Page 29 of Iron Unicorn

Between the two of us, we could deal some horrific blows to the protective agency. The thought tempted me. How far could we push the agents before we witnessed a meltdown?

In Montana, the royals were encouraged to push buttons and test boundaries. It better prepared everybody.

Texas had a trickster king and his temperamental wife, but the pair only tested certain boundaries—and only if they wanted to do something for their family. Eddie showed promise he would grow to become a royal capable of giving RPS agents gray hairs.

Such things created a stronger detail.

“You’re having thoughts. Share them with me,” Olivia demanded.

“I am debating how far we can push the Texans before they require lengthy therapy to recover,” I admitted. “We don’t want to give the entire agency a breakdown at the same time, so we have to approach them with care and caution.”

She giggled. “I like the way you think. What’s the first stage of toying with them?”

“Cooperation. If they feel we are playing the game to their rules, they’ll become comfortable. Once they’re comfortable, it’s much easier to get around their base defenses. I’ll suffer through three miles, I will insert the appropriate amount of complaining I’m being subjected to hiking as physical therapy and play at being exhausted.”

“Terry, you’re going to be exhausted. Yesterday was the first day you weren’t drugged into a stupor and capable of staying awake for eight hours.”

“My pride insists that I will be able to handle the load with grace. But if Iamexhausted, they’ll settle in, confident I won’t be causing them any trouble. I’ll just have to deal with being tired.”

“You’re going to regret that.”

“Ah, but they will regret it more than I will, and that’s all that matters.”

Snickering and shaking her head, she grabbed a stick and poked at the fire. “I’m just glad you got sick here rather than in New York. The physicians were able to convince Rachel that you being here and having time away from work would be the best for you, but she was getting pretty worried. She heard the death cough and ended up on the ceiling before Ethan calmed her down. Once she learned you’d basically inhaled your food rather than eating it? That chilled her out. Apparently, freak accidents are easier for her to cope with. Expect Ethan to be a tyrant about your physical therapy once you’re in New York. Revenge, apparently.”

I chuckled. “If my queen wants to indulge in some revenge, I don’t mind. I have been a bit of a tyrant about her physical therapy.”

“A bit? You’re ademonaccording to Ethan. An absolute demon. And he can’t even complain because your demonic ways have gotten incredible results. She’s almost healthy, and it hasn’t been that long. However, I made a mistake, and I need to apologize for it.”

“I can’t think of a single thing you need to apologize for.”

“I told Rachel about mud runs.”

Several choices loomed before me. I could run, hide, and pray to some god that my queen forgot about the whole concept of mud runs. I could prepare, expecting to referee my queen’s attempt at getting dirty on a physically intensive course. I could accept the bitter truth: I would be participating, as there was no way my king would even think of allowing my queen anywhere near a mud run without RPS agents trialing them for their entertainment.

I sipped my coffee while my heart took up residence somewhere in the general vicinity of my feet.

Me? Do a mud run? And if it was in New York, post therapy, I would be ruining at least one suit doing it.

“It gets worse.”

How could the situation possibly get worse? “Dare I ask?”

“She wants to handle pitching the project, so you’ll have to play dumb. You must be surprised and then dismayed that you are being forced into such a thing. And she will slate it as physical therapy. But the reality? She wants to watch you be beat by some course the New York RPS sets up at her demand. You win if you clear the course—and if you can clear the course, fresh out of being tortured in Texas, then it should be safe enough for Rachel to use for physical therapy.” Olivia saluted me with her cup of coffee and took a sip. “Not my intention, but once you’ve been defeated by the course, I am going to invade New York so I can have a turn at it.”

I sighed, accepted the reality of my near future, and said, “All right. I’ll play dumb about it and make it appear as though I am unaware of what she’s planning. I will even be a little extra dramatic for her enjoyment.”

“I’m just going to apologize in advance for what’s going to happen to that poor suit of yours.”

“I’m sure there will be recordings of my suit’s destruction for your enjoyment. Just nag the RPS until they give it to you. The New Yorkers are still pushovers, so I’m sure you can get the exercise footage out of their hands.”

“I’m going to request it as part of my plan to make my brother pay.”

Well, I wished His Royal Majesty of Montana luck in the future. He would need it. “Just try to leave him alive.”

“That much I can do. I’m going to recruit his children. Iftheybeg for the mud run and imply their daddy can’t handle it, he’ll be forced to participate. Daphne will go all in upon being informed she can roll Will around in more mud.”

Of course. Some things never changed. “Is there anything else that happened while I was sleeping on the job I should know about?”

---