with Sid, Amy hoped
she couldn’t see her father’s restricted state.
“Hello there, who is this?” Amy smiled getting up from the chair
looking at the little girl who was looking at the man at the table but was
exercising a lot of restraint.
“You can say hi to him,” Amy encouraged the little girl and squatted
next to her. The girl smiled at Amy but did not say anything.
“Guess what, I have a surprise for you.” Amy smiled when the little
girl showed a streak of interest and nodded at Sid.
“Can you tell me your name while we wait for your surprise?” Amy
probed the little girl.
“Sabrina,” the little girl lisped.
“Beautiful name, Sabrina. Did you know you were named after your
grandmother?” Amy asked turning around to look at Sabrina’s father whose
face had turned paper white. Amy was glad she and Sid had spent the time
to research the family before walking into the interrogation room.
“Your dad’s mom had the same name,” Amy added turning back to
look at the little girl who was looking at her father. She looked away from
him when she heard the door opening, and her face lit up when she saw the
big dog they had brought with them from the park walk to her.
“Crumpet,” Sabrina called out hugging the happy dog.
“Commander Sidney, give us one more minute. Please.” Amy turned
away to look at Greg, his face, a cold mask.
“Absolutely, Your Highness.” Sid led Sabrina and the dog out of the
room leaving Amy alone with the man who reminded him of the guy she
had taken to the hospital, vulnerable and in pain.
“I value life too much, and I am going to ask one more time.”
“I do not want to go back to Edenridge.” The voice that reeked
revenge only a few minutes ago was soft.
 “You can stay here, and you will work in the Embassy with your
wife. Your every move, every communication will be tracked so your child
can have the freedom she deserves.”
“Yes.”
“Yes, what Greg Gwyn,” she commanded.
“I agree to your terms, Princess Amyra.” He looked up at her, his
eyes pools of weakness.
“Thank you, Greg. Commander Sidney will get you in touch with
your army. I look forward to working with you in the future.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”

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 Chapter 21

One Year Later…

“Where are we going?” Amy laughed feeling the warm evening breeze
through her hair as Sid led her down the hill toward the beach.
“My special spot,” he called out over the breeze.
“Finally, I get to see the favorite spot I only heard of all this while?”
she teased pushing the hair off her face. It had been almost a year since she
moved to Edenridge. She moved to the Barkha region with Sid and enrolled
in the University of Edenridge and graduated a few weeks back.
Sid continued as the Commander as she chose not to be crowned as
the queen until the people of the nation voted for the royal family to be in
the position they have been in for centuries. He operated as the Commander
and moved his operations’ base to Barkha as he rebuilt the infrastructure in
that region.
It was a proud moment when the President declared to the entire
nation that the country was no longer divided.
“Yes, it’s your graduation gift.”
“My graduation gift? Really?”
“Yeah, and you will be the only other person to see this place.” He
turned to wink at her.
“Why did we have to sneak away from security?”
“Because I don't want anyone else to babysit us. We need security
just as a protocol.”
“I have the best bodyguard, I don’t need security,” she teased
enjoying the feel of the breeze in her hair.
“Boyfriend, sweetness, not your bodyguard,” he retorted playfully.
“So, what is this place anyway?”
“You’ll see when we get there. No more questions.”
She laughed. “Why can't I ask questions?”
He stopped abruptly making her crash into his chest. His palms
cupped her cheeks as his lips came hard down on hers, sucking the air out
of her lungs. She gasped at the hunger as his tongue dove into her mouth
threatening to take over. Her knees felt weak like every time he kissed her.
He pulled back, a smirk playing on his face. “Any more questions?”
She smiled shaking her head. He knew the effect his kiss had on her.
“Good. Now keep moving that tight ass along.”
“I’m going to take over your secret spot once I become queen,” she
teased.
“It’s yours, baby, you don’t need to claim it.” He stopped in front of
an alcove.
“Is this where you spent your alone time when you lived here as a
kid?”
“Yes, are you ready to go in?”
“I can’t wait.”
He led her into the dark alcove toward the rock wall at the back and
just when she thought it was the end of the alcove, he guided her through a
gap in the rock wall that was hidden.
They walked through a small opening in the wall of rock into what
seemed like an oasis surrounded by high rock walls with the open sky
above. In the middle of the sandy area was a canopy set up with the most
inviting mattress layered with a sheet of flowers.
“Sid… this is beautiful.”
He took her into his arms kissing her cheek. “Are you ready to hang
out with your boyfriend?”
“I can’t wait.” She giggled.
“You have to wait for one minute.” He stepped back toward the
opening and pushed a block of wood into the opening.
“I love it.” She took his hand and walked to the area in the middle.”
“This is very sweet. I didn’t realize you had this streak in you.”
“Sometimes.” He grinned turning to face her.
“I love you, Sid.”
He didn’t respond and instead pulled away gently to go down on one
knee and pulled out a small velvet box out of his pocket. She watched in
awe like everything was happening in slow motion as he pulled out a
beautiful ring from the small case.
“Princess Amyra Jane Charles, will you marry me? Will you be my
roommate forever?”
 “Sid… Oh my God, yes!” she shrieked as he slipped the ring on her
finger.
Sid could not contain his happiness as he took her into his arms.
“Baby, I will love you to eternity.”
It was her turn to lead the engagement as she ran her fingers through
his hair pulling his lips to hers. She felt his excitement against her belly
making her drip at the apex of her thighs.
“I have one more fantasy other than sleeping with my bodyguard,”
she murmured against his lips.
“I’m listening, sweetness.”
“Sex on the beach,” she purred and felt the sweet pain from his
fingertips denting the globes of her back as he carried her to the inviting
setup under the canopy.

*****

“I’m so proud of you, sweetheart.” Her father placed the crown over her
head as she sat on the throne with her heart beating a million times a
minute. She looked up at him smiling through a thin sheet of moisture that
had gathered in her eyes.
“Thank you, Daddy… for everything.”
Her father stepped to the side as she stood up to address the couple
of hundred Parliament members and media gathered along with the entire
nation of thirty million people. Her eyes went straight to Sid as he stood in
his uniform looking untouchable and stunningly irresistible.
Their eyes met, and she smiled at him, but his eyes were riveted on
her face, and there was no flicker in his eyes. Sid’s duty was his obsession,
and he took his job so seriously nothing would get in his way and justice,
not even her, the Queen.
Amy approached the podium and spoke into the microphone and
talked about the progress they were able to make in the Barkha region and
how she plans to work with the Eagle to build on the progress. She
discussed her plan to strengthen the allies and channel the revenue to the
right areas of growth for the country.
The media prepped to talk to her as she wrapped up her speech. She
looked at one of the reporters and gestured them to start the session.
 “Regina Amyra, congratulations. We are glad to have our Queen
back,” the reporter cheered and Amy smiled back. “We appreciate you
sharing your plan for the country, but I am going to ask you the question
that is burning in everyone’s head. Is that an engagement ring on your
finger, and it seemed to have appeared in the last few days.”
Amy smiled at the reporter feeling the warm glow sweep over her
skin. “This is an engagement ring, and yes, I was asked by a wonderful man
to be his wife, and I have accepted.”
The crowd broke into a cheer, and she turned to catch the surprise
and happiness in her parents’ eyes. They had a last minute delay and had
not reached Edenridge until that morning. She didn’t get a chance to tell
them, and they were too excited about her crowning ceremony to notice the
princess-cut diamond on her finger.
Another reporter jumped in as if unable to bear the suspense. “You
have been busy with finishing college and the improvements in Barkha.
When did you meet the person, and who is the prince?”
“Love makes its way to your heart no matter what you are doing and
where you are. That said, the man I am in love with is not a prince… he is
the king. He is the king of my heart and my hero.”
“Who is your future husband?”
“I’m pleased to announce that the man who swept me off my feet is
Commander Sidney Bose.”
A sudden hush fell over the crowd, and then the clamoring started
echoing in the large cathedral. The crowd applauded chanting their names
and calling out to Sid to join Amy on the podium.
Sid marched to where she stood and saluted before taking off his cap
to stand next to her.
She leaned closer to him. “Kiss me, baby. They are expecting it.”
Sid smiled looking into her eyes. “You are in so much trouble for
telling the whole world about our secret affair.”
“All those women drooling over you in your uniform, they better
know you are mine… mine forever.” She whispered as she kissed one cheek
after another.

OceanofPDF.com
 Epilogue

Five years later…

Amy stood on the center stage in the middle of a stadium ready to kick off a
European League sports event. It was her father’s dream that took her five
years to fulfill. It was customary for the President to be part of the opening
ceremony, but he was held up and was on his way.
Amy and the President had made unexpected progress over the last
few years and had inspired surrounding nations to model the programs that
were implemented in Edenridge.
“The President is a few minutes away and should be here
momentarily from the…” her voice trailed off when she heard a chopper
overhead. The President was supposed to land on a nearby helipad and
drive, but it seemed like the helicopter was going to land in the middle of
the soccer stadium.
The crowd clamored as the presidential vehicle gracefully landed on
the green. The door opened, and her eyes watched longingly for the man
she loved most, and she smiled when their eyes met through a slight gap
and felt the pulsation deep in her womb.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my honor to welcome President Sidney
Bose to the opening ceremony,” she announced with tears of pride
gathering in her eyes.
Sid took over the presidency after winning the elections by a
landslide over his opponent who was also supporting Sid. Sid’s father
retired three years ago, and Sid took on the reins like he was born to rule. It
didn’t take a lot of convincing to get Sid to submit the nomination for the
presidency.
Sid came up the steps and bowed to Amy as the Queen before
placing an arm around her to kiss her on the cheek.
“How dare you show up late?” she snarled under her breath.
“Sorry, sweetheart, I’ll make it up to you tonight.” He smiled before
gesturing the start of a sports tradition.
 *****

Amy was in the bathroom rubbing moisturizer into her hands when Sid
finally showed up after disappearing for a meeting after the sports event.
“Look whose home… my workaholic husband,” Amy teased as he
came up from behind to hug her.
“A man’s got to work to feed his wife,” he teased nipping her ear.
“You’ve been away for almost a week, and you couldn’t have
moved tonight’s meeting to a later date?”
“I had to get it done, the Queen can’t be waiting for the details she
asked for,” he teased meeting her gaze through the mirror.
“She can wait. I’m more important than her.”
“Yes, my queen.”
Sid turned her around to face him before brushing his lips over hers.
“I missed you, baby. Next time I travel for more than a few days, you are
going with me.”
“I don’t know about that… at least for now.” She smiled sheepishly.
“You don’t have a choice, you are going with me,” he grunted as he
bent to scoop her into his arms to carry her to the bedroom.
She squeaked in surprise and held onto him tightly. “Still not
going.”
“Really?” he murmured into her ear, breathing warmth on her cheek.
He dropped her onto mattress before sliding in next to her. “You
have no idea how much I missed you.”
“I missed you, too, especially the last couple of days.” She cupped
her palm on his cheek as they lay on their side facing each other.
“Why the last couple of days only?” He pulled her to him to leave a
trail of kisses along her jawline.
She held her breath in anticipation of his reaction. “Sid, it’s not just
you and me, we have another person be part of our life soon.”
He looked at her, a flicker of confusion for a moment, and then his
face lit up. “Sweetheart… a baby, and you didn’t tell me as soon as you saw
me?”
“I wasn’t going to tell the President before telling my husband,” she
teased.
 “Amy, this is so wonderful. How long have you known?”
“A couple of days, and I couldn’t tell you this over the phone… too
many people listening to our conversations.”
“I’m so happy I want to tell the entire nation. You need to tell the
people they have a king or a queen on the way. It would be a wild night.”
He laughed, his eyes glistening with happy tears.
“As I said, I need to let the father of my child know first before I tell
anyone else.” She sucked his lower lip between her teeth making him
groan.
He ran his palm over her belly before hungrily cupping her breast.
She pushed aside his suit that clung to his shoulders before tugging on the
buttons of his shirt.
“Make love to me, Sid, I can’t wait anymore,” she pleaded when he
continued to set her body on fire just from touching her.
“With pleasure, baby.” He dove deep into her making her shudder
with thrills. She took in the sensations remembering the day he walked into
her life only to become her perpetual roommate.

*** The end ***

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 NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

Dear Reader,

Thank you for reading the story of Sid and Amy. I strongly believe
love can prevent war and this is an attempt to show the strength of love over
hatred.
I hope you enjoyed the story. Please Rate/Review the book. I would
love to know you thoughts about the book.

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 Amazon - smarturl.it/TheRoyalRoommate

Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35403249-the-
royal-roommate

And, If you enjoyed this book, you will surely like one of my other
books, The Marriage Contract.

Read on for bonus chapters and please do check out my other

books!!

Thank You!
PG Van

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 About the Author

P. G. Van lives in San Francisco. She published her first novel in

October 2015 and has been writing nonstop ever since. She loves to spend
time with family and is a strong believer in retail therapy (mostly shops for
boots and purses!). She enjoys giving her readers an escape to the world of
love and romance.

http://www.amazon.com/author/pgvan
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15061141.P_G_Van

Contact P. G. Van at:

[email protected]
Twitter - @authpgvan
Instagram - @authorpgvan

Books by P.G.Van

Destiny Decides..

Destiny Embraces..

The Evil Twin?

A Reckless Night

Hold Me Captive… Forever

The Marriage Contract

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 The Marriage Contract

By

P. G. Van

© 2017 P.G.Van

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,

distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including
photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without
prior written permission of the author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places,

events, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used
in a fictitious manner.
Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events, is
purely coincidental.

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 1

“Dad, please tell me you’re kidding,” Kari slammed the envelope of legal
documents on the glass coffee table with a thud.
“Karina Vora, behave.” Her mother issued a friendly warning
looking up at her from the couch.
“Stay out of this, Mom. Dad, I refuse to sign the contract. This is
ridiculous.” She had lost her composure and made no attempt to regain it.
“Why is it ridiculous? I am the CEO and President of the company,
and I decided it was time to retire.” Her father took a sip of his whiskey
without looking at her.
“Dad… you know I wanted to manage the hotels, you know I can.
Why did you enter into this contract?” It felt like everything she worked for
was falling apart.
“I know you are capable; you are my daughter.” Her father
maintained his calm tone.
“Then why do I have a pending contract in front of me requiring my
signature to close the deal?” She slumped her body in the soft leather chair
across from her dad in the family room of her parents’ home.
“Kari, your dad did what’s best for everyone,” her mom interjected.
“How is this good? You guys know how hard I’ve been working to
take our hotels to the next level.” She raked her nails through her thick,
dark hair.
“I want you to have a life, sweetie. We want grandchildren, and
you’re not getting any younger,” her dad’s voice was soft.
“You’re kidding, right? I turned twenty-seven just a month ago.”
She shook her head in disbelief.
“You’ve spent the last year in a dungeon with your friends working
on the software that we have no clue what it does, and you broke up with
your boyfriend claiming he was needy… don’t you see what’s happening,
baby? You’ve turned into a workaholic,” her mom’s voice held a question.
“I asked your dad to sell it so we can retire, and you can…” Kari’s
anger was out of control to let her mother finish. “So I can live off of your
earnings?”
 “Kari, this deal has a good payout for you as well…” The look on
her face made her dad’s voice trail off.
“Go on, Dad,” she urged knowing exactly what he had done with
her share of the payout.
“We want you to get married and be happy, so you will get your
payout once you are married.”
“You two are fucking with my life,” her voice blared in the large
family room.
“Kari, watch your tongue.” Her mom was furious.
“This is ridiculous! Is my software part of the deal?” She pressed
her fingers into her temple looking at the floor.
“Everything that belongs to the Vora Group of Hotels will be part of
the Kennedy Group of Companies.” Her dad’s voice was not as controlled
as it was at the beginning of the conversation.
“Why, Dad, Why?” She couldn’t believe her dad had made a deal to
give away the newest concept in customer service. She and her friends had
been working on a software program that would take the service at any
hotel to the next level. It would change the total experience of any hotel
guest, and her plan was to make it big by providing personalization services
to guests of all hotels across the globe.
“Hotels don’t run on software, sweetie,” her dad’s voice was
devastatingly ignorant.
“I refuse to sign this contract. I can’t let the deal go through.” She
crossed her arms in front of her adamantly.
Her dad stood up and looked at her. “You will sign this and
graciously take your payout, or I will fire you and get a new Chief
Operating Officer to sign the contract.”
“What?” she snapped.
“You know he is capable,” her mom teased shaking her head.
“Why don’t you guys understand? I’m trying to save the company
from a bad deal. Kennedy is getting a sweet deal out of your desperation.”
She tried hard to maintain a steady voice.
“We are not desperate. It’s high time you start thinking about getting
a life,” her dad said.
“I have a life, Dad, I’m trying to do something with it,” she
responded.
 “From my perspective, the deal is already made. If you want to
discuss this with Mr. Kennedy, I can have Linda set up an appointment for
you tomorrow.”
She rolled her eyes looking forward to the conversation with a man
as old as her dad to discuss her software.
“I’m willing to give up my payout if I get to keep my software,” she
declared.
“I won’t let you do that, Kari.” Her dad was not going to budge, and
she knew it by the look on his face.
“Fine, I am free to see him after seven tomorrow.”
“It’s not up to you as to when you can meet him. Linda will tell you
when he is available,” her dad snapped.
“Fine.” She got up to leave and turned when her dad called out to
her.
“You better take this envelope with you. I expect you to sign it
before midnight tomorrow.” Her dad was a ruthless boss.
She did not respond and started to walk away before her mom called
out to her. “Kari, it’s dark outside, and you know it scares me when you ride
your motorbike this late at night.”
“Mom, I need to go. I’ll come by tomorrow night. I have a feeling
I’ll be talking to Dad again tomorrow after I meet Mr. Kennedy.” She
smiled with confidence. She was confident she could convince the elderly
man to add a clause that would exclude her software product, and she was
ready to give up her share of the deal if necessary.

*****

“Kari, this is Linda.” Her dad’s assistant was always extremely polite.
“Hi, Linda. How are you?” Kari asked cheerfully.
“I’m good. I am calling to remind you about your meeting with Mr.
Kennedy at six-thirty tonight,” her voice was shaky.
Shit!
“Oh… I’m on my way out.” She looked at the clock and realized it
was almost six-fifteen, and she had to get to downtown San Francisco from
the pier.
 “I’ll take my motorbike, and it shouldn’t take me more than ten
minutes to get there.” She waved to her team as she grabbed her helmet and
dashed toward the elevator.
“That was close,” she breathed out as the elevator doors closed. She
ran her fingers through her thick, dark hair and took a quick peek at herself
in the elevator mirror. She had thought through the different options she
would present to the president of the company, which was easily ten times
bigger than her dad’s company. She knew she could take her dad’s company
to that level in a few years, and the software was the missing piece of the
puzzle.
She ran toward her bike zipping up her motorcycle jacket and
pulling her backpack securely over her shoulders. She had less than fifteen
minutes to get to Kennedy’s downtown headquarters.
Her bike zipped through the traffic squeezing through small gaps to
make it on time. She cut in front of a slow-moving town car before pulling
into the underground parking of the building where the Kennedy Group of
Companies occupied three floors in one of San Francisco’s skyscrapers.
She ran her fingers through her hair and sprinted toward the sliding
doors, her boots clicking on the concrete floor. She signed the visitors’ log
and headed to the bank of elevators to one side of the front desk.
She was waiting for the elevator doors to open when she felt
someone approach her from behind. She turned to look into glorious green
eyes tinted with a sliver of mischief. She cast a polite smile at the man
approaching her just for a brief moment, but it was long enough for her to
take in the rugged features that were the exact opposite of the luxurious suit
stretched over his broad shoulders. She wondered if he worked as a model
at one of the brands listed on the building roster. A twitching started deep
inside reminding her she had not been with a guy in a long time.
“Ms. Vora,” a deep male voice called out just as the elevator dinged
open making her wonder if she was imagining someone addressing her.
She turned around to look at the man standing behind her with a
surprised look on her face. “Yes.”
He held out a firm hand. “I’m Blake Kennedy, how are you?”
“Oh… I’m Kari, nice to meet you, Blake.” She smiled and placed
her hand in his large, yet soft palm.
 “After you.” He smiled following her into the elevator. “That’s a
wicked bike you have there.”
“Thank you!” She smiled feeling the warmth radiate from within.
The guy was charming and had made it to her good guys’ list with a single
compliment about her bike. It was her 25th birthday gift to herself—a BMW
Roadster—and his description of the bike as ‘wicked’ was apt.
“I could tell you were in a hurry when you cut in front of my car,”
he drawled.
“Sorry, I have a meeting with your father in about a minute and
didn’t want to be late,” she said sheepishly.
“My father?” The side of his mouth twisted making her twitch deep
inside.
“Yes, right now.” She looked at her watch as the elevator doors
opened.
“Interesting.” His voice was smooth as he held the elevator door for
her to step out.
“It was nice to meet you, Blake.” She smiled and turned away to
walk ahead of him toward the receptionist.
“Hello, I’m here to see Mr. Kennedy.” Her voice was extremely
polite.
“Ms. Vora?”
“Yes.”
“Mr. Kennedy, Oh… here he is… perfect timing,” she cheered and
looked past Kari.
She turned to look at Blake walking toward the desk with a smile
that had a devious tinge to it.
“Do you prefer the conference room, or do you want to talk in your
office?” the woman at the front desk asked. It took her a moment to realize
she was set up to meet with Blake and not his father.
“Blake, I didn’t realize I was meeting you.” She maintained a calm
tone even though her mind was on overdrive trying to figure out what to tell
him and how to present her offer. She had rehearsed her pitch with an
elderly gentleman in mind, and now she was left to convince a man who
was probably a few years older than her and distractingly good looking.
“I am your Mr. Kennedy. Sorry to disappoint you,” he chuckled
making heat rush to her cheeks.
 “My bad, I should have known.” She smiled trying hard to regain
her composure while she debated on the sequence of her presentation in her
mind.
“Do you mind if we talk in my office?” he asked leading her toward
a set of hazy glass doors. “Jen, it’s late. You should go home.”
“Thanks, Blake. I will in a few minutes.” The woman smiled at him
as he led Kari to his office. His office was massive with a glass wall
running on one side, and the Bay Bridge shone proudly in the darkness.
“You have an amazing view,” she commented setting her backpack
on one of the chairs at the round conference table to one side of his office.
He placed his phone and computer bag on his desk and walked
toward the table where Kari had her laptop up and running. He sat across
from her, his eyes not showing any emotion or reaction. “What is this
meeting for, Ms. Vora?”
“Kari, please. I understand my father and you talked about a deal,
but I need a few more things clarified.”
He broke into a glorious smile, and when he started to shake his
head with the sarcasm playing on his face, she wanted to reach out and claw
it.
“The deal is done, Kari.” His voice was gruff.
“I haven’t signed it yet, and I won’t until you agree to my terms.”
“Terms?” he snorted. “I didn’t really make a deal with you. Why are
we discussing terms?”
“If you want the deal to go through, you will listen to what I have to
say.” She didn’t back down.
“There are a dozen other hotel owners who would strike a deal with
me in a blink. What makes you think you are in a position to dictate terms?”
His voice held a thread of anger dominated by his cockiness.
“I am not my father, Mr. Kennedy. Our company owns prime
locations in all the beach towns; the locations you need for your high-end
resorts.” She had a tough time controlling her need to snarl at him.
He leaned back in his chair without taking his eyes off her
determined face. “You do, but you are not the only company that owns
hotels along the coast.”
“I don’t need to tell you why you reached out to us when you had all
these hotel owners lined up to strike a deal with you,” she snapped.
 “I’m listening.” His words seared her skin.
“The contract my father signed refers to the physical assets and
operational bindings, but there is something I want specifically deleted so
there is no confusion in the future.” She closed her computer realizing she
didn’t need to show him much.
“Ms. Vora, the deal is done. There is no room for negotiation.”
“It’s Kari, and I am not asking you for anything that is already in the
contract.” She held his burning gaze.
“I don’t understand.” He leaned forward, his elbows resting on the
edge of the table.
“My company owns a product which is not listed in the contract.
Since there is no reference to this product in the contract, it is not part of the
deal, but I need it to be clarified,” she stated.
“What is this asset and why would it not be part of the contract if it
belongs to the company that I am a signature away from owning entirely?”
His jaw clenched like he couldn’t believe the contract had gaps.
“The asset is a software program that my team has been working on
for about a year now. Your interest is in the locations and the vendor
relations our company has, so I need the clause added, and then I will leave
you alone.
“What if I don’t?” he challenged.
“I will never let the deal go through, and you have no idea how
pleasant I can be to work with in the court system.” She batted her
eyelashes almost mockingly at him.
The end of his mouth twisted up, but he didn’t respond immediately.
“I’m pretty sure you are very pleasant to work with, and I look forward to
working with you.”
“Blake, I don’t need the hotels, and you don’t need my software.
What is the issue here?” She leaned forward mimicking his body language.
“What does the software do?”
“It’s proprietary, and I can’t discuss the details.” She smiled.
“You can either tell me now, or we take this to court. I have a lot
more time and money to fight for what’s mine. Are you willing to spend
time in court for your asset?”
A shiver ran down her spine at the thought of failure. “I wouldn’t be
here if I intended to go to court and ruin both our company’s reputations,”
she rasped.
He scanned her face, his dark eyes taking in the most beautiful yet
fiery eyes he had ever seen. Her cheeks were flushed with the passion for
her work, and her lips quivered. His eyes rested on her pillow lips for a
moment longer than needed taking his brain down the wrong road.
“Blake, Kari… are you guys doing okay?” A female voice
interrupted the electric silence in the room. “I’m heading out for the day.
Alex is downstairs if you need anything.”
“Thanks, Jen. Good night and have a good weekend,” he cheered—
the concrete wall look on his face disappearing like it never existed.
“It was nice to meet you, Jen,” Kari called out matching his
cheerfulness.
After a few moments of silence, he finally smiled. “What if I want
the software too? I might be willing to re-negotiate if I know what I am
dealing with here.”
Her heart took a nosedive into her stomach. She did not want to give
up her software; she knew what it was capable of and needed it to be an
independent product. “We don’t have enough for you to see what we
envision from the product.”
“What if I’m willing to take that risk if you tell me what it is I could
be getting along with the physical assets?”
A small voice in her mind told her he might just be playing her and
may not be interested in the software at all. It would put the conversation to
an end if she let him in on a little bit of detail.
“The software is the next generation of personalizing a guest’s stay
at a hotel.” She managed to keep her voice steady. She paused when she
caught a flicker of interest in his eyes.
“What personalization?”
“The goal is to take the guest’s experience to the next level by
gathering information about them which we could use to enhance the
experience of their stay.” Her voice was steady while her mind raced.
“Example?” he prompted.
“As a guest, if I register in the app that I am allergic to nuts, I will
never have to worry about the food I order at any of the hotels using the
information from our system.” She tried hard to read his reaction but got
nothing.
 “What else?”
“That is all I am allowed to share, and all other information is only
for our investors,” she declared.
“What if I want to invest?” He threw an imaginary sparkly monkey
wrench at her.
“What?” There was no hiding her surprise. She was not prepared to
have someone express interest in her software.
“I am willing to add a clause to the deal I made with your father.”
He leaned back like he had made up his mind.
“No, I am not looking for an investor.” She was hoping to get the
software excluded from the deal, sign the contract, take her portion of the
sale and use that money to invest in the software.
“How are you planning to continue working on your software with
no investors?” His eyebrow shot up.
“I have my own payout from the deal, and I will use my own
money.” She held her chin high.
He laughed, and it triggered an acidic reaction inside her. His laugh
taunted her resolve and mocked her dedication making her want to get up
and leave, but she knew better.
“What is so funny, Mr. Kennedy?” She flashed a fake smile.
“Aren’t we on a first-name basis anymore?” he teased easing her
anger only by a thread.
When she didn’t respond and continued to look at him, her beautiful
brown eyes blistered, he finally spoke. “Were you counting on the payout
my company would release the day you get married?”
Fuck, he knew everything, and he controlled her payout.
“Why do you control my payout?” she snapped inadvertently.
“Because I can.” His voice was cool, but she wanted to slap him.
She wondered how his cheek would feel under her palm.
Her mind was in turmoil; her plan to walk away that night with a
small clause added to the contract came crashing and burning to the floor.
She smiled at him in spite of the crazy web that was about to wrap around
her.
“Mr. Kennedy, you will need to marry me. This is the only way to
finalize the contract and for you to have a piece of my software.” Her voice
held a command, and she felt the glow on her face when she took in the
shocked expression on his face.
She expected him to laugh, but to her surprise, he looked at her for a
long moment. “I like the way you think, and I’m willing to discuss this
further if you agree to meet me for dinner tonight.”
“I’m sorry, I am not proposing we get married for real.” She shook
her head in disbelief.
“Why should I be part of your mess?” He couldn’t help but provoke
her—it fueled him, and the rush brought a smile to his face.
“Mr. Kennedy, you became part of my mess when you agreed to
make a payment when I get married. Who agrees to such crap?” she
blistered, and it only made it all the more intriguing.
He couldn’t understand why Kari reminded him of the woman he
hadn’t thought about in seven years. They were very different, but he
couldn’t help but notice the similarities. He wasn’t sure if he should avoid
her or keep her close. She threatened to break through the barrier he had
built, and he wondered if he secretly hoped for someone to crack through it.
“Mr. Kennedy!” She was getting annoyed with his silence.
“We will discuss this at dinner, and the deal is off if you call me Mr.
Kennedy one more time.”
“We are discussing business, Blake. We talk now, or we walk away
from this,” she snapped.
“It’s not just business if my personal life is impacted. I want to meet
you outside this environment. I will send a car for you at eight.” His tone
indicated he wasn’t asking, and she realized she had to abide if she wanted
to get the funding she needed to launch the software.
“Fine, I’ll see you at eight.” She stood up gathering her things.
“I hope you have thought this through, Ms. Vora.” His voice was
cold.
“Yes, I have, and it looks like you are the one that needs time to
think before you pick me up at eight.” She let sarcasm weigh on her words.
“I was hoping you would show me why I should consider marrying
you.” His smile was devious.
“Show you? The marriage is just another contract.” She looked
down at him as he casually looked up at her while seated at the table.
 “I have a certain standard for the women I hang out with and need to
make sure the contract doesn’t ruin my personal reputation for my choice of
women.” The words left his mouth with a certain level of cool, but it only
infuriated her.
“I will show you,” she snapped and stormed out of his office.
“I know where you live,” he called out laughing as she left his
office. He knew more than she had wanted him to know. The contract had
to specifically list every property that was included and excluded, and she
was relieved when she saw her San Francisco condominium listed on the
exclusion list of the contract.

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 2

Fifteen minutes later, she pulled into the underground parking lot of her
condominium community. The click of her boots’ heels bouncing off the
parking structure walls was only a slight indication of how pissed she was
with the situation she put herself in. She was desperate, but she was going
nowhere with the negotiations with Blake, and she had hoped he would
back down with her ridiculous proposition.
She stood in front of her closet and pulled out the little black dress
she had worn to her best friend’s bachelorette party. She shook her head and
put the dress away. She didn’t need to show him her body; she needed to
show him she wasn’t a geek just because she was an engineer.
After a few minutes of self-debate, she decided on a baby pink maxi
dress cut from a floral print chiffon. The pleats on the bodice crowned
elegantly, and the thin belt showed off her narrow waist. She ran her palms
over her exposed shoulders wondering if she should wear a cardigan. The
cutaway shoulders on the dress made her feel more confident and decided
against hiding under another layer.
She was ready to go and make the deal of a lifetime with thirty
minutes to spare. She wanted to get married on paper so the funds would be
released and give Blake a certain percentage of her software company. He
was worth a lot more than her company and knew he would want a
prenuptial agreement, so she didn’t have claim to his assets.
Her heart raced just at the thought of entering into a contract with
Blake. He seemed wild and brutal enough to very easily destroy her if he
wanted. She took a deep breath and turned on her laptop. She wanted to see
if she could find anything about him on the Internet.
The search engine returned more than a dozen links for his name
search—the top of the page was the announcement from the Kennedy
Group of Companies’ website with the announcement about Blake taking
over as CEO and President of a multi-billion dollar company.
She clicked on the link to a page that had more information about
him. His resume looked pretty impressive with a bachelor’s degree from
Stanford and an advanced degree in business management. He was
successful in expanding their hotel business internationally and returned to
the United States from London less than a year ago.
She wished she had done some homework before walking into her
own web of ignorance and layering in another layer of complication by
proposing marriage with a complete stranger just because he held the key to
her payout.
She clicked on the other links that seemed to be personal profiles of
women, and Blake was shirtless in most of the pictures. He was sometimes
on a yacht surrounded by women who looked like models, or he was
partying by a pool. There were a few pictures of him at business events, but
the endless pictures she saw of him with the numerous women confirmed
her suspicions. He was unbelievably good-looking not to be a womanizer,
and she had proposed a marriage of convenience.
She sighed, shut off her laptop, and reached for her phone. She had
twenty more minutes before she needed to head out. She looked up at the
ceiling trying to imagine what her parents would say if she did agree to a
marriage contract with Blake. She wondered if she should tell them the real
story or pretend she and Blake fell for each other at their first meeting. Her
parents were way too smart, and she would need Blake’s help to make the
whole deal seem like a love-at-first-sight fairy tale.
She threw her phone on the bed taking in a deep breath, and it
beeped almost at the same time indicating a message.

Unknown: Hey there, getting impatient, are we?

Unknown: This is Blake, save my number, sweetheart. You’re gonna
need it.
Kari: Hello, Blake. I’ll be ready at 8.

She was ready to go, but she didn’t want him to get the feeling she
was waiting around impatiently, even if that was the truth.

Blake: Liar!
Kari:??
Blake: You can’t wait to see me again…
Kari: Don’t flatter yourself too much.
Blake: I can’t wait to see you again.
 Her breath caught in her throat when she read the message. She
shook the thread of lust that threatened to take over and reminded herself he
was a flirt, and he was exercising his sharp skills.

Kari: I’m sure you are eager to take my company away from me.
Blake: We are not talking business tonight. I want to know if I can
work with you before I make a deal with you.
Kari: I’m not interested in you. All I want to talk is business.
Blake: I find you interesting.
Kari: I do not want to go if this is the kind of conversation we are
going to have tonight.
Blake: Fine, you get ten minutes for the deal, and then I want to talk
about my terms.
Kari: Fine.
Blake: Good… why wait… meet me downstairs in two minutes?
Kari: Sure.
Blake: Liar 
Kari: ??
Blake: You were sitting around waiting… for me?

She gritted her teeth and let out her favorite curse word. She knew
she needed to be careful with Blake. He was as smart as his gorgeous looks
—a lethal combination.

Blake: I’m here… waiting for you.

Kari: Heading down.
Blake: The car is downstairs.

She picked up her clutch and phone on her way out the door. She
didn’t need her laptop for making the deal; the single pen she carried in her
clutch was enough to seal the deal.
Her palms ran along the smoothness of her dress as she took one last
look at herself in the elevator mirror. She poked her tongue at the woman
she had not seen in almost a year. Her outfits since the day she started
working on the software program have been jeans and t-shirts, and the dress
almost made her feel lightweight.
She turned away from the mirror when the elevator dinged open,
and her dark eyes met sea-green eyes smiling at her. Blake was standing
right outside the elevator, his lips curved up into a glorious smile.
“Oh… hi, Blake.” She managed to maintain her composure.
“You clean up real good.” He smiled taking her hand in his as he led
her toward a waiting stretch limo.
“A limo?” She laughed almost nervously feeling the gentle pressure
on her palm from his large hand. He was tall and broad filling the dark suit
to perfection.
“I’m really interested in…” He turned to run his eyes over her body
in open admiration, “in your software.”
“We need to discuss terms first,” she declared and was sure she
heard him groan deep inside. The next thing she knew, her chest crashed
into his making her let out a surprised squeal.
He looked down into her questioning eyes. “I have my terms, too.”
She wiggled out of his hold and took a step back. “Blake, the
proposal is for me to be able to get what I want…” She lost her words when
he took a step toward her making her freeze in her spot.
“Do you think this is some kind of a game? What kind of a fucking
proposal are you talking about? You will go out to dinner with me, sign the
fucking contract, and close the deal I made with your father tonight.” His
voice was gruff, his breath was hot on her cheek, and the burn in his eyes
sent shivers down her spine.
“You can’t make me.”
“What makes you think you have a choice? I was nice to you for
your father’s sake, and all you talk about is the software that I’m yet to find
out what it does,” he snarled.
“Blake, I will spend the rest of my life fighting you, but I will not
sign the contract.” Her voice wobbled with tremors running through her
body.
“You’d rather marry a stranger to get your payout?”
“Yes,” she hissed. “A stranger can give me the payout immediately.”
“And you want me to agree to marry you because I will benefit from
it?”
 “Yes, I know my product will make it big.” She held her chin up
looking into his blazing eyes as she drew the warmth from his chest through
her palms.
“I need to know everything about what the crap you do and not just
the marketing pitch; the deal is off if you don’t give me all the
information.” He let go of her and took a step back.
“I can give you a demo right now. I have my laptop upstairs.”
“Are you inviting me upstairs?” His voice was smooth, and the shift
in his tone made her body calm down a bit.
“Yes, but only to discuss business, Blake, grow up. This is America;
women don’t just throw themselves at men just because…” She bit her
tongue and swallowed her words.
“Just because?” he probed cockily.
“You don’t have any confidence issues—I get it, but I am not here to
give you compliments.” She laughed walking back toward the elevator.
“How long do you think we need? I can move our reservation to a
later time.”
“If you were taking me out to convince me to sign the contract, you
won’t need to because once you see what the product is capable of, you’ll
want a piece of it.” She smiled confidently stepping into the elevator. “We
can order pizza if that works for you.”
“Will I be begging you to marry me by the end of the demo?” he
teased.
“You might be.” She laughed feeling completely at ease.
“I might as well ask you since you look so beautiful.” His voice was
casual, but it ignited something deep inside. Her cheeks burned red-hot, and
her stomach clenched in reaction to his proximity.
“Do you have a girlfriend?” She flattened her back to the wall of the
elevator looking at him.
“Why do you ask?”
“She might be heartbroken if you asked me to marry you after the
demo.” She laughed trying to ease her raging heart.
“Very confident, are we?” He smiled holding the elevator door open
for her.
“You’ll see.” She chuckled leading him toward her front door.
 “Your place is awesome.” He smiled stepping into her decent-sized
two-bedroom condo for San Francisco.
“Thank you. What part of the city are you from?” She walked to the
table and sat in front of the laptop gesturing him to join her.
“I live on the Peninsula.”
“Peninsula? How old are you, again?” she teased as he sat down at
the table.
“Keep talking, and I’ll start wondering why I should stick around.”
“Don’t give me that crap. There is no way you would have walked
into my home if you didn’t think I had something useful.”
“I like that.” He smiled.
“What?”
“Your no bullshit attitude.” He winked.
“Yeah, I’m sure you find it cute but get used to it. We will be
working together and might even get married if you like the software.” She
winked.
“Did you walk into my office with the marriage plan?” His voice
was calm but intent.
She laughed tilting her head back. “Blake, I told you I thought I was
meeting your dad. Stop asking such questions.”
He laughed, and it was genuine for the first time since she met him
—his smile made it to his eyes, and they sparkled making her folds clench
deep inside. There was no denying it, she was attracted to him, and it
threatened to overpower her.
“Okay, down to business.” She flipped the laptop toward him and
walked him through every single feature of the application that she believed
was her ticket to fame and prosperity.
His expression was intense while he took in the details on every
screen and every time she looked up at him, he was looking at the screen
and did not make eye contact with her. She wrapped up her demo with a
summary of the features and waited for him to look at her.
He finally looked into her eyes, and after a brief moment of silence,
his face broke into a smile. “I like it.”
“You don’t love it? This also allows a hotel guest to rent out their
home as a vacation home for others and use that money to pay for their
vacation.”
 “What?” he asked in disbelief.
“Is that love I hear in your voice?” she teased.
“Maybe,” he drawled. “I want the software.”
“Nice try, Blake.” She winked.
“Name your price.” He stood up and dug his fingers into his pockets
looking down at her.
“Not happening. I’d rather get fake married than sell it.”
“Let me invest in it then. We can be partners, and you don’t need to
get fake married,” he teased.
“I am not willing to give up more than a certain percentage even if
you invest in it. I will use my payout to retain my share,” she declared. It
would have been so much easier to pick a random dude for a fake marriage,
but she didn’t have the time to look for someone and write contracts that
wouldn’t put her in a weird spot.
“What is your software called?”
“Well… it’s a beta name, but we call it BINA.”
“BINA?” He was clearly taken aback.
“Business Intelligence & Network Analytics—it’s everything we
need to know about the guests to make their stay stellar.”
“Stellar?” He raised a cocky eyebrow high up.
“Yes, unforgettable.” She stood up to walk toward the kitchen.
“What would you like to drink?”
He followed her to the kitchen. “Kari, I’ll make it worth your
while.”
“Blake, you don’t understand. I spent the last five years putting the
design together and finally started working on it a year ago. One more year,
and I will be ready, and there will be nothing like it in the market.” She
popped open a bottle of wine and stood looking at him leaning against the
stone counter.
“You’re crazy.” He shook his head almost in disbelief.
“Yeah, crazy good.” She held out a glass of wine for him, a cocky
grin on her face.
“Are you really that good?” He ran his fingertips on the back of her
hand making her shudder. She stood frozen holding the wine glass in her
hand as his fingertips grazed the length of her arm.
 “You have beautiful skin.” His palm caressed her shoulder making
her gasp. His free hand took the glass of wine that she managed to hold
onto in spite of the chaos inside her.
“Blake,” she muttered as he placed the wine glass on the counter
before wrapping his arm around her waist pulling her against his scorching
hot body.
Her fingers fisted on the fabric on his chest as she looked up into his
eyes. The primal look in his eyes made her wet in her depths. It was a
novelty for her because she had never had an instant attraction to anyone
before tonight.
She leaned in closer and met his lips half way in a raging hunger.
Their lips clashed, hands wandering over each other’s bodies like they
couldn’t breathe on their own.
“You’re hot… so hot I want to peel your clothes off,” he growled
into her mouth. He pushed her into the kitchen unit, his fingertips digging
into the tight flesh of her ass making her moan in his mouth.
“I want you,” a plea rolled off her lips when he trailed his lips down
the column of her neck, nipping and biting along the way.
“I’ve wanted you since the moment you cut me off on your bike,” he
groaned making ripples of raw energy zap through her nerves.
One palm left her perfect globes of flesh on her backside to find her
yearning nipple longing for his touch. He squeezed her breast with so much
authority, she was ready to beg him to take her right there on the kitchen
floor.
“Please tell me you are not messing with my head,” she rasped.
“You’re the one messing with my head.” His voice was a rough
whisper.
She threw her head back gritting her teeth when he took a bite of her
breast over the sheer fabric making her yelp in delight.
His demanding lips found hers and sucked them into his mouth like
he couldn’t get enough. She snaked her fingers in his thick, dark hair. His
lips assaulted hers, and she moaned in pure delight.
“Is this part of the deal?” he crooned running his tongue along her
neck.
“No… strictly business after today.” She sunk her teeth into his
shoulder over his shirt and heard him groan deep inside. She froze when she
heard a chime and a knock on the front door almost at the same time.
She pulled back and let go of the fabric of his shirt crumpled in her
hand and looked up at him.
“Is that your boyfriend?” he teased coolly.
“Yes, I invited him for a threesome,” she mocked and tiptoed to the
front door and peeked through the peephole. Her heart sank when she saw
her mom and dad standing outside her door.
Fuck!!
She tiptoed back to where Blake was standing looking at her with
amusement.
“It’s my mom and dad. If you want a piece of BINA, you will play
along.” It was an order, and he was too intrigued to not go with the flow.
“Coming,” she called out when she heard the chime again.

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 3

“Hi, guys, what a pleasant surprise,” she cheered looking at her parents.
“It was your mom’s idea. We called a few times, and she freaked out
when you didn’t answer.” Her dad put his arm around her as he stepped into
the living area.
“You look nice, baby. I haven’t seen you dress up in such a long
time,” her mom observed, and just as she was about to respond, Blake
stepped out of the kitchen.
She saw the expression on her parents’ face and bit down on her lip
to stop laughing.
“Mr. and Mrs. Vora. How are you doing?” Blake’s voice was calm.
“Blake… what are you doing here?” Her dad was too shocked to be
diplomatic.
“Mom and Dad, I’m sorry I’ve been so secretive about our
relationship. Blake is my boyfriend,” she declared coyly.
“What?” It was her mom who had lost her cool.
“It’s good to see you, Mrs. Vora.” Blake took her mom’s hand in his
as if to calm her down.
“I don’t understand.” Her dad was in a daze.
“Can we sit down and talk?” she urged leading her parents toward
the couch.
Her parents sat on the sofa, and she settled in next to Blake on the
loveseat. She was too close to him for comfort and deeply inhaled his
musky cologne hoping to calm her nerves. He slid his arm around her waist
making her body tremble.
“Dad and Mom, Blake and I met after he returned from London last
year. I was upset yesterday because he didn’t tell me anything about the
deal.” She smiled looking at Blake.
“I’m a man of my word. The deal was strictly between Mr. Vora and
me.” His voice was modulated, but she was having a tough time processing
the situation even though it was her plan.
“Blake, I’m impressed.” Her dad laughed victoriously.
“Not funny, Dad,” she fumed.
 “Kari, I don’t think we should keep them in the dark anymore. Do
you want to tell them?” Blake nudged.
She took a deep breath. “Dad, Mom, Blake and I are planning to get
married,” she declared and felt Blake’s arm shift slightly around her waist,
but he did not move it.
“With your permission,” Blake added.
“What? Really?” Her mom was ecstatic, but her dad did not move
from his spot. She wrapped her arms around her mom and saw her hug
Blake, tears of joy running down her cheeks.
Her dad finally stood up and looked at Blake. “Looks like we made
a deal of a lifetime, Blake.”
“Yes, sir, we did. I was hoping to ask you for Kari’s hand, but you
know how she is.” He smiled shaking her dad’s hand.
“I worry about you, Blake.” Her dad laughed holding her to his large
frame and kissed her on her cheek.
“We need to plan for a wedding now. I have dreamed of this day for
years.” Her mom hugged her.
“Easy, Mom, we are not doing anything big. We are going to the city
hall, and it will be a small ceremony.” Kari did not want an extravagant
ceremony for a marriage of convenience.
“Not happening. We will have a ceremony at our resort hotel in
Santa Cruz,” her dad declared adamantly.
“Dad, why do…” Her voice trailed off when she caught Blake’s
expression. She was arguing about locations for the ceremony with her
parents, and she hoped he wouldn’t back out of the deal.
“Kari, I’d say let your parents have their way with the wedding.”
His tone was soft but steady.
“Okay.” She didn’t want to push back too much, and the way he said
it sounded like it was one of the terms and conditions he wanted to enforce.
“Really? You got her to agree so easily? You are her true soul mate.”
Her mom smiled at Blake.
“Congrats, you two. We need to get going. We are meeting friends
for dessert.” Her dad smiled and shook hands with Blake before heading out
the door.
“I should have guessed when I saw Blake’s car in the parking lot,”
her dad called out before stepping into the elevator making her cheeks turn
crimson.
“Bye, Mom and Dad.” She smiled and shut the door. She stood with
her back to the door trying to regain her composure.
Blake stood in the middle of the living room, his fingers stuffed into
his pockets taking in the sight in front of him. Kari had turned out to be a
complete surprise. He had not met a woman who was so passionate about
her work. She was a smart businesswoman who went to any length to get
what she wanted, and that intrigued him.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” She raised a questioning
eyebrow.
“Like what?”
“Like you want to eat me.” She laughed.
“Maybe I want to. I am wondering if we should pick up where we
left off,” he suggested walking toward her.
“It was fun, but I think it’s a bad idea, Blake. We should keep this
strictly business.” She flattened her back further into the door as he moved
closer to her.
“What if I want this to be a part of the deal?” He ran his lips along
her jawline sending tremors down her spine.
“I want it, too, but there’s too much at stake. I can’t afford a
distraction when I am so close to launching my software.”
“Our software,” he corrected her.
“So is the deal on?” she asked, excitement fueling her voice.
“Yes, but I have my terms and conditions.”
“Sure. I’ll sign a prenup. I don’t need your money. I just want what’s
mine.” She gently pushed him away to look up at him.
“I have more conditions.” He nuzzled her neck causing her skin to
tingle.
“Can we sit at the table?” she asked running her palms over his
chest.
“After you.” He stepped aside scanning her face as if to take in her
reaction to his proximity.
She sat at the same position at the table as when she gave him the
demo, but Blake took the seat next to her instead of the one across where he
was seated earlier that night.
“What are your conditions?” Her voice was professional.
 “I want fifty percent of the software for the deal. You can have the
payout your father wants you to have from the contract, and I will invest
what is needed for it to launch.” He took her palm in his and gently ran his
thumb over the back of her hand.
“I own ninety percent of it. My team owns ten percent.”
“I’ll take fifty percent of my to-be-wife’s share then,” he snorted.
“Forty percent only,” she retorted.
“I want forty-four, and you get to keep forty-six. That’s the best I
can do,” he declared adamantly.
“I put in a lot of time, Blake. I am not giving up more than forty
percent,” she snapped back.
“Are you saying you are willing to walk away from this deal?”
“I told you I am willing to fight you for the rest of my life if I have
to, but I won’t give up more than I want.” Her chest heaved from the
outburst of emotions. “It’s against my principles, but I won’t shy away from
shedding a few fake tears to make my dad walk away from the original
deal.”
“You’re tough, I like that.” He smiled tightening his hold on her
palm.
“What’s next?” she challenged.
“How long do we need to be in contract?”
“I need another year to soft launch the software. If we achieve good
results from the initial pilots, we can go in sooner.” She looked up at him,
her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.
“Works for me. If we are not picking up where we left off, do we get
to see other people?”
She felt a sting of jealousy at the thought of another woman with
him, but she shrugged it off. “I know I won’t have time for anybody, but if
you…”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” He winked.
“Blake, we will be going back to what we have today in a year. I
don’t want to start something that can mess up our relationship as partners.”
She wanted to be professional with him because she knew he would fancy
being with her for a few months and then move on when she had no time to
be the ideal girlfriend.
 “I need you to move into my place.” His tone was determined as if
he knew he would get some opposition.
“Umm… you don’t like my place?” she teased.
“Do you feel safer with the half dozen deadbolts on your front
door?” He snickered taking her by surprise.
She had her reasons for the deadbolts, but she didn’t want her habits
to be in the way of closing the deal. “Fine, I’ll move in with you. I’ll make
some money renting my apartment as a vacation home.”
“I don’t want anyone to know about this deal. It’s not just your
parents, I’ve got my dad to deal with as well,” he grumbled.
“Oh… I get it. I wondered why you were even willing to consider
the marriage deal. Pressure from dad, eh?” She laughed when he shook his
head.
“My dad and I don’t talk about anything other than business. This is
strictly business.” He smiled looking into her deep eyes.
“I get it. As long as I stay on schedule for the launch, I might even
go out on a date with you.” She winked.
“Great, you bring a date, and I’ll bring mine, and we can go on a
double date,” he taunted.
“Right, exactly what I was thinking.” She stood up to get their wines
glasses from the kitchen.
She barely took a step before she was yanked back toward him by
her hand.
“Blake, what the…” she cursed.
“Did I say I was done?” he growled breathing fire on her cheek.
“Easy tiger, I was gonna go get our drinks.”
“Sit down… please.” His voice was shaky, and she wondered what
he was going to say that made him so nervous.
She sat on the chair taking in his expression. He suddenly looked
frazzled, like he was fighting an emotion he couldn’t control.
“Blake, what is it?”
“I—I need you to stop riding your motorcycle as long as we are
together.” His voice was modulated but low.
“You’re kidding! Why?”
“I have my reasons. This is my last condition. If you are good with
this, we have a deal; if not, you can sign the deal I made with your father
and get married to someone else.”
“What the fuck, Blake?”
“I have laid out my terms and conditions. You got what you want,
and I want everything I asked for.” His eyes were burning with emotion,
and she couldn’t quite figure out what it was as she fumed on the inside.
She loved her motorcycle, but it wasn’t a big deal for her to not ride for a
year. She was bothered by something but couldn’t put her finger on it.
“Fine, I won’t ride my bike. I also need my own space at your place.
I work late and wake up early, and it’s best to have some separation.” She
had assumed she would have her own room when she moved into his house
but felt the need to reiterate.
“Good. Pick a date for the ceremony and text me. I hope you’ll save
your future husband’s phone number.” He picked up his phone from the
table and headed to the door.
“See you, Blake,” she murmured feeling weak in her knees. She
hadn’t given much thought about getting married, but she never expected it
to be lacking any sentiments and emotions.
She heard the door close as Blake left the apartment. She was
excited and terrified at the same time. He never asked her what she would
do if the software were to fail, and a shiver ran through her spine just at the
thought of failure.

*****

“You’re fucking with me,” Nicole, her best friend and cousin’s wife, barked
at Kari on the phone.
“Nicole, the baby can hear you,” she laughed.
“Exactly why I’m pissed—you couldn’t wait for me to have the
baby and then ask me to be your maid of honor?” Her friend was running
high on hormones and was eight weeks away from having a baby boy.
“You’ll need to be a mom after the baby arrives, so my wedding has
to be before my nephew comes out,” she cheered.
“That is just ridiculous and what’s even more ridiculous is you
getting married, and I haven’t met the dude yet.” Nicole was upset, but Kari
made a deal with Blake she wouldn’t tell anyone outside the legal team.
“Well, he and I have…”
 Nicole didn’t let Kari continue. “Don’t bullshit me, girl; you and I
have known each other way too long. I can see right through the crap.
Either you tell me, or I figure it out myself.”
“There is no such thing as a pregnancy brain when it comes to you,
Nicole.” Kari laughed.
“I didn’t go to law school for nothing,” she snapped.
“True. So, since you are my lawyer, I can probably tell you and not
get into trouble.”
“Now what?”
“I made a deal with the CEO of Kennedy Group,” she whispered
into the phone. “You can’t tell anyone, not even Dev.”
“Fine, Dev will never know. What deal did you make and why
him?” Nicole couldn’t get a handle on the situation. Kari told her every
detail of what happened from the time her dad made the deal with Blake,
and how she ended up making the deal of a lifetime with him.
“And he agreed to your deal?” Nicole asked in disbelief.
“He had no choice. I gave him a demo of my product.” She laughed,
a small voice reminding her of his weird condition about not riding her
motorbike, but it didn’t bother her enough to probe into it too much.
“Did you demo anything else?” Nicole mocked.
“You are one dirty, pregnant woman,” she fired back at her best
friend.
“From what I see online, the dude is pretty hot. Have you slept with
him yet?”
“Nicole, the baby can hear you.” Kari couldn’t believe her friend’s
questioning.
“I asked you a question.”
“We kind of got started but decided not to—it’s complicated.” Kari
shook her head to wipe out the memory from the previous night.
“You find him hot?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Did you pull out your toys last night after he left?” Nicole knew no
boundaries.
“Nicole, you are my cousin’s wife, and we are not in college
anymore. I’m not discussing my relationship with my toys,” she blurted and
ended up laughing.
 “That’s my girl! If you find him hot and you kinda have to stick
together, you might as well… you know.”
Kari shook her head. “You know why I broke up with my ex. I don’t
want to waste my time on something that has no future.”
“What if this guy is the one?” Nicole made Kari lose her train of
thought with the question.
“If he is… I will start dating him after I launch my product and see
where it goes.” She hadn’t really given any thought to how she would spend
a year so close to Blake. The air hummed with sexual tension when he was
in the same room with her, and she couldn’t deny the impending and
undeniable attraction.
“I have a feeling he might be the one. Everything that’s happened
feels like it happened for you to make a deal with him,” Nicole declared.
“I’m sure you can try your hand at being a psychic or a fortune
teller,” she mocked Nicole.
“Oooh, this guy knows a lot of women.” Nicole was skimming
through the online search results.
“Stop looking up more details about him. He’s been everywhere.
One other reason to keep this strictly business.” Kari didn’t want anything
to do with him however hot he was or how tempting the situation became
over the next year.
“I can’t believe you are getting married next week,” Nicole said it
like she still couldn’t believe it. “Is the event my surprise baby shower, and
you’re just making it up?”
Kari was stung with guilt when she realized she had not planned for
her friend’s baby shower. She made a mental note to plan the shower after
the wedding.
“You know I will tell you even if it is supposed to be a surprise. You
always have to look fashionable, right?”
“Damn right!” Nicole laughed.
“I got to go… I’m meeting my mom in an hour at an Indian
boutique to pick my wedding outfit. I told her I didn’t want to spend too
much, and she gave me the silent treatment.”
“If you need things to go as per your plan, you need to let your mom
and dad have their way with the wedding arrangements,” Nicole suggested
laughing.
 “Very Indianized California girl, eh?”
“By choice because I love the culture not because your cousin is
Indian.”
“Dev is barely Indian.” Kari laughed.
“This is true.”
“You take care and be nice to my cousin. I will take you out to pick
an outfit for you,” Kari cheered.
“Find me an outfit that’ll fit my tummy.”
“We will find you an outfit for you to fit that cute belly in for sure.
Got to go, take care of my nephew.”
Kari ended the call and noticed she had messages.

Blake: Good morning, gorgeous.

Kari: Stop flirting with me 
Blake: Oops sorry, wrong person.

Kari clenched her teeth and fumed at the phone. She wasn’t sure
how she felt about Blake being with another woman while they were in
contract.

Blake: I’m kidding, don’t throw your phone out.

Kari: Not cool.
Blake: Got it.
Blake: You picked a date yet?
Kari: Yes, next Saturday.
Blake: Can’t wait to be my wife, eh?
Kari: Can’t wait to get my money.
Blake: Where’s the love, baby?
Kari: I guess that message was for someone else 
Blake: Yes, not for you 
Kari: Got to go. You have fun with your lady friends.

He smiled looking at the phone. It had been years since he met a

woman who excited him as much as Kari. He had conquered power and
success but had started to long for more, and knew she had the right amount
of spice to make his life more interesting. He had been in too many short-
term relationships and never wanted something longer term than a few
weeks. Kari would be the one to give him a taste of an extended
relationship, and she came with no strings attached and a promise to not be
clingy but with enough jet fuel to ignite him.
She wanted it to be strictly business, but he wanted more, especially
after he had a taste of how delectable it was to sink his fingertips into her
flesh. He knew she wanted him and knew she would eventually come
around; he would make her give into her temptation if she didn’t do it
herself. He knew how to keep his distance, but Kari was different.
Perfect challenge!!
Kari was not like the other women who confused lust for love. She
was a woman with a vision, and he saw that vision so clearly; he knew this
was just the beginning of a lifetime of fun both at work and at home.

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