by Nana Malone
Trace shook his head. "We've also got Roone and Penny. And the new recruits are watching the front and back exits. You need to rely on your team."
I whipped around to face him. "Wait, did you say Penny’s coming?"
He chuckled. "Yeah, she heard there was something going down and wanted to join us. She’ll just be on surveillance at the bar though."
"She is eight months pregnant."
Trace nodded. "Yeah, but have you ever tried to tell the queen no?"
"Oh my God, Sebastian must be beside himself."
Trace chuckled. "Um, I think that's probably accurate."
I strapped up, putting one gun in my back holster that I covered with a blazer and then one in my ankle holster which was covered by my boot. Then, of course, there was one in my skirt pocket. It was funny, because I don't normally wear skirts, but I was really digging this whole 'look the part' thing, and pockets made it easy to stash ammo.
As Trace armed up, his gaze flickered over me. "So, you and the billionaire, huh?"
"He's no billionaire," I muttered.
"Ah, semantics, but you two are a thing?"
"No, we're not."
My partner for the day chuckled under his breath. "Are you sure about that? Because the way you're acting screams someone who’s in love."
Jesus Christ, that word. "I don't love him. We are not a thing."
Trace nodded slowly. "But you were a thing. Let me guess, you found out he was lying and now you're bent out of shape."
"That's not why I'm bent out of shape right now. Right now, that idiot is trying to get himself killed."
"You're not wrong. He is trying to get himself killed. But he's also trying to get his life back."
His old life…without you. "Whatever, I don't care. I have a job to do, and that's to protect him. He's making that job difficult, so I'm irritated about it."
"Okay, if you say so."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean? Don't tell me you're giving me love advice?"
"I know a thing or two about love."
"Oh, yeah? Then how about you? What's going on with your dating life? Answer this truthfully because I have ways of getting to the truth."
His gaze narrowed at me, and I could tell he wanted to ask if Tamsin had said anything. But he didn't. "We're not talking about my life. We're talking about yours. Does he know?"
"There's nothing to know."
Trace rolled his eyes. "Okay, if you say so. The thing is, you can be mad at him all you want. Sure, he did lie. Hell, I understand why you would give him the hairy eyeball. You feel betrayed, and that's totally normal. But when you love someone, you should say it. And fuck what anyone else has to say about the whole situation because you don't get a lot of chances at that thing."
"I don't love him."
"You might."
"Jesus Christ. The last thing I need is to fall in love with someone who is not only an exceptionally skilled liar but who is also hell bent on leaving. And let’s not forget that he seems to have a death wish." I sighed and shook my head. "It’s just too complicated."
"Things get complicated sometimes. I understand being upset about the betrayal. But now that I know the truth, some of the things he did and said make a lot more sense. But around you, he was always a better version of himself."
I shrugged. I didn’t want to hear this.
"The point is, it seems like he had his reasons. The whole twin situation, it sounds like a lot."
I sighed and muttered, "I can't even imagine."
"Maybe you need to cut him some slack."
"Well, even if I did, it would be a moot point because currently, he's trying to get himself killed."
"Wouldn’t you want your life back? If you thought someone might have the answers and could just give them to you, wouldn't you want that?"
"Whose side are you on, anyway?"
He chuckled low. "I am not on any side. I'm interested in no one getting dead, and you're emotional right now, so you need to tuck it away and focus."
"I know. I just... why would he do this? I finally learned the truth, and then he just decides unilaterally he's going to do this stupid thing. It's like now that I know the truth he has to do something else to make sure we never get together."
"I doubt he's seeing it like that. And honestly, he might be thinking that as soon as all this shit is cleared up then he could be with you, if that's what you want."
"I don't want that."
He shrugged. "Then none of this matters, does it?"
I scowled at him. "I don't think I like you."
He grinned. "You know, you're not the first person this week to tell me that."
I sighed. "P.S. Whatever you and Tamsin have going on, don't hurt her, okay?"
His brows drew down. "Hurting her is the last thing I want. Shit’s complicated."
"I get it. That word gets used a lot around me."
"I know, it’s just... with my sister, it's not just me. I’ve got to think about her. And she does need me. She was messed up, you know? When my parents died… Well, she needs a lot of my attention."
"I know. And I get that. She should be your priority. I'm just saying you don't have to be a complete monk."
“Can we turn this conversation back to you now? All this talking about myself is getting me hot.”
I rolled my eyes. "I just need to do a good job, you know? I feel like I already fucked up once."
He nodded. "Listen, even if Ariel was pissed when she found out, it's not about you, specifically. It's more about the fact that she doesn't like getting caught unaware. Give her time. She'll come around."
"I'm not sure about that."
"Come on, let's get ready to do this. One way or another, we'll finally have some answers."
And that was what I was hoping for. I just hoped those answers didn’t leave me alone and pining.
No, we're not pining. We don't pine.
Why did I feel this way about him? Why couldn't I let it go?
Because you love him.
No. That was pretty damn inconvenient. I didn’t want those feelings.
Want or not, they're here. What are you going to do about them?
I still had a lot of anger and confusion over Theo’s betrayal. But I wanted to believe that he cared about me the way he said he did. The way he showed me. I wanted that to be real.
Trace finished with his body armor and glanced at me. "Are you ready to do this?"
"Yeah. I guess so. Let's go and try not to get my client killed."
He chuckled then. "Well, that's why we're the badass bodyguards. I'm sure it's going to be fun. Let’s do this."
I had no choice. I had to do it.
Theo…
My damn palms were sweaty. I was agitated and nervous, and God, I hoped to Christ this was the right thing to do. I was taking a gamble. What would happen to my family? What would happen to Zia?
I knew exactly where every single one of the Royal Elite team was. I had also spotted Queen Penny enjoying a lovely drink at the bar with Jinx. I was surprised to see that Sebastian hadn’t insisted she have a forty-team Royal Guard accompany her.
When Timothy Arlington entered, my gut knotted. Jesus Christ, here we go.
When he saw me, he headed straight over to the bar overlooking the water. I gave him a nod of my head. "I'd offer you cognac, but I don't actually care enough about what you want."
He glowered at me as he sat. "So, remind me why we’re doing this again?"
I shook my head. "We're doing this because I can't keep fighting with you in the office. It's bad for morale. It's not a good look. We can't be at each other's throats."
"Well, that's easy to solve. All you have to do is step down. You as CEO is bad. Bad for me. Bad for the company. We'll put Brian in your place."
I took a sip of cognac and shook my head. "See, that's the thing. No."
Arlington's brows drew up. He leaned forward searching my gaze. "What the fuck has gotten into you? Six mon
ths ago, you didn't give a shit what happened to the company. You didn't care. You went along to get along. You didn't give a shit. Since you were a kid, you've been burning through my money. Don't pretend like you care now what the hell happens to this company or how you get it."
"I do care."
"For fuck's sake, why? For four years, I tried to get you to take an interest. I promised you a kingdom, tried to put you at the helm, but you didn't want it. You were too focused on hating me."
I ground my teeth together. I’d only seen a brief glimpse of the relationship he had with Derrick. And after spending some time with Derrick, I knew his view wasn’t altogether exaggerated. But the animosity in my voice was a result of how he’d treated me since I’d arrived.
"Tell me, why is it you think I hate you, anyway?"
"You never fucking grew up. You've always whined that you wanted your own thing. You believe, erroneously I might add, that I stifled you. You have always whined that you weren't loved enough, I didn't spend enough time with you, blah, blah, blah. You have always been spiteful. From the time you could talk, you were resentful. Ungrateful. Not once did you take into account the sacrifices I made."
I couldn’t help it. Holding my tongue wasn't really an option any more. "Oh my God, sacrifices? Does that include switching out one son for another?"
Shit. The words had just tripped off of my tongue, but still, I couldn't sit there and take it any longer.
He frowned. "What the hell are you talking about? Are you starting this again? That whole episode in your teens where you insisted that you were adopted, that I wasn't your real father, and that you hated me? Then you went off and created your own goddamn app. And the worst part was, the app was actually useful, worth something. But all those brains and you couldn't fucking get it together. All that power you had in your head, and you used that to hate me."
"Did you even hear what I said?"
Arlington frowned.
"Let me reiterate. Do you even know that I'm not him?" I paused to watch his face, but his expression remained impassive. “Why did you choose him and not me? I mean, as kids go, we were pretty much identical to hear him tell the tale. You know, I can't even bring myself to talk to my own mother. I can't bring myself to think about her. I've known you less than a month, and even I hate you. My life was neat and orderly before I met you. And now I'm staring at the father I've wanted my whole damn life only to find him sorely lacking."
Arlington only stared at me.
I sucked in a deep breath. "Lacking not because of any long-standing history, but because of your utter disdain for me. I mean, technically, Derrick. But I can feel it. And the disdain you have for him, I'm taking upon myself."
He frowned as he studied me closely, his dark gaze scanning over mine. Then he shook his head in disbelief. "No."
I nodded. "Yeah. Take a good look. This is the truth."
He shook his head again and scrubbed a hand over his face. "No. No. Stop it. All your life, you've been trying to do this. I'm not buying this one. I don't know what drugs you're on now or what you think you know, but you don't know anything."
I leaned forward then, placing my arm on top of the table. "My name is Theo James Coleman. According to your son, Derrick Arlington, we are twins. He hired me to be his double over the last month to see through the final stages of the merger with Inline Tech and the acquisition vote." I sucked in another breath. "For the last month or so, you've been talking to me. Your hatred, your disdain, it was palpable. What I want to know is if you're responsible for Derrick's kidnapping. If you are, now is the time to tell me. Ask for what you want and get it over with. I'm fucking sick and tired of the games. I'm not playing anymore."
Arlington's brow furrowed. I watched his chest rise and fall, and then he stood abruptly. "It's impossible."
I spread my arms. "Pretty fucking possible."
"No. That was our deal. Our deal was I took Derrick. I was never supposed to see you again."
"Well, considering my mother knows nothing about this current arrangement, the two of you have a lot to answer for."
The mask of the powerful billionaire slipped a little. I watched as a host of emotions played across his face.
Horror.
Exhaustion.
Confusion.
Was that concern? I couldn't tell. The slight pulling in of his lips and mildly furrowed brow indicated his worry, but I didn't know him well enough to really translate it. “So, now is the part where I need you to tell me what the fuck you did with Derrick. I'm tired of the charade. Let's just get everything out in the open so we can get this show on the road.”
He blinked once and then again. "You think I'd do something to my own son?"
"Newsflash, asshole, I'm your son too."
His body jerked as if he was choking then, like there was a cough stuck in his chest and he didn't know what to do about it. He took my glass and chugged down the brandy in one swallow. He didn't even flinch. "Jesus fucking Christ. How did you—" He glanced at me again. "How? Why the fuck did this happen?"
I shrugged. "I don't fucking know. All I know is that Derrick walked into my office weeks ago, identified himself as the billionaire Derrick Arlington. And he was in need of a body double. See, I was at a disadvantage because he'd done his research on me, but I knew nothing about him. He knew exactly what screw to turn to get me to agree. My mother's cancer had progressed. Insurance wasn’t covering most of the treatments, so he was basically offering a keep-her-out-of-heaven card and I couldn't say no."
Arlington shook his head at the mention of my mother. "She's sick?"
I nodded. "Breast cancer. She'd been fighting for a couple of years now."
"Why didn't she say so? She knows how to reach me."
I gave a mirthless chuckle. "The thing is I don't know about your arrangement with my mother. My guess is she doesn't want anything to do with you. But my guess would probably be wrong since apparently I don't actually know my mother very well."
Arlington shook his head. "You were never supposed to know. Neither of you were."
"My whole life I felt like there was a part of me missing. Like I was somehow empty, and you did that."
"You don't understand. I was a different man then."
"Well, I understand that you're still a dick, so I guess that's how it works."
Arlington took that one on a chin. "Look, I know this is a lot to deal with. Where is Derrick?"
I shook my head. "I fished him out of the ocean the other day. Patched him up and came up with a plan. The next day he vanished again. So either he ran away and left me to deal with the fallout on my own, or whoever took him is dead serious."
"All my precautions, everything I did, I never expected this."
I laughed again. "Funny thing is neither did I. So, where the hell have you been my whole life?"
This time, the glance he shot me was full of reproof. "When your mother gave birth, I showed her kindness by only taking one of you."
"Kindness? How do you think she felt knowing she had a child out there she couldn't see? And how do you think I felt knowing I had a father who didn't want to see me?"
He shook his head. "No, no, no. I made sure you wanted for nothing."
"I didn't need money. I needed a goddamn father. Now I know why it felt like a part of me was missing. You took my twin brother away from me."
"It wasn't like that. I was married. Jacklyn would have taken me for everything. I couldn't let that happen. She was ill and unstable. I couldn't lose everything. I loved your mother, but I loved my life more."
"Oh yeah, love. It shows."
"You don't know anything about it. I loved her. She loved me. But she also loved someone else. The choice was easy for her."
I frowned. "She loved someone else?"
It was Arlington's turn to chuckle. "Oh yeah, it was a whole love triangle. Well, square. I should include my wife, I guess. Except she didn't know about any of it. Your mother was this dynamic ray of light, an
d I fell in love with her almost immediately. She was angry that I was married, which was fair enough. I just couldn't stay away from her, but she found someone else. I didn't like it, but there wasn't much I could do about it because I had nothing to offer her in terms of marriage or committment. But I did love her."
I shook my head. "If you say so, and because you loved her, you took one of her children?"
"She didn’t even tell me she was pregnant. When I found out, I needed to know my sons, but I couldn't take both of you. I couldn't do that to her."
"Jesus Christ, do you hear yourself? You took a child from her."
"Well, she took my heart and broke it."
"Oh wow, nice. So full of revenge."
He shook his head. "It wasn't like that. I couldn't stand not being able to raise at least one of my children."
"And a fantastic job you did."
He sat back. "You know what, you're right. With my need to build a legacy, I fucked up. I screwed up. And Derrick never let me forget. And my wife, well... she went full-on crazy."
"What did you expect? You brought someone else's child into the house and forced her to pretend she was his mother."
He ran a hand on his face. "I made a lot of mistakes, yes. I can’t believe I didn't know you weren't Derrick."
"You need to be more believable than that. Because right now, you look like the prime suspect who has been trying to kill both of us."
His brows snapped down. "What do you mean, kill?"
"At Princess Jessa's wedding, some brute with a gun tried to force me in a car and take me somewhere. Someone tried to poison me once. Oh, and there was the arts gala. Another kidnapping attempt there." Up until that very moment, I’d suspected he was behind it. But the horror on his face, that looked real.
"And Derrick, you said someone took him?"
"Yeah, I think someone did take him."
"What the hell are you doing to get him back?"
"You can't stand him, but you want him back?"
Arlington slammed his hand on top of the bar. "He's my son."
If only he thought the same way about me. "We don't know where he is. No leads, no nothing, so I had no choice but to keep up the ruse."