Page 96 of A Girl and HER Prince
She passed the spot in the woods where Achilles had first found them. The tree she’d hit with a flare gun was stained with black powder. They were close to Venice. “We have to be careful,” she told Turner. “Atreus Mnon and the Myrdons are nearby.”
Their pursuers had been clumped together like ants earlier; she was sure they’d run into them at any moment. Reaching Venice without incident was almost impossible, but dragging him away in his condition would be even harder.
“We’ll be careful,” Turner said. His back had tensed, but his eyes on her were full of concern. “Tell me where he is. You must return to the boat where it is safe.”
She doubted being on the water would be any better, and even if it were, Turner would never be able to find Venice on his own. “I hid him well,” she said. “We’re almost there.”
I hope!These woods were a labyrinth, and she prayed for some guidance to reach him, that Achilles and the Myrdons were long gone, and that Venice was still alive.
Please, be okay!The pang of regret over their lost futures already hung over her like a bad omen.It’ll be fine. He’s going to fine!When they found him, he’d be stubbornly clinging to life, angry like a hornet that she’d trapped him inside that altar where he was safe. And if he wasn’t?
That wasn’t an option.
The canvas bag of the first aid kit brushed against the tall grass in Turner’s tight grip. “Do you have antibiotics in there?” she asked.
“Yes and pain killers.”
She picked up her pace, rushing on ahead of him through the opening in the trees. The sea roared from the bluffs on the other side of them. Ahead of her was the sparse collection of Greek ruins. They’d find the rocks around the boulders just beyond them. She turned back to Turner. That’s when she noticed the ruby ring on his finger.
Her stomach dropped like the stone making up the galley warship’s anchor. Immediately, she turned away, afraid of what it meant,knowingwhat it meant. Deedee had given that to him.
Turner was the assassin, who’d stabbed Venice in the cave.
Her ears rang at the danger, and still somehow she put one foot in front of the other, not sure what she’d do, only that she couldn’t bring this killer to Venice… and yet, Venice so desperately needed what was in that first aid kit.
She wanted to cry. Swallowing down her fear, she brought Turner to the edge of the cliffs, wracking her brain on how to outwit the assassin. Ahead of them was the crumbling watchtower set against the bluffs like a sentinel. How it hadn’t fallen into the sea yet was anyone’s guess, and still it served as a remnant of an ancient time when these mighty inhabitants had to protect their valuable island against all invaders from the sea.
The warriors who manned that station must be good climbers because the watchtower seemed almost impossible to reach from here.
“He’s over there.” She pointed down the cliff to the watchtower.
Turner’s brow went up. “How did he get down there?”
“Right?” No explanation came to mind. Her gaze traveled to the beard Turner had been growing in since they’d last seen him. Under the sparse blonde bristles she noticed bruising where Venice must’ve punched him in their fight. And still, Turner had gone after them like the Terminator. The bodyguard was too strong for her to take out on her own.
Livvy had to be convincing or she’d never get away with this. “We were desperate,” she said. “We thought we could just take shelter there until it got dark, but then Venice was bleeding so bad that he just couldn’t make it back up. I got scared.” She bit her lip. “We’ve got to get to him.”
Turner hesitated at the top of the cliff.
Across the way where the donkeys stayed in the boatyard, she spied Deedee’s red hair whipping through the wind. Bris was with her. They were alive! Her heart fluttered with hope then halted in place when she noticed the men with them.
Was Venice’s sister also surrounded by traitors? Shadowing them from above was Atreus Mnon’s mansion. Without a radio to warn them, Livvy could only watch on helplessly as her friends headed up the winding trail against the mountainous pathway overlooking the beach.
The princess was on her way to the Paradise in the Clouds—where she’d fall into her evil uncle’s clutches.
Turner began to pick his way down the steep pathway leading to the watchtower. Forcing herself to be bold, Livvy held her hand out for the first aid kit before he got too far. “I’ll hold that,” she said.
His forehead creased in fake concern as he studied her face. “Won’t he need this down there?”
“Yes, definitely, but I’ll toss it to you so you don’t fall. It’s so steep.”
“How about you come down here with me?” The sweet Turner he’d been playing wouldn’t ask her to do that. He was onto her.
She steadied herself against the edge, trying one last time to put him at ease. “You sure you don’t want me to watch for anyone coming this direction?”
“No.” He lunged at her hand.
Crying out, she backed out of his reach and twisted around to sprint for the trees. She listened to him scramble from the rubble of rocks behind her. She pumped her arms harder to run faster.
