“Okay, fine. I’ll do that once all this is figured out. Speaking of, have you heard when we’re meeting Kenneth?”
“I’d wanted to wait until I was sure you had everything under control. Having a wolf in puberty on an airplane is not a good idea, trust me on that. I called him this morning. He says he’s positive the royals are going to up the pressure. The fact that their assassin was ineffective has probably pissed them off. Luis actually dug into the guy and found out he was in a shifter division of the Polish Special Troops Command. It’s basically Poland’s version of the special forces. He was a big piece to play, and we blocked it. They have to be pissed and nervous. That’s a dangerous combination.”
Maddy nodded. “Well, no worries about the plane. The wolf and I have an understanding. We can go whenever. The longer this stretches out, the worse it is.”
“Right. I’ll start making plans. I need to tell my folks. I guess there’s no time like the present. I’ll walk down the street now, if you’re cool with that.”
Maddy nodded. “Sure. Is it okay if I don’t tag along?”
Maddy still had a weird relationship with my mother after the whole blow-up they’d had. Mom had apologized. She’d actually been about a half-step from groveling at one point. Maddy said she forgave her, but it didn’t seem like she was completely ready to be buddy-buddy with Mom yet.
“Yeah, it’s fine,” I said. “Keep reading your book.” I headed out the door to my parents’ house.
“What the hellare you talking about?” Mom shouted.
I rolled my eyes. “I said Maddy and I are going to Europe. Kenneth and Luis think they have some leads on how to end all this.” The conversation wasn’t going how I’d planned.
Mom ran her hands through her hair. “Carlos, what do you think of this?”
Dad had his arms crossed over his chest as he stared at me from across the room. “Well, Julia, can you think of a better way to keep Maddy safe? The royals think she’s here in Florida. The best way to hide might be to get out of the country.”
Mom groaned. “You’re probably right. I just hate the idea of Nico goingtowardthe royals. They live in Europe. It’s where their seat of power is.”
“True,” I said. “But like Dad said, they won’t be expecting it. It may give us the breathing room to find this vault before they figure out what we’ve done.”
Mom glared at me, but then her face relaxed. “Fine. You’re probably right. It doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
Dad stood and walked over to us. “I’ll watch over the pack while you’re gone. We’ll get things buttoned-down just in case they decide to turn the volume up and bring the fight to us.”
It was one of my biggest fears. I had a duty to the pack, and I worried about what might happen if I wasn’t here. Knowing Dad was good to step up and take over while I was gone was a huge load off my shoulders. I could go on this quest with Maddy and have one less thing to worry about.
“Also, Dad, do you know anyone with a private jet?” I asked.
“Seriously?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Safer than flying commercial, right?”
“Good lord. Let me make some calls. I think I actually do have a contact.”
Dad made good on his promise. Within six hours, he put me in touch with a guy who had a Learjet available for charter. After we had that, it was a waiting game.
We waited four days until Kenneth made contact with us. He called on Monday morning. Thankfully, I was home and able to take the call with Maddy.
“Are you guys ready?” Kenneth asked.
“Ready as we’re gonna be. Where are we meeting you?” I asked. I had the phone on speaker on the kitchen island.
“Sweden.”
Maddy and I exchanged a look before I spoke again. “Why Sweden?”
“I’ve got a safe house there. It’s where I’ve spent most of the last twenty-five years. The royals have never found me. It’ll be a safe spot to make our home base. It’s as safe as we can get. We can plan our next moves there.”
I took a breath, the reality of what we were about to do finally setting in. “Okay, Kenneth. I’d like to do this as soon as possible.”
“Hell. Can you all fly out tomorrow?”
Maddy was chewing nervously at her nails when I glanced up at her. She caught my eye and shrugged. “Why not?”
