Page 68 of Cooper

“Should I take the kids inside?” Felicity asks Xander.

He nods. “Yeah, let’s keep them in the classroom for the rest of today.”

We help funnel them into the palace, and then Xander appears to be listening to something in his earpiece. He looks up at me.

“Looks like someone was here but we spooked them,” he says. “There are fresh footprints, just one set, and they took off. Good news is, I think I know how they got onto the property—security briefing in thirty.”

Fuck.

At least I know I’m not imagining things.

TWENTY-FOUR

Natalia

I’mboth pleased and disturbed by the day’s events.

It’s nice to see that Cooper is at the top of his game and able to help out, but another potential attack is disheartening. Not to mention the fact that someone breached the perimeter and got so close to the garden. That’s a place where everyone spends a lot of time, and for now, it’s closed. In fact, all outdoor activities are limited for the time being, except the pool that’s attached to the building.

I don’t know how many more attacks we can survive before something catastrophic happens, and it’s weighing heavily on all of us. Losing Logan was a huge blow that we’re finally starting to get past, but there have been so many attempts since Erik took the throne, I’ve lost count. Eventually, they—whoever they are—could get lucky, and that’s a risk we can’t take.

To my surprise, Lennox is at the security briefing in her uniform, and I hurry over to her as we’re getting coffee.

“I can’t focus on the babies knowing there’s trouble so close,” she says before I can say anything. “They’re with Casey and her nanny today since Levi will be in school part of the day. We have someone starting next week but until then, everyone is going to pitch in.”

I nod. “Of course. Let me know if you need anything.”

She smiles. “It feels good to be back to work. Being a mom is amazing, but also exhausting. This feels like a vacation.”

She’s joking, of course, and we chuckle.

“Any word on who or what it was?” I ask quietly.

“I think Sandor has an update.” She motions to where her husband is getting everyone settled around the conference room table.

I sink down next to Cooper and smile as he surreptitiously rubs the side of his leg against mine.

“Good morning.” Sandor sounds tired, but there’s a fierceness in his eyes that’s impossible to ignore. “I have several updates, so we might be here a while. First, as you’ve all noticed, Lennox is back to work and on the duty roster. Not full-time yet, as our nanny situation isn’t a hundred percent sorted out, but she’ll start with three shifts a week and we’ll go from there.”

There are greetings and whistles as we welcome her back.

“We’re also putting Cooper on the roster in a limited capacity, where he can stay in the surveillance room so Joe can take duty shifts. No matter how hard we try, the threats are ongoing, so all we can do is continue to be vigilant.”

“Until then, we redouble our efforts,” Joe says. “Everyone needs to be extra vigilant. No outdoor activities for the kids. Jonas, I need you to get with Solange and have her looking into every employee at the palace—again. She’s in Vegas, but since she speaks fluent Limaji, it’ll be easier for her to deal with domestic background checks. We’ve already done it, but we need to see if anyone has gotten a large payoff, deposit, anything that would indicate them turning loyalties.”

There’s a lot more talk about scheduling and the duty roster now that Cooper and Lennox have been added, and I feel the faintest surge of panic welling up deep inside. The circumstances of Logan’s death bubble to the surface now and then, and Dr. Saluga told me not to bottle it up. She suggested talking to someone else who was involved, or at least in the palace that night, to get it off my chest.

“Sandor, do you have a minute?” I ask as everyone heads to work.

“Sure.” He meets my gaze questioningly.

“I’ve…” It’s so hard to admit weakness but what’s the point of going to see a therapist if I don’t take her advice?

“What’s wrong?” he asks quietly.

“This latest incident brings back the anxiety about…”

“Logan.”

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