“Meanwhile, there’s been a lot of movement in the southern border, even going into Citran. I’ve contacted Zantar and he’s investigating from his side of the border. That mining company that we’ve been looking at, they’ve shifted their operations into high gear, trying to hide the large pieces of equipment. But the large trucks needed to haul the materials away are more difficult to hide. They are too visible on the roads. My people have pictures, but I wasn’t willing to send them to you until I’d spoken to you directly. At first, I thought that you were aware of the mining operation, but then Calista saw the pictures and explained that you hadn’t approved any new mining permits after what happened here in Silar, I knew something was off. But I said that the mining company trucks were too big for your intelligence people to have ignored. They would have briefed you. Plus, there are several tents set up near the mining operations. Everything looks legit, and yet, I suspect that something isn’t right.”
Goran growled, fury eating at his gut like acid. Samir! His personal assistant was in on this mess! “I didn’t authorize any of this. Even worse, I’ve been kept out of the loop through…hell, through digital walls set up to protect me.”
There was a long pause as his friend absorbed that information. His next words were, “What the hell are you saying?”
Goran sighed, pacing back and forth as the enormity of this situation hit him. “It means that someone within my government, within the very walls of the palace, has been keeping me inside these damn walls, and keeping important information away from me.”
Goran could feel the other man’s fury even through the phone lines. “Okay, what do you need me to do?”
Looking around, his mind started working. “Get me the pictures you mentioned. Get them to the Silaran embassy here in Skyla. Can you get them there in the next five minutes?”
“Yes.”
Goran appreciated the speed with which Astir was willing to move. “I’ll get over to your embassy to pick them up. I won’t have any of my guards do it since I don’t know who to trust.”
Astir sighed. “You’ll have everything I’ve discovered.”
“This was a conspiracy,” Goran growled. “And I’m going to get to the bottom of this!”
“I will provide any help you need,” Astir offered, implicitly agreeing with Goran’s assessment of the situation.
Goran hesitated with his next comment, but he couldn’t leave it alone. “Is Calista okay?” he asked.
The silence following that question tore at Goran’s gut. “No,” his friend replied. “I don’t know what the hell is wrong with her, but ever since coming back from whatever hell you two went through, she hasn’t really talked to me. She’s not eating, she has dark circles under her eyes and…” he sighed again. “Fix this mess with your government and this damn mining company so that you can fix whatever happened between you and Calista!” A moment later, Astir ended the call.
Goran closed his eyes, his whole body prepared for battle. He needed Calista. Not just for sex, though yes, he needed to make love to her. He needed to find that passionate woman who had exploded in his arms. He needed to know that what they’d shared over those few days hadn’t been a lie.
But he had to fix one mess before he could fix another. And he wouldn’t go to Calista until she would be safe. He’d put her in danger once. He wouldn’t do it again.
Texting Astir, he said, “Tell her I’m fixing this! And then I’m coming to get her!”
He stored the phone back in the secret drawer, then pressed the buttons that hid the whole panel. When everything was back to normal, he walked out of his private suite. Samir was right there, waiting for him nervously just outside of the doors to his private apartment. That only increased Goran’s distrust.
“Sire, your next meeting has already convened.”
Goran ignored him, heading in a different direction. But when Samir followed, Goran knew that he’d need to get rid of the man before the shorter man could cause problems.
“I need you to get a list of teachers for fourth grade students,” he said, making up some ridiculous task to keep him busy elsewhere. “I need the names not just of the teachers, but their education levels, where they went to school and how many of them have lived within the capital city prior to their assignments in the smaller villages.” He paused and looked down at his assistant. “Can you get that to me by the end of the day?”
Samir nodded rapidly, his fingers still writing down instructions. “Absolutely, Your Highness.”
Samir turned, hurrying back to his office to fulfill Goran’s request. Goran then turned to his guards. He gestured for them to move closer. “I also need lists of the cleaning personnel. Specifically, the staff that clean the kitchens after hours. Can one of you do that for me?” he asked. “I’ll need the same information on that cleaning staff that Samir is getting about the fourth grade teachers.”
The four guards looked at each other, not sure they understood. Goran allowed his impatience to show. “Can one of you get that information? I need it immediately!”
One of the guards lifted his hand. “I’ll get that information, Your Highness,” he said, then immediately stepped backwards, turned, and almost ran down the hallway towards the security office.
Goran looked at the other three men. “Okay, this is the most important issue,” he said, waving them all in closer. Three heads leaned in, ready for whatever he was about to say. “There’s a new stable hand. I saw him in the hallway right before I left on that last trip. He was about six feet tall, which is why he caught my attention.” He looked at his guards carefully, ensuring that they were all watching him closely. “Stocky fellow. There seemed to be a bulge under one of his jackets. Have any of you heard of a new stable hand?”
When all three of them shook their heads. “No, sire. We’ve not done any new background checks on stable hands. Not for the past year, that I know of. And none of the stable hands would be allowed access inside the palace.”
Goran nodded. “That’s what I thought too.” He sighed, hoping that he was playing his role correctly. “Can one of you get through the palace to the stables undetected to find this person?”
The men looked at each other, concern on their features. “Your Highness, we can’t leave you unguarded.”
Goran shook his head, looking stern and trying to convey a sense of urgency and camraderie. “I can’t let anyone in the guard office know about this.” He turned to the lead guard on duty for the moment, “You heard your boss. He’s already run background checks on everyone. Was this man included? And why was he allowed near the palace? Why was he hired right before I was kidnapped with Princess Calista?”
The man straightened, all of them hearing the inconsistencies. “I’ll go,” one of them announced. He looked at the other two. “Will you be able to protect him with just the two of you?”