Chapter 10
CHAPTER 10
Kash stood outside his mother’s room, shaking his head at Simon Weston. “What exactly does that mean?”
Weston looked like he hadn’t slept in a couple of days. The strain of taking over the household security, dealing with the press, and trying to find a killer had likely worn on the man. He’d probably thought this would be a cakewalk, a fun job that would be almost like a vacation.
Kash had fooled him.
“It means that I found a vial of the poison in your former guard’s room. I had an anonymous tip come in that Rai’s new bride had been to Australia recently.”
“Her mother lives there.”
“When I searched the room he used here in the palace, I found the vial.”
Kash shook his head. “No. Absolutely not. Rai hates me because of something I did before he got married. Namely, his wife. He might cut my balls off if he had the chance, but he would never try to kill me. Not like that. He might do some froufrou historical duel thing because he watches far too much Masterpiece Theater, but he would never poison me.”
Simon’s expression didn’t change a bit. “I understand that it seems convenient, but I did have him arrested. At this point he’s being detained for possession of an illegal substance, but to hold him further, the police have to be able to announce the real charges. That’s why he’s not being held at the police station. He’s in a guarded room here in the palace. I wanted to get the okay from you to go public so I can have him moved to the city jail.”
He wasn’t about to have his best friend slammed into a jail cell. “No. There will be no charges. He didn’t do this. Have him released immediately and let him know I want to talk to him. If I know Rai, he’s got his own theories. And tell him not to punch me. It’s been a long day. He can punch me later.”
Actually, that wasn’t a half bad idea. He was sick and tired of missing his best friend. He should allow Rai to beat the shit out of him, admit to having a tiny penis that couldn’t possibly have pleasured Rai’s wife, and see if they could move on.
Or he could ask Day what she thought he should do. She might be able to get him out of a beating. He didn’t really care what anyone except her thought of his penis. Only Dayita needed to know it was a glorious beast that brought pleasure to its queen.
“Kash, as your acting head of security, I have to tell you that this is a mistake,” Weston began.
“No, tossing Rai in jail when it’s obvious he’s been set up is a mistake,” Kash shot back.
“Or we’re making the real culprit feel like he’s gotten away with something and giving ourselves some time to figure this out.”
And allow Rai to hate him even more? “No. I want him released within the hour.”
Weston’s jaw tightened. “This is a mistake.”
“It’s my mistake. I won’t allow him to rot in jail for something I know he hasn’t done. Look in other places. CCTV showed nothing?”
“We believe the Scotch was brought in with the poison already inside.”
“Then whoever this is has his conspirators. It’s someone familiar with how the household is run, but not familiar with my habits.”
Weston seemed to stop, as though that statement brought on some new idea. “Yes, you’re right. Your own men would have known that Jamil typically joins you for a drink. They would have known he could potentially ruin everything. I see what you’re saying. I have an idea.”
“As long as your idea gets Rai out of his hellhole prison.” One day Rai would forgive him for deflowering his bride—before she was his bride. But there would be no forgiveness if Rai himself was deflowered by some rough and tumble prison love.
“I’m calling now. And I’ll set up a meeting that might be interesting.” He pulled out his phone. “And Kash, she’s not as bad as your lord chamberlain made her sound. I’m sorry for that. He told me she was on death’s door, but the doctors claim she could be back on her feet in a few days if she’ll rest. She’s responding to the medication well. She’s quite the survivor, your mother.”
Hanin had always been a drama queen.
Kash shook Weston’s hand and nodded to Michael Malone, who was standing guard outside his mother’s room. He was relieved that she was better than he’d expected, but he’d seen her asleep in her bed, looking so pale and fragile.
He closed the door behind him. His mother was still sleeping and he didn’t want to disturb her. Like Day was sleeping. He’d carried her out of the car and up to his room. He wasn’t sure why, but he’d passed her own room by completely, choosing to settle her into his bed.
The two women who meant the most to him were sleeping and he couldn’t. He was restless and wanting, and he wasn’t even sure what he wanted.
Kash stared out the window of his mother’s room, the slow sound of the monitors forming an odd rhythm. Each beep was another second of life, another breath, one more heartbeat. How many beeps would his mother get?
He stared out over the beach where he’d played as a young child, where he and his brother had built sandcastles and then pretended they were monsters destroying grand cities. And their mother would laugh at their antics. His father would usually be at some meeting or other. After Shray was old enough, it had been only Kash and his mother playing on the beach.
He’d run from that life, a pendulum swinging as far from his father’s regimented existence as he could. As though he had to choose. The king or the playboy. Nothing else. Nothing in between. No compromises. He had to be a king like his father or a rogue so full of himself he never, ever cared about criticism.
Did he have to be one or the other, or could he find his own path, one informed by his father’s love but free of his prejudices? One where he could be both king and man. Both sovereign and husband.
“What do you see when you look out there, son?”
He turned and moved to her bed, sinking to one knee in front of her. “Should I call the doctor?”
She shook her head. “No, I’m fine. I’m feeling better. I caught a terrible cold. It settled into my chest, but I’m breathing better now.”
And any secondary infection would be made worse by the cancer. She would be weak and unable to fight off something Kash could easily handle.
“What do you see? While you’ve been gone, I’ve been thinking so much about your childhood. I wonder how you see it when you look back. Everyone asks you questions. I try not to bother you with them because I know how often you’re surrounded by reporters and advisors and politicians, but I need to know. I worry we don’t see the same things.”
He glanced back toward the window. What did he see? He saw sand and sun and rolling waves. He saw ghosts. “I see the beach where I played with Shray when I was young. I see the beach where you would take me to play long after Father took Shray under his wing to teach him.”
His mother frowned. “To teach him?”
“To be king. When Shray was a teenager, Father told him he couldn’t play with me at the beach anymore. He had to be better than me because he was going to be king. Father never came to the beach. He never played.”
His mother’s eyes softened, a sheen of tears forming. “Oh, my darling, how can you say that? Your father played with you many times when you were young. Look through the pictures I keep. Go and get them. They’re in a box in the bottom of the dresser.”
He started to argue with her, that she needed rest, but he could see how desperate she was so he strode to her dresser like a dutiful son. He needed to smile and tell her everything was all right because she was sick and his own misery would only bring more to her. He needed to agree that his childhood was beautiful and everything was perfect.
He’d seen the pictures of his childhood. They were mostly taken by state photographers and again, they’d been interested in Shray. Kash hadn’t minded because the thought of sitting still had been mind-numbing at the time. He opened the bottom drawer and found a metal box. He pulled it out and turned back to his mother.
He rushed back because she was struggling to sit up. “Mother, stop.”
She frowned up at him. “I will stop when I am dead, and as that might be soon, you will leave me to make the decisions. There’s a proper queen now. I can become the old bat who says and does whatever she likes. You see, you thought I brought in Dayita for you, but it was really for me. Where is she?”
“She was exhausted. She didn’t sleep at all on the plane. I put her in bed about an hour ago.” Likely because she was worried about everything, because he was giving her hell and causing her to question their marriage because he couldn’t bring himself to bend even a little.
Are you ashamed of how I make you feel?
He could still hear the question, hear the small tremor in her voice. Day was always so steady, so strong, and yet in that moment, she’d sounded small.
He’d made her small.
His mother shifted on the bed, leaving a space for him. “Good, she needs her rest. Now come and let me show you. It’s easy to forget, you know.”
He sat down next to her. “Forget what?”
“That the truth of our lives changes given our perceptions. That time and experience can make things hazy. You weren’t in a good place with your father when he died. I think that colored everything about your relationship with him. I can’t let that go on, Kashmir.”
He huffed, forgetting for a moment that he’d promised to be good. “So you think some photos you kept will change my perception of my childhood?”
“This isn’t my box, love. This was your father’s. This was precious to him.”
Kash looked down at the rather plain metal box. It was the kind of thing people kept important papers in, sturdy and weatherproof. It had a piece of tape on the top with a single word written in neat, masculine script.
Kashmir.
He touched the box. “Why would he have a box with my name on it?”
“Open it and find out,” she urged. “After he died, I found both of your boxes, yours and Shray’s. For a long time it was hard for me to think about Shray’s, but recently, I’ve enjoyed going through it and remembering how close our family was. This is what you’ve forgotten, what you have to remember before you have children of your own. He loved you.”
He hated the fine tremble to his hand as he opened the box.
Inside he found a mass of photos, but not the kind taken by the press. These were personal pictures taken by an amateur hand, pictures of himself and Shray smiling in the surf, their faces splashed with the waves, of himself as a giggling baby held in his mother’s arms, of his toddler self hiding beneath his father’s ornate desk. In that photo he was grinning ear to ear and reaching up to whoever was taking the photo. This wasn’t the picture of a child afraid to interrupt his father’s work. This child knew he was the center of the world.
He took a deep breath, the sweetness of his childhood washing over him. Had he forgotten? He’d run through the palace like a little monster, and eventually he would be scooped up in strong arms and tossed into the air, giggling and begging for more.
He could feel it, feel how he’d flown up, the thrill rushing through him. He’d put his arms out and tried to fly, and never once had he thought about falling because his father was there to catch him.
His father. He would scoop him up and take him to the kitchens for coconut ice cream.
“Why did he stop coming to the beach with us? Why did he take Shray and forget about me?” Though it was easy to see he hadn’t really. While the pictures seemed to stop around the time he was thirteen or fourteen, they were replaced with newspaper articles and report cards. There was a birthday card Kash had made tucked inside.
His mother’s hand came out, so frail and delicate on his own. “When you were almost fourteen, your father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He was taking some medication that made it unwise for him to spend too much time in the sun.”
Kash felt like the world had shifted. “What? Father had Parkinson’s?”
His mother nodded. “Yes. In the beginning he worried he would die very soon or be incapacitated. He needed to get Shray ready. He didn’t want you to worry. He wanted you to enjoy your childhood. He always told me that he was lucky you were his second son and not his first.”
“Because he thought I would be a terrible king.”
“No, because you were so smart, so brilliant when it came to science. He was so proud of you. He said a mind like yours shouldn’t be wasted on politics. He said a mind like yours could change the world, and that was so much more important than being a king.” Her hand gripped his, holding him. “He was worried during those years. He thought if the parliament found out about his diagnosis, they might seek to abolish the monarchy on the grounds that his heirs were too young. I remember he would remind himself that a king must be strong.”
He couldn’t help it a moment longer. The world was a blurry place and yet he finally understood. His father hadn’t been talking about him. Or perhaps at times he had been. Perhaps it didn’t matter that his father had been a king. All that had mattered was he’d been an obnoxious teen, and they would have clashed no matter what.
What mattered was that his father had loved him, that his father had believed in him, that his father had been more than a king. He’d been a man.
A man with flaws and fears.
A man with love and regrets.
A man who could love his wife and children and make mistakes. He could follow in his father’s footsteps and have a life filled with loved ones, with a woman who knew him as more than a king. A woman who loved him because he was her husband.
And maybe, just maybe, if Kash was brave enough, he could be a man who changed the world.
He leaned into his mother, holding her gently. “I’m sorry for staying away for so long. I’m sorry I didn’t remember.”
“He wouldn’t let you see. I argued that he should tell you,” she whispered. “But he wanted you to have as normal a life as you could. He saw how it aged your brother. He couldn’t do it to you. And I was so lost after he died that I kept his secrets. You should know that I left you a letter detailing all of this in case I died. You have to know that the illness might be hereditary, though the likelihood is still low. You’ll have to watch your health carefully as you get older. Your father was significantly older than me. He was sixty when he was diagnosed.”
“Hush, we don’t have to talk about that now.” He wasn’t going to worry about something that might or might not happen. He needed to focus on the now. Every family had something in their medical histories to worry about.
His mother looked up at him. “I don’t want us to end the same way, with you angry with me. I made these mistakes, but I love you. I love you and I ask you to forgive me.”
He shook his head. “There is nothing to forgive. Nothing, Mother. I love you. And things will be different now because I love my wife. I think I’ve always loved her but I was afraid to show it. I’m not going to be afraid anymore.”
He made the choices. And if anyone found out that he liked to submit to his gorgeous, dominant wife, well, they could go to hell because they didn’t understand what a woman like Day could do to a man.
No one got a say in his marriage except him and his wife.
He held his mother, the truth of his life sinking in and finally filling a place that had seemed hollow. “I don’t want you to die. I command that you not die.”
His mother smiled up at him. “Give me something to live for. You know I’ll hold on for a grandchild.”
He sighed.
“What is it?”
“I’ve screwed up so much with Day, I fear she won’t forgive me, Mother.”
Her hand slid over his. “Tell me.”
He grimaced. “Much of it is sexual, Mother.”
“Well, of course it is. It’s you. You know, Kashmir, the one thing I thought you would get right was the sex stuff.”
“Well, didn’t I prove you wrong?” Perhaps his mother could help. She’d already given him the perfect woman. Now it was up to him to figure out how to keep her. “I think I’ve messed up with Day.”
“Of course you have. You’re a man. You can’t help yourself. Tell me what’s going on.”
According to Day, it wasn’t like she didn’t already know. He was about to tell her everything when there was a loud shout from the hallway.
Startled, he slid from the bed. “Wait here, Mother. I’ll be right back.”
“Kash, you fucking bastard!”
That was a familiar voice. Weston had gotten Rai out quickly. Kash stepped out into the hallway where Rai was straining against the much larger Boomer. It was good to see Rai couldn’t do everything. His best friend often seemed far too competent to be believed, too fit and perfect. Now he looked silly because Mr. Boomer had put a hand on his head and easily held him at arm’s length.
“Uh, he wanted to go in without an appointment,” Boomer said. If holding back the other man was any strain on him at all, it didn’t show. “Si told me no one sees the queen momma without an appointment. Now, he didn’t leave me an appointment book or anything, so I think what he was trying to tell me was that the queen momma needs her sleep and no one should see her except her son. I don’t think he’s her son.”
While he found Mr. Boomer quite charming, he didn’t want to piss off Rai any further. “It’s fine. Please let him go so we can handle this here and now. And, Mr. Boomer, if he does hit me, let him. Unless he goes for my face. My face really belongs to the whole country, so you need to protect that.”
Boomer moved his hand and Rai nearly fell to his knees.
“Damn you, Kash,” he began.
“I would have thought letting you out of jail because I know, despite all evidence, that you would never harm me might put you in a better mood.”
Rai shook his head. “Not mad at you. Need to tell you. It was never you he was after. I figured it all out a few minutes ago. It’s Hanin. He wants to kill Day. He was always after Day.”
Fear flashed through Kash and he took off running for his room.
Nothing mattered if Day wasn’t alive. Nothing at all.
Day came awake to the sound of a door creaking open. She sat up, her head still cloudy from sleep. She glanced at the clock, the digital light shining, and realized her head was actually cloudy from lack of sleep. She remembered falling asleep in the car after the plane had landed. That had been a little over an hour and a half before.
She glanced around and realized she wasn’t in her room. Her suite was done up in light, airy colors, and this place was a darkened tomb.
Kash’s room. Had he brought her here? She suspected so.
She yawned and forced her body to move. Something was going on in the outer room of the suite.
She sat straight up in bed as her brain started to function, remembering exactly why they’d made that ridiculously long flight.
Her mother-in-law. Her sweet, lovely mother-in-law had taken a bad turn and they’d needed to get home in time to potentially say good-bye to her.
Day’s heart constricted. How would Kash handle losing his mother? He tended to shut down when things got too emotional. He’d been alone for so long and here she was sleeping while he was facing one of the hardest moments of his life.
Some partner she’d turned out to be.
She scrambled to get out of bed. How far was it to the hospital?
She moved to the doors that led to the outer rooms of the suite, opening them and finding the cause of the noise she’d heard previously. A group of neatly dressed servants were busy setting breakfast up on the table in the living area. It was the table where she and Kash typically shared their morning. Michael Malone stood inside the door, dressed in an all-black suit, an earpiece in his left ear. He nodded her way.
So she had her guard back. They’d been much more subtle at Sanctum. She’d barely seen them, though she’d known they were there. Now that she was home, there would always be a guard on her door.
How much longer would she be here at the palace? How much longer would she have this family?
“Coffee, Your Majesty?” one of the maids asked.
Day sought her name. She was trying to learn them all because they were important to the family and needed to know they weren’t mere cogs in the wheel. “Elissa, yes, please, but could you put it in a cup to go? I need to get to the hospital as quickly as possible.”
“Why would you need to go to the hospital?” The lord chamberlain walked into the room, looking resplendent in his three-piece suit. “Is your majesty ill?”
She shook her head because all the servants had stopped as though the thought of her being sick was beyond what they could handle. “No. I’m fine. I need to go and see the queen mother. I assume that’s where my husband is. I need to go and be with him. Can someone update me on how she’s doing?”
Hanin shook his head, his eyes on her. “Now, now, Your Majesty. I can update you. You know how I adore the queen mother. I’ve worked for her and her family all of my life. I apparently overreacted. I was in a panic when I contacted the Americans to bring his majesty home to see her. I’m so sorry. At the time I truly thought she could die on us.”
“And now?”
He moved across the room, picking up the silver server and pouring her coffee with an expert hand. “She’s recovering in her room. Queen Yasmine is one of the strongest women I know. It’s from her breeding, you know. She comes from a good family. That’s important.”
Relief spilled through her. The thought of losing Yasmine had nearly crushed her, and what it would have done to Kash… She didn’t want to think on it. “I’m glad she’s all right. Is my husband with her?”
“Of course.” Hanin brought the delicate china cup to her. “Have something to eat, Your Majesty. When I saw them last, they were having a lovely conversation. There’s nothing at all for you to worry about. After you’ve had some fortification, I’ll take you down to her room myself.”
Her hands were shaking. How long had it been since she’d eaten? She walked over to the table and set the coffee cup and its saucer down. Her stomach was a little touchy. Perhaps pouring acidic coffee on it first thing wasn’t the best play.
“Elissa, do we have any tea? I think coffee might upset my stomach today. And perhaps some toast. All this looks lovely, but I need something simple. It was a long flight and I think all the stress is wearing on me.”
Elissa nodded. “Of course, Your Majesty. The lord chamberlain didn’t order tea for you, but I can pop down to the kitchen and be back in no time at all.”
“Thank you.” She glanced up to see Hanin frowning. Naturally she’d upset him. The lord chamberlain seemed to take offense easily. Kash had talked about pensioning the older man off when his mother was no longer with them, and Day was starting to agree with him. It was obvious the man had deep ties to Yasmine, but he didn’t seem to like the younger royals much. When the time came, she intended to ask Chapal’s husband, Ben, to take the role. He would have the palace running in a proper and modern fashion. Until then, she needed to get along with Hanin. “Thank you so much for the update and for this lovely spread. It’s all beautiful, but it’s too much for me this morning. I’ll have a spot of tea and go join my husband.”
They’d barely talked on the plane. Kash had sat in his seat, a beer in one hand, while he’d stared out at the night sky even as it had turned into day. She’d tried to sleep, but couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened.
Was he ashamed? She couldn’t overcome shame. She could handle him being shy, needing to go slow. She couldn’t handle being his dirty secret.
“Your Majesty?”
She glanced up and Hanin was still standing in the room. The other servants had all gone, but he had stayed behind. “Yes?”
He glanced back to where Malone stood. “Might I speak to you privately, Your Majesty? It’s palace business and I’m afraid it can’t wait.”
She couldn’t think of what he needed from her that her guard couldn’t hear, but she wasn’t going to argue with him. He ran the palace and there were certainly plenty of secrets to be kept. She nodded. With her mother-in-law out of commission, she was in charge. “Of course. Mr. Malone, would you mind?”
“I’ll be right outside. I’ll knock when Elissa gets back and after you’ve eaten, I’ll escort you to Queen Yasmine. She asked about you earlier.” He stepped out and closed the door behind him.
“Are you sure you won’t have some coffee? I can get you some cream and sugar, if you like,” Hanin said, his hand on the ornate silver pot.
She shook her head. Tea sounded so much better. “No, but thank you.”
“You don’t mind if I pour some for myself, do you?” He was already reaching out for another cup.
“Feel free. Now, what is the problem, Hanin?”
He was silent while he poured the steaming hot coffee. When he turned around there was a frown on his face. “The problem is one of perception. I’m worried that when certain stories come out, and they will eventually, your past will bring down the royal family.”
She stilled because the whole room seemed to chill. “What are you talking about?”
“Do you think Kashmir’s whore of a girlfriend is the only one who knows about your past?” Hanin asked, his tone dark and nasty. “I have been the queen’s right hand for years. I helped her investigate you.”
“And I assume you disapproved.”
“Of course I did. You’re common. Worse than that, you’re not even a proper female. You argue with your betters.”
“My betters being men, I suppose.” Oh, her mother-in-law was going to be disappointed, but Hanin was leaving the palace today. He would not be allowed back, but she was interested in seeing how far he would go.
“I’m sick of this generation of women not knowing their place. The queen has always known. She didn’t argue with her husband or her son, and her son is an idiot.”
“I assure you the queen had control. She might have done it in a sneaky way, but Queen Yasmine did not sit back and allow the men around her to run things. She simply didn’t take credit for her work. My generation doesn’t have to dissemble.” She stood up. Maybe she wasn’t so curious. She was ready to go and be with her family.
She was ready to start the fight for Kash’s heart because he was worth it, and she needed to tell him that. In plain English. Hanin was right about one thing. Her husband could be an idiot at times. Especially when it came to his own emotions.
“Your generation will bring down this monarchy with your disgusting need to expose yourselves, your every emotion, your wants and needs,” Hanin continued. “No one cares about them. Society can’t work when everyone is an individual. Can’t you see that? We need the crown and the crown needs true royalty.”
She held up a hand. “You’re dismissed, Hanin. I don’t want to see you here again.”
He gripped the coffee cup like it was a lifeline. “You can’t do that. You can’t fire me.”
“I can and I did. My husband will back me up, and once my mother-in-law has heard how you’ve spoken to me, she’ll be on my side as well.”
“The queen won’t believe you.”
Day gestured up to the camera that covered the living room. “She’ll see you. She might not hear things, but there’s no doubt you’re being less than gracious right now.”
His mouth turned up in a nasty smirk. “Oh, but I cut that camera out of the feed. With all the new security, it was easy to explain that the king wanted more privacy. No one questioned it. So we really are alone right now, dear, and I truly wish you’d tried the coffee.”
That chill she’d felt before went positively arctic as Day glanced down at her own cup. “You poisoned the Scotch.”
“I was watching the ballroom and I saw when Tasha hauled Kashmir off. I saw when you strode in and made a spectacle of yourself. I’d been watching for days and knew you liked to play the man. I knew you had a glass of Scotch with the king. So when he sent you up, I sent up Jamil with the special Scotch I’d had prepared. I knew you would get there first, and like the weak slut you are, you would need that drink. You almost took it. I almost had you.”
She’d come so close to falling into that trap. “You could have killed Kash.”
“It was a risk I was willing to take, but I planned to rush in and save him. Then we could have found a proper bride.” He stared down at the cup in his hand. “I didn’t know Jamil was a thief.”
“He wasn’t a thief. He was the king’s friend.” She started to back up, trying to put some distance between her and the man who’d tried to murder her only a week before.
“The king must be taught that he is above us all. He can’t be friends with the help. He must be the king, exalted and revered. That’s what we’re missing. I believe a bride, a pure royal bride, could teach him this. Or at least she could have his child and we could start over again.”
How long had Hanin been planning this? The idea chilled Day to the bone. “You advised the queen to arrange the marriage.”
“Yes, but then she wouldn’t listen to me when it came to selecting a bride. She’d found those letters you sent and decided it had to be you. She couldn’t see you for the whore you are. Even after she knew about your sexual perversions, she couldn’t understand that you were wrong.”
Because the queen mother understood that a person was complex and that sexual differences didn’t mean anything as long as a man and woman were in love.
She loved Kash. They could work it out. They just had to believe they could. They could get through anything as long as they held on to each other and promised to never let go. That was how a couple in love got through life. They simply held on.
“I’m going to leave now, Hanin. You should probably run.” Would Malone hear her if she shouted out? The door was thick and the walls well insulated. How many steps before she could put a hand on the door and throw it open? Her guard would be there.
She backed up, slowly, unwilling to take her eyes off the snake in the room.
That snake slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out a gun. It was a shiny revolver. “Run? Why would I run? This is my home. It has been for as long as I can remember. Don’t move another inch, Your Majesty, or I’ll be forced to put a bullet in you. I don’t want to. It could make for a much more salacious story for the tabloids.”
She froze because there was nowhere to duck, nothing to hide behind unless she could get to the entryway. There were two columns on either side of the door that might offer her some protection. “I’m not going to drink your poison, Hanin. You’re crazy if you think I’m going to do your work for you.”
“So you’re willing to let me kill Elissa when she returns? When that door opens, I intend to shoot whoever is standing there. I’ll know my game is up. I’ll shoot her and then you. I’m willing to die for my cause. I’ve served this crown with everything I have. I’ll give my life to protect it. I will not allow a whore queen to take it all away from me.”
He also wasn’t as strong as he thought he was. Already she could see his hand shaking. Elissa would be back any moment, but she couldn’t let that fact push her into obedience. She didn’t want Elissa to get shot, but she wasn’t about to help her would-be murderer.
Of course, he couldn’t know that. He was crazy. He could likely be led to believe any number of things.
“You’ll have to bring it to me. Bring me the cup you made for yourself.”
He stared at her, his eyes narrowed. “Drink the one I made for you. They’ll both work. It’s right there. Hurry. Elissa isn’t slow. She’s good at her job. She’ll hurry because she wants to please her queen. She’s young and can’t see you for what you truly are.”
Which apparently was a whore. Very original of him. “I’m too scared. What if you shoot me? I can’t. I can’t think.”
Better to let him believe she was far more scared than she was. It was odd, but the fear seemed to be in the background, as though she’d moved into survival mode and nothing else mattered.
Unless Kash was the one who walked through that door. If Kash took the bullet, she would want her own. She would want to curl up and go wherever he was. He would need her.
Hanin stood there, his hands starting to shake, and she wondered how much of Hanin was really there. “You ruined everything. Everything.”
The cup in his left hand started to rattle and she saw her chance. She sprinted for the door. He might shoot her, but it was better to have the chance. The minute that shot rang out, Malone would come in.
Day screamed as she dove for the pillar.
The door blasted open and she caught sight of the one thing she hadn’t wanted to see. Kash rushed in, his big body a massive target. He caught her in his arms and shoved her behind him. Rai was there along with Malone, all three men running into the room.
“Stand down!” Malone ordered.
“Hanin, you’re caught,” Rai explained. “Put the gun down.”
The gun clattered to the floor. “It wasn’t loaded. I couldn’t risk hurting the king.”
Kash still stood in front of her. “But you would kill my queen?”
The cup and saucer rattled, the sound jarring. Day had to peek around her husband to get a look at Hanin.
Hanin’s eyes were wild as he spoke. “She’s unfit to be queen. She isn’t royal.”
“She’s my wife. She’s royal now,” Kash returned.
“And when they all find out what she does?” Hanin spewed his bile. “How she dominates men? Does she do these things to you, Your Majesty? Is that how she caught you? You’re in her web.”
Day’s stomach tightened. It was the one thing Kash couldn’t handle. Someone knowing.
Rai and Malone had heard that accusation. It could kill Kash.
“Let her go,” Hanin insisted. “No one will follow her, Your Majesty.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Kash replied. “She already has one devoted servant. She has me. I’ll see you hanged for this.”
“No need.” A hollow look hit Hanin’s face. “This isn’t my home anymore. This isn’t my world anymore.”
He brought the cup to his lips.
Day started to yell out, but Kash turned and caught her, his arms going around her. Even as he started to haul her out the door, she could see Hanin falling.
Kash rushed her out, taking her from the sight. He strode to her room, opening the doors and charging in. He turned briefly and yelled down the hall at his guard. “If that wasn’t poison he drank, Rai, let me know so I can kill him myself.”
“He’s quite dead, Kash,” Rai replied as he followed. “Malone is calling it in and staying with the body. Who could have guessed snails would be so poisonous? It’s how I figured out it was him. He has a cousin who works at a lab in Western Australia.”
Kash set her down. “And how did you know it was Day he wanted to kill and not me?”
“Because I heard him talk about how she would ruin the crown,” Rai replied. “I thought it was idle gossip until I put together he was the one who had poisoned the Scotch. He was in the booth with me that night. He watched you send her away. We all heard that conversation.”
Then the guards knew? Her hands were shaking.
Rai reached for one of them, pulling it up. “Your Majesty, you should know that the guards all take an oath of silence when it comes to the family we protect. You should also know that I’ve long believed Kashmir needed a woman who could spank his ass silly, and I’m glad to hear he found one. Not a one of my men sees you as anything less than the queen and Kashmir as anything but one incredibly lucky man. Well, they do worry that our lovely and intelligent queen has been strapped with such an ignorant ass for her husband.”
Kash was standing beside her, looking down at her hand. “Thank you, Rai. Thank you for wanting to save her.”
Rai kissed her hand and then let it go, turning back to Kash. “Of course I wanted to save her. You, on the other hand, I would have let drink all the snail venom in the world. I hate you.”
Kash was grinning. “But you’ll come back to your job.”
Rai was already moving for the door. “Yes. I’ll return to work but only because I love my wife and this pays better than anywhere else.”
“Rai, I’m glad to have you home.”
He stopped at the door, not looking back. “And I’m glad to have a friend who believed in me even when all the evidence was against me. Even when I behaved like an ass. Stay here. I’ll post a guard on the door, but I don’t think we can keep this out of the press. I’ll try, but two bodies in a week is a lot to cover up.”
The door closed behind him and Kash wrapped his arms around her. He hugged her close. “I’m so sorry.”
She held on to him and hoped this wasn’t the end.