When I was younger, I dreamed about this day. It also made me sad because I thought it would happen when my dad passed away, which brought a wave of sadness over me. He was sick.
Somewhere between eating my breakfast bar and walking down the hall to the conference room, my choice to become queen settled deep inside me. That didn’t mean I wasn’t scared shitless.
I glanced at the clock on the wall and cringed at the time. My father was a half hour late, and the people in the room were becoming restless.
Sam cleared his throat. “Dr. Carter, can I ask you a question?” The archbishop gave a sharp nod, and Sam continued. “Do you know much about the Zarus Church?”
Dr. Carter’s fist clenched at his side, and he leaned forward. “They are an abomination and should never be called a church.”
A few of the staffers tensed around the table. Interesting. Kat and Antonio also picked up on the reaction because their eyes were trained on the three people glaring at Dr. Carter.
Sam nodded. Keeping his voice calm, he asked, “Do you know who the leader of Zarus is?”
The name of the church leader could be the information we needed to figure out who was taking the women.
“They keep the higher-ups in the church a secret. They want the people to believe they are following a higher power. At the same time, they steal everyone's money, promising a path to God and to having their sins abolished.” He pounded his fists on the table. “That is not how it works. They will all go to hell for their beliefs in that place.”
One of the younger staffers at the other end of the table stood, and his chair flew against the wall. “Your ways are the old way. Things will change soon when…”
I turned toward the staffer. “When what? I would really like to know.”
His face went pale as he grabbed his chair and sat back down. “It’s not my place to say, but God has a plan, and everything will work out. When it does, the followers of Zarus will have a purpose.”
Two other men nodded around the table. Brock’s fingers were flying across the keyboard. I knew he was tracking each of them. But we still didn’t know who the leader was. My gut was telling me it was Carl.
The large gold door to the conference room swung open. King Beckett walked in, followed by Wes. Dad’s normal guard was nowhere to be found. Sam tensed next to me as he stared Wes down. The bodyguard nodded to Sam and me before following my father to the front of the room. The king sat down in the gold chair lined with red fabric. Wes stood behind him with his hand resting near his gun. He wore the same thing as Sam—a black suit with a white button-down shirt. One stark difference was that the quality of the suit didn’t compare to Sam’s.
“Sorry I’m late,” he said. “I needed to have a discussion with Wes before the meeting.”
“Really? A meeting with your guard was more important than this?” The archbishop waved his hands in the air. “Let’s get this done so I can get back to the church.”
“I have a question first.” My eyes were glued on my father. “Is Carl Hanes your older brother?”
“Yes, and no.” Beckett sighed. “We are brothers, but I’m still older. Years ago, my father had many affairs. And other children. Carl’s mother fell madly in love with my father and worked to push her son into the family.”
“Carl is the rightful king,” the royal staffer announced from his chair. The arrogant bastard was really getting on my nerves. “I demand you turn your powers over to Carl.” He sounded like a two-year-old demanding that his parents give him all the attention.
My dad pounded the table. “His mother tried to change the birth certificate date, but it didn’t work. Carl is two years younger than me. I’m the oldest kid alive. And furthermore, my father could choose who to pass the power down to, like I can choose who I pass the power down to.” King Beckett’s jaw hardened. “Carl spent many summers at the castle, and I brought him into the royal staff so he could be part of the family. One of the stipulations was he that wouldn’t divulge the family secrets. He was paid an extreme amount of money.”
“He’s lying,” the kid screamed.
Antonio moved with catlike reflexes, yanked the young kid out of the chair, and pushed him out of the room. Nobody said a word until Antonio took his seat across from Sam and me.
“Then why is he suddenly making these demands?” Antonio asked. He’d been part of the royal staff for years. When I was a kid, he’d played with me and taught me things. There were times he told me I would make a great queen one day.
“Seven years ago, his wife passed away, and he reached out to the Zarus Church.” William Beckett ran a hand through his short hair. “For the past few years, I wasn’t around much, though that isn’t an excuse. I didn’t support my brother the way I should have. It’s my fault he went to Zarus for guidance.”
“Do you think they knew about the connection?” Sam asked. “Why did his stepkids all of a sudden start wanting to help?”
“He married Fredrick and Cara a few years after joining the church,” Brock said.
I glanced to the side, where Brock had brought up an image of Carl’s wife on the computer. She looked half his age with dark-brown hair and blue eyes. The picture showed her on the steps of the Zarus Church, where she wore a wedding dress, and her two children stood next to her.
I leaned forward. “Fredrick is a great hacker and could’ve easily found his way through the servers of the palace. He’s worked for us for a few years now because Carl brought him in.”
Dr. Carter cleared his throat. “Since we got all of that cleared up, can we get on with this?”
King Beckett shoved a hand through his hair, a weary look in his eyes. “In a minute. We have one more thing to discuss. As most of you know, Sam has helped me find a few of my kids. Yes, I know I was irresponsible, and that’s on me. I’m trying to make up for what I did, and I can’t do that still being king. Especially with my health. Sam found five of my six kids. One I knew about and kept secret, not because I was ashamed but because he asked me not to tell anyone, and I respected his wishes.”
My eyes swung to Wes as he shifted from foot to foot. His eyes were the same gray as my dad's and mine. I hadn’t even noticed, and he was right under my nose.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding,” Sam growled. “That’s why your background seems off. I’m so sick of people changing their history.”
I punched Sam in the side. Many years ago, I’d done the same thing.
Sam winced. “I’m okay with what you did, Pixie. It’s the rest of these fuckers. Own your shit. Life was so much easier before all this technology. Before, I was told about a target, and I took them out. Now I have to wait days for Brock to figure out who these people are. I think this country needs a law to stop this shit.”
“Are you done?” I asked. Sam nodded, and I continued. “Now that we know how Sam really feels, can you explain to me why you felt you needed to keep your identity from Sam or me? Not once did we treat you differently...well, until we started digging and noticed your shit was all fucked-up.”
Wes sighed. “I had no clue William was my father until my mother was on her deathbed. Two months after I decided not to re-enlist, I visited my mom, who told me about my father. For years, she’d said it was too painful to talk about. Well, she hadn’t wanted me to get my hopes up about a father, and he didn’t want me. After she told me about him, I looked into him and realized he had two daughters—my sisters. I wanted to get to know you guys. So I reached out to have coffee. We talked, and he told me Sam was looking for good help. I figured I would get to know you guys, and I wasn’t sure if you thought I would try to come in and take over.”
“This is a lot to take in,” Jessica said, sitting forward. “Don’t get me wrong—I’m worried about any siblings of ours. Not all of them have been the nicest.”
I snorted next to Jessica. That was an understatement. My twin had every right to worry about any new sibling. I, on the other hand, wanted to open my arms and invite everyon
e in, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to keep my eyes wide-open.
“Wes has also learned the way of the crown while he’s worked for Sam and watched you. I have an option for you, Patty,” William said. “Wes can take over, and you can go back to your life in the states. I don’t want to pressure you into any of this. I think you are doing an amazing job.”
This was my out.
“For the record, I would prefer if you took power and I could work with Sam,” Wes said before I could make a decision.
I looked at my future husband, and he nodded. This was my decision, and he would stick by me, whatever I decided. His hand rested on my thigh.
“I’ll accept the crown,” I said.
A few people around the table let out a sigh. Wes had a giant smile across his face. The archbishop stepped forward and had my father sign a document before giving me the same one to sign. My fingers shook as I clutched the pen. The dotted line would change my life forever.
The sound of a helicopter hovering drew my attention to the large window. Three men flew through it, holding automatic rifles.
15
Sam
My hand went to the Glock holstered to my side. The doors behind us flew open, and two more men pushed in. We were surrounded. I shoved Patty and Jessica toward the back corner. Brock and I stood in front of the women we loved.
Kat pulled out two guns, which didn’t surprise me at all. What had me feeling taken aback was the gun Jessica was holding. Over the years, I’d never thought to teach Patty how to shoot a gun. That would change the second we were out of this shit show.
Wes stood in front of the king as two other men pressed guns to other staffers around the table. We were outnumbered, but it wouldn’t be the first time I’d been outmanned.
The acrid smell of the flash-bang filled the room. Patty coughed behind me and buried her face in my shirt. Outside the room, I heard cries, but inside the room, nobody moved. Guns were pointed in every direction.
My mind went to our kids. Brock had his phone pressed to his ear. I didn’t care so much for more backup, but our kids needed to go to the bunker. Patty and I were the only ones who knew the combination to release the doors after the kids went in. It was a protocol we’d put in place after we had the room built. If something happened to both Patty and me, a fail-safe protocol would send Brock the information—another computer thing Patty had set up that I didn’t understand.
Another loud bang rattled the building, followed by a woman's cries, but nobody in the room moved.
“Are we going to stand here all day, pointing guns at each other, or are you going to tell me what you want?” Antonio asked, his voice even. He might seem calm on the outside, but I knew my friend was itching to gun down every person in the room who thought they could hurt our family.
Patty peeked her head around my waist and tried to wiggle her way out. I used my free hand to push her back behind my body. “Stay,” I growled.
But my future wife ignored me and pushed me a little to the side so her head could peek out between Brock and me. “I think Antonio asked a valid question. And as the queen of the country, I demand answers. Why did you break through a five-hundred-year-old window? I’m not sure how much that’s going to cost to fix.”
The man pointing a gun at King Beckett took a step to the side. “You’re not queen yet. Anyone can sign that paper right now and take over as long as they have the bloodline. And the king we picked will be here soon.”
“This is absurd. I’m the only one who can pick my successor,” Patty’s father yelled as Wes held him back.
“Can you make sure to not get blood on the carpet when you kill that fucker?” Patty growled with icy eyes. “I’m not even sure how that thing could be replaced. Or everyone could pause while we put a tarp down. My money is on Sam and his men well over you guys.”
When I glanced to the side, I saw Jessica shaking as she held her gun. Her eyes were completely glazed over. Fat tears streamed down her face, and she kept whispering the same line over and over—“Please don’t kill me.” She was having a PTSD episode.
“Patty, get that gun out of Jessica’s hands, and calm her down.”
Patty stared at me for a second before she turned to her sister and did as I asked.
Carl walked through the door but not the way I expected. Tucker had a gun to the older man’s head. He was trying to get out of Tucker’s grasp. The royal guard was on our side after all, and not having Tucker in the main room might have worked to our advantage.
“I secured the building, and all intruders are dealt with,” Tucker said as he took another step into the room. “Put your guns down, or I’ll kill this fucker as well.”
“See, this is why they need alligators,” Kat announced. “You know how many dead bodies we are going to have to dispose of after this? It’s not like we can go throw them in the oceans. And I’m not digging the hole to bury all of these guys either.”
Leave it to Kat to make a joke in the middle of a standoff. What she didn’t know was that the palace had an incinerator from the stone age. I was sure it still worked, so nobody was going to have to dig any big holes or work too hard to dispose of the bodies.
From the blood covering Tucker’s shirt, I could only guess he’d left a large body count. The former MI6 agent glared at the man across the room and stepped closer to him. “Why the fuck is SVR involved in this?”
My eyes swung to the man Tucker was talking to. It took a second to notice the symbol on the inside of the guy's hand.
“SVR doesn’t pay as well as the Zarus Church. I left years ago. Seems like you’re on the wrong side again.”
“And you were always looking for a quick buck,” Tucker growled. “Why don’t you and your men leave, and I won’t put a bullet in this fucker’s head. I always hated the way he treated Patty.”
I took a step closer to Tucker and pressed my hand to his shoulder. “Let me.” The large man nodded and stepped toward Patty to protect her.
I kept my gun leveled on Carl. “Why don’t you call your men off?”
“She’s not giving me a choice.” Carl’s voice cracked with each word. Sweat rolled down his forehead as he looked around the room. “Things would be easier if you’d stayed away and not decided to come back and sign everything over. I was able to keep making her happy, but Patty wanted too much change.”
“Who?” King Beckett asked.
“Kathy, my wife and the leader of Zarus!” He yelled the words as if the whole room would know who she was. It didn’t matter who she was. It would be another person for Sam to hunt down.
“How dare you out her.” The leader of the mercenary group shot his gun at Carl. Not wanting the man to die at the assassin's hands, I pulled Carl to the side, and he fell to the floor with a grunt. Tucker pushed Patty down next to me as he fired two shots.
Gunpowder filled the room as everyone took cover but continued to fire. This was worse than I’d imagined. Everywhere I looked, someone was taking aim and firing. I rose and fired a couple of shots, taking the leader down. He hit the floor with a grunt before I kneeled back behind the oak table. Wes punched out, his fist connecting with one of the royal staffers in the room.
“Patty, you and Jessica get the fuck out!” I took another shot across the room. When she didn’t move, I growled, “Tucker, get these women out of here. So help me, Patty, your ass is going to be so red if you don’t listen to every word he says.”
I grabbed the papers off the table and tossed them to Tucker as he hurried the women out of the room. “She needs to sign these now.”
There was a good chance a few more people would die in the room as shots rang out. They needed Patty safe until she signed.
“I can stop this,” Carl said.
I stood and held Carl in front of me. He leaned to the side as blood dripped from his other leg. The gunfire stopped for a second. Only a few Carl’s supposed men were left. One of our staffers was bleeding out of his stomach. Wes’s arm was dripping
blood. King Beckett had a gun in his hands.
“This wasn’t what I wanted,” Carl explained with a huff. “All I want is my son back.”
“He’s not even your son,” Beckett said. “I’m your flesh and blood.”
Carl winced. “I’m not talking about Fredrick. I have another son, and Kathy found out. She sent him away with the rest of the women and children, and if I don’t do what she says, she’s going to kill me.”
“I’ll get him back. Are the rest of you on our side or this church's side?”
One of the men raised his gun, but Kat was quicker. Nobody could shoot faster than she could. Before the man could raise his gun high enough, Kat placed a perfect shot in the middle of his forehead, and he dropped to the ground.
“Anyone else?” she asked.
Antonio leaned forward and whispered something in her ear, and she smiled at her husband. I could only imagine that he wanted her naked in his bed.
The last man with a gun dropped it, and Wes shoved him to the ground. I hated that we’d lost a few people in the fight, but Patty’s safety was all that mattered.
* * *
Patty
I glanced back at the room one last time. “Where are you taking us? We should be calling for more backup.”
Tucker’s eyes went icy cold. “Can you just do as I say for once? Sam wants you protected, and you need to sign this. There is no doubt in my mind that he can’t handle that shit show. And no, I’m not going to call in backup.”
I shoved at Tucker’s arm. “Are you serious?”
“Who do you trust on his team?” Tucker asked. “Earlier today, I was taken off your detail. Everyone was. Why? Did you think I was against you because of Izzy? I wasn’t, but I also wanted you out of the market that day. It might sound cold, but I didn’t know if that girl had a tracker on her. I didn’t know if she was part of a greater plan. If the police took her, I could concentrate on you. My priority is you, Patty, not that little girl. I will risk my life for you and your family.”
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