Page 15 of Royal Caleva: Luis

“Mikel is in charge of my personal security, as well as being a trusted advisor.” Luis spoke with sudden intensity. “He came to me after Gabriel’s kidnapping and was instrumental in arranging his release.”

“Ah.” Whoever had been in charge of security when his nephew was kidnapped probably was not working for the king any longer.

She went around the table and held out her hand. “No curtsy either, right?”

He nodded and folded his fingers around hers, laying his other hand on top. “It has been a great pleasure to meet you. I know it is not necessary, but I would like to thank you again for being such a wonderful mother to Grace.”

All she could focus on were the sparks flickering up her arm from where his skin touched hers. His grip was strong, yet protective.

When he released her hand, she mentally shook herself and tucked her hand into her skirt pocket. Luis had said something nice to her, hadn’t he? “Thank you,” she said. “But I’m the lucky one. Grace is an amazing person.”

He walked beside her to the door. She was aware of his long stride and of a faint scent that evoked fresh air. When he reached for the doorknob, she felt the tiny brush of his shirtsleeve against the fabric of her blouse. What was wrong with her?

She stepped through the door to put some distance between them before she pivoted. “I’ll be in touch as soon as I speak with Grace.”

He lowered his chin, almost in a bow. “I am in your debt.”

The receptionist was standing partway down the hall. As soon as Eve reached her, the woman smiled and turned to accompany her.

In the lobby, Eve looked around the silent, empty space and realized something. The lawyers in the office weren’t lazy—they and their clients had been cleared out for this meeting.

“You’re not really a receptionist, are you?” Eve said to the young woman. “You’re with the king, right?”

The woman unlocked and opened the front door for her. “I am part of el Rey Luis’s security team.”

Right. He traveled with his own personal security.

Grace’s father could claim all he wanted that he was just Luis Dragón, but Eve understood who he really was.

Luis watched from the window as Eve Howard headed down the sidewalk to her car, her steps slow, as though she was lost in thought. Not surprising, given their meeting.

A knock sounded on the office door.

“Come in, Mikel,” Luis called.

His security chief entered in his silent way and gave a slight bow. “May I ask how the conversation went, Señor?”

With some difficulty, Luis separated his anticipation of connecting with his daughter from his objective evaluation of how Eve Howard had responded to his revelations. “On balance, it went well. Señora Howard seemed sure that Grace would choose to meet with me. That is the outcome I hoped for.”

“And the DNA test?”

“She understood the necessity for it, given who I am.” Luis frowned. Eve had not commented on whether she thought Grace would be willing to take the test.

“Does she know who Grace’s birth mother is?” Mikel asked in a neutral tone.

“It was unavoidable.” Luis grimaced. “I told her as little as possible about Gabriel’s kidnapping, but it was impossible not to explain the reason Odette is in prison.”

“Señora Howard strikes me as an intelligent woman who would understand some of the less positive implications of her daughter’s relationship with you,” Mikel said.

“Yes, she will conclude that being related to me could put her daughter in danger. I even told her that some security would be necessary if Grace allows me to acknowledge her as my daughter.”

Mikel nodded.

“You, too, have a daughter, one you love deeply,” Luis said. “Would you refuse to include her in your life because it might put her in harm’s way?”

A haunted expression flickered across Mikel’s face. Luis knew Mikel carried a dark past, but the man was loyal to the core, and that was all Luis asked.

“Our positions in life are very different,” Mikel said. “In my case, I took Serena away from a dangerous environment.”

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