Christmas Conspiracy (22 page)

“I can see why Logan couldn’t get over you,” Daniel said through cracked lips. “Will he be here soon?”

Her eyes filled with tears. “Logan is dead. The duke…” she choked out, barely able to say the words. It made them real.

The light went out in Daniel’s eyes, his joy replaced with a cold anger. “Then it’s a good thing the duke is already dead.”

Pierre unlocked Hayden’s cell, and the old guard now stood back, smiling and tugging the heavy door with him.

The iron squeaked open. Hayden stood in the doorway, terrified, looking around her at the large men by her side. “Mommy?” he whispered, obviously wanting to run to her, but afraid to leave the room.

“The bad man’s gone, sweetie. You’re safe.” Kat’s heart broke at the cautious expression on her precious son’s face, but she could see when her words finally hit home.

His face lit up with joy, and his fear left him.

He bolted toward her, arms outstretched. “Mommy!”

She swept him into her arms and hugged him close, rocking to and fro. She couldn’t stop the tears from flowing freely. Tears of joy for what she had. Tears of sorrow for the man she’d lost. “Look at your poor little face,” she said, touching the bruise on his cheek.

“Don’t cry, Mommy.” Hayden patted her. “Owies go away.” He looked over her shoulder expectantly. “Where’s Daddy?”

Grief nearly overwhelmed her, but she managed a smile. “Daddy can’t be here. Something happened—”

The main entrance to the prison door slammed open. Several men burst into the room, weapons drawn. Kat whirled around and moved in front of Hayden, protecting him from view. Two other guards turned their automatic weapons toward Kat and her son. Pierre and Antoine stepped in front of them, their guns drawn, as Daniel reached her side and pushed her behind him.

Stefan stirred in his cell, but didn’t move from where he lay, bent and broken on the floor. Kat’s heart pounded in her chest. Who were these men? Daniel stood away from the stone wall, eyes hard as he waited. Kat felt him sway slightly and recognized in his trembling, the monumental effort it took for him to remain erect.

The king and another man entered and stood just inside the doorway to the dungeon. The armed bodyguards fanned out around them.

King Leopold stood, his face pale with shock, as he took in the lifeless body of the duke, then the bruised and bleeding ones of Kat, Hayden, the guards and finally Daniel.

Leopold’s eyes widened in shock, then dismay. “Victor, my friend,” the king said to the tall man at his side. “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.”

Beside Kat, Pierre stiffened, anger flashing in his eyes and his knuckles whitening against the grip of his gun. Even as he stared with hatred at Victor Karofsky, Pierre reached into his pocket and pressed what looked like a pager.

What was he doing? Was he signaling for help?

Victor put his hand on the king’s shoulder. “I regret that I’m the one who had to tell you of the duke’s treachery, Your Majesty. I know you trusted Sarbonne.” Victor directed his bodyguards to step forward and gestured around him. “My men will take care of this mess for you and see the princess and her son safely back to the palace.”

Kat clutched Hayden to her. The men around her closed ranks. “We are not going with him.”

Pierre, Antoine and Daniel moved in closer, as did the few individuals remaining from the prison crew.

“Guards, stand down,” the king ordered the men at Kat’s side.

They didn’t respond, merely held their guns trained on Victor.

Kat shifted from one foot to the other, surprised. She hadn’t expected their loyalty.

The king’s face turned red. “I ordered you to stand down.
I am your king
.”

“Their loyalty lies elsewhere, Father,” Stefan said. “As should yours.” He struggled to a seated position, the effort obviously causing pain.

“Stefan?” the king’s voice trembled, his shock evident as he made his way toward his son. “It’s not possible. The duke told me he found your body.”

“He did. He found me unconscious and half dead, then brought me here to finish the job.” Stefan tried to sit up farther and clenched his teeth so as not to cry out.

For the first time Kat recognized the man behind the king. A father who’d found his son.

Leopold knelt by his badly beaten son. “How did this happen?”

“Ask your friend, Victor. It was his hit. He was working with Sarbonne all the time.”

Leopold spun around. Victor held his gun on the monarch, then signaled the bodyguards to grab the king.

“What is the meaning of this?” Leopold demanded.

Kat clutched Hayden’s head to her chest and held her breath. Victor’s men appeared ruthless. Would they get out of this horrible place alive? She glanced at Pierre, the man’s face stone-still and unafraid. Were Logan’s men still out there? She trusted him.... She had to believe in his plan—even if he was no longer leading.

“Who do you think backed Sarbonne’s coup, Father?” Stefan said, bitterly. “Your
friend
is an arms dealer. The rare earth metals discovered in Bellevaux feed the manufacture of high-tech weaponry. Victor wanted those rights all along. He didn’t care who gave them to him. You or the duke. Isn’t that right, Karofsky? Anyone who opposed you disappeared or died, like my brother, Maximillian.”

The king roared in fury, tugging against the guards who held him “
You
killed my son?”

“It doesn’t matter now. Sign the papers you brought.”

“Never.”

“You have more than one child who can die here today, Leopold,” Victor warned. “Don’t be a fool.”

“Were you behind the court massacre?”

“Stefan had to be eliminated.”

“How’d that work out for you?” the prince taunted. “I’d ask for a refund from your hitman, if I were you. He missed.”

“I won’t,” Victor said, turning the gun on Stefan.

“Logan and I destroyed you once, Karofsky. We’ll do it again.”

“Logan Carmichael is dead,” Victor shot back. “The only positive thing the duke accomplished. And you’re a useless cripple now.”

“Tell that to Sarbonne,” Stefan said defiantly. “He would disagree…if he could.”

“I disagree, too.” Logan stepped out from a secret entrance at the back of the dungeon. “Put down your weapons or die now, Karofsky.”

Logan!
Kat swayed. She couldn’t believe it. Alive! His clothes torn and bloody, but the dark black of a Kevlar vest showed through his shirt. Joy like she’d never known swept through her.

She wanted to run to him, but he met her gaze and shook his head.
Soon
, he mouthed.
I love you.

Several other men in black and camouflaged clothes came up behind Karofsky’s men. They jammed guns to their heads. “Put them down. Now!”

Kat recognized Hunter’s voice and realized the big man beside him must be Noah.

A third man on the landing held his weapon trained on Victor, hatred in his eyes.

“I would suggest you not hesitate,” Logan said, his voice cold and deadly.

Kat drank in the sight of him as his tall, strong figure took command. Her head roared with joy. Alive. She hugged Hayden tight. Her heart beat again.

The bodyguards didn’t fight. They placed their weapons on the floor and hit their knees.

“Cowards,” Victor cursed, holding his gun on the king. “Deke.” Victor nodded toward the man with Hunter and Noah. “This is not the way for your wife to survive. Assist me, and you will be rewarded. She will go free.”

“I’ve heard your promises before, Victor. You’re a liar. You deal with the devil to get what you want. Now you will pay. You won’t leave this prison alive. I swear it.”

Logan nodded at the restrained guards then eased his way toward Kat, each movement calculated, searching for an angle of attack. Kat held her breath. Hayden squirmed in her arms as Logan moved closer. Suddenly, he broke free and bolted toward Logan.

“Daddy!”

His happy greeting ended in a terrified cry as the arms dealer grabbed Hayden and held him to his chest, gun pressed under his chin.

“Mommy!”

Kat’s heart sank. “Hayden.”

Victor turned on Logan “Move, Carmichael. Even breathe in my direction and your son is dead. That goes for all of you. Now
you
put your weapons down.”

Logan froze. Kat didn’t dare look at him. Her eyes locked on to her son.

One of the former guards shifted. Victor fired off several rounds, killing two of the men.
“I said guns down. Now!”

Hayden kicked and screamed in Victor’s arms, terrified by the gunfire so close.

“Don’t hurt him!” Kat shouted.

“Stop it!” Victor roared at the hysterical child. “The boy and I are leaving. The king comes with me to sign those papers.” He jammed his gun harder into Hayden’s throat. “Follow, and he dies.”

“Hot! Hot!” Hayden screamed.

Kat reached out a hand.

Victor turned his gun on her. “Don’t anyone else move.”

Logan flashed a glance at Daniel, who stood closest to the terrorist, and made a subtle hand sign.

“Be ready, Princess,” Daniel whispered in her ear.

“For what?”

“To duck.”

With that, he and Logan launched themselves at Victor, taking him down and yanking his gun arm away from Hayden. Bullets sprayed the ceiling and ricocheted off the floor.

Hayden was thrown free. Kat ran to him and grabbed him close, huddling protectively around her son.

Logan tugged Victor to his feet and the arms dealer stared around the room in furious disbelief. It was over.

“I will hunt you down, Carmichael,” he swore at Logan. “You’ll pay for killing
my
son.”

Deke flew across the room and shoved a shiv in Karofsky’s stomach. “No. You will not harm anyone again.”

Victor looked in shock at the metal shaft sticking from his body. Blood pumped steadily from the fatal wound.

“That was for Maria,” Deke ground out. “And my unborn child.”

“You will never find her now,” Victor spat, sagging to his knees.

Deke stood over him, glaring down at the dying man. “I already have.”

Pierre moved to Deke’s side, and Logan left the arms dealer under their final watch. He raced to Kat.

“Are you and Hayden all right?” He kissed her face, then yanked her against him, careful not to crush their traumatized son in between.

“I thought I’d lost you,” she said crying, touching Logan in disbelief. “I thought Sarbonne killed you.”

Logan held her tight, cradling both her and Hayden in his powerful arms. “I told you he could try. Turns out I’m not that easy to kill.” He looked at her, a sheen of moisture in his eyes, and gently pushed the hair back from her cheek. “Especially when I have something this precious to live for.”

“I love you,” Kat whispered, then sagged against his chest, listening to him murmur that he loved her, too, and everything would be all right. She closed her eyes against her own heartfelt tears, and gave thanks that they’d all survived.

“Call a medevac. Quick!”

Everyone turned at Stefan’s shout. The king lay over his son, blood pouring from a bullet wound in his chest. Agony contorted his features.

“No,” Kat cried, realizing Leopold had been shot trying to protect Stefan.

Logan ran to the king, and pressed his hands against the wound. Blood continued to seep through his fingers. “I need a pressure bandage.”

Pierre stripped off his guard’s jacket and pushed it into Logan’s hands “Use this.”

Kat came closer, holding Hayden’s face protectively against her so he couldn’t see the wound in his grandfather’s chest. Her son had been through enough.

Logan’s men and Antoine locked the remaining guards into a cell. Soon the hallway cleared.

“Father?” Kat said hesitantly, seeing the disturbing amount of blood he’d lost. Logan’s ministrations seemed to stanch the wound, but the king’s skin was mottled gray.

Leopold rolled his head to one side to look at her. “I’m sorry, Katherine. I never meant for things to go this far.”

“Why did you risk this?”

Sorrow filled his eyes. “I know you don’t understand, but I had to save my country. For that, I needed an heir.”

“Father, what were you thinking?” Stefan said. “Bellevaux could have survived economically without getting involved with the likes of Victor Karofsky.”

“I didn’t understand what he was like. I was desperate. I did it for the love for my country.”

Pierre cleared his throat. “I love Bellevaux, too, Your Majesty. But what you have done…it’s wrong. Many good men have died because of you.” He bowed to his sovereign one last time. “I can no longer, in good conscience, serve you as my king.”

Leopold’s face paled. Kat stared at the man who had taken her baby from her and tried to feel pity. She didn’t know if she could ever forgive him. She’d almost lost both her children—and Logan—because of his schemes.

She clasped Logan’s hand and kissed Hayden’s temple, grateful they were both alive.

“Mommy, I want to go home.” Hayden clung to Kat, his residual fear evident.

“We will, sweetie,” she said, wondering exactly where that was now.

“You can’t leave,” Pierre blurted out in desperation. “You must take over as queen. Your country needs you.”

Kat shook her head. “No, Pierre, my family needs me more. I don’t want this. Stefan is alive. He can take his rightful place as the king’s heir again.”

“Pierre is right. The prince can’t agree,” Logan said.

“It’s true,” Stefan said weakly. “He knows the reasons I cannot be king, Father.”

Leopold sank back. “Please don’t abandon your country, Stefan.
I
will leave, if that’s what you want. Live in exile, never to return. I know what I’ve done is unforgivable.”

Kat stared at her father, sadness and respect rising within her.

“You saved my life,” Stefan whispered, the effort to speak resonating in his voice.

“But—”

“It’s not your transgressions that prevent me from being king.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Explain to my father,” Stefan requested of Logan, then fell back, exhausted.

Logan held Kat close and looked at Leopold. “Your son sacrificed more than anyone could expect. His political junkets as Prince Stefan enabled him to get access to information and make contacts that were critical to the fight on terrorism.”