Jurid’s eyes narrowed as he thought about Tamara. “Tell me more.”
The guard laid out several documents on Jurid’s desk, explaining the issues the security team had discovered. There was a direct threat, and it all seemed to be aimed at Tamara. A particular group seemed to be waiting for her arrival in the country, thinking that their wedding was imminent.
“Damn, I’m glad that she didn’t come back here then,” he said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Okay, so how long will it take you to find these people? I don’t want Tamara in danger.”
“She’s safe in London, Your Highness. The conversations we’ve uncovered seem specific. She is only in danger if she comes to the palace. Whoever is doing this considers her only to be a threat if she comes to Tular. At least, that’s our interpretation of the chatter.”
He looked at the documents spread out in front of him. “I concur. My enemies either don’t want me married or they don’t want the connection to Nadir. Either way, Princess Tamara is in danger.” He stood up and the guard straightened as well. “How long will it take you to discover the source of this threat and neutralize it?”
“My team is working on it now. I can give you daily updates, but these people are deep. I suspect that we can resolve this in a week, but I hesitate to guarantee that timing.”
He nodded, still frustrated. “I understand. Let me know what you find out.”
The man left and Jurid walked over to look out the window. He’d asked Tamara to think about setting a wedding date. He’d considered bringing her here to discuss it further. Would it make a difference if he told her that he loved her? That his world wasn’t right unless she was with him? Would she care that he felt like only half a man when she wasn’t by his side, or that he struggled to sleep when she wasn’t pressed up against him?
All good questions and he wanted answers. But he also wanted her safe. If he told her that there was a danger in the palace, what would she do?
With a sigh, Jurid accepted that he didn’t know. She might come here, or she might follow orders and stay away.
So for now, he wouldn’t call her. Perhaps he would double her guard though. He might not be able to have her close by to him, but he could ensure her safety.
Chapter 11
“Hey there!”
The friendly voice nearly made Tamera burst into tears. “Willow?” she whispered, fighting back the emotions clogging her throat.
“Tam? What’s wrong?” Willow demanded.
“Nothing,” she replied. “Nothing at all!” At least, that’s what she wished was the truth. Reality…sucked!
“You’re lying. What’s wrong?”
Tamara laughed, already feeling a little better. “I promise I’m…”
“You’re doing it again. I can hear it in your voice. You don’t want me to worry, but that’s not gonna happen. So, spit it out or I’m calling Lana and we’ll do the martini thing to try and cheer you up.”
Tamara smiled, leaning back in her chair. “You’re threatening me with martinis?”
Willow chuckled, realizing the stupidity of the threat. “Okay, well then how about if I phrase it like this, if you don’t tell me what’s going on, we’re going to get you so drunk, you won’t be able to run the next morning.”
Tamara made a face. “Okay, you got me there.”
“So spill it.”
Tamara smiled again, but the smile quickly faded. “Oh, you know. Man problems.”
“You fell for your fiancé?” she whispered delightedly. “Oh, Tam! That’s wonderful! Your betrothal has been a concern for as long as I’ve known you. Now that you…”
“He left two weeks ago and I haven’t heard from him since,” she interrupted, fighting back the sadness that colored her voice. “I thought things were going well,” she explained. “He asked me to consider setting a wedding date, but he was sweet, not pressuring me at all.” She sniffed and blinked back more tears. “Then he left and…didn’t call me.”
“Have you called him?”
“I tried. I left a message but his assistant said that he wasn’t available and would get back with me as soon as there was time in ‘his highness’ schedule’” she mimicked sarcastically. “So far, crickets. Silence. Nada.”
“I get it,” Willow laughed, then turned serious. “Um…were you going to set a wedding date?”
Willow was silent for a long moment. “I was going to talk to him about it,” she hedged.
“Well, that’s progress!” she gushed.
“Not really. Since he hasn’t called me back, I can’t tell him how furious I am about his lack of communication.” She stood up and started pacing. “Seriously, how dare he come here and make me…well, say things and…do things and…just make me care for him. Then not speak to me!”
“Uh oh,” Willow sighed and Tamara could see her friend’s expression from thousands of miles away. Willow’s pretty, blue eyes would turn worried and she’d be biting her lip, trying to formulate a plan.
“Don’t do anything,” Tamara warned.
“I wasn’t!” she argued. Too quickly.
“I know you, Willow,” she came right back. “You’re thinking. And thinking means that you’re coming up with a plan. You’re scheming and planning and that’s never a good thing.”
“Wait a minute,” she argued. “That time that you said not to do anything to the other room,” she sneered, referring to the girls who had roomed across the hall from them during boarding school, “I had an epic plan and you knew it!”
Tamara threw back her head, laughing. “Please tell me that you’re not referring to the time that we stole their school jackets and sewed the hems of their sleeves up so the three of them were walking around campus looking ridiculous.”
Willow’s smile came through the phone line loud and clear. “Oh, that was classic, wasn’t it?” She sighed. “And then…”
Tamara laughed. “I know! It was better the next day when we shortened all of their skirts! They kept tugging them down throughout the day until Ms. Dunworthy marched them all into the administration office to get new skirts!”
They laughed together, delighted with the memory. “Good times,” Tamara sighed as she leaned back in her chair once again.
“Okay, just so ya know, I’m on a flight...”
“You are not!” Tamar countered.
Willow laughed. “I am too! Even if I didn’t have some odd news, I’d still be flying over to London to be with you. It sounds like you need some girlfriend time and Mike just isn’t cutting it right now.”
“What odd news?” she asked, determined to think about someone else’s problems for a moment.
“Well, you know how my dad sort of…” Willow trailed off.
“Kicked you out of the house at thirteen and sent you off to boarding school because he has a weird obsession with his wives that is both distasteful and psychologically abusive to his one and only daughter?” Tamera filled in.