"The scandal everyone thinks they know about—the photographs, the palace cover-up—that wasn't the actual story." My hands trembled as I spoke. "Viktor... he didn't just threaten me. He had evidence. Proof of things that could have destroyed not just me, but Alexandra, even Mother."
"What kind of evidence?" James demanded, though I could see him dreading the answer.
"Photos. Videos. Things he recorded without my knowledge during those three months we were married." My voice broke on the last word. "He said if I ever tried to expose what he was really doing—the money laundering, the connections to organised crime—he would release everything. Make it look like I was complicit."
The change in James was instantaneous and terrifying. His body went rigid, his eyes turning to ice, and I could feel the leashed violence radiating from him. When he spoke, his voice was soft and deadly.
"Where is this evidence now?"
"I don't know. Viktor disappeared three years ago, but the threats continued. Someone has been using his leverage against me ever since." I looked up at him with eyes full of shame and desperate hope. "That's why I couldn't tell you. That's why I can never be free of this."
"You're wrong," he said fiercely, pulling me closer. "Viktor is dead. Whoever killed him might have that evidence, but they've made a crucial mistake."
With pain radiating down my throat from my screams, I looked at James, his strong arms still wrapped around me. I whimpered, "What mistake?"
"They've threatened what's mine." The possessive words seemed to surprise him as much as they did me, but he didn't take them back. "I don't forgive. I won't forget. And I sure as hell don't let anyone hurt the people I care about."
"What will you do… James?" My eyes searched his, taking note that they had turned pitch black with rage.
James's arms tightened around me, his heartbeat steady against my ear. "You don't have to know right now," he said softly. "Right now, you just have to breathe. And I'll be right here, breathing with you."
In the quiet darkness of the stable, held safe in James's arms, I closed my eyes and did the only thing I could: I breathed. In and out. Each breath a small victory against the crushing weight of grief and responsibility.
And for the first time since hearing the news, I allowed myself to believe that somehow, someday, I might find the strength to carry what had been so unexpectedly placed on my shoulders.
Because I wasn't alone anymore, James. James had come back.
A sound from outside made us both freeze—footsteps on the gravel path leading to the stables. James moved to the stable door with military precision, his body coiled with tension.
"Someone's coming," he whispered, his hand moving instinctively toward his concealed weapon. "Stay behind me."
Chapter Twenty-Two
James
The palace corridor stretched before me like a battlefield. Roger Halliwell stood with his back to the wall, his perfect suit and perfect hair somehow making me detest him even more than I had during our previous encounters. The smug American had been everything I'd predicted—overconfident and underqualified. Dara hovered nearby, her expression a mixture of concern and irritation. I could feel her disapproval radiating from across the room, probably wondering why I'd returned.
It had been only nine days since I'd left for London. Nine fucking days since that night with Evangeline. Nine bloody days that felt like nine years. The memory of her skin against mine, the taste of her lips, the way she'd whispered my name—it had haunted me every moment, awake or asleep. I'd tried drowning it in whiskey, burying it in work, but nothing helped. So here I was, back in Bellavista against all better judgment.
I'd seen the news reports about Viktor Kozlov's body being found, about the marriage revelations, about the media circus surrounding Evangeline. But it wasn't until Alexandra's deathannouncement, and my inability to reach Evangeline for hours, that every protective instinct overrode my determination to stay away. This wasn't about professional duty anymore—it was about the woman who'd got under my skin so completely that nine days away felt like nine years in hell.
"Look, Banks, I don't see what the problem is," Roger said, his American accent grating on my nerves. "The princess is my responsibility now. I've got this. You can head back to London, back to your comfortable office job."
I kept my face expressionless, my breathing steady despite the rage boiling inside me. "I'm here to assess the current security situation given recent developments."
Roger laughed, the sound echoing off the ornate walls. "She doesn't know what she needs. That's why she has professionals like me." He adjusted his tie, a smug smile playing at his lips. "Besides, after what happened in Luxembourg, it's clear your protection wasn't cutting it."
The muscles in my jaw twitched. "Careful, Halliwell."
"James," Dara interjected, stepping between us. "Roger is her assigned security detail now. The palace selected him for a reason."
I turned to her, surprised by her tone. We'd always maintained a professional respect for each other. "Dara, you know as well as I do he doesn't have the experience for this assignment."
"What I know," she said, her voice strained with obvious conflict, "is that you left when your assignment ended, as planned. But then you show up unannounced, and now there's violence in the palace corridors." She rubbed her temples, looking genuinely torn. "James, I have always respected your work; however, I must adhere to protocols."
Her words hit harder than I expected. She wasn't wrong—I had left when my assignment ended. That had always been theplan. But when I'd seen the news coverage of Viktor Kozlov's death, followed by speculation about threats to the royal family, and then Alexandra's death announcement, I'd realised that Evangeline was in more danger than ever. She needed proper protection, not some inexperienced American who saw her as a "job perk." My protective instincts had overridden everything else—she needed someone who actually knew how to keep her safe, and that someone was me. Before I understood, I couldn't breathe properly without her near.
"You have a job in London," Dara continued, her voice softer but still firm. "An established security firm. The princess needs stability, James. Not someone who leaves when things get complicated."
