"Wait!" I yelled to a retreating Malcolm. That man could walk fast as hell. I grabbed his arm and stopped him when it became apparent that he had no intention of stopping. He swung around and what I saw frightened me. His shoulders were tight, and he made a horrifying sound of frustration. His face was twisted in disgust, his eyes narrowed.
"What am I waiting for exactly?" he asked tightly.
I was surprised and shocked. He had never talked to me this. I had never seen him so angry. "What is wrong with you?"
Immediately, his face straightened, and he closed his eyes, taking several deep breaths. When his eyes opened again, he was once again the Malcolm I knew. The other guy, though, he was scary. Did Malcolm have a Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde thing going on?
"I'm sorry," he drawled, as if it hurt to say the words, "but that guy just..."
"What did he do?"
"He had his hands all over you. He did it to taunt me." He yelled.
"Malcolm," I snapped, "you are my cousin. Please don't tell me you're crushing on me?" It was a question I had to ask. I hadn't seen that coming, but after talking with Cornell and now this, I had to ask.
"No!" he protested, placing a hand on each shoulder. "You're my family, and I care about you. He's not good for you and I don't know how to get that through to you. My delivery is whack, and I've got anger issues. I'm sorry."
"Cuzzo, I have to make this work with him. Please cut him some slack, because unless God intervenes, I'm marrying that asshole and I want you there. Control this. I'm a big girl. I can handle him, I promise. You, are the only person I like here, but granny likes Cornell." I saw him relax and the smile I had got used to seeing graced his handsome face. I was still l weary, of his anger.
"Okay," he said.
"Now that I'm done with dancing with the frog, what is there to do tonight? I've seen you leaving the palace... where can we have some fun and really dance."
"Meet me in the rose garden at midnight," he said, backing away. He added, "and don't forget your glass slippers."
I laughed and walked away. The rose garden must have a secret door or something. That was the second time I had been asked to meet someone there. The first time had sucked, but this time I was sure would be worth it.
*****
I went to bed early that night, or at least that's what I told everyone. Truth was, I was itching to get out of this damned palace. My ladies were asleep by midnight, and I got readied. I did not know where I was going or what the dress code was, but knowing Malcolm, I was thinking upscale.
So I dressed in a black knee length ruched sparkle dress. It criss crossed in the front showing a little stomach and the then straps allowed my skin to breathe. I paired it with a pair of sparkle flats. After putting my braids in a messy ponytail, I was ready to escape, or not.
Once I got to the end of my hall, there stood my trusty dusty guard. It was so easy to forget about them until I was trying to escape. Any other time, I walked right past them and we had no problems. They followed at a discrete distance and didn't bother me. However, I had never left my rooms after midnight.
I strutted by like it was no big deal and made it to the stairs before he called my name. I stopped immediately. I guess I was expecting it anyway, and since I didn't want to cause a fuss, I turned to him. He bowed swiftly, before straightening.
"Where are you headed so late, Princess Royal Victoria?" He asked and then bowed again.
"I'm just going to the rose garden. I couldn't sleep."
"No!" I said a bit too loudly. "I'd like to go alone, just this once."
He gave me a knowing look, then took a step forward. He smirked, "I can't let you go alone, but I will give you a fifteen minute head start. If you are not in the garden. I will have to search the palace at least twice before alarming the Queen. You have about three hours Princess Victoria." He bowed and got back to his post.
I smiled and skipped down the stairs. He was my new favorite security guard. The lady security guard would have never let me go. In the rose garden, all was quiet. I stood awkwardly, waiting for something to happen. After about five minutes, I was going to go back in, when a tap on my shoulder scared the soul out of me.
I jumped and turned around to find Malcolm silently laughing. I resisted the sudden urge to kick HIM and stamped my feet instead. "You scared me!"
"You jumped like a girl."
"You laugh like a girl." I retorted and folded my arms, waiting for him to finish his giggle fit.
"You look beautiful," he said, his eyes roaming over me.
"You look..." I looked him up and down. He wore black slacks with a black button down, open at the neck. His clothes fit him nicely and the shirt made him look huge. He had his locks down for a change, as he usually had them up. "great."
"Tony the tiger great or Fruit of the Loom great?"
I laughed, "definitely Fruit of the Loom."
"You ready for some real fun?"
"Fuck right."
He held a finger to his lips, and he led me to the secluded area of the garden. There was a bench with an arch of roses over it. He stepped over the bench and reached into the bushes. There was the sound of rusted metal, followed by a whoosh of air. He stepped through and I followed. On the other side was a street. The walls of the castle stretched the length and all you could see for miles was grass and trees.
I smiled and took a deep breath of fresh air. I watched as he placed a rock in the game of the gate and then led me to a waiting Audi RS5. He opened the door for me and the walked over to the driver side. Once he was in, he put his seatbelt on and I followed suit. He reached under my seat and pulled out two mask. I gave him a look, asking what it was for.
"Well, cuzzo," he said, picking up my lingo. "You're a princess. If we don't give you disguise, you will be over the papers. Then granny will find out and they will kill me. Also, it's a discrete club, everyone will be wearing a mask."
I studied the mask. It was black and would cover one side of my face. His was white and covered one side of his face. It had a red sparkly design on it, just as his did. Shaking my head, I accepted a mask was for the best and I put it on.