A Fierce Princess: The Poisoned Pawn Duet Part I

by S. E. Rose

  I look at his social media accounts. I pull up his business webpage which details the charter trips he offers on his sailboat. His last picture is…well, he’s handsome and ripped. He’s shirtless on board what I presume is his sailboat. He’s tan, his shaggy, light brown hair has highlights in it, and he’s wearing sunglasses. He looks like he just walked out of a magazine advertisement for a popular men’s cologne. I can see similarities to his dad in his face, the jawline, the nose.

  I check on M’s status, but he’s gone dark. I know the clock is ticking. I just don’t know how I’m going to talk a stranger into leaving the island.

  I decide surveillance is next. We have two bodyguards each, and the house has another four or five milling around it. I find Pete and Lucas in the kitchen going over security stuff with Shannon.

  They all stop and look up at me. “I’d like to go out,” I say to them.

  They look at each other. I think they are a bit surprised.

  “Uh, where?” Shannon asks.

  “I just want to see some of the island. I hear Cable Beach is pretty cool,” I say nonchalantly as I grab a piece of fruit out of a bowl on the counter.

  They continue watching me. “What? You want to check it for poison?” I ask Pete, holding out the apple.

  He glares at me. “Your Highness, we haven’t finished shoring up your security plan. I’d advise you to stay put until tomorrow,” he says. He only uses “Your Highness” when he means business. It’s Pete’s version of using my full name.

  “And, I’m telling you that I am going out,” I huff.

  Lucas and Pete exchange glances.

  Shannon clears her throat. “Well, you do have a free day,” she says. “I was assuming you would be going with Auggie tomorrow,” she says as she starts to run through Auggie’s schedule.

  I hold up a hand. “No. I am not here in an official capacity. I will attend one thing with him, but otherwise, this is a vacation,” I tell her.

  She looks at me. “That’s not what your father thinks,” she says.

  I roll my eyes. “The king can think whatever the king wants. Anyhow, I’m leaving,” I say as I walk toward the front door.

  “Oh no, you’re not,” Pete says, getting in front of me. “Not unless we are with you.”

  “Well, then you’d better go get the car,” I tell him.

  After an exchange of words with Lucas, Pete goes and pulls the car around for me. I climb in the back seat before we pull out of the private drive. The drive to Cable Beach is lovely. I roll down my window a little so I can smell the salty sea breeze.

  “What do you have in mind?” Pete asks. I’m wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat that I found in the closet, and sunglasses, and a sundress with flip-flops. I look like every other tourist on the beach. My hair is pulled back into a ponytail. Pete is more dressed down. He has on shorts and a polo shirt, while Lucas still looks the part of a security guard.

  “Pete, you can walk with me along the beach while Lucas stays back,” I say. Lucas glares at me. “What? You look like security. You’ll draw attention.”

  Pete nods. “She’s right,” he says. I can tell he says it begrudgingly. I know they would figure this out without my input, but the one thing I do like about these two, they always ask for my input.

  Pete was Special Ops and has a keen eye for detail. I will use that to help me.

  From my phone, I can tell we are across the street from the apartment complex where Logan’s address was last reported.

  “Let’s get out here,” I suggest. They nod, park, and look around before letting me get out. I take my time as we walk toward the public beach access next to the apartment complex. It appears that there is a front lobby with a guard desk. I see someone swipe a card to get into the lobby. As we walk around the back of the property, I can see a gated area with a pool and some tables and chairs. It’s at the far end of Cable Beach, so it’s a bit quieter here than at the busy end.

  Pete leads me to the beach, and we walk for a while. There are some other apartment buildings, and farther down I can see hotels and restaurants. We stop before we get to those. It’s actually nice just walking around without anywhere to be or anything to do.

  We head back toward the car after walking for a bit, and when we get to the apartment complex I pretend to need a bathroom.

  “Can’t you just wait till we get back?” Lucas asks.

  “Look, can I just go ask that guard if I can use the bathroom here. I’m sure they have one for public use. I mean, they have a pool out back, odds are there’s one out by it,” I point out. Lucas and Pete exchange glances.

  “Fine, I’ll go with you,” Pete says.

  We head up to the door, and Pete presses the buzzer. A man who doesn’t look like he could fend off a stick of gum, let alone an armed criminal, buzzes us inside.

  “Just sign in here,” he says, pointing to a guest log that requires us to write which apartment we are here to visit.

  “Uh, listen, my girlfriend was just hoping to use your bathroom,” Pete says. Pete and Lucas are only about ten years older than me. So, at times, we use the whole “girlfriend” thing to be more undercover.

  “Listen, man. I’m sorry, but I can’t let you in to use the bathroom,” the guy says.

  I take off my sunglasses and give him my dazzling one-thousand-watt smile. “I know it’s a big inconvenience and all. But I’d really appreciate it if I could use your restroom. I’ll just be a minute, I promise,” I say in a sweet voice.

  It works, and a minute later I’m on my way to the ladies’ room, which Pete clears first. Now, to figure out how to find Logan’s apartment and ditch Pete for five minutes. I pretend to use the bathroom, and then it hits me. I’ll just bring Pete with me. He’s never going to let me out of his sight.

  “Hey, Pete,” I say sweetly. He gives me the look that tells me that he knows I’m up to no good.

  “What?” he says gruffly.

  “Could we…maybe…pretty please check out the building? I just want to see…something normal,” I say.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea. We don’t know who is in here. It’s bad protocol just coming in here without checking things first,” he says as he looks around. Pete is always looking around. I wonder how someone can be on high alert twenty-four seven.

  “Please, Pete. I’ll keep my hat and glasses on. It’s the middle of the day on a weekday, I can’t imagine there’s anyone dangerous here,” I say, and then my stomach clenches as I ponder if M has arrived on the island yet.

  He cracks his neck and looks around. “Fine, but let’s make it fast,” he says as he talks into his earpiece to Lucas.

  I clap and give him a hug. He rolls his eyes. “What exactly do you want to see? The pool?” he asks. I shrug.

  “Let’s go to the top floor, maybe there are windows up there,” I say as I walk toward the elevator. One minute later, we walk out into a hallway. There is indeed a window at the end of it. I walk past 601, 602, 603, and then get to 604, Logan’s last known address. There’s nothing to indicate he lives there. It’s just a plain door with a peephole. I walk toward the window and look down.

  “It’s a pretty view from up here,” I say to Pete.

  “Are we done here, Anna?” he asks. I turn and see a door at the far end with a window.

  “Not yet,” I say as I walk toward it. Pete opens it for me, and we find ourselves on a rooftop deck. It’s beautiful. I can see the private balconies of the four units on this floor. I look at what I think is Logan’s and see he has a small table and two chairs. He faces the ocean. I ponder if his lifestyle is paid for by the king. His penthouse apartment, his yacht, and from the looks of his social media he has two nice cars.

  “Anna? We should go,” Pete says.

  I nod and follow him back to the elevator and out to the car. I look around as we start to drive back to the house. There aren’t any buildings right next to Logan’s apartment complex. And the nearest buildings don’t have good angles for a sni
per to aim into his apartment. Then it hits me, I bet I can find the blueprints to his apartment. I laugh to myself as I feel stupid for not having thought of that earlier.

  “Everything OK back there?” Lucas asks. I can see him raise an eyebrow in the rearview mirror.

  “Yep, all is good,” I say to him. I have a night of more research ahead of me.

  Chapter 7

  When I enter the house, I look out the floor-to-ceiling glass sliding doors to find that Auggie is floating on a raft. A cocktail of some type is in a cup holder that is floating next to him.

  I walk out and look down at him.

  “You’re blocking the sun,” he says.

  “Oh, if only the paps could see you now,” I say to him.

  “What? I’m not nude. I’m not fucking a woman. And I’m not snorting cocaine off the side of the raft,” he says. I can’t see his eyes through his mirrored sunglasses, but I know they are closed.

  “Wow, way to set that bar high,” I respond to him as I toss off my sandals and sit down on the edge of the infinity pool. I look out past Auggie at the edge of the pool that is indistinguishable from the ocean beyond. There are only a few puffy clouds in the sky. Palm trees flank either side of the yard which is fenced in by a tall white wall. The top of the wall has plants growing out of it.

  “Where’d you go?” he asks, breaking my thoughts.

  “Cable Beach,” I answer.

  “Mingling with the riffraff,” he says.

  “Augs, shut up. You’re one to talk. I believe the last trip you took you were quoted in three different tabloids as saying you ‘like to sample the commoners,’” I say, as I give him a pointed look. He pops up to look at me, and he grins.

  “Yeah, wasn’t one of my better drunk moments,” he says sheepishly.

  I roll my eyes. “Trust me, you’ve done worse,” I point out.

  “Touché, princess, touché,” he says.

  I stare out again at the sea beyond the pool. I’m contemplating what to do next when my phone buzzes alerting me that there’s something on my computer that I need to see.

  “Secret boyfriend?” Auggie asks as I stand.

  “Yes, you know me. I’ll just bang anything with a dick,” I say sarcastically. It doesn’t help that both my brothers know that I’m a virgin but, of course, that’s not rocket science since I’ve never had a real boyfriend. The closest I came was a guy I met at camp years ago—Eddie—but we were kids, and he never came back to camp. We emailed a few times but then lost touch.

  “Guess I’m doing a good job of protecting your virtue!” Auggie calls out as I walk inside. I raise a single finger at him but don’t look back. I can hear him laughing as I walk toward my room.

  When I reach my computer, I shut the closet door and grimace with what I see. One of M’s fake names has come up in my search for movement at airports. He’s boarded a flight from Dubai. I close my eyes and try to figure out my next move.

  I sit and meditate on it for a few minutes before the easy answer slaps me in the face. I quickly search for Logan’s charter business. Finally, lady luck smiles upon me, because I see that he has availability for a charter trip starting tomorrow. I know Auggie has to be at something in the morning, but if he skips one minor thing, we could go on a little sibling trip. I text a link to Auggie and suggest we take a few days to see some of the other islands.

  I walk back out to the pool, not bothering to wait for his response.

  “Hey, did you get my text?” I ask him.

  “Damn, impatient much, Suzy Q?” he asks with a smirk.

  “Well?” I ask him.

  I put my hands on my hips and pout. “Come on, Augs, it’ll be so fun! We can have a little brother-sister adventure. We haven’t had one in years!” I whine.

  “A brother-sister adventure?” I hear a voice behind me say.

  I whip around in total shock as my eyes lock on Chris’s. My mouth falls open, and I’m speechless.

  “Cat got your tongue, little sister?” Chris asks as he smirks at me.

  I turn around and notice Auggie isn’t the least bit surprised. I raise an eyebrow and turn back to Chris. He shrugs and grins at me.

  “A few hours after you all left, I decided it would be fun to join you,” he says.

  “And you didn’t want to share that with me because?” I ask.

  “Because I knew you’d want to do something fun, and so I already set up a little island-hopping tour for us. I had it cleared by security already, and we are set to leave in three days after Auggie does his little horse and pony show,” Chris says triumphantly. I peek around him and notice Mia is sitting on the sofa with her phone. I look back up at Chris, and he at least has the audacity to blush a little. So, he really just wants a booty trip with Mia.

  “Well, I found a charter a minute ago that looks perfect. So, cancel what you had set up,” I say. “I thought we could go tomorrow. Auggie only really needs to be there tomorrow morning. He can skip the media meet and greet or reschedule it,” I say.

  Chris gives me a pointed look because of the whole “duty before self” philosophy that I’m supposed to live by.

  “Oh, come on, Chris,” I plead. I pull out my phone and show him the website.

  He laughs.

  “What’s so funny?” I ask.

  “We booked the same charter, just different days,” he says. “I had booked the whole week yesterday, but changed it thinking Auggie had more commitments.” Well, that explains why there was a last-minute opening in Logan’s schedule.

  “So, let’s do the whole week then!” I say excitedly, trying to figure out a way to buy myself more time to convince Logan to leave the island.

  Auggie and Chris exchanges glances, and then I hear Mia say, “All set.”

  We all turn and stare at her. She grins. “You guys need a sibling adventure, and honestly, you could all use a break. Auggie can finish his duties, and I will have him chartered to the next island to meet up with us, and everyone else can leave tomorrow.”

  “Well, then, looks like we’re packing up and heading out,” Auggie says with a giant grin.

  “I’m going to go change,” Chris says as he heads back into the house. I sink down onto a chair and try to wrap my head around what just occurred.

  Auggie laughs. “You look completely befuddled,” he says as he sips his drink.

  “You knew?” I ask him.

  He shrugs. “Maaaaybeee,” he says with a laugh.

  I toss a pool noodle at him, and in all his maturity he fills it with water and sprays me. I stick out my tongue. It’s so typical. We’re all close, but Auggie and Chris are even more close. They still treat me like a little kid rather than an adult or an equal. Typically, I’m much better at spying on them but I’ve been a little preoccupied with my recent discovery.

  My phone pings and I look down to see a text from Sonya.

  Sonya: Date was AMAZING!

  I smile. I need a little levity.

  Me: Do tell.

  Sonya: No tell. Video chat!

  I don’t have time to respond because her video chat request comes through.

  I pick up and am greeted by her disheveled hair.

  “You slept with him!” I yell.

  “Shhh!” she hushes as I see her moving out onto her balcony.

  “He’s still there!” I exclaim. For all the men that I haven’t slept with, Sonya is the complete opposite. Her list of one-night stands is impressive and scary all at the same time. How she keeps it under wraps, I’ll never know.

  “He’s still here,” she says quietly while grinning.

  I walk off, so Auggie can’t hear us. “Soooo?” I ask.

  “OMG! He was amazing! Like a solid nine out of ten!” she exclaims and then clamps a hand over her mouth.

  I giggle and realize just how bad I needed a lighthearted conversation with my best friend.

  “Nine, huh?” I say with a laugh.

  “Jesus, you are kinky for a virgin, you know that?” she says w
ith a giggle.

  I roll my eyes. “I swear, I think the whole universe knows about my nonexistent sex life,” I huff. “So, please tell me about yours, so I can live vicariously through you.”

  “Well, nine isn’t too far off. Plus, that boy knows how to use his tongue, if you know what I mean,” she says with a wink. I really don’t, I mean sort of, but not really. I must make a face because she laughs. “We do need to get you laid. You know what, just find some man candy on your holiday and get the deed done. Seriously, you’re twenty-one freaking years old, for god’s sake!”

  I groan. “I’ll get to it, eventually,” I mutter. My mind immediately goes to the shirtless photo I found of Logan as Sonya begins to tell me about her date with Kolvin.

  I hear her pause. “Are you even listening?” she pouts.

  I shrug. “Sorry, I’m just tired. It’s been a long day,” I say. Noting the sun has now set, and it’s getting chilly outside. “He sounds wonderful though. I’m glad my hacking skills paid off for you.”

  She grins again. “They soooo did! I owe you one!” she says. I see her look at something. “I gotta go. Talk later.” She winks at me and hangs up, and I’m left staring at my blank screen, contemplating my nonexistent sex life.

  Chapter 8

  The good thing about getting out on the yacht is that Logan is away from the island before M arrives. The bad thing is I’m limited in my tracking abilities while we are on the boat.

  Our entourage arrives at the marina at 1:00 p.m. on the dot. Because the boat doesn’t have enough cabins for everyone, we are each bringing one bodyguard for the trip. I choose Pete, while Lucas stays behind with Chris’s bodyguard, Vince; his other bodyguard, Cain, joins us. Apparently, Auggie will be bringing Nico. Our security guys get one cabin with two bunk beds in it. They will work on shifts. Shannon and Paolo stay behind to manage things from shore, but Chris somehow manages to finagle Mia on board. I smirk when I realize there are not enough cabins, meaning they have to share one.