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I was tired of sitting beside Augustus in a cheap hotel in Redview, outside of the city. Lord Nathan was supposed to be running a rally in the square tonight, and waiting was killing us both.
When Augustus wasn’t pacing the floors or demanding something of someone, he stared out the window, looking lost and determined all at once.
“Three fucking days of waiting here,” he growled to himself. I knew just how long it had been. Every fucking tick of the clock was a reminder that Christine was locked up in the DuPont tower with my father. I knew Hudson and Leo would take care of her, but that didn’t make being away any easier. Leo had been sending one word messages to me since the night they’d visited, withholding details about their reunion in a way that made me suspect it didn’t go as well as he planned.
I shouldn’t be happy about that, but I was.
“We can approach him tonight,” I said.
“I’m going to make Leo come here,” Augustus gritted while pulling out his cell phone. “I know he needed a personal day, but it’s bullshit that he’s off grieving while we’re doing all this work.”
I bit my tongue to stop myself from telling Augustus to leave him be. Leo was doing an important job right now, watching over Christine and making sure she’s safe in my empire. I knew my men were loyal, but the longer I was away, the more restless they got.
We’d sent the royal guards away once we’d realized they drew too much attention. A collection of suits in this small town was likely to start gossip, and we couldn’t afford to give up our position. It was predictable that Lord Nathan picked townships on the outskirts of the kingdom to rally in. He was bolstering the forgotten members of the kingdom and handing them loaded guns.
Just as Augustus’s fingers touched the surface of his phone, someone knocked on the door. We were in a hotel that played host to a lot of the city’s criminals. We’d chosen it honestly because the building was run by a man who owed me a favor.
Augustus froze, staring at the door.
“It could be anyone,” I said, ducking back behind the scarlet flowered quilts that served as our only window dressing, “or no one. Stay calm.”
The knock sounded again, and I watched with a sinking feeling as Augustus stood up and walked around the bed to the door. He put his ear to it, taking a moment to listen. I pulled my gun from the waistband of my pants and aimed it at the ground, ready to shoot.
“What do you want?” Augustus asked more loudly than he intended. He took a deep breath and tried again, his voice a little smoother. “Who is it?”
“It’s the cleaning staff. Just wanted to make sure everything was alright in there.”
I was about to tell Augustus to let them in when the door opened and a foot slipped in first. It was a girl, but that was all I could tell from where I was standing.
Augustus stepped back, letting the girl in and closing the door behind her.
“Should I clean out here or in the bathroom?” she asked.
“Just the bed and the floor,” he said, rubbing a hand over his hair and stepping back. “Leave the rest until later.”
The girl stepped further into the room, and a smattering of dim light drifted into the far corners. I recognized her immediately.
“Eva?” I said, emerging from behind the curtain to look at her. “What are you doing here?”
Eva was a daughter of one of my father’s associates and was probably more bloodthirsty than I was. At barely seventeen, she was lethal and resourceful. A perfect yet deadly combination in our line of work. Eva was pale and dark-haired, with a smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose. She wore all black, a long-sleeved shirt, pants, and a pair of combat boots. “Your father sent me. Said you might need some assistance from someone less…recognizable.” She then bowed to Augustus. “Hello, Your Majesty.”
“Your father sent a teen?” the moody king scoffed. “What are you going to do? Cyberbully Lord Nathan?”
Eva’s face was impassive as she looked down at Augustus. “I’ll likely do more than you,” she replied. “Do you even know how to form a fist?”
Augustus turned red. “You little—”
“Enough, Eva.” I didn’t like that my father sent her. Either he was trying to spy on me or he gave her a job separate from my own responsibilities.
Eva ran her hand through her hair, and the curls bounced like springs as she started to pick at a thread on her cuff. “I’m here to help. Either you can let me do my job or…”
“Fine,” I snapped. I didn’t want to listen to whatever threats she had. Ultimately, the only person Eva was loyal to was her family, and her parents clung to the old ways of the DuPont organization—specifically my father.
“This is ridiculous,” Augustus said. “I’m calling Leo.”
My brother then stalked out into the hallway, his phone pressed to his ear. The moment Eva and I were alone, I scowled at her. “Why are you really here?”
“Your father wants me to see Lord Nathan’s army. Get some inside information on the bastard. He’s heard rumors. Apparently, your little trick with the future queen wasn’t convincing enough. Lord Nathan is still going on about finding her and marrying her.”
