Page 24

Chapter

Twenty-One

It was late when a police officer drove Alice, Robbie, and her mother back to her mother’s house.

Alice and Robbie had thanked River, Price, Curtis, and Merrick and said their goodbyes earlier at the station.

Alice was counting her blessings that Robbie had the bodyguards from their trip come to help him out.

She loved that he’d been so brave as to draw out Priscilla and end the Big Buddha, even though it had terrified her.

Aiden’s guys hadn’t told her the whole story, but Robbie and Aiden’s tech guy, Ollie, had figured it out. She had been right to trust him.

Ollie and Robbie hadn’t been sure if it was James or Priscilla that had instigated the murders. Priscilla insisted she’d acted alone all these years, talking Marianne into investing her fortune with James after Alice’s dad died.

The police didn’t believe her. James had to be involved, or he wouldn’t have set up a different company name for Marianne’s investments.

Priscilla had hired all the killers in Big Buddha’s name to try to get Alice to turn to Preston and assure her son’s future.

The real kicker for Marianne was when James buckled and admitted he and Priscilla had orchestrated Alice’s dad’s death.

They knew how large his life insurance and trust funds were and that they could control Marianne if she was alone and vulnerable.

Preston was claiming innocence. So far, there was no proof he was involved. It shocked Alice deeply and made her ache for her mother. She’d been controlled and manipulated by Priscilla and James. To think they could resort to murder to keep living their high-dollar lifestyle.

Robbie and Alice walked her mother to the door, escorted by two guards.

She wasn’t sure what her mother was thinking or feeling, but she looked morose.

She’d been betrayed by her lifelong friend and learned her husband hadn’t committed suicide but had been murdered.

She’d been understandably quiet at the police station.

Alice was sick about all the deaths of those she loved and knew it would take some time before she could forgive and let it go, but she’d pray for her and her mother to someday find that peace.

Her mother turned to face them on the wide porch. “Well, that was a crap show.”

Alice almost smiled. Her mother always turned to sarcasm.

“Are you all right?” Robbie asked, concern in his blue eyes.

Alice adored him. Her mother had been nothing but awful to him, and he was classy and concerned for her.

Her mother squinted up at him. “The behemoth is your choice, then?” she asked Alice. “Truly?”

“Robbie is my choice, Mother.” Alice squeezed his hand and noticed his smirk.

He wasn’t bothered by the insult. It amused him.

She thought her mother was trying to deflect from the pain of this night, but she still wouldn’t put up with her disparaging Robbie.

“I love him and you’re going to have to learn to love him too. ”

“Well, loving him is a stretch, but …” She looked Robbie over, sniffed, and tilted her chin imperiously.

“You came through for us, found and took down a murderer and a thief. It rips me apart that Priscilla could betray me.” She paused and her voice quivered with emotion.

“I will be woman enough to admit that I may have judged you wrong, ogre.”

“Mother,” Alice said, exasperated.

Her mother smiled slightly. “Robbie Perrine … My daughter is st op-dead gorgeous and an angel. You … you don’t look quite as awful as I remember, so maybe your children won’t be sinfully ugly and I won’t cringe every time I look across the dinner table at your smirking face.”

“Mother!”

Robbie only chuckled.

“If you love my daughter and treat her right, I won’t … hate you quite as much.”

“Mother. Seriously?” Alice shouldn’t have been shocked. It was her mother, after all.

“It’s a start,” Robbie said. He grinned at Alice, released her hand, and wrapped his arm around her waist. “We don’t want to push her too fast.” He winked at her mother.

“He is smarter than he looks,” her mother said.

“My goodness. Am I going to have to run interference with you two?”

“Nah,” Robbie said. “I can take the insults. You should’ve heard the way my Ranger unit talked to each other. You saw how Price and River let me have it. Nothing Marianne says could cut as deep as they did.”

“Challenge accepted,” her mother said, smiling for the first time that evening.

Robbie threw back his head and laughed. “You know I always loved a challenge.”

Her mother actually laughed too. Alice didn’t know what to make of their teasing, but it seemed to be what her mother needed to help her deal with the pain of Priscilla’s deception and betrayal. Robbie was amazing to deal with it all so well.

“Goodnight, beautiful princess,” her mother said to Alice, calling her a name she hadn’t used in years. “Goodnight, Beast.” Then she opened the door and stalked inside.

Alice actually smiled, thinking of how she and Robbie had teased about him being the Beast.

“Goodnight, future mother-in-law,” Robbie called after her.

“Ooh, that was a deep cut,” her mother threw back. “Give me at least a few years to get used to that one. ”

“Nope. A few weeks, if I have my way.” Robbie pumped his eyebrows at Alice.

“A few months,” Alice returned, her body heating up at the idea of marrying Robbie.

“You know I always loved a challenge.” He swooped her off her feet and kissed her deeply.

The door slammed behind them.

“I think you’ve already won this challenge,” she whispered against his lips.

“You’ll marry me in a few weeks?”

She laughed. “No. I meant the challenge of winning my trust, and my heart.”

Robbie kissed her. “That’s the most important challenge. I’ll work on talking you into a quicker wedding date and getting your mom to like me … later.”

Then he kissed her, and she was soaring. If he kept kissing her like that, the wedding might be as quick as he wanted.

Thank you for reading Robbie and Alice’s story. I just adore them! I hope you love the European Romance Adventures!

European Romance Suspense

Chase: Austria

Robbie: Venice

Emmett: Lake Como

Parker: Switzerland

Nelson: Augustine

Rockwell: Rome