Page 95 of Spin Control

“Wait,” I say, cutting the man off and keeping my focus on my sister. “Where’s Todd? And the kids?”

“Mom is with the kids in Houston.”

I wait for her to say more. When she doesn’t, shock pulses through me. “Do you mean—”

“Miss Jacobs,” the man says, all out of patience now. “We need to go. You’ll see your sister as soon as we’re finished.”

“What about Wes?” I ask. “Is he still in Druvia?”

“I wouldn’t know anything about that, ma’am,” he says, escorting me to a black SUV.

I assume that if Jane is here, if Stas and I are safe, and if Wes is in Druvia with the Beaumonts, that means everything is fine. But I know better than to assume.

Especially since there’s one key piece of information that no one has mentioned yet.

The whereabouts of Elio Rocca.

38

I watch the sun rise and wonder if I’ll ever feel tired.

After the gunshot rang out in the ballroom, the lights came back on. There were audible gasps and shocked exclamations as everyone watched the Captain of the Guard handcuff a petite, dark-haired woman in a blue ballgown who was holding a small, silver handgun.

But I immediately turned and looked at the King. He was standing in the exact spot I left him in and there was a discernible hole on the left side of his chest, exposing the body armor he was wearing under his tux.

Over the course of the next day, I spoke with the Captain of the Guard, Druvia’s Intelligence Director, and a nondescript man in a very boring suit who I would wager was from Interpol. After telling them every single detail I know about Elio Rocca, Stas Dubinsky, and why I was sent to Druvia no fewer than three times, I was told I was free to go.

I thought I’d be exhausted. I thought I’d collapse into bed and not move for a solid day. But as I watch day break, the oblivion of sleep is the last thing on my mind.

No one could tell me the status of Elizabeth or Stas. And now that Elio’s assassination plot has been foiled, I have no idea what happens next. With no phone or connection to the outside world, I’m in the dark on everything until someone decides to loop me in.

Surely this is fixable. I just need to find a palace staff member and tell them I need a computer. The fact that I haven’t done it before now seems incomprehensible.

As I open the door and step into the hallway, I see Étienne walking toward me. “I figured you weren’t asleep,” he says, before holding out a phone.

There, on the screen, is a breaking news story.

ELIO ROCCA, F1 BOSS AND ORGANIZED CRIME KINGPIN, ARRESTED IN LONDON

“Holy shit,” I breathe. “What about Elizabeth? And Stas?

“Come on, Wes,” he says, smiling softly. “We have a plane to catch.”

I pass out as soon as I sit in the plush leather seat of the royal jet. The next thing I know, someone is shaking me awake. “There he is.”

“Fuck off,” I say, trying to turn away.

“Wes, we’ve landed. I can get people to carry you off the plane, but I’m certain you don’t want that. Think of the indignity.”

I groan.

“I know, man,” Étienne says. “We’ll get you a coffee.”

“With real milk,” I say, still groggy. “And full-sugar vanilla.”

“Soy milk will probably be better for your gut if Camden has you off dairy.”

“I’m on break, you asshole,” I mutter, and Étienne laughs.