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Prologue
End of Royal Creed
Jameson
“I toldyou it would all work out in the end, did I not?”
When I hear Gianna’s voice, I look away from the lake abutting my cabin in the mountains, watching as she strolls along the dock toward where I sit in an Adirondack chair.
Her heels and pencil skirt are out of place here in nature. An affront to the simplicity of this place. It’s why I’ve always loved coming out here. No phones. No internet. No technology. It’s a miracle I have running water and electricity. It’s one of the few places anyone can truly…disappear.
“I’m not sure I’d say things worked out,” I reply, a hint of venom in my tone. “You were supposed to deal with the Callie problem. The problemyoustarted when you had her killed before I was able to figure out if she was in possession of those recordings. If anyone has them, she was the most likely. You fucked that up.”
“If anything, Ihelpedyou. Last I checked, those recordings wouldn’t be shoved up her cunt. Or down her throat. Yet, you seemed to forget what was important since you were getting laid.”
“I told you I was handling things, but you and my father didn’t believe me. Instead, the two of you conspired against me. Look where that led. To all of this nearly falling apart once Barlow started making waves.”
“And I helped with that, too,” Gianna insists as she smooths a hand down her straight blonde hair. “I told you manufacturing a relationship with the princess would make you two the top news story across the continent, if not the world. Any mention of Callie’s disappearance was buried so deep, it was barely even a blip on the radar.”
“You assured me it would stay that way. Instead, Hayes managed to weasel his way into the crowd and accuse me of murder in front of the entire goddamn world. Wasthatpart of your plan?” I growl, still unnerved by how close things came to unraveling.
Hell, it feels like they’restillunraveling, too many loose ends floating around, most notably the location of those damn recordings my father’s been trying to locate for years now.
Recordings that could destroy everything for him.
And, in turn, destroy everything for me.
Everything we’ve built is a carefully constructed house of cards. If those recordings were to be discovered and released, it would cause everything to topple to the ground. And bring a lot of influential and powerful people down with it.
“Of course not. But I dealt with it.”
“Dealt with it?” I bark out as I stand, placing my fishing rod in the holder beside me, still not so much as a nibble on the line. “By planning an engagement? I warned you it wasn’t enough. Not with the princess’ bloody bodyguard poking around the story I gave him. Thatyouassured me would hold up. But it didn’t. He somehow uncovered Callie’strueconnection to me. If he kept digging—”
“But he can’t. Not anymore. I made sure of it. Took out two birds with one stone, so to speak. Disposed of Adam Lawson, as well as made sure Barlow no longer posed a threat. It was a fluke that Esme even survived the fire. She wasn’t supposed to. Regardless, Callie’s death will never be tied back to you. Or us. I’ve done everything I promised I would.”
“No, you haven’t. If anything, you made matters worse at every turn, starting with having Callie killed before I figured out her involvement!”
“Your father thought it best. As did Archer. You were too…distracted. She became too much of a liability.”
“Distracted? I was earning her trust.” My jaw ticks, veins burning the more I think about how out of control everything’s become. “And now Hayes has been missing for weeks, Gianna! Fucking weeks! For all we know, Callie may have given him the recordings!”
“They weren’t found anywhere on his property, even after our guys tore it apart. Plus, we both know if Callie did have them and gave them to Hayes, he would have already released them. He wouldn’t have sat on that information. No way.”
“If you’re trying to placate me, you’re doing a shitty job,” I snip out.
“I’m just pointing out the positives here. Was this how any of us saw this going? Of course not. But sometimes it’s necessary to change course.”
“This wasn’t just a change of course!” I throw up my hands, spittle forming in the corner of my mouth as I lean into her. “Do I need to remind you what’s at stake here?”
She narrows her icy stare on me. “I’m perfectly aware what’s at stake.”
“Then you know how dangerous it can be to have any loose ends. And Hayes Barlow’s unknown whereabouts is a giant loose end.”
“Everyone in the world is looking for him. They think he’s responsible for killing a so-called hero and almost killing their beloved princess. His face is plastered everywhere you turn. He won’t be able to escape capture for long. When heisapprehended, law enforcement knows what needs to be done.”
She allows her words to linger in the air for several long seconds, the only sound that of birds flying overhead and the occasional croaking from a frog.
“In the meantime, I’ve come up with a few ways to keep you in the headlines in case any negative publicity trickles in regarding Hayes Barlow’s accusations,” she continues in a bright voice. “A preemptive strike, if you will. While we’d originally hoped to paint you as the grieving boyfriend of a dead princess, that’s not a possibility anymore. We can still use your relationship to our advantage. Perhaps even arrange a few chance encounters between the two of you, since the official press release did say you parted as friends. Maybe a trip to Paris within the next few weeks while I track down Barlow. I—”
