All Her Men (The Queen's Men Book 1) (11 page)

Chapter 27

As Amelia stepped through the doors of Parliament she whispered a small prayer. She didn’t pray often, but there were times when she just needed the strength to handle what was to come. This was one of those days.

Will split off from her the moment he noticed Gen running towards her. “Amelia! Are you alright!?!”

Laughing she replied, “Yes, I’m fine. Everything is fine.” Then the tears came. They cascaded from her eyes as if her very soul was bleeding tears of anger, relief, and disbelief. Jacob was alive, yet she had never existed to him. The assassin had taken so much from her.

How did they expect her to deal with such things? How did they expect her to remain strong? How did they expect her to fight?

Gen embraced her strongly. “Shh… It’s ok, Amelia. Sometimes you just have to cry it out.”

Heaving sobs wracked her body. Everything she had ever felt seemed to come forth in that moment. Anger, hatred, revenge, sadness, regret… It was all there, fighting its way out. The dam was broken.

After several moments Amelia realized they were sitting on the floor, Gen cradling her and rocking them both back and forth. Gen was singing to her. It was her most favorite song. One that her mother used to sing to her as a child. A soft French song about a mother’s love for her child. How the mother had fought highwaymen and dragons to save her child. She had done it all while the child explored the world, creating the battles that the mother saved him from. At the end of the song the mother fell, with sword in hand, while the child wept and realized what he had done. Realized what his mother had done to keep him safe.

What had her mother done to keep her safe? Moved across an ocean away from her father and the world he had created. A villain to some, a savior to others. He was a good man, even if the world would never see him as such. As Gen finished the final note, Amelia cleared her voice. “Gen was my father behind this?”

The hold around her tightened, giving her the answer she needed. Despite it, her father was still a good man and always would be. He had done this for a reason, she just needed to find the reason.

“Sweetie, you know that you’re like a sister to me. I’ve always tried to protect you, since the very first time we met in class. I want to protect you from this, but I don’t know how. I don’t think I can.”

“Then don’t. Just tell me what it is, so I can fight it.”

“Amelia, your father… He built up an army for you. He called them your men. They were to stand with you should his plans come to fruition. These guys are your royal guard. They served your father before his death.”

“What did my father do?”

“Your father started a war to free Scotland.”

Was he the reason Scotland was free? Was that why he was dead? So many questions left unanswered. No way to get the answers either… Or was there?

“Gen, what do you mean? I thought he had just set it up for these guys to help me.”

“Sweetie, your father adopted every single one of those boys from orphanages, except for Jacob. He was different. He was meant for you. They’re your family.”

She went still. Her heart beating so fast, as if it was trying to escape from her chest. The blood pounded in her ears. Her father had adopted them all. Except for Jacob…

Gen sighed as she continued, “He trained them to protect you. Your mother protected you in America while he built an empire here. He was revered by the people. That’s why they love you so much. However, he had a dark side. Your father started something unimaginable. He built up an army by doing a lot of illegal things. He was so popular though, no one questioned it. His enemies disappeared one by one.”

“How do you know this?”

“What I’m about to tell you is going to anger you. Sweetie, it’s going to anger you in so many ways.”

“Just tell me.” She steeled herself for what was to come.

“The man that shot you… He’s in the other room.”

Amelia broke free of Gen’s grasp and jumped up. She took off running, despite the nagging pain in her side. Gen screamed at her to stop, but she couldn’t. The assassin was here! It was time to get some answers.

As she ran into the next room she saw the man that was trying to kill her. She halted. There was the man, in the flesh, responsible for the deaths of men, women, and children. The man that was responsible for Jacob’s…

He turned and smiled at her. She lost it.

As she ran at him she was vaguely aware that he put his hands up to try to stop her. She was vaguely aware, as she jumped on him and repeatedly punched at him, that he did not fight back. He merely tried to evade the worst of the blows she reigned down upon him. It was as if he knew he deserved it.

After several punches her anger wore her down. She released his shirt, that was held in a death grip in her left hand. Stepping back she tried to shake the pain from her right hand. He wiped the blood from his mouth and laughed. This man, that had cost her so much, laughed at her.

“Oh, Jacob taught you well.”

Huh? He knew Jacob? What in the world was going on?

“Oh, you don’t know?” She shook her head. “I was one of your father’s… business associates.”

“What is going on?”

“That’s what I was trying to tell you, Amelia.” Turning back to Gen, Amelia couldn’t fathom why no one had come to get him. Why no one had stopped him once he entered Parliament. “This man was hired by your father to make it look as if a hit was out on you if anything went wrong.”

“Now, I didn’t do the bombing. I was trying to stop it, but I was too late. I’ve had some pretty lucrative contracts, so not many people will try to usurp me in a contract. In fact, only a handful of people would try. Sorry about the stomach. Shouldn’t hurt too much though. I was being pretty careful.”

“You shot me. You shot me on purpose.”

“Yes. It was the only way I could effectively stake my claim. Should buy you a few days too.”

Something seemed off about it… Like it was too convenient. There wasn’t much time though. “Who were you trying to stake your claim against?”

He grinned. “Oh, so many things are going on that you just do not know of.”

Maybe she could trust him for now. Time would tell, she just needed to be careful. Keep him where he could not harm her. Where he could be seen at all times while she tried to figure out what to do. Everything her mother had taught her about keeping your enemies close replayed in her mind, all of the thoughts ambushing her at once. Taking a deep breath, she waited for him to tell her just what she didn’t know.

Chapter 28

Jacob felt the buzz from within the pillow. Checking to make sure the door was closed he pulled the small phone loose. Upon reading the message his breath caught.

Marcus Jones says he is one of us. He
’
s here in parliament with the lass.

Marcus Jones… He had been one of them. A long time ago. Jacob still had the photo of them all as children. At one time they had all been as close as brothers. Then things changed…

Then he took a contract to bring Amelia’s family down. Eradicate everything good that had ever been done in her father’s name. Even Amelia herself.

Quickly his fingers flew across the keys. Get her out! He will kill her!

Dear God, was it already too late? Would they be able to save her? Why had they been dumb enough to let him near her in the first place? He had already shot her once!

She needed to be somewhere safe. Somewhere that he could protect her, since Will and Darren seemed to be unable to.

Bring her here!

He threw the blanket back and carefully sat up. It was time to walk. His legs would just have to obey him. Amelia’s life depended upon it. He would not let her down again. He would not let her father down again. He owed everything to him and Jacob was not about to fail him. After all, it was his fault that her father was dead. Never before had he told anyone how her father had died. Maybe this was his penance for keeping it a secret.

He reached under the pillow again to locate the anti-inflammatories that he had been palming instead of taking. Tossing three in his mouth he swallowed them with only his saliva. Hopefully they would kick in and let him do what needed to be done.

Slowly he moved his legs to where they were hanging over the side of the bed. They would hold, he just had to believe that they would. They would hold just long enough to get to the closet. To get what he needed.

Cautiously he stood. His legs wobbled, but held. Pain seared his back. It was as if a thousand scorpions were stinging him and embedding glass within his spine. Gritting his teeth, he took his first step.

Long forgotten words came back to him.
“
Lad, never be ashamed at loss. Only be ashamed for not trying to win yer heart
’
s desire. Take the ocean. It strives to rise with the moon. The closer the moon is the harder it tries.
‘
Tis never ashamed that it cannot reach the sky. Only at the end of each night is it too tired to try anymore. It tries again the next night and never will it give up.
”

The lesson had been on gravity, but as a child he took it to heart. He vowed to never give up, and to always try again. As his legs wobbled he froze. There had been no answering response from Will. Will would have answered, unless he was unable to. There was only one reason for which he would have been unable to answer.

More determined now than ever, he took his next step and his next. With each step the pain lessened and his legs felt stronger. The doctor had been right. Walking did help. After a few stumbles he reached the closet. Upon opening the door, he sought his prize. A small black duffle bag.

The contents it held were exactly what he needed. As he bent to grab it, he bit his lip to keep from screaming. The pain was so intense. The feeling of glass slicing away at his nerves was almost overwhelming. As he tasted blood, he took several deep breaths. Opening the bag, he grinned. His favorite guns were lying on top. Waiting for him to grab them. His palm itched, desperate for the feel of the cool metal.

It was time. Time for him to save the woman he loved. Time to tell her everything. Even if she hated him. First he would find her.

Will and Darren would have taken over the parliament building. That would have been a central location and easily defendable. That’s where he would start.

Chapter 29

As Marcus Jones put away his phone, she wondered about him. If only she could ask Jacob if what he said was true. If only Jacob would know the answer. He would not though. Instead, due to her, he was stuck in a hospital bed. Unable to walk. Unable to remember. She was useless without his knowledge.

Wait. She could ask Will and Darren!

Where were they anyway? They were always with her. Except… she hadn’t seen Darren all day, since she had been shot, and Will didn’t come inside with her. In fact, even Gen was quiet. Gen was never quiet.

Slowly she backed up. The entire building was quiet. Too quiet. Not a single sound could be heard outside of the room. Not even sounds from Chris’ men. Had they returned from the Tridents or had something happened to them all? Chris would never have left Gen’s side. Not even if Gen had terrible news to tell her. Dread filled her. Especially, not if there was an assassin in the next room…

“So you have finally figured it out. I was wondering how long it would take you, but you are your father’s daughter.”

Her breath caught. It was true. They were all in trouble. How could Marcus have gotten to all of them? Did he… Did he kill them? “What did you do with them?”

“I didn’t kill them if that’s what you’re asking. I merely got them out of the way for a bit. Although, Jacob will have to be killed I’m afraid. He’s stood in my way for far too long. Did he tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

A sadistic grin was aimed in her direction as he pulled his gun from the small of his back. He momentarily looked away, checking the chamber before aiming it at her. “That I was the one that killed your father.”

Fear gripped her heart. It was not alone though. Anger. Her heart was wrapped in the icy claws of fear and anger. A thousand other emotions took root, but those two seared her very soul. Like a fire out of control, she allowed the emotions to fill her. Basking in the anger and hatred, she wished she had a gun of her own. How dare he… How dare he take so much from her!

“Yes, I killed him. Stabbed him when he was least expecting it. Contracts are important in this world. The contract for him was just too good to pass up. Took me forever to locate you. I had to convince him that the only way you would come out of hiding is if you were made queen. Essentially taking the place your father wanted you to take.”

“Convince who?”

A voice from off to the side interrupted. “Why me, my dear.”

Turning , she saw the head of the Scottish Nationalist Party. The man that had introduced her to Parliament, welcoming her. Making her feel at home. His touch had felt cold, but she had dismissed it. She should have listened to her instincts.

Although, there was no reason for his betrayal. Had he gone mad? What would he have against her?

He stepped fully into the room. His dark suit out of place on him. Or maybe the darkness suited him, as if his true personality was finally showing. The blood red of his tie stood out to her. Would he spill her blood?

He placed his hands behind his back and stood regally. “It took some doing; however, it was able to be done. It was necessary to be done.”

“Why?” Casually she took a few more steps back, keeping them in sight. If she could just get to the door. Although, she had to know. So many people had betrayed her. Without a single reason for any of it. Maybe she was mad for wanting a reason. She just had to know why people that she had never met, sought to harm her so deeply.

“Oh, dear lass, your father took your mother from me. He uprooted me from within my own. Took my empire from me. Someone had to do the same to him. Someone had to take everything from him.”

“But he’s dead! Why are you still trying to hurt me?”

“Because I don’t believe he is dead. Even if it is so, revenge is sweet. I think I shall keep you. Yes, that will be even more lovely. A greater revenge than I ever imagined.” His grin was quickly washed from his face and replaced by a snarl. “Bring her. She will be mine.”

Strong arms wrapped around her from behind. She screamed and fought.

“Dear Lord, shut her up. She makes more sound than a witch burning in water.”

Another hand came from beside her and pressed a cloth to her mouth. It smelled foul. She tried to shake it off, but her strength was waning. Her eyes were closing. Her strength fled and her eyes closed. So this is it. This is how I die.