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My eyebrows rose, but my shock didn’t go any deeper. It was no surprise Carson had lied or that he was fucking his nurse, but to lie to his own security team about it? I would have expected Carson to rub it in their faces and demand they protect him from the nurse’s furious brothers all the while making sure the public never found out. How desperate was he to hide his dirty secrets that he didn’t trust his bodyguards?
“To top it off, going through his personal emails, we found three other women he was sleeping with who threatened to expose their affairs if he didn’t give them more of his time and money.” Levi put some fruit on a plate along with a strawberry danish and set it in front of me on the island. “I was there at the gate when the brothers showed up. They were hilarious. I learned some new curse words, and I thought I knew them all.”
So that was why Carson had lied. He had so many secret lovers, he probably couldn’t keep track of them. There was no hurt on my part. I never saw myself as anything other than a political match and a vessel to produce Carson’s heirs. I raised my cup, breathing in the hot lemony balm, and took a sip. “Mm, good. Thank you.”
“You don’t seem surprised.” Talis studied me, his beautiful blue eyes intense.
“I knew my place in Carson’s world.” It would have been the same as my mother’s in my father’s world, and that was my own personal version of Hell. I smiled over the rim of my cup. “Now I don’t have to have anything to do with him.”
“Not a thing.” Talis’ answering smile made the butterflies in my stomach dance around.
“Yeah, screw Grant,” Levi hooted just as Evander entered the kitchen.
Evander replied with his own whoop. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but anything that says a fuck you to Grant, I’m on board!” He gave me a kiss as he came to lean on the counter and picked up a danish of his own. “Has Callista told you about our mission for today?”
Talis and Levi looked at me curiously, and I took another gulp of tea. I needed to save Kienna and stand up to my father, and it would be safer all around to have my Alphas with me. But the aftermath… Could we weather it? Would they survive my father’s fury? I didn’t want to do that to them. Those thoughts transformed the butterflies in my belly into razorblades.
“Callista?” Levi placed his hand on my lower back, rubbing me soothingly.
The world suddenly exploded.
Glass from the kitchen windows shattered. The teacup fell from my hands. Levi grabbed me around the waist and fell on the floor with me under him. Everything shook and boomed as if a massive thunderstorm had descended upon us.
No, not thunder. Gunshots.
The gunmen had found me.
Chapter Twenty-Five
All I could think of was Callista.
I rolled behind the kitchen island, reaching for Callista, but Levi had already pulled her down and shielded her. She flailed under him. No blood. Thank fucking God she wasn’t shot.
This shouldn’t be happening. We had the best security, government level of technology. The cameras should have told us if anyone approached from the sky or sea. There was no way we could have been ambushed. So how the hell had it happened?
Reaching up, I hit a hidden button under the counter and a secret compartment beneath the floor tiles hissed open. Five Glocks inside gleamed under the lights. I grabbed one and slid another to my second in command. “Levi!”
He snatched it off the floor as Van scrambled around and took two of the guns. He was the only one of us bleeding. The cuts on his left cheek and hands didn’t slow him, though.
Shots continued to smash into the cupboards and appliances. Bits and pieces rained down on us. Van checked to see if the cartridges were full and flipped off the safeties. “Who the fuck is here?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. I’m betting it’s the same bastards as before.” I grunted and took the last gun from the compartment, stowing it in my thigh pocket. Closing the secret compartment, I then reached over to squeeze Callista’s hand. I hated seeing her scared. “You’re alright. We have you. We won’t let anything happen to you.”
Callista stared at me from under Levi. Her eyes were wild and tears wet her cheeks. She cringed every time a shot rang out. Her voice trembled as she whispered, “How did they find me?”
“I don’t know, sweetling. Maybe they followed someone back to the island.” Levi kissed her temple and maneuvered her between him and I. He peered around the island, gun ready. “I see at least five wielding rifles. Dressed in black military fatigues, vests, and masks.”
“That means there’s at least twice that many out there.” I patted my other pockets and gritted my teeth that I didn’t have my phone or a radio. There should be two teams of two on patrol and one guard working the hub. Walton was working the first shift there. Why hadn’t he sounded the alarm? A lone assassin might have gotten in and killed him first.
Fuck. I’d thought the danger was over. Now it seemed like the gunmen were sent to kill us all. There was no way they could have known they’d missed Callista in that chaos.
“Hub first. We’ll get the lay of the land from there.” I readied my gun and slipped my other arm around Callista. I rubbed her back as she shook like a trapped rabbit. “We’re going to make a run for it down to the door on the right just before the gym. It will take us downstairs.”
“I don’t think I can do it,” she whimpered and buried her head against my shoulder.
“Yes, you can. You’re one of the bravest people I know.” I’d carry her if need be. Having claimed her, my brain fried at the thought of her in danger. But it would be best all around if she moved herself. The faster she was safe downstairs, the better I’d feel. One bullet would be all it took….
No. No one was going to harm her. “You’ll be between Levi and I. Van is going to lay down cover. When I say move, don’t hesitate.”
