A manageable amount.
Nothing unhinged like the wild energy of their first weekend together.Just...enough to complicate everything.
They reached the security office, and a tall man with graying hair strode toward her.
“Your Highness,” the director greeted with a small bow.“I was told you needed assistance?”
“I just need a computer with internet access,” she said, cutting to the point.“Nothing from your staff.Just a quiet corner and a working browser.”She held out her phone.“This woman was murdered.”
He leaned closer to read the headline.His eyebrows lifted.“Murdered?”
Azlyn nodded, her confidence building.“Yes.This was one of my research assistants in Chicago.Her name was Lucy.She didn’t hike.In fact, she’d only go outside if someone bribed her with a glass of wine and a comfy chair.She hated bugs.She thought snakes were basically earthbound nightmares.”
The director listened intently as Azlyn braced her hands on the edge of the desk.
“She’s the second person from my team to die under suspicious circumstances.”
He straightened.“Who was the first?”
“Olivia Hister,” Azlyn said, her voice softening.“She was my best friend.But also the face of our show.She was hit by a car after coming home from a date.The driver disappeared.No arrests.No additional investigation that I could find.Nothing.”
She paused, her heart pounding, pieces beginning to fit together in the back of her mind—pieces she hadn’t even known were loose.
Azlyn didn’t know where this led yet, but one thing was clear.
Someone was picking off her team.
And she might be next.
The man led her over to a computer station.“Will this work?”he asked.
Azlyn looked around, practically vibrating with excitement at the technology in the room.Her fingers itched with anticipation.
“This is beautiful,” she whispered, eyes wide.
The man in charge puffed up with pride.“We have the most advanced technology available to protect the royal family and the palace, Your Highness.I can offer you several people to help.Just give me more information.”
Azlyn tore her gaze away from the tech long enough to focus on him.“That’s great,” she said.“But I don’t need your team’s help.I just need access to your toys.”
His eyes widened slightly.
“I’m an analyst,” she added, stepping forward.“A good one.I’ve cracked major stories with nothing more than a laptop and sheer, unrelenting rage.”
He opened his mouth, clearly unsure what to say.
“Remember that senator who was finally arrested and tried for embezzlement?”
The man’s expression sharpened.“Yeah.The case is airtight.He’s going to prison for sure.”
Azlyn smiled faintly.“He’s taking a plea deal.”She leaned in.“And I’m the one who found the evidence.There’s a documentary coming out in three months.I was the lead producer.”Her voice hitched slightly, the memory of Olivia tugging at her chest.They’d edited that episode together.Olivia had made her laugh with cat memes during the entire final cut.
She pushed the memory aside.
“We waited to air it until the criminal charges were official,” she continued.“It was the last piece Olivia and I worked on together.And now Lucy’s dead, too.”Azlyn straightened, lifting her chin.“This isn’t paranoia.Someone is killing off people from our team.”
The man blinked, thrown by the shift in tone.“So…you have someone on the inside?”
“Nope,” Azlyn said with a grin.“I’m just that good.”
