Page 35 of Culmination
“And, another thing, Howard.” I pause, wondering just how much I should let on. “Adrian’s mother came by my hotel room yesterday afternoon.”
Beats of silence tick by before Howard blows out a low whistle.
“You’re telling me that Helene Morningstar is here? In Chicago? And she came to see you?” he asks, traces of excitement filling his voice. “The department’s been trying to get in touch with her for nearly a decade. We assumed Morningstar had gotten to her before she could leave the country again. Hell, we thought she was dead. Another victim in a long line of them for the man.”
“She’s here, if the woman is who she says she is.” At that, I contemplate what I know—or at least what I thought I did until her declaration sent me reeling. And I know she was telling the truth.
Howard, however, doesn’t need to be privy to that information, at least not until the case is over. If that information falls into the wrong hands… I don’t even want to contemplate what could happen.
“A decade?” I ask. “I thought she left when Adrian was just a toddler? And what do you mean, again? She’s been in and out of the country before?”
My minds twists like the inner workings of a grandfather clock, spinning in slow motion as if the act will somehow help me understand what he’s trying to say. And when Howard speaks again, I can practically see him waving his arm in dismissal.
“Have you spent any time looking into her file?” he asks, and I have to admit the truth.
“No. I wasn’t aware Helene Morningstar was a factor in this case. All I knew was she left Adrian when he was a kid and she had nothing to do with Theo or the business after that. Why? Should I have? I thought she was a dead end.”
Howard doesn’t speak right away, and I wonder if I’m about to be reprimanded for not scouring every detail of Adrian’s and Theo’s lives. Why would I have wasted the time? Helene was inconsequential at the time. Or so I’d thought. Then I wonder, if I’d dug into her past, her file, would I have seen her picture and instantly felt some sort of connection there?
“The woman’s always been a mystery to us. An enigma, if you will. You see, with her royal lineage, she had diplomatic immunity. For us to even bring her in for any line of questioning, no matter if she’s our target or not, would take an act of God the boss isn’t will to go after.”
I frown. “Royalty? I was under the impression she was the daughter of some wealthy old tycoon.”
He laughs. “Yes, that’s what Theo believed as well. Apparently, thirty years ago, he wasn’t quite as good at his research as he is now. Probably why he is now, if I think about it. Anyways, Helene Morningstar is the illegitimate daughter of some prince on one of those Greek islands or something in the Mediterranean. Or, well, she was. It’s almost something out of a fairy tale. Our prince, you see, had a wife who bore him a son. His heir. When he was in his late forties, his wife unexpectedly passed away. As he had an heir, had followed royal protocol with his first marriage, he said fuck it. Two years later, he was wed at the palace to the true love of his life, Helene’s mother.”
“What the fuck?” I break in.
His chuckle sounds in my ear. “I know. It’s hard to believe, even though we’ve seen much stranger things in our line of work. Story has it that the king, having witnessed both his son’s commitment to his royal duty and eventually the commitment to the woman he loved, embraced the couple and Helene was welcomed into the royal fold.”
“You’re kidding me. I’m not all spun up on royal protocol, but I didn’t think people like that welcomed commoners.”
“I don’t know all the gritty details, Matthews. Not my job to.”
I run a hand over my face, scratching my stubble as I stand here, dumbfounded. This just keeps getting fucking better. What the hell would Adrian do if he found out he was royalty?
Holy fuck. What the hell does this mean for me? For my kid?
And when the fuck did my life become a dirty, ridiculous soap opera?
He continues. “Anyway, so the bastard who should’ve beenPrincessHelene becomes Mrs. Theo Morningstar. Births a kid—Adrian, of course. A couple of years later, she disappeared from their lives. Back then, Theo wasn’t on the agency’s radar. It wasn’t until we were trying to piece together all the moving parts in this that we even started looking at her. But the Palace won’t let us get close to her, and as far I know, if she’s here now, it’s the first time she’s been back in over ten years.”
“What do you think she wants?” I ask.
He doesn’t skip a beat. “I don’t know, Matthews. She came to you. Why don’t you tell me?”
Hell, even if I wanted to tell him everything, I can’t.
I’m at more of a loss than ever before.
When I step back into the room, I expect to find Brie still lounging on the bed, but instead, she’s rushing around the room, her cheeks flushed pink, her breath ragged. She darts past me, almost as if she doesn’t see me standing there. I reach a hand out, catching her by the waist and pulling her into me.
“Slow down, babe. What’s got you in a hurry all of a sudden?” I ask, pushing the conversation with Howard out of my brain. Whatever the deal is with Helene, it’s a problem for another day.
Sleepy eyes blink up at me, and Brie twists, attempting to wiggle free from my grasp. When my arms don’t budge, she huffs. Then a broad smile breaks out onto her face. I’m about to joke that I’m not ready for seven more months of these mood swings when her hands clasp my face with excitement.
“I’m such an idiot,” she informs me, her eyes shining bright.
“You are?” I ask slowly, unsure and unwilling to agree. See, though I’m not used to being in a committed relationship, I learned early whatnotto say, especially to a hormonal pregnant woman who’s been on the rollercoaster of her life for the past two months. Fuck, really for the past four years, ever since her parents were so brutally murdered and taken from her life.
