Page 81 of Iron Unicorn

“Repeat that, please?”

I repeated my statement.

Olivia captured my free hand in hers, gave me a squeeze, and giggled.

“I can’t get mad about that, Terry.”

I chuckled, and upon reaching our room, I opened the door. “That’s why I decided to call you. He was going to bring the boy home and surprise you in Montana, but there are a bunch of kids who need homes, and they’re better off if you come storming in. I’m sure you can place some calls to draw attention to the place.”

“I can handle storming in. How are you feeling? Will told me about all the crap the RPS has been putting you through. Do I need to correct the Texans?”

“I’m fine. We’re taking Eddie and fleeing tomorrow, so we might be out the door by the time you arrive. If not, come to our suite so we can let Pieter sleep. Your husband is expecting a rough day tomorrow.”

“How did Pieter get put up for adoption?”

“His parents died in an accident.”

A rather painful silence followed, and I waited for Montana’s queen to process the information. “I see.”

Anyone with half a functioning brain would understand. “He did ask the paparazzi to throw me under the bus rather than him for this. Mostly, he did it so he could surprise you, but you’ll do more good here helping the other children get placed.” I waited for Olivia to head into the bedroom before shucking off my suit jacket and sitting on my preferred chair. “Pat and Jessica are on route to Maine to talk to my adoptee’s biological parents, who gave her up hoping someone could get their girl a heart. They’ll get custody back, so I’m just a stepping stone for them at this stage.”

“They aren’t going to let you escape that easily,” Mackenzie predicted. “And neither is that little girl. I will aid and abet them if necessary!”

She really would. “I’m fleeing Texas in the morning, Mackenzie.”

“As long as you’re taking Olivia with you, flee all you want. Where are you off to?”

“Somewhere royalty will never find me,” I replied in a solemn tone.

In the bedroom, Olivia laughed.

“Rachel will chase you,” the woman reminded me.

I considered the ramifications of my queen going on a venture to return me to New York. “That would probably be good for her mental health. I will flee sufficiently to motivate her into doing such a thing.”

Mackenzie snickered. “There. Once you’re ready to head home, I’ll drop Rachel a hint that she needs to retrieve you, take you back to New York, put you to bed for a day or two to recover from all the excitement, and then make sure your physical fitness hasn’t suffered. What convinced Will to adopt?”

“The boy was trying to help everybody.”

“That would do it. All right, I’ll be there by morning, and I’ll gather up the children and get the whole herd moving along. Anything I should know?”

“The RPS was not expecting your husband to be here during the charity and adoption event, so they’re not staffed properly,” I warned. “Bring a robust detail with you, please.”

“I can do that. Maybe you should delay leaving until we’re there?”

I bit back a sigh. “All right. We can do that. I’ll notify the team we’re delaying our departure on account of an invasion from Montana.”

“Excellent. I’ll get things started over here. Tell me which room you’re in so I don’t accidentally wake the baby.”

“What about your husband?”

“He deserves to lose sleep!”

I chuckled at her tone, which implied he was a dead man when she got her hands on him. “There are likely photos of him telling stories to the children with Pieter on his lap. There would have been tears, and I don’t mean from the toddler.”

“Will cannot resist toddlers, especially not when they’re being cute and helpful. It’s a trick, Terry. Do you know what those toddlers are when they aren’t being helpful?”

Having heard the complaint before, I dutifully replied, “They’re demonic entities disguised as children.”

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