Page 36 of Take My Throne

“That sounds like a good idea,” Lucas says, not reacting to my irritation. “But at least have some bacon first. You can’t subsist on coffee.”

I can. But I help myself to a few rashers of bacon, some mushrooms, and a generous dollop of scrambled eggs. Taking a bite of the bacon, I close my eyes and moan. It really is that good.

“I told you the bacon was amazing,” Lucas grins. “It’s the only cure for a hangover.”

He’s right. After a few mouthfuls of bacon, I’m feeling better. I even help myself to a bit more, loving the salty crispiness of it.

“Right. I’m heading over to Milly’s,” I say after I clear my plate. “I’m taking my bike and I’ll be back later today, so don’t worry about lunch for me.”

“Are you sure? I can get cook to make you some bacon sandwiches?” Lucas offers.

“Much as the bacon is awesome, I’ve had enough for now,” I tell him. “I’ll see you later.”

I push my chair back and get up to leave. As the dining room doors close behind me, I could have sworn I heard them mention Archer’s name. The thought of what my father might do if he finds out that Archer tried to break into his study makes my blood run cold.

I want to go see Milly to discuss Ally’s proposal, but now I have to get there to warn Archer he might be in danger.

????

I pound on Archer’s door, desperate to speak to him. It seems like forever before he answers it. He’s clearly just woken up. He is wearing nothing but his pyjama bottoms, showing off his toned abs, but I can’t appreciate how sexy he looks when my father is going to be home any minute and will see Archer on camera going through his things.

“Ivy! This is a rather pleasant surprise.” He leans against the doorframe, looking me up and down in a way that makes it hard for me to focus on why I am there.

“You won’t think that when you hear what I’ve got to say.” I push past him and into his lounge. I’m too nervous to sit, so I pace up and down.

“Calm down, Ivy. Whatever it is, you’re freaking me out.”

Archer comes and stands in front of me, putting his hands on my shoulders to stop me moving.

“You should be freaked out,” I say. “My father’s coming home today and he’s got new hidden cameras in his study. Isabella asked me if I knew who tried to break into his study last night, so whatever you did, you weren’t careful enough. As soon as Dad gets home, he’s going to see what you did and then all hell will break loose.”

“No, it won’t.” Archer smiles.

“Of course it will.” I can’t believe Archer isn’t worried. “Don’t you get it, Archer? We’re busted. They know you broke into his study. They’re just stringing things out to see if I’ll crack.”

“They don’t know anything,” Archer tells me. “Maybe they suspect something, but that’s as far as it goes.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I didn’t try to break into your father’s study,” he explains. “I couldn’t get anywhere near it. There were too many guards, so I pretended I just wanted to say hi and let them know no hard feelings. They were just doing their job when they held me, Romy, and Declan. The thing your father doesn’t realise is that money isn’t enough when it comes to buying people’s loyalty. I’ve seen first-hand how he treats his staff. He makes it easy for me to get them to talk to me. I didn’t get to find out details of your father’s schedule, but I did find out a few interesting things, which includes the fact that he’s selling his plane.”

“Selling it?” I frown. “But that makes no sense. He loves that plane. He always boasts about how important he is to have his own private plane and how it’s kitted out to his precise specifications. He’s not going to fly to Italy with a commercial airline.”

“Yeah, well, whatever’s going on, it’s pretty clear we’re going to have to change our plans,” Archer says. “We can’t bomb his plane if there’s no plane to bomb.”

“So we’re back to square one.” I sigh.

“Maybe,” Archer says. “Now that I’ve reconnected with some of the guards, I might be able to persuade one of them to turn against your father. They’re not happy with the way he’s been treating them recently. I don’t think it would take much to get one of them to give us some information we could use. It’s not a complete loss.”

“But how did Isabella and Lucas know you tried to break into my father’s study?”

“They were just fishing.” Archer shrugs. “It’s the kind of thing people do at parties. We all try and see if we can look around each other’s houses. It’s an unspoken rule-–any chance to gain an advantage over your rival must be taken. It’s a matter of honour. So, they made an educated guess to see what your reaction would be. Did you tell them anything?”

“Of course not!” I can’t believe Archer would even consider that. “I figured it was easier to pretend I didn’t know anything than try and make up some story I’d forget later. I’ve gotten away with a lot of things over my years in foster care. I know how to cover my tracks-–and cover for my friends. I didn’t tell them anything.”

“Good.” Archer nods. “So it looks like we’re in the clear. Now that that’s settled, fancy a coffee? Or something else?”

He looks me meaningfully in the eyes and I catch my breath. Even though it has only been a few hours since I’d slept with him and Romy, I can’t get enough of him. Of any of my boys.

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