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I shrug, but don’t back down. “Being back here has brought up some memories. Adam’s death. Hayes being declared dead, but his body never being found.”
“The wreckage of his boat washed up on the shore of Norway riddled with bullet holes and covered with blood.Hisblood. There’s been no sign or trace of him since.”
“Kind of like Callie,” I state in an attempt to bait him. To disclose what, I have no idea.
“I guess so.” His shoulders slouch as his head drops in defeat. He looks like he did when he first shared their story. Heartbroken. Anguished. Shattered.
“And then there’s Gianna, too,” I continue, as if adding yet another dead woman to the mix will have him change his tune.
He pushes out a sigh, dragging his fingers through his hair. “What are you getting at?”
“I don’t know.” I glance up at the ceiling, chewing on my bottom lip. “After being gone for years, all these questions I was too numb to ask before have returned to the forefront of my mind. For instance, why would Hayes target Adam? Or me? I just… I feel like I need to know what really happened because nothing I’ve been told makes sense anymore. Maybe I just want Adam’s death to have meaning,” I confess in a surprising moment of honesty. “I need to know there was a reason for it.”
“And there was.” He runs his hands down my arms, eyes awash with sincerity. “It may not be something big or profound. But the evidence doesn’t lie. His car—”
“I’m well aware of what the physical evidence indicates. I just don’t understand why. Why did he go after Adam? Or me? Why didn’t he target you?”
“I’ve asked myself that very question every day for the past nine years. I’veblamedmyself every day for the past nine years.” His words come out choked. “Unfortunately, the only person who can answer that for certain is gone. All I can think is that maybe Hayes blamed Adam for losing his sponsorships. For a driver like Hayes, that’s his entire livelihood. He was already on edge before that. It was most likely just the last straw and he took it out on the first person he could. Sadly, it happened to be Adam… And you.”
I close my eyes and draw in a deep breath, nodding. “You’re probably right.”
“I am. Trust me. It’s best if you just forget about the past. It doesn’t matter anymore. I hate the idea of anything horrible happening to you because you went digging somewhere you shouldn’t have.” His fingers tighten around my arms, his grip on me borderline painful. Then he steps back and bows. “Your Highness.”
It’s probably just my overactive imagination at play, the result of watching too many true crime documentaries.
But I can’t shake the feeling that Jameson’s parting statement wasn’t that of a concerned friend. Not when it sounded more like a threat.
ChapterEighteen
Creed
“You wanted to see me, sir?”I ask, stepping into the General of the Royal Guard’s office early Monday morning.
When I received an email late last night, ordering me to come here first thing in the morning, I assumed he wanted to discuss plans for delaying Anderson’s trip scheduled for this week.
But when I see my father and Archie are also here, I get the feeling this isn’t simply a meeting to tell me the trip is off and to make new arrangements for a later date.
“Have a seat, Captain,” General Hudson states.
I do as instructed and sit in the middle chair, stealing a discreet glance between my father and Archie. As always, my father gives nothing away, as unmoving and emotionless as a statue. Archie, on the other hand, looks just as confused as me.
“I asked you here to let you know there’s been a change of plans. His Royal Highness will no longer be going on the goodwill trip this week.”
Sitting straighter in the simple chair, I meet General Hudson’s dark eyes from behind his desk, not a single paper out of place.
“When is it rescheduled for? I’ll reach out to his private secretary and start advancing it right away.”
General Hudson holds up his hand, cutting me off. “It’s not rescheduled.”
“They’re canceling it?”
This doesn’t sound like something the royal household would do, especially with the referendum on the ballot. The goodwill trip is an annual event where the monarch travels around the country in order to connect with the community. I can’t remember the last time it was canceled. Even during wartime, the monarch always made sure to connect with the people, especially during this time of year.
“It’s not canceled,” General Hudson assures me. “The royal household has decided that Her Royal Highness will make the trip in his place.”
“Very well.” I nod, doing my best to push down the heat washing over my face at the mere mention of Esme. “I’ll brief you on everything,” I tell Archie.
“That won’t be necessary,” General Hudson interjects. “You’ll still be running point.”
