Royal Opposites (21 page)

Joan shook off the budding funk and focused her attention on the remaining officer. He sat in the chair across the desk from her and gave her a reassuring smile.

“We have quite a bit to talk about, Ms. Smith.”

Three hours later, Joan heaved a sigh of relief when the man put his notebook away at last. Her head was spinning and at times she wasn’t sure she was still coherent. The officer never let on if he’d noticed anything amiss. He’d just give her a bland smile every once in a while and tell her she was doing great.

“So we’re done? Am I free to leave?”

“Yes, ma’am. We know where to find you if we need you.

The second guard,” the officer consulted his notes, “Mitch Jacobs, is already in custody.”

“Thank you.” Joan nodded and stood up. The room tilted a bit and she grabbed the desk to rescue her balance. The officer gave her a concerned look and reached out a hand to steady her. “I’m okay. Just sat in one place too long.”

“Are you sure that’s all it is? The paramedics are just a phone call away.”

“I’d hate to waste any more of their time.” She sucked in a steadying breath and mustered up the best convincing smile she could find. “Just point me to the ticket counter. I’d like to go home.”

As she recounted the story from beginning to end several times for him, she couldn’t help but analyze every detail herself.

Every time Tom was being a gentleman had, in reality, been a sign of his disinterest in her. She couldn’t believe she’d been this stupid.

The hand holding, the sharing secrets. They’d had time to kill and she’d been nearby. Nothing more, nothing less.

The fifth time she recounted the story, she made up her mind. She wasn’t going to hang around and be further embarrassed. He’d made it quite clear she was not somebody he’d like to have around unless he had to, so she was going to make it easy for him.

Joan had earned enough miles through rewards programs to fly her to China and back. With the license she’d found in her camera case, she could manage to get a ticket to Los Angeles. The sooner Joan got out the better. If she saw him again, she’d do something stupid like breakdown and ask him why he’d led her on like that when all along Tom had known he’d be getting rid of her at the first available moment. To make matters even worse, he hadn’t actually led her on. A little hand-‐-holding did not a great romance make. It had all been in her mind. She’d let the fantasy run away with her. Now it was time to get back to reality.

She stepped into the hallway and couldn’t resist a quick look around hoping for one last glimpse of the man. She was so pathetic.

Fortune was on her side and all the doors were closed so she couldn’t determine which one he occupied much less suffer the embarrassment of his seeing her pathetic last attempt to connect. It was time for her to get out of there. The faster the better.

It took quite a bit of patience and concentration, but at last she had a one way ticket to Los Angeles in her hand for nothing out of pocket. The coupon queen in her was thrilled at the success. The rest of her was still just numb.

When she got to the gate, she noticed lots of people gathered around one of the TV monitors which was tuned to a news channel.

She almost strolled on past, but the appearance of Tom’s face stopped her in her tracks. She eased closer to see what was going on and tried not to dwell on how pathetic she was being.

On the television, Tom smiled at the throng of reporters that surrounded him. It was impossible to count how many microphones were held his way so she didn’t even try. Jai stood behind Tom’s left shoulder, his eyes covered by large dark sunglasses. Joan shivered. She didn’t remember him looking quite so scary. But then Tom didn’t look like the man she knew either.

He was perfectly coiffed. Not a single hair was out of place on his head. The suit he’d purchased in the shop was perfect on camera. He appeared quite dashing. So royal. Like a man who would soon become king.

Questions were shouted at him from every direction, but he held up his hands in a settling gesture. To Joan’s amazement, they did. He played them as well as he’d played her.

“I don’t have a prepared statement to give you, but I’m sure I know what’s on all of your minds.” He took a moment to look around the crowd. Joan could almost swear all the reporters leaned forward in anticipation of what he was about to say. The same went for the crowd she stood among. It seemed everyone held their breath. Everyone except her. She pretty much knew what he was going to say.

He didn’t disappoint. At first. She listened while he recounted for the press corps how he’d had to flee California in an effort to elude a corrupt bank employee who was trying to do him harm. He talked about trying to go to the authorities, but being accused of trying to rob the bank instead. At that point, he’d decided to contact his security team and resolve the situation through diplomatic channels. Joan kept listening for any mention of her part in the whole affair, but to hear him tell it, he’d gone through this horrible ordeal alone. Everything was “I” or “me”.

“Can you believe what that poor man went through?” Joan tore her attention away from the television screen to look at the middle-‐-aged woman who’d stopped beside her. “And to think, he’s right outside. Giving this press conference from the tarmac. Isn’t it exciting? We’re inches from a major news story.”

The smile Joan forced to her lips was tight. “Yes. Exciting.”

“And look at him. He’s so adorable I could eat him up. What country did they say he’s the prince of? Raffer-‐-something?”

“Rafferstonia,” Joan supplied without a second thought.

“Are you sure? That doesn’t sound right.” The woman frowned, but Joan shrugged and returned her attention to the television. Tom was looking at someone in the crowd. The question wasn’t quite loud enough to be broadcast, but whatever it was it made his back tense.

“Yes, there was a woman traveling with me. We were separated when the police questioned us and don’t know where she is now or expect our paths to cross again. I do wish her the best, however.”

Joan’s chest tightened and her throat closed under the threat of tears. If she had any doubts how he felt about her before, she didn’t any longer. She’d been dismissed. She was inconsequential.

“Can you tell us more about her?” A reporter shouted out loud enough for the broadcast to pick up his question.

Tom gave them a sheepish smile and shook his head. “I’m afraid there’s not much to tell. We met a short time before needing to flee. Our time on the run together was focused on staying alive, not niceties like our favorite colors and the like.”

Green, Joan thought. His favorite color was green. She shook her head. Joan couldn’t take anymore. Besides, she had a plane to catch. Joan inched her way out of the still gathering crowd.

A line to board her flight had formed at the gate. She joined the other passengers, more than eager to get out of there. Still, it didn’t stop her from keeping an eye on the television and Tom’s interview while the line inched forward. She was several people from the gate when Jai stepped forward with raised hands putting an end to the questioning. While he did that, Tom boarded the waiting jet which had been parked behind them during the interview. An elaborate green and gold RS were painted on the side on the front of a crest.

The screen split so one half was filled with a reporter in the studio who was talking about what they’d learned from Tom. On the other side, Tom disappeared inside the plane’s cabin followed by Jai. Joan shook her head and glanced at the person holding up the line she was in to board her own plane. She hadn’t even been allowed the courtesy of being the first to leave. Somehow, that made her feel more pathetic.

While she walked down the jet way, she gave herself a pep talk. There was no need for her to get all upset over this. She’d wanted this whole ordeal to be over from the very start. It was stupid of her to go changing her mind now. Would she rather still be out in the desert where very little separated her from a bullet and certain death. She was going to buck up and enjoy the fact she was now free to get her life back on track. With a fortifying breath, she started paying more attention to the numbers above the rows.

When she located her assigned seat, a skinny young woman who could’ve been the Goth clerk’s twin was already in it. She was snuggled up with a preppy looking twenty-‐-something dude and giggling. Joan bit back her sigh. This was all she needed. Her heart had been broken and now she was sentenced to share a row with Anthony and Cleopatra.

“Excuse me; I think you’re in my seat.” Joan was surprised at how civil she was able to keep her tone.

The guy leveled and irritated look on her. “We’d like this whole row.” He thrust another ticket at her. “Here. Take my seat in first class.”

Joan was about to lose it at his imperious tone until the words ‘first class’ dawned on her. She snatched the ticket out of his hand and turned to fight her way back to the front of the plane. The unexpected seat change was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

The tears started streaming down her cheeks when it was beyond silly to be crying over something so insignificant.

On the other hand, the tears made people eager to get out of her path. She found her new seat in first class and sank into the big chair by the window. She strapped herself in and stared out the window keeping her face averted from prying eyes.

By the time they were in the air and the attendants were coming around to take dinner orders, Joan was all cried out. The tears stopped and she felt numb and exhausted. She didn’t think she was hungry, but ended up eating every bite of the meal the attendant placed before her. The woman was full of kind smiles and extra portions for Joan which she appreciated. If she’d been a cashier at her favorite store, Joan would have rewarded her by purchasing the products that would give her a bonus. At last, she drifted off to sleep and didn’t wake up again until they’d landed at LAX.

Chapter Twenty

Tom tossed his pen down on his solid oak desk with its intricate carvings and sighed. He kept his smile in place while yet another timid young lady with a straight back and proper breeding was escorted from his office. The smile fell away when the door closed behind her and he plopped down in his executive chair. He was exhausted. His coronation was less than a week away and he’d been interviewing potential queens around the clock. When he could take time out from negotiating a settlement between the embittered merchants and the suppliers who pretended they had no other choice but to charge them the high prices, that is.

Jai opened the door and strode inside. Once he closed the door behind him, he dropped his formal posture and flopped on the couch. Tom could almost feel his penetrating gaze cut through his barely held together facade.

“I take it she’s a ‘no’,” Jai remarked and crossed his legs at the ankles making himself at home.

“You’re the trained security operative.” Tom’s reply came out with a lot more snark than he intended. He sighed and met his friend’s gaze. He could see Jai didn’t take it personally, but still he needed to apologize. “I’m sorry. I know this isn’t your fault.”

“Nope. It’s yours.” Jai pointed out causing Tom’s annoyance to spike again.

“I thought I could count on you for support. Not to make thing worse and point out every one of my failings.”

“I’m not pointing out every one. Just this one.” Jai tossed an envelope at Tom who caught it mid-‐-air despite being surprised.

“What’s this?” He eyed Jai with a wary gaze.

Jai swung his legs to the floor and stood. “A final vetting.”

Tom frowned, puzzled. “A final vetting? There’s no one left to vet.” But his protest met an empty room. Jai was already out the door, pulling it closed behind him.

Tom stared at the envelope he held in his hands with a ginger touch. He was sure Jai couldn’t mean who he thought he meant. That ship had sailed over two months ago. Two months, one week, and four days to be exact. When he’d walked out on Joan without so much as a backward glance. He knew she wouldn’t understand and hoped to have a chance to explain it to her when they got a moment alone outside all the chaos surrounding the arrest. He should have known she’d be too proud to sit around and wait. He wasn’t sure how she’d done it, but the woman had managed to get herself a ticket back to Los Angeles despite the fact that all the money they still had between them had been nestled in his pocket.

Tom opened the middle drawer in his desk and stared down at the tiny wad of American currency. Three dollars and forty two cents. It had been arrogant of him to assume she would be stranded there in Dallas without his help which would give them the opportunity to make things right. Except, he’d underestimated her resourcefulness which amounted to a serious rookie mistake after all they’d gone through together. By the time he’d realized she was gone, he’d been waylaid by the press. The only way to end their questioning and protect her identity was to board the jet and fly away. Truth be told, he hadn’t felt like dealing with them anyway.

When their questions got around to Joan, there was no way he was going to give them anything to chew on.

But it still hadn’t stopped them from finding her. His chest swelled with pride when he thought of the masterful way she’d handled the reporters. She’d must have seen his interview at some point and downplayed their relationship in much the same way he had. The one difference was she’d looked like she believed the nonsense they were barely more than acquaintances thrown together in an unfortunate circumstance. And that was why he’d stayed away from her these last two months.

He brushed his fingers over the envelope Jai had given him.

His head of security had done a good job of keeping Tom apprised of what was going on in Joan’s life since she’d returned home.

Good in the sense that Jai had been thorough. Bad because Tom hadn’t wanted to know. The updates had just fed his obsession with her and made it more difficult to find a queen to his liking. He kept comparing them to Joan, and every single one of them had come up lacking.