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And it’s not simply because he’s gone, because I’ll never hear his voice again.
It’s because the last words I ever said to him were those of hate. Disgust. Outrage. I essentially told him he was dead to me.
And now he really is dead.
I may not have been the one to pull the proverbial trigger.
But I feel just as responsible. Just as culpable.
I’ll never be able to apologize. Never be able to tell my brother I love him. That I didn’t mean what I told him. I’ll have to live with that for the rest of my life.
“Who did this?”
“Hayes Barlow. If you’ve been following the news—”
“I know who he is,” I interrupt. “I thought he was arrested.”
“He was held for questioning, but was eventually released on a promise to appear.” He swallows hard.
“Who was the target? Was it Adam? Or was it Jameson? Is he okay?”
My father nods. “Luckily, he wasn’t in the vehicle. I’m not sure of the specifics, and they’re still looking into motive, but it appears Adam…” His voice momentarily catches when he says his name.
Pausing, he takes a few moments to collect himself. Then his expression evens as he turns back into the stoic man he’s been all my life.
“It appears Adam took a bit of a...detour on their way to the gala. They were attacked by Grace Park.”
I furrow my brows, something not adding up. “Grace Park? That’s nowhere near Lamberside.”
“Based on their proximity to Her Majesty’s final resting place, they believe Adam was taking Princess Esme to visit her mother’s grave. They were a few blocks away when they were attacked,” my father continues. “The investigation is still underway, but the General of the Royal Guard has shared a few details with me. As has the Chief of Royal Police. They pulled surveillance video along the path Adam took, based on his car’s GPS.
“Approximately five kilometers before the scene of the crash, an Audi registered to Hayes Barlow was spotted exiting the parking lot of a nearby church. The vehicle followed them, but stayed far enough back so as to not alert Adam to its presence. At least until he was ready to attack, at which point he increased his speed and forced the SUV off the road. Adam used defensive techniques, but he ultimately lost control and crashed into a tree.”
“So he forced them off the road, then…” I trail off.
“He approached the vehicle, poured accelerant over it, and lit a match. The doctors say it’s a miracle Princess Esme survived, albeit with severe smoke inhalation and some second-degree burns. What little information she was able to give investigators before needing to be sedated further was that she’d lost consciousness because of the initial impact, but then the flames had woken her up. She managed to open the back door and escape. She tried to get to Adam, but the front of the car was already engulfed in flames.” He pinches his lips together. “It was already too late.”
“She’s awake?”
“She’s in and out of consciousness. She’s on oxygen for the time being, but the doctors say that’s normal and expect her to make a full recovery.”
I try to find relief in that, but that relief comes at a price.
“And they’re positive Hayes Barlow is behind it?” I ask.
“His car has damage consistent with the damage to the SUV. And the royal police expect that once the forensics team completes their analysis, the paint transferred onto the SUV will match Hayes’ vehicle, and vice versa. They also uncovered empty cans of white gas in the trunk of his car. And upon a search of his house, they found a pair of black pants, black long-sleeved shirt, and black hat in his garbage bins, all of them reeking of smoke and accelerant. There’s a continent-wide search going on for him right now.”
“He hasn’t been found?” I ask, eyes wide.
“He will be. Trust me. I’ll do everything I can to make sure he pays for what he’s done, even if it’s the last thing I do.”
I nod, everything still surreal. I’ve never known a world without my brother in it. He was my first friend. My best friend, really, despite our differences.
After a protracted silence, I glance at my father. “And Rory? How’s she handling things?”
“She’s still in a state of shock. Hasn’t cried yet. Or really spoken. Your mother’s with her right now.”
My chest squeezes at the thought of what Rory’s going through. A week ago, they celebrated the life they were about to bring into this world. Now she’ll have to go through it alone.
