Royal Tease Page 12

  I had my hands full with this case, and he was pulling this shit? Honestly?

  Did you expect anything different?

  After I'd asked Penny to look in on him the other day, I'd accessed my security cameras, and I'd seen him coming and going. Unfortunately, when I checked two days ago, I saw him headed in the exact opposite direction of where he should have been.

  Toward the palace. We'd had a distinct arrangement. He was to go nowhere near the palace. That had always been our arrangement. He could come to visit me, as long as he didn't step foot near the palace. With his background, he couldn't be trusted. And I valued my job there.

  I had an important position, and people depended on me. My father could never understand something like that, but if he pulled any of his antics, I'd be out of a job. And then where would I be?

  I'd end up just like him. Hustling to make ends meet. For years I’d blamed my mother. I'd been so angry, so convinced that if she’d just loved him more, fought harder, that they could've worked. But over the years, I'd come to realize why she'd left. My only question to her now was why she hadn't taken me with her.

  Maybe I was overreacting. Maybe it wasn't that bad, and I just needed to give him a chance. Maybe there was a perfectly good reason he'd been headed to the palace instead of away from it. I sent a couple of quick emails just to check in with everyone at home and to put out some feelers for anyone who may have seen him. This was the last thing I needed right now. This was the biggest mission of my career. He was not going to ruin it for me.

  I was still sending emails when Roone approached me from behind. He was a guard, so he knew better. But still, I whipped around, grabbed his wrist, and had his arm twisted in a second.

  If he’d been someone untrained, I'd have had good control of his arm, he'd whine like a baby, and cry out in pain. Instead, he countered my maneuver, dropping his body weight and pulling me down with him. Then he had me in a headlock.

  I countered with standard headlock escape, one arm over his head and my finger directly on his septum, pulling back and nearly tossing him with a shift of my hips.

  "Oh, Shit. Dammit. Uncle."

  "Don't surprise me," I grumbled.

  "Shit, I'm the only one who knows you're here. Remember, we are a team."

  "Yeah, I remember. You just can't sneak up behind me."

  Roone glowered at me. "You know for such a little thing, you're awfully feisty."

  "You recognize I am a Royal Guard, right?"

  He nodded. "Yes, but you look like a little mermaid, so you can see how people would think that you're somewhat of a fairy princess, right?"

  I ground my teeth. "No one would call me a fairy princess. I'm a soldier, just like you."

  "Relax, no one's saying you're not a soldier. I'm just saying, you do have certain pixie-like qualities to you, so you can see how people might be taken off guard. Which is a good thing, just so you know."

  I rolled my shoulders. "Okay, maybe I was being a little touchy."

  His brows pulled down. "Everything okay with Jessa?"

  "You mean besides her pulling out her boxing gloves and going to town on her body bag?" I indicated the screen where Jessa was practicing her kickboxing. "She told him earlier his new name was Roone."

  Like an idiot, the fool grinned. "Aw, she likes me."

  I glanced back at the screen. "I don't quite think that's what she's got going on for you, but you can live in your delusional world if you want."

  "Look, I know you said charm her and all that good shit, but a girl like Jessa, she wouldn't trust it. Especially if she hasn't earned it. So if I went in there all sweetness and light, she'd know I was up to something, which is not what we need right now. If she has to fight for the friendship, she's more likely to trust me, and we can both do our job. You can be the one she liked right away."

  He had a point there. During our first planning meeting, we'd gotten on like gangbusters. I'd used some details from that first lunch to tailor the perfect date for someone like her. Something whimsical but fun, because she never allowed herself to even relax for a minute. It must be exhausting being the perfect person for everyone.

  I rolled my eyes. "Are you making any headway?"

  "Well, she's fighting me at every turn, but she seems to like fighting me, so we'll take that and run with it. We did have a moment a couple of nights ago when we were working, so she might be thawing a bit."

  "Okay, I'm gonna let you run with this angle for now, but don't overdo it. Just remember, the end goal is to stay as close as possible. Which means she has to eventually like you."

  "I hear you. I have it under control."

  "Why do I feel like those are famous last words?"

  "They're not." His voice deepened, and his expression evened out as he met my gaze directly. "Look, I know what it's like to have a partner that I can't trust. You don't have to worry about that with me. I'm doing the job. I'm not going to screw you in the process."

  I snorted. "No, but you're going to screw her?"

  That got him. His face went pink, and I chuckled to myself. "God, you're so easy."

  "You do recognize that I'm trying very hard not to be Penny and/or Lucas in this situation, right?"

  "Oh yeah, I know. But, mark my words, the fastest way to protect her is friendship or seduction, which is what you're doing. You're just taking the long way around."

  "And you promised to give me leeway. Besides, the fastest way to protect her is honesty. We tell her what’s up, and then we can guard her better. Put her under lock and key."

  I shook my head. "What, if anything, about Jessa makes you think it’ll be any easier to protect her if she knows? It would just make her more reckless. And I did give you some leeway, so don't screw up."

  "Got it. Don't worry, we're a team. We'll make this work."

  "Yup, team Winston Isles all the way." Even as Roone settled in to help me with this surveillance, I couldn't help but wonder if I was somehow the weakest link.

  Had my one stupid decision put team Winston Isles in danger? I certainly hoped not. But the only way I'd know for sure was if I found my father.

  Roone…

  I’d known they’d come. Hell, I’d expected Sebastian and Lucas sooner. There must have been something going on if they’d taken this long to turn up.

  How they’d turned up though, that had been a surprise. Evan’s voice on my intercom was terse and clipped as usual. Yeah, you’re not my favorite person either, you twat.

  But I’d headed on down to the conference room with enthusiasm and a smile. Why the hell couldn’t Ariel had done this part of the mission? I was a soldier. I’d gotten my degree in business, so when push came to shove, I could do the job. But I was better when there was fighting involved.

  Because she’s in charge and you’re not.

  Right, that.

  I knew who I was meeting the moment I saw the guards posted on either side of the door. To their credit, neither of them showed any hint of recognition. “Hey, Evan, what’s happening?”

  Evan’s jaw ticked. “Roone. Obviously, you know His Royal Majesty King Sebastian Winston of the Winston Isles, and His Royal Highness, Prince Lucas Winston. They’re interested in Evans doing an RFP for one of their charities, the Artistic Trust. Since you are piggybacking with Jessa on several accounts, I thought it might not be a bad idea to see what you can do with an account of your own.”

  My gaze flickered to my mates, who looked tickled to find me in a suit. “Your Majesty, Your Highness, it’s a pleasure to see you again. Evan, I’m honored you’d give me the opportunity.”

  I don't know what he’d expected, but it probably wasn’t my enthusiasm, so he blustered for a moment. “Yes, right. I’ll leave you to chat about what they have in mind. Roone, find me after you’re done, and we’ll discuss.”

  Once he was gone, I breathed a sigh of relief. “Did the both of you need to come?”

  Lucas grinned. “Dunno, Seb. He doesn’t look that pleased to see us.�
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  Sebastian shrugged as he came forward. “Tough tits. I wanted to make sure everyone was still alive. Besides, I was missing having rational conversations over a pint.” Sebastian gave me a one-armed hug, then Lucas did the same.

  “Everyone is still kicking. Honestly, you didn't need to come.”

  Sebastian held up his hands. “Relax. I trust you and Ariel have shit under control. We really do have work for the trust we’re dealing with. We’re off to Paris for the next two days and then back, so it was nothing to come and see how things were going. Any leads?”

  I shook my head. “Other than what was in the report, no. We’ve already cleared most of the people in her life, but we’re taking another pass at her boss.”

  Sebastian’s brows drew down. “The bloke we just met?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, that’s him. He’s a real gem that one. He’s been her mentor for years but given his behavior since Ariel and I showed up, there are some clues to suggest he’s looking for a different kind of relationship, so we’re digging.” I rolled my shoulders. “Also, she went out to her adoptive father’s facility to pick up his things. Ariel and I weren’t able to get into the flat before her place was broken into, so there could have been anything in there. She did scan some of the things, so I just need to clone her phone to access and sift through the data.”

  Lucas frowned. “Who do you think broke into her place?”

  “I don't know. Whoever it was, it was a professional. Looped video, staying in blind spots. No amateur burglar did that on their own.”

  Sebastian nodded slowly. “What does Ariel say?”

  Through clenched teeth I said, “It’s in the report, Your Majesty. We’re working on it.”

  He sighed. “I’m not checking up on you, Roone. Honestly, I’m not. I just know how it can be for you when you come back home, so I figured two birds one stone.”

  Lucas stepped forward. “Look, we didn’t mean to throw you off your game or anything. I know I gave you a shit time when you were guarding me, and if Jessa is anything like us, we figured some friendly faces would help.”

  I forced a deep breath into my lungs. I was still smarting from the assignment I guess. And still smarting from failing last year when I was guarding Lucas. He’d thrown everything out the window when he’d taken off last year. He’d had his reasons, but that had caused a rift between us for a bit there. He and I were on more of an even footing now, but it still irritated me to think about how everything had gone down.

  It was important to me to be good at my job. I always felt like I needed to find some way to say thank you to Sebastian for the insane life that I’d led. In the last year or so, it hadn’t gone exactly according to plan, but I wouldn’t change any of it... except maybe that part about my homicidal partner. Didn’t matter how much time had passed. Marcus’s treachery still cut deep.

  I slid my gaze over to my best friend. “Have you two seen her yet?”

  Both of them shook their heads, but it was Sebastian who spoke. “No, we didn’t want to draw attention if someone is watching her.”

  My gut clenched. “Not to mention taking out the whole royal bloodline in one fell swoop. Ariel must be shitting herself.”

  “She went from elation at seeing Penny to shouting at me for jeopardizing the op when we saw her this morning.” He chuckled before adding. “How is Jessa?”

  That was a hard question. “Jessa is a whole other breed of woman. She’s nuts, but she’s also got this core of steel. I would have thought she’d be hysterical about the break-in, freaking out, and all that stuff. She wasn’t. Cool as a cucumber. Pissed off that someone broke in, actually. And then suspicious as fuck.”

  I shook my head and almost laughed. I had counted the ways she stalked around her apartment, checking very specific items as if she’d always anticipated something like this.

  I had the file on her father. Paranoid didn’t even begin to cut it with him. Where he could, he went off the grid. Jessa, after age ten, had been moved to several different schools in the states and Canada. From what I could tell, he had a decent knowledge base of general spy craft. A skillset I’m sure he passed on to his daughter.

  “She checked it out thoroughly. It passed whatever test she was looking for. If she’s smart, she’s got all her cash and stuff hidden in the walls. They tore the place up good.”

  Sebastian swallowed and then ran a hand through his hair. “Look, I know I’ve had you on long-term job after long-term job, okay? The go-look-after-Lucas thing dragged out longer than it should have. And now this. How are you holding up? You’re not even allowed to be yourself on this one.”

  Lucas at least had the grace to look sheepish. “Sorry again, man.”

  “Bygones,” I muttered.

  This was Seb, my best mate. The same scrawny kid I’d looked after at Eton. “I’m ten, mate. No problems.”

  Sebastian sighed. “Are you sure you’re okay with getting close to Jessa? Even that wasn’t asked of Penny.”

  I cleared my throat. “You gave me a job Sebastian. I plan to do it.”

  He swallowed and rocked back on his heels, shifting his gaze to Lucas, who asked, “So, you two are getting close?”

  I was going to kill Lucas. I shook my head. “Nope, I’m not going to give you that kind of mission detail.” That was going to be a recipe for disaster, because at some point, it was going to kick in to him that Jessa was his sister. He didn’t want that. He didn’t need that knowledge. “I’m working on her. Ariel’s working on her. We got this. We know what our jobs are. I swear to you, we will keep her safe and bring her home, if it’s the last thing we do.”

  “It won’t be. I think you are owed a serious vacation when you get back. Whenever it is, I’ll take the time off. You and I are climbing Kilimanjaro.”

  I grinned. It had been one of those bucket list things that I’d had on my list when I was a kid. I couldn’t believe he remembered. “Are you serious, mate?”

  “Yeah. We haven’t had time for just us in a while. First, I went to New York, then Lucas and his antics, and now, Jessa. We’re long overdue.”

  “Must we always refer to my antics?” Lucas groused.

  I nodded and tried not to let the sudden well of emotion choke me. “Yeah, mate, you got it.”

  Sebastian nodded. “Okay, we’ll get out of your hair. Just know that I’m not checking up on you. I know what you would do for this family. I’ve never had any doubts.”

  As he turned to walk out, I finally released the breath I was holding. I hadn’t known how badly I needed to hear those words until he said them.

  19

  Jessa…

  Where the hell had Roone been half the day? There'd been a ruckus at the office earlier. Some VIP client, and most of us had been forced to stay in our offices until the client had come and gone. We had work to do on the gala, but he was nowhere to be found. According to him, Rick had needed him.

  Yeah but for what? I had been Evan’s protégé. Was Rick taking him under his wing? If so, did I really have to worry?

  I was too tired to think about it. Being stuck in my office half the day had hampered my movements, and I’d had to get creative about how I worked. I wanted to know who the hell had come in. Chloe was convinced it had been Prince Harry. Never mind that I reminded her that the palace had their own internal publicity engine going.

  I needed a hot bath and wine. Copious amounts of wine, not necessarily in that order.

  I checked with the other senior account managers but none of them had been called in for the client. So maybe it was just a meeting for the Evans?

  But where had Roone been at the time of the meeting? Damn it. Enough Roone. I wasn’t going to worry about him right now, because I was going to have my wine and my hot bath. I might even combine the two.

  Glass of wine in hand, I sank into the couch. My gaze landed on my bookshelf. Maybe I could use some more photos. If I was serious about staying, then a few sentimental things wouldn’t kill me, right?
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  I frowned staring at the bookshelf. Something was missing. What the fuck was it? I had my books, the one picture frame, a couple of framed prints. The binder.

  I sat up abruptly, nearly spilling my wine.

  When the police had been here, I’d done a cursory look. I didn’t have too much that was valuable. Whoever had broken in had made a hell of a mess. I’d assumed that they were looking for something valuable.

  Maybe the clean-up crew had moved it? What the hell?

  My inner voice screamed. Had someone been looking for my father’s sketches? But why? They weren’t worth anything. They were personal. But even as I let my imagination run wild, my more rational side slapped it down. That makes no sense.

  Except someone had broken into my home and taken nothing except the rose pendent. And the only thing I’d been able to notice that was missing was a folder of my father’s sketches.

  I grabbed my laptop and then opened the file of sketches. What was here that somebody would want?

  Just Lulu and my mother. The images of the men with tattoos. But who were they?

  I glanced at the tattoos again. I’d had a client, Jillian Brightcomb. She’d launched a lipstick line. She’d also been a tattoo connoisseur.

  Pulling out my phone I sent her a text.

  Jessa: Hey Jillian, do you know if tattoo artists keep a database of designs and who has done them? I’m trying to track something down.

  Jillian: Hey Jessa!! I have a place. They are one of the best in town. Every artist likes to leave a signature, so if it’s someone known, they can help you.

  Jessa: Cheers!! You are a lifesaver.

  Jillian: No problem. It’s Devil’s Rim in East London.

  Devil’s Rim. I hadn't heard of it. But then I wasn’t exactly up on the hot places for ink. I had a couple of tiny tattoos, but nothing major. I was barely a hipster.

  Her next text was the address.

  I gripped the edge of the countertop. I was exhausted. So tired I could barely stand. But, something was eating at me. I couldn’t let it go. Now that I’d started, I’d have to see it through.