Chapter 16
Randi
For a moment Randi forgot where she was.
She hadn’t wanted to go to Chance’s office at all. After her actions the day before with her initiating that kiss, avoidance had been her intention. But Marissa had insisted that she go get his signature on a couple of the contracts for the Clearwater project.
Running into her brother-in-law had definitely been on her gamecard for the day. Seeing Sven standing there in the middle of Chance’s office felt so wildly out of place that the only logical response was to close the distance and make it real.
“Sven, what are you two doing here?” She kept her hand on his arms as if confirming he wasn’t some storm-induced hallucination.
She had to avoid the expression on Chance’s face because she wanted to laugh at the genuine confusion. It was good to see him a bit off-kilter.
“It’s good to see you,” Sven answered and kissed her cheek. “I should have been better prepared and let you know I’d be here. I knew you were in Tampa, but not that you were right here in this building. I was going to check with Bryn and catch up to you when I was done here.”
“When did you get in?”
“We flew in this morning and came straight here from the airport.”
“Wait, are you here with Bryn? Is she in town too?” Hope bloomed in her chest. Independence was one thing, but missing her sister was something totally different.
“No,” he answered gently as though he knew her feelings would be hurt. “She is still in Stagholt. Only Jakob and I came.”
“Oh,” Randi said and felt the wave of disappointment wash over her, brief but real. Curiosity surged back in to take its place. “But why are you here? Both of you?” she added and glanced toward Jakob, who inclined his head in acknowledgment.
Sven and Jakob exchanged a look. Quick and subtle.
“Business,” Jakob responded. The word was clipped and efficient and he offered no elaboration.
Randi frowned. That didn’t make sense, especially not when paired with Chance standing there, unusually quiet. His presence in the room suddenly felt awkward.
She couldn’t quite name it yet, but she felt it. Kings didn’t just appear in Tampa for vague business unless something bigger sat beneath the surface.
Her gaze flicked back to Sven and her eyes narrowed slightly. “Are you thinking of opening a water park in the Northlands where it’s always cold?”
Sven shook his head. “That would be pointless.”
“Then what kind of business could you have here?”
“Randi.”
His voice stopped her. It wasn’t harsh, but it was firm in a way she recognized instantly. He used that tone when he held court or when she asked too many questions.
“Please,” he said, quieter now. His expression softened just enough to take the edge off the request. “Don’t ask too many questions right now. It’s sensitive.”
The word settled between them. Randi held his gaze for a second longer and read what she could in the lines of his face and in the quiet insistence behind the request.
And because she knew both of them and understood the weight of their royal duties, she nodded. “Okay.” She had been in Stagholt long enough to learn a thing or two.
If it was sensitive, then pushing wouldn’t help, and if it mattered, she would find out eventually.
“Fine.” Her tone shifted back into something lighter with deliberate ease. “Then you can make it up to me by taking me to dinner so I can catch up with you properly.”
Sven blinked and then laughed. The sound cut clean through the lingering tension like it had no business being there. “That sounds like an order.”
“It is,” she said and folded her arms with mock seriousness. “I haven’t seen you in forever, and you show up in my city without warning? You owe me at least one meal.”
“I suppose I can manage that,” he replied and glanced briefly at Jakob, who gave the faintest nod of approval. “But it’ll have to be lunch. Our plane leaves in a couple hours.”
“Good,” Randi had already turned toward the door before she paused. “We need to send something back for Bryn. She’ll never forgive you if you don’t bring her something.”
Sven groaned lightly. “I’m already under strict orders,” he admitted. “Photographs. Multiple.”
Randi grinned. “Smart woman.”
She glanced at Chance, who hadn’t said a word the entire time. “Would you like to join us for lunch? Which I’m taking now, by the way. Work can wait.” Her heart was on her sleeve with the invite.
He turned them down cold. “My business with these men is done. There’s nothing else to say.”
The anger that immediately exuded from Sven surprised Randi. He didn’t say a word as he took her elbow and steered her out the door.
Jakob’s words sounded before they were out in the hallway. “It’s not over, Chauncey. You can hide, but the fight will find you. We did the best we could by warning you.”
She looked up at Sven but his expression left no desire in her to even speak. Chauncey? She didn’t even dare ask about that.
She glanced back at Chance, and what she saw made her pause internally even as she kept moving. He looked… haunted. That was the only word that leapt into her mind.
Like something had resurrected in a way he hadn’t prepared for. Whatever business had brought Sven and Jakob here had landed harder on him than he was letting on.
Something was wrong. She didn’t know what, but she could feel it.
They walked down the block to a small diner that specialized in comfort food and a relaxed atmosphere. Jakob decided to go for a stroll and take in some of the sights while they had private time.
Randi kept her smile in place even as she watched Sven stir his iced tea like it held state secrets. They’d been sitting at the diner for nearly twenty minutes, and he hadn’t said a single useful thing. Not one.
“You’re being weird.” She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. “You might be a king, but you’re still acting weird. You show up in Tampa out of nowhere with no warning, my sister didn’t even tell me, and for some reason you pay a visit to my boss. That qualifies as weird.”
Sven didn’t look up right away. The spoon clinked once more against the glass before he set it down with quiet precision.
“I’m always a little weird,” he said.
“That’s not the same thing and you know it.”
Now he did look at her but his calm expression was infuriating. “I had business and asked Bryn not to forewarn you.”
“With Chance?” she pressed. “What kind of business do you have with a corporate guy who thinks spreadsheets are a personality trait?” She paused. “Or should I call him Chauncey? Where did that come from?”
One corner of Sven’s mouth twitched, but it wasn’t quite a smile. “People are rarely just one thing, Randi.”
She exhaled sharply. “Okay, that sounded like a fortune cookie and answered exactly zero of my questions.”
He didn’t apologize or elaborate. Instead, he just reached for his sandwich like they were discussing the weather.
Randi stared at him for a long second, then leaned forward and lowered her voice. “Does my sister know why you’re here?”
A flicker crossed his face. “Not exactly.”
Her stomach tightened. “Sven. Why are you being like this? You’re… you’re never like this with me.” They had a wonderful relationship the entire time she was in Stagholt.
He held her gaze, and for a moment, she thought he might actually answer. Instead, he looked away. “Because some things aren’t as simple as they look.”
Randi blinked. “That’s not reassuring.”
“It’s not meant to be.”
A chill slipped down her spine, subtle but unmistakable. She forced a laugh and tried to shake it off. “Wow. Okay. So cryptic warnings over lunch now? Should I be checking under my car before I drive home too?”
Sven didn’t laugh as she expected. He didn’t even crack a smile.
Her amusement faltered. “You could at least pretend that was a joke.”
“I think you should pay attention,” he said, his voice firmer now. “To what’s around you. To what doesn’t quite add up.”
Randi stared at him. “You’re starting to sound a little paranoid.”
“Am I?”
“Yes,” she said immediately, though the word didn’t land as confidently as she wanted it to.
He leaned back slightly and studied her in a way that made her feel like she was the one being questioned now. “Has anything unusual happened recently?”
She hesitated before she waved a hand. “I mean, nothing major. I scared myself silly last night.”
His attention sharpened. “What did you do?”
Randi shrugged and aimed for casual. “Storm raged and decided to come on in through my bedroom window. Scared me half to death. Papers everywhere, curtains doing their best horror movie impression.” She smiled a little. “I probably didn’t latch it right. You know how it is.”
Sven didn’t respond. He didn’t do anything except watch her.
The smile slowly slipped from her face. “What?”
“That’s what you think happened?” he asked.
She frowned. “I mean… yeah? It was windy. Storms do that.”
His jaw tightened just slightly. “Maybe.”
The way he said it made her pulse kick up. “Okay, you’re doing that thing again. The vague, ominous thing. I don’t like it.”
“Randi.” His voice softened, but somehow that made it worse. “You need to be careful.”
Her stomach dropped. “Careful of what?”
“I don’t know yet,” he admitted. “It may be nothing. But I know enough to tell you not to brush things off. Lock your doors. Check your windows. Pay attention to anything that feels off, even if it seems small. You still have your pistol?”
“I had it with me last night when I searched my apartment.” A nervous laugh bubbled up before she could stop it. “You’re seriously telling me my window didn’t just blow open because of a storm?”
“I’m telling you not to assume it did.”
The diner suddenly felt too open. Randi glanced toward the front windows, half-expecting to see something. What that was, she wasn’t sure.
There was nothing. Just people walking by, cars passing, the normal rhythm of a Florida afternoon, but the unease stuck.
She turned back to him, her voice lower now. “You’re scaring me.”
“I’d rather you be a little scared than completely unaware.”
“Unaware of what?” she demanded.
Sven didn’t answer right away. Then, with frustrating calm, he said, “Like I said. Not everything is what it seems.”
Randi pushed back in her chair slightly, her appetite gone. “That’s not enough, Sven.”
“It’s what I can give you right now.”
She stared at him, searching for any sign that this was some kind of overblown misunderstanding. Some weird, protective big-brother-in-law moment, but there was nothing to indicate that.
“Okay,” she said slowly and reached for her drink just to have something to do with her hands. “Okay. Fine. You don’t want to tell me what’s going on. Great. Love that for me.”
He didn’t react to her sarcasm.
“Then I guess I’ll just…” She trailed off and shook her head. “I don’t even know. Start triple-checking my windows like I’m in a crime documentary?”
“That wouldn’t be a bad start.” He met her eyes.
Her mouth fell open in disbelief. “Unbelievable.” But even as she said it, her mind was already racing. The window and the feeling she’d had that something wasn’t right.
Randi swallowed. She knew she wouldn’t get anything else out of him. I am so calling my sister.
“And maybe talk to Chaun…Chance.”
And that, somehow, made it all worse.