But was Alistair a killer? Asher had considered it after Noah’s death, but that was only because they had never been friendly. But for Alistair to aid in the murder of his own parents . . . That was on another level. Asher couldn’t believe it; he didn’t want to—but he had to consider all options.
Asher pulled out his phone and began typing his speech, his eyes bouncing between his phone and his brother. He felt uneasy being in the same room as him, but Asher was almost certain Alistair didn’t have it in him to commit murder with his own hands.
Asher couldn’t think straight, and he found himself questioning every word he wrote. He deleted his draft and rewrote it another five times. What had come so easily to him in the past now seemed impossible; the pressure of being king was wrapping its hands around his neck like an invisible chain, and on top of it all, Abi was still missing. With Jesse gone after her, he felt alone—Asher trusted no one but Jesse.
“Your Majesty,” Luke said. “I think it will be best to make the statement from the balcony of the palace. It will be easier to control security from there.”
Asher nodded. “Send a team in to sit with the Queen,” Asher said.
Queen Mother—he still couldn’t bring himself to say it.
Alistair shot him a foul look, and there was a darkness in his eyes again, but Asher wasn’t intimidated. He didn’t trust him, and he was not going to leave his mother alone and vulnerable without protection.
He stood, kissing his mother’s cheek. “I’ll be back soon,” Asher told her, praying she could hear him.
“Watch over her,” he said to Luke’s men before leaving the room.
“Any update on the attack?” Asher asked as a team enveloped him.
“We have identified three suspects of the nine involved. I have a trace being placed on the others. We will find them,” Luke said.
Asher stole a sideways glance. “You sound overly confident.”
“We know someone in New York City who is reviewing the surveillance footage and all communication from the forty-eight hours leading up to the attack. No one hides from this team. Jesse is in contact with the security group, and they’re on standby ready to assist if we need them.”
“How does Jesse know them?” Asher asked.
“Through an acquaintance: a man named Vincent. Jesse will discuss this with you in detail when he returns,” Luke said, visibly alert. “Right now, we need to make sure you stay alive. The balcony has been fitted with thick ballistic glass. You’re safe behind it.”
“The armored car should’ve been enough to save my father,” Asher said gravely. “Nothing is guaranteed.”
Masked men had attacked the car his parents had been traveling in. It had been armored, but they’d been so heavily ambushed it wasn’t enough. The doors had been pried open, the guards shot, and then his parents.
Asher wondered again how scared his mother had been. Had she seen the King murdered? He hoped she’d been hit first and had been unconscious before she’d seen her husband shot in the head.
Asher used the time in the car to silently rehearse his speech.
“You have an hour,” Luke said.
Asher nodded. He went straight to his living quarters to shower and change into a suit. The palace was eerily quiet, and it almost destroyed him to think his father would never walk these hallways again. Santina had lost a king, and he had lost his father and his mentor.
Asher walked toward the King’s office. The office was now his, and as he stepped inside, he’d never felt so out of place. And it looked different today—foreign.
He sat in his father’s chair, trying to mentally prepare himself to give his first speech: a speech he knew Santina needed to hear.
Asher noted the stack of mail that had been couriered in. He opened the first letter—a letter of condolences from a neighboring country. As he opened one after the other, he realized they were all letters of condolences. He paused on one that had an Adani stamp.
He opened it and skimmed over the letter from the king and the crown prince, the same men Asher had met with less than two weeks ago—the men who had made promises to support Santina.
Asher’s blood boiled. How dare they further insult him by sending a letter of condolence when they were almost certainly behind the attacks on Abi and his parents?
Asher picked up the telephone and dialed a number he was certain the King’s telephone had not dialed in a long time.
“William Bennett,” Abi’s father answered.
“Mr. Bennett, this is Asher,” he said.
“Asher, please tell me you have some news. I can’t get hold of Jesse,” he said quickly.
“I’m sorry, I don’t. I’m also waiting for an update,” Asher said with regret. Abi needed to come home.
William paused. “Asher, I am so sorry to hear of your parents. Despite our differences, I never wished that upon your father. How is the Queen doing?” William asked, and he genuinely sounded sympathetic.
“She’s fighting,” Asher said.
“Good. Your mother is strong,” William said.
“I agree,” Asher said tightly. His time was limited, and he couldn’t waste another second. Asher squeezed his eyes shut, praying he wasn’t making a terrible decision.
William Bennett had asked King Martin for help, and he had given it. Now King Asher needed a favor. “There’s another reason for my call.”
“Okay … William said, sounding very unsure.
“There’s a very high chance that Adani may withdraw its aid deal over the coming days, and I need that money to feed our people,” Asher said.
He was greeted with silence.
William Bennett finally spoke. “That’s billions of dollars, Asher.”
“This is for Santina,” Asher said. “To honor my father and to ensure Santina doesn’t fall.”
William Bennett was so quiet Asher thought the call had dropped.
“Be very careful, Asher. I know you’re hurting, and I know you’re angry. But this is not the time to make radical accusations at Santina’s most powerful neighbor. If I can give you any advice, it would be to follow your father’s lead. He would not make an accusation, not yet. They took my daughter, and yet I’m still telling you this. Play your cards very carefully.”
“Will you support Santina if Adani withdraws its aid?” Asher asked.
William sighed. “Yes, I owe your father that, and I don’t want to see our people starve.”
“Thank you,” Asher said. “And don’t worry, I don’t plan on making any accusations today.”
Asher hung up without another word as Luke entered the room.
“Are you ready?” Luke asked.
Asher nodded. He was not born for this role, but he would fulfill it. He would not let Santina fall.
Asher was escorted through the palace to the balcony. He’d stood on this balcony as a child, waving at the crowd below as his mother held his hand. The first time he’d ever been on the balcony had been in his father’s arms.
Today he was alone.
But he would fight for them all.
Asher drew a calming breath, stood tall, and walked out onto the balcony. Crowds were gathered as far as he could see. Santina was here. Asher knew the people might think he’d murdered his own father after recently receiving the title of crown prince, so every word he said today mattered.
“Santina,” Asher said, his voice loud and clear. The crowd responded, but Asher couldn’t immediately decipher if they were cheering or voicing their disapproval.
Asher didn’t look at his notes; he didn’t give his prepared speech.
Connect with the people.
That had been his father’s last advice, and Asher listened to him now as if he were standing beside him, whispering in his ear.
“We are left heartbroken as our king departs this earth and our queen is fighting for her life,” Asher took a deep breath. “But those who pretend to be our friends should be very careful.”
The crowd chee
red—Asher was sure of it this time.
“Santina, we are small and without the riches of our neighbors. But what our enemies forget is we are Santina! We stand tall in the face of adversity, and we will be neither bullied nor ambushed by our enemies. Those who do not stand beside us, stand behind us, and are no friends of ours.
“My father, our king, loved Santina, and he always had hope, always had belief in Santina. I share that same hope, that same belief, and I am ready to fight for Santina. My heart is broken, it is bleeding, but we will carry on. Because that is what King Martin would want us to do.”
Asher looked directly into the cameras.
“We will not cower in the shadows—we will unite, and we will make sure that those who hurt us are punished!”
The crowd started chanting, but Asher couldn’t hear what they were saying. He looked to Luke, who nodded, and Asher continued.
“I, King Asher, pledge to protect Santina! I will fight for you every day. Santina will prosper in the coming years. We have suffered grievously of late, but now we will unite, and we fight for our beloved kingdom. Santina, our time is now!” Asher raised his hand to the crowd, and they went wild.
The crowd chanted like a choir, and it took him a moment to realize what they were saying.
“King Asher!
“Hail King Asher!”
THE STORY CONTINUES…
King Asher and Abi’s story continues in SERPENTI, Book Two of The Royals.
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SERPENTI will be released on 26th December 2019.
In the meantime, you can download a FREE copy of ESCANTA, Book One of the Thomas Security Series, here.
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P.S. If you want to learn more about the security company that Jesse is talking to in the final chapter of BLOOD, LOVE + LIES, download ESCANTA! :)
ALSO BY BROOKE SIVENDRA
THE JAMES THOMAS SERIES
Escanta
Saratani
Sarquis
Lucian
Sorin
The Favour
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THE DEACON THOMAS DUET
The Ranger
The Redemption
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THE THOMAS SECURITY SERIES
The Vault
The Traitor
The Conspirator
* * *
THE SOUL SERIES
The Secrets of Their Souls
The Ghosts of Their Pasts
The Blood of Their Sins
DID YOU ENJOY THIS BOOK?
As a writer, it is critically important to get reviews.
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Why?
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You probably weigh reviews highly when making a decision whether to try a new author—I definitely do.
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So, if you’ve enjoyed this book, and would love to spread the word, I would be so grateful if you could leave an honest review (as short or as long as you like) where you bought it.
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Thank you so much, Bx
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Brooke Sivendra lives in Adelaide, Australia with her husband and two furry children.
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Brooke has a degree in Nuclear Medicine and worked in the field of medical research before writing her first novel.
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You can connect with Brooke at any of the channels listed below and she personally responds to every comment and email.
www.brookesivendra.com
[email protected]
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Copyright © 2019 by BROOKE SIVENDRA
All rights reserved.
The moral right of Brooke Sivendra to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
This is a work of fiction. All the characters in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, not to be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published without a similar condition, including this condition, being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
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Cover by Virtually Possible Designs
Ebook: 978-0-6485688-1-0
Print: 978-0-6485688-0-3
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