Page 41 of Torin and His Oath (Torin and the Princess #2)

LEXI

T hen it was my birthday, on a Wednesday night.

Jen was taking me out to dinner on the night of, telling me she knew I hated a fuss, but she had seen me kidnapped and almost die from diarrhea, so she got to make one.

I had said, “By fuss do you mean I’m buying us dinner?”

“Of course, I have no money, but since it’s your birthday I will let you pick the restaurant.” She added, “Just not Mexican, I am done with that place after that snotty waitress.”

So I was meeting her at my favorite Italian restaurant.

I also suspected my friends were planning a big party for the weekend.

I had said no fuss, but it would be kinda nice.

Because I was bored, and still a bit sad.

When I walked in, Jen was already there, my drink was ordered, and she had a wrapped box in front of her.

I sat down and clapped. “For me?”

She shoved it to me. “No, it’s for the waiter, of course it’s for you, open it!”

I tore open the package to find a brimmed cap, in a blue and green tartan that said Horse Mom on the front, and a pair of leather riding gloves that were butter soft.

“Ah, this is perfect, thank you. I guess I’m really leaning into this whole horse lifestyle.”

Jen said, “It’s basically your whole personality now.”

I chuckled. “Is not.”

“Is too. What did you do today? Shovel horse poop or ride a horse or comb your horse?”

“All of that.” I pulled on the cap and slid my hands into the gloves. “How do I look?”

She grinned and it was her turn to clap. “Perfect.”

I took the cap and gloves off when the food was served, telling Jen, “I’m royal now, I have to have good manners.”

She joked, “You’ve dripped drink on your shirt.”

We both laughed.

The food arrived, but then mid-meal, my voice trailed off as I noticed that near the door, Marcus, was on his phone.

He was scanning the room, peering out at the parking lot.

Something about his mannerisms made me think, uh oh, something’s going on.

He quickly strode to our table with his eyes on the door, and said, “Yeah, I’m beside her.”

Jen scanned the restaurant. “What’s going on?”

My heart began to pound, “What is it?”

He put his hand over the phone receiver. “Ma’am, there’s been a breach at the house. Stay put, Joel’s handling it.” But I jumped up from the table.

Jen said, “Where are you going?”

I ignored her and asked Marcus right as he hung up, “Who is it? Ask them who it is!”

“Sorry, ma’am, they hung up — they’re in the middle of it. We’ll just stay put until they give us the all-clear.”

“No way, we need to go. I want to go see who it is.”

He shook his head. “Finish your meal?—”

I grasped his arm. “Please, we need to see, please. I won’t get out of the car, I’ll just watch from afar.”

He bit his lip.

I said, “I am your boss.”

He chuckled. “Fine, yes, we can drive over, but we’ll hang back and let them call it in, get the house secured and…”

His voice trailed off when I started rolling my hand. “Can we go, please, Marcus?’

“Yes, ma’am.”

Jen said, “You haven’t finished eating! We were about to have cake! I didn’t even sing Happy Birthday yet!”

I glanced at the dinner — eating was the last thing on my mind. “I know, not hungry, I need to see what’s going…”

I felt my pockets for my phone.

Jen passed me my bag. “Your phone’s inside.”

I nodded and dug through it for my debit card. I put it on the table. “This is for the meal.”

“But now I feel mean making you pay for it when there’s a whole thing going on.”

I smiled, comfortingly. “You got me the great hat and gloves! I love them. I planned to pay for the meal as a thank you. Get a slice of cake for yourself and buy me one to go. No argument and sorry I’m running out on the birthday celebration.”

She said, “But are you sure you should go, Lexi? The reason you have security is so you won’t be in the middle of it.”

“I’m sure, I gotta go... I have to see...”

Jen shook her head, frowning. “It’s not him. It’s been months, sweetie. It could be any number of other things. Please be careful, listen to your guards.”

I said, “Of course, that’s why I got them.” And then Marcus and I rushed out to the SUV.

I climbed into the passenger seat, buckling myself in as soon as I had put the box down on the floor with my purse. “Thank you for driving me, Marcus.”

He said, “Against my better judgment, but you look like you’d try to walk there if I didn’t.”

I said, “I probably would. I don’t want to miss anything, I need to know what’s going on.”

“You know we’d give you a report.”

“A report isn’t nearly good enough… Can’t you go faster?”

“No, ma’am, can’t! I have one job, driving you safely and keeping you out of trouble. If I speed toward trouble I’d be terrible at my job.”

I was barely listening. “I wonder who it is…?”

“Want me to call again?”

I said, “No, that’s fine, don’t call, we’ll be there in five. I’m worried they’ll tell me not to come.”

He shrugged, “Yeah… but you are the boss.”

I was scanning the landscape. “That’s the truth, they aren’t the boss of me… I’ll go if I want to go…”

As he turned onto the main road, his phone rang. He tucked it to his ear. “Yeah?”

He listened.

I asked, “What’s going on?”

He said, as he drove, “Intruders, subdued?—”

“Two?”

He nodded, listening on the phone, then relayed to me, “They dragged them up to your porch because of a lightning storm… carrying weapons — swords.” Then he said to the guard on the phone, “Yeah, I’m on route to you, ETA three minutes.”

He listened.

“I know, I know, she’s insisting…”

I asked, “Did the guards get their names?”

He asked on the phone, “Identification?”

He listened, then relayed, “…wearing costumes, no IDs.”

Was it Torin? I couldn’t be sure, but it sounded like it.

The driver hung up the phone and drove a few more blocks, then turned on the blinker as we neared my house.