Free Main Attraction by Anna J. Evans Page A

through her veins again. Even in the wake of being scared for her life, she still wasn’t immune to the powerful draw of this man, and doubted she ever would be. “But what are you going to do? If Robert’s dead, won’t that make it—”
    “He isn’t dead.”
    “He sure looks dead,” Edna said, darting a glance to where the man lay alarmingly still in a crumpled pile on the floor. Blood had started to seep where his dark hair touched the white carpet. Obviously time to consider a new color floor covering.
    “He isn’t, he’ll live to stand trial. Armand, Thomas, take the king into custody. You can allow the royal physician to attend to him, but don’t leave him unguarded. We’ll need to keep him under constant supervision until Parliament can decide how to house him until trial.”
    The two officers Frank had spoken to crossed the room and scooped Robert unceremoniously up from the floor. He moaned and shifted as they hoisted him into the air, but his eyes didn’t open and his skin remained a ghostly shade of white. Based on her own observations, the king didn’t look to be in very good shape, but Frank’s confidence was contagious and Edna felt the knot in her chest begin to ease ever-so slightly.
    “Not on your life. I refuse to go!” Cindy was screaming and struggling in a very flustered-looking Nate’s grasp as the door to the dressing room slammed open.
    “Captain, she’s refusing to be taken into custody.”
    “How can she refuse, Officer? She’s half your size, and I believe you’re armed,” Frank said. Nate flushed bright red in response and made a reach for the handcuffs on his belt.
    “But, Captain Frank, please, it wasn’t even a real gun! I was just going to use it to scare Edna into leaving so I could be here when Robert arrived and confront him myself. I never intended to hurt her, I don’t deserve to be arrested.”
    “It’s true. The gun was a fake, sir,” Nate supplied, though he held onto both Cindy and the handcuffs.
    “I’m sorry, my Queen, but I only know that the law was broken. Threatening a citizen with a weapon—”
    “But—”
    “Even a fake weapon, is a crime,” Frank continued impassively. “Take her into custody. Keep her and the king separated. We want to be sure their testimony remains as pure as possible.”
    “You can’t do this! I’m the queen!” Cindy sputtered. “I’ll still be the queen, no matter what happens with Robert. You know Parliament won’t impeach me. I’ve done nothing, Frank, nothing!”
    Frank ignored her while Nate snapped the cuffs on and led her from the room. Considering how long a part of her had wished to see this very sight, it still made Edna strangely sad to see Cindy taken away. True, she’d only helped raise her stepdaughter for four years of her life, but Edna had never wanted to see a kid who had been in her care taken away in handcuffs.
    “Frank, you know she’s probably right, and I don’t want you risking your position for me. I’ll be fine as long as—”
    “I’m not doing anything but following the letter of the law,” Frank interrupted before striding out after the rest of the guards. He was nearly to the door before Edna realized that he really intended to leave without a word of goodbye, without even so much as a “I’ll call you to discuss the way we nearly made love on your couch later”.
    “Frank?” Edna called after him, unable to keep silent or to believe that he was really leaving just like that.
    Didn’t he have anything he wanted to say? Hadn’t what they’d shared meant anything to him, or at least made him curious to learn what more they could be to each other? The look in his eyes a second ago had made her feel certain that he felt the same draw, the same irresistible pull that she felt. How could she have been so mistaken? It just didn’t make sense, there had to be some other explanation for his sudden coolness.
    “I have a job to do, Edna,” he said, looking over his shoulder