Chapter Twenty-Eight
CHAPTER
TWENTY-EIGHT
The next morning, Scarlett and Brayden walked into Wake Up, Darling, a coffee shop near Parliament. They bought coffees and took them to one of the high-backed booths—the only seating available in the oddly long, thin shop.
Cass walked in minutes after them. Scarlett rushed to the front of the shop to greet her, with Brayden trailing behind.
Beaming, Scarlett held out her hand. “We meet again. Thank you for coming. I couldn’t believe it when I mentioned you and my father-in-law knew exactly who you were.”
Cass returned her friendly smile as they shook. “Good to see you again, Scarlett. And yes, how fortunate he could put us in touch.” She wore a white T-shirt that emphasized the bronze of her skin, and her brown hair was pulled back in the same practical braid she’d sported the last time they met.
“This is Brayden, who you spoke to on the phone,” said Scarlett, gesturing to where he stood behind her. “We just got married.”
Cass’s gaze darted to Brayden and back to Scarlett, following Nori’s path as she buzzed around Scarlett’s head. “He mentioned that when we spoke, and I could hardly believe it. You have your soul light, and you’ve upgraded to a better man. So many changes in a short time.”
“Oh, yes. Lots of changes.” Scarlett sighed and her cheeks grew hot as she remembered the breakup fight Cass had witnessed.
Brayden, on the other hand, grinned. “Good to meet you in person, Cass. And thanks for that endorsement.”
“To be fair, it wouldn’t have been hard to come across better than that guy,” said Cass with a crooked smile.
Brayden chuckled. “Still, I’ll take it.”
Wanting to move the conversation on from Alastair, Scarlett gestured to the counter. “We just ordered. Tell me what you want, and I’ll add it to our order.”
“Thank you,” said Cass, turning toward the menu.
A few minutes later, she was seated across from Brayden and Scarlett.
Scarlett placed her phone on the booth’s dock and activated her noise-canceling app.
The sounds of the coffee shop faded around them as white noise streamed out of the booth’s speakers.
The air hummed, barely noticeable but enough to reassure them the technology was indeed working.
Brayden stared at the phone curiously.
“These booths were designed with this technology in mind,” explained Scarlett. “No one will be able to overhear us.”
“That’s neat,” he said, looking impressed.
“Soleil has some things right,” said Cass with a nod.
Scarlett took a sip of her iced coffee before pulling a folder from her handbag.
“Now that we have privacy, would you be open to signing a nondisclosure agreement before I get into the details of why I need a bodyguard? To explain the job, I’ll need to tell you sensitive information.
” She took a piece of paper out of the folder and set it on the table in front of Cass, along with a pen she’d pilfered from her father’s desk that morning. He’d always had a pen to hand.
“Of course,” said Cass as she signed. “That’s no problem. I’m good with secrets.” She sounded genuine.
Can I trust her with the whole truth? Scarlett asked Nori.
“Yes,” replied her light.
Scarlett told Cass everything. She didn’t seem surprised at all and listened carefully, interjecting only with clarifying questions.
“Last night I checked my family’s bank accounts.
There weren’t any direct payments to Dr. Turner, the man who helped my stepmother keep me and my grandmother in a medically induced coma.
I could meet with him, but without anything linking him to Laylani, it’s a dead end.
And it would definitely show our hand.” Scarlett sighed.
“I can certainly see why you need protection and why you were eager to come back to Soleil with her,” Cass said, looking at Brayden.
“Right. I’m living with her currently, but I’ll have to go back to Clair de Lune soon,” he said. “Especially given the Evory situation. I want round-the-clock protection in place for Scarlett before I get called back.”
“Makes sense,” said Cass.
“And what about you?” asked Scarlett. “What happened after the police raid? Have you been permanently shut down, or would you need time off to work the boxing matches?”
“We decided to shut down for the summer, so no, I won’t need nights off right now,” said Cass.
“Can I ask why?” asked Brayden.
Cass’s lips pressed into a thin line. “We can’t trust the cops we were bribing.
We’d never been raided before because of the small fortune we were paying the police.
They swear the raid was a one-off mistake, but I’m not willing to risk opening until we have further assurance it won’t happen again. ”
Scarlett shifted in her seat. “Does that mean the police have lost all their bribery revenue from the black market?”
Cass shook her head. “No. There’s far more than the boxing matches happening. They’ll still be taking in heaps of bribes for all the magic that’s bought and sold in the rest of the black market.”
Then that motivator for the cover-up of her dad’s death was still in play.
“It’s possible we’ll open the border by the end of the year, and then perhaps legal magical boxing matches won’t be off the table.” She had such a good feeling about Cass and was already praying she’d accept the offer Scarlett knew she wanted to make.
“It would be nice to run a legit business.” Cass’s eyebrows rose. “Meanwhile, it would be my pleasure to guard you while you work on that legislation. You said round-the-clock—that means live-in. For how long?”
“Moving in would be ideal, but in the future, if things stabilize, you could easily move out again if you’d prefer. My dad’s security team lived with us on and off,” said Scarlett.
“I’m open to moving in, and we can reassess at any point if that’s not working for either party,” said Cass. “I have one request.”
“Yes?”
“I’m married. He’s why I’m still in Soleil, and we’re a package deal. My husband, Tyler, works with surveillance technology, among other things. I’d highly recommend letting him review your home security and perhaps making improvements if he suggests any.”
Sounds ideal.
“Completely,” agreed Nori.
Scarlett glanced at Brayden, and at seeing he was amenable, she agreed. “Tyler coming along isn’t a problem. We have plenty of space, and I’d love for him to audit our security. When can you start, and when can you move in?”
Cass’s easy smile grew. “I can start tomorrow, and I’ll have to speak to Tyler about the move, but we should be able to move in a few days.”
“Excellent,” said Brayden.
“Tyler can sign an NDA as well so you can fill him in on what we’ve discussed today,” added Scarlett. “I don’t expect you to keep secrets where he’s concerned.”
“Thank you,” said Cass.
“And here’s our standard employment contract.” She pulled another document out of her handbag. “I believe the offer is above the market rate, but don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any needs that aren’t met here.”
Cass took the contract, glancing at it briefly before tucking it into her bag.
“One last thing,” said Scarlett. “Would you be willing to share how you made bribery payments to the police? Is there a bank account number? Do you have any names?”
Cass’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
“I’m looking for ways to link my dad’s death to the police,” said Scarlett quickly. “I don’t want to cause trouble for anyone involved in the matches.”
Cass’s face softened. “Ah, I see. Sadly, no. The drops were all cash left in a lockbox under the Elysian Street Dock. No paper trail that I know of. All the communication was faceless and established before my time, when the police did a raid years ago and made the offer to stay away for a price. We’d receive letters in the mail occasionally, usually when they were upping their rates, but that’s it. ”
Another dead end. Scarlett’s shoulders slumped. She wasn’t getting anywhere.
“It was worth a try.”
Brayden’s hand covered hers where it rested on the table.
“Sorry I can’t be of more assistance.” Cass sounded like she meant it. “You know, my husband might be able to help you. If there’s an online footprint of that bribery chain, he’d find it. He’s a great hacker.”
“Sure,” said Scarlett, though she doubted most hackers could crack a government conspiracy. “Once you two are settled, I’d love to talk to him about it.”
After they’d sorted out the essential details, Brayden and Scarlett parted from Cass outside the coffee shop. Their walk to Parliament was hot and uneventful, but when they arrived at the peers’ entrance, a horde of people was crowding the security checkpoint.
Scarlett tensed, uncertain whether they should find another entrance. Before she could decide what to do, someone yelled her name.
“Scarlett! And Brayden! Congratulations on your marriage!”
Numerous voices exclaimed as people spotted them. Cameras clicked around them, but to Scarlett’s surprise, many of those gathered around the security entrance weren’t photographers. Well-wishers quickly surrounded the two of them, blocking their path.
Brayden’s arms formed a protective cage around Scarlett. “We need to get you inside.”
“Look at that.” Scarlett pointed to a handmade sign featuring sloppily drawn wedding rings and their wedding date surrounded by hearts.
“They’re here to congratulate us!” She should probably be worried about danger lurking in the unruly little crowd, but she was too thrilled by their enthusiasm to worry. They were happy she’d married Brayden.
A middle-aged woman shoved a bouquet of roses into her arms. “Your mother would be overjoyed.”
“Thank you,” said Scarlett as the woman faded into the crowd.
Several people held out copies of the Soleil Times, hoping to get an autograph on their wedding issue. Scarlett and Brayden signed a couple before a determined teenage girl elbowed her way to them holding out an elaborate-looking decorative box displaying two dolls.
“Scarlett, Brayden—I made this for you when I heard the news.”
Awestruck, Scarlett handed Brayden the flowers and took the box, looking at it as a security guard grabbed her by the elbow, ready to haul her away from the beaming teenager.
“Give her a second,” said Brayden gruffly.
The guard let go but hovered nearby, yelling at the bystanders to back up.
Two little dolls that looked like her and Brayden stared up at Scarlett, their painted faces smiling and happy.
The dolls wore macramé wedding clothes, and the background of the box had been painted to look like a heart that was half the Soleil flag and half the Clair de Lune flag.
“Love Transcends Borders” was written on the outside of the box, along with Scarlett and Brayden’s wedding date.
Scarlett’s eyes teared up. She handed Brayden the box and turned back to the girl, who looked at her expectantly. She wrapped the teenager in her arms. “Thank you. I needed this today,” she said into her ear.
“You’re welcome,” said the girl in a shaky voice.
Several security guards formed a perimeter around them as the crowd grew louder. More well-wishers shoved teddy bears and bouquets into Brayden’s and Scarlett’s arms until security forced everyone back.
With a wave, Scarlett blew a kiss to the crowd and walked through the metal detector, with Brayden right behind her carrying several bouquets. They shared a glance as they walked into the much quieter marble entrance hall.
“That article worked better than I’d hoped,” she said with a soft smile. She was still holding the box of dolls.
Brayden wrapped his arm around her shoulders as he peered into the box. “That gift is very sweet, but those little dolls are kinda creepy.”
Scarlett laughed and clutched the box tighter. “I love them, and I’ll keep them forever.”
Scarlett’s first week as a peer flew by as she immersed herself in her new world.
Diplomatic talks between Sigur Vieur and Soleil began.
When the bureau failed to present further hard evidence, enough doubt was shed on their claims that they escaped further escalation, although not for lack of effort from the Goldenrods.
As Scarlett had requested on her first day, several of the lords and ladies approached her for help with the legislation her dad had been cosponsoring, including a bill for free lunch for schoolchildren, one for government-funded preschool, and a third for an environmental law regarding the water quality of the canals.
Less than one week in and the workload was already enormous.
Brayden had been near her almost constantly, supporting her after their awful encounter with Alastair.
Although, to Scarlett’s growing disappointment, he continued to sleep on her couch rather than in her bed.
Brayden was happy to hold her or go down on her before she went to sleep, as he’d done so every night, but he wasn’t letting himself come undone with her the way he had when they’d slept together in Clair.
She prayed he’d be able to relax more once Cass started work.
He was right to put her safety first, but they might only have days together. And she wanted all of him. Badly.
Because of her long hours, they also hadn’t made any progress digging up evidence against Laylani.
Scarlett had several flashbacks to her father answering emails on the weekends and late-night as she tried her best to keep up.
She’d always looked down on him for doing that, thinking it was a flaw in his personal organization, but to her chagrin, she was at risk of living with no boundaries too.
She’d already offered up several prayers of regret for her harsh treatment of Jules at various moments during her teenage years.
The worst part by far was how easy it was to spend the whole day orbiting Brayden without having any time to really be with him.
As the week drew to a close, Scarlett sat in her office sending out a few emails she’d been neglecting.
Her muscles ached, and her left eye kept twitching, probably due to overwork.
She paused and glanced over at Brayden, who was sitting in a nearby chair reading one of her father’s books—something extremely dry by a long-dead philosopher.
He was focused enough that he didn’t notice her looking.
He’ll probably never move here if I’m always working this much.
She quickly shoved the thought aside. This crisis wouldn’t last forever. She promised herself things would be different soon. Scarlett would move heaven and earth for Brayden, and she’d love him better than anyone else.