I strode toward the voice, Edward falling into step beside me. Two warriors emerged from a crumbling cottage, dragging a man between them. He looked to be in his forties, thin and nervous, wearing clothes that had seen better days.
“Found him trying to sneak out the back window,” one warrior reported.
The man dropped to his knees the moment he saw me. “Please! I haven’t done anything wrong!”
“What’s your name?”
“Tim… Tim Brennan, Your Majesty.”
“Tim,” I repeated slowly. “And what were you doing hiding in that house?”
His hands shook as he clasped them together. “I was just… I was just scared when I heard voices. Didn’t know who you were.”
Edward stepped closer. “The house has been abandoned for months. What were you really doing there?”
Tim’s composure cracked. Tears began streaming down his weathered face. “I was trying to get away. I knew… I knew someone would come looking eventually.”
“Looking for what?”
“For anyone who helped him.” Tim’s voice dropped to a whisper. “I helped Lucian. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
I felt something cold settle in my chest. “How did you help him?”
Tim wiped his nose with his sleeve. “He saved my life once. Years ago, when I was dying from fever. His mother-Melissa-she gave me medicine, food. Brought me back from death’s door.”
He looked up at me with desperate eyes. “When Lucian came back here recently, asking for help, I couldn’t say no. She saved me, I owed her son that much.”
“What kind of help?” Edward demanded.
“Information,” Tim admitted. “I told him when supply trucks came through. Who was asking questions in the village. If anyone new showed up.
‘Anyone else involved?”
Tim shook his head quickly. “No! Just me. The others in Lucian’s group-they’re all gone now. Dead or disappeared. It was just me left.”
I studied his face, looking for lies. “You’re certain?”
“I swear on my mother’s grave, Your Majesty. Lucian didn’t trust many people. Most of his allies turned on him when things got bad. I was the only one still helping.”
Edward looked at me questioningly. I made a small gesture with my hand.
“Your Majesty, Edward said formally, how should we handle this?
Tim began sobbing harder, “Please… I know I was wrong. But she saved my life. I couldn’t betray her memory by abandoning her son.”
I stared down at the broken man. He’d made a choice based on loyalty to someone who’d shown him kindness. Misguided, but understandable.
“Tim.”
He looked up, fear and hope warring in his expression.
“Your debt to Melissa is paid. Lucian is dead.”
Relief flooded his face. “Thank you, Your Majesty. Thank you.”
“But,” I continued, “if I discover you’ve lied to me about anything-if there are others you haven’t mentioned-I’ll be back.”
“There’s no one else. I promise.”
Edward signaled to the warriors, who released Tim’s arms. The man scrambled backward, then hurried toward the village center.
“Edward.”
“Yes, Your Majesty?”
“Have the teams finish their sweep. I want confirmation that we’ve found everyone.”
“Of course.”
Two hours later, Edward approached where I stood overlooking the cemetery. The grave had been properly filled, Melissa’s ashes restored to their rightful place.
“The search is complete, Your Majesty. We’ve checked every hiding spot we could find. Tim appears to have been telling the truth- there’s no one else here.”
I nodded. “And the other locations on our list?”
“Teams have confirmed that the three safe houses we identified have all been abandoned. No signs of recent activity.”
“So we’ve eliminated the entire network.”
“It appears so.” Edward paused. “Your Majesty, should we question Tim further? Make sure he hasn’t forgotten any details?”
“No. He’s told us what he knows.” I turned toward the village. “Have the jet prepared. We’re returning to Blackwood.”
The sun was beginning to rise as our plane lifted off. Through the small window, I watched the remote village disappear beneath the clouds. Below us, the cemetery where Lucian now rested beside his mother grew smaller and smaller until it vanished entirely.
Sable’s POV
The morning sunlight streamed through my kitchen window as I buttered toast, the smell of coffee filling the apartment. My phone buzzed on the counter.
Chris: Good morning, Sable! Had a great time getting to know you last night. Would you like to have lunch today? I know a great Italian place. – Chris
I stared at the message, surprised by how quickly he’d followed up. It was sweet, actually-polite but not pushy.
Before I could respond, the bathroom door opened and Scarlett emerged, her hair still damp from the shower. She was wearing one of my oversized sleep shirts that barely covered her thighs.
“Why do you look so serious this early in the morning?” She padded over to the coffee maker. “Please tell me you have caffeine.”
“Someone texted.” I held up my phone.
Scarlett’s eyes lit up immediately. “Chris?”
I nodded.
“Let me see!” She snatched the phone from my hands before I could protest. Her grin widened as she read. “Oh my God, he works fast! This is perfect!”
‘I don’t know…”
“What do you mean you don’t know? Scarlett set down her coffee mug and turned to face me fully. He’s asking you to lunch, not to elope.”
I began typing: Thanks for the invitation, but I don’t think…
“Stop right there.” Scarlett grabbed my wrist. “What are you doing?”
“Declining politely.”
“Why would you do that? You had fun last night, didn’t you?
I had enjoyed myself. Chris was funny, charming, easy to talk to. “That’s not the point.
“Then what is the point?”
I sighed, setting the phone down. “Scarlett, I’m not ready to date anyone. It wouldn’t be fair to him.”
Scarlett crossed her arms. “Sable, this isn’t a marriage proposal. It’s lunch between two adults who enjoyed each other’s company.”
‘But he’s interested in more than friendship. You could see it in his eyes.”
“So? That doesn’t mean you have to marry him today.” Scarlett moved closer. “Look, you need to get out, meet people, remember what it’s like to have normal conversations with someone who doesn’t know your entire romantic history.”
She had a point.
“Besides, Scarlett continued, “maybe if you spend time with Chris, you can figure out what you actually want. Instead of just running away from everything.”
I opened my mouth to argue, then closed it. She was right.
“Sable, Chris is a good guy. He made you laugh last night-really laugh. When’s the last time that happened?”
I couldn’t remember.
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