Resisting Alexandre (Knight Security 0.5) by Carole Mortimer Page B

noticing it, or is this something new?” Alexandre kept his voice level, unemotional, in an effort to stop himself from actually murdering his own cousin. Now wouldn’t that look wonderful in the headlines: The Prince of Androcco Guilty of Murdering his Heir!
    “I’m being realistic, not obnoxious. This relationship is going nowhere, so why make such a fuss—”
    “Give me the fucking mobile, Gerard. Now,” he barked as his cousin merely continued to look exasperated.
    Gerard reluctantly took the phone from the breast pocket of his jacket and handed it to him. “I wouldn’t bother trying to reach her at the hotel.”
    Alexandre stilled with his finger poised over the buttons of the mobile. “Why not?”
    His cousin shrugged. “Daniel Meyers called me to check on your condition while the doctors were examining you. He’s set up an enquiry into what caused this. He also assured me that Miss Carmichael has been suspended, for misconduct with one of the guests. I’m presuming that’s you—”
    “And you let him do that?” Alexandre demanded incredulously.
    “Of course.” Gerard eyed him coldly.
    Alexandre’s teeth ground together. “The doctor said I would be dead if not for Anastazia’s swift action in giving me the epinephrine.”
    “I’m aware of that. But—”
    “There is no but to that sentence, Gerard,” Alexandre grated. “The principality of Androcco should be giving her a fucking medal, not allowing her to be suspended from her job.”
    “I— Where are you going?” His cousin stared as Alexandre threw the mobile down on the bed in disgust before striding across the room to fling open the door leading out into the corridor.
    “Mind your own fucking business!”
    “It’s your fucking that’s going to create a scandal,” Gerard snapped. “You can’t go chasing after this woman like some infatuated schoolboy—”
    “I am the ruling prince of Androcco.” Alexandre turned to draw himself up to his full height of several inches over six feet. “As such, I will decide what I will or won’t do. Do you understand?”
    Gerard’s eyes glittered with anger. “Fine. Go ahead. Make a fool of yourself, and Androcco, by chasing after some woman who no doubt makes a habit of sleeping with the guests— Okay, okay, I’ve finished with the warnings as to the inadvisability of your actions.” He held up yielding hands as Alexandre gave a low growl, the muscles bunched in his shoulders in preparation for launching himself across the room. “I completely wash my hands of the whole situation. But you can bet that the governing council of Androcco will have plenty to say about it.”
    “As, no doubt, you’ll take great pleasure in reporting back to them.”
    “You leave me no choice when your actions are so detrimental to Androcco.”
    Alexandre gave his cousin one last narrow-eyed glare before turning back to the hallway. “Keep him away from me,” he snarled at the bodyguard standing outside. “And instruct my driver to bring my car to the front of the clinic,” he added as he strode off down the hallway.

Chapter 10
    Stazzi forced her heavy lids to open as she was woken by the buzz of the internal telephone, rolling over with a tired groan before picking up the receiver from the top of the cabinet beside the bed. “Yes, Nigel?” she said to the security guard on duty on the desk in the lobby.
    “You have a visitor.” There was an awkward pause before Nigel’s voice lowered conspiratorially. “He says he’s Prince Alexandre of Androcco—”
    “Send him up!” Stazzi cut in excitedly, her fingers tight about the receiver as she swung her legs over the side of the bed and sat up, her heart racing. “Sorry, Nigel, could you send him up, please,” she repeated in a calmer voice.
    Alexandre was here. Downstairs. He had come to her apartment to see her.
    Which instantly begged the question, shouldn’t he still be at the clinic?
    Oh, to hell with where Alexandre should or shouldn’t