Page 41 of Palace of Betrayal

“Fuck.” Alain pushed his fingers through his hair and turned his back to them before rounding on them with a gun aimed at Leo. “Drop your weapons.”

Leo let his gun fall to the ground and watched Bebe do the same.

“Alain, what are you doing?”

“You have to help me.”

“And you think pointing a gun at me and shooting me will get you that?”

“I don’t want to hurt you, Leo. You’re like a brother to me but I’m desperate.”

Before he could get out another word, Bebe dove forward and had disarmed Alain and had his gun pointed at him before he could figure out what had happened.

“You ever pull a stunt like that again, I won’t just point this gun at you, I’ll ram it so far down your throat your prostate will flinch.”

Alain dropped to his knees and started to cry. His pathetic sounds would’ve had sympathy edging into his emotions in the past, but he’d used up all his good favour from their shared history when he’d pointed a gun at him for the second time. “So, what’s the plan now, Alain? Where does Wojcik or your father think you are?”

“I snuck away and followed you here.”

Bebe dropped to the ground just as a bullet peeled past her ear. “You fuckin dumb ass, you didn’t sneak anywhere. They followed you here.”

Leo ducked, grabbing his gun as Alain snivelled like a punk. “You really fucked us, Alain. Now our cover is blown and you probably just got your father killed.”

“I’m sorry, Leo.”

“Shut up and let me think.” Bebe snapped at Alain, and he went silent.

Leo stayed quiet, letting her form a plan as he tried to figure out, how he’d keep his father safe.

“Did Wojcik have any other men with him?”

“Yes, two that have been staying with me and my father.”

Bebe turned to him. “Call your father’s secretary and have him request an urgent meeting with Wojcik and Alwyn regarding the funeral arrangements. Tell him it’s time-sensitive.”

“Okay.” Leo put in the call and made the request, ignoring the confusion in the man’s voice as he gave the orders.

“Good. Now, if that’s Wojcik, he’ll leave. He has no choice if he wants to maintain his cover. If it’s someone else, we deal with them.”

Leo dove for the sniper rifle, flattening his belly to the ground and knowing he was safe while Bebe had his back. Looking down the scope, he watched as two men in all black tried to get through the orchids. “I have eyes on two men.”

“Take the shot.”

“Roger that.”

Leo executed the two shots quickly and efficiently, watching as each man fell. Not his best work but both were clean shots. “Targets down.”

“Good. Now we need to get back to the palace and ensure our cover isn’t blown.” As Leo stood Bebe turned to Alain. “Does Wojcik suspect Leo is on to him?”

“No, but he knows you’re not here for Leo. He says you’re an assassin and a crazy bitch.”

Leo ground his back teeth. Hearing anyone refer to her that way made him want to kill the person, even his own cousin. Yet Bebe seemed unaffected by the insult. That made him angrier that she thought it was okay or was so used to it that it ran off her back.

“Wojcik is an idiot.” She moved close and laid a hand on his bicep, making his skin heat from her touch as his heart rate skidded up from just that small contact. “We need to call Emily and have her handle Alain. We can’t send him back in, he’ll blow our cover. He’s way too unstable.”

“I can hear you, you know.”

Bebe glared at him, and he seemed to pale. “Then I suggest you don’t give me a reason to show you if Wojcik is right about me and shut the hell up.”