Page 2 of The Royal Flame (The Royal Academy #3)

RIVER

F inn and I are at my mother’s three-story home located on the city outskirts, where the air is still, but the city lights can be seen.

Similar homes line the street, along with towering lampposts.

Her yard is massive and well-maintained with flourishing flowers and shrubbery.

The brick driveway curves up to the front door, the entire property is secured with tall iron gates, and the only way in is by knowing the code.

“How could someone get in here?” I mutter as we stand in the living room, talking to the detective working the case. “There’s gates and cameras everywhere. My mother would’ve known if someone trespassed.”

“The cameras were deactivated,” the detective reminds me.

He’s older with a bit of grey in his hair, and he’s wearing a dark grey suit.

“And the person or persons could’ve climbed over the fence.

However, there’s also the possibility that someone came in through the gated entrance.

” He has a handheld device and has been taking notes with a stylus pen.

“How many people know the code to the security system out front?”

I trade a look with Finn, who shrugs. He’s been uncharacteristically quiet since we arrived here.

“I’m not sure,” I say, turning back to the Detective. “Finn and I do. My father does. And maybe some of the people that work for my mom, but I’m not positive.” I pause. “You think whoever took her knows her?”

“I wouldn’t say that yet, but we have to rule out all possibilities.” He taps the stylus against the screen. “I need to ask you a few more questions, but I’d prefer to do that at the station. We can head there now if that works for you two.”

I have no desire to go anywhere. I want to search my mother’s home and see if I can figure out what happened. I want to demand that the police rip the city apart until they have answers. But doing any of this isn’t an option, so Finn and I agree to go to the station for the second time tonight.

It hurts to go, though.

While she isn’t perfect, my mother was the only ray of light in clouds that constantly hover over Finn, Lily, and me. Now she’s gone, and all that’s left is a storm.

A couple of hours later, Finn and I are exiting the Royal City Police Station.

The questioning lasted about an hour, and the detective took over an hour to get started.

The questions mainly were about my mom, but he did inquire about where Finn and I were tonight.

He became mildly suspicious after we told him we were at the North Side Police Station.

I understand why, but Finn and I have nothing to hide, and Maddy isn’t missing anymore.

Eventually, after looking into this, he let us go and told us he’d be in touch with updates.

It feels strange to leave the building without any answers. Plus, exhaustion is weighing down on me.

“Maybe she just wanted to start over,” Finn says after we’ve climbed into his car.

I blink at him, noting how pale his face looks in the fluorescent glow of the light trickling from the police station. “Huh?”

“Mom.” He glances at me. “Maybe she just didn’t want to deal with Dad anymore and knew the only way to escape was to take off.”

I waver, scratching at my arm. “That seems like a stretch. Besides, her and Dad are divorced, so why would she go to that extreme? They don’t even really talk to each other anymore.”

He hasn’t started up the engine and is staring at the parking lot covered with darkness and trails of lamplight. He thrums his fingers on top of the steering wheel. “Are you sure about that?”

I pull my brows together. “Do you know something?”

He hesitates and then looks at me. “I overheard Mom and Dad a few weeks ago arguing in the library of Dad’s main house.

I was staying there for the night because I went to a race that was nearby, but neither of them knew I was there.

I woke up to them shouting. But I couldn’t tell what they were yelling about. ”

“Did you tell the detective that?” I wouldn’t know since we were questioned separately.

He nods, raking his fingers through his hair. “I did. I’m worried, though, that Dad’s too powerful for them to look into.”

“That’s a possibility,” I agree in a quiet tone.

“We might have to look into it on our own.” He pushes the ignition button, and the engine rumbles. “Have you heard anything else from Maddy?”

With my lips pressed together, I shake my head. I haven’t heard from her since she called me earlier. “She said she’d be in touch, but I’ll try to call her.” I dial her number, but she doesn’t answer.

So, I send her a text.

Me: Everything okay?

I don’t expect her to respond so I startle when she replies within seconds.

Maddy: Yeah, I’m actually about to leave. I’m not sure where to go, though….

Me: Meet us at the condo. We’re headed there now.

Maddy: Okay, I’ll see you there.

“She’s headed to the condo,” I inform Finn as I lift my hips and slide my phone into my pocket. “I told her we’d meet her there.”

He shifts gears and drives forward. “Did she give you any more information about what happened?”

I shake my head, my mind rewinding through tonight’s events, particularly about what my mom messaged me right before she disappeared.

I mentioned the message to the detective but didn’t give details on who Maddy is, at least facts about her real identity.

I didn't see the purpose of that, for now, anyway.

“I need to tell you something… About some messages, mom sent me right before she vanished.” I spent the next few minutes giving him a recap of what happened.

By the time I’m done, we’re halfway to the condo.

Finn has fallen silent, but when I finish, he shakes his head and says, “What the hell is going on? And how the hell does mom expect you just to abandon Maddy? You wouldn’t do that because if you stop dating her, the society can go after her again.

” When I make no effort to respond, he glances at me while flipping on the blinker and slowing down the car. “Right?”

I rub my hand across my forehead and then sigh. “I feel like I can't date her anymore… Although the idea of ending our fake relationship makes my chest feel stupidly tight. How messed up is that? My first real broken heart is from a fake relationship. I’m pathetic.”

“You’re not pathetic. And you’re not going to stop dating Maddy.” He turns onto a road where the lights from the buildings are dimmer and less frequent. “We’ll have to figure something out.”

“I think I already did.” I open and flex my hands, that pressure in my chest building. “You’re going to have to do it.”

He flicks a confused glance at me. “Do what?”

“Date her.” It’s agonizing to utter those two words.

He taps on the brake for no damn reason, causing the car to jolt. “What? Stop being weird.” He presses on the gas again.

“I’m not being weird. I’m being realistic.” I slump back in the seat. “With what mom said—and right before she went missing—we have to take this seriously.”

The muscle in his jaw spasms as he shakes his head and grips the wheel. “This is so messed up. Mom goes missing… Maddy gets taken… And now she might be in danger.” He blows out a breath. “What’re we going to tell Lily about mom?”

Another pressurized breath presses against my chest. “As much as I wish we could keep her in the dark, it’ll be all over the news, so we’ll have to tell her the truth.

“Yeah, you’re right.” He briefly pauses. “Do you think she’s okay?”

“Mom?” I check, and he nods, his gaze traveling to me. “I honestly don’t know.”

He swallows hard. “What if… What if she did the same thing she did when we were ten? What if she just… took off.”

“That’s crossed my mind,” I admit aloud.

I hate that my thoughts go to that place where I’m contemplating whether my mom did this intentionally like she did when Finn and I were ten.

Mom had been gone for days, but that wasn’t entirely out of the ordinary for her.

Our nanny mostly took care of us, and so we didn’t notice her absence too much.

But eventually, it became apparent when days turned into weeks.

Things became even weirder when my father requested a family meeting, something he’d never done.

“Sit down,” he instructed as Lily, Finn, and I entered the library.

We were all afraid of him, and we quickly obeyed, taking a seat on the sofa in the middle of the room. He didn’t sit down, instead staring out the window at the frost-kissed land surrounding the house. He was wearing a suit—he always was, even when he wasn’t going to work.

“I’ve received some unpleasant news,” he finally said, turning around and facing us. He stood with his hands behind his back, and his expression was cold. “Your mother has left us.”

“What?” Lily whispered confusedly. “Where did she go? To the store?”

My father rolled his eyes. “Don’t be dense, Lily. She’s left us. She doesn’t want to be your mother anymore.”

“What?” Lily’s eyes watered over with tears.

She was sitting between Finn and me, and I held onto her hand. Finn took her other hand.

“It’s going to be okay,” I told Lily quietly, my stomach twisting in knots.

Was it going to be okay?

My mother left us.

Left us with him .

She was never going to win Mother of the Year, but she was better than our father.

My father laughed hollowly. “Keep telling yourself that, River. You and I both know that’s a lie. Lily needs a mother.” He pointed at Lily. “Because I sure as hell don’t want to take care of her.”

Finn, who smarted off more than me, lifted his chin. “Good thing we have Bethany then.”

Bethany was our nanny and had been for the last handful of years.