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36
At 6pm we gather in the living room. Ma Silva looks relaxed and at ease, her long, black, woollen coat covering up her beige twinset and woollen skirt. Her hair is tied up in a chignon and she’s wearing some red lipstick, a little of which bleeds into the fine wrinkles around her mouth.
Kate, myself and the guys are perched on various pieces of furniture, waiting for Connie and Malakai to come and join us. He’s been a beast all day, and we’ve pretty much kept out of his way, spending time in the rooms upstairs or going over our plan for the thousandth time until we all know what we’re doing. First, Connie and Ma Silva will arrive at the Palace at a quarter to seven. They will keep the King occupied long enough for Kate to hack into the Palace’s security system, allowing us to access the service gate at the north side of the site and enter the building through a window in the cellar. Then we’ll follow Ma Silva’s directions to the east wing where she believes Pink is being held. Kate will remain in the car, ensuring that if there are any backup security firewalls, she’ll be able to take them down too. We take out whoever we need to take out, grab Pink and get out. Killing the King isn’t an option according to Malakai.
Whatever.
Because as far as I can see, there’s a huge flaw in this plan: Connie and Ma Silva will be left behind and I never, ever leave anyone behind. If the King has any inkling as to what we’re doing, then they’re as good as dead. Malakai’s a clever man, I’m pretty sure he knows that too. Though I suspect he has his own agenda. When he enters the room dressed up like an MI5 agent, I’m certain he does.
“You ready?” Malakai grunts.
Dressed head to toe in black and looking fiercer than ever, Malakai is tooled up with enough weapons to slay a small army. A utility belt holds two sheathed knives, pepper spray, a taser and a fucking gun. Who is this guy?
“Look at all that gear,” Camden remarks, eyeing him warily.
“Got any more of those?” Eastern asks, nodding towards his utility belt.
“No. I don’t give weapons to kids,” he grunts in response, then promptly pulls out a phone, staring intently at the screen as he sends a message to God knows who. Grim perhaps?
“Now I really do feel like we’re on the set of Mission Impossible… who the fuck is this guy?” Sonny smirks.
“Your worst fucking nightmare, or your best friend, depending on how you choose to conduct yourself. Don’t piss me off and you’ll do fine,” he adds with a growl.
“Well, that’ll shut me up,” Sonny mutters, shooting me a wide-eyed look.
“Has Connie seen sense and is staying behind? Because I really don’t need another obnoxious kid to look after. She’s a liability,” he snarls, unkindly.
Ma Silva raises her eyebrows, glaring at Malakai. “Connie is quite a resilient youngwomanas you well know, so I suggest you start treating her with a little more respect or face my wrath,” she warns. “Now, you apologise for calling my granddaughter an obnoxious kid.”
Malakai scowls but doesn’t get to respond as Connie enters the room just at that precise moment.
“Thanks Grandma, but I wouldn’t bother. Like you said, Malakai is a fortress, there’s no point in trying to make a rude, pig-headed arse with zero manners apologise to anyone.”
If our mouths pop open at how hot Connie looks, Malakai’s chin is practically on the floor. I’m half expecting his tongue to come rolling out of his mouth just like a cartoon character on the TV. It’s hilarious. Connie smiles sweetly at Malakai, her cherry lips glossy and plump.
“Connie, child, you look absolutely stunning,” Ma Silva says, her eyes welling.
“You think?” she responds, swiping her hands over the velvety emerald material of her bodycon dress. It has a sweetheart neckline that shows off her voluptuous cleavage and she’s wearing knee high boots that hug her calves and ankles as tightly as her dress hugs her skin. I would never assume such a beautiful woman would be insecure, but the way she seeks approval proves that she is.
“That’s completely inappropriate. Get changed,” Malakai snaps, shaking his head to break himself out of the trance he’s so obviously in. “You are not going in there to impress those two arseholes.”
Connie frowns, her cherry lips pursing as she glares at him. “You need time and if looking like this helps to keep the King and his son’s attention then I don’t see what the problem is. I’ve been told before that beauty has no value in the real world. Perhaps tonight my beauty will come in useful, thatandmy exceptional skills at making small talk interesting,” she adds with a glimmer of mischief in her eyes.
“Whoever told you that is a fool, beauty is as much a weapon as intelligence. You just got to know how to use it to your advantage,” Ma Silva announces with a smile that suggests a past beauty that lingers still. When her gaze meets Connie, I can’t help but notice the small dip of her head and pride light her eyes.
“I think you look stunning,” Kate remarks, smiling gently.
“Thank you. I appreciate it.”
“Well, if we’ve all finished fawning over Connie, I suggest we get going. It’s going to take a lot more than beauty to pull this off tonight. Try weeks of surveillance and planning,” Malakai growls.
Connie turns away, grabbing her coat from a hook on the back of the door. If you weren’t looking close enough, you might not have noticed the slight drop of her shoulders and the flicker of hurt in her eyes. I have the sudden urge to tell Malakai what I think of him. What a prick. It’s obvious to everyone in the room, bar Malakai, that Connie hasn’t dressed up for the King and Monk, but forhim.
Whoever said that love is blind knew what they were talking about.
* * *
Ten minuteslater we’re rolling up to the back entrance of the palace with the car headlights switched off. Rain is still pelting down and I literally have no idea how Malakai can see where he’s going, given it’s pitch black. The guy must really know this area well, either that or he’s fucking insane.
