24. Do Your Job
24
Do Your Job
Rose
P oppy is tittering about, talking a mile a minute about the game and about Anton and how incredible he played. “I’m serious, Rosie. Your man’s out there like a real-life Superman.”
“Poppy, if you don’t stop calling him my man , I’m not letting you meet him,“ I scold. “We are co-workers. Less than that. I am interviewing him. He’s my subject material.”
“We can all imagine how you’d pore over him.” Noli wags her brows.
“With attention to every single detail.” Poppy grins.
“A fine-tooth-comb style treatment.”
I look to Collin and Mack. “Can’t you two do something about them?”
The men glance at each other and then back to me. Collin shrugs. “They’re not wrong. Even I have a little bit of a guy-crush on Anton.”
“Think he’ll sign my jersey?” Mack asks.
I tip my head back.
My spy world and my real world are on a collision course, and it’s got me completely off balance. I can’t even blame my sisters. I was lulled into a false sense of security. I got caught up in watching Anton play as a fan of the game—as a fan of his—until I got a text message from headquarters during Anton’s post-game interview, saying that Duke had given his assistant, aka the man put in place to keep an eye on him, the slip. Fortunately, another text came through shortly thereafter, giving the all clear .
Still, it was a sobering reminder that I need to keep my focus. I’m about to meet Duke in person for the first time, and I need to be on my game. I’m not sure how I’m supposed to do that with my sisters all but planning my wedding to a man I absolutely cannot fall for (again) and my brothers-in-law wanting to be his bestie.
The door to the team’s private area swings open, and Anton appears, trailed by Duke and his good-for-nothing right-hand man. Seriously, the guy has one job. How does he lose his mark?
Anton’s eyes sweep from Poppy, who’s standing starstruck, to Noli, who gives him a small wave, to Collin and Mack, who chin-check him, and then they settle on me. His practiced smile melts into something more natural when his gaze connects with mine.
I, for one, have to work to keep breathing at regular intervals. Anton looks incredible. He’s dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit coat and slim-fit trousers. He’s got on a simple white V-neck t-shirt that’s stretched to dangerous lengths across his broad shoulders. His collar bones seem to glisten. It’s weird that I find his clavicles attractive. I get that. But here we are. There’s something about the fact that all this muscle and bone coalesce to make a man who is so fully capable on the field and so willingly kind and helpful off the field. It’s a deadly combination. One that apparently has me salivating at the mere sight of his collar bones.
His hair is damp from his shower, and it’s curling on top, with that one strand dangling over his forehead in a perfect curlicue. My fingers itch to reach out and twirl it around. I drop my gaze. His feet are bare beneath snake-print loafers, and I bite back a smile. I make a mental note to ask him if his sockwear preference has changed since moving to a colder climate. Somehow, I doubt it, judging from his elected footwear tonight.
“My face is up here, Ms. Kapser.” Anton’s deep voice holds a smile.
I spring my gaze up to meet his laughing eyes.
“I know that.” I sound defensive .
“Just teasing you.” He grins at me. “Though, I have been told I’ve got excellent taste in shoes.”
“You definitely do.” Poppy steps forward and tucks her hand under my elbow, reaching out her opposite arm toward Anton. “Poppy Bradley. I’m Rose’s older sister.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Poppy. I’ve heard nothing but good things.”
Poppy smiles, shooting me a look as if to say, He’s heard of me, and until today, I had no idea you two were ever a thing?
I ignore her, motioning instead for Mack to step forward. “This is Poppy’s husband, Mack. And you remember Noli and Collin from California.”
Anton greets them with his characteristic warmth. They chat easily, and I try to ignore how well he fits right in to the group of us by turning my focus to Duke.
Also known as public enemy number one—to me, at least.
“Nice to see you again, Duke. Anton said you might be willing to talk to me for a feature piece I’m working on about him.”
Duke smiles cordially. The resemblance between him and Anton is uncanny. They have the same ninety-degree-angle jaw and blond hair. Duke’s eyes are brown where Anton’s are blue-green, and he wears his hair shorter than Anton does, but they could be brothers.
“It would be my pleasure, Ms. Kasper. Anton says you’re an excellent interviewer.”
I refuse to be charmed by his kind eyes and friendliness. But I also need him to think I like him, so I smile back. “I’m sure he’s embellished.”
“No, I haven’t.” Anton pulls himself out the conversation he’s having and winks at me again. “Why don’t I give you guys the tour of the facilities here, and you can talk as we walk?” He looks to me and Duke to make sure we’re okay with the plan.
I nod, and Duke sweeps his hand out in front of us, inviting Anton to lead the way .
Anton slips easily back into conversation with my family, and I tell myself I’m being ridiculous for the way my heart squeezes with jealousy. He’s not paying me much attention. He’s in full-blown host mode. He’s good at it. But I would be lying if I didn’t admit that I prefer when his attention rests solely on me.
See? This is another reason why Anton and I could never work. He’s going to have a whole country who’s looking to him for his attention. I’m too small a person to be able to handle that and not feel insecure.
“So…” Duke draws my attention. The two of us have fallen into step toward the back of the group. “What sorts of secrets can I tell you about my dear cousin Anton?”
“You tell me. He said y’all are close.”
“Very.” Duke nods. “Neither of us had siblings, but we had each other. We grew up together.” Duke gets a faraway look in his eye. “Anton is the best of us, that much I’ll tell you. He’s always had the charitable heart. Sometimes to a fault.”
“Go on.”
“I worry that he’s always giving of himself, never saying no. He needs to rein it in, or he’s going to burn out. Look at what he’s been doing for the past couple of years, juggling a high-profile job here in the States and the demands that come with being a professional athlete.” Duke holds up fingers to track Anton’s commitments. “Then there are his personal charities, the Penwick Palace charities, his duties as a royal. His obligations are enough to make a normal man dizzy.”
I can’t say I disagree, but I don’t say anything in response, and Duke continues.
“I always wanted to be more like him, but I had a bit of a wild streak.” Duke says this with the perfect mix of affection for Anton and self-deprecation.
I’ve got to hand it to the guy. He’s definitely charming.
“I’ve only gotten Anton to break the rules with me on a couple of occasions. Some of my proudest moments,” he adds with a grin .
“This sounds like the sort of thing I’d like to hear about for the article.”
“Nothing so salacious,” Duke assures me. “We did take one of the palace security vehicles for a joyride in the middle of the night before we had our licenses. I don’t think Anton enjoyed one minute of it. He was so worried we were going to get caught. He drove ten miles under the posted speed limit the whole time. He didn’t want to wreck the car or hurt someone. No matter that we were in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night. That’s Anton for you. Conscientious to a fault.”
“Conscientious is a good word for him,” I agree. “That seems to be a theme I’ve picked up on in my interviews with those who know him. How do you think he’ll be as a ruler of Penwick?”
Duke glances ahead and stares at the back of Anton’s head. “He’ll be the best—if he makes it that far.”
I nearly stumble over my feet, my guard flying up faster than a rocket being launched into the Texas sky. “Excuse me?”
Duke blinks and stares back at me, a sheepish expression passing over his features. “Look at him. He’s happy here. I don’t think he wants to be in Penwick. Do you?”
I feign composure and stare at Anton. I can’t argue with Duke. Anton always has seemed more himself when he’s talking football and dealing with personal charities as opposed to when he’s with his mother or doing official Penwick business. But I never considered that he wouldn’t go back to his home country.
“You said he’s conscientious, sometimes to a fault. Won’t that translate to undertaking his duty to Penwick?” I ask.
Duke tilts his head back and forth. “You’re probably right, unless something comes up that forces his hand,” he adds quietly.
Is that a threat? Is it a warning? Is it a premonition? Duke stares directly in my eyes, and the skin twists at the back of my neck with the full force of his appraising gaze.
Alarm bells blare in my ears, but I still don’t have anything concrete linking Duke to any sort of attack on Anton. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch sight of his assistant, Charles, who I don’t have much faith in anymore. He’s been listening to our whole conversation, and it seems he, too, is poised and ready to step in or make a move if Duke lets anything slip about his plans to harm Anton.
We’re a good distance back from where Anton has taken my family through the doors of the weight room. At least I can breathe easily knowing nothing’s going to happen to him with them. I trust those four people implicitly.
If only Anton could say the same about his family. If only he knew that his cousin can’t be trusted. I turn my focus back to Duke.
“You’re the spare heir if I’m not mistaken.” I’m impressed with my ability to keep my cool. Duke is an imposing figure, and in spite of all the charm he wields, there’s something about him that feels off. Call it intuition. “How would you feel if…something came up and prevented him from taking his rightful position as leader of Penwick?”
Duke doesn’t remove his penetrating gaze from my face for what feels like an obscene amount of time.
“That depends,” he says finally.
“On what?”
“Whether it was his choice to abdicate or something else entirely.”
“What else would it be?” I’ve stopped walking now, determined to get some real intel. My dad would tell me I’m pushing too hard, but I’m throwing the rule book out the window here. Anton deserves my best effort, and dang it, that’s what I’m going to give him.
Duke shrugs and blinks, as if he’s done with this conversation. “Your guess is as good as mine. I’m merely saying that I’ve considered the possibility. I’d be ready if I needed to step in. I love Penwick, and I would be proud to serve our people. That’s another way Anton and I have always differed. I like the confines of our small island nation. It’s comfortable to me. A safe place. I feel like we can make a difference right from our little corner of the world. But to Anton, Penwick feels like a prison. He’s always wanted to get out.”
I want to pound my head into the nearest wall. Nothing about this conversation has provided any clarity.
“If you’ll excuse me for a moment, I need to use the restroom.” Duke ducks into the bathroom, leaving me with Charles.
I turn to the man, who is nearly a foot taller than me. He rivals Anton in size, and he’s got a hard look on his face.
“Is he always so forthcoming but not really forthcoming at the same time?” I ask.
Charles chuckles. “Basically. Duke is an enigma. That’s why I’m here.”
“You have any information for me?” I ask, my voice low.
He shakes his head once. “If I did, I’d share it through the proper channels.” He glances around. “Not here, out in the open, where anyone could overhear.”
I make a point of glancing around the deserted hallway, because give me a break. I’m done with this guy. “Stick close to him.”
Charles’s jaw clenches. “I don’t take orders from you.”
“Me telling you to do your job isn’t an order. It’s an expectation.”