Arranged: An Array Series (Book #1)(95)

Even under the ground, Edward was still complicating my life.

“If I refuse, then Hara marries King Leo Dufour.”

“Who is that?”

I watched Garrett’s jaw twitch. “Dufour is a piece of shit. He rules Romeni and has already gone through six or seven wives; I lost count. The last one was—it didn’t end well.”

I grasped his hands tighter. “What did he do?”

He closed his eyes for a moment and opened them. “His three sons raped and killed her.”

So, he pulled out the biggest gamble. Use the worst candidate to offer Hara to, and compel his son to marry the blonde whore.

I choked down a chuckle.

Well played, Edward.

“What do we do?”

Garrett looked at me in surprise. I think he expected me to fly off the handle and lose my temper, but I didn’t have the strength in me to do so. I was too worried and sickened, knowing this sealed everything.

“George and I are going to fight it.”

He explained to me that he couldn’t leave for Aruna and be done with the whole ordeal. That his bloodline with Edward and disobeying a signed agreement wouldn’t be supported by King Ezra, the King of Aruna.

We were both trapped here.

“And if we fail?”

Garrett shook my hands again. “I will not fail you.”

“I’m not worried about me. I’m worried about the two of you.”

He kissed my hand softly and laid his head on my lap.

“It’ll be all right. It has to be,” he replied. I laced my hand through his dark hair, soothing his own worry. “I won’t lose you. I won’t lose our future.”

The anguish in his voice made my heart ache for him. My strong, fearless Garrett—who saved my life and fought valiantly against Pierce—looked like a different man. I think all the past events, and current, were starting to take their toll on him. This was the tipping point for him.

“I’ll be here, with you,” I told him. “I’m not leaving you.”

Not until I hear George tell me otherwise.

He brought his head up, looking at me. Sinking out of my chair onto the floor beside him, I pulled Garrett into my embrace. I’d never seen him vulnerable. “My darling, we’ll figure this out…together.”

Even though I doubted we’d be able to.

∞∞∞

“How is the appeal going?” I asked George, as he poured the three of us a drink. Reddington was there in George’s study, helping us with possibilities of getting around this bogus arrangement.

It’d been eight days since Garrett laid in my arms on my bedroom floor. He repeatedly asked me if I was having second thoughts, doubt consuming him. I wasn’t having uncertainties about my feelings for him, but I couldn’t help but feel disheartened.

“Nothing new to report,” George admitted. “These Lords are starting to test my patience.”

“We are investigating Edward’s signature to see if it was forged, or if Cecilia was involved in some way,” Reddington added, accepting his drink from George. “Also, to see if Edward was in his right mind.”

“Right mind?” I repeated. “How would you prove that?”

“It’d be extremely hard.” Reddington took a seat next to me and crossed his legs. “Maybe he was threatened? But we thought he would have told George or Garrett that.”

“It’s an excessive feat to prove, but we want it in our arsenal if we need it,” George indicated.

“That he was threatened?”

George nodded. I went to open my mouth again to tell him that was impossible to prove but quickly shut it.

“I’ve put in a request for King Ezra to give sanctuary to Garrett and Hara, in case this doesn’t work out in our favor,” Reddington said. “Just as an option B, of course.”

“But Garrett said King Ezra wouldn’t protect Hara and him from Edward’s agreement.”

“That’s true, but sanctuary in Aruna can be granted for a few months. People use this for pending trials, where they need to go to gather evidence or a strategy. In our case, it’s a strategy to end this.” He moved his cup in the air.

“You are amazing, William, thank you,” I said.

“How have you been holding up, A?” George asked, now sitting across from me.

“Like my whole life has gone sideways.” I took a long sip of my brandy, welcoming the burning sensation down my throat.

“Hang in there for me. We aren’t done yet.”

I nodded at him. I knew he would do everything in his power for me; I had complete faith in that. But Lord Chitwood was a powerful man, and we were fighting a dead man’s pact.

“Ava, do you trust your ladies?’ Reddington inquired, swirling his brandy.

“Of course.”

“Good. Ask them to keep their ears and eyes open. There is a traitor within the castle. Has to be, when the assassins knew about the hidden bookcase that led into Edward’s study.”

“Whatever I can do to help.”

Which really hadn’t been much. George made me promise to stay away from Sophia, so I had, much to my dismay. I knew it wouldn’t help anything right now, but those seconds of satisfaction seemed more inviting by the minute.