Fain arched a brow at Caillen’s words. “You know this how?”
“I crawled through their security while I lived there. I had my father plug most of it, but his head asshole thought he knew better than me, so he left a few holes intact. That one happens to be large enough for me to sneak through.”
Desideria shook her head. “Not without me.”
Caillen paused at her determined tone. “It’ll be faster if I go in alone.”
“You’re wounded and I’ve got as much at stake in this as you do. There’s—”
“Children, rest it,” Chayden snapped. “All of our necks are in the gallows on this one. Caillen, lead. We follow.”
“Yeah, but don’t get used to it,” Fain muttered.
Caillen started to argue, but realized every delay was costing them. “Fine. But keep up and follow exactly in my steps. Otherwise we’ll be seen and I really don’t feel like running away right now.”
He crept along the wall, into the back gardens. There were several dark zones in the surveillance. Part of him was disgusted that they were there after the attempt had been made in this very place on his father’s life, but the other part was grateful since it allowed them to slip inside and make their way to his father’s office.
Caillen paused at the door he’d entered dozens of times to meet withr.
Not wanting to think about it, he cracked it open and slipped inside. Completely dark and empty, it looked just as it had when they’d left for the Arimanda. Any minute, he expected to see his dad walk in.
Clenching his teeth against the agony of that thought, he went to the monitors and pulled up the surveillance for the palace. His father had everything wired to this room so that he could monitor it and see what was going on.
It only took a few seconds to locate his father’s advisor. Ironically, he was in the war room and appeared to be reading over some reports. Good. There was very little surveillance there since it was where his father met with military commanders.
Without a word, he led his small group through the servant halls that were hidden. These should be monitored too, but Bogimir and the others had thought it rude and unnecessary.
We have never in our history monitored them. Why should we start doing so now?
Yeah…
Caillen paused outside the hidden war room door to meet Desideria’s gaze. He had no plan on what he was going to say or do once he confronted the advisor. Oh hell, just wing it. That was how he flew through his life and he was too old to change his ways now.
He opened the door and snuck inside. His anger rising, he crossed the room silently and nudged the chair. The instant he touched it, the advisor fell out of it and went sprawling into the floor where he landed with a thud.
What the…?
“He’s dead,” Desideria breathed.
Caillen’s gaze narrowed on the trail of blood near the chair. A trail that led to the next room. Instinctively, he moved his hand to his blaster as he followed it.
On the other side he found his uncle.
Equally dead.
Shit. It’s a setup. No sooner had that thought gone through his mind than an alarm blared.
Fain cursed as he pulled his own weapon out to cover them. “Move it!”
They could hear guards coming from every direction. Caillen pulled out a blaster for each hand, preparing to make them regret their decision to come after them.
“Meet up back at my ship,” Chayden said before he ran down the hallway alone.
Caillen inclined his head before he grabbed Desideria by the arm and dragged her behind him.
She frowned. “This isn’t splitting up.”
“Yeah, but you don’t know where you are or how to speak or read the language. Do you really want me to leave you to your own means?”
He did have a point. “Fine.”
Caillen led her to the guard station where there were several transports parked. Bypassing the guards who were patrolling the area, he quickly commandeered one, then wired it so that he could “borrow” it to get them back to the hangar. The moment he started the engine, the guards scrambled, shooting at them.
Desideria held her breath as Caillen careened out of the lot and then eluded them. A few minutes later, they were the first ones to reach Chayden’s ship.
Notifying Hauk who was manning the guns about what was happening, Caillen rushed to fire the engines and do the prelim checks as he waited for Fain and Chayden to join them.
She went to eye the hatch so that she could allow Fain and Chayden inside. Glancing back at Caillen, she saw he’d frozen in place as he stared at the small monitor in front of him.
“Desideria?”
“Yes?”
He enhanced what he was looking at and put it up on the main display. “Any idea why Chayden has an entire file on you and your mother? One that dates back decades?”
21
Desideria was so stunned that she didn’t move even to blink until Chayden and Fain had run onto the bridge.