Summary: Riley and Bastien talk about the assassination attempt, her new bodyguard, and her engagement.
Author’s note: This takes place after Wounded in the Line of Duty.
When Riley returned to her room, she reached for her phone. Although she had spoken to Bastien at the briefing, Liam and Constantine had been present, so she couldn’t say everything that she wanted to say to him. She wondered if he was still up. After all, he was still recovering from being shot, and probably needed his rest. Maybe it would be better to send a text. She typed a message: Can we talk? Whenever you want is fine. No rush. In less than a minute, she received a response: Of course. Come to my room? She sent a reply: On my way.
She headed to his room and knocked on the door. When she heard him call out “Come in,” she entered and saw him sitting on the bed. She made her way over to him and sat down beside him.
“How are you feeling? How’s your leg?” She looked to him with concern.
Bastien winced. “It still hurts. They wanted me to stay at the hospital longer, but my king needs me.”
“Please take it easy. You have to take care of yourself,” Riley urged him.
“I need to find our enemies. This is on me. I couldn’t stop them from getting into the palace. I need to fix this,” he insisted.
“Bastien, no!” Riley looked at him intently. “This is not your fault. Please don’t blame yourself. You did everything that you could. You got Liam out of the palace safely. You got Drake and me out, and helped us get to the safe house. You told me how to help him.”
“You’re the one that saved his life,” he responded.
“Yes, but I couldn’t have done it without you.” She smiled. “I told Drake that I could get him a medal for saving my life. You know, I could do the same for you. That way all of Cordonia would know that you’re a hero.”
Bastien shook his head. “I don’t deserve that.”
“Yes, you do. You never give yourself enough credit.” She took a deep breath. “Um, speaking of Drake…I’m sorry that you had to find out that way. In front of the royal family, I mean.”
“No need to apologize, Your Grace. I wish the two of you all the best.” Bastien smiled weakly.
“Your Grace? Come on, Bastien, it’s just us here. Drop the damn title.” She grasped his hand. “Are you really OK with this?”
“I never had any expectations. Why would I? I have nothing to offer you. You’re better off with him.” He looked away, refusing to meet her eyes.
“He said the same thing. About having nothing to offer me,” Riley told him. “And it’s not true, for either one of you.”
“Well, he’s closer to your age,” he reminded her.
“So what? Who cares? You’re a great guy, Bastien. And I don’t regret anything that happened between us.” She pulled him towards her. “I care about you a lot.”
“I care about you too.” He looked back at her longingly, then pulled away. “That’s why I arranged for the best possible security for you.”
“You’re the best possible security.” She grinned. “But Mara seems very capable. She kind of reminds me of you.”
Bastien smiled. “There’s a reason for that. We’re family. She doesn’t want people to think that’s the only reason she got the job, so she wants it kept quiet. So I’ll leave it up to her to tell you how we’re related, if she wants. But you’re in good hands.”
Riley nodded. “I have no doubt.” She hesitated, wondering if she dare bring up Drake again, but decided that this was something that Bastien would want to know. “Oh, one more thing about Drake…when he heard that you had been shot, I could tell that he was really upset. He still cares about you.”
“Really? I wasn’t sure that he would ever forgive me. Do you think he could?” Bastien looked at her, wondering.
“Yes, I do. We all could have died. That reminds us of what really matters.” She moved closer to Bastien and hugged him tightly. It felt good to be in his arms. They sat there quietly, holding each other, until they finally pulled apart. Their eyes met, and she leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. She immediately pulled back. “Uh, I should probably go.”
“Yes,” he agreed. “Good night.”
“Good night,” she replied, and quickly headed out of his room.