Inheriting a SECRET (Corrigan & Co. #7)(8)
She sighs, like I’m a complete annoyance to her. I probably am, but I’m also desperate. “It will be up to her. I’ll let her know what you’ve said, and then I’ll stand behind whatever she decides.”
She locks eyes with my mother one more time, and I’m not surprised when Reina’s not the one to look away first. Royalty or not, we’re at the mercy of these people. We know it, and so do they. If we were on our own soil, things might be different, but I really don’t think it would have too much of an impact.
There’s power from royal bloodlines, money, and brute force. And then there’s the power that’s earned. Reina Corrigan may have married money, and she definitely has the force to back it up, but her power comes from within. Being in the same room with her, I can almost feel it as a tangible thing. I get the impression that she doesn’t like having to flaunt it—and I also feel like she was actually holding back with us, but she definitely earned it. And God help those who feel the full force if she ever has to unleash it all.
* * *
Darcy
This hotel is nice, but I feel like the walls are closing in on me, along with my secret. I’m going to have to tell Reina and Mallory something; although, I really just want to tell them everything. I made a promise to never do that, and I’ve kept it all these years later. I can’t break it just because I want help. Nate knows some of it because it didn’t feel right to have him bare his soul to me and not give him something back. I wanted to unburden myself with all of it, but I couldn’t even fully let go with the man I think of as my brother.
The knock on my door pulls me from my worries, but replaces them with a few more. I grab the small gun I had in my clutch last night, and go to the door. Only a few people know I’m here, and I wasn’t expecting them so soon. I sigh, in relief and nervousness, as I see Mallory on the other side of the door.
“Hi,” I say a little sheepishly as I open it wide for my mentor and surrogate mother.
She quickly pulls me to her, hugging me tight. “I came as soon as I could. He didn’t hurt you, did he? Reina said he didn’t, but she also said she hadn’t seen you yet.”
“He didn’t hurt me,” I assure her. “You didn’t need to come all the way to Paris, Mal.”
“Yes, I did. I need to know that you’re safe.”
“I’m almost never safe on a mission. You know that. You did recruit me after all.”
“Sassy as ever, I see. Which tells me you’re okay. And yes, while I know our work places you in danger, I didn’t think that posing as the fiancée of a prince would.”
“Can you tell me any more about why we even took on this mission? As far as I can tell, Brayden isn’t in danger. I mean, I wanted to hurt him and I’m sure others feel the same way, but I’m not aware of any specific threats.”
“Let’s sit down.”
Okay. That can’t be good. I sit on the bed, and gesture to the desk chair. Mallory sits down, and looks conflicted for a moment before speaking.
“Ten years ago, one of our first initial missions was to protect Brayden’s cousin, Jenysis. She was being stalked by a particularly nasty older man who wouldn’t take no for an answer. We were able to keep him from her, but he retaliated.”
“Is she okay?” I think she is, because I’ve heard her name, but maybe she’s been hurt in some way.
“She’s fine. But while we were concentrating all of our energy on keeping her safe, he stole some important pieces of jewelry belonging to the royal family.”
No. No, no, no, no, no. Oh God, no. I interfered with a Society mission. I use every ounce of training I’ve had to keep my face neutral. “That sucks, but I still don’t see what it has to do with this mission.”
“We failed, Darcy. We rarely fail.”
“So this is out of guilt?”
“Partly yes.”
“Nice to know I’ve been pawned off on an * to assuage Jane’s guilt.”
“You’re treading a fine line, my dear. Jane is not the only one with guilt, and my presence here should let you know that we’re not just ‘pawning’ you off.”
“Sorry.” And I am. For causing them to fail, and for being a bitch now because of my own guilt. “What’s the other part?”
“Your engagement may finally flush out the jewels.”
I need the floor to open up all the way to the Earth’s core, and take me down there. “Are they that important?” I know the answer to that, but I need to play dumb, especially now.
“Yes, and no. They were the first jewels of the monarchy, and it’s expected that when Brayden ascends the throne, he’ll have possession of them. It’s more of a superstition than anything, but it’s still important to them.”
“So you’re hoping to rectify the mission failure—which wasn’t exactly a failure since you kept Jenysis safe—by getting the jewels back now?”
“Yes. We should have disclosed this to you sooner, but we didn’t think it would become an issue. Brayden seemed like he was finally ready to be king, and he knows he can’t do that by sleeping his way around the world.”
“Does that really matter in this day and age?”
“You can’t walk into a supermarket without seeing a picture of Kate and William. Now imagine being a royal in a very small country where many of the streets still have cobblestones, and no one moves there ‘just because.’”