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She swallowed and then admitted, “My dad forced me to. He said I was in mortal danger and promised I could come back when he ‘fixed’ it. He made me say goodbye to Tristan the day after the queen died and didn’t let me take my phone with me. I thought it would just be a short humanitarian trip like my others, but then the months stretched on and my dad kept saying ‘soon’ but soon never came.”
Tristan nodded to her, obviously wanting to talk through the pain of their separation. What would he say when she told him after she found out he was engaged she had no desire to come home any longer?
“Why the day after Mum died?” Ray asked King Nolan.
The king’s blue eyes looked troubled and full of pain. That hurt Jennifer. The king and Queen Anne had been loving and accepting of her. Neither of them had ever acted uppity or privileged. She’d never wanted to hurt either of them.
“The timing is definitely suspicious,” Jensen inserted.
“What do you mean?” she asked. Nobody responded for a beat, and her mind spun to worst-case accusations from these accomplished men. “No matter what you’re thinking, my father is not in league with William, or a traitor, and he definitely didn’t kill the queen.”
The king’s eyes widened. “None of us ever said Henry killed Anne.”
His loyalty touched her, but she could see he was concerned for her dad and maybe didn’t trust him any longer.
“I’m eighty percent certain it was William,” Jensen said.
“Who would you accuse with the other twenty percent?” Tristan asked.
“Naomi.” Jensen smirked at them.
Jennifer felt reassured that the impressive chief of police wasn’t pointing fingers at her dad, but she couldn’t help but look at Ray. She wanted to know his thoughts on the matter.
Ray shrugged and lifted both hands, palms up. “Macey and I did a lot of research into Mum’s murder. William is brilliant, but we’ve looked into every angle of him or Naomi being the murderer. I don’t know that even he could cover his tracks that well.”
Jennifer’s neck tightened and her cheeks went hot. King Nolan was loyal to his close friend and seemed to not have even thought of foul play with his prime minister. Jensen blamed William and Naomi. Ray was level-headed and research minded, but sometimes you had to go with your gut, not the cold, hard facts.
Was it only her devotion to her parents screaming they were innocent? No! Her mum and dad had both loved Queen Anne like a sister. Her dad had dated Anne in college and as she thought about it, her mum had made some snarky comments to her dad about the queen’s beauty or sweetness. But … no. It wasn’t possible.
Tristan reached over and wrapped his hand around hers. “Nobody thinks your dad would hurt my mum. We all love him like family. There are just too many questions and not enough answers.”
His show of support and his logical answer, so similar to what she hoped was true, calmed her.
“Thank you,” she managed, her throat thick.
“My men are scouring the cities, villages, and mountains for William, Naomi, Henry, and Leslie,” Ray said. “Interpol, the European Union, and other organizations are on high alert as well. We’ll find them, or William will send instructions for you and we’ll find him that way. Let’s get you back to your cottage and wait for a message from William.”
“I’ll stay with her at the cottage,” Tristan said. “I want your most trusted men guarding it.”
He was so appealing, especially when he went all alpha male wolf slash crown prince on everybody. If only they were alone so she could tease him about it. But what if the man she loved was a player like every picture had revealed when she’d Googled him the past eight months? How could he possibly have fallen in love and gotten engaged four months after she left if he loved her like he’d always claimed? She’d seen the talk show Jessie when he kissed Macey Clifton and it had about destroyed her.
“Officers Ollie and Braxton proved their loyalty watching over Derek for months in America,” Ray said carefully, deliberate and Ray-like as ever. “Lieutenant Mason and Captain Favor risked their lives rescuing Malik and Sophie two weeks ago. We’ll rotate the four of them in pairs. They will monitor outside without being seen so they can trail anyone who might leave a note. They’ll also keep you both safe. If they have to trail someone, Chad or I will be ready to take their place guarding the cottage. If this goes on too long, we’ll bring in Jensen’s most trusted men, but I believe William will act decisively and not waste much time. He has to know we’re searching for him and he’ll want to strike first.”
“I agree,” the king said. “Thank you, Ray.” He stood and everyone took that as their signal to stand. “Give Ray some time to get his men in place and then take one of the side-by-sides down to Henry’s villa in case you need to head to the mountains when William gives you instructions with the next note. If you need to stay on the paved roads, one of Henry’s vehicles will be in his detached garage,” he said to Tristan. “Even if William has men watching for Jennifer, he told her to gain your trust. Nothing would prove that more than the two of you waltzing into her parents’ cottage together, correct?”
Tristan nodded and gave her a warm smile. Through the midst of all this trouble and worry, it was very welcome to focus on the butterflies that smile created in her stomach.
“I’m fine with that,” Ray said. “I’ll call when we’re ready.” He nodded to each of them, then strode out the door.
Jensen held up a hand as well. “I’ll be on standby with my most trusted men for when William sends another note. We’ll trail him and trap him this time.” His dark eyes were fiery with determination.
“Thank you, Jensen,” the king said.
The chief shook the king and Tristan’s hands and gave Jennifer a quick side hug, then strode from the room.
The king closed the door behind them and turned back. “Jennifer, I’m terribly sorry for what you’re going through. Please believe you have the full weight of the crown, the army, the royal guard, and the police force ready and willing to rescue your parents and put William and Naomi Rindlesbacher away for good.”
“Thank you.” She hugged him again, her throat thick and her eyes stinging with unshed tears. “Thank you so much, King Nolan.”
