Chapter Five
“What do you mean, he left?” Rachelle asked Eric’s publicist as soon as the audience began to file out. “Isn’t he going to the after-party?”
“He never does. He even makes sure it’s in his contract that he isn’t required to. You’re welcome to attend it, though.”
“Where is he now?” Rachelle asked, looking around, clinging to the hope that he hadn’t actually left.
“I have no idea,” the publicist said.
“Coward,” Magnus said from beside her. She didn’t know if he was referring to the publicist or her brother.
She took out her phone and sent Eric a text. Are you still here? I have a question for you.
When no answer came back, a lump of emotion clogged her throat, and her eyes blurred with tears she refused to shed. I came even though he didn’t invite me, and instead of showing him how proud of him I am, I sat with a man who mocked him. He’s probably furious with me.
And he has every right to be.
I have to find him and apologize.
Magnus touched her arm, but she shook his hand off. “Don’t.” She walked away. Although the area was crowded, people stepped aside for her as she made her way to the main door. She had to get out of there.
A man in a dark suit opened the door before she reached it. She stepped through it and was temporarily blinded by the number of flashes going off. It was only then that she realized Magnus was still at her side. She lengthened her stride and texted her driver to come for her.
Several men in dark suits flanked them as Magnus joined Rachelle near the street. “He’s not worth your tears, Rachelle.”
“He’s my brother,” she growled back, wiping away a stray tear with the back of her hand. “He’s the reason I’m here. The only reason. And tonight I probably embarrassed him in front of everyone. I don’t blame him for not answering me.”
“Do not put this on you, Rachelle.”
She spun and waved a finger at the man who had her insides tied up in confusing knots. “You’re right. It’s your fault. You and your big perfect smile I let make me stupid. You don’t care about me. You don’t care about Eric. Tonight was some kind of game to you, and I went along with it. Well, I’m done. I’m worried about my brother. Maybe it’s hard for someone as self-absorbed as you to understand, but my family is more important to me than anything else. So go. Go find some woman who is impressed with your title and your big muscles and all that I’m-so-good-in-bed talk. And just leave me alone.”
Her car pulled up to the curb, and the driver rushed around to open the back passenger door for her. “Rachelle, your brother is fine. He’s not in danger. He just—”
She slid inside. “You don’t know that. Goodbye.” With that, she closed the door.
As soon as the driver was behind the wheel, she instructed him to take her home. She refused to look back to see if Magnus was still there. “Where does Eric go after premieres?” she asked the driver.
“I have no idea, ma’am.”
“Could you call and ask someone?” Rachelle’s radar was up and overheating. Something wasn’t right. Eric was in some kind of trouble.
“Who would you suggest I ask?”
“I don’t know. Someone has to know where he is. Does he go home? No one just disappears into thin air.”
The driver didn’t have a response.
Am I overreacting? It wouldn’t be my first or even my biggest mistake today. Rachelle sat back and covered her face with her hands. She hated that when she closed her eyes, she could still see Magnus. She felt guilty she’d let how good he made her feel influence how she behaved at the premiere.
I don’t even have a good defense. I’m not a silly teenager. I have found men attractive before without making a complete ass out of myself.
In reality, what is a prince except someone who was born into a job rather than having to work for it? No wonder he speaks the way he does. He’s probably had everything he’s ever wanted handed to him.
She remembered how little he thought of Eric and regretted not standing up right in the middle of that conversation and moving away from him. Alisha says I’m the loyal one in the family. I sure didn’t live up to that tonight.
A short time later, she was back at Eric’s house—alone. The army of staff was absent from the main hall. Rachelle stood at the bottom of the elaborate stairway, hugging herself.
I’m not the woman Magnus thought I was.
Even though it felt good to be her for an evening.
For just a few hours she’d felt young, sexy, and confident. Gone was the daughter who had failed to protect her mother. She wasn’t the smothering, overopinionated sister Nicolette accused her of being.
Every moment with Magnus had been one when she wasn’t the misguided woman who had traveled halfway across the world to stay in the house of a brother who wouldn’t even return her texts.
I traded that feeling for my chance to show Eric how family makes everything better.
God, I really am arrogant.
For all I know, Eric is perfectly happy without us. He couldn’t be more clear about not wanting me in his life. Maybe what I should really do is go home and figure myself out instead of thinking I need to fix other people.
“Would you like the cook to make you anything before you retire?” Reggie asked, appearing from seemingly nowhere.
Rachelle muffled her scream with a hand. “Sorry, I thought I was alone.”
“Never. Mr. Westerly asked me to look after you. I’m always around, even if you don’t see me.”
Who is Reggie to Eric? “I shouldn’t have gone to the premiere, Reggie. I embarrassed him. Could you arrange for a car to take me to the airport tomorrow? I think it’s time for me to go home.”
“Wow, you give up easily.”
“Excuse me?”
Reggie shrugged. “Earlier you went on and on about how much your family matters to you. You get ditched on television by a prince, and you’re running back to your mommy and daddy. I hope my children have more spine than that.”
Rachelle waved her hand in the air in clarification. “I did not get ditched by a prince. I walked away from him. And, hang on, you have children?”
In response, Reggie took out his phone and turned it so she could see a GIF on his social media feed. It was of her and Magnus at her car. It looked as if she’d spoken to him, but he turned away from her. She took the phone and played it again. The caption read: “Be a prince, say no to American trash.”
“That didn’t even happen.”
“So that’s not you?”
“That’s me.” She played the video back. “But it’s playing backward. Magnus followed me to the car, and I left him standing there.”
“It’s none of my business. I shouldn’t have mentioned it. What time would you like the car?” He reached for his phone.
Rachelle clung to it and played the video clip again. “It’s so vicious. Who would do this?” She remembered Magnus saying he would use her to get to her brother. Was this what he meant? Did he think that by hurting her he could hurt Eric? If so, the joke is on him. My brother would have to care about me to care about this.
“Let me see it again.” Reggie snatched his phone. “You’re right, it’s playing backward. Can’t believe I didn’t realize it. It was probably because of the snappy caption.”
“You mean cruel.”
Reggie repocketed his phone. “You left a prince standing on a curb. Not bad for your first premiere.”
Rachelle laughed, because if she didn’t she would cry. “How many children do you have?”
“Two.”
“You’re married?”
“Are you flirting with me now?” Before Rachelle had time to answer, Reggie started laughing. “Don’t get your panties all in a tangle. I’m happily married. But you need to relax. Unlike our apocalyptic American media implies, not every day is the end of the world.”
Reggie certainly wasn’t shy when it came to sharing his opinions. What was his real role in the household? Not that it’s my business. My brother won’t even answer my texts. That’s a pretty clear message. “I’d welcome an apocalypse tonight. I’m going to bed.”
“You want to know what I’ve learned from the English?”
Rachelle sighed. “Why not?”
“Don’t run. Go out in public tomorrow as if nothing happened. Your brother is attacked in the media on a regular basis. What they don’t know they make up. You’ll lose yourself if you start to care what social media says about you.”
Now I feel bad about calling him Lurch in my head earlier. “Thanks, Reggie. That’s actually good advice.”
“You don’t need to sound shocked. I’m a lot smarter than I look.” Rachelle opened her mouth to say something, but Reggie continued, “There’s no good response to that.”
Rachelle laughed because he was right. “Good night, Reggie. Thanks.”
“So, no car tomorrow?”
“No, you’re right. I’ve never been one to run away. I can’t leave before I talk to Eric one more time. I’ll tell him I love him, and then I’ll go home. If he doesn’t want a relationship with me, I’ll respect his decision.”
“You’re not the complete whack job I thought you were when you first arrived.”
Rachelle laughed again and started up the stairs. “See you tomorrow, Reggie.”
“Keep him there. I’m on my way,” Magnus barked into his cell phone before repeating the address to his driver. Magnus dropped his phone back into the pocket of his jacket and flexed his shoulders. Whatever Westerly was doing in a poorer section of London was about to come to an abrupt end, just as Magnus’s good mood had.
The sadness in Rachelle’s eyes when she’d realized her brother had left without her haunted Magnus. He considered regret a waste of time, but he didn’t like that he’d contributed to how badly her night had ended. He understood the practice of serving someone’s head up on a platter, because he would gladly have done so with Westerly’s if he thought it would bring comfort to Rachelle.
Instead, he’d settle for the bastard apologizing to her. Magnus didn’t doubt for a second that Westerly would be willing to by the time he was finished with him.
His car pulled over to the side of the road in front of a run-down building. Magnus double-checked the address against the one he’d been given, half convinced there must be a mistake. Then he saw one of his most trusted men leaning against a tree nearby. He straightened as Magnus exited the car. “What’s he doing here?”
Phillip shrugged. “We followed him, as you asked. He stopped once to change cars, then came here. And there’s one more thing.”
“Yes?”
“His nose was bigger when he got out of the car. At first I thought I imagined it, but I think he wears a disguise.”
Magnus looked up at the apartment building. “Interesting.”
“Do you want backup, Magnus?” He spoke with the familiarity of someone who knew that Magnus didn’t care about titles when in private.
“No. I’m good. Is he alone?”
“It’s impossible to say.”
Magnus nodded and took the steps of the building two at a time before ringing the doorbell. He knocked loudly, knocked again, then tested if it was locked. It was. Shaking his head, he stepped back, assessed the old door for a weak point, and kicked to the left of the doorknob. It crashed open.
When the sound brought no one to meet him, Magnus entered slowly, scanning each room he passed. The living room was furnished, if cheaply, and it smelled musty. The bedroom next to it was empty. He opened the door to the next room, and his lip curled in response to what he saw. Fully clothed and sprawled across a bed lay Westerly. The needle he’d used to inject himself rested at his side.
“Fuck.”
You can’t break a man who’s already broken.