Her Prince (Twisted Royals #2) Read online

  Her Prince

  Twisted Royals #2

  Sidney Bristol

  Website | Facebook | Mailing List

  Inked Press

  Her Prince

  Twisted Royals #2

  Once upon a time there was a brave princess and a smart gypsy boy who saved the day…

  Kade Tsaplin left behind his nomadic family to live a different kind of life—one where he doesn't have to read cards and lie for his next meal. When a beautiful woman with adventure in her eyes crash lands into his life, the last thing Kade expects is to get drawn into one of his brother's cons. But Shelby is more than she appears, and makes him an offer he can't refuse.

  Shelby Amos is an art thief trying to right the wrongs of her past. Kade’s supposed to be a means to an end—an accomplice she can trust on this most dangerous undercover job. With Kade's help bringing down a criminal mastermind she might finally get the answers she's been searching for. Only, she never counted on falling for Kade.

  Working both sides of the job takes its toll, until Kade and Shelby find themselves in a den of thieves, with only each other to rely on. As danger draws them closer, the lovers unwittingly play right into the spider’s web, handing over the true prize—Shelby herself.

  To Shawn.

  <3

  I will love you so fiercely and so completely that when I’m gone you’ll never forget me.

  ―A.E.

  Table of Contents

  1.

  2.

  3.

  4.

  5.

  6.

  7.

  8.

  9.

  10.

  11.

  12.

  13.

  14.

  15.

  16.

  17.

  18.

  19.

  20.

  21.

  22.

  23.

  24.

  25.

  26.

  27.

  28.

  29.

  30.

  31.

  32.

  Epilogue.

  1.

  No dead people.

  That was always a good way to start a shift.

  Kade Tsaplin breathed a sigh of relief. Just a fender-bender. His instinctual cringe whenever his unit received a call, dated back to his pre-civilian days in the army.

  Once a combat medic, always a combat medic.

  The fire truck accompanying the ambulance swung into position, blocking off traffic while those officers first on scene did their jobs. The uniforms already present were standing around, kicking tires, figuratively speaking.

  At a glance, Kade figured if anyone were truly hurt, it would be anyone in the second car. It’d fared much worse than the one it hit.

  “I’ll take the second car.” Kade’s boots hit the damp asphalt at a jog.

  From the looks of it, the two cars couldn’t have been going very fast when the accident happened, but that didn’t mean anything when it came to injuries.

  Kade’s mental checklist scrolled through his brain. A nearly-automatic, unconscious evaluation he did whenever they were called out. No weapons. No bodily fluids. None of the officers had their guns drawn. In fact, they all looked rather bored.

  Good for Kade.

  Bad for the cars.

  The officer at the driver’s side door nodded to Kade and backed up, allowing him to move in and assess both the situation and the patient. One of the things Kade brought to the table, with his wealth of performance under pressure, was an eye for doing not just the right thing in a situation, but the right thing first. In combat, he couldn’t afford to make mistakes.

  A young woman in her late twenties or early thirties peered up at him. Tears streaked her cheeks. Long black lines marked where her make-up had run.

  There was no blood.

  The tears weren’t the I’m-badly-hurt-and-in-need-of-help kind. He’d learned the difference his first year out of uniform.

  His patient was in no immediate physical danger that he could assess from observation alone.

  Kade went to a knee. Considering how badly crunched the front of the car was, he could assume some whiplash and bruising. Neither would be improved by her craning her neck to look up at him.

  “Hi, my name is Kade.” He smiled, and she responded with a weak one of her own.

  She responded to visual, social cues. So, she wasn’t stunned or in shock.

  Good.

  “What’s your name?” He reached into his med bag, never taking his eyes off her. Her blouse gaped open. Seatbelts, buttons and vehicular accidents did not mix. Overall, she appeared more shaken up than injured.

  He ticked off a mental list: the patient was aware, she didn’t have any apparent difficulty breathing, there was no blood or bodily fluids, and no bones were sticking out.

  “Can you tell me your name, miss?”

  “S-Shelby,” she stammered. “Sorry.”

  “It’s okay. Hi, Shelby.” He took a moment to smile and breathe. With her focus on him, she was likely unconscious that she inhaled in time with him.

  That wasn’t a medical trick. It was one his Romani mother had taught him for reading people their fortunes. You knew you had them when they synced up with you. It was strange, how many things his con-artist parents had taught him that translated into medicine.

  “Do you know where you are, Shelby?” Her whiplash would suck, but most of all, she was simply scared.

  She glanced up and around, taking in her surroundings. Her pupils focused naturally, she didn’t show any difficulty in moving. The stiffness would come later.

  “On…I was on my way to work. I’m going to be late. My phone made this weird noise. I glanced at it. I’ve been so busy, I didn’t think about what day it was.” Shelby covered her mouth with her hand and closed her eyes.

  “Take a deep breath with me, Shelby, okay?” He grasped her fist and held it in his, rubbing the back of her hand. He wanted to reestablish their connection, keep her rooted in the here and now.

  Her eyes popped open, focused on him. Green fields. Freshly-cut grass. A guy could get lost in eyes like that. She blinked, breaking the moment. More tears trickled down her cheek.

  “How do you forget the day your parents died?” she whispered.

  Oh, damn. Damn. Damn. Damn.

  She opened her hand, grasping him in return.

  “I just…everything’s been so chaotic at work, and I guess I just lost it. What kind of a person does that? Now, look what I did.” She gestured to the still-smoking hood of her car and the crunched bumper of the other vehicle.

  “I’m sorry to hear that, Shelby.” Kade glanced over his shoulder. He needed to assess her for injuries and help get the scene cleared. His compassion warred with the necessity of doing his job. “I need to ask you a few questions, is that all right? Does anything hurt?”

  “My neck and chest.” She pressed her hand to her sternum and winced.

  “Yeah, you’re likely going to have a bad bruise, there. Do you have a sweater in the car?”

  “In the back seat.” She twisted and winced.

  “Hey, stop. I want to listen to you breathe first. Then, how about I get your sweater?” He pulled his stethoscope out of his bag.

  “O-okay.”

  Kade ran down a quick assessment of her, anything that would necessitate a ride in an ambulance, but as he suspected, she wasn’t badly injured. Tomorrow, she’d feel pretty rotten, but he’d be willing to bet the worst was the guilt. He got her sweater and spent a moment helping her grab things from the car. Her purse had overturned and dumped the contents into the seat and floorboard. There wasn’t much else
for him to do, and the rest of his unit was already standing around, checking their phones.

  He assisted Shelby over to the bumper of the ambulance and sat down next to her. He knew what it was like to lose people. His family might still be kicking, but loss was something he was familiar with. How many times had he left a battle scene, only to sit in some out-of-the-way corner, looking like Shelby was now? He’d lost more people than he could count.

  Damn.

  He reached into the back of the ambulance, feeling around for his bagged dinner. He snagged the soda, glad he hadn’t quite kicked the habit yet, and held it out to Shelby.

  “Doctor’s orders.” He perched on the bumper next to her. He’d often found caffeine or something stronger helped kick him out of that stunned loop of loss.

  “Thanks. Can you open it?”

  “Sure.”

  He popped the top and she took it, sipping from the can.

  The car she’d hit hadn’t sustained much damage and was able to drive away. Hers was likely totaled. But that was for the insurance company to decide, not him. His concern was her.

  “May I offer some unsolicited advice?” He turned and studied her profile.

  She had one of those little, upturned noses, high cheekbones, and lips that he’d prefer to see smile. She was too young to be this sad. He wished, as unreasonable as it was, that he could somehow lift the cloud. She turned her head toward him, and if possible, her eyes seemed greener. Deeper.

  He could almost inhale the sweet smell of the earth just after the rain. Feel the gypsy itch in his feet. He hadn’t felt that in some time.

  “Go ahead,” she said.

  Go ahead—what?

  Oh.

  Right.

  Advise.

  “Don’t beat yourself up too hard. I’ve had to say goodbye to a lot of people I cared for. Don’t ever apologize to the dead for living. They wouldn’t want you to.” It was neat advice that didn’t often help a messy life, but words were all he had to offer her right now.

  “You’re probably right.” Shelby took another sip of the coke. Her color was better, she wasn’t as pale. “There goes my car.”

  The tow truck slowly dragged her four-door sedan up onto the bed.

  “You’re walking away from this. That’s something.” He pushed to his feet. “Do you have anyone who can pick you up? Take you home?”

  “I’ll…catch the bus or something. I don’t live that far from here.” She gestured toward the intersection ahead and the covered benches.

  “You’ll want to check your purse. I picked up everything I saw.” Kade was willing to bet if he’d missed a single dollar it wouldn’t be in the car when she finally got to it.

  “Thank you. I guess…I should get going.” Shelby got to her feet, smoothing her hand over her buttoned-up sweater.

  “How about I walk you to the bus?” He might not be able to make sure she got home safe, but he could at least ease the transition from crime scene back to the mundane world.

  “Thanks. You’re very kind.”

  “Just doing my job.”

  He gestured toward the stop. The police had everything they needed as far as her statement, so the only thing left to do was clear out and let traffic flow normally. She started forward, slowly at first.

  “I’d suggest seeing a doctor soon, just in case.” He doubted she’d have any injuries, but sometimes it took a few days for them to become apparent.

  “I would, if I could.” Shelby’s pace slowed to a crawl and she stared at her reflection in the window of the adjacent building. Her brow creased and that lower lip quivered.

  Oh, no…

  He wasn’t ready for more tears.

  “I can suggest someone,” he offered.

  “I don’t have any insurance. Yet.” She lifted her shoulders, only to drop them even lower. “Today just gets better and better. Sorry.”

  No, no, no tears.

  Shelby swiped under her eyes.

  “Hey. Hey, look at me?” He reached over, running his hands up and down her arms.

  She tipped her chin up, and there was so much loss and despair etched into her features. He hated that look. Wished there was something he could do to help her through this.

  “You’re likely just going to have a bit of whiplash. It sucks, but it’s nothing a salt bath and taking it easy won’t fix. How about this? In a completely I-promise-I’m-not-hitting-on-you way, how about I give you my number?”

  “I’ll try to not be disappointed.” Her smile was brief, but there was humor behind her eyes.

  Kade felt a little heat crawling up his neck, but pushed it aside to focus on his job. What he did best.

  “If you don’t feel good, if something feels off, how about you give me a call, okay? I’m not a doctor, but I can at least give you an opinion on if you need to see someone or if you’ll heal, given time and rest.”

  “I’d appreciate that, thank you.” Shelby juggled the soda and her purse, at least until Kade took the drink so she could dig out her phone. “Thank goodness. I don’t know what I’d do without it.”

  “Right?” He chuckled. “I’m so damn tied to my phone these days. Ready?”

  “You said your name was Cain?”

  “Kade, actually.”

  “I am so sorry.” Shelby closed her eyes and shook her head.

  “Don’t worry about it. You were close.”

  “Was not.” She laughed. “You’re way too nice.”

  “Well, hey, at least now I know you won’t forget it a second time.”

  “You’re likely right. Kade, K-A-D-E?”

  “You got it.” He rattled off his phone number, glad to see her smiling in earnest.

  It was a bad idea to trade numbers. He knew it was a bad idea. Liability alone was enough reason not to. But he’d experienced loss like that. He knew what it was like to be hit with the realization that he was still living, when so many of his friends hadn’t made it.

  “Don’t forget this.” He passed the can of soda back to her.

  “Thanks, maybe I can repay you sometime?”

  “Not necessary.” Though he’d be hard pressed to tell her no, if it came down to it. “Is this your bus? Or are you waiting for the next one?”

  “No, that should be me.” Shelby offered him her hand. “Thanks, Kade.”

  “Just doing my job.”

  Right.

  His job.

  Up until the point he’d crossed that line.

  Man, he was a sucker sometimes, but at least he’d made her smile.

  2.

  Shelby Amos downed what was left of the soda and tossed it in the nearly-overflowing garbage can outside her building. She wiped at her cheeks and packed up her emotions. It wasn’t often she let her feelings about her parents out of their box. She’d be off balance for a day or two.

  This was about the job, not her.

  Focus.

  What had she learned?

  Kade was not like his brothers. At all.

  Romani were very family focused. For one to leave the fold was unusual. They were even less likely to enlist, statistically speaking, which made Kade more of an anomaly.

  She dried her nose and took the stairs two at a time up to her loft. The door was unlocked, which meant her guest was already here. If she didn’t like him so much, she’d be annoyed.

  What was she going to say? How was she going to report back?

  She’d expected Kade to be like Anton and Sasha. He wasn’t. And she didn’t know what to do with that.

  Shelby slid the door open, slipped in and locked it from the inside.

  “Well?”

  “Hi, nice to see you, too, Rusty. I’m fine, thanks for asking.” She proceeded into the galley kitchen and dumped the purse onto the counter.

  The polyester slacks were giving her thighs a rash, and the ridiculous push-up bra made it hard to breathe.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. How’d your fake car accident go?” Rusty sighed and stared up at the ceiling.<
br />
  “What was your evaluation?” Shelby was still off balance from how…genuine Kade had appeared. She’d prefer to hear Rusty’s side of things first. Maybe that would ground her. Help her remember that this was work.

  “I didn’t see much.” Rusty spread his hands and shrugged. “He smiled, he seemed to be professional. At least, at first. Did he give you his phone number?”

  “Yeah, but I had to work for it.”

  “So? Your turn. What do you think of him?”

  “Hm.” Shelby leaned against the counter and picked at the buttons on the sweater. “He is what he appears to be. The one good apple of the bunch. He never stared at my boobs—aside from checking my breathing, and even then, he mostly maintained eye contact. He actually put all the money into my purse. He was a little too friendly, but I think the death card hit too close to home. It could be because of his estranged relationship with his parents or survivor’s guilt from his army days. It could be both.”

  “You don’t sound like you like him, though.”

  “I’m indifferent.” Lie. He’d caught her off guard, and Shelby didn’t like to be surprised. She’d like him, given half the chance. “If he were one of his brothers, he’d have stolen the money while I was crying.”

  “Maybe he’s in trouble?”

  “No, the analysts were able to get his work record. Did you look at it?”

  “No. Why?”

  “He’s a combat medic, who passed his EMT licensing with flying colors, and then he also went through the fire academy and assisted in some sort of specialized disaster training. Every evaluation he’s been given has been, or close enough to, perfect. He’s not too good to be true, but he’s close. I mean, even when he gets in trouble, you still have to give the guy props for what he bends the rules for. Did you read his write up from earlier this year?”

  “No?”

  “He broke all kinds of rules because of some big, federal case with a mafia informant or something. I couldn’t get my hands on the full story, but maybe you can?”

  “Oh.” Rusty’s face went a little ashen.

  “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Rusty…” Now, Shelby was curious.

  “I can’t tell you about that.” He delivered that line staring straight at her.