Page 104 of Roaming Holiday

“We’re setting ourselves up to get fucked in the future,” I bark, jumping out of the van before I can second-guess myself. There’s no way Wesley will do a job for Arlo, not when he’s trying to change. He could get seriously hurt or killed. What if he has to call in a favor to get out alive? Then he’s indebted to another mercenary who will call on him in the future. Call me paranoid, but it would be the perfect opportunity for everything to go wrong.

“Your Highness, no!” Jack yells as I run into the building. I hear his footsteps behind me, but it’s too late.

I need to offer something—fast.

Or nothing at all.

Who does Arlo think he is? Look at the big picture.

“No!” I yell, stopping in the wide-open area between the lobby elevators. Arlo’s men startle and aim their guns, so I lift my hands in surrender. It’s a good thing Wesley all but wrestled to put me into a bulletproof vest. I ignore the simmering look he gives me.

I drop my arms and say to Arlo, “This ends now.”

Wesley shifts toward me. “Nina?—”

“The only way this works is if we do it together,” I snap, my voice hushed. I bite back my hurt and focus on the task at hand.

“I understand why you’re so brave, Miss Laffley. You have the royal guard behind you,” he says, and I glance around for Daria. She’s the one who snitched, but she’s not even here.

“He’s not doing any jobs for you.”

“Is that so?” He chuckles. “What is your offer?”

“There’s no offer. Walk away or become an enemy of the royal institution and I spend my career taking you down.”

His chuckle turns into full-bellied laughter. He glances at the six people behind him. I keep a strong face in the spite of the ridicule. Arlo steps closer to me. “You don’t have the guts. It’ll be a bloodbath and your conscience can’t handle that.”

“Can’t it?” I challenge, matching his step so there’s a foot between us. “You can blame this fire on whoever keeps a bottle of Jack in their desk. Couldn’t have set it without them. And how’s Maximo? I hope his recovery is smooth.” I lower my voice. “There might be death in this path, but think long and hard about who will be standing by the end of it. A centuries-old monarch, or your little business?”

Arlo’s jaw ticks, and I control my features as much as possible. Truthfully, the furious sense of betrayal from Wesley keeps me from cowering.

Just when I think Arlo is going to back down, he lunges, yanking my arm and pulling a gun.

I land against him, my back to his chest, as cool metal presses against my head. My defenses crumble at the sight of Wesley’s panicked eyes and my body tingles with anxiety. Shit, shit, shit.

“Can’t take me down if you’re dead,” Arlo says into my ear, his breath fanning my skin as his hand wraps around my throat. My chest tightens, and if fear hadn’t clogged my throat, I’d vomit.

“Don’t do this,” Wesley threatens. “You said yourself you underestimated me.”

“I think I will bring her with me.” I shudder at the kiss Arlo plants on my temple. “For now.” He presses the barrel of the gun under my chin, and I hate the whimper that escapes as he drags me through the emergency exit.

After discarding my bulletproof vest, Arlo shoves me through the open door of a waiting SUV. Indignation sparks up my core, but I shouldn’t be violent—not yet at least. He climbs in behind me and slams the door. The driver peels off and I struggle to catch my breath. I clutch the door to steady my spinning head.

“Where to?” the driver asks when the narrow alley dumps us onto a main road.

“Drive around the city. We need to lose Revalté. I bet he’s chasing us like a dog right now.” A wicked smile spreads across Arlo’s face. He turns to me, the gun still pointed. “You almost won.”

I’m at his mercy, no matter the red-hot anger boiling under my skin. While he has the gun and strength, I notice the nervous tick in his eyes. He was going to give in.

I look out the window for the fifteen minutes of driving, fighting to ignore the fact that a deadly weapon is pointed at me. My emotions pile inside me so high that goosebumps cover my skin. I wish I hadn’t ambushed the meeting like that. I wish Wesley trusted me enough to have a conversation about our options.

The car pulls in front of a luxury apartment building. A blond man, not much older than I am, opens my door, and I’m faced with another gun. “You scream, you run, you die.”

I only manage a nod as he and numerous other men guide me through the lobby. I inhale slowly. At least I won’t be locked in a dark basement.

I watch everything. The dust in the corner of the elevator. The defective button for the third floor. The way Arlo’s ring looks a size too small. I don’t know if I’m searching for a way out or a distraction from what’s happening.

I’m led through a lavish apartment into a windowless room with two sofas and a coffee table between them. The blond man shoves me onto one of the sofas. I notice the minibar next to the door and hear the distant voices of others in the apartment.

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