Page 53 of Vengeful Princess

Knowing there wasn’t much time, I quickly set to work. Dad had also asked me to look for information on Operation Willow, which was the codename for the anti-drugs operation overseen by the one and only Lucian Forsyth.

The desk drawers contained nothing but stationery and paper clips, so I turned to the locked filing cabinet in the corner. It took me a hot minute to crack the lock, but other than HR files on house employees and other useless information, I found nothing of interest.

Then a manila folder sitting on a side table caught my eye. I opened it. Inside was a sheet of paper with a list of names. One of them I recognized: Roberto Pesci. Pesci worked for my father, managing his drugs distribution network in this country.

Why would his name be on this list held by Lucian Forsyth?

Was Pesci a target or an informant?

It was impossible to say, but I figured my father would want to see the list, so I snapped a photo of it and sent it to him.

There was nothing else of interest. No laptops or phones, so I switched off the desk lamp and cracked open the study door to make sure I was still alone. Seeing no one, I cautiously stepped out and pulled the door shut, listening to make sure the lock clicked back in place.

I hurried back down the corridor, ignoring the old men staring at me from the walls. This place gave me the creeps. It was the kind of old house where ghost hunters played with Ouija boards in dark rooms while filming it all for their YouTube channels.

Something caught my eye as I passed an open room, but before I could react, a tall figure in a full-face mask stepped out. Shoulder-length black hair curled over the collar of his tuxedo.

“Oh, hello, where am I?” I tittered, pretending to wobble in my heels, but the guy stared at me in silence. Well, shit, maybe my acting skills were not as good as I’d thought. “Is this the way back to the ballroom? I was looking for a bathroom and took a wrong turn,” I tried again.

His mouth quirked up, and I got the distinct impression the fucker was laughing at me.

“You definitely took a wrong turn,” he said with a snort. “Last time I checked, Lucian’s office wasn’t a bathroom.”

Fuck. I needed to get rid of this guy, and fast, before he set the security team on me.

He was still laughing when I took him down with a swift knee to the groin and a sharp throat punch. He fell to the floor gasping, yanking my red wig off in the process. I didn’t miss the way his gray eyes flared with surprise and recognition while he fought for air.

“Thea,” he managed to cough out.

Before I could react, he pulled his face mask off and I realized who’d caught me snooping: Milo, the silent friend. The guy who’d been following me around on campus for weeks.

Even with my stupid mask still in place, he knew who I was.

If Milo blabbed, it would fuck up everything. My place at Abernethy hung on the fact nobody knew why I was there. If anyone suspected I was not at college to study, it would raise questions. Questions I couldn’t answer.

Instinct kicked in and I pulled my knife out without thinking, pressing it to Milo’s neck. The viciously sharp blade broke the skin. Blood trickled down and stained the collar of his white shirt.

Unlike Kyril, Milo wasn’t a fighter. He probably knew that he stood no chance of fighting me off now that I had a blade to his neck. One wrong move and I’d cut his throat, leave him to bleed out. Then I’d disappear into the night like a ghost.

This should have been the moment I tied up a loose end. Removed a witness. Eliminated any possibility my presence here would compromise my mission.

And yet…

I couldn’t do it. It didn’t matter how many people my father forced me to kill, I would never be a cold-blooded murderer.

I pulled the knife away from Milo’s throat, grabbed the wig, and ran, not thinking about why I couldn’t hurt Milo, who was likely up on his feet by now, rushing to call the security guards to arrest my stupid ass. I needed to get the fuck out of here, and fast.

After pausing for a moment to pull the wig back into place, I dashed back downstairs. A server glanced at me curiously as she carried a tray of drinks toward the ballroom, but I ignored her.

The crowd had thinned out, but there were still more than enough people around to disguise my chaotic entrance. A couple stood talking next to a tall potted palm looked up and huffed with annoyance when I brushed past them none too gently.

Where was the exit?

Dammit, this place was a rabbit warren. I’d lost all sense of direction since my mad dash away from Lucian’s office.Torrance’s voice echoed in my mind, mocking me for forgetting my training.

Lose your cool, Thea, and you’ll lose your head.

He was right. I needed to calm down. I also needed to get out of here. Dad would be furious, but going after Lucian was too dangerous now that Milo knew I was here. He’d likely tell Cassian, who’d inform his father some random girl from college had shown up at an exclusive, invitation-only party.

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