Page 67 of A Girl and HER Prince
“Any luck finding a landline?” she called over her shoulder.
“Not yet,” he said, returning to his sandwich, “but there has to be something.” A place like this would need a way of reaching the outside world. Cellphone service would be hard to find here.
“There wasn’t a phone in the kitchen either.” She glanced back at him, “but… there was a donkey.”
He twisted around at that, surprise taking over his face. “A donkey?”
“Yeah, three of them, and they are very naughty, so these people have to come back here soon to collect them.”
“Sure… unless they’re trying to dump them on us,” he said. Creases of humor wrinkled around his eyes. “That’s why we need to find that phone. We can’t let them get away with it.”
The thought of the owners abandoning this majestic mansion just to escape their donkeys made her smile. She wouldn’t mind taking over their care… as long as she also got Venice in the deal.
And where did that reckless fantasy come from? It must be that mermaid costume talking or, more likely, fighting for their survival together had a way of softening her up like nothing had before.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Venice let out a breath of relief when he saw the phone in the library. It was wedged between the collectibles of glass figurines and shells, so that he could scarcely believe the old-school phone wasn’t part of this family’s vast collection of valuables.
He wasn’t going to lie—the thought of having Livvy to himself for a few days at a dream getaway sounded fantastic, even in his injured state, butnotwhen his sister and friends could be in danger.
He just didn’t know which ones to warn off from who.
He hobbled over to the phone, feeling like an old man. Every part of him ached from that fight in the cavern. He’d had no idea how bad it was getting until he’d tried to hike from one side of the island to the other after that storm. He just wanted to lay down face first in that Jacuzzi outside with the rest of the patio furniture.
Get over yourself, Venice!As soon as they got out of here, he could find himself a nice, cozy hospital bed where he could sleep for days.Maybe then I’ll have the strength to figure out what I’m doing with my future… if I have one.
Picking up the phone, his heart sank when only dead sound met his ears. Their luck was out—the storm had taken down the landline. He slammed down the receiver, groaning.
They were in trouble.
“Livvy?” he called out to her.
There had to be a better way of contacting each other in this huge monstrosity of a house. It was far bigger than anything that he was used to living in. For all his family’s wealth, his father had lived conservatively, so that the bigger expenditures were done discreetly and towards business ventures and investing, all meant to grow their wealth and security.
That was why his father had been so shocked when Venice had bought the yacht. His son had been a horrible disappointment, and now Venice was about to confess the failed assassination attempt and how he’d left behind his bodyguard, which his father would take as him being right abouteverythingall along.
Obviously, Venice wasn’t looking forward to it. And yet, he’d go through the humiliating lectures to make sure no one else got hurt. It had been the struggle of his life to stop Livvy from flagging down that boat, and yet, once everyone knew what had happened, what would stop that traitor from trying to silence the survivors with an accident?
He couldn’t defeat this on his own because he didn’t understand the mind of evil, and so he couldn’t second guess it, couldn’t outwit it. Even now, he was losing.
He swallowed, feeling his despair curdle his stomach, worse than the sharp, piercing pain under his worn bandages. Venice was completely helpless in the face of all this and he hated it. He’d sworn that no one would have the power to break him again, and after all his efforts to ensure that he never cared about anything, he did… and deeply.
“Did you need me?” Livvy was a welcome sight as she strode into the room in PJ bottoms and a soft sweater. Her hair was wet like she’d just washed it. He took a deep breath, getting ready to hide these dark thoughts from her.
“You look stunning,” he said. That was an understatement. The roses in her cheeks were blooming with a healthy rosy color. She looked refreshed and contented while he felt like an old man who could barely move through these aches and pains. “You—you…” he stuttered over his words. “Are you warm?”
“The shower helped.”
“Too bad… I was hoping to do the honors.”
She bit down that embarrassed, pleased smile that overcame her lips whenever he told her exactly how he felt. Her gaze drifted to the phone. “Did you call your father?”
“The line’s broken,” he admitted.
Her face fell, and then he watched her try to force a hopeful expression. “These people won’t leave their donkeys behind for long,” she said with a firm nod. “For now, let’s just get some sleep and hope that…uh…”
The rightful owners of this place returned before that assassin did?
