Null & Void_a Royal States Novel

by RJ Blain

  “Where’s your assistant?”

  “He was kidnapped by Jessica and Pat.”

  “I won’t lie. I find that to be a relief. The last thing I need today is dealing with three royals under foot. One of the royal pains in my ass dumped some new legislation concepts to pass through the congress.”

  “Dare I ask?”

  I already missed the work involved with championing a cause.

  “It’s right up your alley, and Jessica thought you might enjoy this as your last hoorah before she ships you to Montana where you belong.”

  “You, too?”

  “He ran away from home, stole a plane to do it, and incited mass panic among his security detail, all because you were looking at other men in a binder of bachelors. I recognize a lost cause when I see one, and while you’re delightfully stubborn, we both know he’s offering everything you’ve ever wanted. I’d be stupid if I thought I’d actually get to keep you beyond the auction, especially when I’ve been directly told the whole thing was rigged so he could catch you. Jessica called me and dumped wedding planning on my desk.”

  “Already?” I squealed, clapping my hands over my mouth at the high-pitched tone of my voice.

  “Mireya also called me. You have been so thoroughly busted, Mackenzie.”

  “That brat!”

  “What happened?”

  “She woke us up.”

  “Ah. She heard him?”

  “She heard him.”

  “And?”

  “Demanded if there was a man in bed with me. I may have panicked. He took the phone and confessed.”

  “Well, she’s one happy little girl today. I don’t envy her classmates. I did manage to impress upon her that she needed to maintain secrecy, although I believe Prince Adam is aware of the situation now.”

  Great. “I haven’t even told her I’m marrying her off.”

  “Technically, you’re both marrying her off. He agreed and witnessed.”

  Damn it. “You’re right.”

  “Anyway, back to work. You can worry about His Royal Majesty later. The new legislation involves adjusting the poverty levels kingdom wide, focusing on interest groups current laws discriminate against. Nulls will be showcased, but immigrants and minority groups will also be included. You won’t be able to finish the legislation, but I want you to build the foundation and set it up so your replacement can push it through the congress.”

  “How the hell am I supposed to find a good replacement?” I complained, gathering up the papers from the trail ride, stacking them, and smacking the sheets against my desk. “Do you have any case studies yet?”

  “No, but you can use the auction to build the case study. Jessica wants at least one man and woman from every group to be protected by the new laws to attend the auction. The idea is to draw attention to the discrimination issues on a global level and garner interest in changing the status quo. As for your replacement, ideally, you’ll find someone from the minority with the skillset to do your job. I already put in a request for census data on individuals who might be suitable for the position. To my dismay, I’ve discovered the same situation I had when hiring you. This time, however, I don’t have a nosy monarch dropping hints on good personnel to hire.”

  “That jerk,” I muttered.

  “I see your favorite word of the week is jerk. I’m hoping to have the preliminary database of potential candidates to you early next week. That’ll let you kill two birds with one stone.”

  “Sounds good.” I checked my Friday schedule to discover it’d already been cleared. “What are the critical items on today’s schedule?”

  “I’m to keep you out of Jessica’s hair until two, so you can set your priorities until—”

  My phone ring, and I glanced at the display to discover Princess Ambrose was already pestering me. “Damn it. I need to take this.”

  “I’ll be in my office if you need me.”

  I picked up the phone and answered, “Mackenzie Little speaking.”

  “Is there any way I can attend the scouting ride on Friday?”

  “That’s a closed session, Princess Ambrose.”

  “Yet you’re attending.”

  “Your Highness, I’m coordinating the rides and schedules. Helping to plan the ride route is part of my job.”

  “You’re charting the route for the main rides?”

  “Yes, Your Highness. It’s a private ride to evaluate the route and check the trails.”

  “So it’s not for pleasure.”

  “Correct.”

  “And there’ll be no other dignitaries in attendance?”

  “There will be no other dignitaries in attendance,” I confirmed.

  “I’ve been unable to contact Jessie. Do you know why?”

  I wondered if Princess Ambrose called Jessica Jessie to her face. I had my doubts. “Her Royal Majesty is currently attending a congressional hearing, Your Highness.”

  “What? Since when?”

  I checked my new watch. “As of approximately twenty minutes ago, Your Highness. I don’t know when the hearing will finish, nor do I have access to Her Royal Majesty’s schedule.”

  “Then how did you find out about this hearing?”

  “I’m on the list to receive the congressional schedule, Your Highness.”

  “Why?”

  If she treated everyone like dirt, I was unsurprised she hadn’t been able to find someone willing to put up with her—or risk their kingdom to her inability to play nice with others. “I’m the head of the auction committee. All committee leads are informed of the hearing schedule.”

  “That is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. You have no business handling congressional affairs.”

  “I don’t make the rules, Your Highness. I just obey them.”

  And I changed them whenever I could, but I wasn’t going to antagonize her any more than necessary.

  “Get me into the Friday session,” she ordered before hanging up.

  “Not a chance in hell, bitch,” I muttered, returning the phone to its cradle. “Geoff, please warn the RPS that Princess Ambrose is attempting to worm her way into the Friday ride, and that she’s not on the authorized list to attend.”

  “I’ll take care of it,” he promised.

  Without a single idea of how to convince a spoiled brat of a princess Friday was off limits, I redirected my attention to the auction and prayed she wouldn’t call me back.

  The quiet lasted for less than ten minutes.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  I’d discovered the truth about hell.

  It wasn’t a place, but a person, and Princess Ambrose waged a war I couldn’t fight, calling with yet another demand in five to ten minute intervals. When two o’clock rolled around, I unplugged my phone, stretched across my desk, and groaned.

  “You have the patience of a saint,” Geoff observed.

  I wasn’t going to survive the weekend. One way or another, Princess Ambrose would kill me. She’d either knock me off my poor horse and splatter my brains on the trail, or she’d annoy me to death. Either way, she’d do exactly what she’d threatened over a decade ago.

  I wanted to go home, hide under my blanket, and sleep.

  “You have company,” Geoff warned.

  I wasn’t ready to face anyone yet, so I lifted my arm and flopped my hand in weary acknowledgment.

  A warm hand pressed to my back, and I cracked open an eye to discover William, wearing an unadorned mask that covered his eyes and nose, crouched beside my chair. “What’s wrong?”

  “Princess Ambrose has decided I need to experience hell. I’ve been on the phone with her all day. She’s trying to invite herself to tomorrow’s ride, and she’s sworn to ruin me again if I don’t give her what she wants. And since Jessica and Pat aren’t talking to her right now, she’s been calling me every ten minutes with a new question to frustrate me to death.”

  “What information did you give her?”

  I pointed at the itinerary I’d foun
d on my desk. “I didn’t give her times for Friday, but she knows I’m scouting trails with Jessica and Pat. I didn’t confirm or deny your presence on the ride.”

  “Geoff?” William asked.

  Geoff cleared his throat. “I’ve already notified the Texan RPS that Princess Ambrose is not authorized to attend Friday’s ride, and should she be found in the area, she’ll be relocated until her scheduled ride.”

  “Which hasn’t been confirmed because she keeps changing her mind.”

  “That stupid girl,” Jessica grumbled from the doorway. “Get your things, Mackenzie. We’re expected at the airport. The horses left yesterday, so they’re already at the trailhead waiting for us. We’ll take them on a short ride after we arrive. We’ll get a look at the tops of the trails and pick our route for tomorrow.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “Western Texas. It’s a popular spot for rides, and the weather’s been nice, so everything’s still green. The address I gave you is a ten-mile drive from the trails, so even if she makes it to the ranch, she’s not going to be going anywhere without a lot of help she won’t be getting from us. I’ll confirm her for the Sunday ride so she can’t cause trouble the rest of the weekend,” the queen replied.

  William rubbed my back, and I groaned as his massaged my sore muscles. “What did I do to deserve having to deal with her?”

  Leaning close to me, William whispered in my ear, “You stole my heart and she hates you for it. You stole my bed, too. She wants wealth and power, but she doesn’t want to earn it.”

  “I don’t want wealth or power,” I complained.

  “Wealth and power come with benefits. I’ll make it worth your while, I promise. Come on. You handled that idiot princess once already. You can handle anything she throws at you.”

  “Just because I can doesn’t mean I want to.” Shoving myself upright, I sighed, gathered my things, and stuffed them in my purse. “I got nothing productive done. The congress is going to laugh at me when I go to session and tell them I’m useless because I have to plan a damned wedding on top of a stupid auction.”

  Jessica giggled. “They won’t laugh at you, although I expect you’re going to have to deal with a great number of goat votes for the next few months.”

  “Each of those damned goats costs them two hundred, so they better not drown me in goat votes.”

  “It’s a fun way for them to contribute to charity, and most of them were already planning their contributions. Now, that said, I did require each one of them submit their maximum charity donations so that they won’t go bankrupt should some members of congress draw a few too many goats for their own good. I’ve also revoked the mandatory requirement for congress to participate in the auction. They’re all invited to attend, and Pat and I will be matching contributions as an incentive for their participation.”

  “For the record, this is a nightmare.”

  “It’ll be easier once the tentative proposals are passed through congress.” Jessica smiled at me. “You’ll feel better once we’re on the road. Runs Amok has been looking for you, or so Pat says.”

  Pat narrowed his eyes. “I know my—”

  Jessica cleared her throat.

  “Mackenzie’s horse. He fancies her.”

  “Of course he does. I picked him for her, after all,” William said, rising to his feet. “The auction master was in on it, too, so he wasn’t at any risk of being sold at auction.”

  “You really are a jerk,” I informed my daughter’s father.

  “And you like it.”

  “Jerk!”

  William took hold my shoulders and pushed me out of my office. “Did you have lunch?”

  “No. Princess Ambrose refused to stop bothering me long enough to leave.”

  “Geoff,” he complained. “You have my permission to drag her out of her office if she forgets to eat. I’ll even look the other way if you have to cuff her to do it.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind, Your Majesty.”

  “Do. Come on, Mackenzie. Don’t drag your feet now. If we stick around, that menace might find a way to bother us.” William guided me through the office towards the elevator with Jessica and Pat a step ahead of us. “I’ll make it up to you tonight, I promise.”

  “You better,” I hissed.

  He chuckled. “Challenge accepted.”

  If I wasn’t careful, he really would kill me with his love, assuming Princess Ambrose didn’t finish me off first.

  Stress and a lack of sleep conspired against me, and as I had on the flight to Colorado, I buckled in and fell asleep, but one thing had changed. As I drifted off, I was aware of William sitting beside me and working his arm around my shoulders, offering himself as a living pillow.

  The bump of the plane touching down woke me, and I yawned, glancing out the window. I wasn’t certain what I’d been expecting, but mountains hadn’t been it. I blinked, trying to come to terms with having left flatlands and forests for rolling hills and stony peaks blanketed with trees.

  William kissed my cheek, the mask covering part of his nose and eyes cool against my skin. “Rise and shine, Mackenzie.”

  “Mountains,” I blurted, pointing at the window.

  “Indeed. Mountain trail rides are far more entertaining. I expect Pat’ll pick an easier trail since you’re a novice.”

  “Damn straight I’ll pick an easier trail. A green rider on a green horse ain’t goin’ anywhere near a good trail.”

  “He’s not green on the trails. He’s been on the trails since the day he was born,” William protested. “And I had him wearing bareback pads at six months old. He carried his first child at a year and a half. He’s young, but he’s not green. You can trust him with a baby.”

  “You started him early.”

  “I was going to give him to Mireya, but then I heard Mackenzie needed a horse, so I changed my mind. He’ll take good care of her.”

  “His name is Runs Amok,” I added, stretching to work the kinks out. “He was supposed to be Mireya’s horse?”

  “Originally, yes. I’ll pick a new foal for her next year. They can grow up together.”

  “You have another horse in Montana picked out for me, don’t you?”

  “Of course. She’s a golden Akhal-Teke, a mare worthy of a queen. She’s going to be part of my wedding present to you.”

  “Part?” I squeaked.

  “I’d give you the world, but I’ve been told I’m not allowed to do that either.”

  “No kidnapping, either,” Pat said, walking past our seats heading towards the front of the plane. “And no necking on the ride. Behave yourself, William.”

  I smirked at the accusation William couldn’t keep his hands or mouth to himself when I was as much an instigator as him. “Filthy pervert,” I whispered, unbuckling and lurching to my feet.

  Grabbing my waist, he pulled me onto his lap and wrapped his arms around me.

  “No necking!” Pat ordered.

  William chuckled and held me closer. “I have this infuriating tendency to ignore when Pat bosses me around. We’re twenty minutes ahead of schedule. I can think of a lot of things we could do with twenty minutes.”

  “Jessica, rein this lad in already, else we won’t be riding tonight.”

  “Leave the love birds alone, Pat. William, if you don’t behave, I’ll give her better horses than you can.”

  “You wouldn’t.”

  Jessica held up four fingers. “This is the number of horses I’ve picked for her. I’ve already suckered her into accepting one for her birthday. I have several months to get her to accept the others. Go ahead. Make my day, punk.”

  I grinned and twisted in William’s arms. “Later.”

  “That’s not fair, siding with them.”

  Leaning closer, I whispered in his ear, “What I have in mind takes a lot longer than twenty minutes.”

  “Tease,” he accused.

  “Yes,” I agreed, freeing myself from his hold. “You’ll survive for now.”
r />   “He’s going to put me on a nag just to screw with me,” William complained.

  “I took mercy on you this time,” Pat replied before ducking through the door and leaving the plane. “Hurry up. I want to be in the saddle so we can check the low trail.”

  “We have all day tomorrow, Pat.” William hopped to his feet, snagged my purse, and slipped the strap onto my shoulder. “Did that tyrant keep you from riding yesterday?”

  “She did, wicked lady she is. She made me prep the horses for the trail, get their bracelets on, and threatened death if I slept in a stall again.”

  I stepped from the plane onto the staircase leading to the tarmac, and to my surprise, several RPS agents waited, holding the reins of eight horses, one of which was Runs Amok. I hurried down and strode to my horse, holding my hands out so he could sniff and lip at my fingers.

  “You won that round,” Pat conceded, claiming the reins to a brown horse. “William, you help her up on her horse, and mind that boot. We’ve rigged a special stirrup for her, so you make sure she’s good and steady in the saddle before you go make friends with that black we brought along so you can posture for your little lady.”

  “Your Texas is showing again, Pat,” William complained, joining me. Runs Amok whinnied and thrust his head against William’s chest. “You take good care of Mackenzie, boy.”

  “What did you name him?”

  “Sampson.”

  “I like Runs Amok better,” I confessed.

  He kissed my cheek. “He’s your horse now, so you name him whatever you want.”

  I eyed my horse’s broad back. “How am I supposed to get on his back without a block?”

  Chucking, William herded me to Runs Amok’s side, grabbed me by the waist, and lifted me up. I squeaked, grabbed the horn, and scrambled onto his back. “William!”

  “That’s how. Once your foot heals, I’ll teach you how to mount properly. I’ll coach you on how to ride as we go, but if we’re doing the low trails, it’ll be a pleasant walk.” While the others mounted, he situated me in the saddle, helped me with the stirrups, one of which was a leather strap large enough for my medical boot, and showed me how to hold the reins.