King's Ransom (Man on a Mission 2)

Inside Juliana was gasping as everything fell neatly into place, but she managed to keep it from her expression. “So it was all your doing?”

He snorted. “Hardly. Give credit where credit is due. I could not order the phone company to keep Andre’s calls to you from going through, or yours to him. I could not control the postal service, email and internet in Zakhar. Only he could. And when Andre insisted—in defiance of his father—on serving with his unit when they went to Afghanistan, the king consoled himself with the thought that at least Andre could not go to you in America.” His expression turned introspective for a moment. “Too bad Andre did not die in combat as I hoped he would.”

He shook that divergent thought off. “No, Juliana, I merely suggested what the king needed to do, and he did it. All of it. But I knew. Every step of the way, I knew.”

He smiled a cold, cruel smile. “I thought the money was a nice touch,” he said softly, menacingly. “And the message. That was the one thing you could not forgive, could you? It drove you away from Andre as it was intended to do.”

She closed her eyes briefly as guilt washed through her, remembering how very nearly Niko had succeeded in separating her from Andre...permanently. Then she opened her eyes as Niko continued.

“But I had to be sure you would stay away. I could not let you marry Andre and give him heirs, heirs that would supplant Zax and me in the line of succession. So I had to make sure Andre would not pursue you when you did not return to Zakhar as he expected.”

Even though she’d already been cold with terror, a chill ran through her as she grasped his meaning. “It was you? You were behind that lying story in the press?”

He laughed once more, and this time Juliana heard the insanity he’d kept hidden all this time. “Brilliant, was it not? I bribed that man to lie about being your lover. And I confirmed it. Confidentially, of course, but I knew I was fairly safe in doing so. The press shield laws in your country meant the reporter would keep his sources confidential. Zakhar’s laws are different, but...” He shrugged.

The barrel of the gun moved once more, until it was pointing at Juliana’s heart. “That is how I made Andre bleed,” he gloated. “The only thing that would have made it more perfect was if I had been the man. My revenge would have been complete. But even without that it was bad enough for him. His precious Juliana sleeping with another man, taking a lover other than him. What a blow that was to his heart. And to his ego. He suffered,” Niko said, taking a perverse pleasure in the fact. “Oh, how he suffered.”

The insane light in his eyes faded for a moment. “I almost overplayed my hand there,” he said thoughtfully. “It could have killed Andre’s love for you, made him more amenable to his father’s constant pressure to marry European royalty and beget heirs. But the temptation to make him bleed was too great to resist.” Then he smiled again, and Juliana couldn’t prevent the shiver that coursed through her. “But I was counting on the curse of the Marianescus. And I was right.”

“Not a curse, Niko,” said a stern voice from the other side of the room. “It is our greatest strength.”

Niko jerked as if he’d been shot. He swung around to face Andre, who’d stepped out from behind the tapestry covering the secret passageway between his bedroom and Juliana’s, and for a second the gun wasn’t pointing at Juliana. But before she could escape Niko grabbed her around the waist and pulled her tight against his body, the gun pressed against her temple.

“Not one step closer,” he warned.

“Or what?” Andre demanded. “Or you will shoot her?” He shook his head. “You will shoot her anyway. That was your intention the minute you walked into this room with a gun.” He took a step toward them, then another.

Niko turned the pistol so it was facing Andre, and Juliana knew this was what Andre had intended, to get the gun away from her head by making himself the target instead. But seeing him in danger didn’t make it any easier for her. And besides, Niko was still holding her captive.

“I will shoot you,” Niko threatened. “Then her.”

Andre shook his head again. “I think not. If you shoot me, you will never inherit the throne. And that is what this has all been about. You were very clever to try to throw suspicion on your brother—as my heir he had the best motive. But that will not work this time. Zax is already in custody.”

“I do not believe you.”

Andre smiled coldly. “Damon and Lukas will swear to it. So if I die here you will not escape.” He paused a second. “You have tried three times to kill me, yes? Not just the helicopter, but the assassination attempts—supposedly by traditionalists like Zax—that was your doing.”