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Jessie tells him, “The best kind in all of Montana. Chicken liver and anchovies! Woohoo!”
Alex gets excited until it dawns on him what she said. It’s a proud “mama” moment for me because he doesn’t begrudge Jessie her excitement over the offending pizza toppings. He simply tells her, “More for you! Enjoy!”
Everyone laughs, and Jessie eventually tells him they got two pepperoni, a chicken bacon ranch, and a veggie pizza. I could hear his sigh of relief a room away.
“Where’s the Hawaiian?” Savannah asks. That question led to a lengthy debate on whether or not fruit should be on pizza. I’m all for it, especially if it’s paired with something spicy. Patrick is firmly in the camp that pineapple belongs in a fruit salad but not on pizza.
Alex tells his dad, “In Cothena, one of the best pizzas they make has fresh fig slices, gorgonzola cheese, and a bal…bla...”
“Balsamic glaze,” I help.
“Yeah, that! It’s delicious. I bet you’ll love it and change your mind about fruit on pizza!” Alex says, snuggling up next to Patrick while chomping down on a slice of the pepperoni. Patrick’s eyes meet mine over our son’s head, and it’s full of questions. Questions like whether or not Patrick will ever get to try a fig pizza. Unfortunately, the answers to those questions will have to wait.
Once dinner is over and Charlie takes Alex upstairs to get ready for bed, we delve back into our earlier conversation. Patrick asks Jessie, “What did you learn while you were in town? Your body camera didn’t record any video or sound, just static.”
“A couple of guys were walking around and showing Ariella’s picture. They caught us at the small grocery store and asked if anyone had seen their ‘sister,’ who went missing a few days ago,” she says.
“You didn’t happen to get a picture of them, did you?” Jerry asks, hopeful.
“Do I look like a novice, Jer? Of course, I got a picture. You taught me well and to never rely on only one method of gathering intel.” She pulls up the pictures and screen mirrors them to the television in the living room.
Patrick looks at me. “Do you recognize them? They don’t look like the same two men that Savannah and Jessie ran into at Staghouse.”
“The picture is a little blurry, but I’m pretty sure that’s Mathias and Christos.”
“Mathias and Christos, got it. And they are a part of which royal guard?” Savannah asks.
“Oh! I’m sorry. They work for Julietta. They are on the same squad as Jovian and Simon,” I tell them.
Patrick grunts in dismay. “That means at least one of two teams from the queen’s guard is here, and we can assume there are more than Tristan and Marcus from Jordain’s security. Let’s recap what we know and why they would want to target Ariella and Alex.”
Everyone looks at me. “I guess I’m fielding that question,” I joke. “Please remember that this is all speculation. None of this has been verified for accuracy. King Jordain has been pressuring my brother, King Aaron, for the exportation of the opium poppy plant seeds in their unrefined state. One possible scenario is that the attack against Alex and me was a threat that the Caras family isn’t safe unless Aaron cedes to Jordain’s request.”
Patrick’s father, Donovan, asks from behind me, “And what does your gut tell you?” Surprised to find him sitting at the bottom of the stairs like a stealth warrior—although I shouldn’t be—my voice quivers ever so slightly when I answer him.
“My gut says that Jordain wouldn’t do that. I may not be as close with him as I am with Kiernan, but he’s never treated me with anything other than respect and kindness. The same goes for the way he treats Alex. I know he wants the opium, but I think that has more to do with becoming less dependent on us for opioids and our pharmaceuticals than it does with some black-market drug schemes. Jordain wants more revenue for his country. He’s had a recent boon with Artificial Intelligence, but he knows that technology is constantly evolving, and there is little security in that. No pun intended since Brachha is the forerunner in cybersecurity as well.”
“Why didn’t you share this at the meeting?” Jessie asks.
I shrug. “It’s just my opinion. I may not think Jordain is willing to do such atrocious things, but that doesn’t mean I’m right.”
Jerry raises his hand. “Hold on for one quick second. I need to record this.” He presses a button on his laptop and then asks me to repeat my last statement.
“I don’t know what you want me to say, Jerry. You want me to repeat that I don’t think Jordain is evil, but I might be wrong about that?”
“Yes!” he shouts. “I have it on record that a woman has finally admitted she can be wrong!”
Patrick playfully smacks Jerry upside the head. “That’s my wife you’re talking about!” Then he whispers, “Can you send me that recording so I have proof in future arguments?”
Now, it’s my turn to playfully smack my husband. “Can we be serious for two seconds?” I ask.
Jessie smiles, “That’s asking a lot. We might be able to give you one. But two? I don’t know about that. Why does royalty ask so much of us peasants?”
I giggle, genuinely enjoying the banter. The team feels like a family, and they’ve included me in it.
Patrick’s father moves from the base of the stairs into the living room. He’s always been a quiet figure in the background, but he looks quite imposing when he stands in front of the fireplace with his feet spread and arms crossed. “You’ve told us your thoughts on Jordain. What does your gut say about Queen Julietta?”
“I didn’t know her well when growing up, but she always got along with my mother. We had several lessons together but didn’t click as friends. As Aaron’s intended, she had to endure many of the same educational and etiquette classes for her role as Queen as I did. I was shocked to learn that she and my brother weren’t getting along. They always had in the past. Julietta siding with Jordain, feeling that we should share our resources, has really strained their relationship.”
