Claimed By her Daddies by Laylah Roberts

34

Pippa stepped into her bedroom suite in the palace.

Isobelle insisted that she had to use this room now that she was the princes’ intended bride. But Tavi and Aric had promised to join her soon after helping Matek to get ready for bed. Kassim was going to do some work in his office. He really was determined to make anyone who said a bad word about her suffer.

She was halfway into the room before a feeling of danger raced through her. She turned as someone stepped out of the shadows. Her eyes widened, fear making her heart race.

“Adele, what do you think you are doing in here?”

The other woman was a mess. Her dress was wrinkled, her hair was half out of the fancy hair-do she’d worn earlier and there was a crazed look in her eyes.

But worse than all that was the gun in her hand.

“This should have been mine. I was going to be Queen. But first I had to get rid of you. You were always around, weren’t you? They were meant to be mine! Instead, Kassim was always talking about you and Matek watched you. You and Aric were always laughing together and Tavi was fucking you in the copier room.”

“That was you? You put the camera in the copier room? You sent those photos to me?”

“Of course,” Adele said proudly. “I had to get you away from them. I didn’t like the way they looked at you or spoke about you. I was fucking one of the council members and they let it slip that the council was pressuring them into getting married and I was going to ensure that the person they wanted was me. They’re mine!”

Okay, she’d totally lost it. And Pippa didn’t like the way that gun was pointed at her middle. Even if Adele was a lousy shot, there was a high probability of Pippa getting shot.

“And did you knock me out in that alleyway?”

“Would have finished you off but I thought I heard someone coming. It was too risky, he said. Doing it myself. That’s why I hired someone to follow you in London and take you out. But the incompetent idiot hit Matek instead.”

“Who told you that? Who said it was too risky to hurt me yourself?”

“Jeric,” she spat out. “How do you think I got this?” Adele waved the gun around.

“Jeric gave you the gun?” she whispered, shocked. “Why?”

“He hates his cousins. Kassim gives him a tiny allowance. So he said he’d help me get rid of you.”

Because he didn’t get enough money he had helped Adele attempt to kill her? He’d given her the gun?

Holy. Hell.

She swallowed nervously.

It was obvious Adele wasn’t all there. Pippa thought it probably wasn’t a good idea to point that out to her while she held a gun.

But what to do? Tavi and Aric would be here soon and Adele might shoot them as they came through the door, unsuspecting.

She needed a distraction. Wait. The wardrobe. All she had to do was make her way to the wardrobe and she could lock the door and get in contact with security.

“Um, Adele, you seem really stressed,” she said with false sympathy.

“I’m fine.”

“Really? Because you’ve got a bit of something here.” Pippa pointed at her cheek. Adele rubbed at her own cheek and Pippa slid closer to the wardrobe. “And here.” The other cheek. Another step over as Adele rubbed at her face. “And here.” Her chin.

“Stop it! I look perfect as always! You’re the one who always looks like a mess. Look at you. Frumpy and ugly. You’ll never make a good princess. They can dress a frog up but it will still be a frog.”

Pippa pushed down her own self-doubts. It wasn’t anything she hadn’t thought about herself. However, that no longer mattered. Her men wanted her for who she was. Not because she was perfect.

Which was just as well since she wasn’t.

“That’s an interesting analogy. I mean, I’m not sure why you’d want to dress a frog up or even touch one. And then you’d have to find tiny clothes for them. Maybe you’d need them custom-made—”

“Shut-up! Shut-up! Shut-up!” Adele screeched, running her fingers through her hair, the gun tilting up towards the ceiling. This was her chance. Pippa dived for the closet, slamming the button which quickly shut the door. She sat there, shaking as something pinged against the steel-enforced wood. A loud, crazed screech reached her. Her breathing came in short gasps and she felt close to passing out.

Calm down. Contact security.

Trembling, she pressed the button for the intercom that connected to the security room.

Thank Christ for Matek’s paranoia in turning each wardrobe in the private wing into its own form of panic room.

“Security room.”

“It’s Pippa. I’m in my wardrobe. Adele, she has a gun. She’s in my room. She might get Tavi and Aric, tell them not to come in.”

She heard a craze-filled wail from the other room then something bashed against the door.

“Got it, Pip,” the man replied and she realized it was Aleki.

“Don’t let her hurt them.”

“Let me in! Let me in!” Adele screeched.

“Remain where you are, Pippa,” the voice said calmly. “Everyone is on their way. They aren’t far out. If you stay where you are, you’re safe.”

She knew that, it was her men she was worried about. A sob worked its way from her lips.

“Talk to me, Pip. Tell me what sort of cupcake you’re planning on making tomorrow. We’ve missed your cupcakes, sweetheart. Oh, I got a new package in yesterday. Three bags of pineapple lumps with your name on it.”

She knew he was trying to keep her calm, but she just wanted to know that her men were all right.

“Aleki,” she sobbed.

“Just stay there, sweetheart.”

There was the sound of raised voices. Screaming. A gun went off. Something smashed. More voices. She couldn’t make out what they were saying, though.

A long, crazed scream filled the air. The scream was cut off abruptly.

And nothing.

The sudden silence terrified her. Pippa realized she was crouched on the floor with her hands over her ears, her heart pounding. She panted for air. What was happening? Was anyone hurt? Had they gotten the gun off Adele?

“Pippa! Pippa, baby, open the door.”

Matek? What would Matek be doing there? He shouldn’t be there. He should be resting.

“Poppet? Are you okay?”

Aric was there too. She looked over at the door. She should open it. She knew she should.

“Little one, you’re safe now. Adele is gone. Open the door for us.” Tavi’s voice was gentle but held a note of command. She shuffled closer to the button which would open the door. But there was something holding her back.

There were whispers on the other side.

“Miss Jones. Open this door. Immediately.”

That did it. She stood and hit the button.

Then they were there, drawing her into their arms, passing her from one brother to the others. Aric plastered kisses on her face. Tavi insisted on checking her over for injuries. Kassim drew her close, holding her tight. But it was Matek who took her chin in his hand as he leaned on one crutch.

“Baby, you okay?”

“I am now,” she told him shakily. “I was so scared. She had a gun. I was worried Tavi and Aric would come into the room and she’d shoot them.”

“Better she shoot at us than you,” Tavi said grimly.

All of the men looked furious. Kassim had that tic by his eye again, she had a feeling she wasn’t good for his health.

“Something was wrong with her,” she told them. “She sounded so crazy. She wanted all of you, but she had to get rid of me first.”

Aleki raced in, coming to a stop as he saw her. “Are you okay? Do you need a doctor, Pip?”

She shook her head. “I’m fine. Thank you for keeping me calm in there. She didn’t hurt me. But Matek, you should sit down.”

Matek grumbled but let her steer him to the bed. He drew her down beside him and she had to admit it was good to get off her shaky legs.

“Where is she?” she asked.

“Caleb and Hux are taking her somewhere secure,” Aleki explained. “Judd is in the security room. I raced over here once I heard they had her. Pip, what did she say to you?”

“She said she was the one who hit me in the alley and sent those photos. She hired someone to take me out in London.”

“Fucking bitch,” Matek muttered as Aric crouched in front of her, placing his head in her lap. She ran her fingers through his hair.

“Anything else?” Wolfe asked. When had he come into the room? She had to be in shock.

“Yes, oh God, I can’t believe I forgot. She said that Jeric was helping her. That he gave her the gun.”

Matek and Aric stiffened and she looked over at Kassim.

“Jeric?” he whispered in a deadly voice.

“Yes. I’m so sorry.”

Kassim turned to Wolfe. “Find him.”

Wolfe nodded back at him then turned and took off.

“She said he hated all of you because you only gave him a small amount of money. Or something like that.”

“Greedy bastard,” Kassim said, shocking her. Kassim rarely swore.

“Fucking asshole gets plenty of money,” Aric added.

“When I get my hands on him . . .” Tavi added.

“Dead,” Matek said.

She shivered. “I’m just glad that she didn’t hurt you.”

“Or you, tamiya.” Kassim knelt and placed his hands over hers. “It seems that we cannot take our eyes off you. You’re always getting into trouble.”

“Hey! I resent that.”

“It’s true,” Aric said with a grin. “We need to write up a roster. Make sure we have eyes on her at all times.”

“That is not happening.” They were overprotective enough as it was.

“If anything happened to you, little one, we wouldn’t be able to go on. You’re our everything,” Tavi told her.

“Precious,” Matek agreed.

“All we have ever wanted,” Aric added.

“Ours.” Kassim leaned in and kissed her.

She smiled at them all. “Ditto.”