Page 73 of A Queen and HER Bad Boy (Spies and Royals #4)
The last zip tie fell to the ground, and he stopped her frantic explanation by capturing her lips in his desperate need to have her in his arms again. He’d been too long without her. She let out a breath that he lost no time making his.
Her hands fisted in his shirt as she pulled him closer.
The gritty feel of dust and fear against her cheek only made him hold her tighter, kissing her like it was their first and their last. His fingers threaded through her dark hair—so soft, so silky, all that he remembered and hoped he’d feel again.
Her soft sound of surrender sent heat racing through his chest—relief and longing colliding. He never wanted to let her go.
She pulled back, breathless. He caught her hand before she could get too far. “I tried to save your life by talking up your Tyndarian Offshore Holdings in Aeaea.”
Bris cried out in something that sounded like laughter… or was she really crying? She clung to his fingers. Her forehead pressed against his shoulder. “Did it work?”
“No, I’m a terrible liar.”
“You are!” Tremors ran through her small frame. “I thought I’d never see you again—I—I need you, Achilles! Don’t ever leave me again!”
An explosion thundered behind them, the shockwave rattling the windows behind them. His whole being revolted in defiance. Now that he had her, her safety was his priority!
Keeping her close, he ripped open the front passenger door of the helicopter and threw her inside.
“Don’t move!” He rushed around the front of its black polished metal to take the pilot’s seat on the other side of her.
His hands moved with practiced efficiency—battery switch on, fuel pump switches engaged.
“You won’t believe what Aggie is planning.
” Bris dug into her pockets to pull out a piece of paper.
As soon as she brought it up to his face, the environmental control system kicked on with a mechanical whir.
The sudden rush of air caught the paper, ripping it from her fingers.
“Are you kidding me right now?” She ducked below the instrument panel, scrambling after it.
At the same time, a heavy thud announced someone boarding the aircraft behind them, followed by the slam of the door. Achilles’s stomach dropped as he glanced in the mirror to see who had joined them.
Charisse. And she wasn’t alone. He froze at the sight of a red-headed demon springing from the depths of Hades. Aggie was with her in a black jumpsuit, settling back against the seat with a satisfied smirk on his bruised face that made Achilles’s blood run cold.
No! No! Were they unholy spirits come back to haunt him? With his whole body prickling with alarm, he moved fast. His hand pressed against Bris’s back, pushing her down further, so she wouldn’t be visible. Please let these high-backed seats conceal her from these killers.
Bonnie and Clyde were the picture of bad romance—Charisse’s delicate hand intertwined with Aggie’s as if they were ready for a buggy ride around the park. The Myrdon heir fixed him with a watery blue gaze that held triumphant malice. “Ah, my dear, we’ve found our pilot.”
Charisse raised her pistol with practiced ease. Daddy’s little girl was a serial killer in the making. “Time to earn your keep, tough guy—get us out of here.”
Achilles took a deep breath. “Well, this is sweet…” He was stalling, buying minutes, seconds, before he let Bris fall into their hands. “Is this really what all this bloodshed is about? You let some creep seduce you?”
Aggie scoffed. “Oh, Achilles, are you jealous? Did you want her?”
He glowered at the man who’d profited from their civil wars, who’d hunted down his own cousin and tried to murder her before she could claim her birthright. “Charisse is all yours! Now where do you crazy kids want me to drop you off next? Is there some innocent country you need to terrorize?”
Charisse laughed with no humor. “Cut the sanctimonious crap—you lost! Let’s go!”
The radio crackled to life. O Skia’s voice cut through the static: “Stand down, bird, my men have Phoenix in custody, and you’re completely surrounded. If you attempt takeoff, you will be shot down.”
Aggie’s smile turned predatory. “Identify yourself. Tell your father you’re taking a solo flight to an undisclosed safe house, and that you’ll report back when you’ve reached your location.”
Charisse fumbled for her phone. “Diamond Medes is one of the world’s most skilled assassins.
Let me share something cute he sent me!” Her fingers slid over the screen and a familiar voice sounded through the cabin, making Achille’s insides turn cold when he recognized his sister, her words strained with fear.
“Can you please tell my brother that—that… I won’t work with you!
Run, Achilles!” She screamed. The transmission cut off.
Achilles picked up the radio transmitter, his fingers barely working. Every part of him felt numb. “This is Achilles to base. Taking a solo reconnaissance flight. Tell Bris…” His voice cracked with genuine emotion. “Tell her I love her.”
As soon as he released the transmit button, Aggie snarled, “No extras! We don’t want him suspicious.”
O Skia’s voice returned: “Standby for takeoff clearance. We’ll signal when ready.”
“Copy,” Achilles replied. His eyes found the spot where Bris crouched, hidden away. She’d always been tiny, but she wasn’t invisible.
Aggie’s face appeared over the seat back, his expression murderous, his thick lips trembling with rage. “Move it! He won’t shoot his own son out of the sky!”
Miraculously, Aggie retreated to the back seat without catching sight of Bris, recoiling like a deadly serpent.
Achilles swallowed, forcing himself to act calm… as much as seemed natural. “Where to? Some romantic getaway to some far—far-far away land?” Preferably one where no one had to see their ugly mugs again?
“Anywhere we want!” Aggie spat. “We have you and your sister. Get used to wriggling like a worm on a hook—I own you all!”
“You don’t own me.”
Achilles groaned as his beautiful wife emerged from her hiding spot, her black hair curling in messy disarray over a face that looked ready for a fight.
Bris was spitting mad. She clutched a folded paper in her hands like it was an axe, though in this case, he wasn’t sure any weapon would be enough.
Was it too late to toss her from the helicopter?