Why me? - Introduction
This is my first attempt at writing something so it is a bit rubbish so I apologise. But the idea of the story is going to get better.
There will be domestic violence further on in the story.
Riley is forced out of Cordonia unknowingly to her friends, and moves back to New York.
She is later faced with her past from Cordonia and is hiding a few new secrets. With the help from her New York friends and friends from Cordonia will she escape her current situation and find her happy ever after?
- - - - - - - - - - - -
“What was that? More fireworks?”
“Not fireworks! Gunshots! Run!”
“Riley! Get down now!”
“Brooks, Riley! Run!”
It all felt like slow motion, the room spinning. People panicking. Riley stood still in shock, searching for all her friends in the middle of the commotion. This was supposed to be a celebration ball. When suddenly....
“No.... Riley get down!”
Just then Drake sprinted in front of Riley just as the assassin pointed the gun at her, pulling the trigger.
Riley felt like in that second she had just woken up from a nightmare, shaking and feeling dizzy. She slowly managed to reach the top of her head and felt a large lump beginning to form, after removing her hand in front of her- she saw the blood. Had she been shot? Where was Liam? Where was Drake? Those were the last people she heard.
Slowly turning her head, she saw Drake unconscious on the floor next her. Hearing the words “Riley! Get down now!” “Brooks,riley! Run” echoing in her mind. A sudden adrenaline rush came over her and she crawled over to Drake.
“Drake? Wake up! Drake? Please!”
Riley quickly checked for a pulse, checked his airways. No response. That’s when she noticed the gun shot wound, tearing her dress apart she quickly tied it around the wound to provide pressure and prevent further bleeding.
There was still no response from Drake. Quickly acting, she began CPR. Unaware of all the kings guards surrounding her.
“Lady Riley, please leave this to the professionals. King Father and King Liam requests that everyone gets to safety immediately.”
“No Bastien! I’m not leaving him like this. They aren’t even here yet. I will keep going until they arrive!”
“Lady Riley please! Kings orders!” Bastien tried to remove Riley away from Drake.
“Bastien get the fuck away from me! I’m trying to save his fucking life! Do not touch me! I can’t lose him. I lo-“
“Miss can you please move so we can get Mr Walker to hospital immediately.”
Riley reached out, holding Drakes hand as they rushed him into the ambulance. She fell to the floor crying uncontrollably, surrounded by the crime scene that had just happened.
Bastien ushered the other guards to protect the Royal Family and the guests before kneeling down to Riley, cupping her cheek with a sad smile. He gently wiped away her tears.
“Lady Riley, he’s going to be fine. He’s a Walker. He’s selfless, and cares about his friends more than he does himself. Or should I say he cares about those he loves..”
“How... How did you know?”
Riley questioned him about her and Drakes relationship. They thought they had been so careful concealing it so that no one would find out. If Bastien knew, how many others knew?
“Lady Riley, please. I’ve known that man since he was a child. I’ve never seen him act the way he does around a woman as he does you and Savannah. He loves you. And he’s going to fight through this I promise you.”
Bastien lifts her up and drives her to the safe house where her friends were staying. Until confirmation from the royal guards, they were to remain in the safe houses that they had been allocated to.
An hour later, Bastien dropped Riley off at the safe house where Maxwell, Hana and Liam we’re staying. She flung the door open, nearly taking it off its hinges and ran into the bathroom. The three friends looked at each other concerned, before Hana followed Riley.
“Riley?”
“Please leave me alone Hana. I shouldn’t be here. I should be there with him.”
Hana let herself in, Riley was sat on the floor looking at the selfie her and Drake had taken that night. They both looked at the camera smiling with a twinkle in their eyes. Drake was holding her protectively. The selfie was taken shortly after the two had confessed their love and made love with each other.
“Riley, I know how you feel about Drake. We all do. The hospital phoned Liam shortly before you arrived advising that none of us visit until he is out of the.... they had to operate on him Ri, and then was considering putting him in an induced coma if the bleeding didn’t stop to prevent swelling on his brain. I am so sorry.”
Riley uncontrollably started crying as Hana pulled her best friend towards her to comfort her.
**********
The day after, the friends returned to the palace. Riley headed straight to her room, feeling dirty and guilty still wearing the dress that wore his blood. She had been silent with the three of them, just constantly roaming her fingers over the selfie. Even Maxwell, who usually made her laugh, couldn’t crack a smile on Riley’s beautiful face.
Riley jumped in the shower, the water slightly, too warm slowly running down her body. Even the warmth wasn’t taking the pain that she felt disappear. When she got out, she put an over sized jumper and leggings on, pulled her knees up and sobbed into them. A short while later she decided to ask the king if he had any updates...
“Liam, have you heard anything yet?”
“He’s still unconscious Ri. I’m sorry I don’t know anything else. They will let us know when we can visit. Do you want something to eat? I can send something up to you?”
“No thank you.”
Riley took the bottle of wine that was on her dressing table and poured a glass. Alcohol wasn’t going to solve the pain, but at least it would help ease a bit of the pain for a short while. Suddenly she was startled by a knock at the door.
“Lady Riley, the King Father would like a word with you. If you’ll follow me.”
Riley hesitated at first but followed.
“King Father.” She curtsied to him.
“Ah, Lady Riley! How are you?”
“As best as I can be. As best as we all can be, King Father.”
He sternly nodded at her.
“I asked you to come here, to ask you to leave Cordonia immediately.”
“Excuse me?”
“It has come to light, that you was having an affair with Mr Walker. And the best situation would be for you to leave and never return. I feel if you wasn’t the court whore that none of this would have happened- you was clearly a target.”
“Don’t you fu-“
“I don’t think that is anyway to talk to Royalty Miss Brooks. My decision has been made. To save my country, my son and my sons court. You will leave immediately!”
“I am not leaving the people I love because you have some vendetta against me! You can’t make me! Liam is King now. You....”
“Trust me Miss Brooks, Liam would agree with my decision. You turned his proposal down. He will hate you. Our country will hate you even more than they already do with your original scandal still not having been resolved. My son will hate you more if he realised the reason why Jackson Walker’s son took a bullet for you.... now we can cooperate, you listen to me and leave on your own accord - no one will discover your dirty little secret with Walker. Or I will call Bastien..”
“You really think I would leave? I had the whole court hate me and I came back and held my head high. Us New Yorkers aren’t afraid of anything, King Father. So no, I am not leaving. I am staying and supporting my friends. Now if we are done I am going to go back to my room and will wait for updates from OUR KING.”
Riley was devastated about how people treat her here. If it wasn’t for Drake and her close friends, she would have left willingly when the scandal about her and Tariq became the court gossip.
As she turned around to go towards the door, Constantine grabbed her arm aggressively, making Riley scream. She was pushed against the wall, with his hands covering her mouth to prevent anyone hear her pleas to escape.
“Now don’t make this hard Miss Brooks. I will pay for your silence if you pack your things and leave now! But before you go you could make one last memory of Cordonia with me to keep your secret a secret.”
Keeping one of his hands covering her mouth, his other hand ran up her thigh. He kissed her neck, all Riley could feel was him grinding up against her. She felt hopeless, and then began starting crying thinking about what he was going to do if she didn’t stop him.
“Don’t you dare cry- you have brought this on yourself. You will leave once I am done with you...” - he whispered in her ear.
I need Drake more now in my life than ever. This bastard is going to hurt me. I love you Drake.
As she thought about Drake, she knew in that time she was going to be left heartbroken and had to escape. She had to use a groin shot- her only chance of escaping him. His hand started to go up towards her chest and that’s when she aimed the shot.
He fell to the floor, holding himself.
“Bastien!!!” Riley screamed as she ran to open the door.
“You little whore! I want you out now!”
Bastien arrived promptly noticing the redness on Riley’s arm, her puffed up eyes and the King father crawling around the floor in agony.
“Excuse me.” Riley said to Bastien looking dejected as she walked out of the room. He looked at her and nodded. Before turning to Constantine, looking angry.
“Sir! What happened in here?”
“That little whore attacked me! I want her out of Cordonia now!”
“Sorry sir but I don’t take orders from you now. Liam is my King!”
Bastien stormed out of the room looking for Riley. He knew the King Father wasn’t telling the truth, and he intended on finding out the truth.
Running down the hallway to find Riley, Bastien was suddenly stopped. He knew that voice, and he knew if it was anyone else he would have ignored them and kept running to find the girl who needed everyone’s support. He turned around, fixing a fake smile on his face.
“Your majesty. Is everything okay? I asked Glen to be in charge of your security tonight.”
“Why are you running? Yes everything is fine, Drake is awake! I needed to find you and to find Lady Riley. All the others have headed up to the hospital. Can we go and find Riley and get an SUV waiting outside for us?”
“Of course sir. Let’s go to the garage now and arrange the SUV, then go and inform Lady Riley together.”
They eventually reached Riley’s room and knocked. There was no answer. Liam thought she was probably in the shower or asleep. Bastien shook his head knowing she wasn’t as he had seen her half an hour ago in the King’s study- no one falls asleep that quickly, he thought. Slamming the door open ignoring Liam advising him not to, he couldn’t believe what he saw.
“Sir? ...Lady Riley has gone.”
Liam I am so sorry for all the hurt I have caused. If you never met me, I wouldn’t have broken your heart, I wouldn’t have broken Drake’s heart. I hope you all forgive me, but I have decided to leave Cordonia for not only my own safety but for everyone’s safety. I am going back home, please don’t try and find me. I will treasure all the memories with you all, and I love you all. Riley x
