Page 111 of Iron Unicorn

With a giggle of her own, Olivia put the suppressor on. “We get to be entertained, Aanya.”

“Do I have to wear one, too?” the young princess asked.

Holly went around the desk, crouched in front of the little girl, and offered a bright smile. “I do happen to have one of your suppressors here, but you only have to wear it if you want to.”

The little girl held out her arm with wide eyes.

When I got a moment, I would have to tell her parents that their daughter was the definition of precious.

Patrick eyed me, and he put his hands on his hips. “You are either Terry or Terry is playing really dirty today. And that I can’t tell which is making all this fuss worth the while, honestly. And if you are Terry, we are going to have to have a talk about how pretty of a woman you make, because this is more than a little surreal.”

“Holly is just that good at makeup,” I confessed. “But I am, indeed, Terry.”

“Damn,” Olivia breathed. “I literally had no idea. I thought you were cleaning staff.”

“That was the idea,” I informed her, and I headed to the window, took the cleaning supplies, and began cleaning the glass. “And now that I have the royalty corralled, it’s just a matter of breaking out of this joint. When was this window last replaced?”

“Seven months ago. The one in my office was done nine months ago. The one in the bedroom is new. Please don’t destroy that one. If you could take out the one in my office, that would be appreciated. It’s actually due.” The king stepped into his office, and a moment later, he said, “Actually, break that one. I like the bushes under my window, and I don’t want the tree to have a bad day. That window is old enough to be worth sacrificing to the cause.”

If the king wanted his tree to be preserved, I could work with that. “Would you like to go along for the ride or ride to your wife’s rescue?”

“Ride to the rescue,” Jessica ordered.

“Apparently, I wish to ride to the rescue.” The king snickered, shook his head, and closed the door to his office. “Absolutely unreal, Terry. You came in as cleaning staff?”

“The RPS is looking for one man with an enjoyment of wearing suits.” I gestured at my skirt, turned, and showed off my immaculately shaved leg. “Until Holly, I had no idea my legs could look feminine.”

Everyone spent a moment admiring Holly’s work.

“You really did a great job with him, Holly,” Jessica complimented. “You’re one of the scamp’s aides, aren’t you?”

“I am, ma’am. Terry picked His Royal Majesty to be an accomplice, and I was brought in because of my makeup skills. I also helped him with some of his work while we waited for our opportunity. Originally, I wasn’t going to accompany, but Terry decided to change the plan. Three royals for one man to handle at once is a bit much.”

“Will I get to leave the palace, Mr. Terry?” the princess asked.

The hope in her expression and tone would have done a good job of convincing me to take her along if that hadn’t already been the plan. “You will get to leave the palace, and we’re going to play a game of hide and sneak with the Texan RPS agents. Did your father and mother warn your agents about the scenario?”

“I think so. He told them to try not to worry. He said trouble was paying Texas a visit, but that it was the fun sort of trouble.”

“I have a horse named Trouble, and she’s here in the palace stable. After we’re done, would you like to meet her and her foal?”

An excited child with something to look forward to would be more likely to stick close and behave.

“Can I? I love foals! Mr. Pat introduced me to some, and he showed me the miniature foals he got recently. They’recute.”

I bet they were. “I have two foals you can meet after we’re done here, but you need to stick with Queen Jessica, okay?”

“Okay!”

I turned my stare onto the king, and I pointed at his wife’s chair. “I’m going to have to ask you to sit, Your Majesty.”

“Oh, Terry’s pulling out the big guns,” Olivia said.

According to her maniacal grin, she was having a blast.

The king sat.

I manifested a pair of handcuffs, secured his feet to the chair, and once finished, I bowed. “Your turn to be attached to furniture for a while, Pat.”

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