Page 100 of Daniil
Thank fuck for my brother and his friends.I’ve known Elliott for over a decade, and though I haven’t known Chris as long, he’s a good guy.
A middle-aged woman with a short blond bob and large tortoise-shell glasses comes into the room looking confused.
“Your Majesty.”She dips into a curtsy.
“Ms.Mendal.Please.”He motions for her to take the seat Daniil has just vacated.
“I’m sorry if I’m not prepared,” she says, looking around.“I wasn’t told what this meeting is about.”
“That’s because it’s confidential,” Erik says in a conspiratorial tone.
“What can I help with?”she asks automatically, leaning forward.
“We’d like to know what you know about the resistance to the pipeline bill,” Erik says.“And please note, this isn’t about changing your vote—it’s about a potential coup in the works.Which is far more serious.”
“A coup!”Her eyes widen.“Your Majesty, you have my word, I know nothing about anything like that!As I told Elen, er, the Princess, there has been some concern about the terms of the bill, and the loss of revenue to Turkiye, but nothing about a coup!”
“I appreciate that, but can you tell us who’s been spearheading the talks behind the scenes?”Erik presses.
“As I told Princess Elen, it’s been a small group.Senators Milacek and Reinhold are leading the way, but the talk has simply been about holding out, stalling the vote to pressure you into reducing their cut from forty to thirty or thirty-five percent.That’s all.I swear to you, I’ve heard nothing else.”
This is bullshit that’s going nowhere.
And I don’t have the patience—I’m not a politician.
It’s completely out of line, but I get up and walk to the head of the table anyway.“Ms.…Mendal, is it?”
What are they going to do?Kick me out?Good luck with that.
I have zero fucks to give at this point.I’ll be respectful but I’m beyond game-playing at this point.
“Yes…and you are?”She looks at me curiously.
“Major Courtney Grimshaw, United States Marines.”I pause, looking her right in the eye.“Do you have children, Ms.Mendal?”
“I…do.”She frowns.“Three.They’re teenagers.”
“How would you feel if someone tried to use your children to impact how you vote in Parliament?”
“I would be angry,” she says automatically, a tic pulsing in her jaw.
“Well, someone is usingmychild for that very reason.But the problem is that we believe it’s a case of mistaken identity.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”The woman looks genuinely confused.
“You may have heard that Prince Daniil and I are dating, and we believe word somehow got out that my son, Micah, who’s only six months old, ishisson.But that’s not the case.Micah’s father left me when I told him I was pregnant, and Daniil and I have been friends for several years.We only recently decided to start dating, but now someone took my child in what we believe is an attempt to manipulate him into giving up on the bill.”
“Oh, dear.”She looks distraught.“I’m so sorry.”
“Thank you.”I glance over at Erik and see the note of approval in his eyes.“But my problem is that the king is trying to be diplomatic.I have no such inclination.I just want my baby back.If you knowanythingabout who might be behind the movement to stall the bill, you need to tell me.Because I promise you, no one will be safe when I find out who took my son.”My voice is quiet but there’s no mistaking the threat in my tone.
“Are you threatening…my children?”she squeaks in alarm.
“Courtney—” Daniil starts to say something but Erik silences him with his hand.
“You have nothing to worry about if you’re not involved in the kidnapping of my son,” I say bluntly.“But if you are, then yes, I am absolutely threatening you, your children, and everyone you’ve ever cared about.Do you understand that?Mother to mother?”
Her eyes are wide, worried, but there’s no fear.
