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I round the corner with her. “You can change here. I’ll wait around the corner with Terrance.”

Kathryn

“What am I doing?” I murmur to myself as I strip out of my ball gown and into a t-shirt and jeans.

“Everything OK over there?” Auggie’s voice calls out in the dim light of the tunnel.

“Yeah,” I reply, cursing under my breath. I pull on the boots he’s brought me and peer around the corner. Auggie and Terrance are leaning against the wall whispering.

“Do you two need a minute?” I ask, raising my eyebrow.

Terrance laughs and pushes off the wall to come wrap an arm around me. “Where should I put this?” I say to Auggie, holding out my dress and shoes.

He grabs them and adds them to a pile of clothes he’s already holding. He turns and opens a door. I peer inside and see a small closet. He sets them on a shelf and dusts his hands off as he turns back to face us.

“Let’s go have real fun,” he says with a grin.

“Hell yeah,” Terrance yells.

We follow Auggie down the tunnel until we reach a rather substantial-looking door. He pushes it open and sticks his head out, looking one way and then another.

“Coast is clear, but we better hurry. We have extra security around the grounds tonight,” he says as he ushers us away from the palace. I realize we just walked through to an area outside the palace grounds, and once we cross the street, we become immersed into the hustle and bustle of the city.

We walk a few blocks and then Auggie pulls us down a sketchy-looking alley. He knocks on a door and a moment later a giant man opens it. I can immediately hear the thumping of club music coming from somewhere in the building.

“Augs!” the man cries out and pulls him in for a hug.

“Gusty! How the hell are you?”

“Can’t complain. Hey, Terrance. Give me a minute and I’ll see if I can clear the VIP area,” he says as he walks down a hall and disappears.

“You guys come here often?” I ask them.

They both laugh. “You haven’t been here yet?” Terrance asks. I shake my head.

Terrance grabs my hand. “Well, you are in for a treat, The Study is the most exclusive club in the city.”

A moment later, Gusty appears and escorts us up some stairs to a large room with a balcony overlooking a dance floor.

“Call in the troops,” Auggie says to Terrance. He nods and places a few phone calls. Meanwhile, Auggie takes me by the arm and leads me up to a small bar.

“What will it be?” he asks me.

“Gin and tonic,” I say to the bartender who quickly makes my drink. I take a sip.

“Better?” he asks me.

I nod. “Thank you.” He nods as he places his drink order, but his eyes don’t leave me. I feel myself blush under his scrutiny.

The next three hours are a blur of dancing and drinking. Terrance and Auggie make sure that I’m never without a drink or one of them. I feel safe, which is strange because I’m never without security. Thoughts of how pissed Jackie will be waft through my fuzzy mind, but I let it go. I seldom ever sneak out, and I certainly never let go, ever.

CHAPTERSIX

August

After carrying a verydrunk and tired Kate back to the palace with Terrance’s help, I set him up in a guest suite and end up putting Kate in my bed. I find a trash can, some medicine, and a glass of water for her. I help get her into one of my t-shirts and tuck her in. The last thing I want is for her to be alone. It takes every cell in my body not to look where I shouldn’t look as I undress her. I keep the lights off just so I won’t be tempted. The entire thing is so unlike me. I’m not a gentleman, at least not in the bedroom.

I lie in bed watching Kate sleep for hours. I’m not sure when I fall asleep, but when I do, I dream of my mother and her crown. I wake to her calling my name and sit up abruptly, my heart racing. I’m dripping with sweat. I look over and Kate is still passed out. I’m not sure what comes over me, but I need to go to the crown jewels vault.