Page 142 of Vengeful Princess

I quickly picked up my bag and then dashed downstairs to the front gate, where my driver waited.

“The plan’s simple, Thea. Even you can’t fuck it up this time.” Torrance handed me a small bag of pills. “He’s staying in the Trafalgar Suite at the Ritz. My intel informs me he’s having dinner with his father and some business associates at the Ritz Club, so you’ll have a window of opportunity to get into the room and plant the drugs.”

“Why?” None of this made sense. Why did my father care about whether the son of a government adviser got caught with drugs in his hotel room?

I shuffled uncomfortably on the hard sofa in the Airbnb Torrance had rented in Camden. It looked pleasant enough, but the furniture was cheap and the decor bland. I almost felt sorry for him until I remembered what a psychotic monster he was.

Frankly, a cell in Broadmoor Hospital was too fucking good for him.

Torrance sighed like I was the dumbest bitch on the planet. “Francesco needs Lucian Forsyth distracted. If his son ends up in another media firestorm, he won’t have his eye on the ball.”

“I still don’t get it. So he’s behind the push to eradicate organized crime networks, which is impacting Dad’s supply routes, but all that will blow over soon. So why is Dad going to all this trouble?”

Tasking me with breaking into a suite at one of London’s top hotels and then planting drugs was risky. If I got caught, it would lead back to my father.

Not that I’d be talking if I was unlucky enough to be caught. I wasn’t that stupid.

Torrance gritted his teeth at my apparent stupidity. “Lucian isn’t what he appears. He masquerades as a successful billionaire and political mover and shaker, but he uses his publicpersona as a cover. Lucian Forsyth has his fingers in a lot of illegal pies. He’s done a deal with Vasily Orliov, which involves pushing us out of the picture. The Irish too, but we don’t give a fuck about thatstronzoSeamus Kelly.”

“So what, you think if Cassian gets arrested with a substantial quantity of drugs, the press will look deeper at the family?”

“Yes. The press will fan the flames, but there is a small contingent within the NCA that doesn’t work for Forsyth. They will pick up the batten, helped along by some of my associates.”

He smirked. “I’ve created a trail so the drugs you plant lead back to Lucian and Orliov. Once there is an established link, not even Lucian Forsyth will have the means to bury it. It should be enough to bring him down, thus leaving room for us to move into the power vacuum. Orliov is old and his wife keeps him busy. We have formed a strategic alliance with the Albanians. If this works as we expect, we’ll have locked down the supply routes across Europe and into the Americas. Killing the bastard is the preferred option but he has too much security thanks to his high-profile public persona. Your father had hoped you’d find a way to get the job done, but alas.” He threw a look that told me how much of a disappointment I was and then handed me a plastic keycard. “You’ll need this too. It’s coded for his suite.”

“OK, I’ll do it.” It was the last thing I wanted to do, but what choice did I have?

After tucking the bag and card into my jacket pocket, I went to stand. The sooner I got this over with, the better. My stomach churned with nerves and guilt. Killing Lucian was by far the better plan, but Torrance was right. The one and only chance I’d had, Cassian had interrupted us.

Pushing Cassian into the press like this was wrong. He wasn’t a drugs user. I’d spent enough time with him to know that. Hell, he didn’t even vape!

Like most people, I was aware of the story that lost him his place at Cambridge, but I felt sure it was a one-off crazy night. I mean, he was still only 17 when it happened, and most kids that age do dumb shit.

Not me because my father had me working under the watchful eye of Torrance, but if I’d been a normal teenager, I’d have been out drinking and experimenting with recreational drugs.

Drinking, casual sex, smoking weed, snorting coke… in the circles Cassian frequented, shit like that was practically mandatory behavior. A chance to blow off some steam before adulting beckoned.

“I purchased a few items for you. The hotel is very upmarket, so you need to fit in.” Torrance handed me a bag. I peeked in to see a black dress with the label attached - designer - as well as some shoes and lingerie.

The thought of Torrance purchasing lingerie for me was vomit-inducing. He licked his lips and winked when he clocked my expression. “Don’t worry,cara, it will fit you perfectly.”

Why was he suddenly acting as if I was fair game? He knew damn well my father had plans to marry me off, with my virginal status a selling point. Then it hit me.

He must know about Kyril. Had he watched the video feed at the club the night Kyril shot Roberto Pesci? If he had, I was in big trouble.

There was no way my father would believe nothing else happened.

76

Cassian

My father droned on while I stared into space. The two men sitting at our table listened intently as he outlined his plans for his latest business acquisition. They seemed impressed by his ideas while I struggled to hold in a yawn.

“Isn’t that right, Cassian?”

Shit, I’d zoned out for too long. “Yes, Father,” I replied dutifully. Dad narrowed his eyes at me, well aware I wasn’t listening, but it was hard to find a reason to care. I picked up my glass as a diversion and then frowned when I realized it was empty.

The server hovering nearby trotted over when I caught her eye. She was a pretty young blond, all tits and ass, which my father noticed. Because of course he did. He’d left my mother at home, which meant he had carte blanch to fool around.

---