21. Patrick
Ihelp Alex get ready for bed and tuck him in, still in awe that this precious child is mine. Aware that I don’t want to leave him unattended, my mom offers to watch over him so I can take Ariella back to the panic room to show her how to use the communications equipment.
Once we return to the “secret lair,” as Ariella has dubbed the place, she asks, “Why didn’t you show this room to me the day we got here? As protective as you are, I’m a little surprised that you didn’t sequester us down here from the get-go.”
“Ari, if you felt like the upstairs was a prison, with its large spacious living areas and a few closed curtains, how long do you think you would have lasted in a subterranean apartment with no windows and recycled air?” I ask, already knowing her answer. I laugh loudly when a look of absolute horror spreads across her face at the thought of being stuck down here. She shivers and shakes her head vigorously.
“They call this a ‘panic room’ for a reason. It should be used as a last resort when we are actually panicked and there is nowhere to escape to safely. I can always move you both down here until this is resolved. It should be over in a few more weeks, and there are plenty of board games in the closet to keep you entertained!” I turn toward the exit, “Yes! That’s what we should do! I’ll have you packed up in a jiffy!” I tease. Ariella would survive down here if she had to, but she would be miserable the entire time.
Grabbing my arm, she stops me from leaving. “Absolutely not! I was just curious as to why you waited to show me, that’s all.”
“If there is a panic room hidden in a safe house, we only reveal the information when the circumstances become dire enough for the client—or clients—to use it. Most of them don’t need that level of protection, and the fewer people who know about the rooms, the better. It minimizes the risk of that information becoming common knowledge. If someone has the right equipment and comes prepared, they can defeat the multiple layers of security and gain entrance. It would take them a lot of time to do it, but it’s possible.”
“And you believe that our circumstances have become dire? Is that why you finally told me about all this?”
“Yes and no. I do believe that an attack is imminent, and the use of the panic room is a very real scenario. But one of us would have escorted you and Alex down here, and we certainly wouldn’t have given you the code. One of the reasons I told you about this place is because you’re my family, not a client. I hope that you will return to the ranch often so Alex can continue to build a relationship with his grandparents, regardless of whether or not I’m in a position to join you. I need to know that you would be safe when you’re here.”
I sit in the plush office chair positioned in front of the three monitors, pulling her onto my lap as I lean back and get comfortable. I look toward the ceiling and send up a silent prayer that I get to be with them during those visits—that she chooses to have me be a part of her and Alex’s lives. Ariella rests her head on my shoulder and runs her fingers through my hair. My eyes close of their own volition, and I hum with contentment as I enjoy her touch. “And what’s the second reason?” she asks in a breathy whisper that tickles my ear.
My arm snakes around her waist, and I nuzzle her neck, inhaling the sweet scent of jasmine that permeates her skin. “I had to wait for Ethan and Ben to grant their permission. After learning of our marriage, Ethan and Ben no longer classified you as a client either. Family comes first at Shining Knight, so it didn’t take much coaxing after that.”
Ariella’s fingers move from my hair, her fingertips tracing down the side of my face. She uses her index finger to graze my jawline until she reaches the small dimple in my chin. She flips her finger over so that her nail scrapes lightly down my throat and over my Adam’s apple, which bobs as I swallow deeply. As Ariella memorizes my features through her gentle touch, her eyes never leave mine.
“I love you, Patrick. I love you enough to renounce my title and leave everything behind,” she tells me before kissing the side of my mouth.
“It’s something I should have done years ago.” She slowly moves to kiss the other corner.
“I never wanted to leave you. If I could rewind time, I would have stayed by your side on that island,” she whispers, and I feel the featherlight touch of her soft lips on mine.
“Ari. I…”
She places her finger on my mouth to silence me. “I need to say this. I don’t know when we’ll get another moment of privacy.”
I bring her hand to my lips and kiss each knuckle, waiting for her to continue.
“When I get home, I will tell everyone the truth about you. I pray that my people will accept you as my husband even though our marriage in the Bahamas isn’t recognized. Will you marry me for real and according to Cothena’s customs?”
One corner of my mouth lifts. “Are you proposing to me, Ari? Because last time I checked, our marriage was very real. It was recognized by God, and that’s what matters.”
“You know what I mean, Patrick. Would you come to Cothena to marry me and legitimize it in front of my family and my people?”
“Without a doubt, yes. But I would have done that almost a decade ago, Ari. Nothing’s changed on my end. What’s changed on yours?” Her reasons for not returning or seeking me out were because she feared for my life and my career. I doubt the situation has improved.
“I’m no longer scared of facing my mother, for one. Now that she’s no longer queen, she has no authority over me. While she could still try to hurt your career, my gut says that Ethan and Ben would have your back and see through any false evidence, deceptions, or ploys,” she admits.
“They would. My job is secure. That would be a different story if I were still with the FBI. Do you think she would still try to come after me?” It never once crossed my mind that Ariella’s mother would have tried to take my life.
“I was young when we were married and may have let my fears take root. I assumed the worst after my father’s warning that if my mother had found out what I had done, she would have ensured your absence from my life. However, in my ignorance and naivety, I understood my father’s words to mean that the woman who had raised me would be capable of doing something so vile despite her actions to the contrary. She’s always been cold but never evil.
“Would she have forbidden me to see you and made me marry Kiernan anyway? Yes. Would she have been willing to take you into custody if you stepped foot on Cothena’s soil? Yes. I believe she loved her people more than me and would have been willing to do what she thought was necessary. Anything more than that was the runaway imagination of a scared, pregnant young woman who had a duty to her people before herself. Can you ever forgive me?”
“Can you forgive me for not coming after you?” I ask instead of answering her question. “We both made mistakes and have had to live with the consequences of our actions, or rather, inaction. Let’s make sure that we don’t repeat them this time around.”
I rub my thumb in gentle circles across the edge of her hand. “How come your father, as king, never stood up for us even though he believed our love was true? Couldn’t he have blessed the union?”
“He could have, I suppose. You have to remember that our palace had just been bombed by protestors wanting democracy, and our country was in turmoil because of it. If my father had publicly approved of our union at that time, he would have had to strip me of my title—even though it was a title I cared very little about. Alex would never have been a prince, and a line of succession would have been removed. If Aaron were the only heir, it would have fanned the flames behind the small movement to abolish the monarchy.
“My father agreed with Kiernan’s plan to ‘elope’ and let everyone believe we were married. It gave him the time to quell the uprising before it got out of control, spared you from losing your career, and the chance to change the rules.”
Ariella’s last statement piqued my curiosity. “What do you mean, ‘change the rules?’” I ask. Her smile grows wide, and I know that whatever she’s about to tell me will be a major game changer.
“My father suggested to Aaron that he abolish the practice of arranged marriages. It requires both the king and queen to sign a decree to do so, something my mother never would have agreed to. However, with Aaron and Julietta both being dissatisfied with their relationship and unable to stand one another, it makes sense that they would both be on board to end such an archaic practice.”
Now it’s my turn to smile. “If we wait until Aaron and Julietta sign the decree before announcing our intention, nothing would be able to stop us from renewing our vows and getting officially married per Cothena customs. It would preserve the title for you and Alex, and our son will be free to love and marry whomever he wants.”
She nods, but her lips frown slightly. “The decree wouldn’t change anything regarding the line of succession, though. Alex and I are still in danger from Julietta’s attempt at a power grab.”
“Are you sure that’s why she sent her men after you?” I ask.
“No, but can you think of any other reason why she would target me? All I know is that Julietta loathes the idea of democracy and refuses to discuss the topic anytime it comes up in conversation. If she has caught wind or heard any rumors about what my dad, Aaron, Kiernan, and I are trying to secretly accomplish, then it gives her a good motive. She’s also been fervent in her pursuit to bridge the gap with Brachha, wanting Aaron to agree to a trade agreement regarding the opium seeds, which would generate revenue for her native country.
“What she doesn’t realize is that we have less than 5,000 acres of crops that are in highly-secured greenhouses, which yield roughly 65,000 pounds of raw opium. It’s not a lot, especially compared to countries like Afghanistan, which produce almost 90 times as much as we do. We can’t afford to give away or trade what little we have and still expect our medical and science facilities to produce the pharmaceuticals which we do export.”
I grunt in frustration at the situation. “Jordain also wants Cothena to export the raw opium to Brachha in addition to the pharmaceuticals. Why doesn’t he invest in growing their own crops? The island is in the same region as Cothena and should be equally suitable.”
“That’s what I asked Jordain when he first broached the subject with my parents after assuming his role as king. He said he wasn’t willing to invest the time or resources needed to grow the crop, not when it was owed to him. When I asked what he meant by that, all he said was, ‘Ask your parents.’”
“And did you?” I ask.
Ariella replies with a slight huff. “Did I what? Did I ask my parents? Yes, I did. My father said he had no idea what Jordain was referring to and looked as confused as I felt.”
She gets off my lap when she feels me fidgeting around. I need to get up and stretch, working out the kinks in my body and the jumbled mess in my brain. “Jordain and Julietta each seem to be pursuing their own agenda and aren’t coordinating their efforts, yet they want the same thing. It doesn’t make sense to me why they aren’t working together. I feel like we are missing a huge piece of the puzzle.”
Ariella walks over to the screen and points. “Your dad is coming down the hall. What would I have to do if I had to let him in?”
I show her the panel that controls the door and the intercom system used to communicate with anyone on the other side of the panic room door. “You should never need to open that door for anyone, especially if it’s one of us. We all have the code and can let ourselves in. But if there is an extreme emergency, you would push the large, yellow button on this console to open and close the ‘man cave’ entrance under the bar and the red one to open the door to the panic room. As soon as one door opens, the other will close. The system will not allow them to be operated simultaneously.”
Ariella watches the bar reposition itself over the hidden hallway entrance as my dad walks through the door, validating my statement.
My dad’s tone is apologetic when he meets our gazes. “I hope that I didn’t…um…interrupt anything important. I should have knocked first,” he says, his cheeks red with embarrassment.
“What brought you down here?” He certainly wouldn’t have intruded on our time alone, knowing how much we needed to work things out. I feel good about where we stand as a couple now but less sure about the situation that waits for us outside this ranch.
“Ethan has been unable to reach you since you’re standing in what amounts to a Faraday cage. Since wireless signals don’t penetrate the walls and reach down here, he called Jerry. There’s been a development.”
“What’s happened?” Ariella asks hesitantly. I don’t blame her, especially since my dad is the bearer of bad news.
“Your father and Kiernan have gone missing.”