Royal Line by Carrie Ryan (lightweight ebook reader .txt) 📗

scrambled off the bed, and I reached out to steady her as she tilted to the side. I was worried about that. She should be steadier, shouldn’t she? Max was the one on my team with the real medical training, and I wondered if I should give him a call.

She was warm to the touch, and she pulled away as if I had shocked her. And maybe I had. Perhaps it was just static electricity and not whatever the fuck else was going on between us.

Because there sure as hell wasn’t anything going on between us.

She let out a breath, probably annoyed with herself for moving too fast after getting hurt, but then she was all regal business again. “Is this phone safe? Because you seem to think mine isn’t.”

“Your phone might be safe, but why risk it? Between using this sat phone and the IP relay, this should be safe.”

She stared at me, unblinking, before shaking her head. “Whatever. I’m calling my brothers. We’re going to end this.”

“Sounds like a plan, princess.”

“Stop it,” she whispered while dialing numbers on the phone.

I was surprised she knew any of their numbers. Most people these days didn’t know phone numbers off the top of their heads. But then I realized most royals knew to memorize specific numbers to get where they needed to go.

I was surprised she hadn’t had a panic button on her.

Maybe she had and just hadn’t pressed it.

I didn’t know much about her, only what the tabloids told me and what little she’d told me about herself.

I was intrigued by her. That fierce personality and the way she’d told me that she was a photojournalist with such passion and excitement. Maybe I could have believed it if I hadn’t seen her face on a tabloid in a supermarket stand.

She was beauty personified, sex with curves and pouty lips.

And I refused to even let my mind go further down that path.

“Roman.”

She only said her brother’s name, the King of Alden, before she held the phone back, a deep grumble of a voice shouting back at her.

“Are you done?” she asked and then pulled the phone away again.

I stalked over to her and tore the cell from her hand.

She reached for it, but I held it up above her head. And when she jumped, pressing her body against mine, we both froze for a minute. And then she took a staggering step back. I ignored the ache, or whatever the hell I was feeling, and put the phone to my ear. “Stop yelling at your sister, or I’m going to hang up.”

“Who the fuck are you?”

“I’m the man who contacted you last night,” I said, and I could practically feel the daggers from London.

“Kannon?” Roman asked, anger in his cultured voice.

“That’s me. And here’s your sister back. We’re going to put you on speakerphone. Don’t fucking yell at her.”

“I’m her king, you asshat.”

“And I don’t give a flying fuck.” I put the phone on speaker and laid it on the bed between us.

London just blinked at me before her cheeks went red and she picked up the phone. She didn’t, however, turn off the speaker.

“You knew? They called you?”

“Of course, they called me. You were run off the road? Jesus Christ, London. I’m sending men to you right now.”

“The accident was just a one-off thing. And for all I know, the shooters who came later could have been after Kannon.”

I didn’t know if she actually believed the lie or if she was just trying to make sure her brother didn’t worry.

“They weren’t,” I said. I had already cleaned up the messes that would have come after me. There was enough blood on my hands that nobody needed to worry.

“We already looked up Kannon Security. They’re likely who we would have called in that situation if we couldn’t bring our own people,” the king said, surprising me.

Maybe I would like her brother. Not that it mattered.

“I’m fine. I just don’t know why any of this happened.”

“We’re going to figure it out,” Roman soothed. “But the reason you left is still an issue here. I’m working with the council, but I’m getting pushback. If you show up right now, it’s going to be an issue, and I’m not going to be able to get us out of it.” He paused, and I looked at London, wondering what the hell the king was talking about.

“London, if you came home, I’d never force you into that situation, but it’s going to take away our options.”

“What are you saying?” she asked, and I wanted to reach out. I wanted to tell her everything would be okay. Because I knew she was so damn strong, and yet she looked nothing of the sort standing there in front of me at the moment.

“I’m saying I’ll send my people to get you if that’s what you want, but Wilder gives a thumbs-up on Kannon. He’s been vetting him while we’ve been talking. He’s good to protect you. As long as he watches his fucking tone.”

I ground my teeth together, but I didn’t say anything. I did what I always did; I swallowed what I wanted to say for the greater good. Besides, me shouting just then would probably end up with my neck in a guillotine or some royal shit.

“You can’t just hire random people. I’m fine. I just need to get to Rian.”

“Do you honestly think going to your vapid actress friend can keep you safe? You’re going to put Rian in the middle of everything and endanger her. She’s likely to drag you to a party and expose you.”

“First off, Rian is so much more than a ‘vapid actress’ as you called her. You know that. I don’t know what you have against her.” She held up a hand as I opened my mouth to say they were getting off the subject, but she shook her head. “That has nothing to do with this, other than you’re an asshole.”

“I am, but that isn’t new.”

“I don’t want to