AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Watch me,” she shot at him, turning and stumbling down the riverbank.
Malik smiled at her sass, despite the seriousness of the situation, and hurried to catch up. His wet feet sloshed around in his squishy dress shoes. Taking her elbow, he helped her over a boulder.
“Thank you,” she murmured.
“Sophie, you’re hurt.” She was limping, and he could see several bumps and scrapes on her body. She had to have a head injury being knocked out like that. He wasn’t at top performance right now himself.
That tumble had been vicious. His head, right knee, left elbow, and lower back all hurt. He could use the spa room in the castle for a few hours and not complain.
If only Steffan was around to doctor them up. He and his wife Hattie had to flee earlier today when the August family’s former friend Prime Minister Henry Shule had shown his true loyalties and interrupted the family wedding dinner with guards in tow to arrest Hattie.
Luckily, Hattie and Steffan had escaped with the impressive Sutton Smith, his wife Liz, Macey’s undercover op brother Gage, and his wife Cassie. It was all a mess and he hated that his brother and Hattie had to live in hiding because of the Rindlesbachers’ scheming and murderous ways. Someday soon, the Rindlesachers’ evil would be exposed and their sneaky reign of terror would end.
“Let’s stop and make sure you’re okay,” he told Sophie.
“We can’t stop.” Her voice was high-pitched and panicked. “What numbers do you have saved in your phone? Who can we trust? Who can help me?” She darted a glance to him, as if scared of him as she clung to his phone with one hand and kept stumbling down the riverbank.
“Jensen could help if you’re in danger.” It seemed like she was in danger. Would she confide in him and let him help her? The first couple weeks after she told him she was expecting another man’s child, he’d been angry and devastated, but when her fiancé was killed he’d felt guilt for all his angry feelings that morphed into simply longing for her.
For years, he’d wished she would turn to him. She never had. She’d made herself ultra-successful and acclaimed as a chef while raising her daughter on her own. He was sure her parents were a great help, but it had to be hard raising a child and running her catering business without a spouse.
“Chief Jensen is at the wedding though.” She blinked. Her long, dark lashes framed her eyes. They were clumped with moisture and made her eyes even prettier. “Do you think the chief has officers he trusts in Traverse?”
“Officers he … trusts?” Malik held on to her elbow, water dripping from his suitcoat, and kept up with her frenzied scramble down the riverbank. He couldn’t compute that question. “I … Jensen trusts all his officers. We don’t have any corruption in the force. That I know of.”
She gave him a cynical look. It scared him. The Sophie he remembered wasn’t cynical or scared. She was happy and bright.
“I didn’t take Chief Jensen for being naïve. Can we trust him?”
That did it. Jensen was the farthest thing from naïve or untrustworthy. Jensen was his brother Ray’s best friend and one of the men Malik and his family relied on and trusted above all others. Yes, his family had reason to be suspicious of everyone, as even their close friend the prime minister might be in league with the Rindlesbachers, but Jensen wasn’t caught up in that deception.
Malik blocked her, wrapped his hands around her shoulders, and stared into her dark eyes. “Sophie. What is going on? You’re acting like you’re in danger and that Jensen, my brother Ray’s best friend and our venerable police chief, isn’t trustworthy. Tell me what’s wrong so I can help.”
Sophie stared at him, and it felt like she was peering into his soul. Did she not trust him either? What had happened to her? Who was she afraid of?
Finally, she spoke in a quiet voice. “Malik, there are evil people in Augustine who manipulate, intimidate, and blackmail. I’m certain they are after your father’s crown, but currently I’m terrified that they are going to kidnap my daughter before I can get to her and protect her.”
“What?” His pulse quickened and his skin prickled, but he had to push away the worries about the crown. Her daughter was most important right now. “How do you know? Where is your daughter?”
“I was … warned at the wedding. It’s why I took off. Sunny’s with my parents, but you know how gentle they are. If he sent mercenaries after her, my parents couldn’t fight them off.”
“Mercenaries? Who’s he? Sophie, what are you involved in?”
How could she possibly have information about manipulation and blackmail and evil people after his father’s crown? Could it be the Rindlesbachers, or were there other forces at play his family didn’t know about? The August family still hadn’t had time to process the apparent betrayal of Prime Minister Shule and danger to Steffan and Hattie. They were certain nefarious influences had been responsible for his mum’s death. Now this. Would someone use Sophie’s daughter to come after his family? It was an odd angle to be sure, unless they knew Malik had never stopped loving Sophie. What other purpose would these people have to kidnap her little girl?
Malik usually felt like he was smart and on top of things. With Sophie, he used to feel inspired and on top of the world. Currently, he was confused and off balance. Maybe the hit to his head coming down that ravine was worse than he’d thought.
Sophie’s chin quivered and he feared she’d tear up, but she turned and plunged bravely down the side of the river. “I can’t tell you,” she said quietly. “It would make you a target. I can’t let them hurt you.”
“Sophie.” He tugged her to a stop again, even though it obviously chafed at her. He didn’t blame her. If her daughter was in danger they needed to get help there, and fast. They could deal with whatever threats she knew about to the crown after that. But she had to understand that sending Jensen’s men would be a million times quicker than the two of them wading to Greenville and finding a ride to Traverse. He looked back up the ravine and toward the castle. Ray had crazy amounts of security for the wedding reception. Had someone seen Malik chase after Sophie and would even now come for them? He needed to call for help on his phone. He focused back on her beautiful face.
“Sophie, nobody is going to hurt me. Whoever is after you will not succeed. I’ll protect you and your daughter. Let’s get ahold of Jensen and have him send his most trusted men to protect her.”
His most trusted men. That chafed at him. Was the person after Sophie some kind of mole infiltrating their police force and working to bring down the royal family? Things had been unraveling since his mum was murdered, and today the prime minister had shown he might be in league with William Rindlesbacher. Their longtime family friend was now trying to find and imprison Malik’s new sister-in-law Hattie. Were there other forces at work to undermine his family and country, or did it all lead back to the Rindlesbachers, as every scheme and evil objective seemed to do?
“I don’t know.” Sophie clung to his phone, staring at him as if ascertaining whether she could trust him. “I don’t know what to do.”
“Trust me,” he said, hoping he looked trustworthy and strong and all the good things a hero should look. He wanted to be her hero, had been her hero for nine wonderful months and had wanted to be since.
