Garrett
Chapter 28
I tried to clear my head of Ava and the moment I just had with her, but it was like forgetting your name.
Impossible.
I needed to get a hold of myself, stop acting like a lovesick puppy, and focus on what I was actually here for. I shouldn’t have left the palace to go to Bampshire—it just made everything worse. A dependence I kept feeding myself.
I’ve never felt jealous.
Never considered marriage.
Never wanted to make a woman completely mine.
But with her, I started pondering these things.
Sighing heavily, I searched the room for Hara, who was laughing with a group of her friends. Catching me out of the corner of her eye, she excused herself.
“Did you fix things with Ava?” she asked.
“Is that why you pulled me away?” I asked, irritated.
She joined her arm with mine, walking us away from a group of people who settled close to us. Weaving through the crowd, she kept her voice low. “No. It’s your alleged fiancée.”
I rolled my eyes. “What about her?”
Hara waited until we passed a few more couples, giving them sweet smiles and waves. “Do you remember my friend Vivian?”
I definitely remembered Vivian. She had raven black hair, a pair of massive breasts, and stunning green eyes. Her parents were killed suspiciously in a carriage accident, and she became a prostitute to pay off her family’s gambling debts. I had offered her help, but she’d flat out refused.
I hadn’t seen her in quite a few years, now that I thought about it.
“I remember.”
“She wrote me, stating that one of the girls overheard some talk about Pierce. He’s one of their customers. She said that not all the men were taken that day on the field. One stayed behind.”
“Probably the lookout or something.”
Hara snapped her fingers. “I thought so too, but this man said he stayed behind to make sure that the job was…well…done.”
“Who is this man?”
“I’m not sure yet, but she is going to find out. What else I thought was interesting was that the man didn’t have an accent. He was Tellivan.”
“A lot of men who visit whorehouses don’t have accents,” I said uncomfortably, not wanting to have this conversation with my younger sister.
“But this man rode up in a royal carriage.”
I stopped mid-step. “How did she know for sure?”
Hara narrowed her eyes. “It had the lion’s crest with the crown on it.”
I looked around to see if George had arrived but didn’t find him. “Do you think she could describe him?”
“Well…I don’t think she was the one who…serviced—”
“Got it,” I quickly said, running my hand over my face. “See what other details she can provide, and ask her if any of her other coworkers want to make some extra cash. I need all details they can get.”
∞∞∞
“Did you know about it?” my mother snapped, her brown eyes filled with fury. She struggled to keep her composure in the middle of Hara’s party, but her jaw twitched.
“I did.”
“How dare you not speak to me about this the moment I came back to this wretched place.”
“I didn’t want to worry—”
“We would have never come back. Edward can’t touch us—”
“He can touch you and Hara, wherever and whenever he chooses. Arunian law can’t protect her from his order because she is his daughter.”
Mama clasped my forearm and squeezed. “If Hara gets arranged to marry some spoonfed mongrel, who can’t wipe his own ass, without my permission, I will make sure your father regrets it.”
I glowered at her. “Watch your voice, Mother. You’re not in Aruna, even though it may look like it.”
“My daughter will not be pawned off like cattle!”
I stood in front of her to prevent staring eyes from seeing her rage.
“And this is why I didn’t mention anything,” I bit out.
She straightened her emerald dress and breathed out, plastering a smile on her face. “We’ll be returning to Aruna earlier than expected.” She looked over my shoulder, pausing for a moment. “Hara, my morning star, are you having a wonderful time?”
“Yes, Mama. The food is delicious. Have you eaten?”
She patted Hara’s upper arm. “Not yet. I was having a conversation with your stubborn brother. About your father.” Hara looked up at me.
“Don’t fret over it, Garr,” she told me. “I’ll be fine.” She bit the inside of her cheek but held up her chin.
“You won’t be fine if you leave,” I sneered. “They would hurt you, to hurt me, to hurt Father. I can’t protect either of you if you aren’t here.”
“That’s the problem,” Mama addressed. “You’ve been raised to protect us, to protect your father and brother. The time has come to start living your own life. You must leave before this position consumes you.”
I gave her a questioning look. “Leave? But I haven’t found the rebels. John has been sending me more and more reports. We might be close.”
Mama’s lips thinned. “I don’t know how many times I’ve heard you say that.”
“Hara found out some important intel for me today.”
Mama looked at my sister. “What is your involvement in all this?”
My sister shrugged. “Nothing, Mama. Vivian wrote me, and—”
“Have you been with her again, Garrett?” Mama asked, glaring at me. I furrowed my brows. How the hell did she just go from interrogating Hara to me?
“I haven’t seen her in years,” I argued. “What the hell does that have to do with anything?”
“It has everything to do with anything. You are trying to win over Ava.”
“No one is trying to win over anyone, or marry anyone, or even be engaged to—”
“Oh, stop misleading yourself, Garr,” Hara complained. “How can a smart man be so stupid? Is she not good enough for you?”
“Why are you both trying to marry me off?”
“Because you’re getting to be an old man,” Hara chimed, hiding a smile behind her hand.
“We just want you to start living your life, my son.”
I grumbled. “I am happy.”
Both of them tittered, which deepened my frown.
“She will not wait around forever,” Mama informed. “She will continue her life and leave you behind. Ava has a force within her that demands freedom and life. If you don’t make your intentions known, there will be other men who will. Kai is already inquiring about her.”
“Kai wouldn’t get anywhere with Ava,” I replied. “He is too much of an egotistical idiot for her taste.”
Hara pulled my arm and turned me around. “Then why is she dancing with him for the third time tonight, brother?”
I didn’t answer; I just watched the way Ava’s red hair bounced in the air as Kai taught her Arunian dance moves. She threw her head back in laughter, holding her gown off the floor with one hand while holding Kai’s arm with the other.
“They make a handsome couple,” Mama chimed. “She would make him grow up, and he would show her the world.”
I grinded my teeth. She obviously implied feelings that I wanted to keep at bay. Watching Kai’s arm wrap around her waist, I refrained from marching over to them and ripping her out of his grasp.
“You are rather boring at times,” Hara admitted, staring at the same display I was.
“Only since I’ve been here, I’m afraid. Telliva has to suck the living shit out of me.”
I was once wild and ambitious; I wanted to conquer the world and have no regrets. When my father brought me here to protect them and get rid of the assassins, I lost my outlook on life. I became so consumed with reports, backgrounds on men, and making my father proud of me.
I no longer recognized myself anymore, and if I kept this up, I didn’t think I’d ever find myself again.