“Mikael.” The colonel looked at the attaché. “Summon the press. We will appear together.” Uncurling his fist, he extended his hand to Sebastian. “Peace.”
It was an armistice at best, with only the promise of mutually assured destruction to hold them to their honor, but it would do. Sebastian rose and took the colonel’s hand. “Peace.”
The press conferencewasn’t without its hitches and the Belarian press—or what passed for their press—displayed disappointment in Sebastian’s statement that the Andraste family planned to invest financially in Belaria’s future, but not personally. The colonel’s smug acceptance and the arm he placed around Sebastian’s shoulders aggravated Sebastian enough to enjoy puncturing the man’s glee by announcing the immediate appointment of two prominent royalists to oversee the distribution of Andraste money in conjunction with executives from the European division of the family’s conglomerate.
Still, another twenty-four hours slipped away before he could board a jet with the French ambassador for Charles deGaulle airport. The Andraste jet would be waiting for him at a private landing strip outside of Paris. Nearly thirty-six hours without sleep or a phone call lasting more than ninety seconds with Meredith left him in a sour mood.
As soon as he was on board the jet, he stripped off his tie and threw his jacket onto a chair. Unbuttoning his shirtsleeves, he began rolling them up and looked at the steward. “When we’rein the air, I want Meredith on the phone.” It was long past time they settled the issue of what the hell she’d been doing.
But it was Vidal, not the steward, who answered. “That won’t be possible.”
“Why the hell not?” He glared. Vidal played a vital role in pulling off the last several days. Sebastian turned over the coordination and implementation of his security to Vidal. In return, he handled every aspect of the protection detail and it went swimmingly, save for Meredith’s surprising appearance and equally abrupt exit.
“We have several hours on the flight and you’re exhausted. Since Dr. Blake is currently teaching.” Vidal checked his watch. “She will be in her lecture for at least another hour and with her doctoral candidates for the remainder of her day. She wouldn’t take your call. Besides, you should get some sleep.”
Fatigued or not, Sebastian recognized when he was being handled and saw through Vidal’s careful phrasing. “What do you mean, since she wouldn’t take my calls anyway?”
Vidal pulled out his own phone and studied the screen. “We will have clearance to take off within thirty minutes, if you wanted to take a shower before you get some sleep.”
He wasn’t going anywhere. “Vidal, answer my damned question.”
After returning the phone to inner pocket of his jacket, Vidal shook his head. “I don’t think I will. You have twenty-nine minutes.”
“What do you mean, you don’t think you will?”Who the hell was in charge here?The grit stung his eyes and he ached from head to toe, but he hadn’t just put himself through the grueling exercise of the last several days to not reach out to Meredith when it was over.
“Prepare a meal for His Highness.” Vidal addressed the steward. “And his pajamas. After we’re inflight, he’ll retire for the duration. Twenty-seven minutes, sir.”
“Get me a cup of coffee and answer my question, Vidal, before I kick you off my plane.” Sebastian all but growled and the steward froze, his gaze going from Sebastian to Vidal and back again.
“No coffee. Prepare his meal. Go.”
The steward accepted Vidal’s word and abandoned him to face to the prince. Folding his arms, Sebastian glared at the man.
“Your Highness, you can try to throw me off the plane, but it would be an embarrassing exercise for both of us. You’re exhausted and the last time you spoke to Dr. Blake in this mood, she hung up on you. Save us both the aggravation and get some sleep. We can discuss everything else afterward.”
“Since when do you speak to me like this?” It went beyond unusual.
“I’ve rarely needed to speak to you this way.” Vidal gave him a curt nod. “You have twenty-five minutes.” When Sebastian didn’t move, Vidal closed the distance between them. “Sebastian, get your ass in the shower. Clear your head. Get some sleep. If you talk to Dr. Blake while in this frame of mind, it will end badly for both of you. Particularly since you haven’t taken the time to process everything you’ve done. You’ve handled the last few days with remarkable aplomb, exceptional fortitude and grace even your brother would envy. That said, I will put you down myself before I let you sabotage the progress you’ve made with Dr. Blake.”
Scrubbing a hand over his face, Sebastian closed his eyes. He was exhausted, all the way to his bones. Vidal was right. He wasn’t thinking clearly. Getting to Meredith was an imperative, but if Vidal knew where she was and what she was doing, itmeant he’d kept touch with her security. She was safe. He could afford to cooperate. “Fine. I will shower.”
“Excellent decision, sir.” To his credit, Vidal didn’t smile.
At the door to the private bedroom and shower, Sebastian glanced back. “Thank you for your help the last few days. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“Yes, sir. I am aware, but you are more than welcome.”
Sebastian deserved the rap on his knuckles, but… “Vidal?”
“Sir?”
“Talk to me in that manner again, and I’ll loan you to George.”
A quick grin creased the man’s face. “Twenty-two minutes, sir.”
Sebastian didn’t even make it to the meal. After showering and changing, he’d buckled into a seat in the private room. As soon as they were airborne, he’d crawled into the bed and collapsed. Six hours into the flight, Vidal woke him with coffee, food and a report.
“What’s this?” His eyes ached, and the words seemed to blur on the page.
