16. Ariella
Tristan and Marcus sit in front of the house for nearly half an hour before touching their ears and cocking their heads. Jessie said they were likely receiving communications through an earpiece, and I had to agree. The two of them split up, walking the perimeter of the ranch, always staying at least 50 feet from the tree line to minimize their chances of being detected. I doubt they realize the sophistication of the surveillance equipment that has been installed on more than 4,000 acres of farmland.
After they had circled back, they departed in the same direction they had come. Their pace wasn’t fast, but it wasn’t at a crawl either. It took them nearly six hours to walk the entirety of the ranch, and I was on pins and needles the entire time. I kept waiting for something—anything to happen. It never did.
“Is that it? All they did was act like they were out for a Sunday stroll. What was the purpose of that?” I ask, confused.
“If we want to be technical, it’s only Tuesday. So, it would be a ‘Tuesday traipse’ and not a ‘Sunday stroll,’” Jerry says deadpan. His bluntness and literalism make me smile.
“You know, Jerry, you’re really starting to grow on me…”
“Like mold on cheese?” Savannah asks as she walks by with a bowl of popcorn. She sits on the couch and gestures to the seat next to her, which I take. She points to the screen, “Those two were scouting every inch of the place,” she says, tossing a piece of popcorn into the air and catching it with her mouth. Alex, who is coming up the stairs from the basement, sees the trick and gets excited.
“How did you do that?” he asks loudly.
“Inside voice, Alex.”
“Can you teach me how to do that?” he asks in a much quieter tone.
“Come with me, young Padawan. I will show you the ways of the force.” Savannah heads toward the kitchen, thankfully leaving the snack.
“What about the popcorn?” Alex questions, chasing after her.
“I was hoping you could help me make more!” He needs no further prompting. Alex loves to help in any way he can.
Patrick sits in the vacated seat next to me and grabs a handful of the buttery treat, popping a few in his mouth. “Your friends weren’t just scouting. They were testing our response to their presence. We have a few trail cameras that hunters use, placed out in the open along the animals’ paths as decoys. They didn’t try to avoid them..”
“And that’s not odd to you?”
He shakes his head. “Not really. If we had responded, they would have learned that we have surveillance equipment, established an initial headcount, learned our reaction times, and whether or not we would leave you unattended to assess the threat.”
Jerry looks up from the computer. “It was a smart move on their part. If we had reacted and confronted them as soon as they made it to the wooded area in front of the house, then they would have known we were in an elevated state of defense. We learned more from them today than they did from us. I call that a win.”
When Patrick notices my confusion, he explains. “We learned that Jordain’s royal guard knows where you and Alex are, while Julietta’s does not. While that could change at any second, her men haven’t been spotted on our property. Jordain’s men have been here, not once, but twice. We also know that Jordain doesn’t seem intent on assassination.”
I lean forward, wholly engrossed in what Patrick is telling me. “How did you come to that conclusion? Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for not being assassinated, but those men traveled thousands of miles to get to me and Alex.”
Patrick squeezes my hand. “For starters, they’re only carrying handguns. I thought that was odd at first, but now I think they carry them as a means of protection from wild animals. Not once have they reached for their weapons. If they had planned on taking you out, I guarantee they would be transporting rifles capable of long-range shots.”
Jerry states, without looking up from his computer, “The ORFs are inbound along with Jessie. They’re coming up the driveway and, at present speed, have an ETA of three minutes.”
I scrunch my nose, perplexed. I’m familiar with several military acronyms, having listened to our security over the years. If memory serves me correctly, ETA means the “estimated time of arrival.” ORF, however, is one I’ve never encountered. Curiosity gets the best of me, and I have to ask.
“What is an ‘ORF?’ It sounds like something extraterrestrial.”
Jerry and Patrick laugh at that. “It means ‘Old Retired Folk.’” It takes a second for it to register what he’d said and that the reference was to his parents, but when it does, a small laugh escapes me.
“I’m sure your parents love that!” I tease.
Patrick smiles. “They do. It’s a well-earned title in the military.”
Three minutes later, Jessie opens the door leading from the attached garage, “Lucy! I’m Home!” she says in a horrible Spanish accent. “I come bearing gifts!”
I’m about to ask what she brought when I hear Alex yell from the kitchen, “Pizza! What kind did you get?”
Jessie tells him, “The best kind in all of Montana. Chicken liver and anchovies! Woohoo!”
Alex gets excited until it dawns on him what she said. It’s a proud “mama” moment for me because he doesn’t begrudge Jessie her excitement over the offending pizza toppings. He simply tells her, “More for you! Enjoy!”
Everyone laughs, and Jessie eventually tells him they got two pepperoni, a chicken bacon ranch, and a veggie pizza. I could hear his sigh of relief a room away.
“Where’s the Hawaiian?” Savannah asks. That question led to a lengthy debate on whether or not fruit should be on pizza. I’m all for it, especially if it’s paired with something spicy. Patrick is firmly in the camp that pineapple belongs in a fruit salad but not on pizza.
Alex tells his dad, “In Cothena, one of the best pizzas they make has fresh fig slices, gorgonzola cheese, and a bal…bla...”
“Balsamic glaze,” I help.
“Yeah, that! It’s delicious. I bet you’ll love it and change your mind about fruit on pizza!” Alex says, snuggling up next to Patrick while chomping down on a slice of the pepperoni. Patrick’s eyes meet mine over our son’s head, and it’s full of questions. Questions like whether or not Patrick will ever get to try a fig pizza. Unfortunately, the answers to those questions will have to wait.
Once dinner is over and Charlie takes Alex upstairs to get ready for bed, we delve back into our earlier conversation. Patrick asks Jessie, “What did you learn while you were in town? Your body camera didn’t record any video or sound, just static.”
“A couple of guys were walking around and showing Ariella’s picture. They caught us at the small grocery store and asked if anyone had seen their ‘sister,’ who went missing a few days ago,” she says.
“You didn’t happen to get a picture of them, did you?” Jerry asks, hopeful.
“Do I look like a novice, Jer? Of course, I got a picture. You taught me well and to never rely on only one method of gathering intel.” She pulls up the pictures and screen mirrors them to the television in the living room.
Patrick looks at me. “Do you recognize them? They don’t look like the same two men that Savannah and Jessie ran into at Staghouse.”
“The picture is a little blurry, but I’m pretty sure that’s Mathias and Christos.”
“Mathias and Christos, got it. And they are a part of which royal guard?” Savannah asks.
“Oh! I’m sorry. They work for Julietta. They are on the same squad as Jovian and Simon,” I tell them.
Patrick grunts in dismay. “That means at least one of two teams from the queen’s guard is here, and we can assume there are more than Tristan and Marcus from Jordain’s security. Let’s recap what we know and why they would want to target Ariella and Alex.”
Everyone looks at me. “I guess I’m fielding that question,” I joke. “Please remember that this is all speculation. None of this has been verified for accuracy. King Jordain has been pressuring my brother, King Aaron, for the exportation of the opium poppy plant seeds in their unrefined state. One possible scenario is that the attack against Alex and me was a threat that the Caras family isn’t safe unless Aaron cedes to Jordain’s request.”
Patrick’s father, Donovan, asks from behind me, “And what does your gut tell you?” Surprised to find him sitting at the bottom of the stairs like a stealth warrior—although I shouldn’t be—my voice quivers ever so slightly when I answer him.
“My gut says that Jordain wouldn’t do that. I may not be as close with him as I am with Kiernan, but he’s never treated me with anything other than respect and kindness. The same goes for the way he treats Alex. I know he wants the opium, but I think that has more to do with becoming less dependent on us for opioids and our pharmaceuticals than it does with some black-market drug schemes. Jordain wants more revenue for his country. He’s had a recent boon with Artificial Intelligence, but he knows that technology is constantly evolving, and there is little security in that. No pun intended since Brachha is the forerunner in cybersecurity as well.”
“Why didn’t you share this at the meeting?” Jessie asks.
I shrug. “It’s just my opinion. I may not think Jordain is willing to do such atrocious things, but that doesn’t mean I’m right.”
Jerry raises his hand. “Hold on for one quick second. I need to record this.” He presses a button on his laptop and then asks me to repeat my last statement.
“I don’t know what you want me to say, Jerry. You want me to repeat that I don’t think Jordain is evil, but I might be wrong about that?”
“Yes!” he shouts. “I have it on record that a woman has finally admitted she can be wrong!”
Patrick playfully smacks Jerry upside the head. “That’s my wife you’re talking about!” Then he whispers, “Can you send me that recording so I have proof in future arguments?”
Now, it’s my turn to playfully smack my husband. “Can we be serious for two seconds?” I ask.
Jessie smiles, “That’s asking a lot. We might be able to give you one. But two? I don’t know about that. Why does royalty ask so much of us peasants?”
I giggle, genuinely enjoying the banter. The team feels like a family, and they’ve included me in it.
Patrick’s father moves from the base of the stairs into the living room. He’s always been a quiet figure in the background, but he looks quite imposing when he stands in front of the fireplace with his feet spread and arms crossed. “You’ve told us your thoughts on Jordain. What does your gut say about Queen Julietta?”
“I didn’t know her well when growing up, but she always got along with my mother. We had several lessons together but didn’t click as friends. As Aaron’s intended, she had to endure many of the same educational and etiquette classes for her role as Queen as I did. I was shocked to learn that she and my brother weren’t getting along. They always had in the past. Julietta siding with Jordain, feeling that we should share our resources, has really strained their relationship.”
“Do you think that’s reason enough to come after you?” Savannah asks.
“No. But I get the feeling that Julietta likes to get her way. Julietta craves power more than diplomacy, and Alex and I are in the way. Alex is next in line of succession, with me following close behind. If she takes us out, then Aaron, she can do whatever she wants. My dad renounced the throne and can no longer resume those duties per our bylaws.”
Charlie asks, “Do you think she would do that?”
I hesitate, but that is an answer in and of itself. I don’t know what Julietta is capable of or how far she is willing to go.
Patrick simply takes it all in. “It’s probably safe to say that loan shark thugs and democracy advocates aren’t at the top of our suspect list since we have Jordain and Julietta’s guard crawling all over Montana right now,” he says.
Well, at least that narrows things down a bit.