The sun was shining as if it had never rained. It was good to bask in the rays. Whenever I travel for work, the sun is what I miss most from Los Angeles. A golden city year round. Beautiful women rollerblading in their bikinis, catching waves on the weekend, it was freeing. But it wasn’t home. And even home doesn’t feel like home anymore.
My phone pinged. It was an update from Ruthless. They destroyed the footage. I could blend in the crowd, but she stuck out with her combat boots and tulle skirts. I knew it was best to hold her down here while he did what he had to do, but she’s not the type who’s easy to hold down. It’s easy to be discrete in the middle of the night, not so much during the day. She can be sneaky when she wants to be, but from the way she dresses she obviously likes to turn heads out on the town.
Likes to be a show off, just like her brothers. I met Larz at boarding school years ago, we were roommates. I guess the school offered him a private suite, but his parents didn’t want him getting any special treatment. They thought it might go to his head. Besides, the rooms on our left and right were rooming his security guards. I really thought I was gonna hate him. The spoiled, perfect prince. I had been looking forward to getting away from my parents, and now I was gonna have royal guards watching my every move. I was ready to hate him.
“Hello, I’m Larz, your roommate. Nice to meet you.” He stuck out his hand. At thirteen he was taller than some of our teachers. His hair was carefully slicked back, and his blue tie with small golden sigmas was knotted perfectly. His mother was watching us.
I grit my teeth and smiled, better to wait until mommy and guards weren’t watching.
“Why hello there.” I clasped his hand. “Branch. It’s a pleasure.” And so we went through orientation together, tricking the other into thinking we were total dweebs until his mom finally left. The guards retired to their rooms, except for one who stood at the door all night. Larz took his tie off and kicked off his loafers. He reached into a Louis Vuitton suitcase tucked into the corner.
“Mom’s gone. This was all I managed to sneak in. We’ll probably have to get some more.” He pulled a bottle of Dom Perignon out. “Want some?”
I had never had alcohol in my life. My father was an alcoholic, but all he drank was the cheap stuff that smelled like piss. Larz had a bottle of Dom Perignon worth more than my dad’s car. And he was happy to share.
We became fast friends after that. He was big, strong, and commanding. I was smaller, but quick and smart. My uncle was paying for my room and board, while tuition was covered with a scholarship. I didn’t have Madsen money. But it didn’t bother Larz. The snotty prince wasn’t snotty at all. Sure he was aggressive, hot tempered, and possessive of whatever Gstaad girl was trying to hang on his arm that week, but he had a big heart. And if you had his back, he had yours.
He was the only one who had my back. Even Uncle Christian, who paid for my dorming, soon revealed that he wasn’t doing it out of the goodness of his heart. Turns out it wasn’t a coincidence Larz was my roommate. My uncle had arranged it with the school. He was trying to get into the King’s good graces, and was offering me as a gift. I was fifteen and it was spring break. Larz and I talked about going to Berlin. Turns out my uncle paid the chauffeur driving us to the train station to make us late. Thinking it was just bad luck, we caught a later train for Amsterdam instead.
Larz was even more excited about Amsterdam. When we arrived at the hostel, Larz hopped in the shower. I heard a knock on the door. I opened it, and there was my Uncle.
“Hey, what are you doing here? How’d you find us?” I was confused. My uncle was a smart man, and he always wore a smirk when he had been scheming. And he was smirking in the room.
“You missed the train to Berlin, and came to Amsterdam. Just as I intended. You shouldn’t be so predictable.” He put his hand on my shoulder, I felt sick.
“Why? Why was it so important for us to come here?” I asked.
“Because, I’m not a fool. I pay for your room and board so you can run around like a rich boy with the young prince. It’s time you earn it.”
“But we’re family. You can’t force me to do anything!” I was angry. He knew my father wasn’t rich like him, but he never held it against me. Until that moment.