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Aliya stayed cuddled into Curt and prayed for him to heal from his mom’s death and Suzanne’s. She prayed for his family and for Suzanne’s family. She had no clue how long they stood there, but she knew it was growing late and she’d need to get some rest soon. They’d have to leave early for the airport, and Steffan wanted to see her and clear her for travel before she got on the plane.
She pushed all of that away and focused on Curt.
He was so brave. He’d done so much to save Suzanne and he was doing so much to protect her. If only … Did she really have to go home without him? She understood he was mourning and struggling and if he had rarely left his mountain, he wouldn’t want to fly to Georgia. The terror of not knowing what had happened to her and facing life without her protector loomed threateningly in the back of her mind.
She needed to allay any guilt he might be feeling about not coming with her tomorrow. How on earth could she leave this man?
Pulling back slightly, she said, “Thank you for offering to have Sutton Smith’s men accompany and protect me.”
His eyes grew wary.
“It’s a great solution,” she said. “Until those men are caught. I’ll pray that happens soon so ya don’t have to pay Sutton’s men too much and I can have my freedom.”
She forced a smile. The thought of leaving him was horrific, and she could only imagine how her small town would react to bodyguards following her around or what the intrusion on her life would be like. But she’d deal with it to stay safe from those faceless men.
Leaving Curt would be the worst part, but after what he shared, she couldn’t ask him to follow her. Could she come back? Not for longer than a week or two. She had her life and he had his. It was depressing and darker than the inky night outside.
“Okay. Let me text Ray.”
“Bless you.”
They pulled apart, and she worried her lip while he sent the text. She wanted him to hold her close, kiss the night away, and finally stop teasing him and admit that his kisses blew any kiss she’d ever experienced out of the water. They were the best kisses of her life by a landslide.
As he pocketed his phone and looked at her, his blue eyes were stormy. They’d been so close. She’d thought she was falling in love, but now it was over. With no easy solution to be together again. This time would be a dream someday soon. A vacation from reality. Heaven on earth. But she had to let it go. Shelf it in her mind as if it was nothing more than the best and worst vacation she’d ever have.
How could she let him go?
“Aliya …” His voice was deep and uncertain. He stepped closer and cupped her cheek with his palm. She leaned into his touch, determined to savor every moment.
A rap came at the door.
They pulled apart, and she looked at the door in surprise. The guards wouldn’t just knock, would they?
Curt seemed suspicious, too. He pulled out his pistol and stepped in front of her.
“Prince Curtis?” someone called through the door. “Your guards claim you no longer offer a reprieve to rain-soaked tourists.” The man’s accent was heavy and harsh.
Curt smiled and shook his head, putting his pistol back in the holster. “Leon, you old goat. You can melt in the rain for all I care.” He strode to the door, disarmed it, unlocked it, and swung it wide.
Aliya peered into the gloom. Three men stood there. Mason, a younger guard looking wet in his gray uniform and hat, a large gun pointed at two men covered in rain slickers, and all she could see of the other two were thick beards and men’s noses.
“There he is!” One of the men moved to step into the room, but the guard nudged him with his automatic rifle and he stopped, holding his hands up and sending water everywhere. “Guard dog,” he muttered. “We’re wet old goats, not criminals. He searched us for weapons like he was guarding a prince.” He chuckled easily at his own joke.
“These men are good friends of mine,” Curt said to the guard. “I’ll vouch for them.”
The guard looked suspicious. “Sir … I know you said visitors naturally come by, but why would anyone be hiking in this weather?”
Aliya had the same thought.
“These aren’t hikers. They’re mountain men. Probably haven’t been dry or left the Alps in months. Leon and Fredrich are tough German stock. Rain won’t hurt them.”
The one who’d spoken, Leon, pushed his hood back. His dark eyes glinted at Aliya. “But we won’t turn down a warm drink and a dry bed and a chat with a beautiful lady. Who is this?”
Aliya’s heart was beating high and fast. Was it just the interested way Leon was looking at her? His face was mostly hidden by a scruffy beard, but something in this man’s eyes made her blood run cold. Could these men be the killers?
Curt wouldn’t be friends with killers and traffickers. Was she going to be overly suspicious and react to unknown men like this for the rest of her life? She hated that. She wanted to be welcoming and see the best in others, not the worst.
“My friend Julia,” Curt said, smiling at Aliya. She wasn’t sure why he hadn’t given her real name. Was he suspicious too or simply protecting her in case word spread that she was here? She wouldn’t be here tomorrow, so it didn’t really matter.
