laugh. He throws his head back, laughing louder and louder.
Before he can say anything, though, a body slams into him. I hear an oof as the air is knocked out of his lungs. A mess of legs and arms falls to the ground, and I recognize Dante as he grapples with Hunter. The sound of boots rushing down the hallway thump in the distance, but they don’t get here before Hunter lands a punch to Dante’s face.
I scream, taking a step forward.
“Stay back, Margot!” Dante says, dodging another punch as he lands one to Hunter’s midsection.
They kick, scratch, and punch at each other until guards arrive to haul Dante off the intruder. Hunter is dragged away, screaming obscenities in my direction. His eyes are blazing. His gaze sends chills down my spine and all I can do is stay rooted in place, watching him be taken away.
I only realize I’m shivering when Dante puts his arms around me. He rubs his palms over my arms, searching my face.
“Are you okay?”
“I should be asking you that,” I say, bringing my fingers up to the bruise already blossoming on his cheekbone. “You’re going to get a black eye.”
“It’s fine,” he says, grabbing my hand to kiss my fingertips. “There’s only about two hundred photographers desperate to take my picture.”
I laugh shakily, wrapping my arms around my man.
My heart is in my throat. My mouth is dry. All I can do is hang onto Dante and clutch my stomach, fear swirling through my whole body.
My baby doesn’t kick.
Dante holds me close until the captain of castle security brings us down to the offices to take our statements. From then on, everything is a whirlwind. It’s decided that all four of us—Ivy, Luca, Dante, and I—will go back to Argyle. Farcliff Castle has been breached, and they need to protect the royal family. They’ll increase security on the castle, but I get the sense that we’re deemed to be security risks.
We pack bags as Dante calls for the jet to be prepared. I call Felicity to let her know, ignoring her protests.
Then, I call Melissa and ask her to come with me. Even though I’m happy with Ivy, Luca, and Dante, I’d still love to have a familiar face with me.
I’m scared. I need a friend.
“Are you kidding me? Of course I want a tropical vacation and a stay at the Argyle Palace,” Melissa laughs. “Be at the airport in half an hour.”
I let out a relieved sigh. “Thank you.”
Hunter is kept in custody, and I hear the guards talking about charging him with trespassing and possibly even treason. They talk about him being locked up for a long, long time.
The thought of him being behind bars makes me sad for the past that we shared, but also relieved. Even going to Argyle doesn’t seem like enough distance between me and Hunter.
I’m not allowed back in the guest room. The guards sweep it for any dangerous substances and explosives, but nothing is found. Hunter says he was only there to try to find information on me and my pregnancy, which he was planning to sell to the tabloids.
I don’t know if I believe him. The man who helped launch my career is a stranger to me now.
The world he operated in is one of gossip, media, power, and money. He kept the ugly side of fame away from me, until now. When he tried to poison my sister, everything changed.
Now, it’s about to change again.
Luca’s face is grim as we board the plane. He keeps a protective arm around Ivy, and a part of me is relieved that they found each other. At least I don’t have to worry about Ivy’s safety when Luca’s around. I don’t have to worry about her babies being taken care of.
When Dante’s hand slides over my lower back, I let out a sigh.
Is it possible that I’ve found what Ivy has, too?
But as we board the plane and I take my seat beside Dante, the gremlins in my head laugh, whispering that this is just another heartbreak in the making.
21
Dante
The whole point of going to Farcliff Castle was that it was supposed to be safer from the paparazzi, but I knew that we’d be more exposed. There are hundreds of staff at the castle, and there’s evidently a leak somewhere.
The good news is, now that Hunter is in custody, we don’t have to worry about him. The captain of castle security assured us that he’d be locked up