Page 79 of Wanted
I pulled my brother into a hug, something that rarely happened. I patted him on the back, and I could have sworn that I felt him sob. But he didn’t make a sound.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“That we’re doing this amid Mandy’s…”
“Today’s about you, not about Mandy or me. This is a good day for the family,” I reassured him. He nodded, and we distanced ourselves from each other. One look to the left, and I noticed a small group of nurses watching us from afar. “Come. You need to stand by Valentina right now.”
♥♠♥
Valentina and Mandy sat in the back of the coupé, discussing the baby. I worried that it wouldn’t do Mandy well, but thus far, she was genuinely excited for Valentina. My brother sat next to me, researching our country’s stores for all things baby gear.
We were headed for Euphoria, the café on top of the highest peak of Katantia. Kamila wasn’t here, but that was our way of honoring her and mom. They loved Euphoria.
Through its big windows, I observed that the spot was packed. We hadn’t sent our security guards ahead. I gestured at my brother, but he shook it off, drunk on excitement about his future baby girl.
“Last time I came here, there weren’t so many people around. I remember Kamila saying that the business was down,” Mandy commented. I took that statement, and I saved it in the back of my head. She hadn’t spoken like this in a long while. It was silly to pick at straws like that. But I was exhausted and mentally unprepared.
“People are desperate for Kamila,” Valentina said. I parked the car near Euphoria’s entrance. We had a reserved spot as royals because of my sister. “They know she likes this place, so they’ve started coming here in her honor.”
“That’s touching.”
“I went to get my hair done the other day, and people kept grilling me about her and her boyfriend. Some of her more obsessive fans claim her new life is a hoax and that she’s dead. That Aram is playing us all, trying to make more money from his offspring. It was quite disturbing…”
“When did you get your hair done?” Aris asked, perplexed. “I told you not to leave the palace…”
“I went while you were in the palace with my father,” Valentina revealed, looking out of the window. She was trying not to make a big deal out of it, but my brother wasn’t buying it. He had given her instructions because we found ourselves in a tricky situation.
“You might be in danger,” Mandy told her friend. “That’s why he wants you to stay inside. I wouldn’t want to stay inside all day long on his accord either, but you should take precautions with everything that’s going on. We should probably get you baby-friendly self-defense lessons.”
“Lessons? We have guards,” Aris argued. I turned the Wraith’s engine off. “We pay them a ton of money to keep us safe.”
“You live in a glasshouse, Aris,” Mandy countered. She took off her seat belt, and she sounded more confident than ever before. “Your father is your enemy. I know you don’t discuss these things in front of us because we’re such fragile petite women. But I hear your little chats. It wouldn’t hurt her to know how to defend herself if she ever were in a dire situation. She’s pregnant. She’s got two people that need protection. In this country, that isn’t a rare situation. People are upset these days. Tensions are rising. Kamila leaving left a big rift in your image.”
“Mandy, do you want to be my bodyguard?” Valentina asked, teasing her friend. She tickled Mandy’s side.
“I mean what I said,” Mandy stated.
“What happened to you?” Aris asked, turning to glance at Mandy. “You’re so different all of a sudden.”
“I had a wake-up call. Losing something you never knew you wanted does that to you,” Mandy told Aris. The girls couldn’t leave the car unless we stepped out. The Wraith only had two doors. She tapped on my seat, asking me to exit the vehicle. “And I held a gun in my hand after a long time. It felt pretty great, actually. Now, let me out of this car.”
Aris helped Valentina out of the car. I offered my hand, but Mandy didn’t take it. She didn’t even look at me. I stepped forward, leading the group inside Euphoria. It was one of the more modern spots of Katantia. It targeted young adults, people in Mandy’s age. Most of them couldn’t afford the ride or the drinks up here, so the business had been at an impasse for a while. Valentina was right. Ever since Kamila left, their numbers had been going up. I had read of it in their monthly tax report.
“Weston!” the man at the entrance was shocked at the sight of us. He stared at us for a little too long. Then he shook his head, clearing his throat. “What can I do for you? Should I clear the place?”
Aris responded, “No! We’re celebrating. Let everyone stay. Drinks on me!”
“You’re celebrating, Your Highness?” The man swallowed. He squinted his eyes. “What’s the occasion? I thought with…”
“What did you hear?” I asked the man. The tag on his chest revealed that he was called Eddie.
“Maybe you should hear for yourself before they cut the networks again,” Eddie mumbled, gesturing for us to step inside Euphoria. All of the tables were taken. With drinks in hand and snacks on the tables, our citizens gawked at the screens Euphoria provided for entertainment.
A man that I didn’t know graced the screen, confident and broody.
“Mr. and Mrs. Winters are going on a honeymoon to Katantia, where Alex will meet the princess’ family. He’s looking forward to it. He’s asked for two weeks off. He thought it’d be better to be upfront about it rather than lie and skip practice. He will be back in time for the games against Toronto and Milwaukee. For now, he wants to have a closer look at his wife’s former home. He’s always been interested in the concept of Katantia, curious, and critical.”
