Page 86 of Cooper

“I know what you need me to do.”

“Technically, it doesn’t matter. She wants to leave him. I’m going to try to find her a job at the palace. We’ll have to figure out childcare, but she’s finally had enough. Thank goodness.”

“Let’s get some sleep and revisit this in the morning. I’m fucking beat.”

“You and me both.”

TWENTY-NINE

Cooper

Natalia falls asleep instantlybut it’s harder for me. I slept a little before she called me to pick her up from the hospital, and now I’m struggling to doze off.

I keep thinking about these Arabic men who weren’t an issue until I got to Limaj.

What’s happening here?

It bothers me that this started happening after I got here.

Actually, no.

It started afterParis.

When the pictures of me with the Limaji “socialite” hit some of the media outlets. It’s not a huge thing, and mostly news throughout Europe since my family didn’t see or hear anything, but it’s still out there. Captain Ryan Cooper dating mysterious Limaji woman… how many times did I repeat my name, rank, and serial number while I was being tortured?

None of it makes sense.

At six thirty, I drag myself out of bed because I’m done tossing and turning. Natalia is out cold, which is good because she was up much later than me, so I pull on shorts and a T-shirt and decide to go for a run.

To my surprise, I run into Sandor outside.

He gives me a grin. “Up early or couldn’t sleep?”

“Both.”

He nods. “Joe told me what’s on your mind.”

“Yeah. I can’t shake the feeling this is about me. If that’s the case, I have to get as far away from you and the royal family as possible.”

He frowns. “That’s not how we handle problems in our family.”

“My job, as a Royal Protector, is to do whatever it takes to protect the king and his family, right? I can’t do that with a target on my back.”

“No, but we can eliminate that target just like we would an enemy of the king.”

“Long-term, that’s great. Short-term, I can’t go back to the palace.”

“Let’s make sure we know what we’re dealing with before you make any decisions. So far, there’s no evidence this is about you. We have so many enemies, how do we decide if this one is different?”

“It’s time for me to go back to the States anyway. I have to close up my apartment and pack my shit. Spend a couple of days with my mom. I just…well, it’s time for me to shit or get off the pot. I need to go home and clear my head before I can do that.” I take a breath. “But I need a favor.”

“Name it.”

“You have to tell Natalia she can’t come.”

He sighs.

“I know. It pisses me off too, but if I am the target, she becomes a target with me. Like yesterday. And Marcus…” I stare up at the sky in frustration, hands on my hips. “He’s out of commission now—what? Six weeks? Eight?”

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