The brothers shared the same dark hair, although Antonio’s was longer with a hint of curl. Duarte had a lean runner’s build, whereas she would have pegged his brother as a former high school wrestler.
What sort of school experience would the young princes have had on a secluded island?
As the boat docked, she realized another couple waited with Tony and Shannon. Javier Cortez stood with a woman just behind him. They couldn’t possibly have permitted his cousin Alys to stay after she betrayed them. Although they allowed a reporter into their midst…
Duarte touched the small of her back as they walked down the gangplank. “There’s someone here to see you.”
She looked closer as Javier stepped aside and revealed—
Jennifer?
Disbelief rocked the plank under Kate’s feet. What was going on? She looked back at Duarte and he simply smiled as if it was nothing unusual to scoop her sister out of her protective home without consulting Kate. Not that Jennifer seemed to notice anything unusual about this whole bizarre day.
Jumping with excitement, her sister waved from the dock, wearing jeans, layered tank tops and a lightweight jacket. Her ponytail lifted by the wind, she could have been any college coed on vacation. Physically, she showed no signs of the special challenges she faced. But Kate was all too aware of her sister’s vulnerability.
A vulnerability that hit home all the harder now that Kate realized how easily someone could steal Jennifer away without her knowing. How could she ever hope to go on a remote shoot without worrying? What if her editor had been the one to pull this stunt?
Kate loved Jennifer more than anyone in the world. But the balance of that love wavered between sibling and motherly affection. The maternal drive to protect Jennifer burned fiercely inside her.
And Duarte had stepped over a line. How dare he use his security people to just scoop up Jennifer? He was supposed to be protecting her.
Her lips pursed tight, Kate held her anger, for now. She didn’t want to upset her sister with a scene.
Jennifer hugged her tight before stepping back smiling. “Katie, are you surprised? We get to visit after all. Isn’t it beautiful? Can we go swimming even though it’s January? It’s not snowing, like at home.”
Kate forced a smile onto her own face, as well. “It might be a bit cool for that even now. But we could go for walks on the beach. Hope you brought comfy shoes.”
“Oh, they have everything for me. He—” she pointed to Javier “—said so when he picked me up at school. I got to fly on an airplane and they had my favorite movie with popcorn. All these nice people were waiting to meet me when I got here a few minutes before you. Have you met them?”
Shaking her head, Kate let Jennifer continue with the introductions, which saved her from having to say anything for a while. More specifically, it offered her the perfect diversion to avoid looking at Duarte until she could get her emotions under control and him alone.
On the surface this seemed like a thoughtful gesture, but he should have consulted her, damn it. Thinking of Jennifer going off with people she didn’t know scared the hell out of Kate.
As for the supposedly great assisted-living facility, they never should have let Jennifer leave without calling her first.
So much for giving him the benefit of the doubt, assuming he could be an ordinary, everyday kind of guy. Duarte assumed his way was best.
No worries about joining the ranks of his three-month-rejects club. Because she would be walking out on Duarte Medina on their one-month anniversary.
Nine
Duarte wasn’t sure what had upset Kate, but without question, she’d gone into deep-freeze mode after the ferry crossing. He’d known the discussion about her dad made her uncomfortable, but not like this. He’d hoped seeing her sister would trump everything else and make her happy. He’d been wrong, and he intended to find out why—after he’d seen his father.
Two vehicles waited, as he’d requested. A limousine would take the women to the main house and Duarte would use the Porsche Cayenne four-wheel drive to visit the island clinic with Tony.
Watching Jennifer finish her introductions, Duarte was struck by how much she looked like her sister. They shared the same general build and rich brown hair, the strong island sun emphasizing caramel-colored highlights. But most of all, he couldn’t miss how much Jennifer adored her older sister. The love and protectiveness Kate displayed was clearly returned.
Bringing them together had been the right thing. And here on his father’s island he could offer the sisters some of the pampering they had been denied.
Duarte turned to Kate. “Javier will take you both back to the house. Shannon will help you settle in while I go see my father with Tony. Anything you need, just ask.”
He dropped a quick kiss on Kate’s cheek, playing the attentive fiancé.
Jennifer quickly hooked arms with her sister. “Let me see the ring…”
Their voices drifted off and Duarte faced his brother alone for the first time since he’d stepped off the ferry. Tony’s normally lighthearted ways were nowhere in sight today.
Duarte took the keys from his younger brother’s extended hand. “Any change in his condition?”
“His fever is down and the breathing treatments help him rest more comfortably.” Tony closed the car door, sitting in the passenger seat. “But the core problem with his liver hasn’t been solved.”
He turned the key and the Porsche SUV purred to life. “Has he considered a transplant?”
“That’s a sticky subject for the old guy.” Tony hooked his arm out the open window as they pulled away from the ferry. “For starters, he would have to go to the mainland. His doctors are of mixed opinion as to whether he’s a good candidate.”
“So we just wait around for him to die?” What had happened to their father, the fighter? “That doesn’t seem right.”
Enrique may have turned into a recluse, but he’d rebuilt a minikingdom of his own here off the coast of Florida. Duarte guided the vehicle along the narrow paved road paralleling the shore.
When he’d first arrived here as a kid, the tropical jungle had given him the perfect haven. He would evade the guards and run until his heart felt like it would burst. Over time he’d realized the pain had more to do with losing his mother, with watching her murder. Then he’d begun martial arts training as well so he could go back to San Rinaldo one day. So he could take out the people responsible for his mother’s death.
By the time he reached adulthood, he realized he would never have the revenge he’d craved as a child. His only vengeance came in not letting them win. He wouldn’t be conquered.
He’d thought his father carried the same resolve. Duarte forced his attention back on the present and his brother’s words.
“His health concerns are complicated by more than just the remote locale. There’s the whole issue of finding a donor. Chances are greatly increased when the donor is of the same ethnicity.”
“Which means we should be tested. Maybe one of us can donate a lobe,” Duarte said without hesitation.
“Again, he says no. He insists that route poses too great a risk to us.” Tony stared out over the ocean. While Duarte had used running to burn off his frustration, the youngest Medina brother had gravitated to the shore for swimming, surfing and later, sailing.
“He’s stubborn as hell.”
Tony turned back, his grin wry. “You’re one to talk. I’m surprised you actually brought Kate Harper here. And that you gave her our mother’s ring. You’re not exactly the forgiving sort.”
It wasn’t Beatriz’s wedding ring—Carlos had that— and in fact Duarte hadn’t remembered her wearing that one as clearly as he recalled the ruby she’d worn on her other hand. As a child, he’d toyed with it while she told him stories of her own family. She’d been of royal descent, but her parents had been of modest means. She’d wanted her sons to value hard work and empathize with the people of San Rinaldo.
What would life have been like if she’d made it out of the country with them?
But she hadn’t, and what-ifs wasted time. Her death must be weighing heavier on his mind because of his father’s failing health. And now, he would see his father for what could be the last time.
The clinic—a one-story building, white stucco with a red tile roof—sported two wings, perched like a bird on the manicured lawn. One side held the offices for regular checkups, eye exams and dental visits. The other side was reserved for hospital beds, testing and surgeries.
Duarte parked the car in front and pocketed the keys. Guards nodded a welcome without relaxing their stance. They weren’t Buckingham Palace-stiff, but their dedication to their mission couldn’t be missed.
Electric doors slid open. A blast of cool, antiseptic air drifted out. The clinic was fully staffed with doctors and nurses on hand to see to the health concerns of the small legion that ran Enrique’s island home. Most were from San Rinaldo or relatives of the refugees.
Tony pointed to the correct door, although Duarte would have known from the fresh pair of heavily armed sentinels. Bracing, he stepped inside the hospital room.
The former king hadn’t requested any special accommodations beyond privacy. There were no flowers or balloons or even cards to add color to the sterile space. The stark room held a simple chair, a rolling tray, a computer…