Page 14 of Trickster King

“Make some calls and see if we’ve got any spare trailers. We’re going on a road trip, and I don’t think all the animals will fit in one.”

“Her Majesty really might kill you this time.”

“She really might, but I’ve horses to buy, cattle to wrangle, and ranches to work. Randy, you chat with Micky and get us an address and anything we need to do this. I’ll get us to the school to pick up the kid.”

Geoff unplugged the phone from the car and gave it back to Randy, who resumed talking with Micky to get a head count of my new horses. “Her Majesty will never let you out of her sight ever again after this stunt. I hope you’re aware of this.”

“With the way our herd is growing, did you really think I’d ever have time to do this again for the rest of my life? I’ve got exactly one shot at this, and I’m going big before I go home.”

THREE

“They’re supposed to stop people from coming in and stealing away the inmates.”

The boarding school, located far enough outside of Dallas to keep everything quiet for the kids in residence, loomed over the Texan landscape. The architects had opted for Victorian, which clashed with the nearby ranches. I parked in front of the main school building, got out, and headed for the doors to rescue my boy, probably from himself and his latest food experiment. The security guards, paid to make sure nobody came into the school without invitation, moved to block me.

Before Randy could take offense, Geoff whipped out his RPS badge, cleared his throat, and raised a brow. I chuckled at the agent’s annoyance, ignored the security guards, and stepped through the doors. “Don’t eat the guards for lunch, Geoff. They’re supposed to stop people from coming in and stealing away the inmates.”

“Children, Your Majesty,” Randy corrected.

“I’m pretty sure they’re inmates, accounted for every moment of their day from their waking moment to when they pass out from exhaustion. The last time Eddie was on break, he spent at least three days determined to do nothing but sleep before he discovered he could, in actuality, become bored.”

“Your Majesty,” he protested.

“What now?”

“At least pretend to tell the security why you’re here.”

I stopped and regarded Randy with a raised brow. “But why? I thought it was obvious.”

Both men regarded me with open curiosity, but neither spoke.

Randy sighed.

I made a show of widening my eyes. “Did I start depositing other children here without realizing it? Am I taking home extra kids? My wife might really kill me this time if I expand our herd yet again without telling her. I got away with it exactly once, and that was only because she was about to do the same thing herself.”

The guards relaxed enough to laugh, and the braver of the two, who couldn’t have escaped from high school long ago, said, “We do try to obey the rules, Your Majesty. The office notified us you would be coming, and they asked us to escort you to the nurse’s suite.”

Well, that would change my plans. “How sick is he?”

“We’ve been told to state it’s stress-induced fatigue, which has resulted in a sensitive stomach.”

I tensed. Ulcers plagued the palace staff—or they had until I’d put my foot down and reshuffled everyone to cut down general stress levels. After the first incident of an ulcer tearing open, I’d been determined to make that unfortunate and bloody affair the last to happen in my home while I ruled Texas with Jessica.

So far, my precautions worked, but the thought of Eddie suffering from a bloody ulcer because of school would do a good job of worrying me. “All right. How long do I get to keep him?”

“The nurse will discuss that with you. She’s already spoken with the headmaster about the situation. If you’ll follow me, Your Majesty?”

I nodded, and as I rather enjoyed being able to follow for a rare change, I kept a step behind the young man. Jessica reminded me daily why I’d taken up the role of being a king, but sometimes, being able to let someone else do the leading appealed. “Geoff? Can you handle going to the office and checking in on everything while I wrangle the boy? Randy, you get to raid his room for anything he needs. I think I can handle a security guard and a school nurse on my own.”

The RPS agents did as requested without a fuss, leaving me with the guard. “Now that two of the three dads are out of the way, how bad is the sensitive stomach?”

“It’s bad enough he got lightheaded from not eating enough, but beyond that, I’m not sure. I expect they’ll want him to stay home for a week or two with a light workload to make sure he doesn’t fall behind.” The guard shrugged. “He’s usually ahead of the curve, so I expect the workload will be there to keep him from losing his good ethics.”

Poor Eddie. He’d gotten a hefty dose of work ethic from everybody in his life, and I usually counted as the worst offender with Jessica coming in at a close second. “I’m sure he’ll be fine on that front.”

Unlike the office, which was located closer to the entry of the school, the nurse’s office was located in the heart of the sprawling estate, a central location ideal for emergencies. The nurse waited for me, and a pale-faced Eddie came over, latched onto my side, and buried his head against me.

The guards closed the door and remained outside.

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