by K. L Hart
Chapter Twelve
I wake up in Ash’s arms and Ido not want to move, I snuggle into him for a moment before grabbing my phone “Shit” I shout as I jump out of bed “babe, get up, we're late” I say running into my closet to get dressed “Angel! calm down” Ash groans as he wakes up. I pop my head back into the bedroom “we are an hour late for school, get the fuck up” Isnap as Itry and put my bra on. Ash chuckles “we're not going today, we have an assignment, we leave at twelve. The text came through earlier this morning so I Changed our alarms” he says putting his hands behind his head. “oh” I say giving up on trying to get dressed and Iget back into bed. “wake me up in an hour then” I say as turn over and get comfortable. “no you don’t, you woke me up for no reason, you need to repay me” he teases as his fingers trace up my thigh. “nope too tired” I try to sound serious “oh really” he says “uh huh” he tickles my side “what about now, huh” I'm writhing underneath him laughing so much I Can't breathe as he continues to tickle me. “please, i'll do whatever you want” I say in between laughing. Ash pauses “whatever Iwant,” he says as he raises his eyebrow and Inod “fuck me, Angel, I need you” and I do hard and fast until he is moaning my name.
“you two look all hot and heavy again!” Brix says as we board the plane, Ash holds my hand as we sit next to each other and kisses me on the cheek. “you jealous?” Itease wriggling my eyebrows. “hell no, you can stab him in his sleep when he pisses you off, I'm staying far away from that shit” Brix states. “Iwouldn't do that” Imock innocence. “yeah Right, sleep with one eye open dude” Brix says and Ash laughs, “if I’m gonna die, Ican't think of a better way!” Ash says. “oh god, Ash is turning into one of them Mushy pansy-ass boyfriends” Ethan chuckles. “as long as I'm her boyfriend, I Don't care” ash sends me a questioning look and the others are waiting for my response too. “on two conditions, you make or buy me coffee every morning without fail, and two if Iwant to go shopping you have to carry my bags around until Ihave finished” Itease “done, Angel” he kisses me quickly. “so your and official couple” Kade states, “we need to celebrate” Brix adds.we all nod. the pilot comes out and does his normal routine, tells us to buckle up, hands us our envelopes and goes back to fly the plane. “let’s see what it is this time!” I say. we empty our envelopes on the tables and Iread the letter
Mission: Find the girl in the pictures.
Princess Bella Renee Natalia Darrington of Monaco has been Kidnapped, this news has been kept out of public knowledge and you must save her discreetly. There is no time limit to this mission and you will be staying in the royal castle, you are too have constant communication with King Rupert. you will be fully briefed on arrival.
“what the fuck, is storm turning into the secret fucking service now?” Kade Asks. “Storm has the money, resources and agents to be the best rescue service in the world, they plan on making this sort of stuff a main priority.” Ash shrugs. “how do you know that?” I Ask “I am now involved in board meetings as I will be taking over as heir before you guys reach the right age, they are training me so I can train you” he answers. “this is good for the company and means we are no longer doing random assassinations, we will be saving people like her who are trapped because of who their parents are” Ash adds. “well I Like it” I say. “Brix find out what you can,” I say “on it,” he says pulling his laptop out. “I’m meant to be the boss around her, Angel” Ash whispers in my ear. “you wish, I'm going to knock you off the top spot babe” I tease. “baby, if you want to rule I’ll make you a fucking queen,” he says seriously. “I like the sound of that, can I Have lots of pretty tiara’s,” I ask and Ash laughs shaking his head. “you can have the world, princess, we will own it in a few years after all” Inod realising he's being serious.
We arrive at the royal castle and it’s as big as I imagined,it looks like something from a fairytale, there are two towers on top of the huge old brick building, there must be at least a one hundred windows on the front of what looks like a three or four-story building, and its surrounded by immaculate acres of garden. we were picked up by a parade of SUVs and a limo with tiny flags on the front. “it’s beautiful” I say as my nose is pressed against the window. “Imagining the amount of shoes you could hoard in there, babydoll” Brix chuckles. the car door opens for us and we all get out. “His Majesty, King Rupert of Monaco is awaiting your presence in the royal study, I will escort you. Your things will be taken to your suites.” the old, bald butler says in his posh English accent. We follow the butler inside the main doors and into an expansive foyer which has high detailed ceilings, marble floors and intricate details everywhere you look. There is a grand staircase that meets in the middle of the foyer, artwork is dotted around the walls and two of the biggest glass chandeliers I Have seen hang elegantly from the ceiling. Brix whistles “this place makes our houses look like cardboard boxes” he exclaims. we all walk through the long hallway that leads to the back of the castle admiring the architecture and antiques we see as we go. “here we are” the butler says as he opens the double doors to the study and announces us to King Rupert. “your majesty, may I introduce the rescue team from storm Corporations” he says as he bows his head. “ah, good” king Rupert announces royally in a British accent as he stands from his desk. I curtsey and the boys follow suit as they bow. “please, forget the formalities in this room” the king smiles as he ushers us further in the room. “I hate being bowed and curtseyed too, it is terribly formal” he adds. I can see the dark circles under his bright eyes, looks like he hasn’t slept in days. He holds his hand out for me to take it “my dear, I didn't expect to see such a fine young girl here today” he says as he takes me to sit in a chair in front of his desk. “I apologize, you must get that a lot,” he says smiling warmly at me “yes, your majesty, but if no one underestimated me then I Couldn't have fun in proving them wrong.” I reply smiling sweetly, the King laughs and it’s a big booming sound. “you have to meet the queen before you retire to your suite, she would love you”. he says. “I would love to meet the queen” Ireply and the king nods. “so down to business I suppose my Daughter Princess Bella has been kidnapped from her school, she is only eight and needs to be rescued, I Will swap my life to save hers.” King Rupert says sounding sad. “we will do everything we can” Reassure him “we will find her and bring her home safely,” I add. “My security team will expect you in two hours to give you a full briefing, I will be at the meeting also” King Rupert states. “I have every faith you will bring my princess home to me,” he says staring into my eyes andI “I will” I Reply. “oh, how rude of me IHaven’t even asked for your names! let’s start with the pretty lady shall we.” I smile “I am Kassidie but you can call me Kassi,” I say “this is Ethan, Ash Brix and my twin brother Kade” Iadd pointing to each of the boys in turn. “Very nice to meet you all” King Rupert says “you all look very young how old are you?” King Rupert asks “I am Eighteen and the others are all seventeen, your majesty” Ash says. “yes, very young indeed” king Rupert says as he looks like he is debating something in his head. “don’t worry, Your Majesty, we are the best, we have been trained for most of our lives for missions like this, we will save your daughter” Kade reassures. The King Chuckles “oh, I didn’t think for one minute you were not up to the job, I was just thinking about you all have had to give up the best part of your childhood” King Rupert says. “We were born with responsibilities and we are happy to lose out on things like playdates and school dances if we can be useful and help people from horrible situations,” Ash says and I Feel a surge of pride inside my heart. “yes, well I have been told that you may have unlimited time to save my daughter, so I Declare upon completion of your assignment, you must stay another week and have some fun.” King Rupert demands. “Why not, thank you, your majesty,” I say with a smile. “right, go on, you must get some food and rest before your briefing” King Rupert states. “Arthur, show our guests to their suites, oh and take miss KassIto see the queen”. The
King Orders. we all follow Arthur to where our suites are, and then Iam taken to see the queen. “Your Majesty, the King has requested this young girl meets you” Arthur announces. “oh, good, Ido love a visitor” the queen says as she steps out from behind the fridge door. “excuse my appearance, Ilike to bake” she says as she washes her hands before extending it out to mine. I curtsy before I Take her hand. “it’s an honour to meet you, your majesty” I say “please call me Eleanor” she smiles “and who may you be?” she asks. “I am Kassi, I am part of the team sent to rescue your daughter” I answer. “oh, thank goodness” she says looking relieved. “my poor little girl will be so scared” a flash of sadness passes through her eyes. “come, let’s sit” she says as she leads me to the dining table. “can I Ask you something” I ask and the queen nods. “why do you and the king not seem worried or upset that your daughter has been taken?” I ask the queen chuckles “We are royal, my darling, we are expected to look and act a certain way. we are very good actors” the queen smiles “Ican assure you that myself and my husband are indeed very worried and upset about this situation, unfortunately a lifetime of etiquette has taught us how to hide our feelings” she adds. “oh, that must be very hard for you” I say “on the contrary, if anything it makes us stronger, you see if no one sees a weakness then they have nothing to use against us” the queen states. “We cannot be weak, we have a country full of people who depend on us to keep them safe and no matter what happens to us we will always make sure our people are safe and happy” she adds. “I understand, thank you for explaining” I say. “darling girl, you have it all to come, Imay be a queen of a country but you will be the queen of queen’s, We are all under the protection of Storm Corporations they are our royal family in a way and soon you will take over” she grasps my hand. “Ash is the leader, not me” Itell her “we shall see, Ihave a good feeling about you.” she smiles. “when this is all over I Would like to speak with you and this Ash” she says. “now off you go, you need to eat and settle in before you start your assignment” The queen says as she stands. I curtsey and I Leave the room, Arthur is waiting outside to take me back to my suite. “Arthur, do you happen to have a map of the castle?” I ask Arthur chuckles, “I'm afraid not, but you do have a phone in your room that puts you through to me and Ican send someone to escort you if you need it”. he says'', “thank you,” I say.
the guy’s all meet in my suite to grab some food before out briefing, the suites are identical they are all huge, white and beautiful. “so, the queen is really nice” I say “so is the King, I was not expecting that” says Brix “I thought they were going to be like our dad’s but worse” Ethan adds and I laugh. “she said I would one day be queen of the queens” I chuckle “can you believe that. “what does that mean?” Kade asks. “apparently Storm Corporations is like the royal family to all royal families and when we take over I Will be their queen, or that’s how Queen Eleanor explained it” I shrug. “well she has a point,” Ash says. “you will be the queen of storm and the woman they will all answer too” Kade says. I nodded trying to take it all in. “I never thought of it that way,” I say. “anyway, your still a princess for a couple more years so enjoy it” Brix states. Ash kisses my temple and I smile, shrugging off the conversation. “did you find anything on the princess?” I ask Brix, “of course I did!” Brix smiles cockily “I Found her location” he adds. “What, why didn't you tell us?” I only found out half an hour ago and we have to be briefed anyway” he replies. “so where is she and how easy is it to get to her” Ash asks. "she is still in school, in the basement, the part that has been given no access due to leakage, she has also only got one guard”. Brix answers. “are you fucking kidding me, a special forces security team and an army at their disposal and they can't even find her at her own school!” Ethan says. “I might suggest some training for their so-called protection team” Ash states. “you guys, let's just go and get her now!” I say “no we can wait until we embarrass them all at the meeting,” Ethan says. “fine but I am going to rescue her, I think you boys will scare the girl” Iadd “we will wait outside” Ash demands “ok, deal”. An hour later and I'm walking into the boarding school that the princess attends, “nice uniform” Brix whispers through my earpiece. “fuck off, Brix” Iwhisper back. “when you enter the main hallway walk down it and take the second turning on your right” I hear kade directing me in my ear. Ido as he says. “there is a door that says lower basement on it on your left-hand side” Iscan the doors and spot the one I'm looking for “found it” Iwhisper. “you need to go down two levels and turn left keep walking until you come across the guard, he will be close to the room the princess is being held in”. Kade says. “ok, be back in ten” I whisper and walk to where Kade directed. the guard is asleep in a chair that is front of what I Assume is the room the princess is in. I silently approach the guard and he wakes up just as I Hit his temple with the butt of my gun, I handcuff his hands behind his back and handcuff one of his ankles to a metal pole that is attached to one of the walls. “guard secured going in for the girl” I say. Iwalk into the room and Isee the eight-year-old princess tied to a chair in the corner of the dark room, she is gagged but Ican hear her sobs. “It’s ok Bella, I have been sent my your mother and father to rescue you,” I say softly. she nods frantically. “are you hurt?” I ask as I Approach her, she shakes her head and I immediately ungag her and untie her. “we need to leave now, can you walk?” I Ask her softly as I Pull her to her feet. “yes, Ican walk” she says, the royal tone evident. “I'm Kassi” I say as we walk out of the room. “hello Kassi, thank you for coming to rescue me!” she says “what will happen to him?” she asks. “my friends are waiting outside, once you are safely in the car they will come and get him, your security team want to speak with him” Ianswer “was he the one who took you?” I ask “yes, but he said he was working for an American to keep me locked down there in that awful room”. the princess answers. “we will find out who did this to you, princess” I say. “Ash, be ready at the door we are heading back into the hallway now,” I say. “earpiece” I mouth as the princess sends me a confused look. “oh, very cool,” she says. I get her out of the building and into the car. Ash and Ethan run into the school to grab the kidnapper. “we will be leaving as soon as my friends return and get into the car behind us” I clarify for the princess. five minutes later Ihear ash over the earpiece “were in, let’s go” the cars immediately start moving. I wrap a blanket over the princess. “is it me or was that too easy” I ask. Brix opens the divider from the front seat and leans through “I did think the same” he says looking concerned, he turns to princess Bella, hey I'm Brix it's nice to meet you princess” he says smiling. “hello” she replies. “I Have a bad feeling” I murmur “don’t worry, if anything does go wrong we can handle it” Brix reassures me and Inod. we are approaching the castle when Brix shouts “shit, the castles under attack” “fuck it! stop the cars” I say “Kade, jump in this one and drive the princess away, we will all head in and try to get to the king and queen”. Idemand “good plan, let’s go” Ash agrees. once I'm in the other car Ash speeds us down the two-mile driveway and when we get there it is pure carnage. I grab my two revolvers and flip the safety's off. “there only seems to be a team of fifty men, we should be able to make it through” Ash states. we all jump out and run towards the entrance, fighting and shooting men as we go. we get into the castle foyer and split up to find the King and Queen. Head to the kitchen where Imet the Queen earlier and I Know I've found her because three men are attempting to break down the door. Ishoot one in the head and fight the other two as they rush me, eventually, Imanage to break one of their necks and knock the other out, Ishoot him for good measure and knock on the door. Queen Elenor, It’s KassIcan you let me in” I say through the door. within seconds the door flies open and I'm pulled inside. “oh thank god” The queen says as she pulls me into a hug. “where’s the king?” I ask as Iresecure the door and pull a heavy cabinet in front of it. “he is here, there
is a secret doorway over there leading to a panic room” she states. “and why are you not in there?” I ask crossly. “I Was heading in there when I Heard the fight and I hoped it was the security team,” she says. “take me to the king” I demand, we walk across the room and the queen pulls a light switch which is high up on the wall, a small door opens and we walk in to what looks identical to my suite but with an added office space and kitchen. “Kassi, so good to see you,” the king says as I Close the door. “I have eyes on both the king and queen, neither is injured and we are in a concealed room, no one can get to us” I say into my mic. “good, we will finish killing the rats and let you know when it is safe to come out” Brix says. “did you find Bella?” the queen asks. “yes, Ethan drove her away from here when we could see the castle was being attacked,” I answer. “good, is she ok?” the king asks “a bit shaken up but she will be fine, no physical damage either” I say. “Kassi, thankyou” the queen grabs my hands “you saved our daughter and probably us,” she says sincerely “you are a very strong, intelligent and fearless young woman, you will make a great leader one day” the king adds. “thankyou,” I say back. I hear multiple people saying “clear” through my earpiece. “they are just doing a final sweep of the castle to make sure we have got all the attackers” Iupdate. a few minutes later Ash tells me we can come out, and we do, we are greeted in the kitchen by some of the security team “your majesty’s, I am sorry to inform you that the head of security and a few new security members were behind the attack”. one of the men said “oh, how very disappointing” the king says and I kind of admire his lack of emotion. “your daughter is being brought back now” I state “oh, good! let’s get this mess cleaned up then shall we” the queen says. “were there any innocent casualties?” the king asked “thankfully no, the storm teenagers are very skilled” says the other security man. “very well” the king says. The King and Queen demand we stay in the kitchen with them while the security team cleans up the castle. “the King and queen would like you all to come to the queens kitchen once Kade is back with the princess” I say, “they're just pulling up now, be there in a minute” Ash says in my earpiece. “Princess Bella has just got out of the car, they will all be here in a minute. Istate “would you like me to make you all a hot drink,” I ask. “ooh, that would be lovely dear” the queen smiles. I make a pot of tea and brew a pot of coffee and take them, the sugar and the milk to the dining table. I go and get some mugs and place them on the table too. the queen pours two cups of tea and hands one to the king. I pour myself a coffee and sink into a seat. “Mummy, Daddy” Ihear princess Bella cry as she runs into the room and hugs both of her parents. “oh, darling girl, we are so glad your safe and well” the queen says pressing a kiss to her cheek. “my princess, how very nice it is that you were not hurt” the king says as he pats her head. “please, sit everyone and help yourselves to drinks”. the King demands. Ash sits next to me and puts his hand in mine. “you ok, Angel?” he whispers and Inod “are you?” I ask and he smiles “I'm good”. “your majesty’s Ihave found that three of your security men were working for someone who wanted you both dead. I have sent for a security team from storm to help keep you safe and retrain your protection details.” Ash says “very good” the king replies. “do you know who they were working for?” the Queen asks. “no your majesty, but my software is hacking and decoding their computer files as we speak, I am hoping we get a lead from that” Brix answers. “Do you have a gym or a large space where we can train your security to fight?” I ask “yes the ballroom” the Queen replies. “can we use it first thing tomorrow morning.” I ask “yes I Will get Arthur to tell our men to meet you there” The queen replies. “Kassi, I don't suppose you can teach Princess Bella some basic defence moves could you?” the King asks. “sure, the Future Queen should know how to take down a man”. I smile as I look to the Princess.