Page 13 of Roaming Holiday

Nina recoils, considering my words before saying, “I don’t need a bodyguard.”

“We cannot guarantee your identities won’t be leaked to the public. We want to take precautions.”

“You’re Maia’s bodyguard, too?”

“No. Mr. Mason Antoni has been assigned to her.”

She hesitates, swiping her manicured fingers under her eyes. “Is that why you were stalking me last night?”

I clench my jaw to crush a sigh. “I was monitoring you from a distance.”

“I noticed you at the restaurant,” she deadpans. “You’re pretty awful at being undercover.”

“Preserving my identity wasn’t a priority. Your safety was.”

She rises to her feet. The yellow fabric of her dress is just tight enough for a taste of her curves. My sunglasses block my curious gaze caressing her smooth neck. I’m no stranger to beautiful women, but the file doesn’t do her justice.

Nina walks closer to me. “Do you drive me places, too?”

“Yes, we have a town car. Where to?”

“My hotel.”

Before leading her to the car, she finds Maia and meets Mason. The girls speak in low voices with each other. I scan the area to give them some semblance of privacy, as the risk of threat in the public sector of the palace is low.

I survey the city crowds during the drive. Everyday life has been a faraway world for years, and the weeks I’ve dealt with it weren’t good. I spent the better part of them reading in my room. It’s not my favorite pastime, but anything is better than adjusting to civilian life full-time instead of short increments like I’m used to. I know best how to be a soldier, a hunter. A figure more than a person. While I can’t be more different than my client in the back seat, I can sympathize. She’s being asked to give up everything she’s spent years working toward.

At the hotel, I hear Nina turn on the shower. Not long afterward, a busboy—Christopher Doukas, born and raised in Kosita to a single mom—rolls a room service cart down the hall.

I stand aside as he knocks on the door and rolls inside once she opens it. I stand in the threshold during the exchange and notice Nina in a robe, her hair wet. I want to admonish her for answering the door while damn near naked. I stare at Doukas, prepared for any wandering eyes. When he rolls the empty cart out of the room, Nina looks at me.

“Are you going to stand out there all night doing nothing?” she asks.

“A night team will take over once you go to sleep.”

Her gaze falls to my shoes. “Your legs won’t hurt standing for so long?”

I almost react to her perceptive question, but without my sunglasses, my face is easier to read. “No. But I have a chair.”

She perks. “Wait—does this mean I can send you to get me french fries? They don’t have any here.”

“No, but I will accompany you whenever you wish to go.” I nod toward the door, hinting it’s time for her to close it. “Enjoy your meal.”

8

NINA

After my room service is delivered and I change into pajamas, I plop at the table and unlock my phone with three words in mind: Ophelia Jolie Elias. I start typing the name into the search bar until a notification pops up.

Raven

So how’s the trip??? I haven’t gotten any pics!!

I click her message, my fingers hovering the keyboard. Should I tell her? We didn’t sign any non-disclosure agreements. I trust Raven, but I’m not ready to talk to anyone other than Maia about this.

It’s… eventful. It turns out my mom was from here. A lot of emotions I’m not ready to talk about, but I’ll let you know when I am! Love you.

I add three red hearts before heading back to Google. Her reply dings a second later, but I slide it away without reading. I sprinkle some pepper over my fettuccine alfredo as I click my mother’s Wikipedia page.

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