Page 95 of Ruthless

“The king is dead. Long—”

Not giving the guy the chance to finish his sentence, Gideon kicked him out of the helicopter. They were about thirty feet off the ground, so the man’s chances of survival weren’t good.

Turning his attention to the control panel, Gideon righted the helicopter and continued the flight. It’d been a couple years since he’d piloted one of these birds. Might be a little more complicated to fly than OZ’s Gulfstream, but he had no worries.

Checking the monitor on his phone, he noted the blip of Eve’s tracker had stopped. She’d been gone for over four hours. Were they now at their final destination? And, most important, what were their plans for her?

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Eve woke with the full knowledge that she had been a fool. The phone call from her father had been a fake. A sophisticated deepfake using her father’s voice to create a convincing conversation would have taken time and talent to get it right, and this one had fooled two skilled operatives.

Gideon likely had caught on already. Problem was, he had no idea where she was. And neither did she.

How long had she been here? Her hands were bound behind her with zip ties, but they weren’t numb, so she couldn’t have been tied up for long. However, she had no real idea how long she’d been unconscious. Her mouth was dry, her head pounded, and her thoughts were hazy. They could have kept her drugged while they traveled for a full day. She could be anywhere in the world.

She took a breath and surveyed her immediate surroundings. It didn’t surprise her that, since Dirk Bennett was part of this, she was in a room similar to the one she’d been held in after her abduction from the embassy. She doubted that Dirk was in charge, though. He didn’t have the smarts for that.

So who was the ringleader? Had to be someone extremely close to her family. Someone who wanted to frame her uncle, making him look guilty. Her mind scrambled through every person who could conceivably be the guilty one. Who had the most to gain?

In a flash, his face appeared in her mind and she forced herself to focus without throwing out her normal denials. Without Nicolas and his sons, who was next in line for the title? And with her uncle bearing all the guilt, no one would look elsewhere.

Could it be that simple and that insidious?

Someone who had miraculously survived an assassination attempt and had conveniently gotten rid of an ex-wife who’d been moving on with her life. She closed her eyes as realization and acceptance came almost simultaneously.

Coming to terms with the betrayal from a loved one was difficult. One would think she’d be better at accepting such things by now. But she loved her brother and had thought she’d known him. He had played games with her as a child, taken her to movies and fairs, read to her when she couldn’t sleep.

Yes, but he’s also the one who locked you in the dungeon, leaving you in the dark for hours.

He had apologized for that, claiming he hadn’t meant any harm.

Now she knew why he’d been her biggest champion when she had wanted to work at the US embassy. He had urged her father to allow her to go, claiming it would be good for her and the country. She had been so grateful to him for supporting her and had thrown herself into his arms with a giant hug of thanks.

Somehow, someway, Alex and Dirk had met and cooked up that scheme. Didn’t really matter how or why, but before she left here, she would get answers. She just needed to figure out exactly how to do that.

Her wrists were zip-tied behind her back, and her ankles were secured to the legs of her chair. The chair was a wooden, open-backed variety, which she certainly appreciated, because it meant the only weapon she had with her was within easy reach.

Being armed at all times wasn’t something she even thought about anymore. It was as normal to her as putting on shoes or a bra. Every skirt, pair of pants, or dress she possessed had a special insert for one specific item. Since she was wearing a pair of jeans, a concealed panel in the waistband hid the lightweight six-inch blade she never left home without. It had been her friend for many years now and had saved her life on numerous occasions.

Even though she spotted no cameras, that didn’t mean she wasn’t being watched, so she surreptitiously slid her fingers into the slot at the small of her back and pulled the knife out. Flicking the blade around, she quickly cut the ties but kept her arms behind her back as if she were still bound.

Breathing easier, the tension loosened in her shoulders, she considered what she knew. If Dirk and Alex were in this together, what was their ultimate goal? She could easily see Alex’s. He wanted to be king. Killing Nicolas, the heir to the throne, and his family made it easier. Had he intended to kill their father with the poison, or had that been a ploy to make it appear that way? If murder had been the goal, there were easier, more efficient ways to do that. Perhaps the intent had been to incapacitate him or make him appear weak.

Making her uncle appear guilty had been the perfect cover. No wonder Serena had had doubts about the intel she’d uncovered. Not for the first time, Eve was thankful for her friend’s brilliance. Serena would dig until she found the truth.

Footsteps sounded outside the door, and the beeping of a keypad lock told her she was about to get some answers.

Eve slumped in her chair, letting defeat and exhaustion weigh heavy on her face. Appearing tired and scared was a bit of a stretch, but the heartbreak was easy. Alex had done his best to destroy their family and had very nearly succeeded. She could never forgive him for what he’d done to Nicolas and his family. But she wanted answers, and the best way to get them would be to appear beaten.

She had two valuable assets. One, neither her brother nor Dirk knew the extent of her skills as an OZ operative. Dirk might have some idea, since she’d been able to do some damage to him when he’d attacked her at the castle, but that had been mild compared to what she could do. Two, she had a partner who would turn the world upside down to find her. She and Gideon might have their problems, but she knew without a doubt he would find her.

No way would she wait for him, though. She would find a way out. And whoever the idiot headed her way was would be where she would start.

The door squeaked open, and Alex strolled into the room in the cockiest, most obnoxious manner she could imagine. The expression on his face was nothing like she was accustomed to seeing on him. It was as if he had finally lifted his mask and was now allowing her to see the real Alexandre. A traitor. A killer. A fiend.

“Bonjour, petite soeur.”

“I’m no longer your sister. You are dead to me.”

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