Dirty Dealers

Ava meets me in the back foyer when I arrive at the palace. She’s still wearing what she had on at the café. Her arms are crossed, and she’s clearly angry.

“I’ve been waiting for your text,” she says.

It’s the first time I remembered what she said when we parted. “I’m sorry.” I do a little bow. “I was distracted, and I forgot.”

“Distracted? Weren’t you sitting and watching her?”

“Physically, that’s what I was doing.” She’s the queen, but she’s still pissing me off right now. “I was also plotting out all the possible scenarios of what could go wrong and how to address them.”

She lets out a heavy sigh and sits on the bench lining the wall. “If Zee had gotten a text like that and I was missing…” She doesn’t finish. She only shakes her head side to side as if to say no.

It’s everything I already know and why I was so hesitant to leave her tonight. “When you were with her, did you see anything unusual?”

Ava shoves a tangle of dark waves behind her ear and studies the floor in front of her. Then she shakes her head no.

Her response tings my instincts. “Try to remember. Anything could be a clue.”

She only shakes her head again. “It was just the usual club crowd.” Pushing against her legs, she stands with a deep sigh. “I’m going to sleep now… but I want to see her. She’s my friend, and I want to help.”

All the reasons she should stay here, especially now cloud my tired brain. “You need to stay put. If Rowan suspected that you put yourself in danger—”

Her aqua eyes flash. “I only said I was going to see her. I’ll take my new guard.”

Exhaustion is winning. Stepping back, I do a little bow. “I’m going to rest for five hours.”

“Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I don’t like the dare in her voice, but I have to let the king worry about her for now. Rowan is right. I need to rest.

A Plan

Kass

“I read the text.” Ava’s crisp tone cuts through my tired mind.

I have no idea what time it is. I didn’t even bother changing out of my gown when she called to say she was out on the street at my door. I only knew I had to get her inside.

“What text?” My voice is thick.

I’m surprised I even slept last night. After Blix left, I had been overwhelmed by despair and fear. I can only see my little brother bound in a dark warehouse. I can hear the screams of the tortured men. The memories have my eyes heating with tears again, and I thought I’d cried them all away last night.

“You know what text.” She pushes past me into my room

.

I turn, closing the door and leaning against it. “You shouldn’t be here. You need to stay at the palace where it’s safe.”

“Because what’s happening has something to do with me.”

I’m awake enough to start acting. “Ava, you’re the queen, but not everything is about you.”

She presses on. “Last night, after your brother disappeared. I didn’t mean to spy, but your phone is huge. The font size is even bigger. It was pretty hard not to see—”

“You read my phone?” My voice rises, and she grasps my arm.

“I wasn’t trying to read it. The point is it was a threat.” I shake her hand away and stalk around my small room.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”