Sophia lowered her head and spoke softly, "Your Highness, I came to apologize. My own wishes..." She shook her head and stared directly at Kristin in the side door. "I shouldn't have put the ring on. I wanted..." This time she curled her fists and glanced at Kristin. "I hoped to be the one, but hechoseyou."
Antonio said she scared off the last girl. Kristin stayed hyperaware, but tried to be kind. "Okay. Don't worry about it,Sophia."
Sophia took one step farther in the room. "Before you start trying on dresses, can I talktoyou?"
Kristin glanced at the queen. What should she do? Queen Anna Camilla liked Sophia and Kristin needed to be the one she liked at the end of the day. She swallowed her fear. "Of course." She handed the dress to Renee. "Berightback."
Sophia then motioned for the two of them to leave. Kristin followed her into the hall. "Where do you wanttotalk?"
"In here." Sophia opened the door across from them. "I have a surpriseforyou."
Every cell in her body told her to run, but she needed to get this conversation over with in order to have a strong marriage. She forced her sluggish feet to go inside, but once she did, she stopped. Her neighbor from home stared at her, his eyes big in a pale face beneath a mop of blond hair. "Greg, what are youdoinghere?"
"He's come to save you from making a big mistake," Sophia said not sounding meek or sorryanymore.
Greg winced as if this was the last place he wanted to be. He wore a wife-beater and cargo shorts that he normally wore when washing his car outside the apartment complex in the humidMiamiheat.
Kristin put her hand in her pocket and gripped her phone. She hoped she hit the power button, and Antonio. He’d programmed his name as number one. She did it as quietly as she could, but Antonio had warned her to be on guard. She faced Sophia again. "Excuseme?"
Sophia circled her like she was a lion and Kristin the prey. "Greg here has already confessed to our local news that you love him, and that you are using our prince for hisfortune."
"That's insane." Kristin kept her head high, trackingSophia.
"Kristin, just listen to her, please,” Greg said on a sob. “She hasmymom."
His mother? How would his mother fit into this plan of Sophia's? His face was sickly white beneath his Miami tan, so she believed him. Sophia crossed her arms. "Your friend, Renee, is also about to find out that her parents are missing too and she needs tohurryhome."
All these people were in danger now because of her. Kristin's blood froze. "Why would youdothat?"
"Seems you don't have family I can use against you, but you are loyal to your friends." Sophia came closer and stared her in the eyes. "I fully intend to be queen and help my people rebuild in a better sense than you evercould."
Her people. She clearly already saw herself in the role. Kristin’s palms broke into a sweat. "What doyouwant?"
"For you to leave quietly," Sophia said. "Without a word toAntonio."
All her problems just burst forward as a movie that replayed in her mind, but this time it was Sophia.Kristin's fingers shook. "Are you behind what happened here in the palace? The hostage situation? The disloyalguards?"
Sophia rolled her eyes. "A smart woman would have left on the first plane out of here. I don't know why youstayed."
Kristin needed to be in control and think on her feet. She turned to her neighbor. "Greg, where is yourmother?"
"I don't know.” He pointed to Sophia. “She only let me talk to her on the phone and told me to get on the plane if I wanted my mothertolive."
Greg's fear was palatable—his body shook, he swallowed repeatedly. The tremble in her hand now moved to her entire arm, but she hid it behind her back. "Why would you hurt innocent people,Sophia?"
"Antonio's my property."No he wasn't.He’d turned to a computer to find a new wife that might match rather than be with Sophia. The thought helped stabilize her hands and she stopped shaking as Sophia continued, "This entire kingdom will have its first queen without a king soon enough. I've been biding my time, and at the last second, you showed up. I will not tolerate this interruption ofmyplan."
Sophia intended to kill Antonio too? No. Her hands went into fists. She refused to let this woman hurt more people sheloved.
Suddenly Antonio and a guard came out of the shadow of the other room. "Babik, we’ve heard enough.Arresther."
Kristin’s heart leapt. "Antonio?"
Babik placed handcuffs on Sophia, none toogently.
"What about my mom?" Greg asked. "I need her back. She’s indanger."
Antonio wrapped his arm around her, but nodded at Greg. "My brother Lucio is at FBI headquarters in Washington DC already. I thought he was looking for a wife, but he's been tracking Sophia's known associates for the past year. Let mecallhim."
