Off-Limits to the Rebel Prince by Susan Meier

Author:Susan Meier
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2023-01-06T19:02:36+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHT

LILIBET WAS A small gallery tucked in a bohemian section of Prosperita’s capital city. To Heather’s surprise, Lilibet herself wasn’t the toddler or little girl she’d pictured when Axel had told her the gallery had been named after her. She’d gone to school in France—where she’d met Axel—and had spent time working at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan. A tall, willowy woman with dark hair, and eyes that were more violet than blue, Lilibet Wells was the picture of culture and poise, filled with warmth. And she was the person to whom the torch of running the small gallery had been passed.

The event to reopen the gallery was a study in casual glitz and glamor, with well-dressed men and women milling about, sporting diamonds and Rolex watches the way normal people wore department store clothes, generic watches and manmade gems.

But the fun part of the afternoon was when Axel introduced Liam to his old friend. Liam’s face lit and Lilibet’s eyes filled with pleasure. There was a definitely a spark. The woman Axel had gone to school with seemed like the perfect match for his brother.

The desire to force Liam to take the limo with them when they returned to the castle so she could ask for details nearly overwhelmed her. She had to remind herself that this was a ruse—that she wasn’t really friends with Liam—that she needed to stay in her place.

But it was a weak reminder. She’d chatted with Liam that morning like his friend. While she and Axel were admiring a particular painting, Liam had strolled over grinning, making her laugh. Everything felt real. Her connection to Axel. Her connection to Liam, the King, the Queen. She didn’t have to fake feelings for Axel or his family. They were real.

As the event neared its ending, Axel called his guards and they left the gallery through a back door, where his limo awaited. His dutiful girlfriend, Heather was at his side with her arm nestled under his.

She put one foot on the pavement and her nerves jumped. Her body stiffened. She glanced around, seeing nothing out of the ordinary, but the air felt different. She swore electricity wove around them.

She looked from side to side, again seeing nothing unusual. But what she felt wasn’t a physical thing. It was a sixth sense, her bodyguard instincts kicking into high gear.

As if in slow motion, Leo opened the limo door. Axel smiled at her and motioned for her to enter first, but her sixth sense swamped her, and she put her hands on his shoulders, trying to nudge him in first. Then a crack echoed around them. She knew the sound. She’d heard it hundreds of times. Had heard it just before Maryanne Montgomery fell.

She grabbed Axel’s arm and all but threw him into the back seat, diving in after him, as another crack exploded through the air.

Axel said, “What the hell?”

“Stay down,” she screamed. Guards flooded the alley. “Leo! Get us out of here.”

“Yes, ma’am!” He slammed the door closed and jumped into the driver’s seat.

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