Page 52 of Protecting his Secrets

Malachi laughed a little easier this time. “Not sure I’ll be able to eat, but that’s good to know.”

Nick cleared his throat. “We’ll wander around and see if we can make contact.”

Christian nodded. “Don’t forget to use that money.” He smirked, and Nick groaned.

King Andrew had insisted on providing Nick with a not-too-insignificant amount of money to donate to the cause that night. Nick had argued that Christian was there to do that, but Andrew had insisted that Nick also do something similar. He had no idea what he was doing, but he wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible.

They wandered around the room, picking up a glass of juice, and made conversation between themselves.

“What did he mean about the money?” Malachi asked.

Nick rolled his eyes. “They wanted to make sure I was seen as someone rather than a…lackey for want of a better word. The king thought it would be a good way to bring Tarrant to us, thinking he’d get the inside scoop of what we put our money towards. I hate spending other people’s money,” he mumbled, his stomach churning at potentially making the wrong choice.

The event was holding a gallery as well as a dinner, and anyone could buy the art. But as Nick had said, he hated spending other people’s money when he hadn’t been given clear instructions on what to buy.

“Let’s check out the art, then,” Malachi said.

Nick sighed. “Okay.”

The artwork was held in a side room, and as they studied the paintings, Nick paused in front of one particular landscape. Instinctively, he knew this would’ve been one the late Queen Louisa would’ve chosen as she loved landscapes, but was it the right choice for the money? The more he studied it, the more he liked it, but he wasn’t sure if the reminder was a good option.

“You know they’d love it,” Malachi whispered in his ear. “They love the reminders of her.”

Nick closed his eyes and sighed, loving that Malachi already knew where his thoughts had gone without him having to try toexplain. After another breath, he filled out the form, enclosed it in an envelope and handed it to the person in charge of the art. When they exited, Nick didn’t feel like he could breathe any easier—and he wouldn’t until he knew if the Sutcliffes liked the painting or not.

They wandered around the outskirts of the room, and Malachi tensed. Nick followed his gaze and stopped, tightening his grip on Malachi’s hand.

“You’ve nothing to worry about,” he murmured. “I’ve got you.”

As he watched Tarrant Milton move through the guests towards them, he took stock of him. And, in all honesty, there wasn’t much to say. He was short, slender and had shocking blue hair. But the tuxedo he wore was far too big for him.

“Malachi, nice to see you again. Mr Tennant, nice to meet you finally.” Tarrant’s gaze locked on Malachi. “You’ve gone up in the world. Surprising, to say the least.”

Nick didn’t care for his tone and tensed, but Malachi shocked him with a laugh.

“Yeah, surprised me, too.”

****

Chapter 17

Malachi

Tarrant’s thinly veiled words unlocked Malachi’s uneasiness. They had talked before briefly, but there was something about him that made his stomach churn. He had to remember, though, that they were there to investigate him. He wasn’t sure Tarrant would tell him anything because Malachi would seem to be in with the royal family now, even with the opposing words he wrote in the media.

“When love calls, you have to heed it,” Malachi said, glancing fondly at Nick. Nick smiled back, though it was strained. “How are things with you?”

Tarrant nodded. “Good, thanks. I loved your latest article. In my heart, I’m hoping what you’re writing is still true, but I still wonder if your opinion has changed.”

Tightening his hold on Nick’s hand, Malachi said the words he hated, knowing he needed to keep the ruse up. “Not at all. Just because Nick works for them doesn’t mean they’re any less unnecessary. A strain on the economy is still their major role.” The words tasted of flour, and he sipped his lukewarm orange juice.

Tarrant’s face lit up. “Exactly! Same with all of this.” He waved his hand around. “Why spend thousands of pounds to hold an event like this when that money could be given directly to the cause?”

Malachi knew why, but he just nodded in response. “The artwork is incredible. Have you seen it?”

Tarrant smiled, his shoulders losing the tension they’d found during their conversation. “They are incredible. Oh! I almost forgot. This is for you.” He held out an envelope towards Nick, who frowned.

“What’s this?” he asked before taking it. He slid his finger beneath the flap and pulled out a piece of folded white paper. Unfolding it, he looked at it, and Malachi saw anger overtake him. Nick dropped the paper and grabbed Tarrant’s tuxedo jacket.

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