26. Patrick
Ariella must have pressed the speaker button on the console because when we enter my dad’s special place, Ariella’s voice can be heard loud and clear over the speaker. “Not until I finish getting answers. You can’t kill me or my son because then you can’t escape. Right now, I’m your only chance of getting out of here in one piece.”
The guard and Kiernan monitor the entrance while I head for the keypad to open the stairwell entrance. Ariella’s father looks pleased and slightly amused at the hidden setup.
When I start to descend the stairs, he grabs my arm to stop me. “Let us see what she reveals before we rush in there. We don’t know what kind of situation we are walking into.” When we don’t hear anything, I start to worry. Trevor sees this and assures me, “Gabriella and Ariella are in a silent standoff. It will be interesting to see who breaks first.”
For someone who was in such a hurry to help his daughter, the delay takes me by surprise. Using the time available, I try to get some intel from him. “How did you find out about your wife’s treachery?”
His shoulders slump as he whispers, “After the bomb went off and almost took my daughter and grandson away from me, my gut said that it had to be an inside job. Our security has only improved over the years, and it would have been nearly impossible for someone to penetrate the city walls long enough to plant a bomb. Although I may not be a king anymore, the royal guards are still loyal to me and my wife, Gabriella. I have spies who have been keeping me appraised of any secrets they manage to uncover or any conversations they overhear.”
I nod, glad to know that he has been keeping tabs.
He continues to explain, “It wasn’t until almost two million dollars went missing from the royal treasury—the exact amount of Kiernan’s debt to a casino in Monte Carlo—that I knew it had to be someone in a position of power and authority. When I questioned our purser about the transaction, he told me that Queen Julietta had authorized it. Of course, I confronted her about such a large sum of money being transferred to an offshore account; she had no idea what I was talking about. The purser disappeared before I could question him again.
“I decided to talk to Kiernan and took a helicopter to visit him once he had recovered enough to receive visitors. After he informed me of what Gabriella had done, we left immediately for the United States to come here and warn you. I was so focused on getting here that I failed to inform Ethan of the situation, but I did manage to call Jordain and ask for his help since Kiernan had told me that his men were already here.”
A heads-up would have been nice to have, but nothing can be done about it now. With all this new information, I’m left with so many questions and not enough answers. “Where does King Jordain fit into all of this? Why are his men here, and how did they know where to find us so quickly? How did your wife know where we were?”
“Cothena and Brachha may be allies, but that doesn’t mean we don’t spy on each other,” the man next to Kiernan says.
“And who are you?” I ask, slightly annoyed by the intrusion.
“I’m King Jordain Argos of Brachha, and it’s a pleasure to meet you, Patrick Kent.” He doesn’t come over to shake my hand since he’s still guarding the doorway to the room that we’re in.
I’m shocked to learn that the King of Brachha is here and risking his life and his kingdom to help us. Ethan warned me that he was here on a “hunting trip,” but I had no idea he would be willing to join his men in the fight. “Oh, um. It’s nice to meet you. I guess I should be directing those questions to you instead.”
He chuckles. “Ariella and I were never close, but I am close to my brother. Since Ariella was his wife—or so I thought—it was in my best interest to protect her. I had a squad of my men follow Kiernan, Ariella, and Alex to the States. One team was directed to watch over Ariella and Alex, while the other protected my brother. Imagine my surprise when it was only Kiernan who returned home. After the thugs accosted my brother for not paying a debt on time, he explained Gabriella’s role and her threat to force him to marry Ariella. I’m not a fan of my family being blackmailed, and as such, the team who had been following my brother were deployed back to the States.”
I was stunned. The entire drive from New York to Montana, I kept my eyes peeled for anyone following us and saw no one. Considering I’m trained to identify a “tail,” it was quite an impressive feat.
Jordain and Kiernan raise their weapons high when they hear the sound of feet approaching. I watch as a hand waves a white Kleenex in a show of surrender before saying, “Is it safe to come in? Jerry said it was, but I’m a firm believer in ‘trust, but verify’ when it comes to the possibility of getting a tranquilizer dart to the arm. It would really ruin my day, and I don’t want to miss the showdown,” Savannah says.
I signal them to lower their weapons, and when Jordain and Kiernan comply, I give the “all-clear.” When Savannah enters the room with a smile, I breathe a sigh of relief. She wouldn’t be this happy unless everything is okay inside the house, but I still need to confirm that my mother hadn’t been hurt and that my dad would be okay.
“How are my parents?”
“Your dad was shot in the arm, but he said it was ‘just a flesh wound.’ Your mom is patching him up as we speak. All of the guards that infiltrated the house have been subdued. Jessie has them secured, and Jerry is monitoring the camera feeds that still work. It’s how he knew it was safe. Well, that and the fact we can hear the conversation. What else has been going on in here? Anything fun?” she asks cheerfully. Her eyes widen when Ariella speaks, startling us all.
“You said that love isn’t the most important part of a marriage, but I know it is. I love Patrick, and that’s why I will not be marrying Kiernan. Why is it so important to you that I do? Aaron’s marriage to Julietta already unites Brachha and Cothena.”
As we listen to the conversation that unfolds, I slowly creep down the stairs. Trevor at my back. Shortly thereafter, Jordain and Kiernan join us, leaving Savannah upstairs to keep the room secure. I believe that we’ve detained all those here who are acting under Gabriella’s orders, but I can’t be sure.
After listening in on their conversation, it’s clear it’s only the two of them talking, and I deem it safe enough to enter. I have just pressed the last few digits of the code that opens the door when Ariella asks her mother, “Earlier, you mentioned a debt that needs to be repaid. Does it have anything to do with the export of raw opium to Brachha?”
We step into the room with our guns drawn, all pointing them at Gabriella. I scan the area and assess the situation quickly, my heart sinking when I see that a gun is pointed at my wife. Alex is nowhere to be found, and I can only pray he’s sound asleep in one of the bedrooms.
Jordain steps forward and says, “I can explain that.”
Gabriella’s face contorts in anger when he tells us about the debt. “This is the story that my grandfather told my father, who then told me. Gabriella, please correct me if I miss anything or if my facts are incorrect.” She narrows her eyes at him in response, but he doesn’t seem to care.
“When Ariella’s grandparents had been searching for a suitable match for Trevor, it had come down to Gabriella and another princess. Ties with Cothena have always been profitable, and it was important for Gabriella’s parents, King and Queen Marquet, to ensure that their daughter was chosen. Unfortunately, their coffers were dry, and they had little to offer in the way of trade.
“In a last-ditch effort to fill their treasury and present themselves as the more viable option as an ally, they approached my grandparents and requested to borrow enough money to achieve their goal.”
As curious as I am, Ariella asks, “What did they want in exchange?”
Jordain’s lips quirk up. “What do you think?”
“Raw opium,” I say. Things are starting to make more sense.
“Indeed. Gabriella was to urge her husband to agree to a trade alliance with Brachha and export the opium, which she only half accomplished. According to my father, her only saving grace was that Trevor agreed to an alliance, exporting the pharmaceuticals and training our doctors at no cost to my people. When I became king, my father said it was my duty to ensure that the bargain struck so many years ago was fulfilled.
“Gabriella bought her country time from my father’s impatience when she came to him and struck another bargain. She promised him that she would choose Julietta as Aaron’s betrothed and Ariella as Kiernan’s, thinking she would be able to manipulate them both into agreeing to give us the opium. Julietta did her best to convince Aaron that it was necessary, but Ariella proved to be as stubborn as her father and brother.” He looks like he’s entertained by the whole situation rather than upset.
“King Jordain, you know that Cothena will never willingly export raw opium to any country. We just don’t have enough of it to do so, even if I thought it was the right thing to do–which I don’t, and neither does my son.” Trevor tells him.
Jordain waves his hand dismissively. “I don’t really care about opium. Brachha is doing exceptionally well economically, and I never intended to pursue a debt almost six decades old. All it would manage to accomplish is break our alliance and cause a war. That’s not something I’m willing to do.”
Gabriella screams, “Then why did you even approach me about it? Why threaten to expose my secret?”
Jordain shrugs. “I wanted to see if it was true. Your actions after that proved that it was, even if they were all for naught.”
Trevor stares at his wife in disbelief, apparently unaware of this part. “I had assumed that you were coming after Ariella because you had learned of her marriage to Patrick. Why didn’t you ever tell me about the deal your parents made? I would have helped. I loved you.” It doesn’t escape my attention he uses the word in past tense.
Gabriella scoffs. “What would you have done? Would you have agreed to pay my parents’ debt?”
Trevor frowns, “No, I wouldn’t have. At least not in the way that they had intended.”
“Then why does it matter that I never told you? You didn’t love me enough to do what needed to be done,” she says, a tear escaping the corner of her eye. “I did all this because I love you and wanted to protect you!”
“What? How is this love?” he says, gesturing to the situation we find ourselves in.
“If our people had discovered that our relationship started on a lie and that their queen had come from a country stricken by poverty, what would that have said about you? I didn’t want to give them a reason to continue pursuing their endeavors toward a democracy instead of a monarchy. It would have ruined our family name and discredited Aaron, Ariella, and Jordain by association. We cannot afford to lose what power we have and let that happen!” she cries out.
Trevor walks up to his wife, and she points the gun at him to halt him in his tracks. With Gabriella’s attention solely on her husband, Ariella gets up slowly and moves out of her mother’s line of sight.
“Gabriella. Darling. It’s too late for that. After the bombing ten years ago, Aaron, Ariella, Kiernan, and I have been laying out the groundwork to establish a parliament. It was time for the people to have a say, which I had wanted to do long before that event. You were always against the idea, so we had to do it secretly. There will still be a king and queen, but their power will be limited—as it should be. Nobody should have that much power over the people, even if their intentions are pure. As Lord Acton once said, ‘Absolute power corrupts absolutely.’ I think the lengths you were willing to go to protect a power that is no longer ours is precisely what he meant.
She raises her gun slightly and says, “I can’t let you do that, Trevor. Cothena is meant to be ruled, not governed.” Just as her fingers curl around the trigger, a shot is fired. I search for the source, but it’s not until Gabriella’s eyes roll back in her head and she drops to the ground that I know who took it. Ariella shot her mother using the gun she had tucked away under her shirt.
Tears streaming down her cheeks, she meets my gaze. “Is she dead?”
I run to her and embrace her fiercely, comforting her the best way I can in my present company. “No, Baby. She’s not dead. The ‘simunition’ rounds don’t kill. The tips are loaded with a tranquilizer that incapacitates a person. Your mother will be okay.”
Okay is a relative term. She’ll be alive, but what happens next isn’t up to me.