22. Ariella
My knees nearly buckle when Don gives me the news that both my father and Kiernan are now missing. I immediately head for the exit to find out what’s happening as soon as possible. I’m a woman on a mission, walking through the main house with a determined stride and heading straight for the dining room area. It’s the place where I expect to find Jerry set up with his laptop, but when I get there, not a single person is in the room.
Savannah must hear us coming because she walks in and tells us everyone is waiting for us in the living room. I follow so close behind her that when she stops to turn around and say something to Patrick, I barrel into her, almost knocking us both over.
“It looks like someone is in a hurry,” she says, not upset in the slightest. She steps to the side so I can get past her and to my destination as quickly as possible.
I feel Patrick’s grip on my elbow, stopping me. “Please slow down, Ari. I know you’re worried and want to know what’s going on, but Ethan isn’t going to start his briefing without us. I can promise you that. It would be good for us all if we could get there in one piece. You practically bulldozed Savannah in your quest for information.”
While I’m not used to being scolded, even as gently as Patrick just managed to do, I must admit he’s right. Taking a few seconds to be courteous and kind isn’t going to change the outcome of the news that Ethan has to share with us.
Jerry speaks up, “Pat, my man. That’s almost as bad as telling a woman to calm down. I thought we went over this the other day?”
“It’s fine, Jerry. Patrick’s right. I owe Savannah an apology for tackling her like a linebacker in the hallway.”
“We’re good,” Savannah says, laughing. “It’s better that it was me and not Jessie. If you had done that to her, she would have reflexively flipped you over her back and dropped you to the floor. It wouldn’t have looked good for us if we were the ones that hurt the client.”
“Where is Jessie?” I ask.
“She’s checking on Charlie and Alex. They’ve been snuggled up together for the last hour,” Don says.
While we wait for Jessie to return, Jerry gets a live video conference on the TV screen. Ethan and Ben sit side by side while Amelia waves to us from behind them. I wave back.
“Is everyone there?” Ben asks gruffly.
Patrick answers for everyone. “Jessie should be here any minute. The rest of us are here, including my father.”
“Hi, Don! Give Charlie my love when you see her!” Amelia says excitedly. While I enjoy her bubbly personality, it was a bit unexpected for this meeting.
“Normally, my wife wouldn’t sit in on one of these calls, but she has a few things to say before we get started,” Ethan says, almost like he could read my mind.
“Patrick, I wanted to say congratulations to you and Ariella on your nuptials, even though I’m almost ten years too late! I wanted to let you know we have a wedding present for you two when you return. Actually, we have one for Alex, too.
“Oh, good, Jessie’s back! Now, I can share Carter’s news. Carter proposed to Leanna while they were on vacation, and she said, ‘Yes!’ I thought for sure that he would have proposed while they went rock climbing, but nope! He proposed while on a snorkeling excursion in Aruba. There was a barracuda that was particularly curious about the shiny diamond ring and decided to check it out. Thankfully, it didn’t attack. Leanna said she’s never swam so fast and barely made it out alive!”
“We’ll have to throw a party for them when we get back!” Savannah says enthusiastically.
Amelia claps her hands together excitedly. “It’s already in the works. I’m planning the details with Leanna’s family, the Arbaroas, to coordinate everything.”
I have no idea who Leanna or the Arbaroa family are, so this conversation makes little sense to me. Patrick leans down and whispers, “You met Carter at Shining Knight. He’s the Kit Harrington look-a-like. Do you remember the large family you saw Savannah and me with when you ran into us at Windham Mountain?”
“Yes,” I tell him, wishing I could forget. Although what I had witnessed wasn’t reality, it didn’t change my initial heartbreak at seeing him wearing matching wedding rings with Savannah.
“The large family is the Arbaroa family, and Leanna was the woman we were helping Carter protect. Leanna and Carter were best friends for years before they finally admitted their feelings for one another.”
I appreciate him explaining the relationship dynamics, but right now, all I want to know is what is going on with my father and Kiernan. I clear my throat loudly just as Jessie speaks up.
“I think Ariella might appreciate being brought up to speed about her father and Kiernan’s disappearance. I know I would if I were in her shoes.”
“That’s my cue to leave. You guys stay safe. Keep your heads down and your spirits high!” Amelia says, reciting the Shining Knight farewell.
Once the door clicks shut behind her, Ethan zeroes in on me. “My source says that your father and Kiernan both went missing late last night. Trevor took a helicopter to Brachha and was last seen entering Kiernan’s residence around 10:00 pm. No one has seen either of them since, and the helicopter is still on the helipad. Do you know where they would or could have gone, Ariella?”
“That depends. Do you think they were abducted, or disappeared of their own accord?”
“We think it was by choice. No one appeared to be under duress at any time. Not your father when he left Cothena, and not Kiernan when he permitted your father to enter his suite,” Ben states.
“I don’t know why my father met with Kiernan or where they would have gone. What I can tell you is that there is a secret passageway behind the large bookshelf in his bedroom. It leads to a tunnel that eventually opens up on the beach on the Southern shore. It’s a tiny opening but large enough for a grown man to squeeze through. If they disappeared on purpose, they would have left that way.”
“That’s quite helpful. Thank you, Ariella. It means they most likely left by boat,” Ben says and then leaves the meeting.
Ethan points his thumb over his shoulder toward Ben’s retreating back. “He’s going to have our guy check the docks for any missing boats, both in Brachha and Cothena. Although using a Brachhan boat would be easier, I suspect your father is smart enough to have had one of his own boats waiting under the guise of a fishing trip or charter. It would take longer to discover them missing if that’s the case.”
My shoulders relax a fraction once I accept the possibility that my father and Kiernan haven’t been abducted. “Ethan, if you had to make a guess where they might be headed, where would it be?”
He doesn’t get a chance to answer because everyone in the room shouts in unison. “HERE!”
Patrick starts barking orders, which his team immediately begins to carry out. Don, Patrick, and I continue to talk to Ethan.
“If they’re coming here, that means things are about to go sideways. Do you have any other information you can give us before that happens, Ethan?” Patrick asks.
“I have two more things to share. You can back brief the rest of the team when I’m through. One you won’t like and one you will. Since I don’t have a man on the inside in Brachha, I didn’t learn until early this morning that King Jordain Argos decided that now was the perfect time to go on a ‘hunting trip,’ if you know what I mean.” I guess that’s Ethan’s way of saying Jordain is coming here, or he’s already here.
Patrick pinches the bridge of his nose, trying to relieve the tension building up. It’s a habit of his that I noticed when we first met. “Jordain. Julietta. Trevor. Kiernan. It’s going to be one big happy reunion here at the ranch. If there is a squad from each royal guard, we are looking at a minimum attack force of at least 16 highly-trained personnel and four royals in the middle of it all. I have four team members and my parents.”
“Even with almost three-to-one odds, I’d always bet on you guys,” Ethan says. “So that was the part you wouldn’t like. Are you ready for the one you will?”
Patrick doesn’t say anything, so I step forward and stare at the screen. “Please let it be really good news.”
Ethan leans forward so his face is taking up the entire screen.
“You have help, and they’re on the way.”
Now, the only question that remains is whether or not they will get here in time.