The Maverick Prince (Rich, Rugged And Royal #1)(40)
Author: Catherine Mann

Shannon’s stomach lurched at another assault in the news. “Could the frenzy have to do with the Landis family connections?”

“No,” Tony said curtly. “The questions were all about their vacation with Eloisa’s father the king.”

Alys angled past Tony with a wheelchair. “Your Majesty, I’ll take you to your office so you can speak to security directly.”

The king dropped into the wheelchair heavily. “Thank you, Alys.” His dogs loped into place alongside him. “I am ready.”

Nerves jangled, Shannon started to follow, but Tony extended a hand to stop her.

“We need to talk.”

His chilly voice stilled her feet faster than any arm across the entranceway. Had he been holding back because of concerns for his father’s health? “What’s wrong? What haven’t you told me?”

She stepped closer for comfort. He crossed his arms over his chest.

“The leak came from this house. There was a call placed from here this afternoon—at just the right time—to an unlisted cell number.”

“Here? But your father’s security has been top notch.” No wonder he was so concerned.

Tony unclipped his iPhone from his waistband. “We have security footage of the call being made.”

Thumbing the controls, he filled the screen with a still image of a woman on the phone, a woman in a white swimsuit cover-up, hood pulled over her head.

A cover-up just like hers? “I don’t understand. You think this is me? Why would I tip off the media?”

His mouth stayed tight-lipped and closed, and his eyes…Oh God, she recognized well that condemning look from the days following Nolan’s arrest and then his death.

Steady. Steady. She reminded herself Tony wasn’t Nolan or the other people who’d betrayed her, and he had good reasons to be wary. She drew in a shuddering breath.

“I understand that Enrique brought you up to be unusually cautious about the people in your life. And he had cause after what happened to your mother.” Thoughts of Tony as a small child watching his mother’s murder brushed sympathy over her own hurt. “But you have to see there’s nothing about me that would hint at this kind of behavior.”

“I know you would do anything to secure your son’s future. Whoever sold this information received a hefty payoff.” He stared back at her with cold eyes and unswerving surety.

In a sense he was right. She would do anything for Kolby. But again, Tony had made a mistake. He’d offered her money before, assuming that would equate security to her. She had deeper values she wanted to relay to her son, like the importance of earning a living honorably. Tony had needed to prove that himself in leaving the island. Why was it so difficult to understand she felt the same way?

Her sympathy for him could only stretch so far.

“You actually believe I betrayed you? That I placed everyone here at risk for a few dollars?” Anger frothed higher and higher inside her. “I never wanted any of this. My son and I can get by just fine without you and your movie theater.” She swatted his arm. “Answer me, damn you.”

“I don’t know what to think.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Tell me it was an accident. You called a friend just to shoot the breeze because you were homesick and that friend sold you out.”

Except as she’d already told him and he must remember, she didn’t have friends, not anymore. Apparently she didn’t even have Tony. “I’m not going to defend myself to you. Either you trust me or you don’t.”

He gripped her shoulders, his touch careful, his eyes more tumultuous. “I want a future with you. God, Shannon, I was going to ask you to marry me later tonight. I planned to take you back to the chapel, go inside this time and propose.”

Her heart squeezed tight at the image he painted. If this security nightmare hadn’t occurred, she would have been swept off her feet. She would have been celebrating her engagement with him tonight, because by God, she would have said yes. Now, that wasn’t possible.

“You honestly thought we could get married when you have so little faith in me?” The betrayal burned deep. And hadn’t she sworn she’d never again put herself in a position to feel that sting from someone she cared about? “You should have included some azaleas in the bouquet you chose for us. I hear they mean fragile passion.”

She shrugged free of his too tempting touch. The hole inside her widened, ached.

“Damn it all, Shannon, we’re talking.” He started toward her.

“Stop.” She held up a hand. “Don’t come near me. Not now. Not ever.”

“Where are you going?” He kept his distance this time. “I need to know you’re safe.”

“Has the new security system been installed at my apartment?”

His mouth tight, he nodded. “But we’re still working on the restraining orders. Given the renewed frenzy because of Eloisa’s identity—”

“The new locks and alarms will do for now.”

“Damn it, Shannon—”

“I have to find Alys so she can make the arrangements.” She held her chin high. Pride and her child were all she had left now that her heart was shattered to pieces. “Kolby and I are returning to Texas.”

“Where are Shannon and her son?”His father’s question hammered Tony’s already pounding head. In his father’s study, he poured himself three fingers of cognac, bypassing the Basque wine and the memories it evoked. Shannon wrapped around him, the scent of lilies in her hair. “You know full well where she is. Nothing slips past you here.”

They’d spent the past two hours assessing the repercussions of the leak. The media feeding frenzy had been rekindled with fresh fuel about Eloisa’s connection to the family. Inevitable, yet still frustrating. It gnawed at his gut to think Shannon had something to do with this, although he reassured himself it must have been an accident.

And if she’d simply slipped up and made a mistake, he could forgive her. She hadn’t lived the Medina way since the cradle. Remembering all the intricacies involved in maintaining such a high level of security was difficult. If she would just admit what happened, they could move on.

His father rolled back from the computer desk, his large dogs tracking his every move from in front of the fireplace. “Apparently I do not know everything happening under my roof, because somebody placed a call putting Eloisa’s flight at risk. I trusted someone I shouldn’t have.”