Page 25 of His Impossible Heir

“I apologize for the interruption, Your Highness,” a man in a formal suit explained with a bow. “However, three men have arrived unexpectedly. They said that they have information about the incident from last night.”

Daniesh turned to Amanda. “Have you contacted anyone about the problem at the hotel?”

She shook her head. “I haven’t had time to contact anyone,” she admitted, griping the chair tightly. “Is it the police? Are they going to arrest me again?”

The man shook his head. “I do not believe so, ma’am,” he replied in an oddly formal voice that was tinged with a French accent, although his English was perfect. “The gentlemen explained that they were here from the United States, and have some information that might prove useful.”

Amanda glanced worriedly at Daniesh, but he seemed calm and in control. Meanwhile, Amanda kept thinking back to the humiliation of being marched out of the hotel and taken to the police station, the misery of being questioned for hours. Oh, and she couldn’t forget the horror of walking into her hotel room to find a man laying dead on the carpet in a pool of blood!

Daniesh must have sensed her fears because he stood up and pulled her into his arms. “It’s okay, love,” he whispered into her ear as his arms tightened around her. “Nothing is going to happen to you. You’re not going to jail ever again!”

“I’ve already been charged,” she whispered back. But whereas his whisper had been firm and encouraging, her voice was thin and tinged with terror.

He pulled back, his hands gripping her upper arms as he stared into her green eyes. “I willnotlet anything bad happen to you. Do you understand me?”

She stared back, blinking back tears as she fought down her rising panic. “Yes. Thank you.”

Daniesh continued to watch her carefully for another moment, then nodded at whatever he saw in her eyes. “Good!”

He leaned down and kissed her briefly, then wrapped his arm comfortingly around her waist, before nodding to the man who was still standing stiffly by the door, staring at the floor.

“Show them in,” he said.

The man, Amanda assumed he was the butler, nodded immediately.

“Yes, Your Highness,” he bowed again, then turned and left the room.

“Who…?” she started to ask.

Daniesh squeezed her waist, and kissed the top of her head. “I don’t know, love. But you will be safe. My guards will be right outside the door. They won’t allow anything to happen to you.”

“But, what if…?”

“It’s best not to speculate, especially when we will know their identities and their reason for being here in a moment.”

He was right, she thought, unconsciously leaning against him for support. She didn’t like how dependent she felt on Daniesh at the moment. And she shuddered at the amount of money he’d already spent on her. There were the attorney’s fees and the clothing, not to mention the food and…and was he staying in Paris to help her? Should he be somewhere else? Oh, goodness, that hadn’t occurred to her until this moment.

He must have felt the tension increase inside of her because he tightened his hold on her waist and kissed her forehead again, only moments before three tall men stepped into the library. Amanda instantly relaxed. These men weren’t police. First, they were dressed in dark, tailored suits that had probably cost more than a police officer made in a year. Even their shoes, she noticed, were expensive. She’d researched men’s shoes for a plot twist once and was stunned to realize that a single pair of handmade men’s shoes could cost upwards of five thousand dollars!

Of course, she’d drooled over a pair of Jimmy Choo heels that had been almost that much. So perhaps it shouldn’t be so shocking that men’s shoes cost the same.

But it was more than just expensive clothing and shoes. There was a power behind each man’s eyes. If she hadn’t experienced Daniesh’s kiss last night, she might have been impressed. The men were very tall, all powerfully built, although in different ways, and all had that aura of power. They walked into the room with a purpose. None of the men seemed overly impressed by their surroundings, indicating that they were used to beautifully decorated rooms. In fact, the men seemed oblivious to the wealth around them.

Interesting, she thought, tilting her head to the side as she observed the tableau.

“Your Highness,” one of the men began, adding a quick bow. It was really just a jerk of his head and not a true bow. But Daniesh didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he acknowledged the gesture with one of his own, she noticed. He’d noticed the same thing she had. These men were kindred spirits. There was an authority surrounding the trio that was similar to Daniesh’s power, although she doubted that the men held any sort of formal title.

“I’m Matteo del Campo,” the first man said with a curt nod towards Daniesh, then a more relaxed nod in Amanda’s direction. Then he angled his body slightly as he continued, “And these are my business partners, Levi Harris and Sian Byrne.”

Daniesh stepped forward, shaking their hands and Amanda followed, not sure what the protocols were here. She’d just remembered that Daniesh was a Crown Prince. He was royalty. There were different rules for members of a royal family. She’d read once that the British royals always married in Westminster Abbey and that no one was allowed to kiss in the abbey. Not even to seal their wedding vows. There were hundreds of other rules that the royals were required to follow and she would have thought that shaking hands was verboten.

But what did she know? Amanda was just a mystery writer from the United States, here in Paris awaiting trial for a crime she didn’t commit!

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Daniesh replied. “What can I do to help you?” While he said that, he gestured towards the leather chairs and sofas. Daniesh pulled her towards the long sofa and she sat next to him, feeling protected by his height and strength while the other three men took seats as well.

They didn’t relax back into the leather though. Each leaned forward, resting their elbows on their knees as if they needed to speak quickly and move on to whatever was next on their agenda. They all seemed to vibrate with power and authority.

It would be quite intimidating if she weren’t with Daniesh.

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