by Nana Malone
When Sebastian had given me the list of everyone who would be at the Regents Council meeting, I’d done my homework. Not so I could rob them, because I didn’t do that anymore, but just so I could have all the information about them.
Lord Dominic’s net worth was just over two million dollars. His father before him had lost most of the family fortunes to gambling, but Tressel managed to recover some of it. It seemed that the son had spent most of his years trying to make up for his father’s losses. He clawed his way up, made the right alliances, and really worked his father’s Regents Council seat to his advantage.
“I don’t consider myself a prince yet, or even at all. I don’t really care about that.”
Tressel chuckled as if I’d said the funniest thing in the world. “Oh, come on now, my boy, everyone cares. Those who claim not to are kidding themselves. But you know, considering all the ugliness of the last few months, I’d say it’s wise to not be quite so open about your ambivalence. I’d like you to remember that I voted for you.”
I lifted a brow. Where was this going? “Yes, I remember.”
“I’m not usually one for commoners, but it was what King Cassius wanted. It was what Sebastian wanted.”
I worked to keep the chill out of my voice. “I think you mean King Sebastian.”
His brows lifted more. “Yes, yes of course.” He continued as if he had no clue about his casual classism or disrespect. “So, it was a wise choice. I just hope that you can live up to who His Majesty thinks you are.”
My teeth gnashed. “Well, all I can ever be is myself.”
“Right. But you know, your past… that business with your mother. Despite knowing all that, I voted for you.”
Like douche-face here had done me a favor. “Well, I guess this is the part where I say I appreciate it?” Instead of saying, you’re a prick.
“Good, good, because in this palace, you need allies. And I would like to be one of yours. You’re scrappy.”
“Forgive me, but you hardly know me.” If he did, he’d call the guard to put me in those dungeons everyone talked about.
“Oh, but you and I were the same. Abandoned, left to forge our own way, really coming from nothing, making it up, and clawing our way to the top, by hook or by crook. I like it.”
A sense of unease rolled through me. He thought we were the same? Having to buy off-the-rack instead of bespoke was hardly the same as doing just about anything to eat. I guess he didn’t know that I actually knew his history. He had stepped on people to get where he was, made business dealings that ruined other people, just so he could get ahead. We weren’t the same at all. “Well, thank you for the vote of confidence, I suppose. If you’ll excuse me.”
He placed a hand on my arm, and I glanced down at it as he spoke, “Just realize, one day I may need a favor from you, just like you and your brother needed a favor from me. I expect that I can count on your support?”
Douche bag.
I turned and faced him. It happened so quickly, I almost couldn’t believe myself. I patted him on the arm while I was shaking one hand. I palmed his Rolex. Yes, okay fine. I palmed the cufflinks too. They were diamonds. I could sell those easily.
“Yes of course. Just as long as it’s in my brother’s best interest.”
“Always. Long live the King. This is a round table here. We’re all on the same side. All we want is what’s best for the Winston Isles.”
“Of course.” As if I didn’t see that all he wanted was what was best for him. I’d known men like him my whole life. They were takers. “Nice to have an ally in the palace,” I said through gritted teeth.
“Yes of course. Allies, absolutely.” He grinned, as if he were really believing what I was pitching him.
As I made it back into the reception, I stroked the Rolex in my pocket, somehow feeling a little bit better now that I’d let some of my old self out.
You shouldn’t have done it. The guy had it coming.
I headed out of the ballroom. I didn’t see Sebastian and Penny anymore, but it was likely they were surrounded by well-wishers at the high table. I made it down the corridor and headed toward the guest cottages, needing to be alone for a moment. But before I made it down the hall of the Rose Tower, Sebastian stepped out of nowhere.
I stopped short. “Hey. Um, shouldn’t you be pulling off a garter or something?”
My brother held his hand out. “Hand them over.”
My brows lifted. “What?”
He waited patiently.
I could certainly wait him out. I tried to stall. “Where’s Penny?”
“My wife, pointed out that you were with Lord Tressel outside on the balcony. I know the guy is a douche bag, and likely he said something to piss you off. I happen to know what you do when you get pissed-off, so I want you to hand them over.”
He had me there. I sighed and rolled my eyes. “Come on Sebastian, he was a dick.”
“I know. But you still can’t steal from him. Right now, he’s an ally on the Regents Council. I can’t get rid of him.”
“You know,” I said, as I fished in my pocket for the Rolex, “he used the same word. Ally.”
“Yes, well, I suspect we have different definitions of the word.” He inclined his head. “Follow me.”
I followed him, our polished wingtips clacking on the marble floors that led to his office. When Sebastian was seated, he stared at the Rolex. “God, he really is a dick. I wish I didn’t have to give this back.”
I chuckled still stroking the cufflinks in my pocket. “I know, right?”
“Listen Lucas, everything is going to change soon.”
“I know. You don’t have to tell me that. I’m preparing for it.”
Sebastian leaned back in his seat. “I know, but you can never really prepare for it.”
I shrugged. “Well, good thing I’m a survivor.”
He nodded and sat back. ”I want the cufflinks too, little brother.”
My mouth hung open. “How did you even know? My lift was clean.”
Sebastian grinned. “I might have just met you a year ago, but I know you well. Also, I want to ask a favor.”
I sat back and waited. What could a king need from me? “It’s yours.”
“You know the Artistic Trust that Penny and I started?”
I nodded. “Yeah. It’s made Penny so happy. Every time I see her, she’s trying to get me to see some new artists.”
Sebastian’s smile was fleeting, but it was so full of love and hope, it even made my heart ache a little bit. Would I ever look at anyone like that? Not likely. You would need to open your heart first.
“Yeah. Same for me. Except half the time, she’s showing me someone’s work on the laptop, or trying to show me some Instagram photo.”
“Yeah, that sounds like her. What do you need?” Sebastian shifted in the chair. It was the first sign I’d ever seen from him indicating he was nervous about something. This was his world. I was the interloper. What was making him so anxious? “What’s up, man? You’re making me twitchy. You know what happens when I get twitchy. You can’t afford to lose the crown jewels right now.”
He narrowed his gaze at me even as his lips twitched. “I’d like you to audit it. I want to make you a director. When you get back to New York, I know you’ve still got a couple of classes that you’re finishing up, but I’d really like you to take over a full audit of the trust on the charity end. The last set of numbers looked low to me. I’m not sure, but I want a full audit. Something is missing there. Either that, or the charity initiative isn’t working the way that we’d hoped, and we need to reconfigure some things. But I need someone I can trust to look after mine and Penny’s interests. Maybe I’m the king now, but I am and always have been an artist first, and I really want to give opportunities to other artists. I want this to work. I obviously can’t be in New York right now with everything that’s happening here, and I’m certainly not letting Penny out of my sight. And well, honestly, I plan on keeping her naked for
the foreseeable future.”
I scrunched up my face and made a gagging sound. “Gross. Seb, I know what you’re asking, but you want a con man to look after your money? I don’t think that’s the best choice.”
He was my brother, and I loved him. I wanted to do something for him, but I couldn’t do this. If something wasn’t right, fingers would point directly at me, and in some cases, they should. But I just didn’t want to fuck up anything for him.
“Just tell me you’ll think about it. Maybe you are the only one I can trust.”
I shook my head. “Send Roone. Hell, send Penny’s brother Michael. He’d do anything for you, considering.” Penny’s brother felt more than a little guilty he’d been best friends and lovers with the traitor and hadn't seen his duplicity.
“Yeah, but firstly, Michael is a Royal Guard. And secondly, he doesn’t have a triple major in international relations, poly sci, and economics.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but then I snapped it shut. “Yeah, you have a good point there.” The thing was, I’d picked those majors because they all sounded sort of like cons in and of themselves. They were ways to put my best skills to use, but not like this. I didn’t want to be the face of anything for my brother. Because eventually, my past was going to catch up to me, and there would be shame associated with it. “What about, Roone? Roone is an option. He went to university. He’s smart.”
“Yes, he did, and he majored in political science, but Roone has another job.”
“What could be more important? If this matters to you, then Roone should be doing it.”
He sighed. “Roone will be your personal guard.”
I sat up straighter. “Say what?”
He nodded and put up a hand before I could even argue further. “No arguments. At the end of the day, while we still haven’t officially named you as a crown prince, the truth is you are. And there is still a threat out there, so, you’re getting a guard. Like it or not. And in this case, two, because I know you.”
I sputtered. “You don’t know shit. I do not need a guard.” Most of all I didn’t want someone watching my every move. Roone was my boy. We were thick as thieves, mates, as he would say, but I didn’t need him watching me and reporting back to my big brother.
Sebastian sighed. “Look, they’re not watching you, or babysitting you, or any of that shit. It’s not like that. They’re strictly there for your security. As a matter of fact, they work for you. Look at it that way. They’ll only report back if there are any security threats, and that’s all. I’ve made it clear I want nothing else reported back to me. I have zero intention of spying on you.”
I breathed a little easier then, but I still felt the tightening noose around my neck. “Look, I appreciate it, but I don’t need protection. And this job, like I said, my past is going to come back to haunt us at some point. You don’t want me in any position that’s going to embarrass you.”
“Just think about it. In the interim, I’ll do what I can from here, but—” He chewed his bottom lip. “Okay, truth?”
I nodded.
“Tressel. The very same man you just lifted some cufflinks off of. He’s on the board. He manages the charity donations. I just—I need someone looking over his shoulder. And I figured…” his voice trailed.
“It takes a thief to catch a thief?” I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.
“Not a thief, necessarily. But if anyone can spot a thief, it would be you. Besides, the Tressel thing is a sensitive situation. He’s on the Council. He voted in favor of you. We still want his final signature once we locate our sister, so it’s going to be tricky.”
I shook my head. “I want to do this for you. I do.” I leaned forward, silently begging him to see the sincerity in my eyes, if he even knew what sincerity was. “I don’t want to be the one responsible for bringing embarrassment to you. This whole thing is already uncomfortable. I just want to keep a low profile, finish my classes, and see what happens next.”
Sebastian’s gaze searched mine. And it was a little like looking in a mirror. From the pictures I’d seen, he looked a lot like our father. He looked like his Mom too, but there was definitely something about us that said we were brothers. He nodded slowly. “All right, I’ll put your answer on ice then. Give it some thought. Get back to New York. Get started on school and stuff, and just let me know. We’re not in any major rush, but, you know…”
“But you are.”
He grinned at me. “There is something else too.”
“Oh my God, Sebastian, you keep asking a former con man for favors. Do you realize that this is how you come to owe me? And then I come and ask for the crown jewels or something.”
He chuckled low. “This one is right up your alley.”
“Fine, lay it on me.”
“It’s Tressel’s daughter, Bryna. She’s going to be in New York starting an internship. He knows you live there, and he wants you to look out for her.”
I frowned. “Wait, if he sits on the Board, how is he not in New York?”
Sebastian shook his head. “I know they keep a residence there. His wife goes back and forth a lot, but he’s based here, mostly. If you ask me, I think he’s trying to get another foothold in the palace. For now, I’m willing to let him have it. You don’t have to do much, just babysit the girl.”
“You’re letting me babysit a female?”
He shook his head. “You can be cool, right?”
“Seb, I just lifted about two hundred grand in jewels at your wedding. Do you really think I’m the one you want, A, managing money, and B, looking after someone’s tempting daughter?”
“You don’t know she’s tempting.”
“Does she have tits?” I was far more discerning than that, honestly, but, I did have a reputation. And I wanted to make sure he was entirely aware of it.
He chuckled low. “Listen, just try to think all of it over. Can you do that for me?”
After what I’d just done, I owed him. I nodded slowly. When I didn’t say anything else, he continued. “Listen, you are not your past. Sooner or later, you’re going to realize that.”
He had far too much faith in me. “I’ll think about it, okay?”
“Okay, that’s all I can ask.”
I could see the disappointment etched on his brow. But I knew I was doing him a favor by declining. I was a fucking liability. Eventually, he’d see it too. “Can I go now?”
Sebastian shook his head. “I’m going to take that lapel pin you took off of him too.”
I sighed and handed over the pin and the cufflinks. “Way to ruin a perfectly good night.” I was unaccustomed to feeling a twinge of shame. “I guess you’re regretting having me here now.”
“On the contrary, if I had half your skill, I would have robbed half the people in there blind by now. None of them deserve their money, but when you’re a king, you don’t do such things.” He chuckled. “Try to stay out of trouble, okay? Don’t do something I wouldn’t do.”
I shrugged. “I’ll try. But remember, I’m not a real prince yet, right? So far, I’m just the royal bastard, so I’m not supposed to behave.”
Sebastian half grinned at that and said, “Lucas…”
I gave him my best smile. “Okay, okay. I got it.”
It was going to be a hell of a fight against my instincts to behave. But for my brother I would certainly give it a shot.
Bryna
When I arrived at the ferry landing, I found Jinx pacing by her car.
“Where were you?”
I adjusted my corset and tried to set my boobs back into place. “Long story. Sorry. Am I too late?”
“You just missed one ferry, but you’re in luck. There is another one leaving at eleven and you can catch a shuttle that will take you to the charter flight.”
“Thank fucking God. I jumped out of the wrong window. That’s why I’m late. Then there was this guy, and he was with Charity. And I totally lost it. Then I had my dress in my thong. I was a mess.”
/> Jinx barely suppressed a giggle. “We don’t have time right now, but I want that story.”
I took the duffel she handed over to me and quickly climbed into the backseat of her car as I unzipped it. I unhooked the side of my corset and slipped it right off, sighing with relief as the restrictive material fell away. I was in my bra, long sleeved T-shirt, jeans, and comfortable tennis shoes in no time at all. “Oh my God, I’ve never felt more like myself than right in this moment.”
From the front seat, Jinx laughed. “You’re insane. Listen, as your best friend, it is my duty to ask this, so hear it with love.”
Before she could even open her mouth, I sighed. “Jinx, I know what you’re going to say.”
She lifted a brow. “Oh yeah? What am I going to say?”
“What you’re going to say is, ‘Bryna I’m thrilled that you got the internship, but maybe this is overkill.’”
Jinx’s lips twitched. I could tell she wanted to smile, but she didn’t. She kept a stern face as I continued. “I must tell you that your plan is foolhardy. It’s not like your parents won’t know where you went, and they’ll not only be pissed, but worried, too. And as your father has connections to the palace, it could be an international manhunt.”
This time, she didn’t grin, but furrowed her brows. “Fine. Okay, but I would have said, incident instead of manhunt.”
“Well, can’t it be both?”
She sighed. “Look, I’m down to ride or die, but you know they will flip out. Why can’t you just talk to them?”
It was my turn to lift my brows.
“Look, all I’m saying is this seems extreme, even for you.”
“I’m not the extreme one.”
“No, I know you’re not. And I know that the parental units have gone a little far in the past.”
My mouth fell open. “Far? You mean like Braxton and the forced-engagement thing?” I couldn’t even think about my ex without the sharp edges of rage closing in.