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Riley and Drake went downstairs once given the all clear. She held up her gown as her feet took her down the steps as fast as they could with Mara close on her heels. Her knees shook with each step, threatening to give out under the weight of the night. Drake walked behind them sans jacket and still wearing his gun. Liam and Olivia stood in the same foyer they had just a few hours ago.
“Is it true?” Riley rushed up to Liam.
“Is what true?”
“Hana. Is she…” her throat began to burn.
“She was pronounced dead by the medics. Maxwell wasn’t content with that and started giving her CPR. It was hard to watch, but he managed to get a faint heartbeat from her. They loaded her up into an SUV and took her out the back. Max Is at CMH with her right now.”
“Anyone else hurt?” Drake stepped up next to Riley.
“Bertrand was grazed on the arm but he refused medical care. A couple other smaller nobles got caught in the crossfire. No one you’d be familiar with yet, Riley. None of their injuries are life threatening. None of the commoners were injured, thankfully. Clearly nobility was the target, though I don’t think avoiding collateral damage was high on the assassins priorities. We just got lucky.”
“Did Anton survive?” Riley asked.
“Actually, he did. The sniper was given orders to take him out but to take him alive if possible. I mean, he doesn’t have a foot anymore, but he isn’t dead,” Liam shrugged, “only because I want to know who is doing this and why. If he weren’t so useful I’d have killed him with my bare hands myself.”
“If you guys want to stay here for the night, you’re more than welcome to. We just finished having the rooms set up for company,” Riley motioned up the stairs.
“We’re going to have to give a press conference tomorrow about this. Might as well stay close,” Liam rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hands, “I really wish I didn’t have to give anymore press conferences about this shit. I’m tired of my friends and family dying. You know, I know my enemies think I’m too weak to be a king. I’m assuming that’s why they’re doing this; to prove I can’t rule under pressure. But I’m getting dangerously close to losing my head here.”
“Hey,” Drake put his hand on his best friends shoulder, “you got this, Li. More importantly you have the three of us. You gotta keep your cool, man. The country is watching you right now. I know you’re angry. I can see it in your eyes. Hell I can practically feel it through your clothes. They want you to break, but you can’t. You can’t let them know they’re right. The only thing worse than a king that’s too forgiving is a king that’s a loose cannon. They’ll just use it against you.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Liam went quiet for a few seconds before lowering his gaze to Drake’s hip, “you always carry that thing on you?”
“Not much anymore, no. With it being the first event with the new duchess I was afraid this might happen. All the nobles would be here, including you. There’s no harm in being cautious and I wasn’t going to be a sitting duck.”
“Your faith in Mara is reassuring,” Olivia jested.
“It has nothing to do with my faith in Mara. She’s a damn good guard. I just like to be able to protect myself and Johnson. That’s all. Mara and I have the same common goal of keeping Riley safe.”
“Shame a duke can’t be a guard. Seems to me like you might miss it.” Liam let out a small chuckle.
“Miss being a walking target? No thanks. Though I can’t say being a duke feels any safer at the moment. We need to get down to where they’re holding Anton and ask him some questions.”
It was the late hours of the evening by the time the four of them made their way towards the jail Anton was being held at. Riley had fallen asleep in the SUV on the way there. The events of the night had exhausted her. She only allowed herself to doze off because Drake was next to her and Mara was in the passenger seat. Drake leaned against the window while his wife slept on his shoulder and he watched the mountains barely move on the horizon despite the car going 65 down the highway. He wondered if it’d always be like this; if he’d always be so aware of his surroundings. He hadn’t relaxed since Texas. Every day in Cordonia was filled with him being weary of everyone they came into contact with. His suspicions being confirmed only made him more irritated. Not being a part of the security detail made him crazy. He never knew what was happening. He hated not knowing if there was a threat looming or any information about the assassins that Bastien had managed to find. He didn’t dare ask him any details. Bastien had been occasionally dropping hints into conversations that he wanted Drake back on his team. He told Drake that he was the best guard they had. But his closeness to the royal family and to the duchess had become more of a hinderance than a perk, never mind the fact that taking the place of guard meant he couldn’t officially marry Riley. Back when he was just watching over Liam, it was one thing. Now he would be watching over Liam and Riley. He knew if he had to make the choice on which one to save, it’d delay his reaction time and put more people at risk than just the two of them. It’d be the same problem he had before him and Riley had been together. The guilt of letting one of them die would destroy him and he knew it. At least Liam had a vast security detail. Riley only had Mara and a few other guards that roamed the estate. He couldn’t let his ego get in between him and his wife. She was the only thing that made sense anymore. He knew that out of everyone, she was the only one he could trust without reservation.
They pulled up to a large brick building that was lit up with numerous white lights. It practically felt like day time as Drake stepped out of the car with Riley. She squinted as sleep still filled her eyes. They walked in behind Liam and Olivia and her heels echoed off the walls in loud, determined clicks. Drake could tell by her steps how pissed she was, but no one else seemed to notice. They were taken down by elevator to the holding cells in the basement where a nurse sat outside the door.
“Good evening, Your Highness. My name is Rose. If you’re here to see Mr. Severus, I suggest you do so quickly. He’s lost a lot of blood. He’s conscious but fading. We did all we could to keep him alive until you got here.”
“Thank you, Rose. Please let your staff know after we leave no further medical attention to him will be necessary.”
“Are you suggesting we let him die, King Liam?”
“I’m suggesting if he starts to bleed out that you take an hour break,” Liam’s voice was harsh as he stared down at the nurse.
“Yes, Your Highness. Understood.” Rose’s eyes flicked over the groups faces, who all stared blankly back at her.
Yes, Rose, you let him die.
They all walked past her and into Anton’s cell. Olivia and Riley stayed by the door while Drake and Liam walked up to his bedside. Though he was awake, Anton didn’t acknowledge their presence.
“I’m going to give you 10 seconds to start spilling your guts before I kill you.” Liam’s tall stature loomed over Anton’s bed. He turned his head to look at the men and gave them a dark grin.
“Why? I’m going to die anyways. What’s the point in me telling you pathetic shrews anything?”
“It’s not the dying part you should be worried about, it’s what happens before you die that should make you reconsider.” Liam ran a hand over the blanket covering Anton’s mangled leg. Putting the slightest amount of pressure on it caused Anton to arch his back and scream in pain. “How about now?”
“Άντε γαμήσου εσύ και η παλιοθνητή Δούκισσα σου.” Anton leaned forward and spat at Liam’s feet. Before Liam could react Drake shoved him aside and wrapped his hands around Anton’s throat. Anton gave another sinister grin.
“Don’t you ever speak about my wife again. Not here and not in whatever pits of Κόλαση your soul will rest in.”
Riley leaned over and whispered to Olivia, “what did he say?”
“He called you a filthy commoner duchess,” Olivia said on her usual stoic tone.
Liam grabbed his friends shoulders and pulled him from Anton’s neck.
“He’s no good to us dead as of the moment.”
Drake tore from his friends grip and shook out his hands before walking over to Riley’s side. He knew if he was within 10 feet of Anton he would kill him and Liam was right, they needed him alive for now.
“Fine. You want to know the truth? Here’s the truth. Your devil of a future queen hasn’t been in her family vault lately has she?” Olivia furrowed her brows at him. Liam turned to look at her and she shook her head no. “Well, that’s no surprise. She certainly hasn’t been the brightest lantern in the dungeon, has she?”
“What’s in the vault,” Liam asked.
“Oh, only an old clause that if there is no heir to the throne that one Olivia Nevrakis and her betrothed are to sit atop it.”
Olivia quickly walked over and stood next to Liam.
“What do you mean my betrothed?”
“Hello, my dear wife. It’s truly unfortunate you had to find out this way. You see, you know your parents were part of a coup. What you didn’t know is in order to get the Nevrakis house to sign back on to return to the Five Kingdoms that Constantine agreed to a clause. If there was no heir, you inherited the crown. With Leo abdicating, Liam got the crown. That makes Liam the only thing standing between us and Cordonia. Something tells me your former king never told you this, did he Liam?”
Anger pulsed under Liam’s skin.
“No, but I guess that explains why you’ve been trying to kill me.”
“Well now, Daddy betrayed you,” Anton looked past Liam and at Riley, “what a shock. Unfortunately Riley has caused quite a many hiccups in our plans. Her death wasn’t necessary at this point because she isn’t the future queen, but since when has the Nevrakis house shown any mercy?” He redirected his gaze at Oliva, “Oh, right. When this spineless wench decided to forgo all family tradition and bow to the crown. Your parents would be ashamed of what a sniveling coward you’re grown up to be. Poor little Olivia so desperate to be loved that she defiled everything it meant to be a Nevrakis. I have more of their blood in me than you ever will. Your parents trained me from a young age for this; to rule this country with an iron fist and make Cordonia the glorious, unforgiving place it once was. Constantine ripped out the backbone of this country and groveled at the feet of dignitaries who didn’t deserve the time of day. Peace treaties and tax incentives for people who less than a hundred years ago would have lit this place up like the Fourth of July. This country is weak, and only growing weaker. The lovesick king would cut off his nose to spite his face if it meant having that common-born bitch on his arm. He doesn’t have it in him to see the bigger picture. He made an outsider a duchess. There’s no loyal bone in his body. If Drake died tomorrow he’d throw you away like the trash you are and scoop her up so fast it’d make your head spin. You know it, Riley knows it, Liam knows it and deep down so does Drake. You’re all formalities. If he was as dedicated to this country as he was to his prized duchess we wouldn’t be here. All the policies he’s putting in place weaken us. The Libertarian Core won’t stop until he’s dead. Even if I don’t make it out of here alive, they won’t surrender. It doesn’t matter if you’re queen. As long as Liam is around, the foundation of Cordonia is at stake.”
“My parents rebellion will end with you. I will burn every treaty that says otherwise. This isn’t the dark ages anymore. Peace and prosperity grow a country, they don’t hinder it. Until I became older my mindset was the same as yours. Ruling with fear does nothing for the long-term livelihood of Cordonia.”
“See, there you go again. Can’t say I’m surprised. The royal family and your friends have brainwashed you into a husk of the person you used to be. Congratulations on being the family disappointment. Lucretia was right, you don’t have what it takes.”
“Lucretia knew?”
“Oh sweetheart, she’s the one who got this ball rolling. We’ve been in touch for years, waiting for the right time to strike. Of course it would have been much easier if we’d just talked to you at the beginning of the social season like I suggested. You Nevrakis women have a habit of making things harder on yourselves.”
“I’m going to kill her.”
“Ah, ah, ah, Livy. Don’t poke the queen of the beehive. Gets the worker bees all riled up.”
“I think this conversation is over,” Liam announced. Olivia looked over at the king, almost having forgotten he was even there.
“I agree,” Olivia stood stoic.
The group began to walk out when Olivia stopped. They all turned and watched her carefully as she sauntered back over towards Anton.
“One last thing Anton,” Olivia reached behind her back and into the seam of her dress, “I hope you rot.” She pulled out a dagger and plunged it into his bandaged leg, severing the artery the doctors had bandaged. She removed the weapon and dropped it to the floor with a loud clang which was barely audible over Anton’s screams of pain. Within seconds his blood began to soak the blanket covering the injury and Olivia walked past them. They took one last look at Anton and followed her.
Rose sat outside the door leading to the cell block and quickly stood as the door flew open.
“Let him die, and so help me god if you try and go in there and stop the bleeding I will make his death look like a fucking tea party compared to what I will do to you, do you understand?” Olivia bellowed at the shaking nurse.
“Y-yes, Your Grace,” Rose managed to sputter out.
“Good. Burn his body and dump it in the sewer, would you?” Olivia stomped off not giving Rose a chance to respond. Liam, Drake and Riley exchanged emotionless glances before going into the elevator and returning to their cars.
Drake and Riley sat silent in their SUV for most of the ride home until she couldn’t ignore what Anton had said any longer.
“Do you think that’s true? That we’re weak? Do you think they’re going to kill Liam?”
“I think unless we try to resolve this that they’ll keep trying. He says your death isn’t necessary anymore, but if something happened and Olivia was no longer in line to be queen, they’re convinced you’d be the next option. You and I know that’s not true, but at this point I can’t say for certain Liam wouldn’t try. I used to think the royal family had some sort of loyalty to me. My family and I gave up so much for them. We were willing to die for them. After what Constantine did, I don’t know what to think anymore. I would like to believe Liam wouldn’t do anything to put me in harms way, but who knows. The crown makes you do things you wouldn’t normally, like allowing someone to die and watching your future wife stab them.”
“No kidding,” Riley laid her head back on the seat and closed her eyes, “I love you, you know that right? Even if Liam asked I’d still say no. I’d abdicate and take you to Texas before I’d ever say yes. I did it once and I’d do it a thousand more times. This life comes with responsibilities, ones that I take very seriously, but it’s not an absolute. There’s never a time where we can’t leave. I’m a common-born duchess in the smallest duchy in Cordonia. I’m expendable.”
“Baby, I don’t think to Liam you are. He thinks more highly of you than he ever will of me and Olivia. You’ve made him into a different person while the rest of us just gave in to the person he’s supposed to be. He wants you around because it makes him feel invincible. Like he’s capable of doing whatever he wants. Believe me, he’s told me how invaluable you are to him. That makes me even more nervous for what’s to come. If something does happen to Olivia, I can’t make you any promises that something won’t happen to me. If she is no longer future queen, you and I hit pavement and hightail it out of here.”
“Seriously?”
“I’m dead serious, Walker. I’m not playing games with your life or mine. Until we settle whatever debts the Libertarian Core has with the crown, you stay sharp and aware of those around you. Don’t trust anybody right now.”
“So what now?”
“With the information that Anton told us, we look for Lucretia. We find her and we try to settle this. We tell her that even if she kills Liam and leaves Olivia as the reigning monarch, that they still don’t have Anton and Olivia will run the country similar to how Liam would have anyways. We also tell her that if she kills Liam she better watch her back because I will be hunting her down for the rest of her life, and so will the rest of the guard. That’s a heat she doesn’t want to bring on herself. I’m sure Liam has already filled Bastien in and I’m betting he’s pissed. He fucking hates Lucretia.”
“Really? Why?”
“They had a brief relationship a while back. Let’s just say that manipulative and malicious personality isn’t just for show. She’s a grade-A bitch.”
“Wow. I thought Bastien was smarter than that.”
“He is now. He hasn’t dated since. Though from what I’ve heard, he’s taken an interest in Mara.” Drake looked up and at the passenger side mirror in time to catch Mara with a slight grin.
“Well for now let’s get back to Valtoria and recoup. I need to have a sit down with Liam and discuss how much we’re going to let the public know about what’s happened. The other attacks took place at private courtly events, and now they’re taking it a step further and putting my duchy in danger. I will not let my people live in fear and know I’m the cause.”
“Sounds very… duchess… of you,” Drake sounded surprised.
“I told you I take my responsibilities very seriously. I don’t need anyone else’s blood on my hands.”
“If you’re referring to the people who got hurt tonight that’s not on your hands, that’s on the Libertarian Core’s hands. You had no idea that was going to happen.”
“But you did,” Riley turned and looked at him.
“Having a feeling and knowing are two different things. It was mostly paranoia, or so I thought. I kept thinking back to the night I got shot and how I didn’t have any way to protect you. I didn’t want that to happen again. I’ve come too close to losing you too many times. Mara and your guards do a great job, but I’m the only one almost guaranteed to be by your side at all times. There’s no harm in having an extra set of hands.”
Riley leaned in and kissed him for the first time that night. A feeling of calm washed over her as Drake’s strong hand found hers. She was so grateful to have someone who was willing to keep her safe and go through great lengths to prove it. She wasn’t sure what would happen next, but she knew as long as she had him she’d always be okay.