Prisoner Princess (Belles & Bullets Book 5)

by Caylen McQueen

  “Izzat him?” the bald man asked, pointing across the room. When Isabella followed his finger, her shoulders were deflated by disappointment. The man he pointed at looked nothing like Nico. In fact, he was at least two decades too old.

  “No. Not him.” Isabella turned to the other man. “What about you? Have you seen anyone who fits that description?”

  “Can't say I have,” the mustachioed man replied. “But I've been looking for you, sweetheart. Or someone like you.” His arm curled around her backside, not far from her rump. “If you'd like, I'll buy you a drink. Or even dinner. And you can sit on my lap.”

  “Uh... thanks. But no thanks.” Isabella hopped backward, away from his encompassing arm. “Goodbye!” She dashed across the room before either of them had a chance to touch her again.

  Two pubs and twenty questions later, Isabella's hopelessness returned in full force. She went back to the fountain, hugged her knees to her chest, and sobbed.

  “I'm so sorry, Tom...” she whispered aloud. “I'm sorry.” She closed her eyes and imagined him finding her. She imagined him standing in front of her.

  She imagined him taking her home.

  In an effort to keep his thoughts from wandering to Isabella, Harriot focused on his work. He tortured information out of a prisoner, arrested two thugs, and helped his father with mundane paper work. When his tasks were complete, he expected to retire for the day, but President Harriot needed him for one more mission. He needed to peel Callum away from Loreina's clutches.

  Tom heard giggling and moaning behind Loreina's door, but that didn't stop him from knocking. When he heard someone shout, “come in!” he reluctantly opened the door.

  His reluctance wasn't without reason. When he entered, he saw Callum and Loreina in bed together. They were both naked, but hidden beneath a blanket—Tom was grateful for that. Averting his eyes, he asked, “Callum... how much longer are you going to be? President Harriot needs to speak to you.”

  “Stupid Gareth Harriot!” Loreina's sigh resembled a whimper. “He's always ruining my fun!”

  “He's ruining my fun too,” Callum agreed, then he momentarily disappeared beneath the blankets. As Loreina giggled uncontrollably, Tom was glad he couldn't see where Callum's mouth was.

  “Ahem.” When Tom cleared his throat, Callum abruptly reemerged from the depths of the blankets. “Did you hear me? You're needed in President Harriot's room. Now.”

  “I heard you! Damn, man, you're so impatient!” Callum griped. When he started to leave the bed, Loreina grabbed his arm and reeled him back in.

  “I'll miss you, Pookus,” his lover cooed.

  “And I'll miss you, Honey Bunny,” Callum echoed the sentiment. When they rubbed noses with each other, Tom felt a wave of nausea rising up his stomach.

  “When you're ready to go, I'll be waiting in the hall. Try not to keep me waiting, Pookus.” Tom spoke in a hollow voice that didn't quite match his ridicule of Callum's nickname. Invading their private moment was awkward, to say the least. He left the room as quickly as his legs could carry him.

  A minute later, Callum joined him in the hallway, though he wasn't quite fully clothed. His breeches were undone, and he was still in the process of buttoning his shirt. When he caught the gaze of a blushing maid, Callum winked at her. “Lead the way, President's Son. I'm ready to do your bidding.”

  When they reached Gareth's room, they were told to wait. Callum looked frustrated, so Tom tried to explain, “My father's a very busy man.”

  “He's too busy for his own son?” Callum rolled his eyes. “Besides, he is the one who sent for us... and now we have to wait for him? That doesn't seem fair.”

  “Do you think I should be allowed to barge in at any time?” Tom defended his father, and under his breath, he added, “And you called me an impatient man...”

  After a ten minute wait, President Gareth's meeting was finally over, and his son was allowed into the room. Gareth was sitting at a desk with a quill in one hand, and stroked his beard with the other. When Thomas entered, he didn't bother to look up from his papers.

  “Thomas, Callum...” Gareth's quill swirled across the page as he addressed the younger men. “I have a very specific job for both of you.”

  “Of course, sir,” Tom said with a bow. His subservience to his father brought a sour expression to Callum's face.

  “I need you to go to the town of Bordeaux... and I need you to raze it to the ground,” Gareth's eyes suddenly met Callum's. “Similar to what we did in Durby, I want it wiped off the map. Destroyed. Obliterated. Purged.”

  “Is there a specific reason for this, sir?” Tom asked the question with a wince. Rarely did he question his father's whims.

  “Do I need a reason?” Gareth leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and glared at his son. “If you really must know, that place is a nest of crime and sin.. It's a cesspool of poverty and shanties. Towns like that make the country look bad. They shouldn't be allowed to remain.”

  “Are we allowed to kill people?” Callum asked, looking rather hopeful.

  “Of course. Purge means purge. I know it sounds cruel, but it must be done. I want this country to thrive, and I'm not going to waste my resources rebuilding a hovel.” Gareth searched his son's face, looking for any sign of defiance. Ever since he heard the rumor of the prince and princess' survival, Gareth was starting to trust him less. After all, it was Tom who reported their deaths. Bordeaux was to be a test. If Tom managed to complete the task, Gareth could trust him again. “Take at least a hundred men with you, and take as many airships as you need to get the job done. Two. Three. Four. I leave it to your discretion.”

  “It... will be done, sir.”

  There was hesitation in his son's voice, so Gareth asked, “Do you have issues with me, Thomas?”

  “No, sir.”

  “Good.” Gareth went back to stroking his snow white beard. “I look forward to hearing news of your success. You should depart immediately. Now, if you don't mind, I need you to leave. There's much I need to do.”

  Tom's jaw clenched as he left the room. He wasn't especially thrilled with the idea of destroying a random town, but if his father wanted it done, he wouldn't question it.

  But why did it have to be Bordeaux, of all places?

  Vee wasn't going to be too pleased with him.

  Thirty

  Miles told his story to Kitt and Ella at the same time. He didn't want to have to tell it twice. He barely wanted to talk about it once.

  “It must have been forty years ago, possibly more. Obviously, I was a much younger man back then. I used to work in a shipyard... and this was before airships were common. It was back-breaking labor, as I recall. My body still suffers the effects of it today, in fact. Like many of the men who worked there, I was exhausted by the day's end. We got in the habit of visiting a pub each day after work. And, of course, there was drinking involved.”

  “But you hate alcohol!” Kitt exclaimed. “You never touch the stuff!”

  “Indeed. And there's a very good reason why I hate it,” Miles continued. “When it becomes a habit, it becomes a problem. I loved your grandmother, Ella. I really and truly did. And I loved our daughter. Our little family meant the world to me. But when I would drink, I transformed into someone else entirely. I became intolerable. My tongue turned cruel. And one day... I hit her.

  I never forgave myself. And clearly, Susanna never forgave me either, because she left and never returned. For the first few years, I tried to search for her, but she obviously didn't want to be found. I don't blame her for leaving. She should have left. Once a man turns to violence, a woman should never stay.”

  There were tears in Miles' eyes. Kitt wanted to hug him, but she didn't want to step on the toes of his granddaughter, so she kept her arms at her sides. “You made one mistake... a big mistake, sure, but I don't know if you should punish yourself for the rest of your life. Like I've said before, you're a different man now.”

  “I never thought I de
served a second chance.” Miles was afraid to glance in Ella's direction—he was afraid she would be disgusted with him. But when their eyes met, he thought she looked sad. “Finding my granddaughter after all these years... I can hardly believe it. It must be a sign. Perhaps I do deserve that second chance after all.”

  Ella reached for Miles' hand and gave it a squeeze. “I'm glad we found each other, and I'd like to get to know you,” she told him. “Ben would too. You'll love him, and he'll love you. I'm sure of it.”

  “That necklace...” Miles gestured toward the owl. “It was made from scrap metals and bits of gemstone. It was a gift to your mother, Jessa, on her seventh birthday. Sadly, it was the last birthday I ever got to celebrate with her.” Miles briefly closed his eyes. When he opened them, a single tear dropped. “Now I know I'll never see her again. I always wondered if I would... but now I know for certain.”

  When Ella felt the airship descending, she wondered if they were approaching Bordeaux. At long last, her journey was finally over. She couldn't wait to see her brother, to tell him the good news. Not only did she find his medicine, she found their grandfather too. “Mother always wondered about you. She wanted to see you again. I don't think she wanted to leave you behind.”

  “Good. It does my heart good to know my daughter didn't hate me too.”

  Another tear fell, so Ella wrapped her arms around him. “And your granddaughter certainly doesn't hate you. I can promise you that!” When she heard him sob, she hugged him tighter. “It sounds like you've carried this guilt for too many years... but you don't need to anymore. It's alright, Miles. I forgive you.”

  Ella didn't know if Miles' mistake was hers to forgive, but when she saw the relief on his face, she had no regrets. He needed forgiveness from someone.

  When they arrived in Bordeaux, Ella and Miles reunited with Kieran, and the three of them walked a few short blocks to Ella's house. There wasn't a skyport in Bordeaux, so Doon landed the airship as close as possible. Fortunately, Ella's house wasn't too far from the outskirts of the city, so they didn't have too far to walk.

  “It's quite a dilapidated town, is it not?” Miles whispered to Kieran along the way. As they strolled along the cracked cobblestone road, he nearly stepped in a puddle of blood. “I'd heard stories about Bordeaux, but it's worse than I expected.”

  “It's hardly my favorite place in the world. Ella's too good for this city.”

  “Agreed,” said Miles, who thought he was talking to Ella's boyfriend. “We need to take my grandchildren somewhere safer.”

  They stopped at the house of Ella's neighbor, where Ben was staying while his sister was gone. Though she was usually a reliable friend, Martha was glad to be rid of him.

  “The coughing... oh god, the coughing!” Martha complained as they headed to the boys' room, which Ben was sharing with two of Martha's sons. “He kept my boys awake at all hours of the night. I don't think they've slept in days!”

  “I'm so sorry, Martha. I really can't apologize enough,” Ella said. “I would've taken him with me if I could, but--”

  “It's alright, girl,” Martha interrupted. “You'd do the same for me, I'm sure.”

  When she was finally reunited with Ben, Ella couldn't hug him tight enough. She even kissed his forehead, which had Ben grimacing.

  “Ugh!” he complained as he wiped the kiss from his face. “Ella! Why'd you have to kiss me in front of people? It's gross! I mean... I missed you too and all, but it's so embarrassing!”

  Ella kissed him again, right on the nose. Her brother tried to dodge it, but he wasn't fast enough. “Mwah!” Ella's lips loudly and unabashedly crashed against his cheek too. “I'll kiss you all I want, and there's nothing you can do about it!”

  “Ugggggh.” Ben moaned again, louder and longer. “Ellaaaaa.”

  Miles, in particular, was amused by their exchange, which he observed behind his monocle. His grandchildren. He still couldn't believe it.

  “Can you walk, or do you need me to carry you?” Ella asked.

  “I can walk! Stop fussing over me! It's not that far.” Though Ben insisted he could do it, as soon as he got to his feet, he stumbled. Before he fell, Kieran swept forward and scooped him into his arms.

  “I've got you, boy,” Kieran said as he carried him from the room. “This isn't as embarrassing as getting carried around by your sister, is it?”

  “No...” a disappointed Ben agreed. “I guess not.”

  On the way to their house, Ella excitedly told her brother, “I got to ride on an airship!”

  “No way! No fair! I want to ride on an airship!” As Kieran carried him, Ben extended a hand toward a sky that was overwhelmed with clouds. A narrow strip of golden sun poured through the voluminous white masses. Ben closed his eyes and tried to imagine soaring through a similarly resplendent sky.

  “And perhaps you will, one day,” said Miles, who hoped he wasn't too presumptuous. “I'm sure Captain Doon would agree to take you.”

  “You know an airship captain?” Ben's mouth was gaping as he stared at the strange old man at Kieran's side.

  While smiling at his gawking grandson, Miles simply replied, “I do indeed.”

  When they reached Ella's house, Kieran gently lowered the boy to his bed and tucked a blanket around him. As he stepped away, Ella gave Kieran's shoulder a light squeeze. The mercenary had a reputation for roughness, but sometimes she was surprised by how soft he could be. “I have your medicine, Ben,” Ella reported. “You're not going to like this, but... I'm going to have to use a needle.”

  “A needle?” Ben gasped. “Oh no...”

  As she fished the medicine from her reticule, Ella said, “There's something else I need to tell you, Ben. Something just as important. Do you see this man right here?” She bowed her head in Miles' direction.

  “Uh huh.” Ben looked more interested in Kieran's pistol than the old man standing with his sister.

  “This man's name is Miles. And he's our grandfather.”

  The next time he glanced in Miles' direction, Ben's pupils were huge. “Seriously?”

  “Seriously,” Ella confirmed it. “And he seems like a good man, so you better be kind to him!”

  As Miles took a step toward his grandson, Kieran took a step backward. He didn't want to impose on their family reunion, so he decided to excuse himself.

  But Ella had other ideas. As soon as grandson and grandfather were introduced, she dashed outside, catching up to Kieran before he got too far.

  “Kieran!” she called out to him. “Kieran... wait! I haven't had a chance to properly thank you yet. So... thanks.”

  Kieran cracked a smile. “It's been my pleasure.”

  “You got me all the way to the capital and back in less time than I expected. You sacrificed days of your time. You even paid for our accommodations! I don't know how I can thank you enough!” She took a few timid steps in his direction, closing the distance between them. “I'll pay you, of course, but it's not going to be enough.”

  “You're not paying me, love. Not even a penny,” Kieran corrected her. “I won't accept it. Getting to spend time with you was nice enough. Now, you better get back to that boy and his grandfather, or--”

  Kieran's words were interrupted by a kiss. He was so tall that she had to rise to her tiptoes to give it to him. As soon as he felt Ella's lips on his, Kieran knew it was better than any monetary reward she could possibly give him. Unfortunately, the blissful kiss didn't last nearly as long as he hoped it would.

  “So... thanks again,” Ella had been rendered a bit breathless by their kiss. “I'll, uh... I'll see you soon, I hope?”

  “You will,” Kieran promised her. “I won't leave Bordeaux until I've said a proper goodbye.”

  Goodbye. Ella's heart was crushed by the word. She was thoroughly spoiled by the constant companionship of Kieran McCray.

  Kieran dropped his hands into the pockets of his coat as he headed down the road. Not far from Ella's house, he overheard an argument between Franc
is Doon and Kitt, so he stopped to eavesdrop.

  “I'm not staying in this place, Kitt! Look at it!” Doon exclaimed. “I don't want you to be stuck in this dangerous shit hole of a town!”

  “But Miles just found his family! You can't leave! Besides, I'm not in danger as long as I'm with you!” Kitt argued.

  “And why do you think I'll be around to protect you at all times? Huh? Am I your leech? Your shadow? Are you going to tie me to your hip and drag me everywhere?”

  “Doon, if you leave now... if you rip Miles away from the grandchildren he's never known... I swear to god, I won't speak to you for a week!”

  “Well, that seems awfully childish of you!”

  Kieran caught himself grinning. For some reason, hearing his rival bicker with his girlfriend was strangely satisfying. As enjoyable as their argument was, Kieran interrupted it. “Hey! Francis bloody Doon! I need to have a word with you!”

  Even though Kieran was far from being Doon's favorite person in the world, he was grateful for the distraction. He didn't like to argue with Kitt, because arguing with her only ended one way. Kitt always won. “What is it, McCray?”

  “There's something I need to discuss with you.” Kieran crossed his arms and closed the gap between them. “I didn't want to broach this topic until Ella was back in Bordeaux, safe and sound.”

  To which Doon replied, “I don't know how safe and sound she could possibly be in this godforsaken city, but... get on with it.”

  “There's something that's been on my mind for the last six months.” Kieran's eyes flickered to Kitt, who looked a bit concerned. “You know what I'm going to ask, don't you?”

  “I haven't the slightest clue,” Doon said with a shrug. “Did you want me to guess? Read your mind?”