Page 18 of Royal Agenda

“What? You don’t want to be king?” Liam teased. “Could have fooled me.”

Ryker smirked. “Angelo is the right man for the throne.” There was never a question that Angelo would make an excellent king. Perhaps it was because of their zio’s poor example, but the contrast between zio and Angelo was enough to cement the oldest de Luca as Isola de la Famiglia’s rightful heir.

Unlike England, which does not store their jewels but puts them on display, Isola de la Famiglia kept their crown jewels in a bank vault. During WWII, the royals were forced to flee for their lives. In the chaos, Ryker’s great-great-grandfather stored the crown jewels in the vault, sealed it, and left the country. No one could break in, and upon their return, they decided that the vault was the safest place for the jewels. They only removed them for coronations and maintained a specially chosen guard who lived in the bank itself. One or more of the guards turned traitor, and the jewels went missing. Ryker heard whispers that the jewels were in jeopardy and took action, which almost cost him his life.

“The best thing I can do for the crown is find our royal treasure.” Millions of dollars worth of jewels went missing, and Ryker suspected his zio was part of the thievery. The monarchy was already suffering, and the loss did nothing to bolster the crown's strength in the people's eyes. He’d hoped to show his people, and by extension the world, that they were strong–a small country but one that would not be bullied. He failed once. He would not fail again.

And now his family, his country, and the world believed he’d died—and to make things worse, his “death” had thrown his country into turmoil and had only strengthened his tio’s cause to become king. His zio was a madman with strong communist sympathies. Protecting King Angelo wasn’t just a matter of security for his country–it was about protecting the world. But the man was standing on a podium of self-righteousness, claiming Angelo hadn’t done his duty to protect the monarchy.

Ryker turned to Sean, who oversaw the systematic search through the ocean along the coastline of Florida. Time was of the essence. If someone else found the treasure first, they could secret it away before Ryker could send it to Angelo so he could show that he was a strong leader who would protect their people and secure himself against a coup.

The SEAL team assigned to help him were not only his protection, but they were experts in diving and salvage. Living normal-ish lives, they worked regular jobs, hung out as friends, and pretended to be civilians, all while working a covert international operation to protect him and help recover pieces of Isola’s heritage in their spare time.

It had been months before he’d trusted them enough to tell them what he had found that implicated his zio, that he had managed to put a tracking device on the ship carrying his family’s jewels before being taken captive and nearly killed. That was how he knew the ship had sunk near the Florida coast after being hit by a hurricane. If only he had gotten a more precise location before the boat went down. But then again, if he knew more, he might not have confided in these men—his friends—who had caught him trying to find the sunken treasure on his own and immediately insisted they would help. He had never given up on his country, and his friends would never give up on him.

Because of his assumed identity—and theirs—Ryker did not need a bodyguard 24/7, a freedom he did not take for granted.

“We’re working on it,” Sean reassured him. He glanced at his desk where the map he had painstakingly made of the area they searched was rolled out, the corners held down by metal discs.

“So far, it’s only rumors that the lost prince is still out there. No one knows for sure,” Liam assured him. “I’ve put enough false information about your demise online to keep them chasing ghosts for years. Which is what I suspect is actually happening. The Bermuda Triangle is known for strange disappearances. Which works to our advantage, too because anyone who comes close to figuring out what’s going on is going to be labeled a conspiracy theorist right off the bat.”

Sean nodded. “We’ve got this, Ryker.”

Ryker drew in a deep breath. “I need to blow off some steam.” Discussing his family, and his zio in particular, put him on edge. “Night surfing?” It was not quite a full moon but it would be bright enough.

Sean shook his head. “I’m charting tonight.” He motioned to the screen in front of him where a 3D image of the ocean floor loaded one small section at a time. The one-of-a-kind map spread across his desk was the most accurate map of the Florida coast. Each ship wreck, coral reef, and pile of junk had been painstakingly located, verified, and recorded in an extensive grid system.

“Wolfe and Gray are coming by to plan our next dive.”

“You?” he asked the half-Scot.

Liam tucked his chin-length hair behind his ear. “I have a date.”

Ryker considered him. “With whom?” He prayed it was not with Grace. The prayer managed to keep his jealous rage in control while he waited for the answer.

“Melanie. We met outside my apartment.” He seemed bored already. “She’s bumming around Florida before heading back to college. Although . . .” His previously uninterested eyes sparked. “I might find Nancy’s granddaughter and see if she’s available tomorrow night.”

Ryker slowly rose to his feet. The thought of Grace under Liam’s spell made him nauseous. Why were women drawn to him and Mack like seagulls to picnics? Not that either of them paid much attention. They were too focused on the mission to look for love. “She would not go out with you.”

“Oh? Is that because I’m annoying?” Liam nettled him.

Ryker lifted his chin. “Aggravating and irritating. Among other things.” He pointed to the pizza sauce on Liam’s shirt.

Liam looked down, cursed, and grabbed for the paper towels.

“Enjoy your date with Melanie.” Ryker smiled as he walked out of the building.

It was none of his business whom Grace dated. He should not care.

But he did.

And he wanted the man she dated to be him. But that was not a possibility. He was technically a dead man. Which meant he had nothing to offer a woman except a pile of lies and empty promises.

Grace deserved so much more than that. She was no ordinary woman, and he had the good sense to know it.

Five

SECRET 7 MEETING

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