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Chapter Twenty Three

“ W e’re done with the cloaks and daggers then?” Lottie asked.

Ace and Sami had given up every pretense of their two clandestine organisations not knowing each other.

The following morning’s Kingmakers Anonymous meeting was held in a back room in Sami’s lounge.

Lottie was summoned on pain of the Nightingale’s wrath.

Bili nursed a coffee. Romaissa eyed Lottie warily.

Lottie had found it very difficult to leave Zynara’s side.

“I will talk to my father,” Zynara said. “This morning. We’ll draw up the royal orders to remove Malik from the succession and put them before the parliament. It doesn’t require a vote as the Q’sar is technically the head of state, but there is still a process.” She didn’t sound excited.

Lottie gazed at her. They were still in bed and Lottie had pulled the sheet up over their heads making a tent that shielded them from the world.

It was the second last day of the summit, and later Petrov and Zynara would re-attempt a signing ceremony for the green hydrogen deal.

Before that, Zynara was going to surrender her life to her country.

It was a big day. Their breaths mingled, their limbs tangled together.

Lottie revelled in the warmth of Zynara’s skin on hers and the trust in her eyes.

It was their last soft moment together before everything changed.

“It’s the right thing to do,” she whispered.

“I know.”

“And I’ll be right there with you. All the way. I promise. I love you.”

But she’d only made it as far as the Q’sar’s door. Her phone buzzed with a message from Ace that was absolutely undeniable.

Zynara watched her carefully.

“I have to go.”

The resignation and disappointment in Zynara’s expression nearly killed her.

“Just this once. It will be the last time, I swear. If I don’t go—” She purposefully didn’t think about the Nightingale’s displeasure, or the prison in Libya.

She stood on tiptoes and offered her best kiss to Zynara, willing her to accept it and everything it meant.

“You’ll be fine, princess. And hey, I got you this far, didn’t I?

” She tried some cheek to lighten the mood and dialled it up even higher when it failed to land the way it usually did.

“Tell your dad he owes me, yeah? Your whole country is gonna owe me. And I’m the lucky one— I’ll get you in return. Best play of my life —”

“Lottie.”

Her voice was bleak. Lottie buttoned it immediately, but she had her orders.

“I’m so sorry, Niz. I have to go.” She squeezed Zynara’s fingers, kissed her, and ran.

Like a coward, she didn’t look back.

The room at the back of Sami’s club smelled of stale cigars and gambled dreams.

Ace gave her a grimace. “We’ve been working together from the top. Something you’d know if you actually read the briefing.” She spun a laptop on the table between them and Lottie found herself facing the Nightingale.

Shit.

Evelyn Knight looked impatient and profoundly irritated. Lottie could do without another powerful woman’s gut-wrenching dissatisfaction aimed right at her.

She blagged. “Hey guv. It’s done. Mission complete.” She flashed her most radiant grin.

The mood in the room changed immediately.

Sami raised his brows. “She’s toppling her brother? I’m her best friend. She hasn’t told me this.”

Romaissa tapped furiously at a screen.

“Delivered her to the Q’sar’s lawyers myself,” Lottie crowed.

“Fifteen minutes ago. It’s probably constitutional at this very moment.

Ain Zargiers has a new heir-apparent, and the Q’sar is bringing forward his abdication date.

All mission parameters met and quite possibly exceeded with minimum carnage. Gold star for Lottie Finch.”

There was a silence that Lottie tried not to read as shocked.

“What? You didn’t think I could do it?”

The Nightingale smiled tightly. “And Malik?”

“Still breathing, unfortunately,” Bili muttered.

“Has he been informed of Zynara’s intent to take the throne?”

“Not yet, but we can expect a counter-attack and further death threats when he does. The recent chatter on the harem Discord suggests something big is coming. The girls are nervous.”

“He nearly killed the Qasira yesterday,” Romaissa said. “Everyone is nervous. He needs to be neutralised now.”

“Agree—”

They all froze as the Nightingale’s connection stuttered. The lights flickered momentarily.

Sami narrowed his eyes. Ace swung her laptop back around and began tapping at it furiously.

“I know this is a secure connection,” she muttered, “but we’ll end it there. We have our orders.” She nodded at the Nightingale and closed the laptop.

“We do?” Lottie asked.

“Malik is about to lose the multi billion pound deal with Petrov and the crown all in the next few hours. He’ll be desperate and even more unpredictable than usual. We take him down.” Ace made a gun shape with her fingers.

Romaissa blanched. “He’s still the Q’sar’s son. You’re going to assassinate a member of the royal family?”

Sami stepped in. “No one said that. And while we appreciate the UK’s assistance in this matter, Ain Zargieri sovereignty is our concern.

” He rubbed a hand across his mouth. “But it is delicate. Lottie and Bili, you get back to his party house and stay by his side. Petrov signs with Zynara’s company in a few hours.

It’s one of the summit’s crowning deals.

The whole world is watching. We can’t throw the Qasirim behind bars in front of an international audience, but we need to keep him on a tight leash. ”

The lights flickered again.

“What the hell is that?” Ace said, looking at the ceiling.

“It’s the medina. Oldest part of the city,” Sami said, doubtfully. “Crummy wiring.”

“Bollocks,” said Lottie. A distinct feeling of dread settled in her stomach and the growing fear that they were already too late.