Delta's Baby Surprise (Special Forces Elite 1)

Our discussion paused while the food was laid out in front of us, along with a bottle of Spanish wine. I knew the chef had paired it with the meal.

Paul grinned. “Please, let’s eat.”

Fuck. I was never getting out of here.

The lights in the first floor rooms were dim by the time the prime minister left for his hotel. The ballroom doors were locked. The library was dark. I walked to the residence elevator.

There was a quick salute from security before I entered the carriage.

I turned on the light as soon as I arrived in the residence. I didn’t expect it to be quiet. I didn’t expect it to be empty.

I expected to see Molly.

I checked the balcony before combing my suite. I reached for the royal line.

“Sutcliffe,” I snapped.

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Where is Miss Washington?”

“I’m sorry, sir. Miss Washington?”

I exhaled. “My guest, Sutcliffe. Where is she?”

“Oh. The young woman wandering around the palace.”

I clenched my fist. “Where is she?”

“Sir, we had no instructions. Security followed royal protocol.”

I gritted my teeth. “What does that mean exactly?”

“She left, your majesty.”

The irritation made the vein in my temple throb. “Why didn’t you ask my input?”

“Sir, it seemed as if the meeting with the prime minister was in a delicate state. And again, we had no instructions. I couldn’t be certain she was your guest. She was not on the royal roster. How did I know she wasn’t a lost tourist?”

Fuck the royal roster. I sat on the edge of my desk. I hadn’t left instructions. I had expected the security to let her back into the residence. I expected common sense. They saw her leave with me this morning. But they were like statues. They rarely looked around them. I wondered just how safe I was with guards who were so clearly fucking oblivious.

I closed my eyes. Where in the hell was she?

“How did she leave?” I quizzed the palace manager.

“I don’t know, sir.”

“I need to know when she left. How she left. And where she is now.”

“Sir, it’s after midnight,” he complained.

I looked at my watch. I didn’t give a shit what time it was. It was his fault she was gone.

“I expect the information to be included in the lodestar. On my desk before I reach my office tomorrow morning.”

“Yes— ”

Damn it. I needed another drink if I was going to make it through this night. Molly was supposed to be mine now. I didn’t even know I wanted her before last night. How the fuck had I lost her so quickly?