“This paper is usually quite reputable. I don’t understand why they would print these lies.”
“Word on the street is that Prince Henry forced their hand. My guess is blackmail, but that’s unconfirmed.”
But it was likely. Considering everything Henry had done to Finn, a little blackmail to get what he wanted would be nothing.
“Where am I taking you once we get across?” George asked.
“The capital.”
“That’s a dangerous place just now.”
“I can’t worry about that. I need to meet with some of my contacts.”
“As you say, Prince Finn, but I’m going with you.”
“George, you just said it’s dangerous. You’ve got a family.”
“That’s true. But I’ve also got a country it’s my duty to protect. Now hunker down in the back. We’re almost to the border.”
Finn hid underneath several piles of quilts and blankets. George’s van had been filled to the brim with items in the back; if anyone tried to search, it would take them days to sort through it all.
His body stiff with tension and the need to remain still, he held his breath as they made their way through the border. These days, it was easy to cross from one European border into the next, but that didn’t mean that Henry hadn’t taken extra precautions in case Finn tried to go back.
After George chatted with the border guard for a few minutes, the van started moving again, and Finn breathed a long sigh of relief.
“You’ll have to stay down until we get to the capital, Prince Finn. I’m sorry, but I don’t want to risk you being found.”
Finn peeked through a blanket. “Thank you, George. Just let me know if trouble comes.”
“Yes, sir,” George said, and he sped off down the highway.
It was a few hours later when Finn came upon Jacob’s café. Even at first glance, Finn knew something was wrong. Newspapers were scattered and ruffled near the entrance, the windows shuttered, and the café door was locked with no signs of light or life inside.
Finn and George returned to the alley where they’d parked the van and tried the back door; another bad sign: the door was unlocked. Jacob would never leave it unlocked.
As they entered the back office, Finn flipped on the lights. Then they both gasped.
Jacob lay unmoving on the floor, a small pool of dark blood beneath his head. His face was pale as light. Finn rushed to his side and took his pulse; it was faint but it was there. He was also barely breathing. While George called an ambulance, Finn tried to rouse him.
Finn slapped Jacob’s cheeks. “Jacob. Jacob.”
After several long moments, Jacob groaned and shifted his head, then groaned even louder.
“Don’t move, Jacob. It’s Finn. Can you speak?”
“Barely,” he whispered. “They got me.”
“Who got you?”
“Didn’t even see them coming. Just felt something bash my head in, and then nothing. I got too close.”
“You’ll be all right. We called for the ambulance.”
“No cops.”
“It’s too late.”
“Not too late for you.” Jacob pulled Finn closer with what seemed like every last bit of strength. “You should take the dough in the freezer. Middle row, third from the front.”
“All right, Jacob.” There was no time to ask more questions; Jacob had closed his eyes and was fading fast. “My friend George is here. Here’s a butcher and a savant at cooking meat.”
“Uh-huh,” Jacob said, his grip slipping on Finn’s shirt.
“Listen to me,” Finn said with fierce determination, and Jacob’s eyes fluttered open again. “You thought about stocking some cooked meats in your bakery, for the lunch crowd. You had a meeting with George. When the café door was locked, he tried the back and found you. Do you understand?”
Jacob nodded and his eyes closed again.
“How about you?” Finn asked George.
“I understand. I’ll stay. And don’t worry about your friend. Despite how bad he looks, he’ll survive.”
“How do you know?”
“I was a doctor in another life, but that’s a story for a different day. Will you be okay on your own?”
“I’ll have to be. I’ll contact you if I need any help, but it’s best to keep your distance from me now. I’m sorry. If we put it on record that you found him, they may come after you, and I never meant for that to happen.”
George grinned smugly. “Let them try.”
Finn nodded, then ran to the freezer. He grabbed the dough Jacob mentioned, and snuck out through the back door they had entered through. He grabbed his backpack from the van - his other bags would just have to stay put - and used the alleys as a convenient place to hide.
He eventually found an abandoned warehouse and snuck inside. He broke open the dough, letting frozen pieces scatter around the floor, and pulled out the papers hidden inside.
His eyes skimmed the papers, growing wider with each line of text. He felt himself getting weaker by the second as he read page after page, and his face paled to almost translucent white - almost as white as Jacob’s had been. Holy fucking shit. Jacob had discovered everything: Henry’s true motives and who had really betrayed Valleria, and it wasn’t good.
With trembling fingers, Finn called Alex, who picked up on the first ring.
“Finn, how are you? Where are you?”
“I’m back in Brazenbourg, in the capital. I know, Alex. I know it all.”
“Tell me.”
“It’s Henry.”
“What about Henry?”
“He’s your traitor.”
“What? What the hell are you talking about?”
“Henry has been selling secrets to Gardar Rus, and others. By the proof in my hands, Henry has been plotting against Valleria, France, and others for years. He’s the one who arranged for Vlad to try to capture and torture your brother.”
Alex cursed. “Why is he hell bent on destroying us?”
“Based on these papers, he was trying to stage a power coup with Vlad, to take control of the various countries surrounding them. Even when Vlad failed last month, Henry kept going with his own plans.”
There was stony silence for several seconds before Alex replied. “Damn it! If Henry hates us so much, why the hell is he engaged to Arianna?”
Finn collapsed against the dusty, moldy table he’d been using. “Engaged?” he croaked.
“Yes, sorry, I shouldn’t have blurted it out like that. Arianna agreed to marry him yesterday morning.”
“Fuck!”
“Wait. She also realized it was a bad idea and decided she’d made a mistake last night.”
Hope bloomed in chest, desperate to overcome the fear and despair that lay there, too. “She did?”
“Yes, and you’re one of the main reasons for it.”
“She doesn’t hate me?”
Alex paused, as if considering something, then spoke again. “I’ll let her tell you when this mess is over. It’s not my place. Suffice it to say, I don’t think she hates you.”
“Thank God,” Finn murmured and sagged in relief. “Can I speak to her?”
“No, and neither can I.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“She’s gone. She left sometime in the night.”
“Where did she go?”
“To find you.”
“What? What the hell is she thinking?”
“She’s thinking about you. Be on the lookout for her.”
“Doesn’t she have guards with her?”
“Just one, which isn’t enough, in my opinion. She’s traveling by plane straight to your capital.”
“Why don’t you stop her?”
“We’re trying. She used a commercial flight so we can’t just turn it around without arousing suspicion or the press. My brother, Marcello, is flying over to meet her, but he’s still a few hours behind her. Until that happens, keep her safe. She’s very fragil
e right now.”
“What does that mean? Is she hurt?”
“In a manner of speaking. Look, you should know that Henry paid her a visit.” Alex went to describe most of what happened, but left out any mention of the pregnancy.
“Shit, he’s such an asshole.”
“On that, we agree. Why would he do it? Even if he married Arianna, there’s no way he could ever be crowned king of Valleria.”
“Maybe he planned to harm Arianna only, or perhaps he planned to kill us all; I just don’t know.” Realization dawned on Finn. “Maybe he planned an attack during a wedding?”
“Jesus. You think he’d kill all of us, and risk killing himself to rule Valleria? That’s a long way around. Besides, he’s already ruler of Brazenbourg.”
“But it’s not enough for him, it never has been. He’ll only be the Prince of a small nation here; in Valleria, he’d be called ‘King’. He always hated being called ‘Prince’, especially since I was called that, too.”
“Your brother’s mental state needs to be examined.”
“Don’t I know it?” Finn ran a hand over his face. “Look, I’m sending you a copy of these documents. Have your people take a look at it, and contact the International Police Force. I’ll need their help.” Finn scanned the documents with his phone and messaged them off to Alex.
“I’ve got the documents. What are you planning?”
“A confrontation. If I know my brother, he’ll want to address the nation. Not just about the charges leveled against me, but about the future of Brazenbourg. I’ll plan to confront him there as the whole country will be watching. It’s my best chance.”
“Hold on. Yes, I’ve just confirmed that he announced a speech tonight at seven local time. Can you sneak into the palace?”
“That shouldn’t be a problem. Your brother is taking Arianna straight back to Valleria, isn’t he? I don’t want her near Henry.” She shouldn’t be near him, either; he wasn’t safe.
“That’s the plan. If you need his help, he can stay behind.”
“Arianna is priority. Keep her safe. Let me know when you’ve got her.”
“Will do. Godspeed, Finn.”
“Same to you, Alex.” And Godspeed, Arianna, he prayed. Stay safe.
***
Arianna knew it was a crazy idea. However, since she’d had so many terrible ones recently, she figured one more probably couldn’t make a difference. She hadn’t planned to run away to Brazenbourg to meet Finn, but she’d had no other choice.
She loved him, and he needed help.
She’d lain awake for hours last night, thinking of him, praying she’d have a chance to beg his forgiveness for not believing in him. It was then that she’d remembered the letter from Finn that she’d received through Alex.
In it, he had declared her love for her, and his deepest hopes and dreams - dreams that included them together. Dreams she should have believed when he’d spoken them to her in the dark hours of the night. She had also finally checked her phone, and Finn’s pleas to believe the articles were a fabrication clinched her decision. If only she had checked her phone earlier. If only. If only.
She rubbed her womb again, she couldn’t seem to stop. She knew she needed protection, so she’d taken a guard with her. She knew he was reporting back to Marcello and the others, despite her orders not to. She couldn’t blame him; his life was on the line now, too.
She needed to be with Finn. He was her future, she realized. Not just because of the baby, though it was certainly a consideration. She’d been such an idiot, though, she didn’t know if he’d want to see her. She prayed he did.
Once the plane arrived in Brazenbourg, she’d expected some or other family member to be there waiting to take her back to Valleria. However, no one was there.
Her guard secured a car and they drove to the palace. She knew Henry would be alerted to her presence, and she would use that to gain entry. As far as he knew, she was still on board with the engagement.
He would learn that plans had changed, and that no one pushed her around.
She also had a feeling that Finn would try to come back here, and confront Henry. She didn’t even want to think about what may happen if Finn lost. It wasn’t an option, she thought as she absently rubbed her womb again. Losing him just wasn’t an option.
Chapter 21
Finn managed to sneak into the palace using one of the service entrances. From there, he took advantage of the secret hallways, and made his way around the palace.
A glance at his watch let him know that there wasn’t much time left before Henry’s national address. Alex had let him know that the International Police Force was on their way; they would wait until after Finn confronted Henry, but they would be in place and waiting when that happened. There was no telling how many allies Henry had in the palace, or how many may try to stop him.
Finn finally found the door leading to the throne room. Henry would complete his address from his office, just off of this room. After checking the peephole and confirming that no one was there, Finn exited and shut the door quietly behind him.
At the sound of footsteps, Finn quickly hid behind one of the thrones. His heart beat faster as the adrenaline rushed through his system. Would he be found out? Was this the end?
But then the footsteps retreated, and he waited several seconds before checking the room. The coast was clear. Just as Finn was about to get up, he noticed some wires underneath the throne. As he took a closer look, he noticed it was a bomb, set to go off five minutes into his address.
Holy shit.
Finn immediately messaged Alex, who sent the warning to his contacts at the International Police Force. Finn tried to calculate how many people were working in the palace that night, how many people could be killed. He also wondered if Henry had arranged the bomb.
Since Finn knew nothing about diffusing bombs, he slowly stepped away. The bomb was under the throne meant for the ruling Princess of Brazenbourg, so Finn checked the other one; there was nothing there.
Fury, hot and vicious, speared through him at the thought of Arianna sitting here. Had that been his plan one day, to blow her up while she sat innocently on the throne? And was this the only bomb?
Finn checked his watch again. One minute until the speech began.
Finn quietly opened the door to the offices. The rooms were full of people; he hoped he would blend in with them. Keeping his head down, he edged along the side by the wall, slowly making his way towards Henry. He wondered how many of the people here could be hurt by the bomb in the other room.
Finn positioned himself behind a tall television camera operator; Henry wouldn’t see Finn until he was good and ready to reveal himself.
A man signaled a countdown to Henry. When he got to ‘one’, Henry cleared his throat and faced the camera.
“Good evening, citizens of Brazenbourg. I come to you tonight with both full and heavy heart. I first want to address the joy in my upcoming marriage. Princess Arianna is a beautiful, intelligent woman, and she will serve you well. I second want to address my shame in having such a traitorous brother.”
Finn’s hands fisted at his side. He checked his watch; there were only a few minutes left before the bomb went off. He had to evacuate. Pretending he was a member of the crowd, he shouted, “Bomb! Everybody evacuate!”
The crowd gasped then began to disburse. “No, wait! I haven’t finished my speech.” Henry said as he stood and threw down his notes on the desk.
“You’d rather everybody die listening to you?” Finn asked as he stepped into the light. Those remaining in the room gasped and Finn noted the cameraman kept the camera aimed at them both.
Henry’s face distorted in rage. “You! You are no longer welcome in my country,” Henry seethed.
“This is my country, my home. You are the traitor.”
Henry grinned broadly. “No one believes you. You’re finished. Guards!”
“They won’t help you now, brother dear,” Finn said as the po
lice entered the room and took hold of the guards. Finn held up the documents Jacob had given him, making sure the camera captured them. “Proof of your treachery. You have been conspiring against Valleria, France, and others in some twisted bid for power. You’re finished. I’ll make sure you’re stripped of your crown and arrested on charges of treason.”
Henry laughed, a full-bellied maniacal laugh that set Finn’s teeth on edge. “You’ll not stop me now. No one can stop me now.” He continued laughing as Finn checked the time. Had the police diffused it? Were they safe?
Arianna & Finn (Royals of Valleria #3) Page 22