Page 40 of The Duke's Virgin

I stopped and went back, staring.

Blood drained out of my head, and I closed my eyes.

Stuart said something. I held up a hand, needing a minute.

“Luka?” Geraint said gently. He touched my shoulder.

I hadn’t realized he’d risen from his chair, but he was there.

Clutching the phone in a tight fist, I tapped on the article and waited for it to load. Although the internet connection was lightning fast, itstillwasn’t fast enough, and when it loaded within a second or two, it still felt like a lifetime had passed.

“Damn,” Geraint murmured from just over my shoulder.

I swallowed as I read the article. It was only a few lines and ended abruptly.

“They don’t even say how he is,” I said bleakly, looking up at my brother.

“Go,” he said softly. He nodded at Stuart. “I’ll work with Stuart and take care of what I can, reschedule what I can’t.”

* * *

“Your Highness.”

I looked at Stuart. He stood in the doorway, his ever-present tablet missing for once. “Have you learned anything?”

“Not much, I’m afraid.” He shifted at the threshold of my suite before asking, “May I come in?”

I almost bit his head off but stopped before I could. It wasn’t his fault I was more scared than I had ever been. “Of course, please.”

I’d waved off offers of having my luggage packed, desperately needing complete privacy for a few brief moments.

Stuart looked at the minor chaos in my room, then wisely decided to ignore it, settling in a wing chair in the sitting area. “I’ve got some information about where he is.”

Suddenly, exhausted by the stress, I dropped down on the edge of my bed and waved at him. Nightmare thoughts had tripped through my mind ever since reading that Emmett had been in a crash during practice the other day. I didn’t know why I hadn’t been contacted—Ishouldhave been—and that was one thing Stuart would find out for me.

I listened as he updated me on what he’d learned, which wasn’t much, then nodded. “Make sure you find out why nobody called me about this.”

“I’m already working on it,” he said softly. “I’ve got your trip arranged. Since your parents have the family plane, it proved to be more expedient for you to travel on public transport. Etienne will go—”

“No.” I shook my head, even though I knew it would infuriate my parents. They didn’t like it when I traveled outside Europe without security, but I wasn’t dealing with the added hassle. “I’m going alone.”

Stuart looked like he wanted to argue but shook his head slightly, as if to tell himself no. “Understood. The trip is taken care of, and I’ve synced all the information to your phone. I’m coordinating with Noah about shifting your meetings to Geraint for the next week. If you need more time, let me know.”

“Thank you.” I shoved myself upright and pushed my hair back. “When does the flight leave?”

Stuart checked the time. “You need to leave within the hour. You’ve got a layover in Barcelona before making your connection to New York, then onto Montreal.” He gave me an apologetic smile. “Working on a time crunch, it’s the best I can do. I had to pull strings to even get this flight. I wish it worked out better.”

“It’s fine.” I checked the arrival time. It wasn’t as fast as I’d like, but even if I was alreadythere, I wouldn’t be satisfied. “Thank you, Stuart.”

He left me alone, and I rubbed the back of my neck, worry for Emmett a heavy weight on my brain. We’d been friends for so long.

“You better be all right, you stubborn bastard.”

Thirteen

Stacia

Sitting in the window seat,I looked out at the clear skies spreading out over what little I could see of Paris. I should have arranged for a layover. I loved Paris. Not the parts my mother had tried to convince me to love, of course. It wasn’t that I minded the art galleries or going to the theatre, but she didn’tgobecause she enjoyed art or theatre or the opera. She went because it was thething to do.

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