Raphael tried again. “If I do aid you in your quest for the Campion title, Claudia, I’m not exactly looking for any help with my current profession. I’m at the top of my game. I already get my pick of the best jobs.”
One of her thin brows rose in question. “Whatdoyou want?”
“I want to share in your good fortune.”
“Share?” The word came out like a gunshot. “What do you mean byshare?”
“We were once nearly engaged, but when I refused to honor the arrangement between our families, my father cast me aside.” Raphael leaned back in the chair, eliciting more creaking noises. He hoped the chair would hold him and not collapse beneath his large frame.
Her eyes widened. “And you want to resurrect that arrangement?” She looked panicked. Clearly, she did not want him for a husband. Raphael had a whole speech memorized to align himself with her anticipated wish to marry him, in the vein of joining their families for the good of the kingdom, blah, blah blah.
Her eyes darted back and forth, as if it never occurred to her that he’d want to be her co-ruler and she desperately needed a response. Interesting. Raphael wondered why she’d never found another to marry. When he’d discarded their arranged marriage, he expected she’d be every eligible royal’s next choice.
He expected her to be married before he even got off the planet. Her parents had died unexpectedly several years ago. Perhaps they’d left her enough that she didn’t have to marry for funds. Then again, the worn look of the room made him wonder what she was up to.
“In the last decade, you’ve never married. Never even tried to find another suitable arrangement. Why is that?” Raphael watched her closely, trying to figure out what her plan was if not to marry him and strengthen her position within the realm. Having two powerful families bonded by marriage would ensure any children born to them would enjoy a powerful alliance for decades.
Claudia’s eyes averted from his intense stare, lowering to the small cup in her hands.
The communication device on his belt buzzed, breaking the uneasy silence and the thick tension that had filled the room. Raphael stood up and pulled the buzzing comm from his side to read the display. Victor? Now what?
“Excuse me, Claudia. I need to take this call.”
She nodded, looking so relieved at the interruption he almost laughed. He left her alone and exited into the hallway. He faced the front door and answered the call.
“It’s Elda. No time to explain. Turns out that Claudia isn’t the culprit. Roger, or more specifically his mother, is behind this. Get out of there before you end up married to the wrong woman.” In the background of the call, Raphael heard gunfire, screams and explosions.
“How do you know? And what is going on there?”
“Alvina’s family has just invaded Victor’s home. We’re in a gun battle, but they underestimated the pushback they’d get. They thought with Henry dead and Victor under suspicion for his murder, the guards would be either decimated or dismissed. They were wrong. The guards were doubled, prepared and motivated.”
Raphael straightened. “What in the space potato farm are you doing at Victor’s house?”
“Don’t swear at me, Raphael. We thought it would be a good place to hide. We were wrong.” Elda let loose a much viler curse than he’d said and he heard her gun fire three times in rapid succession. Her satisfied grunt likely meant she’d hit her target, as she so often did.
“Where is Francine?”
“She’s fine.”
“I didn’t ask you if she was fine, I asked where she is.”
“Relax. She’s at your hotel room. She doesn’t even know we came here.”
Raphael exhaled the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. “Do you need me there?”
“No, I’m just letting you know what’s up. Once we neutralize the attackers, we’re going to sneak back out and head for a safe house not too far from here. I’ll call you in a couple hours to reconnect. Now that it’s clear who is behind the assassination attempt, we should be able to clear this all up pretty quickly, don’t you think?”
“Let’s hope so. Be safe, Elda. Thanks for the heads-up.”
“Yep.” She hung up and he ducked back into the room with Claudia.
“What do you have on Roger?” He kept his tone harsh and loud to let her know he wasn’t going to brook any nonsense. He needed to know what was going on. Now.
“I—” She paused. “I have recently come into some information that explains something that was obvious from the start, but now I have proof.”
“What information? Proof of what, exactly?” Raphael moved to stand over her, glaring down into her surprised face.
Claudia dropped her cup, which bounced on the rug and rolled away.
