Chapter 10
Marshall
Iknew Emma was going through the aftereffects of the kidnapping.
She hadn’t whined about her fate.
She hadn’t really cried.
Emma had put on a brave face while the situation was happening, but all of those emotions had to go somewhere at some point in time.
I wrapped my arms around her and let her cry, and the permafrost that usually surrounded my heart melted just a little while she did.
Nick, Brock, and Nate turned around, their faces concerned, but I shook my head subtly.
Emma was vulnerable right now, and I didn’t want anyone to console her except me.
They nodded and turned around.
“I’m sorry,” Emma said as the sobs subsided. “I guess I got emotional now that I know that none of us are going to get hurt.”
“Don’t be sorry,” I told her as I stroked my hand over her back. “The reaction is perfectly normal. You’ve kept all of your emotions bottled up for days. What you went through would be a nightmare experience for anyone. Those emotions eventually have to come out or they’ll eat you alive.”
She leaned back a little. “I don’t see you crying.”
I heard Brock and Nate snicker a little, but I ignored it. “I don’t cry,” I grumbled. “And I’m trained for this sort of thing. I was the rescuer. You were the victim.”
“I don’t think I like being a victim of any kind.” She sniffled. “I’m used to taking care of myself. This whole situation was a lot. Nick was nearly assassinated, and you, Brock, and Nate had to put yourselves in danger just to rescue me.”
“I’m alive, Emma,” Nick said calmly through the headphones without turning his head to look at her.
“Once I find out who my enemies are and eliminate the threat, I’ll be safe.
Bloody hell! I was more worried about your safety than mine.
I had bodyguards who kept me safe. You were vulnerable and snatched because I wasn’t vigilant enough about your safety. ”
“We weren’t really in danger,” Nate added. “We do this kind of thing a lot. We know what we’re doing.”
“You aren’t invulnerable,” she argued.
“We know that,” Brock informed me. “But we take a lot of precautions. And it was probably Marshall who really saved your life. I didn’t like the thought of him surrendering himself.
I knew we could eventually get your location, but you didn’t have that kind of time.
I thought the assholes would at least keep you hydrated. ”
“They didn’t even give you water?” Nick asked gruffly.
“Almost none,” she admitted reluctantly.
“I’ll make those assholes pay for nearly killing you, and for those bruises on your face. I guess I’m indebted once again to the operatives of Last Hope and to Marshall.”
Emma shot me a questioning look.
“Long story about my billionaire partners’ wives. They were both American geologists who almost died here after being kidnapped by some random rebels. But they lived, married their billionaires, and lived happily ever after. You don’t need the details of that ordeal right now.”
Emma just needed to relax and think about something more positive, like the fact that we were going home.
“You’ll be getting that hot shower soon,” I reminded her.
She pulled back from me a little. “Thank God. I probably stink.”
I pulled her back against me. “You’re fine.”
The bruises on her face made me livid; her hair was a little matted, and she looked a little rough from her ordeal, but she was still beautiful.
Her gorgeous blue eyes were still just as mesmerizing as they’d always been.
“I just got word that my military has the kidnappers in custody,” Nick mentioned.
“That was fast,” Emma commented.
“They were in place and ready to sweep in as soon as all of you were safely gone,” Nick commented. “If all goes well, I’ll have my enemies contained soon.”
“How is the king?” Emma asked softly.
“Still fighting off a very bad case of pneumonia, but the doctors are hopeful,” Nick said solemnly.
The Lanian king might be demented, but it was a relief for me to hear that he might live. Nick loved his father, and he’d told me recently that he wasn’t ready to be the king.
It was easier for him to be the unofficial ruler for now. He could keep a lower profile and work on all the changes that needed to be made in Lania.
In my opinion, he’d make a great leader, but Nick had spent a lot of time in England before he’d come back to Lania several years ago. He needed more experience dealing with the politics of the monarchy.
“Are you sure you don’t want to rest up at the palace for a while?” Nick offered in a sincere voice. “I’d be honored to have you all as my guests.”
“No offense intended,” Brock said. “But I never want to stay in Lania longer than absolutely necessary.”
Nick chuckled. “No offense taken, mate. I know none of you have a good history here, but you’re welcome to be my guest any time you’d like. I’d like to show you the better side of Lania.”
“Some other time maybe,” Nate said unenthusiastically.
“I’d like to get Emma back home as soon as possible,” I told Nick. “She needs to recover in a place where she feels safe.”
“I loved what I saw of Lania, Nick,” Emma said gently. “It’s beautiful here. I’d like to come back someday after the political situation is stable. Please keep me posted with news about the kidnappers and updates on your dad.”
“You have an open invitation,” Nick said charmingly. “Having a gorgeous woman like you around the palace is always going to brighten up the place.”
I gritted my teeth.
Nick was a charming guy. It was part of his persona as a prince.
But I could do without him charming Emma.
“Are you and Emma taking Wyatt’s jet back?” Brock questioned.
“Yeah,” I confirmed. “You and Nate can fly back with Jax’s jet.”
Brock let out a snort of laughter. “That’s not exactly a hardship. I think Jax’s jet is even more elaborate than Wyatt’s.”
Emma shot me a puzzled look. “Exactly how many private jets do you have at your disposal?”
“Five,” all of us said in unison.
“All five of my billionaire partners have their own jet,” I explained.
“Last Hope sounds like a pretty complicated operation,” Emma mused.
“Moreso than you can imagine,” Brock said with a chuckle.
“There’s probably more high-tech equipment at headquarters than the government has at its disposal.
Some of it was designed by Marshall. He’s also one of our secret weapons because he’s one of the best hackers and intel experts on the planet. ”
Emma tilted her head as she looked at me. “Is that true?”
“He’s exaggerating,” I grumbled.
“No, he’s not,” Nate chimed in. “It’s the absolute truth. That’s why he’s the boss. That and the fact that he actually founded Last Hope. Don’t get me wrong, we need Wyatt, Hudson, Jax, Cooper, and Chase, but Last Hope wouldn’t exist without Marshall.”
Emma lifted an eyebrow.
“Last Hope needs every member to function the way it does,” I said sternly, trying to get the guys to keep their opinions to themselves.
“Is everything still quiet at headquarters?” I asked, trying to change the subject.
“Extremely quiet,” Brock confirmed. “But we all know that can change in a hurry. Are you staying in Cherry Cove for at least a few days?”
“I’m staying,” I confirmed. “I’m going to be Emma’s advisor. I want to make sure she’s recovered from this before I go. Wyatt’s in charge until further notice. I’ll contact him as soon as we get back to Michigan.”
“You better call your mom, Emma. She was frantic,” Brock said.
“My mother knows about this?” Emma squeaked, sounding alarmed.
“We didn’t tell her,” Nate promised. “She called us when you stopped answering your texts.”
“I’ll call as soon as we get home,” she said hastily, sounding worried.
“I hated to do it, but I gave her a few bullshit excuses. We said that you were traveling to a more remote area of Lania to sightsee and probably wouldn’t have cell coverage for a few days,” Brock explained. “We didn’t want to tell her the truth until we knew you were safely home.”
“Thanks for covering for me,” Emma replied in a relieved voice.
“You owe us,” Nate said jokingly. “It’s not easy lying to your mom. She adores us and we’d like to keep it that way.”
“She’ll still adore you all,” Emma teased. “She thinks none of you can do any wrong.”
It suddenly occurred to me that my Michigan team knew far more about Emma’s life than I did.
They were even close to her mother.
Rationally, that made sense because Emma had mentioned that her mother had retired just a few years ago.
My team had been in Michigan for a long time, so they’d probably had a good relationship with Emma’s mother before she’d moved to California.
They were probably well acquainted with everyone who was important in Emma’s life.
I literally knew nothing about Emma’s life except for the things I’d learned about her in Virginia Beach and during our two days together recently.
I’ll learn more about her in Cherry Cove.
We’d been thrown together in a stressful situation.
There hadn’t been a lot of time to learn about what her life was like and the woman she was now.
Getting to know her was going to be necessary if I was going to be her advisor.
“We’re getting closer to the airport,” Nick informed us. “It won’t be long now.”
“Please take care of yourself, Nick,” Emma pleaded. “I’ll be worried about you until all of this is resolved. Let your bodyguards stay close to you.”
“Like I have a choice?” he answered drily. “I have no doubt they’ll be waiting for me at the airport now that there will be enough room in the helicopter.”
“They’re dedicated to protecting you,” Emma reminded him. “Just let them do their job. Please.”
“How can I deny that request from a beautiful woman like you?” Nick said suavely.
“You can’t,” Emma said firmly. “And drop the charm, mister. I’m completely immune to that bullshit. We’ve known each other for a long time. Don’t try to placate me. Promise me that you’ll be as safe as possible. I almost watched you die from an assassination attempt.”
“I promise,” Nick said contritely and completely without the sophisticated charm.
“Good,” Emma said in a satisfied voice.
It took everything I had not to really smile this time.
Emma was probably the gutsiest woman I’d ever known.
Friend or not, Nick was a crown prince, and Emma had just bitched him out for not taking his safety seriously.
She did that a lot. She’d do it to me, too, if she thought I needed a wakeup call.
No wonder I’d been crazy about her in Virginia Beach.
She was the sweetest woman in the world until someone really pissed her off.
But her claws came out when she was worried about someone.
Hell, I was probably screwed because I still thought her protectiveness with the people she cared about was the sexiest thing I’d ever seen.