The Far Bank of the Rubicon (The Pax Imperium Wars: Volume 1) (38 page)

Jack spoke in a deferential tone, leaving Anna wondering where he was heading. “Your Grace. I just wanted to say I am sorry about your loss.”

“My loss?”

“Yes, I know we’re not always to speak of such things when we learn of them through the back channels, but I know that you hand pick your bodyguard, so the murder of Captain Jeremy Holland must have come as quite a shock.”

If a statement could have sucked all the air out of the room, this would have been it.

In a split second, Malek went from fuming, to terrified, to deadly.

In a voice devoid of all emotion, he said calmly, “You must be mistaken, Mr. Halloway. Captain Holland is quite well.” He didn’t even try to feign ignorance.

Jack continued without any sign of being perturbed. Anna couldn’t have been prouder of him at that moment. He answered with equal detachment. “Come now, Duke Malek. We have seen the body. Someone killed him.”

“I assure you, you’re mistaken. In fact, he is on duty here tonight.” Looking around the room, Malek tried to spot the fake Holland. Seeing that he was no longer at his post, he paused for a moment. “He seems to have slipped out of the room, but I assure you, Holland is very much alive.”

Jack feigned concern. “If that is the case, we have a serious problem, Duke Malek. We believe that Captain Holland was murdered by an undercover operative working for the Unity. He has murdered thirteen of our people since the beginning of the war. It is of the utmost importance that we speak to him as soon as possible. He cannot be trusted.”

For a second, Malek turned white. He answered with murder in his eyes. He didn’t even try to look surprised. “Of course. I will find him and make him available as soon as possible. Anything to support our efforts in the war. Would an interview tomorrow morning be soon enough?”

Jack thought it over. Anna thought he might object. He didn’t. “That will be just fine, Duke Malek.” He looked at Sophia and back at the Duke, bowed again and said, “I apologize for the interruption.”

The Duke waved them away with his hand, and as he did, Anna quickly shut off her bioelectronics, feeling a wave of relief that she hand’t been caught.

As they walked away, Jack said under his breath, “We got him.”

Anna turned toward him, and lowering his head, gave him a kiss on the cheek. She couldn’t have been more pleased.

Timothy Randall’s mouth smiled. His eyes did not. “Thank you for your generous offer, Bruno, but I think that we will leave this in the hands of my competent associate. I would prefer that you not interfere further. Jack Halloway is a pet project of mine and none of your concern. Tonight’s attack on the Prince must be called off. We will handle this situation without your assistance.”

Elijah Summers recognized Malek’s peril. He hadn’t made a good impression.

Malek was no fool. He didn’t return the smile. Even in the artificial world of intraspace, he looked concerned, but whatever was going on behind those eyes, he kept to himself. “As you wish.”

“Thank you. That will be all, Bruno.” Randall dismissed Malek with a nod.

Malek stood and bowed before leaving the conference room. Randall ignored him completely.

When he’d left, Randall still stared at the spot where the intraspace door had been. He practically growled as he spoke. “The man is incompetent, a complete fool. Imagine offering you for an interview. What could he have been thinking? As soon as this is all over, he will have to be replaced with someone more intelligent.”

Elijah Summers kept his own thoughts on the matter to himself. Randall wasn’t in the mood for advice.

For a moment, Randall rubbed his temples. Then he stood up and paced the small room.

Summers had never seen Randall wear his emotions so near the surface. It bothered him.

“K, it really is too good of an opportunity to pass up. We need to capitalize on this somehow. All the fish in the same pot. It’s like the Universe was sending us a gift.”

Summers shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He didn’t believe in the Universe or any other superstitious nonsense. His family had given up such ridiculous notions generations before, when the communists ruled ancient China. Portents and signs—no matter their origin—were the bane of good planning.

Randall must have noticed his discomfort because he stopped pacing, calmed himself, and returned to his seat. “I’m letting my emotions get the better of me, K. I know that. It’s just that I didn’t climb to the CEO’s chair by letting anyone thumb their nose at me. There’s only been one person who didn’t feel my wrath when they tried to do so. Only one, and now after years of skulking in that palace on Athena, he’s there within meters of you.”

Randall seemed anxious for Summers to grasp the reason for his state of mind. He leaned in, frowned a little, and then continued. For emphasis, he gestured as he spoke. “Getting rid of Jonas Athena is a key to ending the resistance to our domination of the galaxy. In a similar way, capturing Jack Halloway assures us that other forces in the Unity understand that no one turns down an offer from Timothy Randall and gets away with it. He’s a blemish on my record. The only flaw. It’s time we dealt with that flaw.”

Just after Sophia had taken off her dress, there was a knock on the door. Expecting to find Jonas, she threw on her robe and opened it. When she saw the man who had been her father bobbing there, disheveled, and reeking of alcohol, she instinctively tightened it. The rage in her chest at the sight of him declared her revulsion. It had been difficult not to lash out at him at the party.

He didn’t ask to enter. He just came in.

Since she had left to live at the palace on Athena, they hadn’t spoken much. Leaving the tyranny of her home had been an essential part of becoming her own person. It had surprised her how stifled she had felt, stepping foot on Pontus again. The palace seemed a prison, and having the warden back in her room made her nervous.

Sophia chided herself. She wouldn’t be bullied any longer. She was an adult, no longer at this man’s mercy.

He pushed past her and took a seat in one of the stiff, high-back chairs at her table. Sophia came and sat across from him. Apparently, they were supposed to have a chat.

Malek looked at her through bloodshot eyes. “How are you, Sophia?”

Never before had he sought after her welfare. Knowing that the visit must have a purpose, Sophia gave a noncommittal response. “I’m fine. How’re you?”

“Good, good.” Malek blinked languidly, his reactions slowed by the alcohol. “How are you doing at the palace on Athena? Are you spending time with Stephen?”

“Some.”

He saw through her words. He knew she hadn’t been anywhere near Stephen’s bed. Malek scowled a little. For a moment, he looked angry—angry enough for violence.

Sophia stiffened in her chair, ready to spring to safety if necessary.

Then as quickly as it appeared, his anger melted, and his disposition turned sunny. The volatility made him feel all the more dangerous.

He dismissed her lack of ‘progress’ with a wave of his hand. “No matter. No matter. In fact, it’s no longer necessary. You won’t be going back to Athena.”

Sophia felt her heart beating faster. Still, she kept quiet. The Duke was not one to cross unless necessary and certainly not when he was as intoxicated as he was now. There was something in his mood which made her nervous.

One thing she knew for sure. Whatever he wanted, she wasn’t going to be separated from Jonas. She knew Jonas wouldn’t let that happen.

Usually, the man sitting across from her was as predictable as the rain in Tourgout. Tonight, something was different. He appeared both giddy and agitated.

For a moment, Malek stared at the wall near the table, his thoughts taking him elsewhere. Then as suddenly as he was gone, he returned. Now he turned to her directly, concentrating to bring his eyes to focus. “In fact, if all goes well, very soon your efforts will no longer be necessary.”

He reached out and took her hand, conspiring with her in some plan which he had not revealed. “I’m so close, Sophia. I am so close to achieving what our family has wanted for all these years—for generations. After tonight, things will be different. You’ll see.”

Sophia wondered whether he was really speaking to her or himself.

Suddenly, he seemed to remember where he was and to whom he was speaking. He let go of her hand and stood up. Straightening his rumpled jacket, he said, “Well, I just came here to say, for your own safety, stay in your quarters tonight.”

Sophia’s heart skipped a beat.
What does he have in mind? What is he going to do?
She thought about trying to pry him open, but years of dealing with his tirades led her to keep her thoughts to herself. Anyone who lived with Duke Malek as a father learned to go around him, rather than through him.

Instead, she answered in her most conciliatory tone. “Yes, Father. I will. I hope… I hope you get what you deserve.”

The drunken Malek nodded and smiled at her as he waddled back out of the room, unaware of the meaning of his daughter’s words.

Something was desperately wrong. Sophia Malek understood that much. Her father must have been quite drunk to even hint at his plans with the Athenian delegation. He knew of her friendship with Jonas, if not of her status as the Prince’s lover, although it was very possible he knew of that as well. There had been an article or two recently in the royal gossip nodes about the mysterious woman in Jonas Athena’s life.

Alcohol and the Duke made for an unpredictable concoction. Most often it led to violence, and then there were moments like tonight. Tonight he had shown more concern for her than he had in years. He also had taken her in as a confidante, something he had never done before. Some part of Sophia decided she preferred the predictability of her father’s rage. In almost all instances, she knew how to deflect and avoid it.

Whatever he was planning, it couldn’t be good. He had already betrayed Athena once. She had no doubt that her father would seize a suitable opportunity to do so again, if it suited his purposes. He wouldn’t let something “small” like being on the wrong side in a war get in the way of advancing his own position, and he certainly wouldn’t want his precious daughter associating with the wrong side. That might reflect badly on him.

Overall, the only surprise tonight had been how he interacted with Jack Halloway. There was more going on there than she understood, but she had never seen her father so dangerous. She could feel the murder flowing in him as if it were his own life’s blood.

No matter what was happening, she knew that her best bet to find anything out would come from Jonas. He’d become more and more withdrawn from her, and it was time that he told her the truth, the whole truth, no matter how difficult for her to hear.

She wasn’t going out in public, so she threw on a pair of pants, a shirt, and a pair of shoes. Stepping up to the wall panel next to her wardrobe, she released the catch that opened the door to the private family passageways. It was dark until Sophia stepped in. Then the responsive lighting kicked in, giving her a dimly lit path.

Sophia almost ran forward as she navigated confidently through the twisting hallways, past secret exits and spy windows looking into other bedrooms and suites.

When she had been young, these passageways had been her and her brother’s means of escape whenever their nurse asked them to do something they didn’t want to do. The servants were strictly forbidden from entering, except with special permission to clean them. In fact, just discussing their existence could lead to a stern reprimand from the family, if not outright dismissal. As far the staff was concerned, the family passageways didn’t exist.

However, their nurse had become quite adept at guessing where they would pop out and meeting them at the other end. Looking back, Sophia surmised that they hadn’t exactly been quiet as they trundled behind the walls. Now however, she moved with stealth and caution.

When she came to the door leading to Jonas’ room, she listened before she exited. The room was quiet. She knocked and then opened the door.

When she stepped out, she looked down at her chest to see several small pinpoint lasers aimed at her heart. She started to scream when someone clamped a hand tightly over her mouth. Several members of the Athenian security team were positioned in the darkened room, most of them near the windows.

Jonas stood near the bed, frozen in the middle of packing a military duffle-bag. Next to him stood her tutor at the palace, Dmitri.

One of the security personnel had placed his body between the Prince and Sophia, weapon drawn and aimed at her head. Sophia recognized him as Alex, the head of the palace security team back on Athena.

Seeing who it was, Jonas seemed to wilt, and the security personnel relaxed.

Alex looked briefly at Jonas and Dmitri.

Dmitri nodded.

The guard stepped forward and whispered discreetly into Sophia’s ear, “Lady Malek, if I have my guard let go of your mouth, you aren’t going to scream, are you?”

Sophia shook her head.

“Good. Now the room is bugged. We can’t talk openly. I have your word that you will do exactly as I say and that you won’t do anything to hurt the Prince?”

This time Sophia nodded her head.

The female guard behind her let go of her mouth but not her shoulders.

Jonas just stared at her.

The look he gave her was somewhere between heartbroken, ashamed, and guilty, almost like he had been caught with another woman.

Sophia looked at the bag, the guards, and then saw the large envelope on the bed next to him with her name on it. The missing pieces fell in place.

She had to stifle the wail of pain which rose up inside.

Jonas came to her, even as she did all that she could to keep her sobs quiet. She only partially succeeded.

As he reached for her and tried to take her in his arms, she thrashed about, head butting him as hard as she could in the nose.

Jonas grunted in pain and stepped back, blood instantly appearing from between his fingers.

The grip on her shoulders tightened, and the hand went immediately back over her mouth. She continued to thrash. She wanted nothing more than to get free and vent her rage on the coward who now stepped quickly away from her.