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Four months! It was awful to leave the way she had, but how could he fall in love with another woman and cast aside true love so quickly? He hadn’t asked Jennifer to marry him in twelve years of dating but he could ask Macey Clifton four months after Jenn disappeared? His engagement had decimated her.
Seeing him today had been tough and incredible at the same time. Instead of throwing herself into Tristan’s defined, safe, perfect arms, she’d remained aloof and strong. Heaven’s help or purgatory’s curse? She couldn’t riddle that one out right now.
She stared at the cascading water over emerald green overgrowth, the beauty of Augustine that she’d missed deeply. Not as deeply as she’d missed Prince Tristan, her very own big, bad wolf. He was big and strong and definitely an alpha, yet there was nothing bad about the incredible crown prince.
She’d longed to throw herself into his arms, kiss him desperately, and talk for hours to make up for lost time, but she’d lied to him instead. As soon as she’d seen him running in front of her on the trail, she’d stalked him. Then she’d pretended she didn’t know who he was so she could hide how psychotically she’d reacted. All she’d wanted was a few stolen moments to stare into his blue eyes and feel the excitement and safety of Tristan’s love again.
She’d thrown dating other women in his face. She felt that pain deeply and had every time she’d stupidly Googled him and seen him with different gorgeous and accomplished women. The jealousy was like hot pokers slicing through her heart.
When he’d been engaged to the beautiful American Macey Clifton, Jennifer had gone into a deep funk, broken—shattered, truly. Only the children’s sweetness and need for help had dragged her out of bed each morning. Then the engagement had been broken and Macey had married Ray. Jennifer had been relieved yet still angry—at Tristan and at Macey. Had the woman played with his mind? Had Tristan realized Macey wasn’t his true love and Jennifer was? Through all the confusion and angst, the thought of him getting engaged at all and seeing him kiss Macey on the talk showJessiehad been too much to bear.
Her dad had truly refused to tell Tristan where she was? She understood now why he had been so cautious, but couldn’t he have given Tristan some hope? Maybe she shouldn’t put all the blame on Tristan for dating; her dad clearly shared part of the blame. The fact that Tristan could so easily move on and get engaged made her feel despondent and as if they didn’t have true love like they’d always claimed.
True love was stronger than a few months apart, which had made her wonder if their love was what she’d thought.
She’d originally left him with no good excuse the day after his sweet mum had died. All per her dad’s frantic pleas. She’d never seen her dad like that. He’d had been certain she would be kidnapped or murdered if she didn’t leave, and it would seem ‘natural’ for her to disappear to a humanitarian mission because she did it all the time. He’d wanted to send her mum with her, but that would have looked suspicious. He’d promised Jennifer could come back and be with Tristan when it was safe. She thought she’d be gone for a month like she usually was, but it had been eight.
It was far from safe now. The very people her dad had tried to protect her from had gone insane. Her dad should have sent her mum with her. Now her poor mother was in William and Naomi Rindlesbachers’ power. She’d seen that with her own eyes. It was obvious the Rindlesbachers were the ones who had been blackmailing her dad these long months of exile. Jennifer was terrified for her mum. She loved her dad, but he had a lot to answer for, and he seemed to have no answers to give. It was as if he’d hidden the truth and trusted no one, carrying the burden by himself for so long, he didn’t know how to bring the truth to light now or trust even those closest to him.
Her mind spun back to her lost love. Tristan had looked incredible. His blue eyes had captivated her like always. His body was strong, manly, and perfect. She’d seen his scars in pictures. Seeing them in person made her hurt for him, but they made him even more appealing—more the rugged hero than the regal crown prince. His face wasn’t picture perfect any longer, but he was even more handsome, commanding, and inspiring. The love of her life was also thoughtful, witty, and charming.
Despite her jealousy of him getting engaged and all the other women he’d dated since she’d left, obviously not longing for her as she had for him, she couldn’t imagine what he’d been going through not knowing where she was or why she’d left, losing his mum and then being viciously injured with the bombing.
She had no idea what to tell Tristan now. They were both pawns in a horrifyingly deadly game. With the deranged and too-smart William Rindlesbacher as the game leader.
She had a role to play, or she’d never see her mum alive again. William had made that very clear when he’d shown up a few days ago at an impoverished village in Mozambique with her mum and his wife Naomi.
William had allowed Jennifer to hug her mum, whose hands were bound, and then he’d smiled like the snake he was as he pulled them apart and sliced her mum’s forearm with a knife. Her mum had cried out and Jennifer had lunged at him. He’d surprised her with his speed and strength, yanking her into his chest, ripping her shirt up, and making a small cut on her abdomen. She’d screamed in surprise and pain.
The villagers had surged forward, but Naomi pulled out a gun and pointed it at the closest child, promising she was a ‘dead aim.’ Jennifer begged her friends to stay back. Thankfully they’d understood, maybe not her English but her hand gestures, and had listened.
As hot blood trickled down to Jennifer’s waist, Naomi explained Jennifer’s role in their ‘plan.’ She must return home to Augustine, speak to no one but her father about this, and await instructions as to her ‘usefulness.’ William then explained if she talked to anyone, most importantly Prince Tristan, or failed to follow his instructions, he’d send her mum home one piece at a time.
He’d shoved Jennifer away and dragged her mum by her bound hands, while escorting Naomi as if she were a queen. Her mum’s gaze begged Jennifer not to listen to him.
‘Don’t do anything he says,’ her mum had called as he’d yanked her away. ‘You can’t trust this scum!’
William had backhanded her. Jennifer had cried out at his mistreatment of her mum, but she hadn’t even reacted. How much abuse had she taken at that monster’s hands? She’d been his captive for two weeks now.
‘If she wants you to live, she’ll comply happily,’ William had snarled.
He had then shoved her mum into the back of a Jeep, loaded his wife in the passenger seat with all the grace of a chivalrous gentleman, saluted Jennifer with a smirk, climbed in, and drove away. The villagers looked at her with dark, sad eyes, obviously having no clue how to help. If only she knew how to help herself. She’d cried bitter tears watching her mum disappear with that depraved couple. Similar to the tears she shed now, mourning what she and Tristan would never have again.
Her father hadn’t been happy to see her. The memory of the horror in his brown eyes still made her gut churn. Yesterday when she arrived, her dad had hugged her fiercely, then started making plans to hide her away again, stewing the entire time about how William could have found her and how to prevent him from finding her again. Her dad hadn’t let her take a phone or anything that could track her, but maybe William had found the original plane tickets or had hired people to search for her.
Jennifer had begged her dad to let her stay and help rescue her mum. She knew he’d do anything to keep both of them safe, and the fear in his eyes told her he’d have to choose between keeping Jennifer or her mum alive. It was a precarious situation, and she had the feeling her father didn’t dare tell the entire truth to anyone, including her. Was he playing both sides? No. Her dad was loyal to the crown and his closest friend, King Nolan. He couldn’t possibly betray the king or have anything to do with the queen’s death. Right?
Staring morosely at the beautiful waterfall for a few more minutes, Jennifer dried her tears, then slowly jogged to her parents’ second home in Greenville. They had a lovely home along the river on the outskirts of Traverse, but her father spent so much time at the castle they’d acquired a beautiful two-story, four-bedroom cottage on the edge of the lake, sheltered by the trees from Greenville village and the castle but still close. Tragically, it was the very lake Tristan’s mum had drowned in.
Pushing the button to open the blinds, she admired the view of the deep blue lake and the lush green mountains framing it. What would she do all afternoon waiting for her father to get home? He’d advised her not to let anyone see her. She’d taken the long route around the lake to avoid the village and then headed up the waterfall trail, needing a run and to be outside amidst Augustine’s beauty.
What were the odds she’d run right into Tristan? If heaven or some other factor was involved, it didn’t seem fair to force them together when they couldn’t be together. Yet, she couldn’t find it in her to regret seeing the love of her life. Having to lie to him irked her. Not being able to hug and kiss and love him bothered her even more. Wondering which gorgeous woman would be on his arm for his brother’s wedding today galled her.
Her father would have to attend Prince Derek and Ellery Monson’s wedding this afternoon. The exclusive invitation was sitting on the entry table. He’d come home from his meetings soon to dress, then leave her again to go to the wedding, dinner, and reception. She’d sit here alone waiting for him, wishing she was with him and with Tristan.
After the wedding, her dad promised he’d be home to figure out how to proceed. It didn’t appear he had any solution, or that he felt he could turn to the royal family as he would’ve previously done. Both terrified her. Her dad had always been a superhero to her, and with King Nolan and Tristan, they could find a solution to any problem.
The royal family were the most loyal and impressive people she’d met on her vast travels around the globe. If Tristan and his twin General Raymond couldn’t conquer William and Naomi Rindlesbacher and rescue her mum, she didn’t know who could. If only she could confide in Tristan, but her dad had said she couldn’t talk to anyone or it could mean her mum’s death sentence.
