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Anandur glanced at Negal's drink. "What's that?"
"Whiskey sour."
Anandur looked down his nose at the glass. "That's a waste of good whiskey."
"That's how I like it." Negal took another sip. "Did you have an argument with your brother and that's why you are calling him names?"
"I didn't. Max did." Anandur leaned over the bar. "Brundar refused to have a bachelor party, and I'm bummed about it. Not only is it a tradition, but he's my brother, and he's only getting married once. I tried to convince him to at least smoke a cigar with a few of our closest friends, but he's so antisocial that he didn't want to do even that. I have no idea how he runs a club."
"Maybe he likes the people in his club more than he likes us?" Max suggested.
"Not likely." Anandur lifted the whiskey glass to his lips. "He doesn't like anyone other than his bride."
"I'm sure he likes you," Negal said.
"Sometimes, I'm not sure he does. He tolerates me, but he doesn't like me." Anandur took a sip from his drink. "Wonder is with Callie and the other ladies, and I'm all by my lonesome."
"Why aren't you with Kian?" Max asked. "Wasn't he planning on interrogating the prisoner?"
"Kian decided to do that later." Anandur pulled out his phone. "He said he would call me when he was ready to go down there, and I hope he didn't go without me. The Clan Mother would be displeased."
The mention of the princess got Negal's attention. Anandur was close to Kian and, therefore should have more insight into the heir than most.
"Why is she so careful with her son and not her daughters?" Negal asked. "From what I've heard, she doesn't require the daughters to take bodyguards everywhere they go."
Anandur chuckled. "The answer to that is simpler than most people assume, but it's a well-guarded secret, so you can't tell anyone."
Max made a sign over his lips that meant he would keep them shut, and Negal mimicked it.
Anandur leaned closer to Max. "The daughters would have never agreed to that, and the Clan Mother knows which battles are worth waging. She got them to agree to take their Odus with them, but Amanda refused to do even that. She almost never takes Onidu with her to the university."
Max looked doubtful. "That doesn't sound right. Kian is more stubborn than all of his sisters combined, and yet he agreed to the bodyguard rule."
"They made a bargain," Anandur said in a conspiratorial tone. "The Clan Mother agreed to follow a safety protocol that Kian insisted on, provided that he followed hers. The truth is that hers is as minimal as her daughters', but even that was a hard-won concession. The Clan Mother believes that she's invincible, and she might be right, but Kian still worries about her."
"That makes more sense." Max lifted his empty glass to signal to Bob that he wanted it refilled. "Although I'm sure it's not the entire story."
"It never is," Anandur said with a wink.
12
KIAN
"He's ready for you, boss," Anandur said as he walked out of the brig, leaving the door open.
"Thank you." Kian followed the Guardian inside, with Kalugal a step behind him.
The fear in the Doomer's eyes as he and Kalugal entered the antechamber sang to Kian's soul. It was satisfying to see the maggot, who had anointed himself a deliverer of death and suffering, cower before a superior force.
The cell had two sections, with a small area at the front separated from the actual cell in the back with reinforced bars. It had been strong enough to hold Igor, so it was definitely strong enough to hold the Doomer calling himself Bud.
His ankles and wrists were cuffed, even though there was no need for that. He had a feeling that Anandur had insisted on the cuffs as another way to intimidate the guy, but again, Kalugal didn't need the help. His compulsion was enough to make the Doomer sing whatever tune they wanted him to sing.
Roger, the Guardian whom Onegus had chosen to fill in for Brundar, stood with his hand on his sidearm, ready to intervene if needed. The guy was an experienced veteran of the force, and Kian had no doubt that he could step into Brundar's shoes for the next few days.
It hadn't been easy to convince Brundar to take time off after his wedding. Allowing the Guardian to join the mission earlier in the day had been a strategic decision on Kian's part. He'd used the concession as a bargaining chip to pressure Brundar to take a leave of absence.
"What do you want with me?" the Doomer asked in his heavily accented English.
