Page 79 of Trapped with the Undercover Prince

“Look at me,” she ordered, pointing at her face. “Do I look happy? I’ve been crying. I just had to tell a man I love and adore that I can’t be with him. This is painful for both of us. Why would I lie about that?”

He stared at her, his lips twisted into a grimace. “Shut up.” He turned to Zar. “Call the queen. I have a list of demands.”

“I will need to pull my phone out of my jacket pocket,” Zar said, nodding at it where it hung off the back of his chair.

“Doctor, come over here.”

“No thank you.”

“Do as you’re told, or I will shoot both of you right now.”

“Go,” Zar said softly to her.

She glanced at him, and he nodded.

“This is a terrible idea,” she muttered as she walked slowly over to Anton. The closer she got, the worse he looked. His face was pale, his lips tinged with blue, and there was blood splattered on his clothing over his chest. His hands were shaking hard enough to ruin his aim. He could shoot any of them, himself included, accidentally.

Anton grabbed her arm and yanked her closer, but the move unbalanced him, and he stumbled into her. He got the gun up and aimed more or less at her before Zar could do more than take a lone step.

“The call,” Anton said. His voice grated across her skin like a thousand knives. “Get your phone.”

He was breathing much too fast, and every inhale and exhale sounded like an ancient lawnmower engine laboring to start. His pale skin, bluish lips, and rapid breathing all pointed to badly damaged lungs.

Zar raised his hands, then pulled the phone from an inner jacket pocket. He made the call.

“Speaker,” Anton wheezed.

A moment later, a woman’s voice said, “Hello, Zar? Where are you?”

Anton shook his head so hard he almost stumbled again.

“Hello, Mother. Anna and I are chatting with Mr. Anton Gaumond. He has something he’d like to say to you. Would you mind listening?”

There was a pause. “Mr. Gaumond, are you there?”

He tried to clear his throat, but it took a few seconds before he managed to say anything. “Did you get my demands?”

“Just a few minutes ago, yes.” She paused. “It’s quite a long list, and it is impossible to meet these demands by the deadline.”

---