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“Macey,” Ray’s voice called down to her.
She looked up. Ray was on the balcony. She couldn’t make out his expression in the dark.
“You’re okay?” he asked.
“Fine. I caught the guy. It was Jobe. He wrote the notes and tried to kill T because he was jealous. Is T okay?”
“He’s burned. Badly. The medics are getting ready to transfer him.”
“I’ll meet you out front.”
He nodded and turned away.
Macey’s gut churned with worry over Tristan. She hurried around the castle, running into more guards. One of them walked with her and explained that another boy had climbed the castle hill as a distraction. They’d caught him. Jobe had made it past their cameras using a gecko glove to climb, sneaking in the open window, and shoving a bomb under Tristan’s bed, probably thinking he was asleep. They’d seen from their cameras that luckily Tristan hadn’t been in bed but in the hallway, watching her and Ray. He’d walked back just in time to have the bomb hurt him but not kill him.
She made it to the front entry in time to see medics loading Tristan into a Blackhawk medevac chopper, Ray and his dad at his side.
“Macey.” King Nolan hurried back toward them and called to be heard over the chopper, “Will you bring Kiera?”
Kiera was on the steps, clinging to Lisa and sobbing uncontrollably.
“Yes. I’ve got her. Go.”
Ray didn’t even look at her. They closed the doors to the helicopter, and it lifted into the night air.
Macey jogged up the stairs to Kiera. The little girl released her nanny and hugged Macey so fiercely it was hard to catch a breath.
“Is T going to die? He can’t die!” she wailed.
“No, sweetie. No. They’ve got him stabilized. He’ll be okay.” She held the little girl, praying she was telling the truth. If Tristan’s airway had been burned, or if the burns covered enough of his body, he could die.
Kiera didn’t respond, just cried and cried. The princess had been so strong and brave, never showing fear and doing her crazy stunts. Faced with a second family member dying she was falling apart. Nobody could blame her.
Macey held her and looked at Lisa. Was the nanny involved? She pivoted, shielding Kiera with her body.
“I promise I didn’t know,” Lisa cried out, tears streaming down her face. “I promise.”
A couple guards were nearby.
“I love Prince Tristan. I love Kiera and this whole family,” Lisa sobbed.
Macey swallowed. The nanny’s obsession with Tristan was out of control. Could she have helped her ex-boyfriend try to kill him because Tristan was engaged to Macey?
She met one of the guard’s eyes and tilted her head to Lisa. He nodded. He must know enough of the story to have arrived at the same conclusion she had.
“Lisa,” Macey said calmly as two guards approached. “These men are going to take you with them and ask you some questions. You need to answer honestly and share everything you know about Jobe and why he would try to kill Prince Tristan. Okay?”
The guards reached them. Lisa cried harder, but she met Macey’s gaze. “I will. I promise. I’ll do anything to make this right. I broke up with Jobe weeks and weeks ago. I promise. I had no idea he would hurt Prince Tristan because he was so jealous and crazy.”
“Okay. Go with them and it will work out.” Macey hoped the girl was innocent. She liked her, and she knew Kiera complained about the homework but was very attached to her nanny.
“I’ll be back soon, Kiera,” Lisa promised. “Stay with Macey. It’ll all be okay, sweetheart.”
It warmed Macey’s heart that Lisa was worried about Kiera as the guard took her arm and led her away. She held on to Kiera as the young princess sobbed until Macey wondered how she had any tears left. It had to all be hitting her in this moment. Her mom’s death. Thinking her brother had been killed.
Macey held her until she calmed down. Then she said, “Okay, love. We’re going to get some shoes on, say a prayer, and then go see Tristan at the hospital. You can see for yourself that he’s all right.”
“He really is?” Kiera blinked up at her, her blue eyes ringed with red, her face mottled from crying.
