Page 26 of Duty and Desire

Chapter Twenty-Four

Gio

B y eight o’clock, I was growing frantic.

He should’ve been here hours ago.

Nick hadn’t replied to my texts. He hadn’t answered my calls.

And when my last attempt resulted in a mechanical voice telling me the number was unavailable, I swear, I had palpitations.

I couldn’t shake off the overwhelming sensation of dread pervading me, my mind conjuring all kinds of worst-case scenarios, until I was nauseated.

Where are you?

I couldn’t sit there and do nothing. I’d been doing that for hours, and all it had gotten me was a pounding headache and an uncontrollable bout of the shivers.

I grabbed the keys to the buggy, then headed for Kai’s bar.

Having to focus on the road proved a welcome distraction, but by the time I reached the bar, I felt as though someone was smothering me in heavy layers of panic and fear .

Kai stared at me with wide eyes. “You look awful.” He peered around me. “Where’s the boyfriend?”

“Have you seen him today?” I knew it was a long shot but I had to try something.

Kai shook his head. “I’ve been here since we opened, and I haven’t seen him. What’s wrong?”

I explained the situation. “Would he have gotten called in to tend bar someplace? Maybe someone called in sick, or something?”

He reached for his phone. “Let me call the places where he works. Maybe they’ve seen him.”

I left him to it, and gazed at the bar’s customers, not that I was really seeing them. My head was too messed up. The TV sounded louder than usual, blaring out some game or other, watched by a group of guys in loud shirts, downing beers and shouting at the screen.

They weren’t loud enough to drown out the thoughts rampaging through my head.

He’s had an accident.

He’s fallen overboard.

He was diving and he ran out of air.

Kai’s hand on my arm made me jump out of my skin. His furrowed brow told me it wasn’t good news.

“No one’s seen him.” He froze. “Wait a sec. There’s something I can do. It’s not much, but you never know.” He tapped his phone and scrolled. “I can crop this photo, then stick it on the island’s Facebook community page, and Instagram. You know the kind of thing… Have you seen this man? ”

I peered at the picture. “That was us last night.” Nick was gazing at me, his eyes bright, with a smile that could power a small New Hampshire town.

Wait a minute…

I frowned. “Why were you taking pictures of me and Nick?”

Kai rolled his eyes. “It’s nothing sinister, okay?

The guy who owns the bar has this idea. He wants to update our Facebook page and website, so he asked me to take photos of the bar to put online.

The cheapskate didn’t want to pay for a professional photographer.

” He flushed. “I was going to ask you if it was okay before I uploaded it, honest.”

“Do it,” I barked. He was right. It was the fastest way to find someone who knew Nick’s whereabouts, even if it reeked of desperation. I’d seen many such photos in the States, and in most cases, there wasn’t a happy ending.

What worried me most was Nick’s phone. Number unavailable .

How does a number suddenly become unavailable?

“Okay, it’s done.” Kai seemed as anxious as I was. “Have you been to his place?”

I blinked. “I don’t know where he lives. I never went there, and he never gave me the address.” I stilled. “Aulani said she might be able to find that out, though.”

“Then that’s something else I can help you with.” Kai tapped the phone’s screen, then held it to his lips. “Hey. You got a minute?”

Aulani’s voice came from the speaker. “What’s wrong?”

“I’ve got Gio here. We’re trying to locate Nick. He’s missing. Gio said you might know how to get his address.” The urgency in Kai’s voice spoke of his own concern.

“Leave it with me. Tell Gio I’ll be over when I know something.”

He thanked her, then finished the call. Kai expelled a breath. “Go home. You can’t do anything here.”

A memory surfaced.

“The day I met you… You hinted there was more to Nick than I might imagine.” I stared at him. “What do you know that you’re not telling me?” My heartbeat raced. I knew I was clutching at straws, but I had to find an answer.

Kai gaped at me. “I don’t know a thing, okay? I say that to a lot of customers. That’s how I try to draw couples together. Works every time.” He sighed. “Go home, Gio. For all you know, Nick might be there, waiting for you.”

That was an even longer shot, but right then I’d do anything .

I thanked him, went to the buggy, and sped along the road, my mouth dry, my chest tight.

Please be there. Please.

There was no sign of Nick’s bike at the bungalow, and he didn’t appear on the veranda when I opened the gate. I glanced at my watch.

Eight forty-five.

I went inside and sat at the dining table, my gaze locked on my phone, willing it to ring, for there to be news of any kind.

My fingers were cold, and there was a lead weight on my chest. I couldn’t stop shaking.

Swallowing was a chore. I got up and poured myself a glass of water, but each sip only served to suck all the moisture from my mouth.

At nine-fifteen, I heard the gate open, and I jumped to my feet, my pulse racing. “Nick?”

My heart sank when Aulani stood there, and it plummeted even further when I saw her face.

She winced. “It’s bad news.”

Ice inched its way through my veins. “Is he hurt?”

At least tell me he’s still alive .

“He wasn’t there, but that isn’t the bad news.” Aulani took a deep breath. “I’m friends with Malie. I found out she cleans for Nick. I called her, and she gave me his address. She met me there, with the key.” She bit her lip. “It’s empty.”

“What do you mean?” I croaked. “How can it be empty?”

“It’s like he was never there.”

This made no freakin’ sense.

My phone burst into life, and I jumped. It was Kai.

“Have you heard something?” I demanded.

“You need to get back here. Now.”

I didn’t hesitate. “On my way.” I ended the call and picked up the keys I’d dropped onto the table. “Kai wants to see me.”

“I’m coming too.”

I wasn’t going to argue .

I drove fast, but Aulani didn’t seem bothered by my speed. I knew she was worried about Nick.

We arrived at the bar and found Kai on his phone.

Before I could speak, he held it out to me. “Am I going crazy or is that Nick?”

I peered at the screen. It showed an image of a young man in what looked like dress uniform. “Okay, he doesn’t have a beard, and his hair is way shorter. Plus, he looks a little younger, but yeah, that could be Nick.”

Kai’s face fell. “That’s what I was afraid of.” He picked up the TV remote and aimed it at the screen. “This is an international news channel. I saw this about fifteen minutes ago, and I’ve been searching online ever since. Look at the rolling banner across the bottom.”

I frowned. “China in talks?—”

“Not that. Wait.” He paused. “There.”

I read aloud. “King Johannes of Eisenland and son Crown Prince Rudolf killed in avalanche in Switzerland.” I arched my eyebrows. “Is that supposed to mean something to me?”

“It will when I show you this.” Kai scrolled, then handed me his phone.

I stared at the page. It was the same news report. I was about to explode in a hot rush of impatience when something caught my eye.

What the fuck?

I read it three times, and even then it wouldn’t sink in.

Nick… Why didn’t you tell me?

“Gio?” Aulani’s hand was on my back.

I took a breath and read, unable to keep my voice from shaking.

“Three off-piste skiers lost their lives in an avalanche near Lauterbrunnen in the canton of Bern. Two were members of the Royal Family of Eisenland. King Johannes and his eldest son, Crown Prince Rudolf, perished in the deadly event, along with the king’s security guard, Kurt Beck.

The king is survived by his son Prince Nikolaus, who succeeds to the throne. ”

A photo accompanied the article, the same one Kai had shown me.

There seemed little room for doubt. My boyfriend was a prince.

Who was about to become a king.

I leaned on the bar, my legs weak. “That’s one puzzle solved. We know who Franz was.” It all made sense.

It left a ton of questions to be answered, however.

Aulani looked over my shoulder. “You mean… Nick is a prince? Our Nick?”

I barely heard her. “Where the hell is Eisenland?”

“That’s what I’ve been researching,” Kai told me. “It’s this little country in Europe, near Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, I’m not sure where exactly. About forty thousand inhabitants at the last count. I’ve been looking at photos of the place. Kind of gothic-looking, with a genuine castle.”

I didn’t give a shit about castles.

All I wanted to know was why Nick hadn’t told me the truth.

I thought he trusted me. He said he loved me.

Then I recalled what he’d said to me the previous night, and the weight on my chest eased a fraction.

“He was going to tell me,” I murmured. I was certain of it. That still left the question of why he’d waited so long.

“Gio.” Kai’s voice was low, his tone soothing.

I stared at him. “ Now what do I do?”

“If this is for real, then we need to face something.” He expelled a breath. “Nick isn’t coming back.”

“Why can’t Gio go to this country and find him?” Desperation laced Aulani’s suggestion.

Kai stared at her. “And do what? Demand he gives up his throne for Gio? Comes back here? It isn’t going to happen. Be realistic. This isn’t some fairytale romance. He’s going to be a king, with responsibilities.” Kai glanced at me. “We won’t see him again.”

I didn’t want to hear that .

I couldn’t accept that.

But even as I resisted, the knowledge seeped deeper, until it settled around my heart like a cold hand.

He’s gone . And I couldn’t do a damn thing about it, except grieve.

Not for his father and brother. What I knew about them told me I wouldn’t have liked them much.

No, I was grieving for myself, for my loss. I knew it was selfish. Nick had just lost his family, and my hurt was tiny compared to what he had to be going through.

It didn’t alter the fact that losing him left a wound that was going to take a long time to heal.

If it ever did.

“I’m going home,” I announced. “Aulani, do you need a ride?”

I felt dead inside.

She shook her head. “Malie took me to your bungalow. I can find my own way home.” She laid her hand on my arm. “But maybe it’s better if I come with you. I don’t think you should be alone right now.”

“I’m used to being alone,” I replied, unable to keep the bitter edge from my voice.

Except I’d spent the last six weeks in the company of a wonderful man, and I didn’t want my life to go back to the way it was.

Maybe Aulani’s right. Maybe I can take a trip to Eisenland, and ? —

I shoved the thought aside. Kai was right. Nick was gone, and I had to move on.

There wasn’t going to be a Happily Ever After.

Except by the time I arrived at the bungalow, I’d recovered enough from the shock to take a step back and look at the situation more lucidly.

Yes, I was shattered.

Confused.

Heartbroken.

Furious .

But I also wasn’t ready for what we’d shared to end like this.

I have to know the truth.

I have to confront him, to see if our love was real.

One way or another, I was going to Eisenland.