Chapter 17

17

Hank

I was wearing a stupid grin. I just knew it. I'd kept the look of love dopiness under control until I turned away from the princess. But as I packed her teddy bear and unicorn into the SUV, I let my cheek muscles form that smile I'd been trying to lock down.

Fuck.

At thirty-six, I was too old to feel infatuation like this. But what did I know? Because of the way I grew up, I'd been naturally guarded. I preferred to keep things at a level of friendship, even with the women I had sex with. With Thala, it was different. She may be a badass, but she wasn't cynical like most people were in my line of work. In some ways, she hadn't experienced the realities of the world outside Venusstea. I had the compulsion to show her everything.

And as if the universe was reminding me of our limited time together, my phone rang.

Garrison.

Fucking finally.

"Where the hell have you been?" I growled.

"I'm in Venusstea."

"What?"

"It's a political mess. And I'm trying to get Ramsay out of jail. How's the princess?"

"She's fine. Ramsay's in jail?"

Instead of answering, he asked, "Have you guys tracked down any leads yet? I have nothing."

"We're looking into Petros's associates. Thala has a feeling both the queen and Petros are hiding something from her."

"And?"

"Jesus, G, we're on it."

"Where are you? It sounds like a party." The festival music was in full blast.

"Thala and I are taking a break. We're at the Valley Fall Festival."

Garrison was silent for a long time. But I could feel his piercing gaze even if he wasn't in front of me. He didn't have the trust of the Director of National Intelligence without being spookily perceptive.

"Do I need to get Nadia involved?" he finally asked.

"Fuck no. This has nothing to do with the LAPD. We might have to hack into the queen's and Petros's private files."

"Are you asking for permission?"

"We weren't going to."

"Good. Get it done."

"We will. But understand that I'm here on family business too." Garrison needed reminding that this was a favor and a job he sprung on me. Granted, I was the one who took Thala out of Los Angeles.

"I thought that was a done deal."

"I'm pushing back on selling the cabin."

"Okay, that's none of my business," Garrison dismissed. "Please prioritize this Venusstean intel…unless…"

He gave a meaningful pause before continuing, "Unless something is going on between you and the princess and this has become personal."

No use lying to Garrison. "It has."

"Fuuuuuck. Dammit, B," Garrison growled. "I'll remind you she belongs to a monarchy, and unless you've got blue blood in your veins, this won't end well."

"Fucking aware," I snapped.

"Don't get too attached."

"I never do, but appreciate the concern," I gritted. "Anything else?"

Another pause, and then, "No."

I couldn't wait to get off the call with G. I'd been on a high when I answered his call, and now I was in the basement of grim reality.

Slamming the door of the SUV, I hurried back to the Ferris wheel. The noise of the festival grated but it might be due to my chaotic thoughts, conflicted and in denial that the princess wasn't mine to keep.

Thala's happily ever after would never be with me.

I tried to scrounge back a smidgen of excitement pre-Garrison call because Thala was not stupid and she would sense the change in my mood.

But when I got back to the area, warning bells blasted through me. For starters, the Ferris wheel and Valley Roadhouse hardly had any lines. Instead, a sizable crowd congregated along the perimeter of the petting zoo.

"Hank!" Jill ran toward me.

My heart rate spiked. "What's wrong?"

"Edgar got out of his pen. I can't find Jim."

"Tessa?"

"She got on Edgar. From what witnesses said, they headed into the woods."

"Get an ambulance here." I squeezed Jill's arm. "There's a health station at the mouth of the festival."

I ran inside the petting zoo. People hovered at the edge of the forest that delineated the end of the event area. "What happened?"

A man in a red ball cap came forward. "Jim wasn't feeling well and said he needed a break. He headed in there. Then Edgar went crazy. Smashed out of his pen."

I sprinted into the forest. A few people followed me. If Jim wasn't feeling well, he might have passed out. I needed more eyes on the lookout, but not with someone else getting lost.

"Next we know a woman was riding on Edgar and they plunged into the forest," Ball Cap said, keeping pace with me.

"She was riding bareback," someone else said in awe.

"Does anyone know which direction—" I started to ask.

A gunshot reverberated in the forest.

A few from our search party scattered back toward the festival, while others stood frozen.

"Is that—"

"Everyone, head back," I shouted. I told Ball Cap who was beside me, " You call 911 and get out of here." I had experienced enough emergency situations to assign the task than simply expect someone to make the call.

Another gunshot rang around us.

I spun a three-sixty before my feet and instincts drove me to the left. I fought against the urge to shout Thala's and Jim's names, not until I knew what the situation was.

Grunting sounds of a fight. Edgar's braying. He was loud, and he became my beacon.

I was clawing my way up an embankment when another shot exploded.

"You bitch!" someone shouted.

I cleared the ledge. Fury ripped through every muscle at what I saw.

Bruno tipped Thala over and punched her across the face.

Blood on the ground.

My body grew cold and then hot at the same time red hazed my vision. I was midway down the hill when I executed a flying tackle. I knocked Bruno off Thala and we rolled and rolled until I got him under me. I straddled his torso and jabbed him twice before I grabbed his head. With a killing rage, I slammed his skull on the ground twice.

He was out.

That was when I realized how close we were to toppling over a cliff. I checked Bruno for more weapons and found his backup piece at his ankle.

I stood and turned toward Thala.

She was on the ground, sitting up, glaring at me.

Jim was talking to her, and Edgar nudged her head, but she was laser-focused on me.

She panted, "I had him!"

"You did." I walked toward her, picking up the gun that had fallen on the ground, and gave it to Jim. "If he wakes up and makes a move, shoot him."

"We can just roll him off the cliff," Jim suggested. "That was what he was going to do to me, anyway."

Christ. It was tempting, but my immediate concern was Thala and the bleeding on her side. I crouched in front of her, trying my best to quell the feralness inside me that she had a hole through her side. My princess was a proud warrior and probably didn't welcome my interference. "You got hit."

"Flesh wound."

"That's quite a flesh wound." The map of blood around her said otherwise. "Can I see?" I struggled to keep my voice calm and matter-of-fact. It was at odds with the roar and fury digging out from my chest.

Mine.

My woman got hurt.

I wanted to kill Bruno a million times over.

"Drop it!" someone called from the top of the embankment.

The cavalry had arrived.