“Ms. Sarris, at last we meet again.” His leering smile revealed stained teeth.
Zoe didn’t say anything as her eyes darted around searching for Demetrius or any of his security detail. There was no one about. Her palms broke out in a cold sweat as the hairs on her arms stood on end. She was alone with this man who was standing between her and the door. Why was he stalking her? What did he want with her?
“Excuse me. I’m needed inside.” She attempted to go around him.
“Not so fast.” The man in a white polo shirt and a blue sports jacket stepped in her way. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to hurt you. See, you and I, we’re going to become good friends.”
Zoe, in an attempt to keep the man from touching her, stepped back so quickly that her foot landed on the edge of the walkway. She stumbled. Her arms flailed as she struggled to regain her balance.
“Careful.” He clicked his tongue. “We don’t want you getting hurt.”
Her gaze hesitantly met his. “I have to go. People will be looking for me.”
He shook his head. “You aren’t going anywhere until we talk.”
“What...what do you want from me?”
“I want the truth, Ms. Sarris. Or do you go by Princess Zoe now?”
Her heart hammered in her chest. He knew the truth. How could he? Was he just fishing? If he did know, what did he plan to do with the information? And if he knew this much, what did he want with her?
“Answer me!” His voice echoed off the surrounding walls.
“What? Uh...no. I’m just Zoe Sarris. A nobody.”
The man’s beady eyes narrowed. “Come now. You surely didn’t think the prince was going to keep your secret forever.”
“I... I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t play dumb with me.” His face filled with color. “I’m warning you. This is my big break and you aren’t going to ruin it for me.”
“I... I won’t.” Her gaze darted between him and the door. There was only one way out of the courtyard and it was straight past him.
The wild look in the man’s eyes shook her to the core. She had to get out of there. Now!
She set off running. She pushed him out of her way, but he was too quick for her. His meaty fingers bit into the tender flesh of her upper arm. She let out a scream.
He yanked her to him and placed his other hand over her mouth. His voice was menacing as his hot breath brushed over her cheek, making her sick to her stomach. “That wasn’t very nice of you.” She yanked at his hand, but he was too strong for her. “I thought we could have a friendly conversation. Now, why did you have to go and ruin it?”
Zoe struggled to calm herself. Her gaze searched the doorway, willing Demetrius to appear. Where was he?
The man’s bad breath smelled of garlic and onions. “If I let you go, do you promise to be quiet and not run?”
She nodded while swallowing hard to keep her nausea at bay.
First, he removed his hand from her mouth. She sucked in a deep breath. Next, he released her arm. She didn’t move, not yet.
“Good. I knew you’d cooperate. Now, we were talking about your new title of princess. You know these sorts of things shouldn’t be kept from the public.”
“What...what do you mean?”
The man’s beady eyes narrowed. “Did you honestly think I wouldn’t do some digging into your life?”
“I don’t know what you mean.” Her gaze moved to the doorway. If only she had something to throw at him—just enough of a distraction to get past him.
“You aren’t getting away. Not yet.”
She hated that he knew what she was thinking. It was time for a different tactic. No matter that her insides shivered with fear, she had to stand up to this guy. She dug deep for a bit of confidence, hoping to bluff this man until Demetrius showed up or she figured out a plan to get out of there.
She pressed her shaking hands to her hips, lifted her chin and prayed her voice wouldn’t betray her. “What do you want from me?”
His eyes lit with surprise. “That’s more like it, Princess. I’ve seen your marriage license. I know that you and Prince Demetrius tied the knot.”
“If you know that, what do you need with me?”
“The thing is, even though I paid the clerk good money to browse through his records, I was interrupted. Before I could snap a photo, I had to sneak away.”
“That sounds like your problem, not mine.”