Serpenti

by Brooke Sivendra

  SERPENTI

  BOOK TWO OF THE ROYALS

  Brooke Sivendra

  Contents

  1. Asher

  2. Abi

  3. Asher

  4. Asher

  5. Abi

  6. Asher

  7. Colonel Stevens

  8. Abi

  9. Asher

  10. Abi

  11. Asher

  12. Alistair

  13. Asher

  14. Asher

  15. Asher

  16. Rachel

  17. Reed

  18. Asher

  19. Reed

  20. Reed

  21. Asher

  22. Abi

  23. Asher

  24. Abi

  25. Asher

  26. Abi

  27. Asher

  28. Rachel

  29. Asher

  30. Abi

  31. Abi

  32. James

  33. Abi

  34. Asher

  35. Abi

  36. Asher

  THE STORY CONTINUES…

  ALSO BY BROOKE SIVENDRA

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  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Asher

  “King Asher!

  “Hail King Asher!”

  Asher’s heart was in his throat and his pulse raced as he looked over the crowd. His mouth felt dry, as if it were stuffed with cotton. He was king, and even though he’d known that since he’d learned of his father’s assassination, it had just hit him.

  His mother’s pale face flashed in his mind—then Noah’s, his father’s, and Abi’s.

  His spine tingled as he wondered if his enemies were in the crowd, watching him. Or were they in the palace?

  Either way, the biggest mistake they could make would be to underestimate him.

  He raised his hand again, waving goodbye.

  Luke was by his side before he’d even turned away from the podium. “Jesse’s on his way home. He has her. Abi is safe.”

  Asher exhaled, tilting his head back and squeezing his eyes shut.

  Thank you.

  “They’re in the air and they’ll be here in a few hours,” Luke said. “William Bennett has been informed. Jesse requested she, and the IFRT team with her, be brought to the palace. The Bennetts will meet us here. He doesn’t want you at the airport—the security risks are too high right now—and Abi doesn’t need any media attention.”

  “Okay,” Asher said quickly—he just wanted what was best for Abi. “What happens now? How is she?” he asked, forcing the questions from his throat as they walked toward his living quarters. A security team walked in front of them, and a second team behind them.

  “I don’t know the full details yet,” Luke said, sounding tired. “Jesse’s preparing a full brief that will be given to us when he lands. Jesse will treat her injuries as best he can—”

  “What injuries?” Asher asked, his words catching. He’d known she would have injuries of various kinds, and though he didn’t know if he was prepared for the full details, he did know he had to find out.

  Luke looked sympathetic. They both knew what Abi could’ve been subjected to. “Again, Jesse didn’t elaborate. His primary concern was getting them on the plane, in the air, and out of Adani airspace. He’s going to call you in about fifteen minutes.”

  “Thank you,” Asher said, looking straight ahead. His emotions were all over the place. He was exhausted, grieving, overwhelmed, and scared.

  So scared.

  He didn’t know who to trust, and he had no one to ask. His first thought was that he wished he’d had more time to prepare for his new role, but Asher knew that nothing his father could’ve said or done would’ve prepared him for this.

  He waited for the security team to scope out his living quarters before they entered. Luke closed the door behind them. Asher’s eyes went straight to the liquor cabinet, but he refused to let himself go there. He would not be weak.

  Luke lowered his voice, like he was worried he’d be overheard. “You need to be aware that we are monitoring Alistair’s every move. Additionally, we have tracking devices on him, and his cell phone is tapped.”

  Asher narrowed his eyes and looked over his shoulder to see the second security team a safe distance behind them. “What aren’t you telling me?”

  “I’m telling you we don’t trust him,” Luke said, meeting Asher’s gaze. “He lied about when he last saw your mother, and he didn’t tell you his allowance had been stripped. What concerns us most is that your father was concerned by his reaction to that disciplinary action.”

  “Why didn’t I know about this?” Asher demanded.

  “Your father had a meeting scheduled with you for the afternoon he was killed. He was set to brief you on Alistair’s situation at that meeting. He never got the chance,” Luke said, his voice strained.

  “What was Alistair’s reaction to being told about his allowance?” Asher asked, turning away from Luke. He was having a hard enough time keeping his own emotions in check without watching Luke battle with his own.

  Luke sighed. “Yelling and storming out of your father’s office.”

  Asher frowned. “Why did that surprise Father? That’s exactly the response I would’ve expected.”

  Luke nodded. “It was a good act, but it was the look your father caught as Alistair was leaving. Your father said it was a look that said he didn’t care—that he wasn’t afraid. We don’t know what that means. Maybe he thought he’d prove everyone wrong and be back on his allowance within months; maybe . . . maybe there were other reasons he wasn’t afraid.”

  “I don’t want him alone with my mother,” Asher said, even though it was an order he’d already given. “I don’t trust him. I haven’t for months. He knew about Abi, and he knew about IFRT. If he is working against me, though, I don’t know why he would tell me he knew about my involvement.”

  Luke paused, seeming to choose his next words carefully. “Maybe it was a slip-up in a moment of rage. Alistair’s drug use wasn’t just recreational. Over the past few weeks it’s become apparent that he’s a high-functioning—if you want to call it that—addict. Jesse has been watching him for months and, unfortunately, it’s become apparent that Alistair owes money. A lot of money.”

  “To whom?” Asher asked, narrowing his eyes.

  “His drug dealers. They have no apparent connections to Adani, but where there’s money, there’s drugs, especially cocaine. I’m sorry I don’t have more for you,” Luke said, running a hand through his hair. They were all stressed, Asher knew. Luke continued, “Jesse was following Alistair’s every move before he went to Adani. It’s been on hold since. At the moment, we’re in survival mode. Keeping you alive is our primary objective; beyond that, everything is taking a back seat.”

  Asher looked him square in the eyes. “Do you trust your teams?”

  “Yes,” Luke said, “I trust them. I watched them during the attack, and they did everything they could to help your parents. I lost six men in that attack.”

  “How did they know my parents would be in that car?” Asher asked, voicing the question haunting his mind.

  Luke ground his jaw. “Because someone leaked that information. You asked if I trusted my teams. Yes—for the two teams that are working with me now. Do I trust every security guard in this palace? No, I don’t.”

  Asher pressed his fingers to his temple. “How am I supposed to do this? I’ve had no training, and worse than that, I don’t know who I can trust!” Asher raised his voice, losing control of his emotions.

  Luke didn’t respond with words, but his nod was gentle and understanding. “You have me and Jesse. We have worked for your father since before you were born. Let us look out for you. We will watch your back
.”

  Asher searched his eyes as he silently screamed the words he didn’t let leave his lips: You didn’t have my father’s back, or my mother’s.

  They were interrupted by Asher’s cell phone.

  “Jesse,” Asher said quickly.

  “Hey, Ash. I am sorry. So, so, sorry,” he said, his voice drained.

  “I know,” Asher said, his own voice sounding like gravel. “How far away are you?”

  “A couple hours. She’s okay, Ash. Abi wants to talk to you. I was going to give you a briefing, but I’m waiting for some more information. I’ll have it ready by the time we land, and then we’ll make a plan to move forward,” Jesse said, his words steely with determination.

  “Okay. Please put Abi on the phone,” Asher said.

  His chest burned, and he realized he was holding his breath.

  “Asher,” Abi said, and her voice had never sounded sweeter.

  He exhaled in relief, turning his back to Luke. He needed a moment of privacy.

  “Abi,” he said, his voice a whisper. “Are you okay?”

  He didn’t know why he’d asked. Of course she wasn’t okay—she’d been held hostage and God only knew what else. But he wasn’t thinking straight, and his mind was a tangled web of emotions.

  “Thank you for sending Jesse to help them,” Abi said. “I’ll be okay, Asher. But how are you? I’m so sorry to hear what happened to your father, and your mother. I wish I could’ve been there for you. I . . . How is she doing?”

  A tear slid down his cheek, the first tear he’d shed. She had no idea how much he needed her right now.

  “She’s stable and fighting.” He inhaled a shaky breath. “Tell me about you. What happened?”

  She paused for a moment and acrid bile rose in his throat. He didn’t want to hear it, but he knew he had to.

  Eventually, she said, “I’ll give you the full story when I see you, but my car was attacked and I was pulled from it. I was taken to a hut in an abandoned village, and then into a safe house of sorts. I was held there until I was prepared . . . that’s what they call the process of cleaning captives and dressing them in lingerie for the men they will be given to. But someone helped me, a brave young girl, and she’s with us. I have to help her, Asher,” she said, her words a plea.

  “Of course,” Asher said quickly. “Whatever needs to be done—we’ll find a way.”

  Abi cleared her throat. “I . . .”

  Asher noted a tremble in her voice.

  “I was being prepared for Lamberi,” she said, her voice a hoarse whisper.

  Asher felt like he’d been kicked in the stomach, and his hand reached for the wall.

  “I couldn’t let that happen,” she said shakily. “I knew I wouldn’t survive and I would never return to Santina if I was handed off to him. Anyone else I could’ve survived, but not him. I’m sorry, Asher, I don’t know what repercussions this is going to have for you. Adani officials are involved and they’re not going to be—”

  “Stop. Stop,” he repeated, gently. “I don’t care, I can deal with whatever repercussions there are as long as you’re home and safe. Just come home, Abi.”

  “I’ll see you soon,” she said. “Be careful, Asher.”

  He squeezed his eyes closed. Once again she was thinking about him, when he would hardly blame her for only thinking about herself and the ordeal she’d just been through. He would’ve understood if she’d blamed him for being taken captive.

  Prince Asher’s girlfriend.

  The repulsive, skin-crawling sensation still lingered when he thought of that voice recording. He was part of the reason she was taken. Everyone else had been stripped from him: Noah, his father, his mother. Why wouldn’t they have targeted Abi too?

  He was so lost in his thoughts that he forgot to respond.

  “Asher?” Abi asked quickly.

  “Sorry, I’m here. I’ll be careful, and you too. Come home to me,” Asher said, gritting his teeth.

  Abi

  She ended the conversation more worried than before she’d called him.

  “How did he sound?” Jesse asked, surprising her.

  Her eyebrows lifted. “How do you think he sounded? You spoke to him too.”

  They were sitting across from each other on the royal jet. Abi couldn’t lean against the seat because her back was missing a few layers of skin from the roof she’d misjudged, and she hadn’t even bothered to look in the mirror. She could feel the cut on her lip and another near her temple—where the security guard had knocked her unconscious.

  Jesse’s eyebrows lifted in response. “I want your opinion,” he said.

  “He didn’t say that much,” she said. “He inhaled sharply at the mention of Lamberi’s name, which was a fair reaction. But more than that? He seems . . . flat. Tired. Broken, in a sense. How can he not be?”

  Jesse nodded. Abi was still learning to read him, but she liked him. His eyes diverted to the clouds as the sun shone through them, lighting them up like a beautiful painting.

  Abi asked the question she thought she already knew the answer to. “Do you think I was taken so you could be lured away from Santina?” She grimaced. “If you had been in Santina, instead of in Adani looking for me, would King Martin still be alive?”

  “I don’t know,” Jesse said, grinding his jaw. “We’ll never know the answer to that. And even if we could, it wouldn’t change anything. I know King Martin, and I know that’s not what he’d want me to focus on.”

  Abi didn’t need to study him to know he was grieving. His face was a universe of pain.

  “What would he want you to focus on?” Abi asked.

  Jesse looked straight at her. “Keeping Asher alive.”

  Abi swallowed and her saliva felt like shards of glass. “Do you think that’s what they have planned next?”

  “I’m not entirely sure,” he said. “They either think he’s incapable and will wait for Santina to fall under his leadership, or they’ll attempt an assassination. Either way, the end result will be that they attempt to kill him, because Asher is more than capable. Santina will not fall, not under his watch. And that will only leave his enemies with one option: the same one they had for King Martin.”

  Abi returned her gaze to the clouds.

  “You’re a target by association, Abi—that, and Lamberi might make a move for what he thinks is his. We need to plan for all possibilities,” Jesse said.

  She nodded, but she couldn’t ignore the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. “Will Asher have a better chance of surviving if I’m not in his life?”

  Her eyes locked on Jesse’s.

  A moment passed, and then another.

  “It’s too early to know that,” Jesse finally said. “And I can’t answer that only from a security point of view. Asher has lost two of the most important people in his life, and the third is fighting for her life.” He shook his head, then continued, “Look, I know your relationship has been brief, but I’m not underestimating the importance of it. Asher is going to need support now more than ever, and distancing yourself from him may cause more harm than good. Regardless, it’s not my decision to make. Asher will be fully briefed and given all security intelligence. He can talk to you, and then the decision can be made from there. It is his decision.”

  Abi noted what he didn’t say. “But you will advise him on what you think is best.”

  He sighed. “It’s my responsibility as head of security. Nothing stands in the way of that. Nothing.”

  Abi looked at her bloody wrists. They’d been cleaned and dressed but blood was seeping through the bandages. “You looked for Abi Mackenzie and you couldn’t find her, right? That’s why Asher pushed for my real name.”

  Jesse met her gaze and he showed no sign of being uneasy. Abi didn’t blame him, and she knew his response before he spoke.

  “If Asher had a girlfriend, or were to spend more than one night with someone, then yes, it’s my responsibility to make sure I know everything about them. I
pushed him because my team needed to know, and because he deserved to know.”

  Abi nodded, diverting her gaze.

  “I try not to get involved in their personal lives, Abi, but if there’s a security risk, I need to know about it, and I couldn’t do that given I couldn’t find your true identity. It concerned me, but only for those reasons. On the way home from your apartment the night you told Asher you were a Bennett, Asher asked me what I thought. I told him it didn’t concern me, and now I’m telling you the same thing. As long as you pose no risk to Asher, I have no problem with you.”

  “But you know I lied to him,” Abi said quietly.

  “I understand the reasons you did, and I understand what you’ve just been through. If you’re thinking I don’t approve of you, you’re wrong,” he said, looking her in the eye. “Asher needs someone who is brave, who can think under pressure, and someone who can connect with people. You didn’t make a mistake throughout this entire ordeal, and I’m so impressed by that. I couldn’t have trained you better if I’d had months or years to train you for such a situation. Some things can’t be learned—they’re instinctive.”

  “I knew what was going to happen at every stage,” she said bitterly. “I’ve spent ten years trying to save those who have been taken. Even though I knew the risks, I still couldn’t believe it was happening to me. And when the team didn’t come, I thought it was over… I thought I’d never return to Santina until Lenna walked into my cell.” Abi exhaled a shaky breath. “She saved my life.”

  “And you saved hers,” Jesse said with a small smile.