Lukas cleared his throat and jumped in. “Everyone who has seen you since Miss Richardson’s arrival knows she is the one, Sire,” he said softly. “Marianescus love once, then never again. All Zakhar knows this—it is not a secret. And you are a Marianescu. If Miss Richardson were to die...you would have no heir but Prince Xavier. Ever.”
“My cousin has known of my plans regarding Miss Richardson for at least three years.” Andre’s tone was harsh. “Ever since I posted men to guard her in America.”
“Yes, but she was in Hollywood then,” Lukas said, “and no threat to the succession. Now she is here. Two attempts have already been made on her life since she arrived in Zakhar, and the attempt on your life—the helicopter—could also have resulted in her death.”
Damon and Lukas are right, Andre told himself as he tried to put emotion aside and think logically. Proof or no proof, only Zax stands to gain from these attempts. No one else. And yet, he couldn’t believe it of Zax. Niko, yes. He could easily believe it of Niko. But not Zax. And he couldn’t condemn his cousin to death without evidence merely because he had the only known motive. Could he?
Less than a year ago he’d sent Lukas and Damon to the United States with orders to shadow Trace McKinnon—the man who was now his brother-in-law—and kill him should it become necessary, in the name of protecting his sister. He hadn’t hesitated then. Why was he hesitating now? Juliana was no less precious to him than Mara. He would kill to protect her, no question. But not in cold blood. Not like this. “I will not believe him guilty of seeking my death, or Miss Richardson’s.”
The other four men exchanged skeptical glances, but no one spoke until Damon said, “How many ‘accidents’ must occur before you believe what is plain to us, your men? Men who have sworn to keep you safe or die trying. There is not a man among us who would not give his life for yours, but would you ask us to throw away our lives merely because you do not want to accept the truth?”
Andre’s face hardened at Damon’s final argument. He still refused to believe in Zax’s guilt, but he had to act—not just for Juliana or himself, but for the men risking their lives to protect them. With great power comes great responsibility, he reminded himself. He’d never shirked the difficult life-and-death decisions most men never even imagined making. He couldn’t do so now. Not even when the man in question was his dearest friend, closer to him than the ties of blood that bound them.
The ties of blood.
A thought occurred to him, startling in its simplicity. If Zax were arrested, tried and convicted of high treason, Niko would become Andre’s heir until he had a son to supplant his cousin in the succession...assuming he and Juliana had a son. Was it possible this was Niko’s doing? All of it? Not just the attacks on Juliana, but the assassination attempts by supposed traditionalists like Zax? Tampering with the royal helicopter? All designed to kill him and throw suspicion—if suspicion was aroused—on Zax? Niko’s own brother?
And Juliana. Why try to kill Juliana now? As he’d told his men, Zax had known Andre’s intentions regarding Juliana from the beginning. If Zax wanted to keep Juliana away from him, he could have killed her at any time, not waited until she arrived in Zakhar. And if Zax had wanted Juliana dead, she would be dead. The same goes for me. If Zax truly wanted me dead, I would be dead already.
But Niko hadn’t known about Andre’s plans in advance the way Zax had. Not until Juliana arrived would anyone here other than Zax have known my intentions toward her. Including Niko. Now everything made sense, including the slender evidence that pointed to Zax—evidence arranged to point to Zax. And Andre knew what he had to do.
Then he went cold all over. If Niko was behind the attempts on Juliana’s life...then he’d just upped the ante. He’d just increased Niko’s motive to kill her by announcing their engagement. If anything happens to Juliana, he thought with icy self-recrimination, the blame is mine.
He quickly dismissed the pilot with a brief word of thanks, then turned to Lukas and Damon. “Find Prince Xavier,” he ordered them curtly. “Bring him to me. Do not kill him,” he added in no uncertain terms. “But do not let him out of your sight. Understood?”
He waited until they left, then said softly to Marek, “Take as many men as you need and find Prince Nikolai. Arrest him. Then bring him to me.”
“Arrest Prince Nikolai?” The surprise on Marek’s face was apparent.
“Arrest him. He is the man behind these attempts to kill Miss Richardson...and me. Be very careful—he will be as dangerous as a cornered rat. But I want him alive. Understood?”