Page 78 of Royally Arranged

That made him hesitate—he’d expected me to argue. “Well, good,” he said, “because we have proof beyond a photo. The prostitute confirmed that you took her to the cemetery, wanting to have sex on the former king’s grave.”

I grimaced violently. “I didn’t want ... That’s not ...” How could I explain? Denying the accusation involved chancing that Nova would get caught. All those faces were shooting disappointment, disbelief, and defeat on me simultaneously.

“It wasn’t her that was with him!” Nova stepped forward. Her hand was tangled with mine, warmly glued into place. Her eyes fixed firmly, without fear, on her father. “It was me.”

Her bravery gave me strength. Kurtis had gone white—in contrast, his wife was glowing red. “Nova, stop this. Do you understand what you’re saying?” he sputtered.

“I do.” She made us face the crowd. Camera flashes popped off like fireworks as we stood there. “Your queenandyour king have broken the law. If Thorne doesn’t deserve to sit on the throne, let alone rule this country, neither do I.”

“Nova!”Valencia hissed.

“Fine,” Larchmont scoffed, his hands flying over his head dismissively. “I’llsit on the damn throne if neither of them plan to.”

“That’s treasonous!” Glen shouted. “Only those from the Fredricson bloodline can wear the crown.”

Larch stared at the head of the royal guard. The madness in the whites of his eyes made the writhing red veins even bolder. “You think you can tell me what to do? Fuck, I’m so tired of people doing that.” From his lower back he revealed a silvery pistol. The crowd gasped, seeing the gun, starting to panic.

Glen, however, didn’t look nervous. “Step down, boy.”

“I’m noboy.” He aimed the weapon upward, and, to my shock, he fired once. The whip-crack of the bullet flying free sent a ripple through the foyer. People shouted, some running away, others ducking down with their hands over their heads.

On the stairs, the royal guards reached for their own weapons, looking to Glen for guidance. The few men in my family’s pay stared at me. This was pandemonium. I clutched Nova’s wrist, my mind racing as I searched for a plan.

I didn’t know what to do.

I just knew I had to keep the woman I loved safe.

“Larchmont,” Valencia said, drawing his name out. She was frozen where she stood. “There’s no need to do this. We’ve already won, we’re in control.”

“You call this control?” he spit, gesturing with the pistol out over the foyer. The remaining bystanders dropped down, covering their heads. Only I, Nova, and Glen still stood. “These people are so set on making sure their rulers were born with the ‘right’ blood. They don’t care if their king is lazy or selfish. They don’t care if he knows the first thing about the country he’s supposed to run!”

Glen’s fingers slid closer to his gun. I watched him communicating with his men to stay where they were, all without making a sound.

“Son,” Kurtis hissed, “you’re making a scene.”

“No, I’m not. But I will.” The tip of Larch’s pistol swung. I held my breath as it hovered, aiming between me and Nova. “These people don’t know what they need. Let’s just kill the last of this toxic bloodline off, force them to crown someone whoknowsabout ruling. We’ve been coming to Torino for years. Any one of us would know how to run this country better than Thorne.” He fingered the trigger, aiming at my forehead. “I’m thinking ... me.”

“Larch,no!” Nova screamed.

Everything happened at once. I saw the gun’s flash—felt hands on my shoulder, shoving me down toward the floor. More bangs; more gunshots. I curled my body around Nova on the cold marble. Shoes stampeded around us, someone stepping on my legs as they tripped over me.

I didn’t care about the pain.Protect her! Save her!I sheltered Nova beneath me. Noise continued to storm around us. But all I saw ... all I heard ... was Nova. Her breathing was ragged—as if she was sucking in air with all her might.Oh God, the baby.The burst of primal rage shocked me. I was consumed by the possibility that Larchmont had managed to put not just Nova in danger, but my unborn child.

Sitting up, I cupped her face, searching her eyes for information. “Are you okay?” I hushed, knowing she’d hear me over the ruckus around us.

Her whiskey eyes were pulled wide. For a terrible second she said nothing, did nothing. Then she nodded. “I’m fine. The bullet missed.”

Fuck. It was a miracle. Kissing her, I squeezed my eyes shut. I’d thought I’d known what regret was. I hadn’t until I’d nearly lost not just the woman I loved ... but someone I hadn’t even met yet.

“Let us through, let us pass!”

I knew my father’s voice anywhere. Lifting my head, I spotted him marching through the open front doors. At his side was my mother, and sandwiching them both were Rush and Donnie with their weapons drawn.

At their backs, pouring into the room and up both sides of the stairs, came multiple police in riot gear. “Freeze!” one of them commanded.

My eyes flew to the banister. I’d thought I’d see Larchmont there, ready to fire more bullets. Instead I saw Richard holding his brother in a bear hug from behind. His massive arms kept Larchmont still, even though he was throwing his legs around wildly, eyes furious.

The police and the guards worked efficiently. In seconds they had Larchmont in cuffs. Most of the mob had fled out the front door during the shooting. The people left were guided out onto the front lawn.

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