by Nana Malone
Bex frowned, but she nodded. "No, I get it. That was terrifying. If they hadn't been there, we would have been in deep shit."
"Adam, what did you find?"
"It’s just a start, but I was going through known languages for the ledger and coming up with nothing. Then I just read an article on how some companies use languages from books to create ciphers."
“You mean like Elvish from Tolkien—” suddenly I stopped. Earlier, back at the house, the television had been on. “Screw the book languages. Try television. Star Trek to be exact.”
He frowned. “Are you serious right now?”
My heart rate kicked up. “Yes. I’ve been wondering why some of those symbols looked so familiar. Earlier one of the Star Trek movies was on. They were speaking Klingon. Some of the symbols on the Klingon ship looked familiar.”
Adam’s eyes went wide. “One, you’re amazing. Two, who knew you were a closet nerd?”
“Duh, I’m a cryptanalyst who loves puzzles.”
“I’m on it.”
I ran through client protocols with Bex quickly only to look up and see Adam had started dancing. “You are a genius. A quick cross reference and I found an article Vanhorn was interviewed for a few years ago. He talks about how he learned to read from watching dubbed Star Trek episodes. He’s a huge sci-fi fan.”
“Bingo. You and the computer get to work.”
He grinned again. "It somehow makes me oddly happy that Vanhorn is also a total nerd."
“Look who’s talking.”
He snorted a laugh. “Says the woman who knew to look at Star Trek.”
"Wait, Star Wars and Star Trek are the same thing, right?"
Adam just blinked at me, jaw unhinged. "What? Please tell me you know the difference between Star Trek and Star Wars. If you don't, just pretend. Lie to me."
I laughed. "Yes, I know the difference. You should see your face."
“Not funny. I’ve got the computer keyed in, but that's going to take at least a few hours."
I ran my hands through my hair. "Okay. I need to get back to the main house. I’ll check in soon okay?"
“You got it.
I nodded. "Bex, as soon as Adam finishes deciphering half of that, I want you to take the translations and hide them. Obviously, keep a copy, but hide them."
Bex sat up. "Hiding shit. That's my purview."
I nodded. "Yeah. Take it to the yoga studio on Queen Ave. The one that advertises that you can find your inner queen when doing yoga there. There’s a panel behind the tampons. Willa used to hide party drugs in there when she worked there. Figured if a cop ever got wind of what she was doing, they’d never look there."
She frowned. "Are you serious?"
“Yeah, that was Willa. I only knew about it because she was schmoozing some actress and brought her to the studio for a class. Then she took her to the bathroom to pick out her drugs.” I shook my head. “That was probably the beginning of the end of our friendship. She’d veered way off the path at that point. Most of that stuff was recreational pills, but none of that was me. I didn’t want to be on that train when it finally wrecked.”
Bex sighed. “Jesus, she was such a damn mess.”
“Yeah well, she hid it really well. To the outside world, Willa was damn near perfect.”
She and Adam exchanged a glance. But it was Adam who asked, "Are you sure you don't want to clue the bodyguard in that we're close to figuring this shit out?"
Maybe at some point. But not now. "No. I want you to continue working at it. I'll do what I can with my laptop, but as soon as we have pages, even a third of it, go hide it. At this point, I have learned the hard way not to trust anyone. You guys are it. As soon as you have anything workable, let me know."
Adam nodded. "You got it, boss. Listen, if you really do have to leave, please be careful. I don't trust that guy."
"That makes two of us."
Bex just rolled her eyes. "Look, I personally say hear the guy out."
"He said plenty. I'm in no mood to hear him out for any reason."
Bex nodded. "I know. He was a complete and total douche. He deserves all of your wrath. But if you're going to be stuck with him, you're going to have to find a way to trust him."
"I trust him when it comes to Mayzie. Anything beyond that, it's a pipe dream. And also irresponsible."
Bex shrugged. "If you say so. I'm just saying, if you want any girl chat, you can reach me on the app."
"That's if they even let me have access to it. Right now, I need to do what's best for Mayzie, which means getting the hell out of dodge. But you guys keep working and figure it out. As soon as we have some answers, maybe I'll be able to secure all of our freedom."
Five
King Sebastian…
My uncle looked older than I remembered.
In the bright sunshine of his patio on the villa overlooking the water, he looked like an old man.
He looks like he should be king.
Except, I was king because of a decision he'd made before I was even born.
"Uncle Roland, thank you for agreeing to see me."
He pushed himself to stand as he smiled at me. "Sebastian."
He started to kneel, but I rushed forward and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Uncle, stop it. You of all people do not kneel before me. That's not how this goes."
His smile was kind. His green eyes crinkled at the corners. "I am one of your subjects. I should kneel before my king."
"Not when you were king first."
"Are we going to argue this all afternoon?"
I squared my shoulders. "I'm prepared to."
He shook his head and took a seat, inclining his head and offering me one next to him.
The brightly colored umbrella provided adequate shade. Off in the distance, I could hear children playing down at the beach. Staff scurried about, bringing out refreshments. In so many ways, this villa tucked away in Mallorca reminded me so much of home.
It had been in the family since before I was born, and I’d spent a lot of time here on school vacations.
“I hope you'll forgive my surprise intrusion."
He waved a hand. "This is your villa. It's not an intrusion. Everything I have is because of your generosity."
I winced. I certainly didn't want a reminder that my uncle was here because of me in any way. "Are you well?"
He nodded slowly. "Me and your aunt... well, I'm well. She's... resigned to her new lot in life."
I shook my head. "How did everything get so messy?"
I had never known my uncle as king, but I’d spent a good amount of time in his company when I was younger. I’d always known him as warm and kind. I’d always assumed he regretted giving up the throne, but he’d never seemed jealous of my father. That blatant animosity I felt from my oldest cousin, Ashton, I never sensed from my uncle. Not once. While there were some who would have killed to be king, he was far happier being normal.
"Well, everything has always been messy, especially when it comes to who sits on the throne. To outsiders looking in, it looks pristine and beautiful. They think it’s all relaxing days at court eating peeled grapes. But behind the curtain, it's ugly and dark, and sometimes bloody. That is why I stepped aside. I didn't have the constitution for it."
"You know, I'm not sure my father did either."
His smile was kind. "You saw him through a boy's eyes. The man was quite capable. And he had your mother beside him. Yes, they had a rocky start, obviously, but once they locked in together, he had a rock. And that was good for him. He was always supposed to sit on the throne. I just had the unfortunate luck of birth order."
"And me? What's my excuse?"
He leveled a stern gaze on me. "You are your father's son."
Fuck, I hoped so. Sometimes I wondered if I was strong enough to rule. "I am so sorry you are even here. You should be in your quarters in the palace, enjoying your old age."
He shrugged. "I have beautiful sunshine, pristine beaches… what's the differe
nce what country it's in?"
It did make a damn difference. "Uncle Roland, the Winston Isles is your home."
"Of course, it is. It always has been. It always will be. But home isn't your address. You know this. It's what is in your heart. Maybe one day I'll be able to return. But maybe I shouldn't. I hate that my family caused yours so much pain."
"It's all the same family."
"Yes, and no. Your aunt, even though she wasn't directly involved, her affair... of course, I knew about it. Back then, you did what you had to do to hide it. And I wasn't king anymore, so it should have been easy, but there were a lot of mistakes made. Ones I wish I could rectify."
When everything had broken about the conspiracy, how the descendants of my great-great uncle thought they were the ones in line for the throne, I hadn't had a chance to really speak to my uncle. The Council had shunned him and my aunt and my two cousins. Ashton, their first born, was already exiled for trying to hurt Penny. His exile just happened to come with prison guards too.
They’d all been given one Royal Guard each and a meager stipend. But they’d been succinctly erased, as if such a thing was even possible. It was as if everyone in the palace wanted to pretend they didn’t exist. It had been a tidy job, a tidy clean-up. But nothing about the situation was clean.
"I just wish there was more I could have done. It's just a strange thing being king and not being in charge."
"Ah, yes, the Council. They mean well. But more often than not, I honestly thought they meant well for themselves."
"Sometimes I get that impression too. Although, there are two seats coming up for vote, and I need to fill them with my sister and Roone."
"Don't waste one on your sister. Remember that as a child of Cassius, she deserves one. Ask Ethan. There's an ancient loophole. It's there though. Just because she's female, doesn't mean she doesn't get a seat."
I frowned. "Okay. In that case, I'll need to find someone else. Are you looking for a job, Uncle?"
He laughed then. "No, I'm retired. I'm tired, son." His eyes were warm. "I always wished you were my son. I mean, you were a hell-raiser to be sure, but there was always something kind and good-hearted about you. And maybe that was the problem. I always compared Ashton to you, and somehow, I was always disappointed."
Just the mention of my cousin set my teeth on edge. "Have you been to see him?"
"I went once, to ask him why. Why he would get into bed with that lot. Why he had so much hate in his heart."
"Did you get the answers you were looking for?"
"No, I didn't. Not that I actually ever expected them. And as for Alix, and Tristan, I see them every couple of months. Tristan came out here, sat exactly where you are sitting, and we chatted. Then he had to run off for a game or a practice or something. Alix comes more often. She doesn't live a life in the public eye, obviously, but she misses home."
I nodded. "She should be able to come home. The exile isn't mandatory."
"No, it's not. And we all know that, but we know about the optics. My oldest son tried to kill you and the current queen. My wife had an affair that produced a son who very much thought he was the heir, and also that he could kill you. You can understand how the Council doesn't exactly want us back, right?"
"Well, when you put it like that."
He chuckled low. "No, I don't need to return, but Alix and Tristan should be able to. It's their home. I lived my whole life there. I'm an old man now. I carry the Winston Isles in my heart. They're young. They just want to return."
"I'm working on it. But, Uncle, obviously I came to ask a question."
"Go on, I know. As much as I enjoy visiting with you, I know how busy you are. And you didn't come with your beautiful wife, so I know this must be urgent."
"I already asked Ethan to look for an answer. The best historian on the island is on the Council, and I obviously don't want to alert anyone to what I'm trying to do, but I wanted to know if you had any information on creating King's Knights."
His eyes went wide. "Oh, my goodness. You really do think that the Council can't be trusted."
I ground my teeth. "They won't provide an extra guard for Tris."
My uncle's lips formed a thin line. "The shooting, I knew he was down playing it."
"He has to be. I went to see him. He looked fine, but he needs to have more than one guard."
"Yes, and the Council won't provide it. And they're not obligated to. They're playing politics. Each vying to kiss your ass the hardest."
"And by doing that, they're doing what's not in my best interest."
"Tell them that."
"Oh, I did. I was outvoted."
His brows slid up again. "Even with all your votes? And your mother? And Lucas, Ethan, Penny. You were still outvoted?"
"Yes. They all voted to not provide additional security for him, or Alix, or you. Of course, Ashton is basically in prison, so that's a whole other thing. Frankly, I think the Council has members who aren't to be trusted. With two more seats, I can affect a lot of change. But I can still get outvoted. And with everything shaping up how it is, it concerns me. If they deemed me unfit for any reason, they could try and remove me."
"Oh, no. After what's happened, you're safe for now. It will take at least ten years before someone gets a wild hair up their ass that you don't belong on the throne. Right now, they know it will be unpopular with people, so they won't risk it."
I nodded for him to continue.
"So, about the Knights… I mean, even by the time our father was king, it was always the Council and the Royal Guard. And the time before that, during your grandfather’s reign, that was when they started to merge. It was like there were two security forces. The military arm and the king's private army that he alone commanded. But the Council wanted more power because your grandfather made them uncomfortable. And in your great-grandfather’s time, some of the Knights went rogue.” He sighed. “The Council thought your grandfather could mount enough private guards to force the removal of the Council. At the end of the day, he could have if he’d wanted to. So, they did away with the King's Knights. But the law states that the king is entitled to his own private Knights to direct as only he sees fit. The Council doesn't rule them."
"How do I do it?"
"It's fairly easy, honestly. It's just that everyone has forgotten about it. With the Royal Guard acting more like secret service, it wasn't even necessary. But if you want your own King’s Knights, they're at your disposal. You just have to create them. Ask Ethan to look in the archives of Jackson. He should find all the paperwork there. You’re the king. You have a political arm, yes, that's your Council. But you can still make these choices. The Knights are yours."
"The Knights are mine."
He nodded. "Let me guess. You're looking to scare the Council and use Knights to protect your cousin?"
"I know it's transparent, but they're being stupid."
He grinned. "I couldn't agree more.
Ariel…
By the time I reached headquarters, my neck hurt, and my head throbbed. But for now, Mayzie MacKenzie and Neela Wellbrook were safe. I had taken them to the ferry myself.
Jax was taking them to the safe house, and he’d check in once they landed safely. Tamsin was staying on site with Adam and Bex for the night. Trace was on our other bodyguard job for an event. The rest of the team was off-shift.
When I walked in, I hit the alarm code and reset it as soon as the door was locked behind me. I tossed my keys on the mantle by the door, and then I went straight into the kitchen where I found a chilled white wine. "Oh my God, heaven." There was a Post-it on it. The note read, 'You look tired. Have a glass. Try and relax. We got this. -- Zia.'
"Oh my God, I love that woman."
I ‘d grabbed some food at Neela's, but a glass of wine was just what I needed. After I uncorked the wine and poured a glass, I headed straight back to my room. As soon as I was in my door, the shoes came off, the blazer came off, and I sank back onto the bed, careful not to
tip my glass too much.
I pulled my phone from my back pocket and dialed, listening to the ring as I called Penny.
She answered on the third ring. "Sorry. Sorry. You know me, I was painting. There was nowhere to put my phone."
I chuckled softly. "I loved that nothing ever changes."
"Are you okay? You sound, I don't know, sad?"
I pinched the bridge of my nose. She knew me too well. "No, I'm fine. Just stressed out. Someone is trying to kill a client. You know how it is."
She cursed under her breath. "Do you need back up?"
I almost laughed at the headlines playing in my head. ‘Queen Penelope shoots armed guard.’
"Oh my God, you cannot give me back up. You are the Queen of the Winston Isles."
"I'm also a goddamn Royal Guard. And I'm cooped up in the palace."
"You know that sounds so bougie, right? Oh no, my palace."
She laughed. "I know. I sound ridiculous, but I am cooped up. I think I'm due for another visit. Want me to come down? I'll rustle up some guards. See, look at me following directions."
I laughed. "Let me guess, Sebastian wanted you to take a forty-man team and you refused?"
"I mean, the man is ridiculous. Forty men. I can go under cover of night and no one would even see me."
Please, God, no. Sebastian would kill me. He was a bit ridiculous about Penny’s safety. "Yes, you have done that before. But remember how well that turned out?"
"Oh yeah, I got the shag of my life."
I groaned. "No, Penny. That's not what I mean. He was pissed."
"Yes. But still, I got the shag of my life."
"I would rather not hear about you and the king shagging if you don't mind."
"What? I seem to recall a time when you would pump me for details."
"Yes, but that was before I got to know him better, and he was just, you know, abs and a really great ass. Now it's gross."
She laughed. "No, I'm trying to do better. We'd been working on our communication. We negotiated down to five guards."
"Five, now that sounds more reasonable."