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To them, I was just the princess. I was the little airhead heiress who knew nothing about anything.

If a Redliner had rolled in, things would’ve got tense very quickly. They would probably just laugh at me, but I was prepared for it.

Livie pulled into an alley a block away and we sat silently in the car for a moment.

“I don’t like this plan, Zar,” she admitted.

“I know. But it’s all we’ve got.”

Livie nodded, forcing a smile.

“Don’t die,” she sighed eventually. “I’ll never hear the end of it.”

I snorted a laugh, letting the tension roll off me a little bit.

“And don’t let Sammy die either. Or Rome.”

I arched a brow. “What about Antoni?”

“Meh,” she shrugged with one shoulder, twisting her hand back and forth like she didn’t mind either way. But then she laughed, pushing me out of the door playfully.

Livie joined me at the rear of the car, pulling me in for a tight hug. I felt her stiffen though, as the sound of probably a dozen motorcycles pulled into the alley behind us.

“They’ll look after you,” I squeezed her.

“Look, if you trust them,” she let out a deep breath, “Isupposethat I can trust them for an hour or two.”

I smiled down at her and nodded once.

“You remember the plan?”

I nodded, pulling out my phone.

Livie had installed an app which would allow me to communicate without having to look at my phone screen. If I held my finger anywhere on the screen for more than three seconds, she would be alerted and they would start moving in.

It was simple, but all I had to do to communicate with her was touch my phone.

I couldn’t even bear to glance towards Prince, Freddie, Charmer.

Ashe was probably in there too, which I knew was a big reason behind why so many of them had shown up. But even if he wasn’t, I knew that they would’ve come. They would still be here, risking themselves for the enemy, all because I had asked them too. And I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to repay them.

So I rounded the car and hopped into the front seat before I could acknowledge any feelings that were bubbling to the surface.

All my life I had been the princess, the actress, the spoiled little heiress—and it was time to play the part.

* * *

I pulled up right in front of the large main door to the warehouse behind what was to be a brand new shopping centre eventually. The quick surveillance that Livie had done showed that there was evidence of movement around this particular area. Tyre tracks, clear paths, trucks that had come and gone.

It was a rolling door, and I had no idea how to open it, or if it could even be opened. So I went wandering.

The narrow heels of my boots crackled against the gravel, and my low-cut black dress was sticky with nervous sweat. But, I knew that to be believable, I had to dress the part.

I even wore my most expensive jewelry for the event, smiling down at my rings and realising that they would make for a pretty good alternative to brass knuckles.

I found a side door and twisted the knob.

It wasn’t locked, and it opened easily.