เข้าสู่ระบบThe vehicle that had been under the tarp next to the cabin had been an old work truck. Hunter had planned out covers as handymen after finding out there was a construction site two blocks away from the warehouse we were looking into. It was both a lucky and unlucky happenstance that the work was happening when we would be there. Lucky, because it gave us a reason and opportunity to be in the area and blend in. Unlucky because it increased our chances of being seen. Still, it wasn’t the worst of situations to be in.“Time to wrap it up, boys,” the foreman called over to where Hunter and I were working on some wiring. “We’ve lost too much daylight. Pick it up in the morning.”“You got it, boss,” Hunter replied while I gave a wave over my shoulder.We were some of the last few men on the site already. That was by design for Hunter and me. We took our time wrapping up, so we were the last of the stragglers leaving the area. We headed in the direction of our truck as the foreman locked the
I paced the living room, acutely aware of Tarrah’s eyes following from her spot on the couch. Motty had stayed with Hannah. I was glad she had someone she felt comfortable with. Whatever her reasons for coming with me, I doubt it was because her opinion of me had changed all that much.“You did what you could, Sutton,” she said gently.“I should have acted sooner,” I said. “I should have taken her kicking and screaming if that’s what it took.”“And that would have left us all with a load of different problems,” Tarrah replied. “You know that. All we can…”The bedroom door opening interrupted her. My attention shot to Dr. Calahan as she came out.“She’ll be okay,” she told us.“And…”“And the pup is fine,” she assured us. “The bleeding was minor. The heartbeat is strong. I’ll get a better look with an ultrasound once we reach the final safe house, but there doesn’t seem to be any immediate danger.”My shoulders fell as I breathed a sigh of relief. “What about her other injuries?”“Also
“Pack her a bag,” I directed Motty. “Quickly.”There was a back door to the guest house through a utility room. I half-carried Hannah through the house as Motty gathered enough of her things to get by. We needed to show she was leaving by her choice. I grabbed a hooded jacket that hung on the wall and threw it over Hannah as best I could while holding her up.As I opened the back door, I looked around to see if anyone was around. I could hear voices carrying from a distance. Not surprising, given the time of day. But they didn’t seem close enough to spot us coming out of the house. Pulling Hannah out onto the path, we took the back gate to small parking lot nearby. I could see Soloman standing next to an old beat-up SUV in the shaded corner of the lot. Sticking to the edge of the pavement, I headed toward him as quickly as Hannah could handle.Once we reached the vehicle, I tucked Hannah in the back seat. Motty immediately climbed in from the other side to tend to Hannah. Seeing they
Grabbing Motty’s arm, I cautiously looked around as I pulled her into a small corridor and out of sight. Whatever was going on, it wasn’t good. But that was all the more reason we had to be careful about being seen together. Especially if we were about to have to enact a plan to kidnap a princess.“Motty, calm down,” I urged her. “What’s wrong?”“There’s no time. You need to come…”“We can’t help if we draw the attention of the whole palace,” Soloman insisted. “Take a breath. Tell us what’s going on.”She was breathing heavily and attempted a few ragged breaths. “The… the appointment… They found out… the baby is a girl,” she explained.“And…?”Motty’s brow wrinkled. “Anders is furious,” she told us. “I… I don’t understand…”“Because now Sutton’s children will take precedence in the line of succession, regardless of gender,” Soloman said.“None of that matters right now,” I snapped. “Motty, what happened?”She swallowed hard. “Anders… he… he was so angry,” she said, practically in tear
My meeting with Motty went as I had hoped. She believed our encounter in the library was as good a sign as I had hoped it was. According to Motty, Hannah’s maternal instincts seemed to be helping her see things more clearly. Or rather, forcing her to stop denying the danger she and her baby were in. By the time we finished talking, we agreed that it was time to approach Hannah about getting her to safety. We set up a plan for after her doctor’s appointment the following day.As well as my time with Motty went, my conversation with Soloman went just as well. He was shocked and impressed with the work Raphe and I had done on the investigation into the accident. And he agreed the information I had found in the library was intriguing. In fact, he set up a meeting with a criminology professor at the university first thing in the morning. He specialized in organized crime and had been helping the royal police for decades. If anyone could help lead us to our assassin’s identity, it was him.
It was dark out as Hunter pulled up to the tiny one-bedroom cabin in the middle of the woods. It was one of his many safe-houses scattered around the territory. I grabbed my duffle bag from the back seat as I surveyed our surroundings, making sure we were alone.There were no signs of life in the small clearing. The cabin was dark save for a security light that clicked on as Hunter approached the porch. With the light, I could make out the backend of a vehicle covered with a tarp parked around the side along with a small shed about twenty feet from the main building.As we headed in, the interior was about what you would expect. Two cots took up half the space and the rest was a small table and make-shift cooking space. That was about it. Other than some basic electricity, it was pretty primitive. But it was all we needed.“Make any calls you need to tonight,” Hunter instructed as he dropped his bag on a cot. “After that, our phones go off and stay here. We’ll be no contact once we le







