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“There you are!” Mallory, the head housekeeper, bustled up to them from down the hall. She clucked her tongue. “Now, my sweetheart. I can’t take this in. Goodness gracious! I overheard those handsome military men. Almost murdered? The general instructed a suite be readied and luckily a large one was empty. I’ll get a bath drawn with some tea sent up. Then you are going straight to bed. You two, come along now.”
She took Arianna’s arm and hustled her into a spacious suite at the end of the hall. Arianna stayed at the castle often, but she’d never had a suite this large. Two bedrooms off the main area with lots of space and windows and even its own kitchen nook and small dining area next to the open living room.
Arianna glanced back as Mallory directed her into the larger bedroom. Mason lifted a hand, smiling. Brad looked as if she’d deserted him. His brown-sugar gaze was full of longing.
He was the most devastatingly handsome man she’d ever laid eyes on.
Darn him. She could not let herself fall for him again. She’d been a silly teenager last time, but she was stronger now—smarter, accomplished, not mourning the loss of her mum and his.
Yet without Brad … would she ever be complete?
Goodness! She could not be sucked into the vortex of thinking Brad Rivera should be her world. Not again. All that waited in that storm was loss and pain.
ChapterFour
Brad shiftedfrom foot to foot and loosened his tie as Arianna disappeared into the bedroom with the older lady who’d come for her. Why couldn’t the general have assigned only him to watch over her? This was awkward, and with the protection of the castle and all the guards and security and cameras, they didn’t need Lieutenant Henson.
Yet the murderer had gotten into the castle as a server and almost killed Arianna right under their noses. It was a miracle she’d survived.
The lady came bustling out the door. “You two take good care of that sweetheart. You understand me?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Brad said.
“Of course, Mallory.” Lieutenant Henson beamed at her.
“That’s a good boy.” She patted his cheek. “And so handsome.” She looked between the two of them. “Both of you, smashingly handsome, aren’t you now? I don’t imagine the two of you will be sharing a bed. I’ll send some pillows and extra linens and blankets up for the couch bed.”
“Thank you, lovely Mallory,” Lieutenant Henson said.
“Thank you,” Brad added.
She nodded to him and hurried to the door. “Handsome, handsome,” she muttered, shutting the door behind her.
Brad looked around the spacious suite. It was bigger than any home he’d seen in the past eight years. And of course it was beautiful and had top-of-the-line everything. He wasn’t used to this world, and Arianna thrived in it. Another sign that he’d never be the right one for her.
“Private,” Lieutenant Henson said.
Brad’s gaze darted to him. Mason seemed like a nice and fun guy, but he thought he was dating Arianna, and Brad wanted to make certain he didn’t have that privilege.
Brad tugged at his tie again. He didn’t deserve that privilege either. Why would he stand between her and a nice guy like Mason? A lieutenant. A man who fit in and knew her world, a man who wouldn’t run from pain, take off for Africa after he’d taken advantage of two different beautiful angels in a matter of days, buried his mum, and contributed to the death of a woman he genuinely cared about.
“Brad, please, if we’re going to be working … closely together.” He scrubbed at his beard.
“All right.” The lieutenant folded his arms across his chest. He was in uniform and armed. Brad needed to have whoever the general sent to the military training center get his weapons and his uniforms and boots. “Mason, then.”
“Mason.” Brad didn’t want to do it, but he strode across the space and extended his hand.
Mason shook it. Strong grip. Not messing around. The glint in his eyes looked to be humor, but Brad couldn’t be certain. “You have a rotten, smelly, nasty history with Captain Levi Favor,” Mason said, eyeing him.
“I do.”
“Levi is my best friend.”
Brad clenched his fists and held eye contact. “I know. The history is on me.” He needed to talk this out with Levi, but the man loathed him and he didn’t see how he could change that. “I would apologize, but I don’t believe he’ll listen.”
When Brad had decided to come home, he knew he’d have to drop his pride and apologize. It needed to be done. The timing and words hadn’t come to him yet. He’d have to pray hard for help on that one.
Mason studied him and then he smiled slightly. “He is hard-headed.”
