Page 77 of Raul
Lizanne nodded and flipped open her e-reader again.
Erica pulled out her phone to read the text. Surprise jolted through her when she saw that it was from a private number. That meant Raul.
I know you are flying, but I have a favor to ask of you. I need your clear-sighted perspective on a sensitive matter. Would you come to our usual meeting place as soon as you are free this evening, no matter how late it is? Just to talk.
She scowled at the screen as her longing warred with her hurt and anger. But, in fact, she could not say no. He was the prince, and she could not refuse him. She reread the message. It was highly flattering that he wanted her help, but she could not imagine what she could contribute when he was much more experienced at handlingsensitive matters.
I land at about seven, so I can be there by nine. It will be an honor to assist you.
Stilted, yes, but she needed to keep him at arm’s length for her own sanity. She hitsendand waited. He replied with one word.Gracias.
She shoved her phone back into her pocket and walked into the main cabin to chat up Gabriel’s guests.
Erica had decided to go to Raul straight from the airport, which allowed her to wear her pilot’s uniform of dark green trousers and white cotton shirt with gold-braid-decorated shoulder tabs, making it clear their meeting was all business.
Dario greeted her at the door to Raul’s apartment.
“I’m glad you’re here,” the bodyguard said. “He’s been wound up tighter than a rope on a winch since lunchtime.”
“I’m here totalk,” Erica said pointedly. She didn’t want anyone to consider her some sort of physical release valve for the prince’s frustrations.
Dario gave her an unreadable look and opened the door.
Raul had his back turned but pivoted as soon as the door clicked shut behind her. He wore navy blue trousers and a pale blue dress shirt, unbuttoned at the collar and with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His sun-streaked hair was mussed as though he had been running his fingers through it.
“Erica! Thank you for coming!” He started toward her, using a polished wooden cane with a silver handle.
“Por supuesto, Señor,”she said with a curtsy. “How may I help you?”
He halted abruptly with a frown. “I asked you here as my friend, not as my subject.”
“It will be hard for us to be friends.” She stood at attention and wished she hadn’t left her pilot’s cap in the car. Holding it would have given her something to do with her hands other than clench them at her sides.
Sure enough, he raked his fingers through his hair, disordering the usually neat waves even more. “Please,” he said.“I need someone I can trust to speak to me honestly. A sounding board.”
The pleading in his voice and eyes crumbled her fragile barriers, although her muscles tightened at his use of the wordtrust. She nodded and forced her shoulders to relax. “Then let’s talk. Shall I get some beer?”
“Thank you. Beer would taste good.” He gave her a slight smile, and now she could see the tension in his jaw.
“I’ll be right back.” After she grabbed two bottles of Dark Lord and levered off the caps, she turned to find Raul standing beside one of two green leather wing chairs set in front of the fireplace. Thank God he didn’t expect her to sit on the couch where they’d made love.
He took the beer and waved her into the other armchair before he sat. “How was your trip to New York?”
“Smooth and easy.” Pure torture because every molecule in her body missed him. And now every molecule in her body strained toward him. “How’s being back at work?”
He took a gulp of beer. “A situation has come up.” He clicked his ring against the bottle. “With Odette Fontaine.”
A quiver of shock ran through her. He had been horrified when he let slip the truth about Grace and Odette. Now he was asking her to talk about it? She was getting whiplash.
“Odette is threatening to have Jean-Pierre Dupont give an interview about Gabriel’s kidnapping. In detail. Before the wedding.” Click, click went the ring.
“Mierda!That’s a thousand times worse than you limping at the ceremony,” she said. “The media will have a feeding frenzy.”
“You understand.” Relief laced his voice. “In addition to overshadowing the wedding, it would drag Gabriel back through the trauma of his abduction.” He stared at the label on his bottle and spoke in a low voice. “In some ways, it would be a relief to finally let everyone know Gabriel sacrificed himself by taking myplace. His courage should be acknowledged, but…” He met her gaze. “That would help me, not him.”
Anger and protectiveness surged through her. Neither Gabriel nor Raul should be exposed to this ugliness.
“But what can I do?” She opened her hand in a gesture of helplessness.
