Page 87 of Wanted

“I turned off the cameras. We might’ve been compromised.” Fylox added, “That’s why we have the second layer, another cloud. The cheap one that nobody expects us to have. We also have audio. And, there we are. Back on.”

I couldn’t see what was going on digitally speaking, but watching Alex’s tense shoulders loosen up gave me back ten years of my life. I tried to blur out the gunshots from the audio Fylox made us listen to. The yelling and cursing made me uncomfortable, knowing how Fylox felt about it.

“Our men?” Alex asked.

“Yes, they’re still fighting. This was a surprise attack from the air. They were unprepared for that scenario… unfortunately.”

Alex took off his jacket, undoing the lapels of his shirt. He sighed exasperated, hissing. He cursed under his tongue, not letting the words out. I observed the tension in the room. It was breathing down our necks, dark and cloudy.

“Are we going to die in here?”

Both men looked at me, not giving me an answer.

And then everything went black.

WESTON

When the Wraith arrived at the palace gates, the guards were in a state of chaos. I had never seen them so flustered. They had to check every single one of our identities twice. We were the fucking royals; the fact that we allowed them to check our ID once was already enough.

“Your Highness… Perhaps you should refrain from the palace…” one of the guards uttered. Their ties were undone. I could have sworn I saw one or two lying around on the floor, looking trampled on. I brushed it off because we had more significant issues at hand.

“What the fuck is going on?” Aris asked, losing his temper as we stood next to the car while the security inspected it as they did every time we entered or exited the palace. Valentina put her hand on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. It didn’t work.

“We… There’s a problem. There are men in front of the princess’s home. They just barged in about an hour ago. They came unannounced. They threatened us with guns. They let three cars pass through our gates. We have informed the palace, but we’re keeping it private. It’s not supposed to end up in the press. There’s already so much instability…”

“Is this Spencer Rawlins’ doing?” I asked. Mandy shrugged. The guards didn’t have an answer for me. “We’re going in. This is still my family’s home.”

Mandy and Valentina climbed into the back. Aris took his seat. I hesitated, patting the top of the car. I joined my family in the car, and I said, “You girls stay in here. Mandy, we’ll be leaving in a minute. We just need to check what’s going on with Kamila’s house.”

“I think I know,” Mandy revealed, relaxed as ever.

“What do you mean?” Aris asked.

“Pull up to her house, and I’ll tell you.”

♥♠♥

“Sir, you can’t enter this home.”

Twenty men dressed in black, taller, and more muscular than my brother and I were standing on the sidewalk in front of Kamila’s home. They blocked the entrance. I saw two men on the right and the left side, patrolling. They were heavily armed, all of them. They were meaner than our guards, trained to kill. They didn’t look like they’d hesitate to kill us.

“This is our property. We will enter if we see it fit. What’s happening? Who do you think you are?” I demanded. My pulse was skyrocketing. I saw my brother next to me, and he was an even bigger mess than me. He had a pregnant woman in the car. We couldn’t risk it.

“I want to speak to whoever is behind this,” I stated, crossing my arms in front of my chest. The watch on my wrist alerted me that it was about to get late. The winds were blowing, growing colder as the sun disappeared.

One of the men pulled out a phone. I watched him type something. It was a quick affair. He put it back in his pocket ten seconds later.

“What does all of this mean?” Aris asked me, and I honestly had no idea.

A tall black man exited my sister’s front door with a poise that I didn’t like. He had this aura of confidence that was rare in our country. My family and a quarter of the one-percenters walked around like this man did, indestructible. He didn’t seem like a man of money, though. He was dressed in dark clothes like the men standing in front of my sister’s home. His hair was hidden beneath a dark blue durag. He was in good shape, and he looked like he could take us on without the help of the armed men posted in front of us.

“Who are you?” I asked when he walked by the armed men to approach my brother and me. I heard noises from the car, so I turned around. Mandy was knocking on the window, waving at me. I tilted my head to the side, drawing my eyebrows together.

“I’m Jordan Winters. I think Mandy wants to say hi to me,” he announced. Aris stood there, dumbfounded.

I unlocked the car, and Mandy rushed outside. Her face was full of relief. She jumped at the opportunity to greet this man. They hugged; on his part, it felt awkward, but Mandy enjoyed it. Why the fuck was she so happy all of a sudden?

“What’s going on?” Mandy asked him in a soft tone that I hadn’t managed to get out of her in a long while.