Page 69 of Palace of Betrayal

“Of course.”

“Now, the next obstacle is the auction. They’re expecting a man. I could send either Alex or Kanan in.”

“No, I’ll do it.” Leo knew he needed to end his country’s part in it.

“No.” Bebe and the King exclaimed at the same time.

Ignoring his parent, he addressed the woman he loved. “Bebe, this is my country. I need to extract us from this mess my family has made. Plus, I do resemble Atticus in height and build, so if for some reason Atticus has been identified as the buyer, I can hopefully pass myself off as him.”

“And if you can’t? They’ll kill you, Leo.”

“Bebe is right, son. Listen to her.”

“Not to pick sides, but Prince León is right. He’s our best bet for this, and I’d rather not take a chance our cover gets completely blown. With four other girls out in the field with similar cover stories, we don’t want to tip The Collector off that we’re in any way on to him. It will completely compromise them and leave them wide open.”

Bebe crossed her arms over her chest, and he knew he had to let her come around to this idea on her own.

Blowing out a breath, she sighed. “Fine, but I’m going with him.”

“We can handle that.” Roz motioned to herself, Kanan, Evelyn, and Alex.

Bebe stood her ground. “It’s not a request, Roz. He goes, so do I.”

Leo desperately wanted to go all alpha and demand she stay put, safe in the Palace, but he knew he couldn’t clip her wings like that. “She should come. I trust her to have my back.”

Roz lifted her perfectly arched brow and crossed her arms before she smiled, and he wondered if he’d just passed some imaginary test. “You’ll do.”

Bebe shook her head in exasperation and grinned. “Looks like we’re heading to Proenia.”

Twenty-Six

Proenia was very different to Soflye. Where Soflye was luxurious, with wealthy and beautifully sculpted models and actors around every corner, Proenia was magical. The weather was warm, the sun not as powerful, and Bebe was glad for the reprieve. They drove to the safehouse Roz had procured along narrow streets, with high buildings on either side. Some had the national flag of Proenia hanging proudly from the window and some had colourful bunting strung from one house to the other in a diagonal direction. It reminded her of some of the Italian villages she’d visited.

Sitting beside Leo in the back of the blacked-out jeep, she felt the comfort of his presence even as her belly flipped with nerves over the upcoming auction that night. A week had seemed like enough time to strategize every eventuality, but she knew there would never be enough time to consider every scenario when a maniac was at the helm, and that was exactly what The Collector was.

Kanan drove, Roz beside him, and she was glad to have her friends there as backup for this mission. Alex and Evelyn were two cars behind, making sure they didn’t have a tail, as a further precaution. The King had handed over the Tanzanite Tears to her and told her to keep his son safe.

The tenderness and love in his voice, coupled with his belief in her to do as he’d asked, had brought tears to her eyes. The kiss on the head he’d given her as he wished her a safe trip, gave her heart the strength to do what she knew she had to do.

Brody James had proved useful when he’d shown up later that night after the details of how they’d approach the auction were ironed out. Using nanotechnology he’d given them, they were able to attach it to the gemstone so it could be tracked. That might give them the lead they needed to find The Collector because right now, they had nothing of value.

Roz had vetoed Brody’s plan to be involved in the op, saying he could be in the van close by with Alex and Evelyn and watch, but no involvement. Bebe knew he hadn’t liked that but given he wasn’t supposed to be there, he’d taken it. She still didn’t trust the spook, but he’d proven at least some of his words were true when he’d helped them rescue her from the yacht.

Leo had yet to forgive him for allowing her to be taken, but he hadn’t broken anything else on the man since his nose and that was a bonus.

Stopping outside a stone building nestled into the heart of the quiet street, she glanced around before exiting the car, finding nothing of note to put her on guard or further on edge. Leo held his hand out for her to proceed him as Roz opened the door.

The space was small, with the front door opening directly into the living room. A small kitchen was directly behind and a staircase leading up to the second floor on her left. The décor was simple but clean with a touch of Italian chic giving the place a homey feel.

“Why don’t you two get some sleep? I know none of us have slept in days.”

Roz motioned toward the upstairs as she began setting up her laptop on the kitchen table. Most likely so she could work or face time with her kids. She knew the separation from them must be hard. As a woman so focused on saving the world, Roz had almost lost her chance at love, but Kanan had never given up on them. His love for her had begun over fifteen years before when he’d saved Roz from a cruel man who’d broken her in ways that were almost unimaginable.

“Are you sure you don’t need me to stay and help out?”

Roz gave her a kind smile, one of the rare times she showed her caring side. “Go, we’re going to speak to the kids and get some shut-eye. Alex and Evelyn are on overwatch until we leave for the auction.”

“Okay.”