Page 34 of Her Prince in Disguise
She was reaching for the elevator call button when the building receptionist called out to her. Andi turned, lifting her eyebrows in silent question. The receptionist waved for Andi to approach the desk. “Sorry, luv,” she said with a grin, hefting a box off the floor. “This was just delivered for ye a few minutes ago. Glad I caught ye before ye headed up for the day.” She dumped the box onto the counter. “Its heavy!”
Andi eyed the plain, brown-paper-wrapped package with misgivings, wondering what she should do. The only writing on the paper was her name and the address of the London headquarters.
“Ms. McCormick?” the woman behind the counter prompted.
Andi jumped slightly, lifting her eyes from the box to the woman.
“Right,” Andi whispered, and accepted the box. However, instead of taking it up to the conference room and handing it over to Laith’s guards, Andi carried the box over to the sitting area. Sitting down on one of the uncomfortable benches, she stared at the box for a long moment.
“I should take you to Laith,” she whispered to it.
“Ms. McCormick?”
Andi turned to find the receptionist rushing over to her. “This letter came with the box. Sorry!” she gushed, handing it over. “It got lost in the rush of deliveries this morning.”
The woman then turned and headed back to the reception desk.
Andi held the letter, her instincts warning her not to open it. Her gut told her that she wasn’t going to like what was inside.
But Andi tore it open anyway. She had to know! The last box had been taken from her and the contents x-rayed. No one had told her what, exactly, was in that box and she hadn’t asked. But the possibilities had lingered in her thoughts.
Sure enough, as soon as she unfolded the letter, Andi’s instincts were confirmed.
If you continue your affair with your boss, I will kill him. And rest assured, I will kill him in the slowest, most painful way possible. I will ensure he suffers with every slice of my blade into his flesh! He thinks he’s so strong and powerful, but I can get to him. Every day, I am close enough to slide a knife directly through his ribs. And when I do, I’ll make sure to only nick his stomach, letting the bile seep out into his abdomen.
Andi gasped, covering her mouth with her hand as she re-read the words, hoping she’d made a mistake and had read the words incorrectly. The writer went on to list all of the times they had been close enough to hurt Laith.
She glanced down at the box. It was neatly wrapped in regular brown paper with a computer printed label. The return address was a post office box in the United States. In Philadelphia! Good grief, the post office box that was less than two blocks from her apartment!
Andi’s hands shook as she tore through the brown paper and lifted the lid. But her stomach roiled with horror at the diorama displayed. It wasn’t a sex scene this time. Instead, it showed Laith lying in a pool of his own blood!
Andi slapped the lid on the box, trying to control her sobs. Laith was in danger! And all she could do to protect him was stop seeing him.
She looked around, trying to see if anyone was watching her. Thankfully, everyone seemed to be preoccupied with their own agendas as they rushed through the lobby. No one was paying attention to Andi.
Glancing at the time, she realized that she needed to hurry to the office for a meeting with the production staff. She was supposed to revise the departmental budgets for the next quarter. But…what should she do about the box? She couldn’t bring it to the conference room. Everyone would ask what was in the box and there was no way she could show them.
Everything inside of her screamed to protect Laith. Even if she wasn’t in love with him…!
Andi froze as she replayed that thought in her mind.Wasshe in love with Laith?
No! Impossible! She didn’t know him well enough to love him! They hadn’t talked enough about their feelings andbeliefs! Andi rubbed her forehead and sighed, trying to get control of her emotions. This…whatever “this” was…was just lust. The fact that she enjoyed seeing him, felt more alive whenever she knew he was close by, was irrelevant.
A little voice in her head whispered, “Then why are you so terrified of him dying?”
It wasn’t just the possibility of Laith dying, she thought. It was the possibility of him being hurt in any way.
So, what did she feel? Andi blinked rapidly, trying to hide the tears that suddenly threatened. It was impossible that she loved the man. She didn’t know him well enough to love him. She didn’t…!
None of that mattered right now, she thought. Laith was in danger. Someone was threatening him…because of her association with him.
What was she going to do? What did these overwhelming feelings of protectiveness mean about her feelings for the man?
That was a valid question, but Andi didn’t have time to figure it out. Maybe later, when she was alone, in the privacy of her hotel room, she could examine her feelings for Laith. But right now, she needed…she should…!
Her phone buzzed, but Andi ignored it. She couldn’t translate the sound her phone had made into anything logical. Not when Laith’s life had just been threatened.
Her only thought at this moment was that shehadto protect him! She couldn’t do anything that would jeopardize Laith’s life!
