Page 8 of Mitch

Chapter Four

“I hate wearing a fucking suit.”Mitch groaned as he stepped out of the back of the Range Rover outside Buckingham Palace.

Jack quirked a brow. “You can hardly come to the Palace in jeans and a fucking t-shirt.”

Mitch gave a curt nod. “I know that.”

One of the men they knew from previous visits walked towards them at the entrance, his hand outstretched towards Jack. He was a good guy, if a bit stiff, but as the Queen’s Private Secretary, James Fitzgerald III CVO had a tough job. Mitch wondered if perhaps he knew about the traitor inside the household. If he did, he certainly hadn’t told them who it was.

“James, good to see you.”

Jack shook hands and James led them inside, his walk brisk, as if he were always on to the next thing, his mind juggling a hundred different things at once.

“Gentlemen, if you’ll follow me.”

Mitch walked beside Blake, taking in the surroundings of the Palace and while admiring the décor, wondered how people could live there. It was hard to conceive of this being home to anyone, but if you knew nothing else, it was a moot point.

He caught the look one of the personal protection officers sent their way as they stepped through into the Private Secretary’s offices. Mitch glanced at Blake who’d also caught the barely contained look of disdain.

He understood it, they were private contractors and got paid a shit load more than the men that worked for Scotland Yard as PPOs. The fact they got paid from the Privy Purse probably pissed them off even more, but that wasn’t their decision nor his. It had been the Queen’s choice to have Eidolon take over certain protection roles, and Mitch had no doubt it was in no small part because of Blake.

His relationship with the Palace was a good one, and the fact that the Deputy Commissioner had shaken up the protection schedule for the Royals was the reason the Queen had taken back some control of her family’s safety by employing them.

Closing the door on a large office with an antique desk, James sat. The room was impressive, but as the most influential member of the Royal household, it was to be expected. This man ran the Royal family and had access to everything. Again, the thought filtered through his mind that perhaps James would be ideally situated to set them up for a fall, but why? That was the thing he couldn’t place and the reason during discussions within the team, he’d been ruled out time and again.

“I don’t have a lot of time, but I wanted to give you the heads up. There’s increasing tension about Eidolon having the contract for the tour next year, and we’re getting pushback from Scotland Yard.”

Mitch pursed his lips to stop himself from saying what he was thinking, which was suck it up, buttercup. These men needed to get a fucking grip. If they didn’t like the jobs they did or the pay they got, they needed to do something about it, not sulk like kids.

“That doesn’t bother us.” Jack looked calm, but Mitch knew him, and he was pissed off.

“Here are the confirmed destinations for the trip.” James handed Jack a sealed envelope. “And a proposed timeline.”

Jack took them and placed them in his inside pocket. The next twenty minutes, the four men went over some of the pitfalls they’d already identified while James made a note of them.

James Fitzgerald was in his early fifties, slim, with blonde hair fading to grey around the temples. He’d been with the Palace for almost twenty-five years, had worked his way up so he knew it better than anyone.

Mitch, Blake, and Jack had talked about asking him if he’d heard any rumblings about them having the contract, but as he’d already come out and said there were issues being raised , there was no need.

“If that’s everything, we’ll head out. I’ll be in touch next week about this and if that other job comes up, let me know.”

“Yes, I will.” James stood as did they, pausing by the door. “Jack, could I have a moment of your time in private?”

Jack looked at them and back to James. “Sure.”

Mitch and Blake waited outside the door as it closed tightly behind them.

Mitch looked at Blake who shrugged. “He’ll tell us if it’s necessary.”

Mitch watched the comings and goings of the Palace and wondered if Autumn would enjoy it or if she’d ever been. He’d found himself thinking about her a lot in the last few days, ever since their encounter on the day she’d moved in.

Mitch had seen plenty of beautiful women in his years but seeing her sitting crossed-legged on the floor of her empty flat, feeding her baby as she smiled down at her with so much love, had affected him in ways he hadn’t expected. He couldn’t remember seeing something so beautiful; she’d looked almost ethereal, angelic.

The tension between them when he touched her hand so innocently while helping her with the pram had been fucking electric, making his cock spring to life, his belly tightening with the need to see if she tasted as good as she looked. He’d held back though, the wariness in her eyes telling him of a past that still haunted her.

It made him want to know what had put that look there, but he wanted her to tell him, to trust him. It was a strange feeling to have about a woman he hardly knew and especially one a decade younger than him with a new baby.

The door abruptly opening behind him had him glancing back to see Jack, with a furious look on his face, marching towards them. James followed, closing the door as he stepped through and led them back to the exit.