Protecting the Prince

by Dana Volney

  “I have the pictures if you’d like to see.” Felix had his phone in hand.

  Eliam swallowed. For all the times he’d wanted Franklin dead, would have volunteered to actually strangle the man himself, he didn’t have any intention of following through.

  “I’ll pass.” Eliam quickly raised a palm in the air toward Felix.

  “This doesn’t make sense.” Winter shook her head.

  “Holland cleaning house?” Felix sat on the edge of the bed.

  Holland?

  “No, that’s not his style.” She rubbed her index finger behind her left earlobe. “I need to call him.”

  “Who’s Holland?” Eliam asked.

  “When did the bomb go off?” Winter asked.

  Felix checked his phone. “Eddie says about the same time as your place.”

  “Get Eddie over here with his equipment. I need to call Holland, and Eddie needs to track the call.”

  “Who is Holland?” Eliam used his presidential voice. He was not going to be kept in the dark, dammit.

  “He is the guy that hands out contracts to hitters. We think, or thought, Franklin went through him to have you killed.”

  Oh. Then who the hell is trying to kill me? His situation just went from bad to worse. Knowing who the enemy was turned out to be more comforting than not knowing.

  “The only way Holland would do that is if Franklin was a target, not a client,” Felix said while texting on his phone.

  There was definitely some unspoken communication happening between Felix and Winter. “Guys?” Frustration was starting to well up in his chest.

  “It seems,” Winter said, “that someone wanted both you and Franklin dead. Which means it was someone other than Franklin who put up the money for your contract.”

  “Our leads today went nowhere, and we weren’t able to track down Holland. They didn’t give Alex access to anything.” Felix crossed his arms, displaying his unhappiness.

  Eliam shrugged. “There is no one who stands to benefit from both of us dying.”

  “Family vendetta?” Felix asked.

  “Pfft. What family?” Did they not think the question of who was after him wasn’t keeping him up at night? If he had any clue, he’d be shouting the name from the rooftops.

  “There has to be someone who would gain,” Winter said more to herself than them.

  “Prince Industries is based on shares and the board.”

  “What about your cousin? Does he want the family business?” He wished he could read her thoughts while she studied his face. “We are running out of people connected to the two of you.”

  “Bram? No. He’s got a good life where he’s at.”

  “What’s his last name? When’s the last time you spoke with him?” Felix texted really fast on his phone for a guy with sausages for fingers.

  “Alder. Yesterday. You guys were hassling him, remember?” He gave a quick grin to Felix, who was unmoved by the joke.

  “Did he know you were going to take over the company?” Winter asked.

  “Yeah. I told him what was going down. But really, he’s a good guy.”

  “Are you close to anyone else? Anybody on Franklin’s side?” She sat back in her chair.

  Franklin’s family? The only time he’d met any of his stepfamily was during the wedding, and there hadn’t been very many people there.

  “I think he had a nephew or something,” Eliam told Felix.

  Felix nodded. “Eddie is on it.”

  “What about the board members? Any of them want to take over?” Winter asked.

  “The board is pretty docile. Franklin put them in place a couple of years ago in an attempt to circumvent the whole shares situation, I think.”

  Winter looked to Felix. “Did Eddie vet them yet?”

  “He did. No red flags.”

  Great news, his board was clean. But maybe his cousin wasn’t. Or Franklin’s family had it out for him. Just when he was wrapping his head around his situation, it turned out assholes who probably had sent him bat mitzvah invitations, fishing for a present, could be the culprit. How the hell was that supposed to be tracked and vetted?

  “Well, my money is on whoever gains the most. We just need to figure out who that is.” She turned her dark blue eyes on him. “We are putting the word out there that you are dead. Don’t call your cousin or anyone. We may have to wait to see who steps up and go from there.”

  “How long will that take?” He furrowed his eyebrows. This is out of control.

  “No idea.” She shook her head slowly once and fidgeted with her hands.

  I don’t want to be dead. No one should mourn someone only to find out they were still alive. He was going to have to make it up to Bram in a big way when being among the land of the living was an option again.

  “Why don’t you go see if you can get the room adjoining us so we can set up there?” Winter asked Felix, and without hesitation, he was gone.

  The front door clicked shut and Winter remained in the chair, rubbing her fingers behind her ear.

  Eliam crossed his legs, ankle to knee. “You have the number for this Holland?”

  “I do.” She rubbed her lips together and for a moment he was distracted.

  “Do I want to know how?” Like she was really going to tell him.

  “Nope.”

  He found his jeans and pulled them on over his shorts. Their area was about to be full with her team, and he still felt a little groggy. They’d shared quite a night, and sleep hadn’t played a big role. He’d go find coffee soon.

  “I worked with Holland when I was in the army. I don’t know him well. He helped out when we needed local intel. Louis knows him, too.”

  “Okay.” That wasn’t so bad—and clearly not the whole story. He was getting tired of the half truths. Real tired. “Winter.” She gazed at him with her serious, always neutral work eyes. “I realize that you are in charge in this situation, but why you keep feeling the need to not tell me everything is beyond me. I’m not some pussy who can’t handle life. I wouldn’t be where I am today if that were the case. I can deal with bad news and help work through the problem.”

  Silence stretched and her face didn’t change. He only blinked. Once. Fine. She could have it her way, but then he was going to have it his. Winter and her team clearly had their special set of skills. Well, he had his own connections and was capable of just about anything right now. He was desperate to be clear of the threats and keep everyone he cared about alive.

  • • •

  The sound of a key card sliding in their front door and the click of the green light made Winter hold her breath.

  “Who has a key?” Eliam whispered.

  Winter sprinted to the cove of the bathroom, grabbing her gun from the bag on the floor on her way. She stepped back into the bathroom area, pointed her weapon toward the door, and slowed her breathing. The door swung open and her heart rate kicked up until she saw Felix walk through.

  “You scared the shit out of us.” Winter retracted her gun to her side.

  “Sorry. I had the front desk make me a key.” Felix handed her a key card. “For the adjoining door. Eddie just pulled up.”

  She risked a glance at Eliam. He stood by the bed and the fact he was flexing his jaw muscles wasn’t a great sign. Felix had returned before she could figure out how to tell Eliam the entire truth. She had no freaking clue how to start. Eliam didn’t know that, of course, and obviously thought she just didn’t want to tell him the details. She had no doubt Eliam could handle the full story—it was her own selfishness that was keeping her cryptic. He deserved better.

  Clanging next door told her Eddie had arrived. The door between the rooms flew open; her brown-haired, quirky, tough, tech-savvy team member was amped.

  Eddie clapped his hands and rubbed them together. “Let’s get this mofo.”

  “Eliam, this is Eddie.” Winter introduced them then grabbed Eliam’s jacket off the floor.

  “Hey man, nice to meet you.” Edd
ie outstretched his hand and they shook.

  “Likewise.”

  “I’ll be set up in five.” Eddie disappeared into the second room.

  “I’m going to grab some coffee.” Eliam moved toward the front door. “Anybody want anything?”

  The beginnings of the morning peeked through the heavy curtains. The coffee shop next door would be open.

  “I don’t think you should be leaving. You’re dead. Remember?” She moved to block him.

  “It’s early. They won’t be busy.” He could barely meet her eyes. “I need to get out for a moment.”

  She bit the inside of her cheek. Letting him out of her sight wasn’t an option she was comfortable with. “Felix will go with you.”

  “No.”

  Now he dared her to stop him with his gaze—he was going whether she let him or not.

  “Be quick.”

  He turned to give Felix the same eat-shit-and-die stare. “Don’t follow me.”

  Felix nodded before also heading to the second room, and she followed. No one said anything until they heard the door opening and closing.

  “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Felix asked.

  “No. I don’t know. Short of kidnapping him, he wasn’t going to stay no matter what I said.” She slipped on Eliam’s gray hoodie and subtly tried to enjoy his leftover scent. “We’ll give him fifteen minutes.”

  Felix cracked his knuckles. “It’s on the news he died last night.”

  “Are they saying how?” She woke up her phone and started looking for Holland’s number.

  “Only that it’s under investigation.”

  “Good. Have you heard from Alex?”

  Felix shook his head.

  “We’re up.” Eddie clicked a couple more keys and a map appeared on his laptop screen.

  “And you can track where Holland is exactly?” she asked.

  “The longer you talk, the more accurate we can be.”

  “Will this allow you to tap in to his phone and track it?”

  “Have to play it by ear with the connection. If I can get into anything else, I will.”

  “Do everything you can. I don’t know that we’ll get another shot.” To Felix she said, “Let Alex know we might have a location?”

  Felix nodded and disappeared into their room. Oohh, that was weird. The first room. Felix was in the first room.

  “Ready?” she asked Eddie.

  “Go.”

  She hit Send on Holland’s number.

  He answered on the first ring but didn’t say a word.

  “You owe me a house, you motherfucker.” She didn’t even try to temper her rage.

  Hitting the Speaker button, she laid her phone on the table and all three of them stood around it…well, Eddie sat at his computer working his magic and Felix crossed his arms around his huge chest and stood, legs apart, like he was a drill sergeant getting ready to rip his cadets a new one.

  “I see you received my special delivery.” Holland’s normally carefree voice was clipped and sent extra ice over her skin. The man was deadly and somehow, somewhere in the last twenty-four hours she’d managed to forget that, along with assigning dirty work, his hands were nowhere near clean.

  “I am going to find you…” She jabbed her index finger toward her phone.

  “If only we were even.”

  “Hardly. You blew up my home. With me in it.”

  “That is what you get when you double-cross me. And I was supposed to get a two-for-one. Too bad.”

  She spoke through gritted teeth both for effect and because she really was going to find him and torture the sonuvabitch. “I never said you weren’t successful. Just not with me.” And another fun surprise to this assignment, she was now on Holland’s radar for extinction. Super great. As if she needed extra motivation to track down that fucking snake and find out who was behind all of the attacks.

  “Ah, so Mr. Prince is no more.”

  “Check Eliam off your list and take me off of it, too.”

  He made tsking sounds that made her want to gag. “Can’t do that.”

  “Who was your client?” It was worth an ask—if he thought she was going to die soon anyway he might tell her.

  “You know my code. And still you chose to overstep our friendship.”

  “You and I were never friends.”

  “Ouch. That hurt. Did you or did you not accept the contract?”

  “Yes.” She rolled her eyes. “I accepted the contract.”

  “Where’s your work ethic, Wyn?”

  “He was already a client, Holland. I can’t kill a client.” She closed her eyes and took a breath. “I don’t kill. Period. It’s bad for business.”

  “Having one of my contractors double-cross me and not dealing with it appropriately will cost me.”

  “Who actually knows anyway? You still got him and burned my house to the ground. So, I’d say we’re pretty even.”

  There was silence on the other end and she rested her chin on her shoulder, hoping Holland would relent and Eddie would give a thumbs-up for a location on Holland. A shadow caught her eye and she whirled around.

  Eliam. Shit. How much had he heard? His mouth was opened slightly, and his normally light brown gaze was darkening by the second. Her eyes widened and she hit the End key on her phone before he could speak. She’d told Holland that Eliam was dead—on the off chance Holland knew what Eliam sounded like, hearing him yell at her would undo any advantage they had. Whether Holland called it even or if he still had an axe to grind with her, either way she was going to find him and let the situation decide his fate—but she wouldn’t hold her breath on Holland living.

  She opened her mouth to say something, anything, to calm the brewing anger that darkened Eliam’s face and swirled like a tornado around him.

  “You were going to kill me.” It was not a question, but a statement—one she would never forget. It was chalked full of disbelief, hurt, and absolute disgust.

  He glanced to Eddie, then Felix. He didn’t move his eyes from Felix. What is he deciding? Clearly, he now saw her team as a threat.

  “Eliam…” Hopefully some logic was rattling around in his mind and he would remember all the times she’d saved him. She started toward him.

  “No.” His word was stern and she froze. “I’m done here.”

  He moved with a quickness she didn’t know he had, trying to shut the door that separated the rooms. Felix ran out the main door to no doubt cut him off in the hallway, and she bolted toward the internal door to catch it before it shut. She was just in time before the door latched. All of a sudden Eddie was behind her, pushing on the door, too. It flew open and she searched the room for Eliam. For fuck’s sake, if she wanted him dead, he’d be dead. Surely he was smart enough to know that. He was pissed. She got that. They needed to talk.

  He was shoving his clothes into his small suitcase.

  Felix opened the front door with a start and stopped in his tracks after seeing there wasn’t an issue.

  “We’ll need a minute,” she said to her teammates.

  There’d always been a small hope living inside of her that Eliam would totally understand if he ever had to find out she had technically agreed to kill him. So far it seemed that dream was dead, and they were going to have a raging fight.

  “Just let me explain.”

  The hotel doors clicked and it was the loudest sound she’d heard since the bomb exploded. Time seemed to stop, then started again with a rush of adrenaline. She had no idea what she could say that would make it better, other than she did it to protect him and that killing him was never a serious option.

  Eliam threw down a shirt and was nearly nose to nose with her in an instant.

  “I’m pretty sure I see the whole picture now,” he said quietly.

  “I doubt that.” She was careful to keep her voice even, not inciting anger or letting him think she was weak.

  “Your little buddy on the phone there hired you to kill me.”


  “But that’s not the whole picture.” She pinned him with her glare. He was bigger than her, but not more intimidating.

  “Oh, please, yes.” He backed up and paced the space between the bed and TV. “Enlighten me so I can stay longer in a room with a woman who will literally get paid for killing me.”

  “The contract isn’t good anymore.” She shook her head, staying in her spot, her feet planted shoulder-width apart and her arms at her side.

  “Lucky me.”

  “Are you listening?”

  “Yep.” He still paced.

  “Eliam,” she said more forcefully, and he stopped to shoot daggers her way again. “I need you to hear me.”

  “Go ahead.” He faced her and rested his hands easily on his hips.

  Her gaze flicked down to his torso—was it just a few hours ago she’d kissed those hard abs? Ugh, why couldn’t they just be back in bed and shut out the world around them again?

  Because that wasn’t life and certainly not how hers ever worked out.

  “I was on my way to your place that first night, after both you and Louis had called me, when Holland called. He wanted to know if I was interested in taking on a job. I wasn’t, but the more he described the person of interest, the more it sounded like you. And since I don’t believe in coincidence, I told him I’d take it in order to find out the name. It was your name.”

  She paused to let her explanation so far sink in. Eliam’s face was stone, with a thick five o’clock shadow. There was no way to read if he believed anything she was saying or was merely standing there until he could get out the door. Felix would probably be back in about five minutes to check in.

  “Holland also gave me thirty-six hours to get the job done. So I knew we had some time to figure out who was after you.”

  “What about the guy in my apartment?”

  Good, he was listening.

  “Not Holland’s. I called him that night, which was probably the worst idea now that I look back. And what directly led to my house blowing up.”

  “Holland did that?”