Chapter 22
Sander
As soon as Astrid closes the door behind her, Hex jumps into action like I knew he would. “Tell me everything I need to know.”
My reply comes without hesitation, my eyes glued to the door. “Give me your shirt.”
“What? Why would—” He freezes, following my gaze with his own. “No. I already forced you into a week of this, and you’re clearly exhausted. I’ll clean up my own mess, but I need as many details as you can give me so I have an idea of what I’m walking into.”
Yes, I am exhausted, but that doesn’t matter.
Tugging my shirt over my head, I use it to dry my hair the best I can.
Thankfully, Hex’s hair is a mess right now, so I don’t have to worry about trying to style mine.
“There’s not enough time to tell you a week’s worth of intel, and Astrid is too intelligent not to know something’s off if you’re missing crucial details you should know. ”
“I know she is, but I can’t let you—”
“You’re not letting me do anything.” Tossing my shirt aside, I hold my hand out expectantly.
Hex is going to keep fighting me if I don’t give him a reason to stop, and there’s only one thing that will shut him down.
But I hate to resort to this. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed you favoring your ribs, Hex.
You need rest, not an opportunity to make things worse for everyone.
Give me your shirt, or I’ll take it from you. ”
Hex gapes at me like he’s never seen me stand my ground. He has, but never against him. Maybe that’s why he gingerly takes off his long-sleeved tee and hands it to me.
I swear when I catch sight of the mottled purple bruising covering the right half of his torso.
With the extent of visible external damage, I wouldn’t be surprised if he has a broken rib or two, and I’m genuinely shocked that he managed to hide this from me as well as he did. No wonder he’s in pain. “What—”
“You’re in a hurry, San.” Avoiding my gaze, he slips out of his trousers as well, revealing more cuts and bruises on his legs that make my stomach churn.
He pulls on the clothing I discard without saying anything else, and I hate that I don’t have time to interrogate him about what happened on that island.
“I’ll give you the full rundown when I get back,” I promise, picking up his phone from the end table on my way to the door. “And I expect the same from you.”
“Sander.”
I look back, surprised to find that he’s letting me see all of his pain and exhaustion in his expression. Like he might actually tell me how much he’s struggling.
“I…” He sighs and sinks back into his chair. “Thanks. I’ll do my duty tomorrow, but you’re right. I’m no good to her tonight.”
My brother never admits to not being able to do something, and worry freezes me in place for a few seconds, leaving me torn in two. Hex needs me, but I won’t know how much he needs me until we get a chance to really talk.
Astrid also needs me, particularly where Virek is concerned, and I’ve let her down too many times to allow myself to do it again.
No matter my personal crisis, I need to be strong tonight.
For both of them.
“I’ll be back, Hex. Get some rest.”
I find Astrid in the courtyard next to her motorbike, her eyes on her phone and a worried line between her brows.
“Eight minutes,” I tell her and slip my hands into my pockets.
“Is that satisfactory?” I don’t like being sharp with her, but unless I want to make it obvious that she’s been interacting with the wrong brother, I need to channel Hex’s short temper and slowly work my way back to being personable.
But not too personable. We can’t have a repeat of the linen closet now that Hex is back and preparing to trade places with me. Not that we could have a repeat otherwise. I could never live with myself if I let my own feelings get in the way of hers.
Without looking up, Astrid snorts a small laugh. “I think I liked you better when you were hungover.”
“No, you didn’t. You already got your bike back?”
“Fennor is surprisingly good at follow-through; Greywick had it delivered this afternoon.”
I step close enough to see what on her phone has her so enthralled, and I scoff at the gossip story’s headline: Royal Rebel Runs Off for Romantic Retreat with Regular Royal Retainer. “This is why I tried to give you an out.”
“This is why Virek is fuming.” Rolling her eyes, she slips her phone into her jacket pocket and finally lifts her gaze to take me in.
Whatever she sees, the uncertain expression she had inside thankfully doesn’t make a reappearance.
“He thinks I’m useless now that I can’t flirt my way into getting Blackmere to confess everything. ”
“He’s an idiot.”
Astrid smiles, and some of the tension loosens in her shoulders. “Regrettably, he’s still my boss, and as soon as he learned Blackmere was at the retreat, he demanded access to the recordings.”
As far as I know, nothing on those recordings reflects poorly on us, but there’s too good of a chance that I missed something. “Give me a few minutes to grab my bike, and I’ll meet you—”
“With the state you were in this morning, Prince, I’m not letting you drive anything. How’s your head?” She asks that with an amused smirk, so it’s not hard to guess that I’m not hiding my lingering headache well. “Ride with me.”
I eye her motorbike warily. Riding with her means sharing a seat built for one. It means being far closer to her than I should be. “Astrid.”
“That wasn’t a request.” Opening the storage compartment, she pulls out a second helmet and holds it out to me.
I could argue, but… With a glance at the family wing of the palace, wondering if Hex is watching any of this exchange, I sigh and take the helmet.
I let Astrid get situated first, and then I settle behind her.
The only way this is going to work is if I wrap an arm around her waist, and my body already hums with awareness simply by sitting near her.
“Ready?” Astrid asks.
I may never be ready, but I grunt in the affirmative. She kicks the bike to life, and when I slide my arm around her ribcage, she sucks in a sharp breath that makes me involuntarily tighten my hold. Our bodies are flush together, every inch of me aware of every inch of her. This ride might kill me.
The drive into the city is simultaneously far too long and not nearly long enough, and it takes conscious effort for me to release Astrid when she parks in front of Starlight Security.
My arm is stiff, and I flex it a few times while Astrid stows the helmets.
The ache to hold her again is almost too painful for me to ignore, but somehow I manage.
I’ve always been drawn to her, but this is worse. Whether it’s because of how close we got in that closet or because Hex is back and this could be my last chance to be around Astrid like this, I feel like a part of me is never going to feel whole when she’s no longer at my side.
But I can’t let myself think about that because I said it this morning: I don’t deserve her. Especially after all the lies I’ve told her. So I need to shove my longing aside and do what’s best for everyone.
As I follow Astrid to the door, Hex’s phone buzzes in my pocket, and I pull it out to see a text from my phone.
Sander:
Shut down the allegations of a relationship so I can take over for you after tonight, yeah?
“Everything okay?” Astrid has her key in the lock but hasn’t opened the door yet, and concern shines in her eyes and wrinkled brow.
Oh, I’m scowling. Forcing my face to relax, I slip the phone back into my pocket and shrug. “Worried about my brother.” At least that isn’t a lie.
Pursing her lips, Astrid studies me for a few seconds, then unlocks the door and pulls it open. “What kind of assignment was he on?”
I have no idea how to answer that question, so I grab the door from her and mutter, “We should get inside before Virek decides we’re too problematic to stay on the case.”
“Right.” But Astrid doesn’t move. We’re only inches apart, my arm stretched over her head to hold the door open, and her eyes are so focused on me that I can’t focus on anything but her. She’s truly beautiful, and Hex is an idiot for letting his pride get in the way of what he could have with her.
A shiver runs up my spine, and I instinctively glance to my left just as someone slips out of view in an alley across the dark street.
“Let’s get this over with, Prince,” Astrid says and heads inside.
I wait a few more seconds, but the man doesn’t reappear. Still, I can’t shake the feeling that we’re being watched. And if that’s true, then there’s a high likelihood that Astrid and I are closer to the answers we’re looking for than we realize.