The Indentured Queen

by Carol Moncado

  Benjamin blew out a breath. “As much as I hate that, is it possible his family could come after the palace legally or publicly for allowing him to die by not attending to him right away?”

  “Probably not.”

  They continued talking for another twenty minutes. Every time Katrín didn’t think she could be more impressed by Benjamin and his insightful questions, competence, and all-around acumen.

  This was the Benjamin the people needed to know existed. The one who knew his job, did it well, and cared about others.

  He tossed the folder on the table. “Why did it take four hours to give the all clear? What threat is there that I don’t know about?”

  “The rest of us got it an hour ago,” his mother told Benjamin gently. “You probably would have, too, if you’d been awake. It should have sounded in here.”

  “Wouldn’t it have woken us up?” Katrín asked. “We weren’t that sound asleep.”

  “It’s not nearly as loud and obnoxious as the other one,” he told her. “So three hours. That’s a long time for a guy in a truck who had a stroke.” He gave Thor his best “I’m the boss” look. “What threat am I unaware of?”

  Thor leaned forward and stared at his clasped hands. “Your uncle was seen talking to some rather unsavory characters. Until today, we had no reason to believe it was anything more than incidental contact. As it looks now, that is still likely the case, but until we cleared the scene, we couldn’t be certain.”

  The knot in the pit of his stomach grew. “So Isaiah may or may not be looking for a way to get back at the family, specifically me, but this wasn’t it?”

  “Correct.”

  “And why wasn’t I told about this sooner?”

  Thor shared a look with his mother. Benjamin needed to talk to Thor about what exactly he’d seen when he and Katrín came into the sitting area.

  “Because it’s nothing definitive,” his mother told him.

  “But you know?”

  “I was discussing another concern with Thor when he got the first call. He told me about it.”

  “And you didn’t think I should know?” He glared at her.

  She glared right back. “You may be the king, but I am still your mother.”

  He gave her a slight nod.

  “There was no reason to tell you. The source is reliable, but uncertain about exactly what he saw. It could have just been two men having lunch in the same restaurant and making polite conversation.”

  “Do you really think that?”

  Thor shook his head. “No, but it’s all we have right now. We were finally able to get information off his computer that he set up the email to send the press release on his way back from the Mevendian house. Even if you’d called right away and had his access revoked, it would have been too late.”

  Benjamin looked back and forth between the two. “What else aren’t you telling me?”

  Thor exchanged a look with Benjamin’s mother. “San Majorian police were called to the house where Isaiah had been living. They found blood everywhere, enough to kill a man from exsanguination. That was two weeks ago. The tests came back yesterday. Every spot of blood they tested was Isaiah’s, but no body has been found.”

  “So he’s dead?” Guilt poured over Benjamin. He shouldn’t be relieved his uncle had likely been murdered.

  Thor shook his head. “There’s no way to know for sure without the body. We’re cautiously... optimistic isn’t the right word, but I don’t have a better one, that he’s no longer a threat, but we can’t be certain.”

  Benjamin blew out a breath. “I presume the authorities are still looking?”

  “They are, but they don’t have much to go on. He lived on the water with a dock. There are reports of a boat being heard the night before the blood was found. If someone killed him then loaded him on a boat and went out to sea...”

  Realization dawned. “If they weighed his body down, he’s at the bottom of the Sargasso Sea and will never be found.”

  “Correct. However, we did find one of his safe houses here in Akushla earlier today. There’s a ton of paperwork in there. We’ve just started going through it.”

  “Okay. So we table discussion of Isaiah until there’s more information. But where do we go from here? The ball has clearly been postponed. What’s been told to the press?”

  “Not much. That the premises are secure, and there will be a press conference in the morning.”

  Benjamin stood. “Then we need to get to work on what we’ll say.” He glanced around. This wasn’t nearly as bad as the safe room, but he needed windows. “Let’s get out of here.”

  “Actually, it’s already being taken care of.” Thor and his mother both stood. “If you’d like to get some sleep, that would probably be best. We’ll go over the findings with you then, but there’s really nothing more for you to do tonight. I’ll see that your clothes from the party this evening are collected and brought to your rooms.”

  “Thank you.”

  His mother and Thor left through the main entrance, but Benjamin stopped Katrín with a hand on her arm until after they’d left.

  “What is it?” He could hear the concern in her voice.

  “Can you get into the room across the hall?”

  “I have the key in my pocketbook.”

  “We can get upstairs from there, right?”

  “It’s a long, narrow, winding staircase, but yes.”

  “Let’s do that. If it’s okay with you. I’d rather not go anywhere we might see people, even family.”

  “Sure. It goes straight to our suites.”

  He picked her pocketbook up off the side table. “Then let’s go.”

  In a couple of minutes, he began to wish they’d gone the other way. This would be quicker, much more discreet, but she hadn’t been kidding about a narrow staircase. He could feel beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

  As though she read his mind, Katrín reached out and wrapped her forefinger around his pinky. They were too far apart to do any more than that. “It’s not too much further.”

  He managed a chuckle. “I’m pretty sure you’re lying to me.”

  “Compared to how far it is to the moon, it’s pretty close.”

  That made him smile again. “Thanks.” They reached a landing. “All the way to the top?”

  “Yes. I have no idea where any of the other exits go.”

  “That’s fine. I don’t want to go anywhere but my quarters.” And he wasn’t even sure about that. Once he got there, he’d be alone again. Even with the windows and the lights, he wasn’t sure how he’d deal with it.

  They kept climbing past two more landings. “That’s the last one,” Katrín told him. “The next one is the top.”

  Relief settled over him. “Good.”

  They reached the next landing, and Katrín let go of his finger. “Your door is to the left.” She turned to the right. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  With the flashlight he’d brought from the bunker, he found the correct stones. Katrín was already pressing them on her side.

  “Wait.” He surprised even himself.

  She turned, curiosity written all over her face. “Yes?”

  “Would you do something for me?” Fear reared its ugly head.

  This time, fear of rejection.

  “I won’t tell anyone what you told me.”

  He shook his head. “It’s not that.”

  She simply waited for him to speak.

  Benjamin had to dig deep to find courage he didn’t know he had, the courage to be vulnerable. “I know we’re whatever we are, and you sleep in your quarters and I sleep in mine, but would you sleep in my quarters tonight?”

  A smile crossed her face. “Of course. I don’t particularly relish being alone either.”

  His shoulders slumped in relief when she didn’t want an explanation, but he felt he owed her one anyway. “It’s not just that.”

  “You’re afraid of nightmares.” She moved past him and opened t
he door into a room he seldom used. “I don’t blame you. I may have one myself.”

  “I won’t be able to turn the lights off,” he warned.

  She shrugged. “That’s okay. I know how to close my eyes.”

  Katrín wasn’t sure what part of Benjamin’s quarters this was, but the door to the hallway from this room stood open. She did know the two suites weren’t mirror images, so it wasn’t as simple as going backwards, but she made no missteps into his bedroom. Visual cues for the win.

  “I think I’m going to take a shower.” Benjamin started for the bathroom.

  “Then I’m going to run back to my quarters for just a minute and change into clothes of my own.” She started for the main door. Going back the way they came and across the secret passage would be the fastest way to her pajamas.

  Benjamin turned as he reached the door. “I kind of like that look on you.”

  She looked down. “I’m a mess, and your clothes are way too big.”

  His mouth quirked into a half-smile. “I still like how you look in my clothes, even if they are too big for you and too small for me.”

  Katrín didn’t quite know what to do with that.

  “But if you want to change, you won’t upset me.”

  She nodded and turned. Once in her room, she decided to take a quick shower and put on her most comfortable pajamas, which also had the benefit of being not very revealing.

  When she returned to Benjamin’s room, she could still hear the water running. Going to bed seemed awkward, so instead she stood and stared out the window. Given how close it was to summer, the sun still hadn’t quite set.

  She gazed out at the twilight and whispered a prayer, really a continuation of the prayers she’d been praying since the alarm first blared and Benjamin grabbed her arm. For his peace. For a clear mind to make the decisions necessary. For the safety of those involved in their protection.

  Behind her, she could hear the shower turn off and a minute later, movement. She didn’t jump when Benjamin slid his arms around her waist and pulled her back toward him, but it did surprise her. He’d never shown any kind of affection when they were alone together, not really. Except a couple of times, but this clearly wasn’t one of those.

  “Thank you.” His hold tightened.

  “For what?”

  “Keeping me calm. If you hadn’t been there, I don’t know what I would have done.”

  “You would have managed.”

  “I doubt it, but I do know that I want to try to get some rest.”

  “Then let’s get some sleep.” It should bother her to be sleeping in this room. Just like it bothered her to sleep in the consort’s bedroom with him, but this time seemed different.

  It took them a couple of minutes to both find a comfortable sleeping position, but even with the lights on, Katrín found herself too drained to stay awake for long.

  But she was woken up by Benjamin muttering in his sleep.

  She reached over and rested a hand on his shoulder. Just that slight touch seemed to ease the lines on his brow a little. Rather than shaking him like she’d planned to do, Katrín moved closer, wrapped her arms around his shoulders and prayed her way back to sleep as his trembling ceased.

  The next time she woke, she realized, even before opening her eyes, that she was alone in bed.

  Pushing herself into a seated position, she saw Benjamin standing on the other side of the room staring out the window. “What time is it?”

  “Almost seven. I’m usually awake by now. No one has set an alarm off for me yet, though.”

  “Set an alarm off?”

  He turned and pointed to the clock by the side of the bed. “That can be remotely programmed. If I’m needed earlier than usual or if I’ve had a late night and plan to sleep in, it ensures I don’t sleep too late.”

  Katrín patted his pillow. “Then why don’t you get some more rest? They’ll wake you when they need you.”

  With a shake of his head, he turned back around. “It’s no use. I won’t get any more sleep.”

  She flipped the covers back and turned sideways. “Then why don’t we find something to eat?”

  “There’s an en suite kitchen. It doesn’t have a full complement of food, but there’s enough for you to find something.”

  “Not me. Us. We can find something to eat.”

  “I’m afraid my stomach is too twisted in knots about this whole thing to keep anything down.”

  Katrín walked across the room until she stood behind him. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she rested her cheek against the warmth of his back. His arms laid atop of hers. “How did you sleep?”

  “Better than I expected,” he said. “I think it’s because you were here.”

  “Or because, while yesterday was no fun, the actual trauma of feeling trapped was a long time ago.”

  “I barely slept for days after the elevator,” he admitted to her. “And a couple other times when I’ve found myself temporarily unable to leave a confined area, the same thing happened.”

  “Then I’m glad I’m here.” Something else had occurred to her. “Will I be needed at the press conference today?”

  “I don’t see why you would. The head of security will answer some questions. I’ll give a statement and maybe answer a question or two. Thor may, but he may not since he’s not the head of security. I would imagine the chief of police will be there. Possibly someone to tell everyone the man was already deceased. I doubt they’ll mention anything about Isaiah, just something vague about unspecified threats against the royal family.”

  “I’m kind of glad you don’t need me there. I’ve not done anything like that before, and I’d rather not just yet.” Or ever.

  He shifted and turned in her arms until her head rested against his chest and they held each other. “I told you something yesterday, something intensely personal.”

  The way he said it made her wary. “Yes, you did.”

  “Will you trust me with your secret?”

  For a long moment, she didn’t move at all. “I’ll be leaving in a few months. Then it will no longer matter. Can’t we just leave it at that? Unless something changes and you need to know for some reason, and then I’ll tell you.”

  His hold tightened around her as his hand ran up and down her back. “Fair enough.”

  “When do you need to be downstairs?” She started to move away, but he held her close.

  “What if I don’t want you to go?”

  She kind of snorted. “You have to get ready, and I have things to do today.”

  “No. In a few months. What if I don’t want you to go?”

  Katrín pulled back and looked up to see his blue eyes as serious as she ever had. “You mean you want me to stay? Forever?”

  His gaze flickered down to her lips then back to her eyes. “What if I do?”

  32

  As Katrín stared up at him with those big brown eyes, Benjamin knew he wanted her to stay.

  “Because the nightmares didn’t come as much last night?”

  He reached up and brushed a stray hair off her face. “That’s a small part of it, but I don’t want you to go.”

  “Why?” she pressed.

  Why did it matter? “Because I don’t want you to go.”

  She sighed and closed her eyes. “Because you love me? Because you like kissing me? Because you hope I’m around whenever that blasted alarm goes off?”

  “I do like kissing you. I do like having you around when I end up stuck in an elevator or in a safe room.” He needed to be honest with her. “But I can’t honestly say that I love you.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Not yet or not ever?”

  How was he supposed to know if he’d ever fall in love with her? “I want to have a marriage like my parents did. They adored each other. I don’t know how to get from here to there, but I want to.”

  After searching his face for something he didn’t understand, she gave a single nod and took a step back. “I think it’s time fo
r us to get moving.”

  She hadn’t given him a yes, but she hadn’t said no either.

  His phone buzzed in his pocket. “Yes?”

  “Sir, you’re needed in your office in fifteen minutes.”

  That wasn’t enough time. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  Turning off his phone, he went to his closet where his clothes for the day had been set out. He dressed as quickly as he could and still look put together before leaving for his office. He didn’t know where Katrín had gone.

  “What is it?” he asked Chamberlain as he walked into the outer office.

  “The press conference is in an hour.” Chamberlain handed him a folder. “It was moved up.”

  “Why?”

  “Because it was.”

  Benjamin sat behind his desk and flipped through the paperwork Chamberlain handed him. “Fine. What specifically do I need to know?”

  “Everything we have at this time is in there, though it hasn’t changed much from what Thor told you last night.”

  For the next forty-five minutes, they went over the reports then walked to the garden where the press conference would be held. Benjamin waited just inside until it was time.

  Once in front of the reporters, the head of security made a statement, followed by the chief of police. Then it was Benjamin’s turn.

  After introductory remarks, he moved on. “I would like to personally thank all of the members of the palace security staff, the local police, the bomb squad, and everyone else who worked so quickly to ensure the safety of my family, my staff, and the honored guests who had already arrived. My family and I extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Borgen, and wish them to know that our thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time.”

  He stepped back from the microphone and the head of public relations for the office stepped in, informing the reporters that they would take questions.

  Question after question flooded in.

  Was Mr. Borgen still alive when the crash occurred?

  Would he have survived if medical aid was given immediately?

  Where did the royal family go during the crisis?

  How long did they remain in their secure locations?