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“I’m so glad you are here!” she says. “Go get settled, there are...things to discuss.” She smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.

I nod and head toward my guest room. I’m still exhausted and decide I need a quick shower to wake myself up. Auggie follows me in silence. He opens the door for me. I don’t even glance at him as I begin stripping as I walk toward the ridiculously large multi-showerhead shower. I turn on the spray and step inside. I groan as five jets spray water on my sore and tired body.

I feel him behind me as I let the water cascade over my head. His strong hands massage my shoulders. I roll my head from side to side.

“It’s going to be OK,” he murmurs. “You’re safe here.”

I turn around abruptly. I want to make a snide remark that the palace has been compromised in the past, but I bite my lip and stop myself. Being a bitch won’t help things.

“Tell me,” I say to him.

He sighs. He wipes water away from his eyes and looks down at me. “I think the diamond was planted.”

I frown. “What exactly does that mean?”

He leans in and places a hand on either side of me. “What do you know about Jared’s family and their thoughts on monarchies and world power?”

CHAPTERTWENTY-FOUR

August

Kate flinchesat the mention of Jared. I’m almost afraid to tell her what I’ve found out so far, but I don’t want to lie to her.

“What are you talking about?” she asks, her eyes widening as she processes what I’ve said.

I sigh and run a hand through my wet hair. “Jared’s family doesn’t like the current political system in your country, do they?”

I can see Kate’s mind working, her eyes dart down and back up at me. “Well, no…” She trails off and frowns.

“I thought the main anti-monarchy group in our country was the one that my…former uncle…was involved with, the one that Anna discovered and helped to take down. But I think we were very wrong. I think there’s an even darker society of anti-monarchists, a much older society.”

“I-I don’t understand,” Kate replies.

I want nothing more than to make love to her and forget about everything Susanna’s been finding, about everything we’ve pieced together in the last twenty-four hours, but Kate needs to know this because it affects her too.

“Jared gave me a card when I met him. It had a gold wreath wrapped around the number forty-four. Does that mean anything to you?” I ask her.

She shakes her head slowly, frowning. “I think it’s part of his company’s logo.”

“Do you know anything about Julius Caesar?”

“He was killed.”

“But do you know why?”

“People wanted to remove him from power. They didn’t like…” She trails off, and I know the moment she makes the connection because her eyes widen, and she stares at me in disbelief.

“But, why would Jared and his family want to support anti-monarchists?” she asks.

“I’m guessing one of two reasons or maybe both. One, money, and two, the chance to change the power structure in your own country,” I explain.

She purses her lips. “Well, I can definitely see the money component. They are crazy about all of that bullshit. Old money,” she explains.

“What if they had money problems?” I ask her, biting the inside of my cheek.

“They have money problems?” she asks.

I nod. “Seems the good old senator and his brother bet all their money on the wrong candidate who had promised things in return. He only made good on a few of those things.”