by Banks, Evie
“The Brettons and the Montshires have always been at odds, you know, but it needn’t be like that now. Too many centuries have passed.”
He leaned forward and whispered in her ear. She closed her eyes, enjoying the sound of his voice and the knowledge that his lips were so close.
“We could join the bloodlines. Me and you.”
His hand slipped lower and rested at the base of her neck. She could feel his thumb caressing the hollow of her neck. She could feel his breath on her ear. No man except Ray had touched her in almost a decade.
“But I’m married,” she said weakly.
She felt his other hand come up and rest on her other shoulder close to her neck. They were so close, all she had to do was turn her head slightly and they would be kissing.
“We could always get rid of the husband.”
He brushed her ear with his lips and his hands came together to form an intimate embrace around her neck. She loved the feel of his hands on her skin.
The tiny voice in her head finally exploded through and her eyes flew open when she realized the meaning of his words. At the same time, a loud banging sounded at the door and she heard Chase cough. Disappointment rushed through her when Ammon’s hands released her. She blinked her eyes as if waking up.
“Oh, that must be them. Wait here, I’m sure they’ll want to talk to you.”
Ammon stayed where he was, his eyes alert. Renee opened the door with a smile to find Chase and Roberts.
“Come on in, I have a surprise for you. Somebody is here.”
Chase frowned. “Who is here?”
“Ammon Bretton! The case was dismissed.”
Quicker than she thought possible, Chase swept her behind him with his arm and rushed into the apartment, pulling a gun from his pocket. Renee stumbled, but was caught by Roberts who held her back when she attempted to follow Chase. Despite his thin frame, Roberts was quite strong and pulled her backwards into the hall. She struggled.
“What are you doing? Let me go!”
“No, Ma’am, I’m afraid I can’t. Let Mr. Chase take care of this.”
“Take care of what?” She didn’t understand their response. “Let me go!”
Chase shouted from within the apartment.
“He’s gone!”
Roberts released her and Renee ran back inside to find Chase standing by an open window.
“But he was just here!” said Renee in wonder. Only a few seconds had passed since she had been standing toe to toe with him.
Chase leaned out the window. “He must have gone out the window and landed on the shed. The alley runs behind it and we can’t see it at this angle. Roberts, stay here with Mrs. Krebs. I’m going to do a quick sweep of the area, see if I can’t get a lead on him.”
Roberts nodded.
Renee was confused. “Why are you chasing after him? He seemed nice enough. And can you please put your gun away.”
She was still feeling the affects of Ammon Bretton’s closeness and was disgruntled that they had interrupted that. Renee couldn’t read the expression on Chase’s face, but she saw at that moment that he was a serious professional and she had misunderstood his role.
“Ammon Bretton is a lady killer.”
“Yeah, he is,” said Renee, dreamily.
“No, he’s a real killer. He’s under suspicion in the deaths of three women and was about to go to trial, but the lead witness, who had positively ID’d him, disappeared. His body was found last week in his car, ditched into a ravine.” Chase’s voice was hard.
“If it was in a ravine, it could have been an accident,” said Renee.
“It could be, if it wasn’t for the fact that finger shaped bruises were found around the dead man’s neck. That’s how Bretton killed the women, you know. Strangled them.”
Renee’s hands flew to her neck, remembering the thrilling sensation of Bretton’s fingers caressing her there.
“Oh my god.”
She began to shake. She had been so foolish! Not to mention weak. Although her marriage to Ray was over, she was still legally married and she had let her guard down with a complete stranger. What if Cassandra had been home or come home to find her mother’s strangled body?
Chase crossed the room to her in two steps and briefly crushed her to him in a one-armed hug. “We’ll find him,” he said into her hair and then released her before striding purposefully out the door.
She was left, still trembling, while Roberts awkwardly tried to pat her on the elbow, unsure of how to respond to this outpouring of emotion. The former queen had always been the epitome of poise and self-control.
“There, there, Ma’am. Mr. Chase will find him and keep you safe. Why don’t I make us all a cup of tea?”
He steered her to a kitchen chair and opened cabinets until he found what he was looking for: a box of different kinds of tea bags. He filled the kettle with water and set it on the stove, busying himself with the task as if trying to avoid the intimacy that would be required of talking to her.
“Roberts, why do I have to be protected? Do you think he was really going to kill me? It’s ok, you can sit,” she said when she noticed that Roberts continued to stand very formally. He sat down in the empty wooden chair and the contrast between his immaculate suit and her rundown kitchen made her smile despite her continuing sense of shock.
“It doesn’t hurt to be careful, Ma’am.”
“You can call me, Renee.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
She smiled ruefully, surmising this wasn’t a battle she was going to win.
“All persons of importance are protected,” Roberts said. “All presidents, prime ministers and sovereigns. Celebrities and the wealthy are also. It is not unusual. The only reason why you don’t have a whole contingent of armed forces surrounding your building is because Mr. Chase and myself were charged with conducting our search quietly and inconspicuously.”
“You’re hardly inconspicuous in that getup and in this town,” she said.
“You would be surprised. Somebody asked me on the street if I could waive his parking ticket. The confused man thought I was the mayor.”
He got up to pour the tea while Renee stared out the window. “My whole life is going to change,” she said to herself.
“Indeed.”
Roberts set three cups on the table, not forgetting Chase, and waited politely while she blew on hers to cool it and then took a drink, before having a sip himself.
Renee mused out loud. “That means Cassandra will always have to be guarded. She’ll never have privacy ever again and that’s what she wants more than anything right now.” She felt miserable when she thought of the “Private Keep Out” sign on Cassandra’s door. Cassandra was almost a teenager and when she contrasted what was in store for her with the freedom that Renee had experienced at the same age, she shook her head. Then she remembered exactly how much freedom she’d had as a teenager and decided that maybe it was better that Cassandra would be closely watched after all. She wouldn’t be able to make the same mistakes that Renee had made if there was someone watching over her all of the time—a silver lining.
“Some people never seem to adjust to the lifestyle, even those born into it,” said Roberts. “There’s always someone watching.”
“Sounds terrible.”
“It’s not terrible, but it does require compromise from both the protectors and the protectees. The former Queen,”—he bowed his head briefly—“put up with it, but she also knew where to draw the line and let her guards know when they were being silly or over-officious in their efforts. Others, however, chafed under the watch. Princess Althena hated it from the time she was a child and was always doing her best to dodge her guardians. She was a little rascal.” Roberts smiled at the memory. “I’m sure you and your daughter will adjust just fine. There will be people there to help you. I will be there. I was the Queen’s private equerry and I will continue to assist the person of the monarch and guide you in royal life. ”
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��Will you?” said Renee, amazed that she was comforted by the idea. There was something stalwart, if amusing, about Roberts. They drank their tea without any further conversation except an occasional “I wonder how Chase is getting on” from Roberts.
Chase returned out of breath a short time later.
“No sign of him. He could be anywhere: in the next apartment or on a bus to Mexico. It’s not safe for you here, Mrs. Krebs. We were already working on a tight deadline, but it just got sped up. Take only what you need to have with you: clothes, documents, important keepsakes. We’ll have some of our people pack up everything else for shipping over to the UK.”
“You mean we’re leaving tonight?” Renee asked, jumping to her feet.
“Tonight.”
Renee paced the length of the kitchen. There was one cigarette left in the cabinet. She considered pouncing for it.
“I haven’t even told Cassandra yet.”
“Tell me what, Mom?”
Everyone whirled around to see Cassandra opening the door.
“Who are these guys?” Cassandra looked from Chase, who was closer, to Roberts who got up from his chair and approached her with his hand outstretched. Cassandra shook his hand hesitantly.
“You must be Cassandra. It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Roberts and that funny looking fellow is named Chase. We’re here from England to assist your mother.”
“You’re from England?” Her eyes were big. “That’s cool. Do you ride in double decker buses?”
“Every time I go to the movies,” said Roberts.
“You’re so lucky! I wish I could do that.”
“Maybe you can. Sooner than you think.”
Chase stepped forward. “That’s exactly what your mother wants to talk to you about. We’ll just be outside the door. Yell for us when you’re done, Mrs. Krebs.”
“You can bet there’ll be some yelling,” said Renee through gritted teeth. She stared bullets at Chase until he and Roberts had exited and closed the door behind him. Renee sighed and her shoulders sank. Everything was happening too fast.
“Mom, who are those weird guys and why do they keep saying you need to tell me something. Tell me what?” Cassandra grabbed the can of cola from the fridge and plopped into the chair Roberts had freshly vacated. It sprayed a bit when she opened it and she quickly tried to drink it before the liquid bubbled over.
Renee took a fortifying breath.
“Child.”
“Mother,” replied Cassandra. It was a game they played.
“You know how I always call you my princess?”
Cassandra rolled her eyes.
“Yeah, mom. I’m your princess. What do you want to tell me?”
“That’s it. You are a princess.”
“Umm, ok. Can I watch tv now?” Cassandra hopped off her stool.
“Cass, wait!” This was going to sound ridiculous no matter how she phrased it. “What if I told you that we had some famous relatives that died and left us some stuff?”
“What level of famous are we talking about? Barry, the mean homeless guy on 2nd street famous, or Elvis famous?”
“Elvis famous. Bigger than Elvis famous.”
“Right, mom. If we had relatives that were bigger than Elvis famous, don’t you think we’d know about it?”
Sometimes that child is too smart, thought Renee.
“Just forget about that for a minute and listen. We have some famous relatives who died and left us some stuff. A house, for instance.”
“Really? A house? I’ve always wanted a house. Does it have a tree house?” Cassandra’s face lit up at the idea of having her very own clubhouse in the trees.
“I don’t know, honey, but this isn’t just any house. It’s a palace. And not just one palace, but several palaces and mansions. Oh, and there’s horses. Would you like to learn to ride? I did rodeos when I was younger and I always wanted you to learn to ride, but horses are expensive. But now we have them. So do you?”
Cassandra stared at Renee as if the latter had sprouted a mustache.
“But mom, what kind of people have lots of palaces and stables? Kings and queens.”
“I knew you were a sharp kid. That’s exactly right: kings and queens. Remember that big explosion in England a few weeks ago that killed all those people, including the Queen? Well, it turns out we’re related and they need a new queen, so we’re up at bat.”
“That’s just nuts.”
It took several more minutes of convincing and Renee had to pull Roberts back inside so he could pull a picture of the queen from his wallet showing a younger him, with a darker haired queen and lots of children and youths. Eventually, Cassandra believed her mother, but her response was anything but cooperative.
“But I don’t want to go to England! All my friends are here. I don’t even speak English!”
“Truer words were never spoken,” Roberts said, but covered it with a cough.
Cassandra jumped over the back of the couch, ran to her room and slammed the door.
“Shut it, Jeeves,” snapped Renee. She rapped on Cassandra’s door with her knuckles.
“Listen up. You are a princess, but I’m not going to tolerate any princess behavior, do you hear me, Missy?”
Cassandra, her eyes rimmed in red, jerked her door open. “I hate you and I hate England. I wish those two weirdos had never shown up!”
“We’re moving to England to rule the country and that’s that. NOW GET PACKING.”
Cassandra slammed the door again and the force of it shook the apartment.
Renee stood there trembling, flexing her hands, and wondering if she should break the door down and spank Cassandra, something she hadn’t done since her daughter was six.
“I’ve seen worse than that from young royals, Ma’am,” said Roberts.
Renee snapped out of her paralysis and ran to the kitchen. She yanked open the cabinet and snatched the last cigarette from its hiding place. She had sworn that once this pack was gone, that would be it. No more. It seemed a lousy time to run out, but she needed this one. She lit it with a trembling hand and took a long drag by the open window to calm her nerves.
“Does it get better, Roberts?” she asked, tilting her head back in extreme weariness.
“Occasionally.”
“That’s better than nothing. I’ll take it.”
Chase, who had chosen silence as the better part of valor until then, spoke up. “Perhaps we can start gathering your things. We’ve got a plane on standby that is ready to go in an hour. A team can be here in the morning to do the rest.”
Renee was happy to have a distraction from Cassandra’s total meltdown, but found she couldn’t sort through what she needed to pack. Every item seemed precious to her. There were the boxes of Cassandra’s baby clothes that she knew she should give away, but couldn’t bring herself to because they reminded her of her sweet, tiny bundle and how, when she was born, Renee finally felt she had a family and a place in the world. There was a stack of birthday cards and drawings Cassandra had made in school. There was a photo album of her wedding day in sleeves too puffy to be fashionable now. She didn’t really want to take it, but knew it was important to remember the good times. Roots were important, she was discovering. She was deliberating over a bag of sweaters when Chase, who had been busy making a series of phone calls, came over.
“It’s almost time. Do you really need those? We can supplement whatever you need later.”
Renee began throwing clothes into a suitcase and in the end, took a box of personal documents and albums, a bag filled with a few of her favorite Cassandra items, and her father’s box. She could sort through the box later, but she felt it needed to remain with her.
Cassandra’s door creaked open. Two large duffel bags and a backpack stuffed to the point of bursting, lay at her feet. Her face was blotchy from crying, but she bent down to heave one of the duffel bags over her shoulder.
“Allow me,” said Chase gently and picked up both of the duffel bag
s in one hand as if they weighed nothing. “Will Her Majesty be alright pulling her own suitcase?” he said over his shoulder to Renee.
Cassandra’s eyes popped open at hearing her mother called “Her Majesty,” but Renee knew the correct thing to say was, “Yes, thank you, Mr. Chase.”
Cassandra followed Chase, wide eyed, down to where the taxi waited in the street. Renee lingered for a moment in the quiet apartment while Roberts waited at the door. She scribbled a note to Ray and included some papers for him that he needed to sign. She didn’t know if he would come back the next day or a month from now, but sealed the envelope and left it on the entry table where he would see it. With fear, but also excitement, she closed the door, pocketing the key as if to assure herself that she could always come back if she chose to.
Renee had never flown before, much less flown in a private jet. It was the only flight taking off from the small airport outside of Farland that mostly serviced crop dusters and personal hobby planes. Cassandra, despite her sullenness, couldn’t hide her excitement from her first plane ride and plastered her face against the window. Whether she kept it there for the whole of the trip, Renee didn’t know because as soon as they were airborne, Renee’s head lolled against her shoulder. The last two days—actually, it was the last three weeks of Ray walking out and her working double shifts—had been exhausting. She didn’t wake up until Chase gently shook her shoulder to tell her the plane was landing. Renee remained awake enough to let herself be led off the plane, into a waiting sedan, which drove through a maze of streets and buildings and lights, and finally to a hotel and an expansive bed—the largest she had ever seen. She barely had enough strength to crawl under the white comforter, still fully dressed, and glance at the clock before her eyes closed: 3:30 am.
Someone turned out the light and thought she heard Chase’s voice say a quiet, “Goodnight, Mrs. Krebs,” but it might have been a dream. She wished he would stop calling her that, she thought sleepily. It was her last thought for the next nine hours.
CHAPTER SEVEN