Afterthought by M J Marlow (red white royal blue .txt) 📖

going on?” “Your father is at Count Grimaldi’s estate with your brother and Paul Dubois,” Emilio said as he continued moving. “You know that your cousins decided to go to a nightclub tonight?” She nodded and he frowned at how everything seemed to be working in the intruder’s favor. “So you are the only family member in residence at the moment.” He was angry when he thought how easily they had been invaded. “Someone began circulating an order for the guards to assemble in the barracks and we found ourselves locked in here.” “So it’s the twelve of us against whoever staged this little invasion?” Evangeline bit her lip. “I am out of my element here, Emilio. You’re going to have to tell me what I should do.” “You’ve done just fine on your own this far, Princess,” one of the guards said to her. She blushed and he smiled at her. “Your father would be very proud of you.” Emilio nodded and held his hand out to her. Evangeline took it and they made their way along the back passages and into the gardens. He froze as the sound of booted feet came closer and nodded towards the maze. She told Emilio, when he asked, that she knew the pattern from watching the maze from her windows. He told her that there was an exit hidden in the center that led down to the river. She was to use it and take a boat to the Grimaldi estate down river. She entered it as he moved to join his men as a rear guard. “Princess,” Edward’s cold voice called after her. “You would be wise to quit running. You’re not going to get away from me.” Evangeline could hear the sound of fighting outside of the maze and knew the guards were doing their best to protect her. She concentrated on getting to the center of the maze. They knew what they were doing and she would only prove a distraction to them if she tried to do anything but what Emilio had asked her to do. She took the turns as she had memorized them and was about halfway through when she saw Edward coming towards her from the opposite direction. “Hello, little girl,” Edward smiled nastily. “I’ve been hoping to run into you.” Evangeline turned to run and another man was behind her. He grabbed her and she raked her nails across his face. The man slapped her and she hit the thick bush that formed the walls of the maze. Before she could free herself he had her wrists bound and was shoving her to Edward. “Pretty princess,” Edward crooned as he grabbed her by the hair and forced her through the maze. “Your father needs to learn that he should do as he is told.” He shoved her into the center of the maze and she saw the altar. “Quite appropriate, don’t you agree? He sacrificed you to us when he refused to obey.” “No one commands a Roza,” Evangeline snapped and yanked free of his hold. She ran for the exit passage and the second man cut her off. She turned back to face Edward. “You hurt me and my father will hunt you down like the animal you are!” “Not if he wants you to live, pretty girl,” the monster laughed at her. “You are coming with us as our hostage.” “I’m not going anywhere with you,” Evangeline retorted. She saw Emilio climbing up one of the ladders with a rifle in his hands. “Leave now or you’ll be dead.” Edward laughed as his man clamped his arms around Evangeline and lifted her off her feet. As she struggled to free herself, she saw Edward whirl and shoot Emilio. She screamed as the man fell. She was being carried away like a sack of laundry, and there was nothing she could do to make the man let go of her. So she decided to follow her instincts and went limp enough to reach his bare arm. She bit him and he cried out and dropped her. She was running then, screaming for help at the top of her lungs. A moment later, she felt something burning along her spine and her legs began to go numb. She crumpled to the ground with a cry of rage. “We did not come unprepared, little princess,” Edward laughed as he grabbed her hair and dragged her to her feet. He shoved her to his man. “See if you can’t keep hold of her this time.” Evangeline saw that they were taking her down towards the river. There was a boat waiting at the pier, and a third man was just untying the rope. The guards were lying on the ground and Evangeline hoped they were alive. She would try one more time to get free of these people. If she could get to the boat without these men, the Grimaldi estate was only a few minutes down river from their castle. Edward dropped her into the boat and she attacked, sending the man behind the wheel into the water. She got the wheel and yanked herself up as she hit the gas. Edward went flying back onto the pier. She heard a crack and winced as something burned along her arm. She refused to let it stop her. Evangeline put on more speed and hurried down river. Her cries brought the Grimaldi guards to her assistance. “They got everyone out of the house,” Evangeline told her father after the guards sent for him and he came running. “There were only eleven guards left when they attacked.” She gripped her father’s arm as he untied her and examined her wrists. “It was that monster from the parole hearing, Father. He was going to take me hostage so that you would do what he told you to do.” She could feel the sensation returning to her legs. “Edward Landry isn’t dead, Father. He shot Emilio,” she sobbed as pain followed the prickling. “You have to get help to him.” “Don’t worry about Emilio,” Stefano said as he picked her up in his arms and carried her into the Grimaldi estate. “He’s probably already back on his feet and cleaning up after your attackers.” He saw Monique go pale, and the Count grew angry, as they saw him coming in with his bleeding daughter in his arms. “Just a graze,” he said as he saw their eyes on Evangeline’s bloody arm. “The man meant only to slow her down so he could get his hands on her.” “Bring her into the lounge,” Bernard nodded. “Monique, get my bag please?” He had Stefano put Evangeline down on a bar stool and then he examined the wound. “You are right; just a graze. She won’t need stitches. We’ll get it cleaned up and put your little tigress to bed.” Once the wound was cleaned and bandaged and Monique and the maid took Evangeline upstairs, Bernard and Stefano sat down. “I don’t like this, Stefano. Your child could have been seriously injured…” “She took on that bastard and his men and she got clear of them,” Stefano said as he sipped at his drink. “Three grown men could not handle my daughter even after they shot her.” He looked very proud. “She has proven that she is more than capable of keeping a clear head and taking care of herself.” “So you are not worried…” “Of course I am worried,” Stefano broke in. “Those bastards broke into our home and tried to steal my daughter from me! They laid their hands on my little angel!” He began to chuckle. “And she gave them the slip!” He saw Bernard’s dark look. “I cannot help it, Bernard. She is just a child and they could not keep their hands on her.” “Don’t let her see that,” Bernard warned him. “Evangeline could get cocky and wind up hurt.” He finished his drink and poured another one. “What are you going to do?” Stefano thought about the matter. If he were wise, he would take her to Italy and leave her in the care of his mother. But making such a change so soon would upset the child. He wanted her to feel completely secure with them before he introduced her to the rest of the family. He could see what Bernard was expecting him to say, what Bernard would do if it were his child who had been attacked. His friend had gone through something quite similar once and it had nearly ended tragically. “Stay right where we are,” Stefano replied. “On full alert. No one leaves the grounds from this night on without a full team as escort. Evangeline’s tutors will come to us.” He ran a hand through his thick wavy black hair. “If she must sightsee it will be with people who know not to take their eyes off of her.” “Are you certain that’s the wisest course of action?” Bernard asked him. He was remembering a similar situation when he was courting Monique. He did not want Stefano’s child to go through what his wife had. “You could send her to your mother in Italy.” “Yes, I could send her away;” he nodded; “but there is no place he could not reach her now that he knows she exists.” He answered his cell on the first ring. “We will be back in the morning.” He hung up. “Emilio says the place is secured. The man only winged him.” His head shot up as he heard a scream. He was on his feet and running as the screaming continued. Evangeline was sitting up in bed, looking off into nowhere and she was shaking in terror. Stefano sat down next to her and saw she was still caught up in the nightmare. He stroked her hair and murmured to her gently and the screaming stopped. She started to cry then and he took her in his arms and stroked her back. “He said he would come for me,” Evangeline whimpered as she clung to him. “And that I would do what he wanted willingly.” “Hush now, my angel,” Stefano said gently. “No one is going to take you away from me. I will not allow it!” He made her lie down. “Sleep now. Papa is here to keep watch on you.” “He – he shot Emilio, Father,” Evangeline continued to whimper. “Because I would not do what he wanted!” She shook her head at the thought. “I could not bear it if someone was hurt because of me.” She looked up at him. “Please don’t let him take me away from you again…” “You’re safe now, angel,” Stefano frowned as he stroked her back. “Trust your Papa. No one is taking you anywhere you do not wish to go as long as I can do anything to prevent it.” He looked at his friend. “Do you have any sedatives on hand? I think we should give her something to relax her.” Bernard nodded agreement and came back a moment later with a pill and a glass of water. “Thank you.” He helped Evangeline sit up. “Here, angel. Take the pill. It will calm you so that you can sleep.” Evangeline took the pill and fell to sleep. Stefano sat with her another few minutes to insure that the nightmare did not return. Then he left Evangeline with one of the maids and joined Bernard and Monique in their rooms. He was disturbed that his daughter had been that upset by what had happened. She had kept her head as long as she needed to deal with the situation and he was quite proud of her. Edward had never been angrier in his life. The men who had accompanied him had failed to lay their hands on one little girl. They had crippled her and she had still managed to escape them. The two in the boat were dead now, their bodies would be