Loyalty’s Betrayal

by Mari Carr

“I think we stand an excellent chance at finding the Domino. We’re stronger when we work together like this.”

  “We’ll find him—”

  Cecilia glared, and he corrected himself.

  “We’ll find them, and then we’ll tell the guys with swords and guns and they’ll go get them.”

  They walked out the main gate onto College Green, heading down far enough so she could get a taxi headed the right way to take her to the airport. He was planning to stay for a day or so. There were some excellent coins in Dublin Castle he’d gotten permission to see. He’d start his homework there.

  “Thanks for suggesting this, Cecilia.”

  She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Goodbye, cousin.”

  Stronger together.

  James hoped they were strong enough.

  3

  Mateo paced the small hallway outside Arthur’s office, his mind whirling over the admiral’s phone call earlier.

  “You heard him wrong,” Mateo muttered to himself. It was the only explanation that made sense. Arthur had told Mateo that Eric, the new fleet admiral, was giving him a task, an opportunity to prove himself and to make up for failing in his duties to protect his predecessor. That part was the answer to Mateo’s prayers.

  However, Arthur contradicted all of that by announcing Mateo was being bound in his trinity.

  Spartan Guards didn’t marry until they retired at forty. They couldn’t. It was a direct conflict of interest. While in the employ of the fleet admiral, protecting the society’s leader was their only duty. Marriage was considered a distraction.

  He’d asked Arthur what he meant, but the admiral wouldn’t explain, insisting that Mateo meet him at his office to discuss it further.

  Mateo couldn’t get married. At least…not yet. He was only thirty-two, and his plans for the future, the immediate one, included one thing. To serve the fleet admiral of the Masters’ Admiralty as head of the Spartan Guard.

  To prove himself. To show the territory admirals and the new fleet admiral that he was worthy.

  As a child, he’d dreamed of being a surgeon. Those plans changed the night his parents were brutally murdered and his father, the previously unseen third in their trinity, came to take him home. His narrow vision of the world had changed overnight as he was introduced to the secret society.

  His new father taught him about the Masters’ Admiralty, opening his eyes to a way to make better use of his talents. Growing up, he’d wanted to save lives, but after the death of Mama and Papa, he felt it was more important to protect lives. Stories of the Spartan Guard set his heart aflame as he realized he was destined for a much higher purpose.

  He hadn’t been able to protect his parents, so he’d dedicated his life to protecting the fleet admiral.

  I failed.

  Mateo hadn’t slept a single night since Kacper Kujakski was brutally murdered, poisoned, right in front of him.

  I failed.

  Those two words had become his mantra, keeping him focused, determined.

  He would not fail again.

  “Mateo,” Arthur said from the doorway to his office.

  Mateo had been so lost in thought he hadn’t heard it open. His head still wasn’t quite in the game. His reflexes slow, his senses dull. He needed to get back on track if he planned to succeed in bringing the killer to justice. “Yes, sir.”

  “Please come in.” Arthur stepped aside, gesturing for Mateo to enter with his good arm.

  “Have a seat,” Arthur invited, walking around his desk to claim his own chair.

  Mateo would have preferred to stand. Sitting was a weaker position. “Sir—”

  “Please, Mateo,” Arthur insisted. “Sit down.”

  Mateo dropped down, using only the front edge of the seat while maintaining an “at attention” pose, the balls of his feet supporting him, allowing him to rise quickly if the situation demanded.

  “I know that you have questions about my phone call earlier.”

  “Yes, sir,” Mateo started. “I’m conf—”

  “Allow me to offer a more detailed explanation, and then you can ask questions if you still have them.”

  Mateo nodded.

  “The fleet admiral has set up a trinity for you. In fact, the other two will be here shortly, which is why I need to say this quickly.”

  “Sir, if I marry, I can’t—”

  Arthur held up his hand. “Please. I will explain. The fleet admiral feels that you were derelict in your duties in protecting the former leader.”

  Mateo opened his mouth to defend himself, but was silenced by Arthur’s short shake of his head.

  “I was there, Mateo. No one saw that shot coming. No one could have. I understand how you feel. I also saw my admiral murdered. I was there as his knight. I should have protected him. Instead, I was helpless to save him.”

  Mateo’s eyes instinctively drifted to Arthur’s prosthetic arm. He may have failed, but it was clear Arthur had been prepared to die in the attempt to save Winston Hammond. In the end, he’d lost his arm and his admiral.

  “I know you’re anxious for a way to prove yourself to the new fleet admiral. I see a lot of myself in you. I spoke up on your behalf, and the fleet admiral has offered you a chance. One chance.”

  “Anything,” Mateo said.

  “As you know, the shot that killed the former fleet admiral was just the final piece of a larger puzzle. Someone was slowly poisoning Kacper. Giving him the tainted medicine that led to his death. Additionally, someone allowed the man who operated the drone that delivered the death blow to our former leader on the grounds of the castle.”

  Mateo had considered this. In fact, it was much of what kept him up at night. “There was a traitor amongst my guards. It’s the only explanation. We, the Spartan Guard, were responsible for picking up Kacper’s medication, and we control the entrances to the property.”

  Arthur nodded. “The fleet admiral wants to know who it was so that we can question the man about the Domino. With Manon, the sniper, and the drone operator dead, this traitor is our only chance of knowing for sure if Manon or the sniper was the Domino, and why there’s been a change from just one apprentice to two. Or possibly three, if this traitor was also a devotee to the Domino’s cause, rather than bribed or blackmailed.”

  “I’ll find him,” Mateo vowed, grateful to be assigned the very task he’d intended to request to undertake once returning to the Isle of Man.

  “If anyone can, I’m sure it’s you. However, there are conditions to this…” Arthur paused as if struggling to find a word. “Reprieve,” he finished at last.

  “What conditions?”

  “You will work with the other two people assigned to your trinity to uncover the traitor.”

  “I think I would work better, faster, alone, sir.”

  “That is nonnegotiable.”

  “Who are—”

  “That will be answered in a moment. Fail to deliver the turncoat within one week and the marriage stands. The fleet admiral will bind you in this trinity and you will be relieved from your duties with the Spartan Guard.”

  “One week?!” Mateo rose, throwing his hands up into the air. If this was the fleet admiral’s idea of a reprieve, it was obvious he didn’t want Mateo to succeed. “Sir, please.”

  “There’s another condition.”

  Mateo didn’t care if it was a sign of weakness. He was feeling deflated, defeated at the moment. He sank down onto the chair, leaning back, slouched. “What is it?”

  “The other members of your trinity cannot know about the time limit or the possibility the union could be dissolved.”

  “He doesn’t think I’ll succeed, so he sees no reason to worry them unnecessarily.”

  Arthur didn’t reply. His silence response enough.

  “In one week’s time, you and your partners will report to the fleet admiral with the traitor’s name or to be bound in marriage. Understood?”

  Mateo didn’t answer for several moments, wondering
if there was anything he could say on his behalf to change this command from a superior officer.

  In the end, he realized he’d probably been given more leniency than he deserved.

  I failed.

  “Yes, sir.”

  Arthur hit some buzzer on his phone and a minute or two later, there was a knock on the office door.

  “That will be them.”

  Arthur rose and opened the door, allowing his vice admiral to enter with two people Mateo had never seen.

  “Thank you, Lorelei, for entertaining my guests while I handled my business.”

  Lorelei gave him a sharp, pointed glare that said she didn’t appreciate being used as a babysitter, but she said nothing in return as she left.

  Arthur invited the people—a man and a woman—to claim the other two seats across from his desk. The woman was a pretty brunette, tall and slim. Mateo suspected she was about his age, but the way she carried herself made her seem older.

  The other man was dressed in dark jeans and a plain black T-shirt, and he carried a duffel bag, which he placed on the floor next to his chair.

  The woman looked in his direction. “Cecilia,” she said by way of introduction as she sat down.

  The other man followed her lead. “Dimitri.”

  “I’m Mateo.”

  Once all three of them were seated, Arthur began. “I’m sure you’re curious about your presence here. It would seem you have the distinct honor of becoming the first trinity formed by our new fleet admiral.”

  Mateo glanced at the other two, seeing the same shock he’d had a few minutes to adjust to on Cecilia’s face. Dimitri, Mateo noted, seemed to take the news in stride, which sparked his curiosity.

  “The fleet admiral created this trinity?” Cecilia asked. Mateo detected a slight accent in her voice, but in truth, it felt like a strange blend of Italian and British, and he got the sense she was fighting against both.

  Arthur nodded. “Yes, Cecilia.”

  “Why?”

  Dimitri snorted at her direct question, earning a glare from Cecilia. “You aren’t curious?” she asked point-blank.

  He shrugged. “Not sure it matters why. Our membership in the society means we give up the choice when it comes to choosing our mates. The fleet admiral is well within his rights to do this. Questioning it won’t change it.”

  Dimitri was easier to figure out, his features and accent betraying his Ukrainian background. He possessed jet-black hair, dark eyes, heavy brows and a strong jawline, and when he spoke, his words resonated from the back of his throat with a slight nasal sound to it. Mateo had taken up the study of accents with his second father, who insisted there was knowledge to be found in knowing where a man came from.

  Cecilia was clearly not the type to blindly follow orders. “I’m aware of that, but traditionally, trinities are formed within territories. Neither of you is from Rome, are you?”

  Mateo shook his head as Dimitri snorted again, saying, “Mercifully, no.”

  Dimitri’s response did not endear him to their future wife.

  Mateo wiped that thought away. He wasn’t going to marry these two. He would move heaven and earth to get the traitor’s name. He would question the villain, then see that justice was served. After that, Mateo would resume his position of head of the guard. His job was his life, his identity. It was everything. Without it, he was nothing.

  Arthur cleared his throat, drawing their attention back to him before Cecilia could give Dimitri an earful. She certainly looked like she was ready to do battle for his slight to her territory.

  “The fleet admiral holds his own counsel, so I’m afraid I can’t answer your question, Cecilia. My role in this is a small one. I was asked to inform you of the trinity, to introduce you to each other.” Arthur paused as if realizing he’d forgotten that part. He pointed at Mateo first. “Normally, a trinity formed by the fleet admiral would be called to the Isle of Man, and you’d hear this directly from him, but these are not normal times.”

  Arthur stood up, clearly trying to make this announcement feel more formal than just three strangers meeting in an office on Threadneedle Street. “Mateo Bernard from the Castile territory. Cecilia St. John from Rome. And Dimitri Bondar of the Hungary territory. The three of you are to report to the Isle of Man in one week, at which time the fleet admiral will bind you in marriage. In the meantime, he has requested that you take the next week to get to know one another. You are to remain together and not return to your homes. Mateo will fill you in on a task you’ve been asked to attend to as well during this week.”

  “Task?” Cecilia looked at Mateo and then back to Arthur. “What’s going on here? None of the traditions regarding the forming of trinities are being observed. I realize trinities between different territories aren’t unheard of. In fact, they were more the norm than the exception during the second World War, when it was necessary to form allegiances that would keep the world from crumbling under Hitler’s regime. However, that is no longer the case. I still don’t understand.”

  “I am simply relaying the fleet admiral’s wishes.” Arthur’s face revealed nothing. Mateo wondered what else the admiral knew.

  “How is this supposed to work?” Cecilia looked at Mateo then at Dimitri. “I live and work in Singapore. And you?” she asked Dimitri, a tinge of hostility in her voice. She hadn’t forgotten his earlier slight.

  “I work in Kiev. Paper pusher for the government.”

  Mateo was surprised by that answer. Dimitri didn’t look like the type of man who’d be happy sitting behind a desk day after day. He wondered exactly what Dimitri did for the government.

  Dimitri seemed completely at ease in this office, his casual, relaxed posture giving him the appearance of a man without a care in the world. However, his eyes said something else entirely. They were focused, alert—and for some inexplicable reason, locked on Mateo. During the entire conversation, Mateo had felt the other man’s gaze on him, assessing him, sizing him up.

  “And you?” Cecilia asked, turning her eyes toward Mateo.

  “I’m the head of the Spartan Guard.”

  His response took Cecilia aback. There was no missing the astonishment on her face. He allowed himself a split second to acknowledge it before glancing in Dimitri’s direction. It was his response that interested Mateo most.

  Again, the man was unsurprised, unrattled. If Mateo didn’t know better, he would believe this man had known every word that was going to be said in his office before he walked through the door. Which was impossible.

  “Sounds like you’re out of work,” Dimitri said drolly.

  Mateo narrowed his eyes, filled with the desire to set the man straight. Sadly, he couldn’t.

  Arthur distracted him before he could speak again.

  “What I’m about to tell you is completely confidential. None of you is at liberty to share what is said in this office. Do you understand?”

  Peripherally, he saw both Dimitri and Cecilia nod. The admiral had captured their attention. Belatedly, Mateo nodded as well.

  “The former fleet admiral was killed. I’m certain you are all aware of that. What is not common knowledge is the means by which he was murdered. There was a traitor among the Spartan Guard. One of the guards tainted Kacper’s medication with a chemical that remained dormant, harmless in his system, until the second agent—delivered through a dart—was introduced into his bloodstream as well.”

  “Clever killer,” Dimitri murmured.

  Mateo’s ire rose at what sounded very much like appreciation in the other man’s voice. “You think that’s something to be admired?” Mateo asked hotly, resisting the urge to pull the arrogant man out of his chair and teach him a lesson.

  “A plan like that would take time and careful execution. Evil or no, this traitor in your guard has proven himself a worthy foe. He’s calculating and patient.”

  Mateo hadn’t missed the way Dimitri stressed the word your. It was an intentional jab. He was too angry to let the insult slide.
“And I will find him. The punishment will fit the crime, believe me.”

  Arthur shook his head. “No. The punishment isn’t yours to mete out, Mateo. You are simply to uncover who the traitor is and deliver his name to the fleet admiral. What happens to the man after that is up to our leader.”

  Mateo swallowed the bile thickening his throat. Someone on his squad had turned against them all, had broken his vow to protect their leader, and had tainted the sanctity of the guard. Mateo couldn’t step aside.

  Arthur recognized that determination. His eyes narrowed. “Just the name, Mateo.” Each word was said slowly, enunciated clearly.

  Mateo gave one quick nod, working hard to school his features. That wasn’t an order he could obey. He understood their need to question the man, but once that was done, the information acquired, Mateo would finish the job.

  “One week isn’t very long. What happens if we can’t uncover who the traitor is in that time?” Mateo was impressed by Cecilia’s intelligence and forthright nature. She would have made an excellent Spartan Guard.

  “The binding ceremony will occur and you will be relieved of the task. Someone else will take up the hunt. Discover what you can, Cecilia. Use all the resources at your disposal.”

  Originally, Mateo had thought Cecilia and Arthur strangers, but now he got a sense there was some familiarity between them. That was confirmed when Arthur smiled at her. “It’s very nice to finally meet you at last, cousin.”

  She shared his grin. “I never had the opportunity to congratulate you on your nuptials. I suspect my cousin is keeping you on your toes.”

  “Cousin?” Mateo asked. “You are related to the principessa?”

  Cecilia shook her head. “No. Though that’s a logical assumption to make, given my membership with the Rome territory. My cousin is James Rathmann.”

  Dimitri sighed loudly. “And while this is a touching family reunion, perhaps the three of us should be on our way. Bad guys to catch. Honeymooning to do. Right, Cece?”

  “Cecilia,” she corrected. “And there will be no honeymoon if you continue to use that ridiculous nickname.”

  The animosity Cecilia sent Dimitri’s way seemed to rival Mateo’s outright disdain for the man. Finding the traitor had felt like a life-or-death task for him before as he considered losing his position. Now the stakes were even higher. There was no way he could spend the rest of his life in a trinity with this cocky, obnoxious man.