“Because this thing might be over,” Dmitri says, and I’m not prepared for the myriad of emotions that rush through me.
Mostly, relief that Camille is safe.
Regret that our time together will be shortened.
Mostly relief.
I nod at Paul, then back to Dmitri. “Let’s go.”
Glancing back at Camille, I see her focus is one hundred percent on her friend, and she doesn’t see me leave. Paul can fill her in later, but for now, I’m very interested to see what Dmitri has to show me.
We wind our way through the palace to the security offices. He leads me into his office and around his desk and points at his computer monitor. On it is the picture of a woman—beautiful, but disheveled with red eyes and mascara running down her cheeks. She’s blond, appears to be in her mid-forties, and based on the plain background, her direct stare into the camera and the look of utter defeat on her face, I’m guessing it’s a mug shot.
“Who is that?” I ask Dmitri.
“Colette Francine Winterbourne,” he replies, and my gaze leaves the monitor and snaps to his.
“Winterbourne?” It had been suspected the king’s first-in-line male cousin would be behind the plot, so the photo of a female is surprising.
Dmitri nods. “She was arrested a few hours ago by Europol in Brussels.”
That also gets my attention. Europol is the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation. The potential kidnapping and assassination of the Winterbourne royals has garnered more than just Interpol’s interest.
“And she’s responsible for an assassination plot?” I ask dubiously. Because she looks… well, like a high-society matron who got caught on the wrong side of the bed this morning.
“She’s the wife to Wilhelm Winterbourne, the cousin who’s next in line to the throne should Thomas and Camille die.”
“The wife is responsible for this?” I ask incredulously.
Dmitri smiles wryly. “It took about six hours of hard interrogation, but they’re confident she’s the mastermind. She apparently was doing this for her son, who would be next in line after Wilhelm.”
“So her plan was to have Thomas and Camille assassinated, have her husband placed on the throne, and then what? Was she going to kill him, too, so her son could ascend?”
Shaking his head, Dmitri says, “She admits to setting up an assassination of Thomas and Camille but swears she had no intention of offing her husband.”
“And you believe her?” I ask, because I sure as fuck don’t.
Again, Dmitri shakes his head. “She was doing this all for her son. I doubt she was going to let her husband have a lengthy spin on the throne.”
I take my eyes off the woman on the screen. Women could be vicious. “Were the son and husband involved at all?”
“The police don’t think so. They were both interrogated, but all their cell phone records have been analyzed, and she’s the only one who had communication with the men being watched in Turkey. She’s denied their involvement.”
“She’d deny her son’s involvement even if he was in on it,” I point out. “After all, this was done for him. You can’t trust her denial.”
“I agree we can’t trust her on that,” Dmitri says and looks at me expectantly. “Regardless, we are at a crossroads.”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“Colette Winterbourne went as far as to pay a deposit for the job with the balance due on completion,” Dmitri explains. “She doesn’t know the details of when it will happen as she went through a middleman, only that it will happen before Camille’s twenty-fifth birthday. The plan is still in motion and will be carried out by one assassin.”
“Then have her call it off,” I grit through my teeth.
“We have a chance to take this entire operation.” Dmitri’s expression is hardened with resolution. “Get them out of the game. If they pass on this job, they’ll move on to the next.”
“I don’t give a fuck,” I snarl. “You’re talking about playing with Camille’s life.”
“And Thomas’s,” Dmitri says softly. “And he feels like we should move forward with the birthday party. We know that’s when the assassin is most likely to make a move.”
“I won’t agree to it,” I bark. “And I won’t let Camille.”
“It doesn’t matter what you want, but Camille will have a say. Thomas will speak to her.”
The urge to punch Dmitri is strong. I also understand where he’s coming from, but my judgment is clouded because of my feelings. “This is ridiculous to even consider.”
“Jackson,” Dmitri says softly, his expression telling me he gets my dilemma. “We don’t know that the son or husband isn’t in on this. We don’t think they are, but if we don’t stop this in its entirety, Thomas and Camille will still be in danger. By arresting the hit man, we can find out for sure who was doing the hiring. You know it’s the best way to end this once and for all. It also sends the message to anyone else making a play for the throne.”