Page 54 of A Wise Prince

“Augs?”

“Anna, I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” he grits out from between his teeth.

“For fuck’s sake, use your princely charms. This is our one shot; you want it or not? Because honestly, as much as it bothers me, I’m happy and I’ve let it go, well, pretty much let it go,” Anna says.

Auggie groans and runs a hand through his hair. He yanks it slightly, which leaves it sticking up after he pulls his hand away. How can he look so fucking sexy all the time? And why am I distracted by his sexiness at a time like this?

“Fine,” he growls. “But if he ends up in an unmarked grave, that’s on you.”

“Play nice, big brother,” Anna scolds.

“Prepare to see him tomorrow. Looks like you’ll be grabbing a drink at the Bleue. I’ll make sure he is at the bar at one.”

No one asks how she knows this or how she’ll make sure because I’m pretty confident that she’s gaining this intel through unapproved methods.

“I’ll call you in the morning so we can pre-game. You’re going to have to use that world-class charm we all know you have,” Anna adds.

Auggie rolls his eyes. “Whatever,” he mutters but the look of determination in his eyes is clear. He’s going to see this through.

“And, Auggie,” Anna says. “Be careful. This isn’t a game.”

“I will,” he answers before hanging up.

“We have some discussing to do,” he says to Jackie and me. Jackie nods, and Auggie walks over to a side table and pours three glasses of scotch.

“I don’t drink,” Jackie quips. “But you’ll probably want to pour yourself a double.

Auggie raises an eyebrow and pours himself another finger of scotch before sitting down in one of four chairs by the balcony.

August

“So, you know Anna,” I state, looking Jackie in the eyes. She meets my gaze, not backing down in the slightest.

“I do,” she answers.

“What do you know about Jared?” I ask because my gut tells me that she knows much more than Kate or myself think she knows.

“Enough to know that if you two are smart, you’ll stay far away from Jared and his family,” she replies.

Kate’s eyes widen. I’m a little surprised she didn’t know her security was former CIA. But then again, Kate would have been young when Jackie started working with the Secret Service.

“Jackie, I think now is the time you share your past with us,” I command.

“It’s mostly classified,” she replies coolly.

I give her a pointed look, and she sighs.

“Fine, generally speaking, I investigated the world of black market antiquities while undercover. Mostly because of the sales ties to cartels and such.”

“And what do you know of Jared?” I prompt.

“Other than he’s an asshole?” she mutters before looking over at Kate. “Sorry.”

Kate shrugs. “You’re not off base about the asshole part.”

“His father has been linked to shady groups, as well. They are...opportunistic,” Jackie adds.

“Any idea why Jared might have been there today?” I prod.

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