Page 11

ELEVEN

I’d practiced to make certain my parents kept their attention on me.

With my briefcase filled with my parents’ jewels and suppressors, I drove myself to my junkyard while the RPS tailed me. That Terry felt comfortable enough to allow for me to maintain some of my freedom offered some hope I might get through the day without having to use my talent offensively—or witness the RPS kill my parents.

They would if needed, and he’d brought out a rather Royal friend from Montana for the party.

Daphne’s presence, along with her entourage of agents, would give even my parents pause.

The Vampire of Montana’s lethality rating matched mine, and with both of us pointed in the same direction, our foes had zero hope of survival. She’d practiced on terrorists.

I’d practiced to make certain my parents kept their attention on me.

Upon arrival, I parked my family car in its usual spot, noting there was a white rental parked in front of the shed that served as my office. As the shed had nothing of use in it beyond an empty desk and three chairs in case I had a customer or guest, I left it unlocked.

Sometimes, I came to work to find someone waiting for me. That the someone might be two someones, the parents I wished would leave us be, would bother me for a while.

Daphne bounced out of the second SUV and headed my way. I smiled, waited for her to come within reach, and swung her around. As the Montana royals required affection to thrive, I gave her a hug and whispered, “My bet is that they’re in the office waiting to have a word with me.”

“That’s the car from the vineyard,” she confirmed. “It was in the briefing before we left. I’ll go with you. They’re not dumb enough to try us both with Terry hot on our heels. Our mission is to play nice, get a feel for what they’re doing, and learn why they’d risk coming here.”

I nodded, let her go, and waited for Terry to approach before heading to my office.

Sure enough, my parents sat in front of my desk and waited with picture perfect patience, engaging in quiet talk. They wore jeans and t-shirts, which baffled me, as my mother would have loved if she could wear a ballgown each and every day.

I let myself in, headed for my chair, set the briefcase on the floor, and plopped down, daring to kick my feet up and relax. “Please don’t pick a fight. Daphne’s cranky because she’s going to be ruling Montana, and Terry would rather be at home with his newly pregnant princess. Don’t ask me about the other RPS agents. I have an entire herd of them, and the whole lot of them had to deal with me having a fever.”

Both of my parents regarded me with unimpressed expressions, and my mother shook her head in disapproval. “What did you do to get a fever again?”

“Rachel took me out on an obstacle course like she meant it and gave me a concussion. It was revenge for teasing her with beef jerky. I deserved it. After pulling off your disappearing act, which was well done, I’ll give you that, you surely have a good reason to be trying to see me. Let’s just skip straight to the chase. What do you want?”

My mother glanced at my father, and I marveled that the pair managed to hold a silent conversation despite how often they fought and failed to communicate or get along like reasonable adults. My father leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and grunted.

I waited; he’d talk or not at his own time, and I hadn’t survived an entire childhood with them through being impatient.

Daphne and Terry took positions near the door, and it amused me that Her Royal Highness of Montana had managed to mix being Royal with an RPS bearing. While I couldn’t afford to take my attention off my parents, I could hear the other RPS agents shuffling around outside along with the rumble of extra vehicles parking.

Finally, my father sighed. “While we are no longer the monarchs of New York, nor do we wish to return to being the monarchs, we do still have some loyalty to our home kingdom—and to the Royal States. It’s actually a good thing that you’re here, Daphne. It’s about a new terrorist cell, one that originates near our new domicile.”

Shit. Thwarting a terrorism cell was the one thing I could see my parents banding together for and acting on the behalf of others. Our kingdom had been targeted more than a few times, and they hated terrorists almost as much as Daphne. I suspected Daphne respected my parents a little for their stance against terrorism.

If they could kill a terrorist, they would.

As would I.

I lowered my feet from my desk, grabbed the briefcase, and set it on the worn surface, popping it open before turning it to face them. “That intel alone makes me grateful that I decided to bring this along. Everything in here is confirmed to be your personal property, including the suppressors. You can take the briefcase; I’ll replace it. I’m due for a new one.”

I’d owned it for years, and I needed to borrow a page from my sister’s book, leaving as much of the past behind me as I could.

My mother went for her suppressor first, opened it, and after it passed her visual inspection, she put it on. The relief, however brief, would bother me for a while. “We’d figured these would be too much to ask for.”

“They’re yours, bought with your own money. You’re sore out of luck on anything that belongs to the kingdom, but everything in the briefcase belongs to you. Since you’re scratching my back regarding intel on these terrorists, it seems only fair to scratch yours. What can you tell us about this group?”

“They’re odd, especially for terrorists,” my father informed me, and he went for his suppressing watch, taking the old one off and putting it in the briefcase. He closed it, pulled it off my desk, and set it on the floor beside his chair. “You and your sister should be safe enough. It’s your other brothers and sisters that are at risk. They’re strangely puritanical. They value pure royal bloodlines.” His gaze settled on Terry. “You’re their ideal target. Both of your parents are elite, and you have a royal talent. They view people like you to be the perfect human. They want to start their own kingdom that makes the caste system in the Royal States seem gentle. Ian, they won’t touch your sister, as she is the ruler of New York now, but you are also their ideal target—for a live capture, of course.” Leaning forward, he retrieved something from his back pocket, which he held out to me.

The object turned out to be several sheets of paper folded together, and upon opening, I realized it was a list of names, including the heirs of numerous kingdoms.

I was near the top of the list along with Daphne. Terry and Olivia were likewise included, and they had a notation of being empathically bonded. The symbol for bonded was included with my name, and Daphne’s newly minted prince had a notation of being useful as a breeder due to his status as bonded with Montana’s heiress. After reading all the names, I handed the sheets over to the Vampire of Montana. “These terrorists want you and your man for breeding purposes, Daphne. Aren’t you thrilled?”

Daphne raised a brow, going over the list. “You’re just playing right into their trap, Terry, breeding the perfect little royals for their twisted kingdom.”

Terry chuckled. “I’ll enjoy watching my wife tear this group apart with her bare hands. What sort of fools think it’s a good idea to go after a Montana princess hopped up on pregnancy hormones?”

“They won’t last long,” my father replied, and like the RPS agent, he gave a soft laugh. “This group is just smart enough to be dangerous. What we don’t know is if they’ll kill royals that refuse to cooperate. I suspect they plan to hold any captured royals hostage and gradually convert them to their cause. While we have always supported royal castes, especially when it comes to the protection of a kingdom, this is not what this group wishes to do. Right now, they’re operating in Asia and the Middle East, but it’s only a matter of time before they extend their reach into Europe. Thus far, India has resisted any influences by this group, but there are numerous Chinese provinces being swayed. I expect a civil war in China to happen first. With your talent, you would be invaluable to them, Ian.”

“I thought it was rather obvious I won’t willingly cooperate with this.”

My mother nodded. “I know that, you know that, and everyone who knows you knows that. Despite our best efforts, we simply were unable to bend you into being more like us. And that’s why we started cultivating you for the crown. If we can’t make you bend, no kingdom on this planet is going to be able to break you. The real target with their scheme will be your sister. They do not understand that your sister, while quiet, is not so readily broken. They will expect her to capitulate to recover you. Instead, she will tear them down and destroy even the foundations. We were going to offer Rachel to Montana in a betrothal offer had he not fallen for Mackenzie. And please don’t get us wrong, Daphne. We never condoned Sylvia’s behavior, nor would we have pursued her as a match for your cousin. Rachel, however, would have been our top choice for him.”

My father’s sly smile warned me of trouble. “We were also looking at California for her, but it looks like she took the situation into her own hands. That is why we made the decision to go when we did. It was our way of giving our approval of their union. Young Ethan has always been an ideal child for rulership, and we’re pleased with how this worked out. Rachel will serve New York well—and you will as well, Ian, in your own way. And if this group does get their hands on you, unlike your sister, you are capable and willing to lie, toeing the line until you get the result you need. You could trick the whole lot of them into believing you’ll turn coat and help them rule their fledgling empire. When in reality? You’d wait for all of them to gather and eradicate them all with a snap of your fingers.”

My mother huffed and waved her hand. “He wouldn’t bother with snapping. When he wants to take someone by surprise, he simply wills the flame to life. He does not have our limitations. You’re our most talented child, Ian. There were only three of you that were ours. And it’s not for the reason you think.”

Dennis. Somehow, I buried my emotions and maintained my neutrality.

My father’s expression turned rather distant. “When I was young, I was in an accident, and it impacted my fertility. You, your sister, and your brother, may he rest in peace, were the product of specialty fertility treatments. And yes, I mean Dennis. Before his death, he told us of what he wished he could be, simple, boring, and unremarkable Dennis. All we asked of him was to do as little damage as he could manage when he let go.”

I considered their words, and the reality of it settled in. “And my half-siblings?”

“All planned and encouraged,” my father assured me. “We were not good parents, but we wanted a large family. We’d hoped that you and your siblings would be a little more New Yorker and a little less prone to bending, but parents do not get to pick the nature of their children. Don’t get me wrong. We were not good parents. We will never be good parents. But we wanted to leave New York with a lasting legacy. That it turns out the children we had together were that legacy? There isn’t much more we could ask for. You took everything we threw at you, and you held firm. You gained strength.”

Daphne scowled. “You beat them.”

My mother dared to look the Vampire of Montana in the eyes. “Yes, we did. We needed the good children of our line to know what abuse is so they could defend against it, so that they could recognize it among their number. They needed to know the pain of a harsh hand so that when love did come calling, they would be better able to grow in its presence. We were both bred to rule New York. Love was never part of our marriage. We’ve been together so long now that we don’t know how to be apart, and so we make it work. We went into this together, and we will endure beyond ruling together. But we never actually hit Sylvia. Honestly, we never hit many of the younger children. We didn’t need to. We never did any of the things we did to Rachel or Ian to her. And look what she had become.” Her gaze settled on me. “Please do thank your sister for caring for Sylvia at the end. We could not.”

While it took me a few painful minutes, I came to terms with the truth of her statement, and I nodded my acceptance of her opinion on the matter. “I thought you had. To Sylvia, I mean. I thought you’d taken swipes at all our siblings.”

“No, Ian. When you stepped in to take the blow, we left it at that. We used the threat of violence, but you and your sister were the ones who took the hits. Your youngest siblings were never struck. We had more creative ways to punish them. We just made you think we had.”

Daphne’s cheek twitched.

I turned in my seat to regard my Montana friend and fellow heir. “Daphne. I am where I am at now because of the good and the bad. Let it go. Focus on the terrorists if you need to. They’ve brought you a priceless gift of intel. A whole new cell, and you’re positioned to deal with them personally. You can team up with me, Terry, and Eddie. We can infiltrate this terrorist group and destroy them from the inside. They’re after Deidre and Eddie, and if we involve Eddie, we help Texas with their problem at the same time.”

“Yes, young Eddie is part of why we had come. We saw his name on the list, and we are concerned he might be pliable.”

Terry shook his head. “Eddie is his father’s son—and I mean both of his fathers. This group would infuriate him. Please tell us everything you can about them.”

My parents nodded, and they rose to their feet. My father gestured to the back door of my office, which led to the junkyard proper. “Please, follow us. We may have broken into your backyard to bring some stuff with us. Your mother drove the rental. I may have borrowed some equipment, which you can return when we’re done here. We come bearing more than a few presents, for you and your new RPS team. I will admit, it came as a relief to find out you are the head of my daughter’s detail, Terry. I know she will be cared for in all ways. I know we could not tell you this before, but we were sorry to hear about the passing of your squirrel. He was quite an amusing little critter. We always approved him joining you when you came to New York.”

Terry regarded my father with a solemn expression, and then he stepped closer, leaned forward, and held open his coat so he could see inside. “Her name is Pink Lady, and she’s not feeling well, so she’s been riding in my coat. It keeps her warm and content while she heals.”

My mother smiled at the squirrel, coming closer to peer inside Terry’s pocket. “How precious. Do please keep training my daughter on RPS agent avoidance. We worked hard to make certain her offensive skills are as refined as possible, but it was difficult to find agents who could walk the line between neglectful and diligent without her catching on. And Ian? Your detail was garbage because you were always a little shit, noticing the less reputable agents and forcing us to get rid of them. The diligent agents couldn’t abide by our training methods, and the neglectful ones couldn’t keep up with you. There was a reason for that madness, and your empathy was the reason. And yes, we knew about your empathy early, and we worked to hide it. But then your little sister came along, and we could no longer hide it.” She scowled, and she placed her hands on her hips. “Do scold that Texan king for me, always making a mess of our plans. And no, he couldn’t have Rachel because we had plans for Rachel for Montana or California. I was just going to toy with those bastards for a little while longer before making the offer.”

I would need many an hour to think through my parents’ words and determine the truth. “I’ll do that. You really wanted Rachel to marry Ethan from the start?”

“They’re a perfect match,” my mother informed me with a smile. “She just needed refinement, and he needed someone to rescue. We are many things, but we are the perfect assholes, Ian. We’re under no delusions. There is little kind about either one of us. The New York we ruled had no room for kindness. The New York your sister rules will be everything our New York could never be. And when it comes time for Rachel’s children to take over, New York will be respected for its strength, its fiscal prowess, and its kindness. We just had the wrong kind of strength—but our kind of strength was needed to truly establish our fiscal prowess. Now you can take what we built and make it glorious.”

I could understand her point. They didn’t need to maintain their rule to have their legacy. In some ways, they had won that war. “All right. I understand. What do you have to show us?”

My father held open the door, gesturing for us to follow. Outside, he gestured to a truck and a horse trailer, and I questioned where he’d gotten them, as both were new. I sighed, aware I’d have to track down the owner, apologize for the theft, and quite possibly buy both back at new prices to prevent a lawsuit. “You stole an entire truck and trailer?”

“I needed them, and we can’t exactly just go and buy things here. Everything inside the trailer has been legally acquired, and I have the paperwork to prove it. Of course, we used a few middlemen to make it happen, but they were quite happy to participate once they saw what we were doing. Smuggling everything into the kingdom was interesting, but we needed to be smuggled in as well. We managed with some help. Please try not to express too much irritation at our ally in this; they have a vested interest in New York helping handle the matter of these terrorists.”

“We make allowances for things like this,” Daphne replied, although her expression indicated she believed she’d swallowed a frog. “We will have to act if you target Rachel or Ian, but for this? We won’t pretend we never saw you, but we will indicate that it was best to allow you to return to your retirement peacefully. The jewels should help you with that venture.”

“We’re financially stable, but the sentiment is appreciated,” my mother replied, heading towards the back of the trailer. “Come along, Ian. We don’t have all day. Just do return the truck and trailer to its owner. We left an envelope with a payment for accepting the temporary relocation of their property, but they’ll need their rig back.”

According to Terry’s pained sigh, he understood the truck and trailer would be biting everyone in the ass sooner than later. “I’ll see that it is handled.”

“Good. Come on, Ian, today,” my mother ordered, pointing at the ground beside her.

I rolled my eyes but joined her. She threw open the door, and I came face to nose with a large black horse with feathered hocks. A quick check indicated I dealt with a stallion. The animal blew air in my face before leaning forward to seek out attention. I lifted my left hand, seized the animal’s halter, and offered assurance, holding out my right hand for him to sniff.

While the horse slobbered on me, I retained my fingers.

I’d missed having a horse, and I wanted to get to the serious business of brushing his coat until he shined. Not only did I want to groom him, I wanted to enjoy the animal’s warmth and just be for a while.

“His name is Thunder. We were told he is larger than the breed standard by a hand. He is a Jutland, and he will love you to a near death state. I have quite had my fill of petting him. Please take this demon. I smell like a horse, and I might never get that stench off my skin.” My mother huffed and puffed, and she glared at the horse. “He’s a complete and total attention whore, so you should get along with him quite well. His papers are inside with the information we have on this terrorist cell. You liked that horse those damned Texans gave you, so this should be some consolation that you have to cope with our existence. And don’t think you can trick me, boy. If we gave you an excuse, you’d rid the Earth of us and enjoy every moment of it. But you won’t. We are worth more to you alive. We’re working on this terrorism problem from the shadows, as we do not want terrorists infesting our turf any more than you want them infesting your turf. By leaving us alone, you have an ally to deal with a bigger fish—and a far more dangerous fish. You’ll pay the price, knowing we’re right here and can’t do anything about it.”

Bastards. I nodded to acknowledge the truth of her statement, and I rubbed Thunder’s neck. The stallion bumped his nose against my chest in a bid for more attention, which I gave him. “All right. You have free passage back to wherever you want to go. Terry, make the arrangements. If they want a cruise back to Europe, put them on a ship, and request a Montana detail until they’re overseas. They can do the job without personal feelings getting involved. We just got New York’s RPS functional, so let’s not rock that boat.”

My father chuckled. “A cruise would be nice—and get us out of the way for a few weeks while you look into the terrorist cell. The RPS will have to provide falsified passports, of course. And don’t think you can trick us. Rachel’s smart, but you’re smarter. You’ve been manipulating every little thing you could, a masterful chess player playing at a significant disadvantage.”

“Rachel aced California’s refugee exam,” I informed him in a cool voice.

“And I have no doubt that you could match her if given some time and a chance to study. We paid attention to you and her; we originally positioned Rachel to be an excellent consort, providing her new kingdom with a wealth of knowledge. She would have brought monetary wealth as well, but our gambit to get her into California or Montana was her brains, not her looks or her diplomacy, although she excels in both.” My father shrugged. “We prepared you both for life as Royals. You may never appreciate the lengths or the methods, but we succeeded at our job as your parents. Together, you two will bring prosperity to everyone within New York, and you know what to do—and what not to do—because of us.”

While I worried I was about to make a mistake, I eyed Terry. “Can the passports be done?”

“With the caveat that the passports will be tracked and monitored for illegal activity,” the RPS agent replied.

“We will continue providing information regarding the terrorist group in exchange,” my mother replied.

“Then we’ll see to the passports. As long as it is clear that you will not attempt to usurp New York from your daughter, we can quietly make certain arrangements. And Prince Ian is unavailable for any scheming that you might have in mind.”

“We have ruled the most prosperous kingdom in the world for decades. We have zero care for the duties and responsibilities of rulership.” My mother’s expression hardened. “I will not see some pitiful terrorists undo our legacy.”

Daphne eyed Terry, who nodded. “Then we have an understanding.”

The unspoken ‘for now’ hung in the air between us.

My father stepped away from the trailer, taking the briefcase I’d given to them with him. “We will take our leave. We’re staying at a motel near the port. The address is in the paperwork. Send the RPS agents there with the cruise tickets and the passports, and we will get out of your hair. Do enjoy your horse, Ian. He is a stallion worthy of even a king. If fortune favors you, we won’t see each other again, but mark my words, you will know we’re out there, watching.”

If fortune favored me ? I met his gaze and allowed myself a cold smile. “I won’t just be watching, Father. I’ll be waiting.”

Ten years ago, I would have been over the moon about the approval in his expression. “Good. Your sister needs you at your best. You were ready to take a throne since you were twelve and realized you might need to fall on that sword to protect your brothers and sisters. Rachel, despite doing everything we could to prepare her for being a consort, never quite figured things out. Now she’s stuck with being the Queen of New York while you? Well, I don’t know what you’re up to, so at least try to be useful.”

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re an asshole?” I asked, unable to keep the curiosity out of my tone.

“A few times, but it was rare. Honestly, Montana and California were the only ones brave enough to do it to our faces, which is why they were the only candidates to have your sister.”

“You’re an asshole.”

He chuckled. “Good luck with the terrorists, boy. You’re going to need it.”