“What’s that?” she asked, staring down at wisps of white stuff that ran between her ankles. It didn’t smell like smoke.
“Fuck! Aleki get to the security room,” Caleb demanded.
“Is it fog?” Jeric asked, looking confused.
Around them, people were starting to notice and there were a few cries of panic.
“I’m calling Wolfe. He’ll have to come get you.” Caleb had hold of her arm, his phone in his other hand. He spoke into it quickly, telling Wolfe what was going on. “He’ll meet you at the house. I have to get to the princes.”
“I can help,” Jeric offered.
“Caleb!”
She glanced over to see Hux making his way towards them. “I’ve just come from the security room. I grabbed you this.” He handed Caleb an earpiece. “The princes are being escorted to the safe room.”
“Fuck. I have to see the princes to safety,” Caleb said. Then he looked at her.
“I can go home on my own,” she offered.
“No.” Caleb frowned. “I’d take you with me but if this is an attack on the princes then I don’t want you near them.”
“I’ll take her,” Hux offered.
Caleb stared at him the nodded reluctantly. “All right. Escort her home and wait for Wolfe. Guard her with your life.”
Hux nodded seriously. “I will. Prince Jeric, they’re looking for you.”
Jeric gave a nod, but he looked a bit annoyed.
Caleb kissed her quickly. “Listen to Hux. Stay with him. Wolfe is in charge of your safety once he gets to you.”
“I will. Be safe. I love you.”
Her heart was racing, panic filling her.
“Love you too. Prince Jeric, come with me,” Caleb called out as he pushed through the people that were being directed by other security personnel to exit the building.
Fear made her feel ill as Hux led her to one of the golf carts she’d seen a lot of security personnel using. People were alarmed as they exited the building, talking loudly, wondering what was going on.
“What’s happening?” she asked. “Where do you think that fog came from? It wasn’t poisonous, was it?”
Hux shot her a look as he headed towards the house. “No. It seemed like that stuff that comes out of a fog machine.”
“What about the boxes? Have you heard anything about them? If Wolfe is coming back to get me, I’m guessing that they were nothing threatening?”
“They had alarm clocks in them. The ticking worried the guards that found them. They have no experience with explosives. Not like Wolfe.”
Wolfe had experience with explosives? Okay, she guessed that was something that had come about from being in the SEALs.
“Is it safe to come over here?” she asked quietly. She didn’t feel right about leaving Aleki and Caleb.
“Safer than staying at the palace. The princes will be the target so you’re safer being far away from them.”
But Caleb and Aleki had to be close to them. She let out a small noise.
“Oh, fuck. I didn’t mean it like that. Caleb and Aleki will be fine. Honestly, this seems to be some weird prank. Come on.”
He parked around the side of the house. “I’ll take you inside. Wolfe won’t be far.”
As they walked towards the courtyard, the security lights started to come on. Something rushed out of the shadows towards them. Hux swung around, pushing her to the ground just as someone swung a bat, hitting him in the head.
He went down with a thump.
43
“Hux? Hux!”
“Shut up you little bitch, before someone hears you.”
She froze. She knew that voice. “Uncle Ben?”
What would Uncle Ben be doing here? He threw something on the ground and she looked down in shock at the bat. He’d hit Hux in the head with a bat? Fuck! She tried to move away from him, but she wasn’t fast enough and he grabbed her arm so hard that she knew he’d leave bruises.
A shocked gasp left her lips as he dragged her onto her feet. “Uncle Ben? What are you doing?”
What was going on? What was he doing here? Why had he knocked Hux unconscious?
He dragged her away from Hux and towards the house, his grip on her arm was tight. “You’re hurting me!”
“I didn’t fly halfway around the world to find you and have you run off on me. You’ve caused a lot of trouble for me, niece of mine. Just like your fucking mother, aren’t you?”
“W-what? What are you talking about?” Why was he talking about her mother?
He dragged her over towards the swimming pool. “Did you see me that night?”
“What?” She gaped up at him in shock. She couldn’t keep up with him. Her foot twisted under her as he yanked at her and he let out a sigh.
“The night she died. Did you see me? I’ve often wondered, but you never showed any signs that you had so I left you alone. Until William involved you in his stupid scheme. Then I had to interfere. Why’d you do that, Genevieve? Why did you betray your father?”
“He’s not a good man!”
“Well, of course he’s not a good man. Do you really think he got to where he is by being good? No, he got there by being better. More powerful. More ruthless. We were nearly there, you know. We were on our way to the White House. Until William decided to betray us. And you.”
Us? So he was working with her father all along?
Did you see me? I’ve often wondered, but you never showed any signs that you had so I left you alone.
Why would she have seen him the night her mother died? Her stomach twisted. What was she going to do? She was here alone with him. And Hux? Was he still alive?
“I . . . I . . .” Shit, Vivi. Get it together. “Are you saying you were there the night my mother drowned?”
He sighed and shook his head. “Never were the smartest, were you?” He spoke in a voice she’d never heard from him. He’d always been kind and loving towards her. How many times had she wished she could go live with him instead of with her dad?
“I killed her, you idiot,” he confessed.
In the back of her head, a voice whispered that it wasn’t good he was telling her all this. That people didn’t confess to murder unless they were certain that the person they were confessing to wasn’t going to speak up.
And there was only one reason she wouldn’t speak up. No, maybe two. Death or a threat to her men.
But that whisper was drowned out by sheer, agonizing fury. “You killed my mother?”
“The bitch deserved it. She stuck her nose into things that weren’t her business. When she threatened to go to the cops, I knew I had to take care of her. It was almost too easy. I just threatened to kill you and she swallowed the drug concoction I gave her, then I threw her in the pool.
“You bastard!” she screamed.
He shook her, making her teeth snap. “Shut up. I’ve created enough distractions that no one should be around, but just in case they are I don’t need you screaming and bringing them over here. I was going to grab you in the mad dash as everyone left the palace, but you made it simpler for me, coming here. Much simpler.”
He looked to the pool. She stared over at it as well. What was he thinking? She was certain she didn’t want to know. Right now, all that mattered was getting answers. Then she could get away from him.