Page 101 of A Girl and HER Prince
“And Deedee,” she said. “Achilles helped you?”
“Yes, my uncle is using his mother against him, and pretty much everybody now. That’s why they’re taking everyone captive, not killing them. Atreus Mnon will have more than enough hostages to control Achilles and make him do anything he wants.”
“Which means some of them will be expendable,” she whispered. Atreus Mnon was cooperating now, but she doubted he’d see the use for them later if he saw any of them as a threat—Deedee and Bris wouldn’t make for very compliant or pleasant prisoners.
Venice groaned. “My same thoughts exactly. We have to stop those traitors from taking out Bris’s bodyguards.”
“We don’t have much time. We’d have to run across the island… or maybe those cable cars…”
“By then it’ll be too late for them.” He leaned back, eyeing the watchtower. “Does Deedee know what those smoke signals mean?”
Livvy gasped. “Yes, three puffs of smoke means danger, but…”
“… we don’t have a way to start a fire,” he finished for her.
“We do.” The matches were in the first aid kit. “In here!” She pulled them out. “I don’t know if Deedee will figure out that I’m trying to signal to her.”
“Livvy, listen to me.” His hand went to hers. “We have to try. Get it to work. I’ll go after them.”
“Not you,” she said. “You’re hurt.”
“I have to! It’s my sister!”
“Then I’ll go.” He’d never make it in this state. He was ready to collapse. “You can do the fire.”
“I won’t be able to climb into that watchtower. Please… if I catch up to them, then I’ll just need to shout to her bodyguards. They can do the rest.”
It was too risky! But what choice did they have? Deedee and his sister’s lives were in danger. “Are you just trying to keep me far away from the fighting?”
“Honey…” He struggled to his feet. “I’d rather die than let anything happen to you, so yeah. Okay? But also… this just might work.”
It could. She hated to admit that because she’d tried so hard to keep him safe. All her fears after losing her father came rushing back; the pain, the misery. She should’ve thought twice before getting so close to this man, and yet… loving him despite what she still could lose had been worth it, wasn’t it? Letting out a shudder, she grasped his arms. “Just promise you won’t do anything stupid… promise me you won’t die!”
He kissed her. What kind of answer was that? A good one that sent sizzles of electricity through her that showed just how much strength and energy he had left. And maybe there was something else behind his passionate embrace? A future?
They could go against the powers of darkness and come out victorious. She nodded, pulling away. “Let’s get this over with! Go!”
He turned from her, and she remembered the painkillers and antibiotics in the first aid kit. She swiped them out and ran after him, shoving them into his hands. “Take these!”
He nodded as her foot brushed a pink glittery phone case. She glanced down. Deedee’s phone! And it was streaming. “We’ve got an audience,” she said. “Did you know…?”
He was halfway up the ravine. “Yes! Don’t worry about calling out for help. There’s enough people who know we’re up here by now.”
Yeah, exactly 2.5 million.
“Bris isn’t answering. Just sign off,” she heard him say before his voice got cut off by the wind. He scrambled over the top of the bluffs, disappearing from view.
Her hands tightened over the phone. This was staying on. If they didn’t survive this, she wanted the world to know their story. Staring into the screen, Livvy imagined all the faces behind it. “If anyone knows the numbers to those bodyguards on Bris’s security team, I hope you’re calling them. If not… start praying that I can get a fire started and figure out smoke signals.”
Rocks cascaded down one side of the tower like it had been gutted by a cannonball—or more likely a lightning strike. The granite was scorched at the bottom and tall weeds sprouted from the stones with more springing out from the top that grew from the inside. The weeds could be used for kindling, and would also provide some handholds. At least she’d found some shoes in Turner’s boat.
Dah! That Turner! He was still knocked out on the ground to the side of her. They should’ve tied him up, anything, but there just wasn’t enough time to figure out how.
She pushed the phone into her pocket, scrambling up the side of the watchtower. Relief filled her when she realized how much easier this was after the fishbowl.
Her eyes swerved back to Turner. How could she think he was so sweet when he was capable of trying to murder them in cold blood? And yet, who knew what his childhood had been like in Tirreoy?
Stop thinking about it. Keep climbing!
