Page 15 of Jack

Chapter Six

Astrid stayedtwo paces behind Queen Lydia as they moved down the line greeting guests at the Governor’s reception. She had half an ear on what they were saying, and the other listening out for potential threats. She was armed as much as she could be in a formal dress—her stiletto had a blade in the heel, and the pocket of her gown gave her access to the small pistol in her thigh holster.

The most dangerous weapon in the room was Jack Granger in a tux. She’d almost swallowed her tongue when she’d seen him. He looked like he could slip into the role of James Bond at any second. He’d caught her eye from across the room and she felt every single touch of his eyes on her as they burned a trail of heat over her skin.

Astrid had studiously avoided making eye contact since then and was relieved he’d positioned himself towards the back of the room. She was seated three seats down from the Monarch and next to the Trade and Industry Minister and his wife. The food was high quality, but she hardly tasted it as she took small bites and pushed it around her plate. Luckily, there was some crazy rule that when the Queen stopped eating and laid her knife and fork down, so did everyone else, so she didn’t have to fake it for long.

Waggs, Decker, and Liam were in the room, positioned at strategic points throughout. She knew the others were placed where guests couldn’t see them, all overseen by Lopez, who was in a van outside with all his gear. She would’ve liked to be on comms, but with so many people looking at her, it was easier to just trust the men around her and turn the ear piece she wore off, so she wasn’t distracted by the chatter. That wasn’t an easy thing for her considering she mostly worked with women. Men and women were different in the field, and while she didn’t believe one was better or worse, they were distinct in how they thought. Her delicate gold watch would allow her to tap into the feed if she needed it, so she wasn’t flying solo.

The ballroom at the Governor’s mansion was beautiful with high ceilings, stunning chandeliers, and art deco sconces around the room. Thankfully, someone had added air conditioning at some point, and it was cooler than some of the other rooms.

“Are you enjoying your visit, Miss…?”

The man speaking to her was the minister for trade and industry and known to have a thing for younger women, which his wife didn’t seem to care about because she was sleeping with the Minister for Education. He was Greek-Cypriot and old enough to be her grandfather at sixty-eight, but that didn’t stop him from dropping his hand to her thigh in a bold move which made her want to rip his dick off and feed it to him.

Unfortunately, her cover would be well and truly blown if she did that, so instead, she smiled sweetly and answered him as she tried to discreetly remove the offending hand. “Ms Simmons,” she said, giving him her alias, “and yes. So far it has been pleasant.”

He held steady though, probably thinking for some crazy reason she was playing hard to get. Astrid was caught. She couldn’t use her usual flirtatious techniques to feed his ego before cutting him off at the knees, nor could she kick his ass as she wanted. Her role was to blend in, and a woman in her position wouldn’t make a fuss. That was something she’d love to discuss with the Queen if she ever got the opportunity again—the blatant misogyny amongst the upper classes and especially the court.

Astrid closed her eyes, praying for enough patience not to break this man’s thumb. A waft of air closed over her and the unmistakable scent of the man she’d know anywhere assailed her as she felt him close to her back.

Opening her eyes, she found him bending until his mouth was next to the ear of the man who was now swiftly removing his hand from her leg like it burned, and turning ever so slightly green. The next second, he moved his chair away from her as far as he could get at the dinner table’s snug space and turning to the guest on the other side.

Jack gave her a look, silently asking if she was okay, and she dipped her head in thanks. He hadn’t needed to rescue her, and usually she’d be annoyed he’d stepped in when she was perfectly capable, but this was Jack. For some reason, him doing it made her feel gooey on the inside.

Jack returned to his position behind her and she turned back to her meal as the next course was placed in front of her and caught the Queen watching her with a slight uptilt of her lips. Her eyes cast a glance to Jack before she nodded her approval and continued talking to the Governor as if she hadn’t missed a beat. It seemed Queen Lydia was astute and missed very little, so why did she allow men like the clown next to her to get away with such things?

The rest of the reception was uneventful, and soon she and Jack were following Her Majesty back to the residence where they would spend their last night in Cyprus. She’d enjoyed seeing around the island, and in some ways, it had helped to dull the pain this week always brought her.

The Queen turned at her door as Blake swept the room and cleared it for her. “Thank you, Jack.”

“My pleasure as always, ma’am.”

“Make sure the Minister for Trade and Industry knows that the behaviour I witnessed tonight will not be tolerated from anyone.”

Astrid blinked in surprise.

“I already have Alex and Gunner dealing with him, ma’am.”

The Queen crossed her gloved hands over her bag. “Good.”

“Fitz has the details for our departure tomorrow, ma’am.”

“Then I’ll say good night.”

Astrid dropped a curtsey. “Goodnight, ma’am.”

Both she and Jack waited until the Queen had closed the door before Jack held out his arm for her to proceed him. His hand was steady on her lower back, but not inappropriate in any way.

“Are you ready for dinner?”

“I am. I hardly touched my meal at the ball.” She had been too busy fending off that old pervert and watching the people in the room to eat more than a few bites. “What do you have in mind?”

“Well, I thought as it’s a nice night we’d take a picnic down to the beach. It’s lit from the grounds above and will give us a chance to talk in peace.”

She glanced down at her pale blue satin dress that fell to the floor in an A-line with only the slightest embellishment on the v-neckline. “That sounds lovely, but we aren’t exactly dressed for the beach.”

“You look stunning, Astrid, like a princess.”