Page 58 of Palace of Betrayal

Shoving her away, Wojcik grabbed his jacket and headed toward the sound of Atticus’s voice, closing, and locking the door to the sumptuous bedroom. Flipping to her back, Bebe sat up, taking a deep breath to calm her breathing as pain from a rib she suspected might be cracked made her blink away tears. Flexing her arms, Bebe put some pressure on the ties and like she suspected they would, they gave. He may not have cut them, but he’d weakened them enough with the nick of the blade to give her enough strength to snap them.

As blood rushed into her wrists and hands, she winced in pain, rubbing, and flexing her fingers to get the blood moving. She’d already checked for obvious cameras and found none so she got up and began to look around the cabin for something of use.

She didn’t need a weapon, but it was always nice to have one. Finding nothing of any note, not even a pair of nail scissors, Bebe sighed in frustration. As she neared the door, she did hear something interesting as she listened silently, her head pressed to the wood.

Wojcik was close as he spoke. “What do you need?”

“Get back to the palace and find out what’s going on. I haven’t heard from Chelsea, and she was meant to call me when she’d secured León.”

“What do you want me to do when I find the prince?”

“Bring him to the marina. If they have Alain and Alwyn, we need leverage. He can get the gem for us.”

“You think he’ll do it?”

Atticus laughed but it was ugly and full of hate. “Oh, yes. We have the woman he thinks he loves.”

“You don’t think he knows she’s a plant?”

“You heard the recording from the apartment. He’s head over heels for her, poor schmuck. If we have her, he’ll do as I ask.”

“It won’t be easy getting to the prince.”

“Details, Albin, details. You figure it out. Kill the King if you need to get him to comply but my guess is he’ll come when you say you have her.”

“Alright, boss.”

As footsteps came closer, she rushed back to the bed and assumed a foetal position with her hands behind her back. The steps kept moving but Bebe remained where she was, ready and waiting for when the next attack came. She’d be ready this time because there was no way she was going to let these animals use her against Leo or the King.

Twenty-One

“Who the hell are you?”

Leo raised his hand for his uncle to shut his maw, a look of irritation forming on the older man’s face before he faced the newcomers again.

The palace security came rushing in and Leo again held up his hand to stop them. “It’s fine, you can leave.”

The guards looked warily at each other before doing as he bid.

“León?”

Ignoring his father’s question, he stepped forward and offered his hand to the woman with short dark hair and a resting bitch face that said she’d fuck you up if she didn’t like the look of you. She was very beautiful, with full lips and wide captivating green eyes. “Roz, I assume?”

The woman eyed him before taking his hand and giving it a firm shake. “You assume correctly.” She turned and motioned to the man behind her who was keeping very close and watching him like a hawk. “This is my husband Kanan and these two are Alex and Evelyn.”

Her husband was around his height with a short scruff of a beard, brown hair, and knowing eyes that said he’d seen and done things most people could never even imagine.

Leo moved his focus to the other two people. The man was tall and built with golden blond hair and looked like a film star. The woman beside him smiled and gave him a wave, her long dark hair and petite build making her look sweet and innocent like a girl next door when he suspected she was actually hell on wheels.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you and I’d love to stand and make introductions, but Bebe is missing.”

He saw Roz’s jaw tighten as she stepped forward and went nose to nose with him while the other three merely watched. “I beg your fucking pardon. I send my girl here to help you and you let her get taken?”

Leo felt like a small boy being reprimanded and hung his head in shame, guilt at allowing this turn of events already a deep wound in his psyche. “You can’t speak to him that way. He’s a prince.”

Leo closed his eyes and almost groaned at his uncle’s words. Not a few minutes ago he’d been admitting his betrayal to the crown and now he was offended someone hadn’t addressed him properly.

Roz looked his way and pinned him with her gaze before she strolled toward Alwyn like a panther stalking a mouse. Her husband watched on with what looked like pride and adoration on his face.