Page 39 of Furever Loyal
Much, much worse.
19
“Let her go,” he said, pushing aside the guards the instant Haley was out of the chamber.
They rushed to restrain him, and the Queen’s Guard stepped forward, hands on the hilts of their swords, but he wasn’t trying to attack. Kincaid simply did not wish to speak while surrounded by Kvoss’ thugs.
At first, he’d thought the men arresting him were soldiers, but after getting his initial anger under control, he’d realized they weren’t anything of the sort. Kirell knew him better than that; he’d probably refused to participate in this charade. So, Kvoss had used his own men. Though the position of Assassin suggested a sole operator, the truth was that a small group of shifters supported him. Aides, assistants, and backup. The latter was what formed his current prison detail.
The real question for him wasn’t who the men reported to, but who had perpetrated this charade? Which of the Title Holders had come forward with the evidence against him? How had they discovered it, he wondered? Or had they been fed the information straight from Canis itself?
“Not until we find out how much she knows,” Kvoss said calmly. “Once she divulges what information she knows and how she helped you, she will be free to go.”
Kincaid rolled his eyes. “Seriously? She doesn’t know anything.”
“So, you did it all your own?” Kvoss asked, leaning forward in his stone chair.
“I didn’tdoanything, you dunderhead. I’m being framed. Isn’t that obvious?”
Kvoss shook his head. “No, I’m afraid it’s not.”
Gritting his teeth, Kincaid tried to remain cool. As much as he and Kvoss hated each other, he truly doubted the Assassin was a traitor. The man was just as loyal to House Ursa. Unlike Kincaid, however, he had allowed his feelings on the other man to cloud his judgment.
Kincaid knew how that felt, because he knew, on some level, he was doing the same thing with Haley. He was letting his feelings toward her cloud his judgment on how involved he let her get in the case, a fact that had just been starkly pointed out to him when she was taken from the Throne Room and likely tossed into a jail cell if Kvoss had any say in it. The Assassin wasn’t one for diplomatic niceties either.
It rankled Kincaid, knowing that the fault for her involvement lay squarely on his shoulders. He should have dropped her off at the office and come back to report on his own. A simple phone call would have done the trick too, though he preferred to speak in person.
Not that he could bring any of that up now, however, not without implicating the Queen. None of them seemed to know that she’d let him go after being told of the money in his account, though he was sure some could draw conclusions between Haley’s appearance several days earlier, and the goings-on now. Still, none of them had been around to hear Haley say his name, so the Queen was safe. Sort of.
While his own fate was very much up in the air, if the Queen remained on the throne, he could rest easier, knowing she would see to Haley’s safety. That was his first priority right now, getting her out of House Ursa safe and unharmed.
“Well, it should be,” he said, turning his attention back to Kvoss. “Anyone with half a brain could see it.”
In hindsight, he probably shouldn’t have insulted every Title Holder in Ursa who suspected him of being guilty. There were far better ways to explain things, ones that wouldn’t have worked against him. Unfortunately for Kincaid, he’d declined to choose them. Any of them.
“How do you explain then, the fact that you don’t seem surprised at these accusations? Neither you nor Miss Menard, in fact, was overly stunned. I might say that anyone with half a brain would consider that suspicious. Wouldn’t you, Kincaid?”
He gritted his teeth but didn’t say anything. Haley had warned him others would see it that way, that it was, perhaps, the more logical way of viewing it, but he’d been dismissive of just how convinced his opponents would be by those facts. Now, he was paying the price for not having a proper rebuttal in place to defend himself. Kvoss knew it too. He could see the victory on his face.
“I request to be allowed to interrogate the traitor. To discover who he is working with, and any additional traitors he may have inside House Ursa,” Kvoss said, leaning backward.
I’m going to wipe that smug smile off your face the second I’m free, you sonofabitch,Kincaid promised silently.
Kvoss kept smirking, clearly believing himself to be in the right.
The Queen seemed ready to deny the Assassin the request, but Kincaid did a quick headcount and knew she would be forced to acquiesce. Seven of the ten Title Holder positions were currently filled.
Kirell was the only one he was confident would vote against such a proposal. Kvoss and the Queen would essentially abstain. Kive, the Priest, was a friend of Kvoss, and thus would cancel out Kirell’s vote. The Reaver, Magi, and Herald would see no reason to object to Kvoss’ request.
Being in Europe for the past decade, Kincaid had not been present to make any friends with those currently in power. As it turned out, staying off the grid also meant he lacked allies in the political arena. He’d been more than content with that fact, but the changing landscape of House Ursa thanks to the uprising, meant it was now working against him. Kincaid had never expected to need allies, but now he fervently wished he’d at least madesomeattempt to cultivate friendships.
“It is decided,” the Queen said after a quick headcount. “Kvoss, see what you can find. However,” she added sternly, her iron stare landing on the Assassin. “Keep in mind that while perhaps unlikely, itispossible Kincaid is telling the truth. If we find that to be the case, I expect him to be in a condition to resume his duties after you finish questioning him. Am I understood?”
Kincaid tried not to let his gratitude show. The Queen wasn’t overstepping her boundaries at all. She was the Queen after all, but her position as head of House Ursa was still fragile, and Kincaid knew she did not have many allies among the Title Holders either. Holding back Kvoss would cost her some support in that matter. He hoped it wouldn’t be too much.
Kvoss met the Queen’s gaze, held it for a moment, then nodded. “Very well.” He pointed to the guards and they snatched him by the arms and started dragging him from the room.
“I canwalk,” he snarled, ripping himself free. The guards all turned to face them and Kincaid met them with a sneer. Any two of them, he would bet on being able to take. Their only advantage was in numbers, and he intended to drill that fact home.
