Royal Line by Carrie Ryan (online e book reading txt) 📕

They hurt Sparrow. I think they brought her with us, but I don’t know where she is, and—”

“It’s okay. Olly has her.”

“How did you know where to even find me?’

“One of the shoes that Sparrow brought you, there was a tracker in it.”

She pulled back and blinked at me. “Wait, the same trick that whoever was following me used, you used that on me?”

I shrugged. “It’s effective. No one ever checks the shoes.”

She chaffed out a breath and tried to pull back from me, but I held tight. “I was so scared when I realized you were gone. I was terrified.”

“We don’t have to do this now, Kannon. I’m just—I just want to sleep.”

I eased her back and ran my hands over her hair, tucking several wayward strands behind her ear. “I know. I just want you to know I love you. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said what I said. The truth is I am scared to death. I met you only days ago, not even a week, and to already feel this way is terrifying to say the least. I should have never let you walk out. The last thing I want is to let you go.”

Sobbing, she sank into me, and I held her, vowing to myself that I would do everything in my power to keep her close.

Chapter 18 Kannon

Running away is the best chance to survive.

I would never be able to get the sight of London, hurt and looking so fucking scared, out of my mind.

Until the end of my days, the sound of her voice as she’d almost been killed would forever be entwined with that of Phoebe’s.

I had lost my wife, my unborn child, and I had almost lost London.

I hated that feeling, like I was the common denominator. I was the one who hadn’t been strong enough to protect Phoebe, to protect our child. And I’d nearly not been strong enough to protect London.

My hands fisted as I waited for Olly to finish working on my arm. It was a nasty slice, but I’d live. Sparrow had fought like the champ she was. She had a knot on the back of her head and some cuts and bruises from the scuffle by the cabanas. But the blood we’d found wasn’t all hers. She’d managed to stab one of the men who’d taken her and London, but had taken a knife to the side. Thankfully it hadn’t hit any major organs.

Olly nodded down at me. “Okay, boss, you should probably go see a doctor, but I know you want to get your girl home first.”

I looked up at Olly and narrowed my eyes. “She’s not my girl.”

“Funny how usually the first thing out of your mouth is you don’t need a damn doctor, but this time it’s about the girl.”

“You’re lucky I like you, or I’d kick your ass right now.”

“Kannon, you’re bruised, bloody, and I’m pretty sure Sparrow could kick your ass.”

“I heard that,” Sparrow yelled from the other side of the room.

“Are you done?” I asked.

“I am. You can go see your... You can go see the princess,” Olly backtracked.

I ignored him, nodded, and got up, wincing as I pulled on the bandage.

I’d been lucky. I knew that, but it still didn’t mean I enjoyed bleeding like a stuck pig.

I’d go to the doctor if I felt like it, but most likely, I’d deal with it on my own like I always did. Today hadn’t been the first time I’d been stabbed or shot, and sadly, it probably wouldn’t be the last.

My job was dangerous. That meant I always needed to be on top of things. I hadn’t been recently, and I knew exactly why.

London sat on a bench, her eyes wide, her face pale, and her whole body wrapped in a blanket.

The minute she spotted me, she stood up, pushed past Olly and the others, and came to me. She stopped right in front of me but didn’t reach out to hold me, and I didn’t know whether I was happy about that or disappointed. The indecision told me that what I was going to do later was the right thing.

“You’re okay,” she whispered.

“I am.”

“Good. I can’t believe.... I can’t believe all that just happened.”

I couldn’t either, but I wasn’t going to focus on that. I couldn’t.

“You’re fine. We’re going to get you home. Your brothers have sent a plane.”

Her voice was soft when she asked, “They did?”

“Their baby sister was kidnapped and almost killed. They want you home, London.”

I heard the bitterness in my tone, and I felt more than saw the reproachful looks from Olly and Sparrow, but I ignored it.

I was so fucking scared, so worried about everything that just happened. And I didn’t want to have to deal with it. I needed to get in and get out, just to make sure London was in safe hands.

“We need to head out.”

There were others all around us, and I knew she wanted to say something, but I couldn’t let her.

We needed to go. In hindsight, I suppose the longer I was with her, the more I wanted to stay. And I couldn’t.

She needed to go home to her family. She needed to be a princess and a royal. And I needed to go back to what I was good at.

Protecting, killing, and bleeding.

None of which would work with London’s life.

“Kannon, can we talk about what just happened?”

I looked at her then over at my team. “Olly, come on, let’s go.”

“Kannon.”

I ignored London and turned, knowing that she would follow because there was nowhere else for her to go.

We got into the SUV and headed toward the hangar where a private plane would be waiting to take her home, to her world that was far away from mine.

A private plane, royal galas, everything that wasn’t part of my life.

She sat next to me in the back seat as Olly drove us. My arm was in a sling, so I couldn’t do it myself. I