Unleashed by Sharon Hamilton

Author:Sharon Hamilton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance, SEALs, Military
Publisher: Frog Haven Press
Published: 2022-05-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Marco wanted to give me a tour of the palace grounds after breakfast, so we came downstairs and helped ourselves to a lavish platter of cut fresh fruits artfully arranged. Assorted bowls contained foods I’d never eaten before, like a green mint porridge with herbs and coconut milk, black rice pudding, kneer with quinoa, garnished with cinnamon and chickpea crepes with sautéed vegetables, peanuts, and sweet-hot chutney. Everything was colorful and tasty, and I suspected healthy.

Marco went wild for the chutney, covering his fruit generously. We sat down at a large table set for twelve as one of the servants brought us both a chai latte.

“It’s past nine, and no one’s up,” I whispered.

Marco stopped shoveling the fruit and hot mixture down to check the surrounding area, but all we could hear were the sounds of staff working in the kitchen and gardeners outside chattering.

“He’s not an early riser.” Marco leaned into me and planted a soft kiss on my lips. “I’m kinda surprised you’re up so early for the tour. I’m a bit worn out myself.” His dreamy eyes set my panties on fire. I blushed. “Lovely,” he said and kissed me again.

I realized he wanted to tell me something else but apparently decided against it.

Several loud blue parrots cackled outside in the side garden, making a mess, splashing water everywhere, screeching in and out of the large fountain, and chasing after each other. They left as quickly as they’d arrived. Tall spires of torch ginger and fragrant yellow bush flowers bloomed, sending a sweet floral scent our way, reminding me of jasmine or gardenia. I could almost forget that there was another world out there.

“He lives here alone with the wives?” I whispered. The eeriness of the empty rooms sent a chill up my spine.

“And his children and grandchildren. I believe they are traveling in India at the present time. It can be quite a crowd when they’re all home. But you should see it when they do these pilgrimages. They used to book whole floors of hotels wherever they’d go. I remember, some years ago, he went shopping in Paris for some rings and bracelets for some of his favorites, and he walked into Cartier’s with a bag of jewels the size of a croquet ball. He gave them a list of what he wanted but let the artisans at Cartier’s design everything. He had it delivered by armored courier protected by a small army some months later.”

“But there’s nobody here. Doesn’t he have security?”

“They’re here. You saw some of them in front. The compound is fenced and monitored by state-of-the-art stuff. He doesn’t want to feel like he lives in a prison, but he takes it seriously. Trust me, he’s well-guarded, or I wouldn’t have brought you here.”

“I would think so. Where does the family live?”

“There’s a gated compound on the north shore where some of the grown children and their families live, and it is heavily guarded by palace guards, like the uniformed ones out front, who have served the family going back several generations.

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