Page 38 of Her Royal Rebellion

The king straightened. “And why would you instantly think of him?”

“He was aggressive toward the princess, possessive and controlling. He didn’t respect her boundaries, and I noticed him watching her in a manner none of the other suitors did. He seemed a bit obsessed. He wasn’t pleased when she told him to leave yesterday. From the first time I saw him, I had a bad feeling about him.”

Queen Anne nodded. “If you think it’s him, please do everything you need to get her back.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I will put together a team of my most trusted men. Once I have more information on Marius and his properties, we will leave.” I turned my attention to the king. “Sir, if you would reach out to the king and find out what you can, that would be helpful. We need to know if this was done with the crown’s assistance.”

He understood what I left unsaid. This could be the beginning of a war.

“I will call him now.” He turned and left the room while the queen sat next to Bill.

“What time did the switch occur?” she asked.

Bill clicked a few times. “Seven after one this morning.”

“It’s been almost eight hours. She could be halfway around the world by now.” Her voice quivered. I wanted to comfort her, but honestly, a small piece of me blamed her and the king for this. If they had just listened to her and respected her wishes, Marius never would have been here in the first place. Strangers wouldn’t have been invited into their home. She never would have been made a target.

But that was cruel right now. She was a mother with a missing child. “Don’t worry, Your Majesty. I will find her.”

Her eyes found mine, and I saw a flicker of awareness but it was gone as quickly as it came. I didn’t have time to figure out what it meant. I had work to do.

I moved to where Shane was working and bent down. “We’re going after Marius.”

He nodded. “I’ve already pulled his information. He lives on a vineyard in the south eastern portion of the country. It’s secluded but has very little in the way of security.”

“Great. I need you to call the guys. Tell them to be ready to leave in an hour.”

“Done.”

I pulled out my phone and called my sergeant. He would be able to get the equipment and transportation we needed together in time without dealing with red tape.

“McCready, I wasn’t expecting to hear from you so soon. Have you made a decision?”

“Not quite, sir. I’m calling about something else.” I looked around the room and made sure no one was paying attention to me. “Princess Isla has been taken. We have a suspect and his primary residence. We’re putting together a team to go to Suruso now, but I need—”

“Tactical gear and a plane. Understood. I will have everything at the base ready within the hour.”

His calm, no nonsense attitude put me at ease. This was a mission and he knew exactly what to do. I did, too. I just needed to focus. I’d led rescues before. I could do this.

“Thank you, sir. I will see you soon.”

I slipped my phone back in my pocket and went in search of the king. I needed to know what we were up against before we were in the air.

15

Isla

This wasn’t my bed. I forced my eyes open, fighting through the gritty, dry feeling behind my eyelids and took in my surroundings. This wasn’t my room. I sat up and nearly threw up. My head pounded and my stomach rolled. What happened?

I didn’t recognize anything around me. The room had soft green walls with tan tile floors. The bed was large with a white and tan duvet. There was a window to my left, but it felt a mile away.

This wasn’t the palace. I knew that from the moment I awoke. I could sense it. This room had a Mediterranean vibe. The walls had curved corners, and I could see a red roof outside the building. I stood slowly and took careful, quiet steps toward the window. I leaned against the wall and used it to hold me up and finally reached my goal.

“What?” I gasped. I was surrounded by land in every direction. I’d never seen this landscape before. There were perfectly straight rows of small trees for miles. A vineyard?

My training kicked in. I was safe for the moment. I was being kept in what looked like a mansion not a cement bunker. Whoever had taken me wanted to keep me alive. They also came from money. Either this was some sort of organized crime group, or… my thoughts changed direction and I froze. It was one of the suitors. My gut knew this was right immediately. Any of the men would have this kind of wealth, plus the connections and resources to kidnap a princess.

I had to find a phone. I scanned the room, but it was sparsely decorated with just a bed, chaise, and wardrobe. There was one door directly across from the bed, and one to the right, across from the window. I assumed that was the bathroom, but investigated.