Teasing the Princess

by Nana Malone

  Jessa staggered backward. "Wait, this was because of me?"

  "It certainly looks that way. We'll find them. I swear to God."

  "We’d better. Because when we find them, I'm going to personally make them pay.”

  Jessa

  I still wasn't sure how I made it through the rest of the event. There was no choice really. People were counting on me. So, like it or not, I had to keep it together, but all I wanted to do was collapse in a corner and give in to the tears.

  East and Bridge both made it point to come over and congratulate us. Ben looked thrilled. I couldn’t enjoy any of it though. My best friend, the first friend I’d made here in London, was hurt because of me. There was no denying it. This wasn't an Evan thing. This was a royal thing.

  It all came crashing down on me, that comfy denial I’d been living in. It all sank in. There would be no going back to my normal life. This was my new reality.

  Chloe was my best friend. Someone thought they could manipulate me, force my hand. Someone thought they could make me bend to their will. And what? Give myself up?

  I would. I could. That wasn't the problem. That was no hardship. I was more than ready to do that for my friend. Granted, there was a part of me that wanted to rail against the idea that I needed to give in to these assholes who'd hurt her.

  I hated them. And I wanted them to burn. So sure, I could give myself up. I would absolutely do that if it meant no one else I loved would get hurt. At least she was already somewhere safe where we could keep an eye on her. Jacob sent me a picture of Chloe from the hospital giving me a weak smile and a thumbs-up after her surgery. Jacob was going to watch over her personally.

  Chloe sent me a text from his phone.

  Chloe: Thanks for sending me a hot guy to help me recover.

  Jessa: Anytime.

  Chloe: Honestly, it was only my spleen. What does one need with a spleen anyway?

  I knew she was going to be okay, and I was very relieved. But still, I couldn't chase the worry away.

  By the time we arrived back at the hotel, my nerves were frayed. We were going to have to figure something out because I couldn't live like this.

  Once Roone did all his checks, we Facetimed my brothers. "Are you okay?"

  I don't know why it was such an odd question to me, but it was, because nothing felt okay. Nothing felt like it would ever be all right again. All I could do though, was nod my head. The words refused to come out, still caught in my throat and far too raw.

  Lucas shoved Sebastian out of the way, and his hands and face popped in front of the video. “I need to see for myself. Well, you look okay. So, let's find out who hurt your friend and kill them, okay?"

  Somewhere in the background, Ethan's voice, calm and steady as before, said, "No, we can't kill them."

  Lucas scowled.

  Penny ignored them all as she came onscreen. "Listen, if you want, we can bring your friend to the Winston Isles and keep her safe here."

  "That's really sweet. But Chloe's life is here. Her parents moved to Mallorca a few years ago, but this is Chloe's home. She's grown up here, all her friends are here. I don't really think she'd be down for displacement in a foreign island."

  "Well, it would only be temporary, but I understand. Lord knows I wouldn't exactly be thrilled about it."

  Finally, someone moved the camera so that we could see all of them at once. I couldn't help but smile. They were in Sebastian's office. The room wasn't tiny, but with men as large as my brothers, plus Ethan, Penny, and the Queen Mother in there, it looked like a sardine can had been stuffed full of people.

  Sebastian's frown now was familiar. It was weird. These people I'd met a couple of weeks ago had started to feel like... family. Like people I cared about. Like people whose opinions mattered to me. Like people I would miss. It didn't matter that I barely knew them. Each and every one of them was willing to jump into the fray. For me.

  Yeah, no shit. It's called family.

  It was weird having that feeling. From age ten, I’d only had my father. I knew he loved me, just maybe a little too much. I wondered just how sick he actually was, though it didn’t really matter. He’d kept me alive to this point. And I would always be grateful.

  "Listen, in light of what's happened to your friend, Lucas and I were talking. There's no reason that only you should be bait. If someone wants the royal family, they'll have to come and get us."

  I furrowed my brows. "Say what now?"

  "What I'm saying is we're coming to London. All of us."

  I shook my head. "No. That's insane. That's dangerous, and you’d be putting Penny and Bryna at risk."

  Penny chimed in. "Hey, I can take care of myself."

  I looked at Roone for help, and he just shrugged.

  Asshole.

  "No, Penny, I think we all know you can take care of yourself, but that's not the point. The point is you shouldn’t have to. And Bryna isn't trained like you are. She's going to need a full-time guard. Someone just threatened our family. Do you think it's wise to walk right into their hands?"

  Sebastian shook his head. "Look, I know. But we're at DefCon 1 here. We need to prime the pump and keep things moving. If someone wants to come after us, let's force them to come at us head on. That way we'll all be together. Because we're far stronger together than apart."

  I shifted my gaze to Roone again, but he seemed unperturbed by the crazy. "I've learned when Sebastian says something outrageous, it's better to just go along because he's going to do it anyway. At least this way we have a chance to mitigate some risks."

  "Oh my god, I'm going to regret this aren't I?"

  Sebastian chuckled. "No, you won't. Because your family is on their way. Hang tight, and we'll help you make sure Chloe is okay."

  "It's not your fight. No one asked for you; they asked for me."

  "If someone comes for my sister, they're coming for me. And they're about to discover a whole hell of a lot about how much I dislike that."

  23

  Ariel

  I hated the fact that I had to go get my father myself. He'd managed to evade the team I'd taken with me when he was in Barcelona, and we’d had to chase him to Dublin. From the airport, I went straight to the meeting with the staging team I'd reached out to. Thanks to Matthias, I had some extra assistance from local police and Interpol.

  A Sergeant Bustalo met me at my hotel and gave me a nod. "I understand you need some help."

  "Yes, well, I always need a little help. I guess he was behind a robbery in Barcelona, which means Interpol is now involved. Which means you."

  He nodded. "Yes, well obviously I'd heard about his petty crimes in the Winston Isles, but he hasn't been on our radar ever."

  "No, up until recently he's been strictly a petty criminal, so there was no need for Interpol."

  "Well, it’s too bad for him that he took the ID of someone we've been pursuing for a long time. So, either way, we're making an arrest."

  "Well yes, but Winston Isles has jurisdiction. I understand that was the arrangement made."

  He nodded. "Yes. Of course. As long as we get to question him, that's all I care about."

  My shoulders relaxed. "Okay. Let's get going."

  We climbed into his Fiat, and I might have given him a slightly judgmental look. How was that thing supposed to go fast enough if we had a car chase? But that didn't matter. It was enough that my father wasn’t hiding. He was sitting in plain sight in a café enjoying his coffee, even knowing what he’d done.

  At the café, I was out of the car before Bustalo could even stop me. "Wait."

  I didn't listen. I just marched right up to my old man.

  He stood as I was approaching. "Sweetheart. It's good to see you."

  "Dad. Want to tell me what the hell you're doing in Dublin?"

  "Well, you know I've always wanted to see Dublin."

  "You're full of shit. We're not Irish."

  "How do you know? You've got all that red hair."

  "That'
s from mom. Come on we're going."

  He shook his head. "No, I don't think so. It's a very sunny day. I'm going to enjoy it, drink my coffee, you can't touch me here."

  "Are you insane? This isn't a non-extradition country. You're actually in the United Kingdom. And the Winston Isles has an agreement with them, so we're going."

  "Well here, I haven't committed any crimes. And you're going have to get extradition papers. Which you don't have."

  I raised a brow. "Are you sure I don't have those?"

  He grinned. "Sweetheart, if there were extradition papers they wouldn't have sent you to serve them. They would have sent very official-looking people. Not someone who actually cares about me."

  "And what if I suggested that I wanted to be the one to bring you in?"

  He shook his head. "You wouldn't. You can't. I'm your father and you love me."

  "And you took advantage of that."

  "I didn't take advantage. You're my daughter. You knew I needed you. And when it's all said and done, you'll understand why I did it. You and I, we don't belong with them, with their royal intrigues and succession lines. You and I, we're normal, average. The sooner you realize that the better. And they will cast you out of their gilded tower in no time. I did you a favor."

  "You used me."

  "I'm trying to save you." He leaned forward. "You've gotten so embroiled with them you can't see the infighting and everything that's going on. All of a sudden you think you're better than us. You're not." He sat back again. Sipping quietly.

  I just stared at him. Maybe he was right. Maybe I couldn't do this. "Stand up."

  He laughed. "What, as if you're actually going to take me in?"

  "Yeah. I am."

  He grinned. "This I would love to see. You can try to take me in. But you and I both know that you don't have the stones for it."

  It was my turn to grin back. "I might not have the stones for it, but you know, he certainly does." I inclined my head at Bustalo, who was about fifteen yards back. My father's brows furrowed and then lifted. "You brought thugs?"

  "No, Dad, I brought Interpol."

  Next thing I knew, the post box on the corner about twenty yards away popped, made a loud booming sound, and caved in on itself.

  Smoke blew out, and immediately everyone in the vicinity took cover. The second that explosion went off, my father jumped back in his seat. The chair clattered to the ground, and he was off.

  "Shit. Bustalo, he's running."

  Bustalo was right on my tail. We were running through the crowd. Everyone was screaming, running, and ducking for cover. Dad made a turn behind a pub, into a narrow alleyway. Bustalo huffed behind me. "I'll go around."

  I didn't even hear him. I could barely process what he was saying. All I knew was that my father was within arm's reach, and he was getting away. I could do this. I could take him. I could bring him back and make sure he stood trial for treason.

  Yes, and loose everything you've worked so hard for? It didn't matter. Because it was the right thing to do. I didn't care that he was my father. All these years I’d spent begging him to do better, to be better. He just wasn't capable.

  You know what it would mean. It would mean that you couldn't be Royal Guard anymore.

  But none of that mattered. Because that man, my father, had threatened my family. My real family, the ones who cared about me and loved me, the ones who would do everything in their power to help me. That man wasn't it. That man was selfish. We might be bound by blood, but that didn't define family. He'd used me.

  I squeezed through the opening, still running. I thought I had him cornered at the bank of River Liffey, but he glanced back at me, still running full out. Bustalo met me at a dead sprint, and I watched in horror as my father climbed over the embankment onto the bridge and jumped.

  "No!" I ran to the edge. Bustalo was already on the phone. "I need a search team. Get the divers, the local police, get everyone. He's probably still alive and we need to get him."

  I stared at the water, but he wasn't in it. Just below us, there was a boat, and I ran to the other side of the bridge. It was a barge, and on a pile of boxes or something covered with dark material, somebody was moving. He'd landed safely on his feet, just like he always did.

  "He's gotten away."

  Ariel

  I could barely move my feet. I dragged ass all the way back to my flat in London, my overnight bag hitched over my shoulder. When I trudged up the stairs to my flat, I found an unexpected face waiting for me, even though Roone had warned me they were all coming. "So, were you going to call?"

  Penny.

  "Pen, not now. I'm tired. I just got back from Dublin."

  Penny's dark gaze met mine, and she searched it. "You didn't get him?"

  I shook my head.

  She stepped aside and let me open the door.

  When I stepped through, I dropped my bag right at the door and just went straight in to the couch. I didn't bother to offer her anything. If she wanted anything, she knew full well that she should have gone to someone else's place. My flat barely had basics; vodka in the freezer, sweaters in my oven. I didn't cook.

  "Tell me what happened."

  "He jumped off a fucking bridge, Pen. A bridge. To get away from me."

  Her eyes bulged. "Are you serious right now?"

  "Yeah. Dead serious. I had Interpol with me, and he was just as calm as you please and did a runner off a bridge. I didn't know it, Penny, but he really hates the royals."

  She frowned. "If that's true, he never would have let you join the Royal Guard."

  "His mind has been tainted or something. I don't know what it is, but that man, he's not my father. Or maybe that's who he's always been, and I have just never really known him. But he jumped off of a goddamn bridge."

  "He literally ran from you. That’s intense."

  “Tell me about it.”

  "Is he okay? Are they drudging the waters?"

  "No need. He jumped onto a barge. Now, whether or not he knew that barge was there, is beyond me. He must have. I don't know. But why run unless he knew what the hell was going on? He obviously did it on purpose, Penny. He used me, and I let myself be used like a moron."

  "Babe, he's your father."

  I hated how much my eyes stung. I hated the heat behind the tears. I hated the hot, wet splashes on my cheeks. I hated it all. I loathed it. But it was what it was. I was crying. "How did I make such a bad calculation?"

  "You didn't make a bad calculation. Your father called and needed a place to stay. Even if I had your father, I'd have done the same thing."

  I considered her. "I know."

  "Cool, then cut yourself some slack. We'll figure this out. Did you call Matthias?"

  I nodded. Weller had been taciturn, but he was helping. "He's already tracking him as best as he can, keeping an eye out for any known aliases, but none of this makes sense. Just why?"

  “What do you mean?”

  "I mean he was already in Barcelona, already further away from the UK and the Winston Isles where he’d be more likely to get caught. The whole scenario is just insane."

  Penny frowned. "Unless, now that we've cracked the whole conspiracy, maybe that was what they wanted all along?"

  I shook my head. "No. Because you had to all be together. They didn’t know you were all together in the islands already."

  Penny laughed. "And the islands are basically a fortress. That's our turf. You know how difficult it would be to grab one of us there?"

  I rubbed my eyes. "Penny, I just I think I don't know who that man is at all. All these years, I knew he was shady. I mean, he's my father. I know him. But that kind of hate? He was never capable of that before, ever. What am I going to do, Penny?”

  "Well, let's not panic, okay?"

  "This is the time for panic, Penny."

  "Oh, my God. Why have we swapped roles right now? Look, you and I, we know how to do this. Just take a break. We can figure this out, you and me."

  "Except
it's not going to be you and me much longer. My father committed treason. My days are numbered."

  "First of all, there's no way I'm letting the Regents Council boot you. I will kill anyone who tries to separate us. Do you understand me?"

  I couldn't help but chuckle, even though my heart was being sliced into a million little pieces. "Yeah, but you need me to move the bodies."

  "Honey, I can move my own bodies."

  I grinned. "Yeah, but you have a tendency to leave parts behind."

  She shrugged. "Look, as long as I move most of the body…"

  "No, you need to move the whole thing, do a thorough job. That's why you have me for these things."

  She looked at me and smiled. "Besties till the end. Don't worry about what's going to happen in the future. You and I, we will figure this out. But you need to rest first. After you rest we can talk about it. We’ll find your father, and when we do, Sebastian will figure it out. And don't you worry. He's not letting you go. Even if you weren’t a valuable member of Team WI, you’re my best friend, and he would do anything to see me happy. And the one thing that’s going to make me happy is having you by my side, so stop worrying about it. You and me till the end… that’s how this goes.”

  "I can't just let it go. I can't pretend it's not a problem."

  "Is it a problem right now? Or is your best friend just a girl, standing in front of her bestie, with a bottle of vodka chilled in the freezer, asking her to love her?"

  "I'm pretty sure that's not the way the actual movie quote goes."

  "Well, it doesn't matter if that's how the movie quote goes or not. That's what I'm saying. You and me. I'm not letting you make yourself insane. We're going to be okay. Okay?"

  "I certainly hope you're right. Because, right now I'm done. I got nothing. I have no hopeful, snarky remarks. I'm worried, because at some point, someone's going to get hurt. I just have to catch him before he does anything else to completely damage all of us, before he burns every bridge."