63. No Way Out.

[Luke]
It was getting harder to keep the truth from Claire, I felt so guilty when she curtsied to Liam, I only introduced him as my best friend but the fact that she assumed he was the Prince made me feel extremely guilty but I was secretly glad that she had come to see me.
"I love your surprise," I whispered in her ear when Liam left us alone.
"You do?" She asked, looking up at me with her brown eyes wide open.
"Yes." I smiled. "Do you want to go for a ride with me?"
"What?" She chuckled. "I'm not dressed for that."
I looked her up and down and a smile touched my lips when I remembered the first time we met and I swung her onto my horse.
"You were wearing jeans then," I murmured but she heard me.
"What?" She asked but from the deep blush spreading across her cheeks I knew that she understood what I meant and she had also remembered our first meeting.
"So do you want to go?" I asked her and she nodded.
***
Claire sat in front of me on the horse, her back pressed to my chest and her hair flying in the air as the horse galloped faster.
The sounds of her laughter comforted me and I felt strangely at home.
"This place is very beautiful," Claire commented when I stopped the horse and helped her down.
"Yes, it is." I smiled.
"You know, you've never shown me your quarters before." She said,
"I haven't?" I frowned, playing dumb.
"Yes, I thought you would show me your quarters today."
"Maybe next time, I'm on duty now and we don't have much time to ourselves." I hated the hurt in her eyes as I lied to her.
"Oh, okay, I understand." She lowered her eyes.
"I have to tell you something." I blurted out, unable to keep quiet again.
"Yes?"
"But you have to promise to hear me out and understand my reasons," I begged.
"Okay, you sound really serious." She frowned.
"Yes, that's because what I'm about to tell you is," I said and as I was about to say something else, Liam's phone rang in my pocket.
"Here, hold on to the reins for me, I have to pick this call," I said, passing the horse's reins to her.
I picked up the phone and let out a breath of relief when my name flashed across the screen, it was probably Liam using my phone to contact me.
"Hello," I said into the phone.
"Luke, it's me, you have to come back to the palace at once." He sounded exasperated.
"Why?" I frowned. "What is going on?"
"It's crystal, she's here to see you and I can't let her in because she'll know the truth." He said and I quickly ended the call.
"What's wrong?" Claire asked as I walked back to the horse and took the reins from her.
"We have to go back immediately, something has come up," I said and helped her onto the horse as I swung in behind her.
I kicked the horse to a start and urged the horse to move faster, immediately we got back to the stables, I handed the horse over to the worker and I grabbed Claire by the hand and led her out.
Liam had also contacted my bodyguard so he was already waiting outside for us.
"Claire, I'm so sorry but I really need to go now, please go with him, he'll drive you home," I said and pulled her into a big hug.
"Okay, but call me when you're done." She smiled and pecked me on my cheeks.
"Sure, I promise to make it up to you," I promised and pulled her closer as I covered her lips with mine.
I kissed her deeply until my bodyguard cleared his throat.
"See you later." She smiled shyly as she left with him.
Immediately they left, I ran upstairs and dashed into my room.
"Where is she?" I asked Liam immediately as I entered the room.
"She's in the office, I've been pretending that I was busy in the bathroom." He told me and I nodded. "Why is she here?" He asked me with disgust in his eyes.
Liam knew about Crystal because I'd told him and he was the one who helped me when I needed to pay her to silence her.
"I don't know." I frowned. "But whatever it is, I'm not going to give in to it, not this time."
"She's probably here to extort you again, probably the money you gave her last time has finished." He frowned.
"I need to take a shower and get out of these clothes," I said and rushed into the bathroom.
I let the shower run over me once, twice, and the third time before I rushed out of the bathroom, wet hair and all.
I put on a pair of trousers and a sweater then I headed to the office.
"What do you want?" I demanded rudely as I entered the office.
"Oh, you hurt me, Luke." She said but I just rolled my eyes.
"Tell me why you're here?" I demanded.
"To see an old friend, what else?" She sucked her lower lip into her mouth and stared seductively at me. "You remember that I love your hair wet, I just love how the strands stick to your face."
"Cut the crap, Crystal, and tell me what the fuck you want."
"Hmmm, I thought you'd have worked on your temper a bit by now." She frowned. "You haven't even offered me a drink, is this how you treat your friends, Luke?"
"You are not my friend." I spat out and then took calming breaths. "Fine, get her something to drink." I pointed to one of the guards in the room.
"Yes, your royal highness." He said and went to the bar to get Crystal a drink.
"I'd like a whiskey in the rocks, two rocks." She smiled and swiped her tongue over her front teeth. "Your royal highness, you might need to clear the room though."
"Drop the drink and all of you leave," I said and waited till the room was clear. "If you don't tell me why you're here now, I swear I'll—"
"I came across these." She smiled and dropped a bunch of pictures on my table. "And as a good friend, I decided to run them by you instead of printing them out in the papers."
I looked at the pictures sprawled on my table in shock and I began to nervously gather them up immediately.
My heart began to beat widely and as I looked at the pictures fear and guilt began to overwhelm me.
"How did you get these?" I yelled at her angrily, staring at the photos of me and Claire and also some of me and Liam before Liam covered his face.
These pictures had to be taken a few moments ago because I was just out with Claire.
"Are you sick, have you been spying on me?" I spat out disgustedly.
"Now now, Luke, that's no way to talk to a friend who's doing you such a great favor is it?"
"I can't believe that I ever loved you, you disgust me." I stood up from my chair and walked away from her.
"Imagine what will happen if these pictures make the headlines tomorrow, whether the rebellious Prince takes a mistress or not. The Prince deceives the entire country by having his friend impersonate him."
"How much do you want?" I rushed to her and grabbed her by the throat.
"Calm down, Luke, it's not like you cannot afford the money." She said and I let her go.
"Give me the names of the people who betrayed the palace and I'll double whatever amount you request for."
Her eyes shone when she heard that and I knew that it would not take much for her to start talking.
It was always all about money for her.
"Fine, I'm asking for one million dollars, you want to double that, make it two million dollars."
"Have you lost your mind?" I asked her furiously. "Two million dollars, this is almost fourteen million Danish kroner."
"Oh Luke, I know you know that the money is worth it, one photo gets out and it's over." She smiled and moved closer to me. "Over." She whispered in my ear.
"Get away from me." I pushed her away.
"Think about it, when you're ready, call me." She said and sauntered out of the room.
I picked up the glass of whiskey she had drunk from and I smashed it against the wall.
I quickly packed the pictures into my drawer as the guards rushed in.
"Call me, Liam." I barked and they rushed out of the office.
"What's wrong?" Liam came rushing in a few minutes later.
"These." I brought out the photos and threw them at him. "Fuck." I groaned.
"You're damn right, how the fuck did she get these?" He asked.
"Someone's definitely been snitching and trading palace secrets," I said.
"How much did she want?" He asked.
"Two million dollars." I.said and he gasped.
"What the fuck, I'm sorry Luke but I think you know that this is beyond us." He said.
"And what is that supposed to mean?" I asked him.
"It means we have to get the palace media and Sir Thomas involved."