Aimee Carter - Pawn

“More than all right. That was the best speech Lila has ever given.” Despite his enthusiasm, there was something behind his smile that I didn’t understand.

“What?” I said, but he shook his head.

“Later.”

My mood dampened, but I still felt like I was glowing. As we wound our way through the corridors, the crowd’s cheers didn’t fade, and I clung to them as if they were my lifeline. These were people who knew what it felt like to be considered less than someone else. They understood, and they wanted change as badly as I did.

It wasn’t until we were safely tucked back inside the limousine that Knox’s good mood seemed to deflate, and when I looked at him, he refused to meet my eye.

“What is it?” I said. “Did something happen?”

Knox grimaced. “I got a message from Somerset while you were talking. Greyson’s gone missing.”

The sun hung low in the sky by the time we returned to Somerset, but within the brick walls the day showed no signs of ending. Guards flocked to me and Knox when we stepped out of the car, and we were ushered inside, where Augusta stood rigidly in the center of the sitting room. A servant was sweeping up the remnants of a shattered vase.

“Celia did this,” I said the moment we entered the room. I half expected Knox to elbow me, but he didn’t say a word in her defense.

“Yes, I realize that,” snapped Augusta, and she sat down stiffly in an armchair. Knox set his hand on my back and led me to the nearest couch. “Do tell me how you can be so certain.”

“I—” I stopped, and instead of looking at Knox and giving him away, I focused on the intricately patterned carpet. “I overheard her talking to someone about hurting him last night.”

“And you didn’t think to come to me about it?” said Augusta, her voice like venom. I winced.

“I told Greyson. He said that Celia wouldn’t hurt him or try to take him or anything crazy like that.”

“Greyson has always thought the best of his family, despite significant evidence to the contrary,” said Augusta. “The Shields are investigating, but she has already fled the city.”

“So now what?” I said. “How are we going to get him back?”

“ We are not going to do a thing. I will find my grandson, and in the meantime, you will remain here in Somerset. Until Greyson is found, you are the heir apparent, and I will not have anything happening to you, as well.”

My mouth dropped open, and I turned to Knox for confirmation. His mouth was set in a frown, and he nodded.

With Daxton incapacitated, it was Greyson. After Greyson, it would have been Celia. And after Celia—Lila.

Me.

“I can’t do that,” I blurted. “I can’t—”

“You won’t,” said Augusta sharply. “Greyson will be found, and Daxton will wake up. Now, I have no more time for this. Go to your suite and stay there. There will be guards posted outside, and if you need to go somewhere, they will accompany you. You are not to go anywhere without them, do you understand?”

Her entire body trembled, as if she were moments away from exploding, and I nodded numbly. Even if I wanted to, I had no idea where Celia and Greyson could possibly be. And it would only be a matter of time before Augusta discovered I hadn’t given her speech in New York. When that happened, I needed as much goodwill as I could get.

Knox led me out of the room, and we were joined by half a dozen guards. We walked silently to my suite, and when we reached it, Knox bent down to kiss me on the cheek. As he did, he whispered, “Come see me.” Before I could ask why, he shut the door, and I was alone.

I scurried into the vent so fast that I almost beat him to his room. As soon as he sat on the couch, I dropped from the ceiling, and his eyebrows shot up.

“You weren’t kidding,” he said. “You really fit up there?”

“I’m here, aren’t I?” I crossed my arms. “Why did you want to see me?”

Before he answered, Benjy came out of the room adjacent, and relief washed over his face. “Oh God, you’re all right. I heard about Greyson.” He pulled me into a tight hug and buried his face in my hair. I wrapped my arms around him, too scared and worried and a dozen other emotions to speak. Benjy was warm and real and solid, and I needed that. I needed him to remind me that this wasn’t all some crazy nightmare I couldn’t wake up from.

A few moments later, Knox cleared his throat. “As I was saying, I asked you here because I think I have a way of getting Celia to give Greyson back with as little bloodshed as possible.”

I tucked myself underneath Benjy’s arm. “How? She’s irrational, and we have no idea where she is.”

“You’re going to have to trust me on this. If I’m wrong...” He hesitated. “It’s better you don’t know the details.”

“If you’d just listened to me on the plane, we could have warned Augusta before this happened,” I said. “I’m not stupid, you know.”

“Yes, I realize that. You can say ‘I told you so’ as much as you want later on. Right now we have bigger issues to tackle.” He looked at Benjy. “Can you cover for us for a few hours?”

Benjy blinked. “I, uh—”

“The correct answer is yes.” He looked at me. “Go put on a pair of boots and something that isn’t a dress. And a hat. Benjy, while she’s changing, I’ll fill you in on what you need to do.”

“Do I get a choice?” I said.

“I thought you wanted to help Greyson.”

“Of course, but—”

“Then put on a pair of boots,” he said. “Now. We don’t have any time to waste.”

I stood on my tiptoes to give Benjy a long, lingering kiss so Knox couldn’t miss it. With one final glare in his direction, I climbed on his desk to reach the vent, making a point of stepping on his embedded monitor and leaving shoe prints behind.

The trip through the underground tunnel was as dark and dank as last time, but now Knox and I hurried. We didn’t talk, and the only sounds we made were our muffled footsteps on the dirt floor.

It was dark outside when we exited into the alleyway, and Knox led me away from the crowded streets. “Where are we going?” I said as we ducked around a trash bin that smelled worse than the sewers.

“We can’t take the main streets,” he said. “Someone might see us.”

I followed him through the winding alleyways, noting each turn in case we got separated. Knox was careful to make sure I was with him, though, and we hadn’t gone more than a mile when we reached a lone metal door. As Knox punched in a nine-digit code, faint music caught my attention. I glanced around the corner, and across the street was the club we’d visited the night I’d caught Knox with the gun.

“In here,” he said, pushing open the door. I followed him into a narrow hallway with only a few bulbs lighting the way. The ceiling was so high that it was obscured by darkness, but I heard a faint rustling above us.

“What is this place?” I said.

He didn’t answer. As we passed underneath a light, I looked up again, hoping to catch sight of whatever was making that noise, but all I saw was the glint of something metal.

At the second light, I tried again. Squinting upward, I could just make out the shape of another metal object, but this one looked like—

A rifle.

Blocking the light with my hand, I stopped, giving my eyes a few seconds to adjust. As they did, the silhouette of a man standing against a rail came into focus, and he was pointing his weapon directly at me.

“Knox,” I said. He set his hand on my shoulder to keep me moving forward, but I planted my feet on the floor. “There’s someone up there.”