Page 57 of The Prodigal Prince

Mac kept a straight face, but gave a slight nod. He’d cooperate until the chance to get Gray and escape came.

Mr. Villain motioned toward a chair on the other side of the table. “Sit.”

With a wary eye on Mr. Villain, Mac sat where he’d pointed.

“There’s something we need to discuss.” Mr. Villain sat across from Mac and tried to project a confidence and calmness Mac felt certain was only an act.

The two men entered a stare down, one Mac had no intention of losing.

Finally, Mr. Villain looked away, but motioned to Lefty as he did.

Lefty took a position directly in front of the door to the room that held Gray.

“Why are we here?” Mac spoke first. “What could you possibly want if you don’t want money from my sister?”

Mr. Villain stared at him again. “Because you’re my brother.”

17

The room where Fiona sat couldn’t be far from where Mac and their son were being held, but there wasn’t any way to get to them.

She’d been taken to the suite she’d shared with Mac and Gray.

After sharing everything she knew, which wasn’t much, Thor and Silas told her to rest. They’d let her know if they found anything.

With the Dowager Queen’s assistance, Fiona had managed to clean herself up and put fresh clothes on. Queen Eliana sat in a chair at the side of the bed as Fiona tried to rest.

Sleep didn’t come. Every time her eyes closed, she found herself transported back to the room nearby.

But it didn’t look as it had when she last saw it.

Instead, each time, some catastrophe had taken place.

One or both of them lying motionless. Sometimes covered in blood. Sometimes not.

Always severely injured - or worse.

The obvious solution would be to never close her eyes again.

“They’re going to be just fine.” The queen stood and went to the a side table. She poured steaming water out of a teapot and added a tea bag to the cup, dipping it up and down a few times as she walked back over to Fiona’s side. “Here.” She held out the cup as Fiona resituated herself so she could lean against the headboard.

It had been a long time, but as she inhaled the scent, Fiona was reminded of how much she loved it and wondered why she’d stopped.

“I know they will be.” Fiona had to keep believing that. “But I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep until they are.”

“That’s understandable.” Queen Eliana fixed herself a cup of tea and took her seat again. “Have you been able to get any rest?”

“Not really.” Fiona took another sip of her tea. “The nightmares start as soon as I close my eyes. I can only imagine what they’d be like if I actually fell asleep.”

A quiet knock on the door made both of them turn to look.

“Enter,” the queen called.

Thor and Silas walked into the room. Neither looked like they had good news but neither looked overly serious either.

Fiona decided she didn’t want to have this conversation, whatever it would be, in bed. She swung her legs over the side and stood. “Let’s go to the living room.”

The two men led the way out of the room, but stood to the side to allow her to decide where to conduct the meeting. Rather than the sofa, she chose the table in the breakfast nook.

---