Page 116 of Protecting Mr. Fine

“I want to go to him,” I admitted, reaching out for what I wanted, the way I always urged Zane to do. “Please.”

The king gave a nod, and Gisella grinned and turned to the flight attendant. “Tell the pilot to reroute us to Majestic, please. We need to get there as soon as possible.”

What followed was a hectic and stressful hour, but soon, we were on the ground in Majestic, waiting for the steps to be lowered. There was certain security protocol that needed to be respected when the royal family landed anywhere, so I forced myself to focus on that process until the pilot had confirmed we were clear to deboard.

Thankfully, Foster Blake and several of his fellow officers were there with a fleet of official vehicles with flashing lights. A sleek Mercedes van was parked nearby, along with several dark-colored SUVs. Surely my people wouldn’t have allowed Zane to come here until we found Kasper.

But as soon as I made my way down the jet’s stairs, I saw Zane’s familiar honey-brown hair being lifted by the cold wind coming off the mountains as he stepped out of the van. My heart lurched as I scanned the area for Kasper.

My rational brain didn’t think Kasper was capable of physically harming Zane, but my heart didn’t give a fuck what my rational brain thought.

Foster approached the jet stairs first. “We got him, Ryan. He’s in custody, and we’ve confirmed he’s your guy.”

It was too good to be true. “For real? Just like that?”

He nodded. “It’s not hard to find an outsider in Majestic, even when it’s full up for the Bells. Your man registered at a hotel under his real name and was eating a sandwich in his room when we arrived. Easy peasy.”

“That sounds too good to be true,” I admitted.

“Well, fine. If you must know, your man took a little wind out of his sails first. So the perp was feeding his feelings.”

I didn’t understand what he meant, but that wasn’t my priority at the moment.

Foster saw me staring at Zane as he approached the line of officers at the entrance to the tarmac. “Let him through,” Foster called before turning to me. “I’ll take over with the royals. You go reassure your principal.”

Part of me felt like I needed to hold back on a big public display of affection at a Ventdestinian appearance, but then I remembered several things. This wasn’t a Ventdestinian appearance, we were in the States, where I could publicly display just about anything I wanted to, and I loved Zane Hendley too much to hide my true feelings for him.

I didn’t owe the Ventdestinian royal family anything. Not anymore.

Zane approached cautiously, but I threw caution to the wind and began running. Zane’s face lit up, and he picked up the pace, too, throwing himself into my arms and hugging me tightly.

“They got him,” Zane said. “He’s in custody.”

“Foster told me, honey. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

He pulled back so he could meet my eyes. “I did something, Bear. And I’m afraid you might be mad.”

“Never,” I insisted. I was too happy to see him, too relieved he was okay, to be upset at anything he might have done.

Then I remembered the one thing I wouldn’t have forgiven him for. “Tell me you didn’t put yourself in danger, Z.”

He shook his head wildly. “No, not that. I promise.”

“Then what?”

My phone buzzed with news alerts, one after the other. Zane’s eyes flicked around, suddenly looking everywhere but at me. “Um, that’s… that’s probably part of it.”

“What do you mean?”

I pulled out my phone to look, keeping one arm locked around him. A flood of headlines ran up my screen.

Rocker Reportedly Pledges $10M to Youth Winter Sports

Zee Barlo Admits to Being in Relationship with Bodyguard! “I’m In Love,” He Says.

Rock star/Bodyguard Love Stories On the Rise… IRL and On Your Shelves!

Zee Barlo, Jude Marian, Gentry Kane, and others release single to raise money for LGBTQ youth

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