Chapter 11

Nicholas

“Shit, they gotta hurry,” Derek whispers, fastening his jacket as he rubs his hands together. As he speaks, his breath turns into a white mist, slowly rising up in the air before being picked up by a gentle breeze. Even though the days have been warm, the nights remain cold and somber, just like the state the realm is in.

“Lucien,” I say into the radio, holding it close to my mouth as I hold down the button on the side. “What’s the holdup?”

“No hold up,” he replies quickly, his voice coming out of the radio more rugged than it really is. “Snow is already going down. She’ll exit through the front and you guys pick her up.”

“Roger.”

“Richard, William, and I will double back to see if there’s any surveillance in this place. I’ve already signaled the others to meet at the rendezvous point.” There’s a faint steady sound from the other side of the line, and I realize that he’s hurrying down a set of stairs. “Over and out,” he finishes, and then there’s only silence.

“I don’t like this,” Derek continues, looking from one side to the other as he keeps on rubbing his hands. “We’re too exposed in here. Snow should have never came.”

“But here I am.” Startled, one hand already on the butt of the gun I have tucked under my belt, I turn on my heels. And there she is, standing in the doorway with a serene expression. For someone who has a whole army looking for her, she seems more poised than I expected. And, despite wearing just a simple dress, there’s no mistaking who she really is: the most beautiful woman in the whole kingdom.

“Good,” I smile, even though I feel my heart beating at a rising pace. Soon enough there’s going to be roadblocks everywhere, and if we don’t hurry...Well, I guess all seven of our heads will end up adorning the walls of the palace. Sure, we live in civilized times, but Queen Moira is a throwback to darker times. “Let’s move.”

Nodding at Derek, we both position ourselves by Snow’s side. Walking with her, we go down a few blocks, trying to act as casually as possible. You might think that acting stealthy might be the best way to escape this situation, but acting as normal as possible is usually the way to go.

By the time we’re only a few hundred meters away from our meeting point, a car in the distance flashes its headlights at us. I start hurrying toward the car, but Derek just places one hand on my chest and stops me dead in my tracks.

“That’s not our team,” he merely says, and I narrow my eyes, trying to focus on the car waiting for us. Not, it’s definitely not our team; Lucien is supposed to be driving a black van, not an SUV.

“Then, who the —?” I start to say, but then I answer my own unfinished question. “What the hell is the Prince doing here?”

“No fucking idea,” Derek growls, slowly placing one hand behind his back and taking out his gun. “But I don’t like this. He wasn’t supposed to be here.”

Then, perhaps tired of waiting, the SUV slowly starts rolling down the road. We stand there waiting, no doubt in our minds that it’s Prince Gladrell sitting inside that car. Thing is, what the hell is he doing in town? He was supposed to be rallying the support of the cities surrounding the capital, not tracking us down.

“Took me long enough to find you,” Gladrell breathes out as he jumps out from the back of the SUV, running one hand through his hair and smiling at Snow. Even for a nobleman, he always went overboard with his I’m-just-too-cool presumptuous air.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Derek asks him, his voice more nervous than I expected. Despite not being the one in charge of intelligence efforts, Derek always had a knack to spot when something’s wrong.

“I’m here to pick the Princess up,” he tells Derek with a shrug, offering Snow one more smile. “The situation has changed, and I think she’d be safer with my team.”

“That’s not the plan,” I tell him, taking one step forward and staring him down. I’ve never been one for confrontation, but sometimes a man has to stand his ground.

And before you say anything, let me just tell you that I don’t trust Gladrell right now. The situation is fluid and his trust was never very stable to begin with.

“Easy there,” Gladrell hisses. At the same time, two of his bodyguards climb down from the SUV. They’re both wearing black suits and in-ear monitors, and they definitely don’t have a friendly expression on their faces.

Something’s wrong. Something’s definitely very wrong.

“Snow, please, let’s go,” Gladrell insists, and both Derek and I just look at Snow. Even though something about Gladrell being here smells bad, ultimately it’s up to the Princess. Thankfully, she’s not a dumb one; instead of walking toward the Prince, she takes a step back.

“No,” she whispers, reaching for me and grabbing my arm. “I...I have to stick with them.”

“Don’t be an idiot,” Gladrell hisses, “do you think these idiots can protect you? The whole army and police force is looking for you! I’m the only one who can protect you right now, Snow, you gotta believe me.”

“No,” she repeats, shaking her head and digging her fingers into my bicep. The moment she finishes speaking, Gladrell’s bodyguards make a sudden movement, lowering their hands and reaching for the guns on their thighs.

Unfortunately for them, they’re no match for the kind of training we’ve gone through. Before they even know what happened to them, Derek and I take one step forward. I headbutt the bodyguard in front of me, grabbing him by the wrist, and then simply force him to fold onto the ground. Derek dispatches his with a well placed knee to the groin, stealing his gun and emptying the chamber in one quick motion.

“What the —?” Gladrell starts, but his next words are drowned out by the roar of an approaching engine. A second later a black van swerves onto the sidewalk.

“Fuck off, Prince,” Derek growls at him and, without a moment’s hesitation, he and I grab Snow by the arms and pull her into the back of the van.

“What the fuck was that?” Lucien asks us, looking out the rearview mirror at the distant figure of the Prince.

“Nothing good, that’s for sure,” I whisper, and then I look down at Snow. She’s sitting on the floor, her back against the wall, and there’s a vacant expression on her face. “Hey,” I call after her softly, and she raises her eyes to meet mine. “You don’t have to worry.”

“You don’t,” Derek repeats.

“Whatever happens...” Lucien says, placing one hand on her shoulder and allowing Richard to finish his sentence.

“We’ll always protect you.”

“Thank you...” she whispers, looking at us with a thankful expression. God, she really is the most beautiful girl in the world...especially when she’s looking at me with those sweet eyes of hers.

“Alright, let’s go,” Lucien suddenly says, driving into a tight alley and stopping there. Moving fast, Derek and I open the back doors and jump out. On the outside, there’s already an empty van waiting for us. Even Prince Gladrell doesn’t know about our hideout, and we have to be absolutely sure we’re not followed. Besides, right now we have to be more cautious than ever; there’s a chance someone might be caught, and so using various vans is the way to go.

“Come,” I tell Snow, offering her my hand as Derek sits behind the wheel of the second van. “It’s going to be a long drive.”