Page 15

Chapter

Ten

“ W hat do you mean she didn’t show up for work? But you said she’d be here!”

London exclaimed.

She looked at Matt, then back at Carol. The woman gave her a sympathetic look.

“I’m really sorry. I expected her to come in today. She said she would. For as long as I’ve known her, she never calls out. I spoke to her supervisor who told me she hadn’t heard from Paris. I believe she’s been phoned, but with no answer.”

London sighed. “Carol, I appreciate your help, but doesn’t someone know where she lives, anyone who can check in on her to make sure she’s okay?”

Carol shrugged. “I guess I could ask her boss for an address. Why don’t you two wait in the lobby for me and I’ll see what I can find out,” she offered.

London and Matt followed her inside and took a seat on a plush couch. London turned to Matt when Carol was out of earshot. “Something’s happened to my sister.”

Matt took her hand in his, patting it in reassurance. “She might be running late.”

London snatched her hand away, shooting him a glare. “I’m not in the mood to be patronized, Matt.”

He lifted a brow in surprise. “I wasn’t trying to do that, babe. I’m simply weighing all the possibilities.”

She rubbed his knee. “I’m sorry. I guess I’m being a little testy, but it’s hard to explain what I’m feeling right now.”

“Then make me understand. Try.”

She searched his thin face. The warmth of his hazel eyes was reassuring. London loved Matt with all her heart. How lucky she was to have literally crash landed into his life.

Finding Matt on the quest to locate her missing sister made every ordeal she’d faced thus far worth it. Without him, she’d be lost. He wasn’t like the overbearing men on Thibius. Instead, he possessed a quiet inner strength that drew her to him like a moth to flame.

His every touch set her body on fire and every look made her heart beat faster.

London never thought she’d ever find anyone to love as much as she did Matthew Taylor. Now, she finally understood why her mom walked around with a perpetual smile on her lips and a spring in her step.

Love had opened the door to so many wonders London hadn’t known existed. Though she wouldn’t have done anything differently, her one regret for stealing away to Earth the way she had was leaving her family behind.

She couldn’t help but wonder how General Zahn had taken the news of her disappearance. He probably didn’t care. She would have been nothing but another trophy to him anyway.

Matt waved his hand in her face. “Earth to London.”

She snapped out of her musings and looked at Matt. “I’m sorry.”

“Where were you just now?”

“I was thinking about us, and how much I love you.”

He captured her hand and brought it to his lips.

Her pulse quickened.

“And you know how much I love you. How about telling me what you were

feeling, about your sister, I mean.”

“Well, I know we’ve been separated for a long time, but ever since I’ve come back to Earth, I’ve felt another force. Maybe it’s her spirit. Now… I don’t have that sensation anymore. I fear something has happened to her, almost as if she’s far away.”

“Hopefully that’s not the case. Look, there’s Carol now.”

The brunette approached them. “It took a little arm twisting, but I have an

address. I would like to go with you two, but I have to get back to work. I hope you find her okay.”

London took the slip of paper Carol held out. “Thank you. I hope things will be okay too.”

“I don’t have a good feeling about this place, Matt.” London studied her

surroundings.

Matt frowned. “What do you mean? This is the address Carol gave us.”

“I know, but I don’t feel my sister’s presence. If she was on the other side of this door, I’d know it.”

“It’s possible she’s stepped out.”

“But Carol said it isn’t like her to not show up for work. Something tells me she’s in distress.”

“How about we knock on the door first and see if she’s home. Then we’ll go from there,” he suggested.

“What, sweetheart?”

“Okay, but you knock. I’m way too nervous. You know what?” London had a sudden epiphany.

“That door we went through to get inside the building…”

“Yes?”

“It was supposed to be locked wasn’t it?”

Matt scratched his head. “It looked like it was.”

“So why wasn’t it? We were able to walk in. It was almost as if someone

tampered with the lock.”

“That doesn’t mean anything. The door could have been broken.”

London sighed, still feeling uneasy about the situation. “I suppose you’re right.

Maybe my imagination is getting the better of me. Go ahead and knock.”

When Matt’s fist connected with the door, it flew open. “Okay, now I don’t like the looks of this. Something is definitely amiss.”

London followed Matt inside, her body tense from not knowing what to expect.

The tiny room had an abandoned feel about it. Stranger still, the shower was still running.

She felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. “Now I know for sure. Something has happened to my sister.”

“I still think we should call the police,” Matt suggested.

London and Matt had spent the night in Paris’s apartment in hopes that she’d return. There was no sign of her, but London had found some old pictures of her sister stored away, confirming this was indeed where Paris lived.

“And what exactly will I say to them? You said yourself police don’t usually fill out a missing person’s report for at least forty-eight hours.”

“That’s if foul play isn’t suspected.”

“I can’t say ‘I think my sister has been kidnapped because I feel it.’ They would want physical proof right?”

Matt grimaced. “Maybe you should leave that part about your feeling out of it and stick to things they can report, like the fact that she didn’t show up for work yesterday.”

London sighed. Matt was probably right like he usually was. “That makes sense, but?—"

A sudden pounding of the door cut off what she had to say next.

Matt stood up from his chair and pushed her behind him. “I’ll get the door. You stay here.”

“Do you think it could be the people who took Paris away?”

“We don’t know for sure if a third party was involved.”

Matt didn’t have a chance to answer the door because it burst open. A tall blond man flanked by two companions stood in the doorway.

London’s eyes widened. “Father!”

“Please don’t be mad at me, Papa. I had to find my sister. It was important to me. She’s my other half. I couldn’t go on without at least seeing her for myself and knowing she is happy. Besides, I can’t marry Zahn, even if I hadn’t met and fallen in love with Matt.”

London took her father’s hand, hoping he wouldn’t be too angry with her. It surprised her to see her father here on Earth. After giving her a fierce hug, he and his men had escorted her back to their ship.

London had refused to leave without Matt. It had taken some convincing, but her father finally conceded. Once on the ship, he ushered her to his private study and demanded she tell him everything that had happened to her from the time the heliocraft crashed.

She looked at her father wishing he would say something —anything. “Why aren’t you speaking to me? I know I shouldn’t have stolen your ship, but…”

He held up his hand to halt her words. “London, it’s not that you stole the ship that upsets me, but your blatant disregard for other people’s feelings.

Your mother cried herself to sleep every night since you left and when we heard the heliocraft crashed, it was another nightmare we had to deal with.

I don’t think I ever want to go through that again.

If I’m angry, it’s only because I love you very much and I feared for your life. ”

Tears swam in her eyes. “Oh, Papa. I can’t tell you how sorry I am. I’ve dishonored your name.”

He squeezed her hand. “You could never do that. I’ve never been more proud to call you daughter. Though I can’t condone your methods, what you did was a brave thing. And it was a noble cause. You never gave up on finding Paris when others had.”

“I felt that she was alive.”

“We should have listened and if we had, we could have found her together.”

“Maybe but then I wouldn’t have met Matt. He’s the most amazing person. He’s handsome, considerate and super smart. He knows things about space that I bet even Thibian scientists don’t know.”

The Emperor’s lips tightened to a firm line. “London, you’re a princess and meant to live like one. From what you tell me, this Matt person owns a small house and doesn’t make that much money.”

“I never said that. He makes pretty good money for this country’s standards.”

“But not to mine.”

Paris rolled her eyes. “You’re the Emperor of Thibius. There aren’t many people who would equal you in wealth.”

He folded his arms across his massive chest. “But that leads me back to my question. What does he have to offer you?”

“Love. He can give me that and then some. When I look at him, I feel the same way you do when you look at my mother. He makes my heart beat fast and I feel sad when he’s not around. He’s kind, gentle, considerate and he treats me like a queen.”

Blaze rubbed his chin, as though contemplating what she’d said. “A queen you say?”

“Yes. He wants to marry me and I’d like to raise a family with him.”

“If your wish is to be with Matt, then I’ll see to it that he’s given a proper job once on Thibius, earning enough to keep you in the style you’re accustomed to.”

“Papa.” She tried to gentle her voice because the next bit of news would probably upset him. “I don’t think you understand what I’m trying to get at.”

“What?”

“Matt and I… we’re going to live on Earth. That’s where I’d like to raise my family. Being a princess was nice, but I want my children to grow up in the place of my birth. I think it would be an ideal situation.”

He stood up suddenly. “No!” he yelled in a thundering voice. “I can’t let you do that.”

Weeks ago, she would have argued with him, but now she saw his anger for what it was, fear of losing her. His love for her was so touching the tears ran down her face. “I’ve given this some thought and my mind is made up. I’m not a little girl anymore and the decision is mine.”

“Do you realize how your mother will take this news?”

London nodded. She’d already thought about it. “Yes, I think she’ll be upset, but I think she will eventually understand.”

“But Earth is so primitive. They get around in cars. We haven’t had cars on Thibius for at least several hundred years.”

“I can learn to deal with the technology here. As long as I have Matt by my side, I can make it through most anything.”

Her father paced the room before halting to give her a long hard look. Finally his features softened. “You’re serious aren’t you?”

“Yes, Papa. You could always send a ship for me to visit and I can take some Thibian technology back to Earth with us to stay in contact with you and the family.”

“Zahn will have to be informed the engagement is off.”

“I know. Maybe when we get back to Thibius I should be the one to tell him. That would be the right thing to do.”

Blaze smiled. “I’m very proud of you. I appreciate your maturity. This Matt has certainly changed you for the better. And if you love him, I could learn to love him too.”

“Do you think Zahn will be very angry?”

“Knowing what a prideful man he is, probably. He went in search of you.”

“Oh, no!”

“What?” her father asked with a look of concern on his face.

“I just had a thought. What if Zahn went to Earth with a DNA tracker and got Paris instead of me? That would be a disaster.”

“Hmm, I hadn’t thought of that possibility, but if that’s the case, we’re in for a nice family reunion.”

“But what if he mistreats her? He’ll think she’s me, and…”

Her father raised a dark blond brow. “If I for one moment thought General Zahn had it in him to mistreat a woman, do you think I would have chosen him for you? I know you didn’t care for him, but he is a good man, London.”

London knew her father was right, but she couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that had taken over.

Even if Zahn didn’t hurt her sister, she could imagine how frightened Paris would be to be taken by some strange man who claimed he was her mate.

She shuddered at the thought. “If she is with him, I hope she’s safe. ”

Blaze smiled at his daughter. “If she’s anything like you, then she’s a fighter. I have a feeling a reunion between the two of you is imminent.”

“I hope so. Seeing her again will make everything perfect.” The thought of seeing her sister filled her with excitement.

“Yes, it would. It would certainly make your mother happy. I’m also eager to meet her. If she looks anything like you, I’m sure I’ll love her just as much as I love all my children.”

London giggled at her father’s joke. “Papa, we’re twins!”

He winked at her. “I know.” Then his smile slowly faded. “There is something I’ll have to learn how to do,” he said with a sigh.

“What’s that?”

“Letting you go.”

The tears wouldn’t be held back this time. London walked into her father’s arms.

“You’ll never have to let me go With Thibian technology we can see each other often.”

“If only you didn’t run off in the first place.”

She sighed. “But then I wouldn’t have met Matt.”

Her father frowned. “I’m not really sure I’m happy with this Matt person. He seems like a nice enough man, but he’s a commoner. What could he possibly offer my daughter who’s grown up in the lap of luxury?”

London smiled. “Everything, Papa. He can offer me everything.”