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.”