Page 48 of Regally Binding

During the hour, Liss chatted to Nina as she tried on outfits. The pain in her arm hadn’t helped, but the woman was gentle. She was another one of Bear’s hookups who became a friend. Well, as close as he got to friends.

“How was it?” Strike asked as he eased the car into traffic.

Liss clutched her new purchases tightly as she fought to find the right words to express her gratitude. “No one has done anything like that for me before.”

Bear grinned. “And you’re not angry with us for making you get up early?”

She held her breath. What he’d done for her was epic, but she couldn’t overthink it. He was saying thank you for the tight spot she’d got the lads out of.

“Not even after our late night watching movies,” she replied. “And your boxing showcase.”

Bear pulled on the back of his neck. “Yeah, that tends to happen when we’re chilling.”

“And how often do the three of you watch movies together?”

“Never,” Strike replied. “Our downtime is normally spent in the gym or sleeping. But it was a good idea, although I had to work off the extra calories at six this morning.”

“I shall take that to mean that I’m a good influence on the both of you.” Strike grumbled in response. “So are we watchingPrincess Diariessequel next?”

Bear and Strike chuckled.

“That’s one of Bear’s favourites. He can’t get enough of that romcom shit.”

Bear glared at Strike. That nugget added to her joy.

Tonight was going to be amazing.

Liss couldn’t wait to show off her dress that was now hidden in a fancy black bag. She messaged Isla about the evening. Isla, Steve, and Steve’s brother were attending the party as a four. She should tell Bear.

She nibbled her lip as the four-by-four meandered towards the hotel.

“Shit,” Bear grunted and mumbled something to Strike while pointing at his phone.

Liss leaned forward, but she was a ghost to them. A pressure formed in her head. She caught the odd word between the men, but it didn’t mean anything to her.

“Do we let her go tonight?” Strike asked. Bear’s hunched shoulders and relentless finger-tapping on the dashboard told her it was serious.

“There will be a lot of security there, and she’ll have both of us. We can do an extra sweep before the night starts and ensure the vehicle is always ready. Our hotel is safe if we have to get her back quickly. They wouldn’t have sent the threat to The Bell if they knew that Liss was at the hotel,” Bear replied with business-like efficiency, yet he rolled his broad shoulders and his eye twitched. Liss’s heartbeat thundered. “We need to let the palace know so that everyone is aware. If they say it’s okay, then we go ahead.”

Strike nodded.

“If this concerns me, I should know,” Liss snapped, drawing a turn from Bear. Strike dead-eyed her in the rear-view mirror. “What happened to the pub? Is anyone hurt?”

Bear sighed. “Nothing has happened. It was a note, and no one got hurt.” He turned back.

“A threat aimed at me?”

Bear’s eyes continued twitching, and Strike sucked his cheeks in hard.

Bear shrugged, but she tapped him until he looked at her through squinting eyes. “Yes. Are you sure you want to know? Because it doesn’t change anything.”

Horns beeped outside the car as Strike flitted through traffic, but the juddering movement didn’t stop Liss as she folded her arms in a challenge. “It made you two question whether I should go tonight.”

Strike grunted, “Tell her. She needs to understand the things that might happen in her future.”

Bear huffed before reading from his phone. “‘That little bitch better watch herself. She’s a dead princess walking.’” Bear refused to look up. “It was addressed to you.”

Air escaped from between her nearly closed lips. “Do I have any reason to be worried?” she asked as if it was a note about who was swapping a pub shift.

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