Page 74 of Duty and Desire

I didn’t hesitate. “On my way.” I ended the call and picked up the keys I’d dropped onto the table. “Kai wants to see me.”

“I’m coming too.”

I wasn’t going to argue.

I drove fast, but Aulani didn’t seem bothered by my speed. I knew she was worried about Nick.

We arrived at the bar and found Kai on his phone.

Before I could speak, he held it out to me. “Am I going crazy or is that Nick?”

I peered at the screen. It showed an image of a young man in what looked like dress uniform. “Okay, he doesn’t have a beard, and his hair is way shorter. Plus, he looks a little younger, but yeah, that could be Nick.”

Kai’s face fell. “That’s what I was afraid of.” He picked up the TV remote and aimed it at the screen. “This is an international news channel. I saw this about fifteen minutes ago, and I’ve been searching online ever since. Look at the rolling banner across the bottom.”

I frowned. “China in talks?—”

“Not that. Wait.” He paused. “There.”

I read aloud. “King Johannes of Eisenland and son Crown Prince Rudolf killed in avalanche in Switzerland.” I arched my eyebrows. “Is that supposed to mean something to me?”

“It will when I show you this.” Kai scrolled, then handed me his phone.

I stared at the page. It was the same news report. I was about to explode in a hot rush of impatience when something caught my eye.

What the fuck?

I read it three times, and even then it wouldn’t sink in.

Nick… Why didn’t you tell me?

“Gio?” Aulani’s hand was on my back.

I took a breath and read, unable to keep my voice from shaking. “Three off-piste skiers lost their lives in an avalanche near Lauterbrunnen in the canton of Bern. Two were members of the Royal Family of Eisenland. King Johannes and his eldest son, Crown Prince Rudolf, perished in the deadly event, along with the king’s security guard, Kurt Beck. The king is survived by his son Prince Nikolaus, who succeeds to the throne.”

A photo accompanied the article, the same one Kai had shown me.

There seemed little room for doubt. My boyfriend was a prince.

Who was about to become a king.

I leaned on the bar, my legs weak. “That’s one puzzle solved. We know who Franz was.” It all made sense.

It left a ton of questions to be answered, however.

Aulani looked over my shoulder. “You mean… Nick is a prince?OurNick?”

I barely heard her. “Where the hell is Eisenland?”

“That’s what I’ve been researching,” Kai told me. “It’s this little country in Europe, near Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, I’m not sure where exactly. About forty thousand inhabitants at the last count. I’ve been looking at photos of the place. Kind of gothic-looking, with a genuine castle.”

I didn’t give a shit about castles.

All I wanted to know was why Nick hadn’t told me the truth.

I thought he trusted me. He said he loved me.

Then I recalled what he’d said to me the previous night, and the weight on my chest eased a fraction.

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