by Kat Mizera
Sandor was at the podium beside my father now, and the press was having a field day, throwing questions at him. He’d shaved off his beard and his hair was slicked back in a ponytail, just like he used to wear it. He was a little older and a lot bigger, but he was Prince Sandor of Limaj and everyone in the room knew it. They were firing questions at him faster than he could answer them but the smug little smile on my father’s face told me things were going according to plan. Poor Sandor.
“What happens now?” Casey was whispering.
“Ace, Sandor and my father are going to Limaj to meet with Anwar.”
“Oh my god.” Her eyes rounded. “But he’ll kill them. You can’t let them go!”
“I’m going too. And he can’t do anything right now, because the whole world is watching.”
“But once they’re dead, it’ll be too late.”
“We have plenty of backup.”
“I’m going too.”
“Casey, honey, it’s too dangerous.”
She shook her head vehemently. “Tough. If you’re going, I’m going.”
“And if we both die, what happens to Luke?”
“Nick will take care of him.”
“Casey.”
“Erik.”
We stared each other down and I was the one who finally conceded. She’d been through too much because of me and I was beginning to realize I was helpless when it came to her. Whatever she wanted, I would give her, no matter how dangerous. Whatever happened, from now on, we were in it together. I had my doubts, because if something happened to her I didn’t know what I’d do, but there was no help for that. Our lives, our very souls, were too tightly wound to separate and it was time to stop fighting it. This was our fucking destiny.
31
Casey
Erik and I watched a live news feed of Uncle Ben and Sandor landing in Limaj. They didn’t sneak into the country like I’d been expecting. Instead, they flew to the international airport and walked through security like they owned the place. Uncle Ben hadn’t been to Limaj in a long time, and he’d abdicated his position nearly forty years ago, but he was still highly revered and respected. People were clamoring to talk to him, and Sandor shook a lot of hands as they made their way through security. With the passel of security guards provided by Joe Westfield’s firm, they made quite the impression as they descended into the main terminal.
Here in Turkey, Xander was back with us and he winked at me as we watched everything on TV like we were there. I was a bundle of nerves, terrified that someone was going to shoot them on sight, but Sandor and Uncle Ben didn’t seem intimidated at all, which made me feel a little better.
Ace was heading up security now that Sandor had taken on the role of next in line to the throne, but here in Turkey, it was a strange feeling to be without Sandor, Chains or Joe. We had to lie low for now and no one knew about Erik yet, so we weren’t overly concerned. With Uncle Ben publicly challenging Anwar’s right to the throne, the country, the government and Anwar himself were all in a state of confusion, which was what we wanted. Anwar had a speech planned for later today and he’d undoubtedly heard that Uncle Ben and his entourage had arrived, but we were keeping Erik’s presence quiet just a little longer. We wanted Anwar to think Ben was setting Sandor up to challenge him, which would hopefully give us an advantage. Sandor hadn’t been able to reach Elen, which was worrisome, but there was no way to stop what they’d started so Uncle Ben and Sandor had to forge ahead.
The plan, from what I’d gathered, was to keep Anwar and his associates in a tailspin while Daniil worked on Omar behind the scenes. Erik, Uncle Ben and Sandor all firmly believed Omar had proof that Anwar had killed his family—and that Omar had helped orchestrate it—so he was the target, the goal and the end game. There was a chance they were wrong, but that was the only way to prove what Anwar had done, so we had to risk it.
I clung to Erik’s hand as we watched, as if it would somehow give me strength, and he didn’t let go. He was nervous too, but there was a fire in his eyes I’d missed. Back when we’d been falling in love, that fire had been one of many things I’d loved about him and seeing it again made me fall even deeper in love with him than before. We’d been apart a dozen times longer than we’d been together, but time hadn’t diminished our bond at all. We still finished each other’s sentences and understood what the other needed without really trying. I knew he didn’t want me to stay with him through this, but he’d known keeping me away would probably destroy me emotionally. We had a lot of open wounds in our relationship and the only thing that would heal them was time—and each other. The danger was secondary, as much as I hated to admit it.
I was worried about my children, and Sasha had called me half a dozen times in the last few days, but there was no safe way to contact her so I’d had to settle for sending a message to her through Aunt Kari, via Uncle Ben, that I was in a no-cell-service area and I’d call soon. Joe kept in touch with Sandor and said everything was fine at home, but that didn’t keep me from worrying. Or missing my children. I didn’t want to put them in danger, so my silence was the safest thing for them right now, even though I was sure they were confused.
“Shit.” Erik’s grip on my hand tightened and I focused on the TV.
Uncle Ben and Sandor had just walked into the assembly room at Parliament House and there was chaos. People were shouting and calling out to him, many had approached him, and Sandor was finally the center of attention. Anwar swept into the room, a dark look on his face, and then the screen went blank and was replaced by snow.
“Sonofabitch,” Erik hissed under his breath.
“Hang on.” Xander was doing something on his laptop. “Here, I got a feed from Ace’s phone, but we don’t have a great view.”
We crowded around his laptop, watching intently.
“There’s Daniil,” I whispered.
“Anwar looks pissed,” Xander remarked.
“Yeah. And Daniil looks frustrated.”
“Damn, I wish we were there.” Erik got up and started to pace.
“Your Highness, you’re specifically not there for a reason. If this goes wrong…”
“You don’t have to call me that,” Erik said firmly. “And as long as Anwar is in the room, nothing is going to happen.”
“Ace knows the drill,” Xander said. “If Anwar leaves the room, he’ll have them out of there in seconds.”
“Let’s hope that’s fast enough.”
“Omar isn’t going to let anything happen,” I said. “He needs this distraction if he wants his future kid to be the Crown Prince, so I don’t think anything is going to happen right now, right there.”
“I agree, but I still don’t like that the media was cut off. That means Anwar is afraid of what might be said.”
“I don’t like it either.” Erik started to pace and I followed him to the window, wrapping my arms around him from behind.
“What do you want to do?” I whispered.
“I don’t know.” He closed his hands over mine as I rested my head against the middle of his back.
“Whatever you need to do, I’ve got your back. Literally and figuratively.”
“I know, baby. I need to be there with them, but the risk was too much, to lose all of us at once. My stomach is in knots, waiting to hear… I know what Anwar is capable of and he could wipe out what little bit is left of the family in one fell swoop if he…” He stopped, unwilling to say anything like that out loud.
“He can’t,” I said, “because you’re here and Luke is safe in Vegas. There are two more to carry on the family bloodline.”
“I don’t want this life for him,” he whispered.
“I don’t think we can stop this.” I gently pulled away and moved around so I was looking into his face. “You’ve tried so hard to protect me and look where we are. Right back where we started, just eleven years later. I don’t know exactly what fate has in store for us, but we can’t keep trying to change destiny… This is who you are as a
man and who we are together. I’ve accepted it and that’s why I’m not going anywhere. Whatever’s going to happen, it’s going to happen to both of us. And frankly, Luke already knows his destiny, he’s just not old enough to completely understand it yet.”
He looked down at me, tenderly cupping the side of my face. “I love you, Casey. I’m sorry about all the wasted years and how much I hurt you—I hope you can forgive me enough to let me make it up to you.”
I smiled. “I just told you—I’m not going anywhere.”
“I’ve got Ace calling on the sat phone,” Xander called out. “Hey.” He listened for a minute and nodded. “Got it. I’ll let them know.” He disconnected. “Your father is leaving Parliament now and they’ll call in when they get to their destination.”
“Where are they going?” I asked Erik.
“I’m not sure. Probably back to the airport so they can head back here. It’s only a forty-five-minute flight and they don’t want to stay in Limaj.”
The two hours until Uncle Ben got back to the penthouse seemed like four days, and he looked grim.
“I need to be there,” Erik said, meeting his father’s gaze.
“Not yet.” Uncle Ben put a hand on his shoulder. “We’re so close, Erik. Anwar is in a panic. Parliament voted for a special session to determine if there’s cause to investigate my allegations, and Omar can’t see beyond getting what he wants. Something is going to give, which is what we’re waiting for.”
“And what’s going to happen if he agrees to testify against Anwar?” I asked. “He’s not stupid. He’s not going to do it unless he gets what he wants up front.”
“Oh my god, we just got a break.” Jesper had been quiet for most of our conversations, even though he’d been involved in everything. Now he was standing up, his eyes wide as he looked at something on his phone. “General Sarrano wants to meet with me, Sandor and Prince Ben immediately. He said he’ll come to us if necessary but he’s sickly and can’t make the trip all the way to Istanbul. Wants to know if we can meet him in Ankara since it’s closer for him.”
“I’ll go,” Erik said. “We were friends once and I think he’s the key to everything we’re trying to do.”
“Why?” his father asked him.
“Just before my untimely death, he and I met at Parliament. It was right before Anwar was voted in. He seemed angry and ready to fight, but then once the vote started, he went with Anwar. Something happened that day to force his hand and he wouldn’t look me in the eye afterwards. Then, of course, I died, but in our early dealings with what was the anti-rebellion back then, he was an active member. That leads me to believe he was somehow coerced that day and most likely has regretted it ever since.”
“Set it up,” Uncle Ben said to Ace. “We’ll meet him in Ankara.”
“I don’t like it,” Xander said, glancing at Ace. “He could be setting us up.”
“I’ll go,” Erik said. “With my father and Jesper. Daniil and Sandor will stay out of it. At no time will all of the remaining potential heirs to the throne be in the same place at the same time.”
Uncle Ben nodded. “Exactly.”
“I’m on it.” Ace was already on the phone.
32
Erik
We got to Ankara at dusk, settling in at what seemed to be the perfunctory abandoned warehouse with a secret back room. According to Ace it was an old CIA safehouse and not used anymore, so we could probably get away with one meeting without much risk. The CIA had purged all equipment and documents so it was like a sparsely decorated, dusty old office. The filing cabinets were empty but Xander started a rudimentary search for bugs as we waited for the general to arrive.
Casey was with me, of course, and I wasn’t bothering to try to keep her out of danger anymore. That ship had sailed and we were in this together. We hadn’t had any in-depth conversations about the plan going forward, but damn, it felt good to have her at my side twenty-four-seven. I loved this woman with my entire being and though part of me was terrified that something was going to go wrong, I couldn’t resist her. Hell, I didn’t want to, so why even think about it?
“I could really use some new clothes,” Casey said as we waited. “I’ve been in this outfit for almost a week and while we’ve washed it a couple of times, I’m starting to feel gross.”
“I’m sorry, baby.” I kissed the side of her face. “After this meeting, we’ll send Xander to get you some new stuff.”
“I would kill for jeans and a T-shirt,” she said with a grin.
I wrapped my arms around her from behind, kissing her neck. “You look beautiful in anything,” I whispered.
“You’re biased,” she said, laughing.
“You got a problem with that?”
“Not at all.” She turned into my embrace and wrapped her arms around my neck. “When this is over and you’re crowned King, can we go to Greece for a week before you take over your duties?”
“You’re making all kinds of assumptions, but yes, of course. We can go anywhere you want.”
“I like Greece,” Xander called out, grinning at us. “Your neighbor has a hot daughter.”
Casey turned to him, squinting. “Margarita or Anna?”
“Margie, of course.” He winked and she laughed.
“You hooked up with someone while on duty?” I asked him.
“Of course not.” He looked affronted. “But I’ll pick sex over sleep any day.”
“Someone’s here,” Ace said, holding up a finger.
We all froze and I was gratified to feel Casey move slightly behind me, nestling against the back of my shoulder as we held our collective breaths.
“Jesus Christ,” Ace said, shaking his head. “I didn’t know Liz was escorting General Sarrano to Turkey.” He opened the door and we were shocked to see Liz pushing the elderly general in a wheelchair.
“Surprise.” Liz grinned at us. “You didn’t think I was going to let you guys have all the fun without me, did you?”
Casey tensed behind me but I gently squeezed her hand before stepping away from her. “General.” I held out my hand.
“Erik.” The older man’s eyes watered slightly and he struggled to his feet as he took my hand. “It’s really you?”
“It’s me. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you before, but my life has been in danger all these years.”
“Seeing you here, Your Highness… This makes an old man very happy.”
“You don’t have to call me that.”
“Of course I do.” He settled back in the wheelchair. “You will be our King, as soon as I right all the wrongs of the last decade.”
“Tell us what’s happened,” Dad said, perching on the edge of the table after everyone exchanged greetings.
General Sarrano looked sad as he stared off at some invisible spot on the wall. “Do you remember the day Parliament voted for Anwar to ascend the throne?”
I nodded. “Like it was yesterday.”
“My vote swung most of the others.”
“I remember.”
“He had my daughter.” General Sarrano looked at me. “She was pregnant and close to her due date. Anwar took her and told me what I had to do to ensure her safety. You understand, I had no choice, Erik?”
“Of course.” I nodded. I’d had a feeling it had been something like that.
“He killed her anyway.”
“No-good, dirty, fucking piece of shit!” I exploded in a torrent of expletives in three languages, my fists clenched at my sides. “What the fuck?”
“He wanted to show me his power, keep me in line.”
“But it didn’t work, did it?” Dad asked.
“For a while, but no longer. I won’t die with that man in power. I will out him for everything because I did more than vote him into power.”
“What do you mean?” Dad asked him.
“I’m the one who set off the bomb that killed King Isak and the others.”
The room went silent and my father turned away, his jaw wor
king as he struggled with what had to be a shit ton of emotions. I felt some of that too, but we didn’t have time to place blame or take out our frustrations on a sick old man. We needed him and this was the piece of the puzzle we’d been praying we would find. If he’d done it at Anwar’s bidding, Anwar was done.
“You better tell them everything,” Liz told him gently.
“Anwar took my daughter,” the old man said after a moment. “I was determined to call his bluff because she was a patriot too and wouldn’t have wanted me to give in. However, when you see your child tied to a chair, with a gun held to her head, even the strongest men grow weak.”
I nodded tightly. I couldn’t imagine that fear. Just thinking about Luke in that situation made me sick.
“He told me what he needed me to do, and of course, being in the military, I had access to bombs. I did what he asked and set off the bomb that killed most of the royal family.” His eyes grew misty again and he pulled a wrinkled handkerchief out of his pocket, his hand shaking slightly as he wiped his eyes. “I thought he would give me back my daughter then, that I just had to wait and then I would tell the world what he’d made me do. Then he told me I needed to vote for his ascension, knowing the rest of Parliament would follow my lead. So I did what he asked again. Then he killed my daughter and said my son would be next if I ever told a soul what he’d done.” He lifted tired, watery eyes. “My son died of a heart attack three months ago and I have cancer. If you give me your word that you will protect my grandchildren, I will give you everything you need to remove Anwar from power.”
“I’ve already spoken to the CIA,” Liz said. “They’re working on removing them from Limaj as we speak.”
I had a thousand questions for her, but I didn’t give a shit right now. There was a light at the end of the tunnel and I was running toward it as fast as I possibly could.
