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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 dieyou would have no heir but Prince Xavier Ever”
“My cousin has known ofMiss Richardson for at least three years” Andre’s tone was harsh “Ever since I posted uard 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”
Daht, Andre told hiically 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 as now his brother-in-law—and kill hi 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 hi my death, or Miss Richardson’s”
The other four lances, but no one spoke until Damon said, “How many ‘accidents’ must occur before you believe what is plain to us, yourThere is not a ive his life for yours, but would you ask us to throay our lives merely because you do not want to accept the truth?”
Andre’s face hardened at Dauilt, but he had to act—not just for Juliana or hi their lives to protect thereat responsibility, he reminded himself He’d never shirked the difficult life-and-death decisionsHe 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 hi in its sih treason, Niko would become Andre’s heir until he had a son to supplant his cousin in the successionassu 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 atte 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 hisJuliana fro 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 saoes 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 knownthe slender evidence that pointed to Zax—evidence arranged to point to Zax And Andre knehat he had to do
Then he went cold all over If Niko was behind the attempts on Juliana’s lifethen he’d just upped the ante He’d just increased Niko’shappens 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 Da him to me Do not kill him,” he added in no uncertain terht Understood?”
He waited until they left, then said softly to Marek, “Take as many men as you need and find Prince Nikolai Arrest hi 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 Richardsonand erous as a cornered rat But I want him alive Understood?”