After it’s sent, I walk over to my closet and pull on a long-sleeved shirt, then slip on some socks and running shoes.What the fuck is going on?
“Have there been any breaches in the palace?”
Lara shakes her head. “We’ve checked all the cameras. Nothing out of the ordinary.”
“Have you asked the staff? Are they in the kitchen? Maybe they went to get something to eat.”
“All rooms in the palace except yours have been cleared. She hasn’t been seen, neither has Timmy.”
I grab my phone and then move past Lara, straight to Timmy’s room a few doors down. That’s where I find Ottar, searching the room, checking out the windows, and running a flashlight over all nooks and crannies.
“What do you have?” I ask him.
“Nothing. The windows are locked. There’s no sign of forced entry. The only thing we have is Lilly’s robe that was on the floor.”
“Jesus,” I mutter as I pull on my hair. “Have you checked her room?”
“Yes,” Lara says. “Nothing.”
“Was her phone in there?” Lara shakes her head. “Which means she should have it,” I say. I flash my screen and unlock it before pulling up her location that she shares with me. My eyes narrow when I see exactly where she is. I grip my phone tighter, anger searing through me.
“What is it?” Lara asks.
“She’s at the Crowned Cod.”
“What?” Lara asks as I push past her, Lara and Ottar hot on my heels. I move down the hallway, straight to the painting that I know leads to the staff quarters. She used it to visit me before I was staying in the palace, so why wouldn’t she use it again? When I come face to face with the painting, I see it.Fuck. Slight scuff mark on the wall.They went through here.
I fling it open and head down the corridor.
I don’t bother with a flashlight.
I charge forward, knowing this corridor well. I used to use it with Lara and Brimar all the time.
“Keller, slow down,” Lara says.
“No,” I shoot back.
Nothing will stop me from pulling her out of that sleazy bar. With every step I take, my shoulders grow tense with anger, with worry . . .
Someone is out there trying to hurt us, hurt me . . . hurt her. And she’s out in public, at a bar known for its fights, without guards, unprotected.
My fists clench at my sides, and when I see the door that leads to the staff quarters, I push my hand against the door, flinging it open, startling a few people in the hallway.
I charge forward, headed right for the exit when a large hand pulls my shoulder backward and pushes me up against a wall. A beefy forearm shoves against my chest, holding me in place.
Ottar.
When my eyes meet his, he says, “You’re not going anywhere.”
“Unless you want this to be bloody, I suggest you let me fucking go,” I say.
Lara comes up to the side and presses her hand to my chest as well, her calm voice breaking through the mania flying around in my head. “Keller, listen to him. I know you’re angry. I know you’re worried, but there are several reasons you shouldn’t leave the palace.”
Keeping my eyes on Ottar, I say, “Name them.”
“For one, if you charge into that bar and grab Lilly, people will see you, they’ll take pictures, they’ll take videos. She might be in disguise to avoid attention, but you’re not. The last thing the palace needs right now is another negative story about you,” Lara says.
“Not to mention, there’s someone out there trying to hurt you,” Ottar says. “And I’ll be damned if it happens on my watch.”
