by Dark Angel
Chapter Sixteen
Vincent
I shower and dress and then decide to head out to the conservatory to see what Nathan and Isadora are up to. Well, I know what they're up to, but I wouldn't mind watching. I'm about to head down the stairs when I catch sight of the queen and the last person on earth I expect to see in this palace. Alex Richter. Alex Richter is one of the deadliest assassins in the world. He's brutal and efficient. He never fails to take out his target, and he’s a ghost. His crimes leave no evidence, just dead bodies. He’s ruthless and without mercy. Even among killers he’s feared. Only the powerful or most dangerous people in the world know his name. I know everything Richter is capable of, I've hired him in the past.
To say that he's dangerous is an understatement. If he's here with Ileana this must be why she cancelled her meeting with Nathan. What the fuck is she up to? Why the hell is she engaging an assassin? I need to find out. I step back concealing my presence in the shadows of the dim corridor. I resist the urge to charge down the hall and beat the answers I want out of Richter. There are million reasons why that wouldn't be smart right now. Besides I know a man like Richter would die before he'd give up his secrets. That’s one of the reasons he’s so highly paid, an indiscreet assassin is useless. I strain my ears trying to hear what they're saying, but they’re too far away. Though I doubt highly I’d hear anything useful. Ileana and Richter aren’t going to be discussing the specifics of his assignment in a hallway, even one that appears empty. I suspect they're heading to Ileana's office. As soon as they disappear from my line of sight, I race down to the second floor. If I move quickly I can get to Ileana's office before they do. I rush down the hallway grateful that all of the staff seem to be hard at work and not wandering the hall. I take the back stairs two at a time, and arrive to find the hallway leading to the queen’s office empty.
Luck is on my side, and the door to Ileana’s office is unlocked. I slide quietly into Ileana's office and quickly look for a place to conceal my presence. I slip into the closet on the far side of the room just as I hear the click of Ileana's heels on the marble floor of the hallway. I silently shut the door just as Ileana and Richter enter the room. “I appreciate you arriving so quickly, Alex,” Ileana says. She sounds friendly, almost intimate.
“Your highness, you know I’m always at your service for anything,” Richter says. I can hear the leer in his voice.
“Oh I know, Alex, and believe me, I do appreciate all of your skills,” Ileana purrs.
What the fuck is going on? This definitely isn’t her first meeting with Richter. I wonder how many there have been. The queen’s list of enemies has grown short over the years, and the reason why is clear to me now. The only question is who is going to be next. Whatever their relationship may be, this isn’t a social visit.
“You know, Alex, I wasn't sure the wedding was actually going to happen.” “I'm surprised it did. The two princes have never made a secret of how much they dislike each other, but I know how persuasive you can be. I can’t imagine what secrets you must know about their families to have brokered this arrangement. It’s a brilliant piece of diplomacy.”
Ileana laughs, “You have no idea how brilliant.”
“But, Ileana, you didn’t bring me here to celebrate your diplomatic victory did you?”
“Not al all. I have a job for you, Alex.”
“Target?”
“Prince Nathan,” Ileana says smoothly. It takes every ounce of self control to remain hidden and listen.
“This won’t be simple. The prince is a young man. You won’t be able to pass this off as a natural death.”
“I know,” Ileana replies unfazed.
“Accident or suicide?” Alex asks.
“Murder,” Ileana says.
“Murder? You want it to look like an obvious assassination.”
“Not exactly. I want it to look like a crime of passion committed by Prince Vincent.”
My hands clench into fists at my side, and I can feel my rage coursing through my veins. I will myself to remain calm. I know exactly how Ileana’s plan ends. It’s diabolical and brilliant.
“Vincent’s temper is practically a thing of legend. And everyone knows how much he hates Nathan.”
“Indeed, they’ve been rivals since they were boys,” Richter says, understanding in his voice. He too no doubt has guessed Ileana’s end game.
“A jealous rage overtook him. He just couldn’t bare to share Isadora with Nathan for another day,” Ileana says in a tone of mock regret.
“Unfortunately,” Alex says, “The penalty for such a crime is death.”
“Unfortunately,” Ileana agrees. “Sadly with the death of both princes, I’ll be left ruler of all three countries.”
“Don’t you mean your daughter?” “No I don't.” Ileana snaps. “Isadora doesn't have the real strength required to rule, to keep her enemies at bay. She'll come to me. She’ll have to. I'll be ruler over the entire region, and with the strength of three nations at my disposal who knows what I might do?”
“Who indeed?” Alex says. “So you can do it?” Ileana asks.
“I can do it, for a price of course.” Alex says. “Of course, how does one hundred million sound?” Ileana asks. “It sounds like Prince Nathan is a dead man.” Alex says. They both laugh. “Not just yet, though,” Ileana says. “I need to plant suspicion. That shouldn't be too hard with Nathan, he’s always disliked Vincent, and with a push from me he'll have his spies investigating soon enough. They'll be the first to say that Vincent was dangerous and that Nathan was worried about his safety.” “How long do you need?”
“A week should suffice.”
“A week it is then.” I hear the scrape of chairs and dying footfalls. I wait for absolute silence before I risk opening the closet door. My blood is boiling; Ileana is truly evil. This the worst kind of treason, and I don't think Ileana will stop with Nathan or me. I think Isadora could be in danger as well. I'm not going to let anyone hurt Isadora, and I'm not about to be a pawn in Ileana's games. I have to speak to Nathan.
Chapter Seventeen
Nathan
“Where’s Isadora?” I hear Vincent’s voice behind me as I stand in front of the mirror buttoning my shirt. I’m about to make a joke about his rudeness, when I catch a glimpse of Vincent’s face in the mirror. The words on my lips. As I turn to face him, I can see anger burning in his eyes and worry creasing his brow.
“She’s in the bath,” I say
Vincent shuts the door that connects our chambers to Isadora’s and locks it. Clearly this is serious. He lowers himself into a chair. It looks like he’s carrying the weight of a thousand nations on his back.
I take a seat on the bench across from him. I wonder if something has gone terribly wrong at home while he’s been here for the wedding.
“What is it? I ask. Vincent looks like he wants to murder someone, perhaps several someone’s in extremely brutal ways. This can't be good, at all.
“I found out who the queen was meeting.” Vincent says, and his tone does nothing to alleviate my concerns. Obviously, whatever he found out is bad for him, or us.
“You did?” I ask quietly. I sense that if I push too quickly Vincent will explode, and I don’t need a fight—I need information. It’s clear from Vincent’s expression Ileana wasn’t choosing a surprise wedding present for the three of us. I wait patiently for Vincent to continue, although I’m starting to understand his desire to throttle people for information.
“Do you know a man named Alex Richter?” he asks.
Alex Richter, oh this is bad, very bad. I weigh my options. I debate telling Vincent that I only know Richter by reputation, but I think he’ll suspect I’m lying and I would be. I have made use of Richter before. I decide against deception. If this is to be a true alliance I have to trust Vincent, and clearly he trusts me or we wouldn’t be having this discussion at all.
“I know Richter,” I say simply.
“Then you know what
he does.” Vincent nods in confirmation. “Ileana met with him in her private office today.”
“Well, we've got to find out why Ileana is seeing him. Find out who her target it is.” I say.
“I know that,” Vincent says, looking down, his voice heavy.
“You do?”
“I saw them together before they saw me. I doubled back and was able to reach her office first. I hid in the closet and heard everything,” Vincent says.
I’m actually impressed with Vincent’s restraint. I know he probably wanted to beat the answers out of them, but Vincent still hasn’t told me who the target is and I’m starting to suspect. I feel dread and anger starting to claw its way through my blood.
“Who’s the target?” I ask, but I know the answer as soon as Vincent looks at me.
“You,” he says.
I take a deep breath. This wouldn’t be the first attempt on my life, but it is the first to come from so close to home. I spare a second to wonder if Vincent could be involved. I dismiss the thought immediately. For all his faults I know that if Vincent wanted to kill me, he would give the respect of doing it himself, and he would have tried a long time ago.
“I’ll kill her,” I say, getting up from the bench, “and I won’t need Richter to do it for me.“
“Nathan,” Vincent says sharply, rising to stand in front of me. He places a hand in the middle of my chest. It’s oddly comforting. “You can’t do that.”
I would comment on the irony of Vincent counseling caution, but I’m too pissed off. I want to wrap my hands around Ileana’s throat and watch the life leave her wicked eyes.
“There’s more,” Vincent says.
“More?” I force my emotions to calm. I need to be able to think, to plan, because someone is going to die and it most certainly isn’t going to be me.
“She told Richter she wants it to look like a murder,” he says.
“A murder?” I say.
“Yes and I’ll-” Vincent starts.
“Be blamed.” I finish his sentence. I begin to see the evil brilliance of her plan. It’s genius. I should have seen it from the start. I should have known that Ileana would try to seize power. “With me dead, and you to be executed, Isadora would be in control of the entire region.”
Vincent nods in agreement.
“But,” I continue, “she doesn’t want Isadora to rule, does she?”
“She doesn’t think Isadora can,” Vincent says.
“But we both know better,” I say. “Isadora won’t give up control. If Ileana thinks she will, she’s underestimating her.”
“Indeed, she is,” Vincent agrees.
“What do you think she’ll do to her?” I know the answer, but I ask anyway.
“She’ll kill her, probably have Richter make it look like a suicide,” Vincent says.
Sometimes there’s something to be said for directness, I suppose.
“We’re not going to let that happen.”
“Of course not,” Vincent says.
“We need to plan,” I say, “but first we need to tell Isadora everything.”
“Tell Isadora?”
I can tell from Vincent’s tone that he doesn’t like the idea. I can’t believe that for once I’m the one who wants to be direct; perhaps Vincent is influencing me as much as I’m influencing him.
“You know as well as I do that protecting her will be a thousand times more difficult if she doesn’t know what’s happening,” I say.
“I know, “ he agrees, “but-”
“I don’t want to hurt her either, but we have to tell her.”
Vincent and I are so deeply engaged in our discussion that neither of us hear the lock click.
“Tell me what?” Isadora asks, entering the room, her hair still damp from the shower. “Don’t tell me my husbands are keeping secrets from me already.”
I look from Isadora to Vincent. I know he doesn’t want to lie to her anymore than I do. It appears the decision has been made for us. We’re going to have to tell Isadora everything.
Chapter Eighteen
Isadora
I look at Vincent and Nathan’s faces and know immediately that whatever they’re thinking I won’t like is serious, very serious. I’ll lecture them about not hiding things from me later, for now I just need to get them to talk to me. Neither of them looks like they want to speak. For a long moment they both just stare at me.
“Isadora,” Nathan says finally, “you’d better sit down.”
“It’s about your mother,” Vincent says
“My mother?” I know now without a doubt whatever they have to tell me is going to be horrible.
“Yes.” Vincent nods.
“She's been planning something.” Nathan says.
If they expect me to be shocked, they’re wrong. There hasn't been a single moment of my life where my mother wasn't hatching some plan or devising some scheme. Most of her plots are treacherous at best and deadly at worst. From the way Nathan and Vincent are behaving, from the way shadows of worry cloud both their handsome faces, I can tell whatever they’ve learned about my mother has come as a surprise to them. I know they want to protect me, but nothing they can say will be low to me. No one on this earth knows better than I do how dangerous my mother can be.
“What about her?”
“You'll remember I told you she missed our meeting,” Nathan says.
“I remember.”
“Well, that's because she was meeting a man,” Nathan continues. “A man named Alex Richter.”
“The assassin,” I say.
Nathan and Vincent exchange looks with each other before turning back to me. I suspect that they, like most people, assume that because I’ve spent most of my time in school surrounded by books that I don’t know the real inner workings of politics. I know more than most people think. Most took my silence for indifference or disinterest, but being quiet allowed me to learn more than I ever could by speaking. It’s amazing what people will reveal if they think you’re just pretty and shy and harmless. Besides, some of my mother’s staff aren’t as loyal as she thinks.
“Yes,” Nathan says, “the assassin. I take your mother has used him before.”
“They know each other,” I say carefully. I love both these men with all my heart, but until I know what my mother has planned, I don't want to say too much.
“She wants him to kill Nathan,” Vincent says.
I remain silent, my lips pressed together in a thin line... The rage I hold toward my mother is something I've held in my heart since I was a child. It’s threatening to unfurl, and I can’t let that happen, not yet. I marshal all of my self control and push it down. Now is not the time to be blinded by anger. I have to know everything that my husbands do, and I know there’s more.
“And?” I say calmly.
“She plans to blame Vincent for my murder,” Nathan finishes.
“Thus gaining control of all three kingdoms, no doubt doing away with me as soon as possible.” I can't hide the bitterness in my voice.
“Don't worry, we won't let her hurt you.” Vincent says.
I want to laugh. They have no idea how my mother has hurt me. They're twenty years too late to protect me from her.
“What are we going to do?” I say, emphasizing the we. Whether they know it or not, they won't be able to handle my mother without me.
“Isadora, your mother is dangerous.”
“Maybe it would be best if we sent you a-”
“No,” I say, cutting them both off. “I'm not going anywhere. Do you honestly think I don't know how dangerous my mother is?” I rise from my chair, pacing the room. This isn’t going to be easy for me to say. “I know how dangerous she is better than either one of you. Do you think my father really drowned in the pool?”
They both stare at me, understanding dawning on their faces.
“He was murdered?” Vincent asks.
“Yes.”
“Richter?” Nathan asks.
“No, my mot
her.”
“Are you sure?” Nathan asks the question I see in both their eyes.
“Am I sure? I saw it happen. I can never forget it. It's burned in my mind's eyes forever.” I take a deep breath. “I'd woken up in the middle of the night from a nightmare. My nanny was asleep, but I didn't want her. I wanted my father. I knew he always took an evening swim before bed. So, I went to the pool to find him. Instead, I found my mother pushing him into the pool. Holding him under until there was no movement. I suspect she drugged him first to make it easier. She didn't see me. I ran back to my room and got into bed. The next morning I woke up to what I already knew—my father was dead.”
“I’m so sorry,” Vincent says.
“Do you think she knows that you saw her?” Nathan asks.
“If she thought that I wouldn't be standing here. Until this very moment I've never told another soul. My mother will kill anyone who stands between her and what she wants.”
I feel suddenly lighter, finally being able to share my secret. Nathan and Vincent both wrap me in their arms. I feel safe and secure for the first time in my life. If my mother thinks I'll let her take this from me, if she thinks she can steal the only good thing she's ever given me—
she's mistaken. Nathan and Vincent both whisper words of comfort and reassurance to me.
“Don't worry, Isadora, we'll stop her,” Nathan says.
“No one else is going to die by your mother's hand.” Vincent promises, kissing my lips.
No, they won't, I think to myself, kissing Vincent before turning to Nathan. I need them now more than ever. I want another moment with them like I had at the bedding ceremony because I know what I'm going to do. I kiss them both like it could be the last time I ever do, and if my plan fails it may well be our last kiss.