Page 24 of The Stolen Princess
Rommel nodded. “Adler doesn’t have any nuclear weapons that I know of, but the missiles and the bombs are capable of mass destruction.”
Drake eyed the other men, breathing in a sigh of relief. The fact that they weren’t dealing with atomic bombs made things a lot easier. “Why didn’t you reach out to any of the other kingdoms earlier—tell someone that Adler was going against the Council and the Essentials treaty by building weapons?” Drake asked.
“King Adler is a very powerful man.” Rommel’s eyes dropped. “He would’ve killed my wife or me if I went against him. And besides, I had no proof he was making the weapons. Just my word.”
“So what changed?” Dawsick asked, taking his seat again.
Look who’s suddenly interested in the mission.
Rommel looked away, reluctant to answer.
“Rommel, if you’re going to work with the operatives to fight against King Adler, you need to tell us everything you know,” Winslow said.
His eyes glanced at the men around the table. “I heard a rumor that the king is sick.”
Drake furrowed his brows. “A rumor? From who?”
“Averyreliable source inside of Tolsten House,” Rommel said.
“Officer Arco?” Drake asked.
He shook his head. “No. Someone else.”
Grady leaned forward. “How sick is the king?”
“Sick enough that he might die,” Rommel answered.
“Why hasn’t Officer Arco said anything about this in our correspondence with him?” Drake asked.
“I don’t think he knows.” Rommel raised his shoulders. “No one does. From what I understand, the king’s inner circle has kept it a secret. I don’t want the king to die before this happens; once he’s gone, who knows where the weapons will end up.”
Drake couldn’t think of any reason why Rommel would lie to him. He was the one who had reached out to Trev, saying he could help Albion and the other kingdoms fight against Adler and his weapons. So far, everything Rommel had said had been true.
The king’s health changed things. Everything seemed urgent now. They needed to uncover the weaponsbeforethe king died, or they might lose them. Adler was the enemy they knew, but if the weapons fell into the wrong hands after the king died, they could be dealing with an enemy theydidn’tknow.
The door to the inn slammed shut behind them, making Rommel jump to a stand. “I’d better go. You have everything I said I would give you.” He moved to leave then stopped, looking over them. “You are the good guys, right? You aren’t going to hurt anybody, are you?”
Drake glanced around the table. Rommel didn’t know the plan the Council had come up with over the last few months. He didn’t know that the operatives planned to use Princess Mykaleen to get Adler’s weapons. Drake didn’t like it. He didn’t like using people as bait, but Trev and King Davin had been outvoted by Bryant, Marx, Reddick, and Hilton. The plan was to kidnap the princess, and Drake had to go along with it.
“We’re not going to hurt anybody,” Dawsick said with a fake smile. Was that the smile he used on Bryant to get the king to trust him?
Rommel nodded then turned, walking out of the inn.
“If King Adler is sick, it’s a good thing we’re acting now,” Portlend said.
Kase rested his elbows on the table out in front of him. “I agree. Adler’s illness provides the perfect distraction.”
“Well, I’m nervous about the plan,” Grady said. “We haven’t even talked about the logistics of the kidnapping.”
Dawsick rolled his eyes. “Let’s surround her and grab her off her horse. She’s a princess. How hard can it be?”
Drake didn’t know these men well enough to trust their abilities and he didn’t want anything to go wrong. He’d rather do the hard stuff himself. “I can take point on the kidnapping, and the princess can ride with me to the camp. Once we get there, we can figure everything else out.”
“Fine.” Winslow stood. “Is everyone ready to go? If Arco’s letter has the timing right, we’ll need to leave for Tolsten House in an hour.”
The men all nodded.
“We’re still missing a cast iron pot and some salt,” Grady said. “We’ll need it to cook with once we get to camp. I can go look for the items at the market.”
