by Layla Pierce
Stephen nods. "Yes, but don't worry, he won't get the chance. We can arrest him."
"No," Graham says.
I meet his gaze and swallow hard. I know what he is thinking. I finish the train of thought for him, "We have to let him try, don't we?"
I can hear the pleading in my voice, I want him to say no. I want him to say he's going in there and arresting Leo and his cohorts right now, but I know in my gut that isn't going to happen. I see the determination on Graham's face.
He nods. "If we arrest him right now he will have to stand trial and we don't know how many noblemen he has in his pocket. To solidify treason we have to catch him in the act. Then he can be executed without a trial. It's the only way to ensure justice is served."
Cole cleared his throat. "Then we wait to see what their next move is and one of us will stay at your side around the clock to keep you safe."
Graham nods. "Even if you can't see us, one of us will be there."
A knock at Leo's door stops our hushed conversation and I move back to my peephole. Leo hands the proclamation to Richard, who goes to the door. Whoever it is whispers something and Richard nods. "Yes, it's all set in motion. You know what to do."
All I can see is a black-gloved hand reach through the opened door as Richard places the parchment in the person's palm. "Swap this out for the real one and keep the queen distracted. We need to buy some time and keep them all complacent until the children are returned, that will signal the start of phase two. In the meantime, take care of the straggler. We need to start tying up loose ends. Make it look like an accident."
The door shuts and I ignore the rest of Leo's scheming in the other room. I'm going to be assassinated. My line dies with me. On instinct, my hand travels to my belly. There's no way to know if last nights events have given me a child, but if by chance it has, then any child I carry is in danger too.
I glance over at my three guards. Richard's directions to the person with the black gloves plays over in my head, and I blink several times as I wrap my head around what was said. "Straggler?" My chest tightens. There's only one person not with us, only one who is straggling behind right now. With trepidation, I ask, "Who's the straggler?"
Graham's eyes narrow, but it's Cole who asks what we are all thinking. "Where's Aiden?"
To be continued...
Please look for the second installment: All Fall Down
Coming early February 2018
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About the Author
Layla is an author of erotic fiction. She’s a lover of Funko Pops and WoW and runs on a mix of chocolate and coffee. You can follow her on Facebook at: http://bit.ly/laylaauthor
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