Page 92 of Trained Royal
Kieren laughed. Henry came back shortly after, having given his excuses, and they filed down the hallway to the exit, where the cars waited to take them home. To ensure, at least as much as they could, that no one messed with the cars while they had been in the event, Brett had requested each car return to Windsor immediately after the drop-off and return just before they left. Luckily, the event was only within half an hour’s drive. It wouldn’t stop the chances completely, but it would significantly reduce the chance of someone planting a tracker or even a bomb on a car that had been parked in the same spot for several hours. Even if that car had the driver still in it.
As they settled into the back of a car, Kieren blew out a breath, the aching in his body making him aware of how much tension he’d held.
“Are you okay?” Patrick asked, taking his hand.
Kieren nodded, rolling his head to the side to stare at Patrick. “Always with you by my side.”
“Aww, that’s sweet.” Kieren snorted. “What does this mean, then?”
“It could be nothing at all, but my best guess would be that one of the people we replaced is the guilty party. But it could also mean Charlotte changed her plans because she knows we know. There’s no way of knowing for definite without further investigation.”
“What happens from here?”
Kieren sighed. “We will get people looking into the backgrounds of those we replaced.”
“How many people is that?”
“Too many. I believe it was over a hundred.”
“That’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.” Patrick groaned.
“It is, but we have good people. If there’s anything that looks remotely sketchy, they will delve deeper.”
Patrick snuggled into Kieren’s side, resting his cheek on Kieren’s chest. They rode the rest of the way in silence, and Kieren wondered if Patrick had fallen asleep until his head popped up as they pulled into Bagshot Park.
“I thought we were going back to Windsor?”
“I requested everyone to meet here instead of Windsor,” Kieren said. “I thought it would be a better option.”
Patrick narrowed his eyes. “What aren’t you telling me?”
Kieren shook his head. “Nothing. I promise. Windsor is always the place we seem to congregate after an event. I wanted to switch things up a bit, making us less predictable. I should have mentioned it, sorry.”
Patrick’s expression eased, and he pressed a kiss to Kieren’s fingers. “I understand.”
They climbed out of the car and headed for Henry’s suite. Kieren answered the unasked question. “I thought Henry might prefer his own rooms as the event was focused on him.”
Patrick pulled him to a stop, and Kieren raised his eyebrows. “You are one of the most selfless and caring people I have ever met.”
Kieren didn’t think so, but he knew better than to disagree. Patrick smiled as if he knew what Kieren had been thinking and pulled him along again. Henry, Robert, Des and Matt were already there.
“We have a lot of people coming, Henry. Are you sure you want everyone in here?”Brett said when he entered a few seconds later.
“It’s fine.”
Robert wrapped his arms around Henry’s shoulder, pulling him close. Patrick squeezed his hand and let go, kneeling at Henry’s feet and gripping his hand. Patrick spoke to Henry, though his words were too quiet to be heard. Henry nodded or shook his head in response to whatever Patrick was saying, and Patrick reached for Henry’s chin, lifting it slightly with his forefinger. Then he rose and made his way back to Kieren.
“Everything okay?” Kieren asked.
“Yes. He’s fine. I think the adrenaline that had kept him going through the event has finally left him. I’m just going to get him a drink and a snack. Do you want anything?”
“I’m good, thanks,” Kieren said.
Patrick kissed him, then headed for what Kieren assumed was a small fridge in the corner of the room.
“Kieren.” He glanced at Brett. “Thoughts before everyone gets here?”
Kieren frowned. “Personally, I think they know we’re onto them. With how heavily guarded Douglas was, and now Henry, they can see we’ve changed how we work.”
