A Wicked Truth (59 page)

“Oh.” I grimaced. “Sorry.”

He shook his head. “We see now that it was not the princess. Tanek replaced half of the guards with his own men. I can see now that Tanek knew he would not be able to harm the princess while she was under our protection.”

“You may have been able to arrange time alone with the princess,” Kai said. “But we knew that was because she wished it. If she did not, we would have stopped you.”

“And we would have stopped him,” Tomas said.

“We'll stop him now,” I said.

The men nodded.

“And you two being Halea's guards is going to work in our favor.” A plan was slowly forming. “We need to get her away someplace safe before Nami will even consider leaving. If I have the two of you taking care of Halea, then I can just worry about Nami.”

“It will not be enough to simply remove them from the palace,” Tomas said.

“Yeah,” I said dryly. “I figured that one out all on my own.”

Tomas glanced at Kai and then looked at me. “One of the reasons we thought you would be able to help us is that you have resources that we do not.”

Ah. Right. Money. A lightbulb went off. Not just money, but connections outside of Saja. I had the resources to get the princesses out of the country.

“I might need some help with connections, but I think I have an idea.” I leaned back. “I know there's the one airport, but does it deal with private planes?”

They both nodded.

“Then here's what we're going to do,” I said. “I'll pay for a private plane to be ready this evening. You find some excuse to get Halea out of the palace and get her to the airport. I'll follow with Nami. Once we're on the plane, you two can do whatever you can to make yourselves safe until we can get Tanek put away.” I looked at Kai first and then at Tomas. “You know he's going to come after you.”

“We know,” Kai said.

“But we promised to protect the princess and we failed,” Tomas said. “We will not fail this time.”

I nodded. “Can you come up with something that won't make Tanek suspicious?”

“We will tell Halea that we're taking her someplace safe. She knows enough about what's going on to understand that the palace is not safe for her or her sister. We will have her tell the other guards that she wishes to go shopping for the king's birthday next week,” Tomas said. “They will not wish to do that, so we will take her.”

“That's good,” I said. “What about Tanek? How do we make sure he doesn't interfere?”

“Most Monday evenings, Tanek spends the evening drinking the king's finest wine.” Kai didn't even bother to try to disguise the contempt in his voice.

“Good,” I said. “So we don't have to wait. While you two are getting Halea out of there, I'll go for Nami. I can get into her room.”

Kai raised an eyebrow and my cheeks grew hot.

“She showed me that I can get in through the maid's quarters.”

“I knew we should have locked those quarters up,” Tomas said with a sigh. “But it does not matter. She is no longer in that room.”

“What?”

“She and Tanek were moved to the bridal suite after the wedding.” Tomas looked down, as if suddenly realizing that I might not want to hear that.

“Where's that?” I asked, my chest tightening. I didn't want to think about what had been happening in that room.

Kai stood and walked across the small apartment to a cluttered desk in the corner. He rummaged through some things and came up with a piece of paper and a pencil. He brought it back to the table and began to draw.

“A map will probably be easier than trying to give you directions,” Kai said. A few minutes later, he slid the paper across the desk.

“Nice.” I had to admit, I was impressed. This wasn't just some stick figure equivalent. Kai had added in enough detail that I felt confident I could get from the maid's quarters to Nami's new bedroom without much difficulty. Well, at least without getting lost. “Now, what about the guards?”

“Tanek has been keeping both princesses in their rooms, with guards posted at all times,” Tomas said. He leaned over and pointed to the room Kai had marked. “The guards are usually stationed here. What they and Tanek do not know is that there is a side entrance that the servants use.” He gave a hard smile. “Tanek does not care enough to pay attention to what the servants do, and the guards are new enough that they have not yet learned all of the palace.” He traced a line around to where Kai had made an arrow. “This is where you will want to enter.”

“Do I need a key?” I asked. “The last thing I need to happen is to get stuck outside her room because the door's locked.”

Tomas reached into his pocket and pulled out a key. “This is the servants' key. It will open all of the side doors.”

“All right,” I said. I looked down at the map. I could have this memorized by this evening, no problem. There were two other things we needed to talk about though. “Is the service entrance still available for a way out?”

Tomas shook his head. “Once Tanek figured out that you used it to escape Friday night, he ordered double the guards and a sign in sheet to be used every time the gate is opened.”

“Okay.” I sighed and ran my hand through my hair. “So how do I get on and off the grounds without being seen?” That probably should have been my first question.

“They do not search my car,” Tomas said. “I will drive us in and you will be in the trunk.”

Oh, that sounded like fun.

“Instead of meeting at the airport, you will meet us in the garage,” Tomas said. “You and Princess Nami can ride out in the trunk.”

Both he and Kai looked mortified at the thought of putting me and Nami in the trunk. I wasn't sure if it was more the idea of the princess or the two of us being together that they thought was worse. It was a good idea though. More than that, it was the only idea we had.

“All right,” I said. “I assume Nami can get us to the garage without any problem?”

Tomas nodded. “She knows more hidden doors and passageways than anyone.”

That didn't surprise me.

“One more thing,” I said. “I need to know how we're going to get rid of Tanek after the girls are safe.”

“We will need evidence,” Tomas said. “The king and queen will not merely accept the word of a foreigner, especially once Tanek presents them with the kidnapping and rape charges. The fact that you have the princesses again will support that.”

“What about you two?”

“Tanek will claim that we are angry at being moved from Princess Namisa's detail,” Kai said.

“So what we need is someone else who'll support what a horrible person Tanek is.” Another idea popped into my head. “And I think I know exactly who we can call.”

Forty minutes later, a familiar face showed up at Kai's door. She gave the bodyguards each a look and then turned her attention to me. We sat down and I quickly explained to her what I needed her to do.

“Let me see if I understand,” she said once I'd finished. “You wish for me to approach the king and queen when they return to Saja and tell them what Tanek did to me?”

“Yes.” I didn't see any point in trying to sugarcoat it.

“He will kill me and our daughter.”

“No, he will not,” Tomas said. “Kai and I will escort you to the king and queen personally and you will bring your daughter with you.”

I reached over and put my hand on Ina's. “If you do this, we will make sure Tanek can't hurt anyone ever again.” I paused, and then added, “And I will hire a lawyer to ensure that Tanek and his family pay child support for your daughter until she comes of age.”

Ina's eyes narrowed. “Do you believe I can be bought?”

“No,” I said calmly. “I think it would be a way of me showing my gratitude for your help and you getting what you deserve.”

“And we will make sure Tanek gets what he deserves,” Kai said.

We fell silent as we watched her think and consider her options. Then, finally, she nodded. “I will do this.” There was a stubborn set to her jaw that told me she wouldn't go back on her decision. “And I will bring my...how do you say this in English?” She looked at Tomas and said something in their language.

“Insurance,” he said.

“Insurance?” I asked.

Ina gave me a hard smile. “Yes, insurance. The papers that prove Tanek is my daughter's father.”

For the first time since I'd been handcuffed, I felt true hope. This could work. This could really work. I had one more call to make. I just hoped that I truly did have at least two real friends left in Philadelphia.

Chapter 13

Reed

Ina gave Kai and Tomas her address and then headed home. They would, we decided, go from the airport to Ina's house. Tanek would never think to look for them there. By the time he figured out what was happening, it would be too late. The princesses and I would be safe in Philadelphia. Kai and Tomas would protect themselves and then they would protect her as they took her to the king and queen. She would tell them the truth about what had happened between her and Tanek, and then Kai and Tomas would share the rest. Once Tanek was arrested, Kai and Tomas would tell the king and queen where we were.

I just hoped they didn't get in trouble for not giving up that information right away. We didn't need the two of them in jail. Then again, I was sure that if it happened, Nami would be able to straighten things out once we got the Tanek situation taken care of. I had to force my thoughts away from what would happen after. I needed to think only about what would be coming one step after another. If I tried to push too far ahead, I'd lose focus and that could be bad.

The sun was starting for the horizon when I climbed into the trunk of Tomas's car. It was nicer than Kai's, so I was glad it was the one we were using. Kai's car would be left a few blocks from the airport so that he and Tomas could use it to get closer to Ina's house before walking the rest of the way. Tomas's car would remain at the palace while we took one of the town cars to the airport. As I curled up in the trunk and Tomas shut the lid, I did allow myself a moment to think about what it would be like to be tucked into a trunk around this size with Nami curled up next to me.

I felt us stop at the gates and thoughts of anything other than getting onto the grounds fled. I didn't realize I'd been holding my breath until I let it out as the car started to move again.

All right. I took another breath, slow and deep despite the musty smell all around me. The guys would pull into the employee garage which was around back and then they would head to Halea's room and I'd follow the directions I'd memorized. It was going to work, I told myself. It had to.

I blinked against the bright florescent lights as the trunk opened. Kai gave me a terse nod and then they were gone. I climbed out of the trunk and looked around. The garage was small and they'd parked near the main door so I didn't have to go far. When I opened the door, I found myself about half a dozen yards from the door I needed to get to. Fortunately, we'd timed things well enough that it was that perfect time between afternoon and evening, when everything was shadowed but the night lights hadn't yet come on. It was also the time when the day time staff were leaving and the night staff arriving. I'd thought this would mean double the number of people to avoid, but Kai and Tomas had told me that it was the opposite when the king and queen were gone. Things were more lax, and that would definitely be good for us.

I took advantage of that and managed to get to the door without being seen. Walking into the maid's quarters was starting to feel far too familiar, but I tried not to let it distract me. I went through the door using the key Tomas had given me. I managed to keep myself from looking at the bed when I passed it. I couldn't afford to be distracted by memories, either bad or good. I went through the door and down the hall, hating how slowly I had to move, staying close to the wall and checking constantly to make sure I was alone.

I didn't know how much time had passed by the time I saw the guards standing outside the doors I knew led to Nami's room. My heart was pounding so loudly that I knew the guards had to hear it and my shirt was sticking to my back, damp with sweat. I was so close.

I took a step forward, then froze as one of the guards started to turn towards me. Shit. I flattened myself against the wall as close as I could and prayed it would be enough. After several terrifying seconds, the guard turned again and I heard them talking. I heard Nami's name, but couldn't understand anything else. It didn't matter though. As long as they weren't talking about a plan to free the princesses, I didn't care. And considering they weren't getting on their radios and panicking, I felt pretty safe in assuming they didn't know I was there.

Once I was sure they weren't going to look at me, I went around the corner and down the short hallway to where the servant's door was tucked away. My hand was shaking as I took the key out of my pocket and I realized that I was scared. Not of being caught, not of being arrested again. No, I was terrified to see Nami again and have her think that I'd failed her. I couldn't bear to look her in the eyes and see that she was disappointed with me for not being able to save her before, knowing that every pain she'd endured since I'd been arrested was my fault.

I took a slow breath and my hand steadied. As I put the key in the lock, I heard a thud from inside. I frowned. Had Nami dropped something? It hadn't really sounded like that though. Not a sharp sound. More dull. Almost like...