Page 2 of Daniil
Courtney?
MyCourtney?
The Courtney who ghosted me not once but twice?
Before I can stop myself, I step into the conversation.“What’s going on with Courtney?Is she okay?”
“I don’t know!”Lennox says, throwing up her hands.“I haven’t heard from her in over a year, which isn’t like her.I reached out and her cell phone number belongs to someone else now.I tried to call her at work, and she retired from the military.The Christmas card I sent last year just got returned, and that’s when I started to worry.”
“And you couldn’t find her?”I ask Joe in confusion.
Joe is a retired U.S.Marine, who ran one of the most exclusive bodyguard and security services in the States before he sold it to Darryl “Chains” Carruthers and came here to become a Royal Protector.
The Royal Protectors are special bodyguards to the royal family, who swear an oath to serve for life.I’m a prince but a Royal Protector first, despite my place in Parliament.
“She’s a ghost,” he says quietly.“Unless she died.”
“Grim would have told me,” Lennox says.“And why is he incommunicado?”
“Chains says he’s dealing with a situation for a former colleague.”
Lennox frowns.“Like what?”
“I don’t know,” Joe admits.“All I know is someone needed help and Grim took personal time to do it.”
“Which means the only person who knows anything is unavailable.”Lennox scowls.“Why would she do this?I don’t understand.We always talk on our birthdays, and she’s missed both mine and hers.”
I make a mental note to call Chains when I have a moment, but the briefing is about to start, so this has to be temporarily put on hold.
“Let me make a few calls,” I say under my breath to Lennox.“Maybe I can find something out through back channels.”
“That would be great.”She frowns.“I’m worried.I thought maybe she was mad about what happened when she was here last, but this seems extreme.”
I grimace.“That was bad luck, bad timing, bad everything.”
“It’s no wonder I never heard from her again.”
I’ve considered that as well.
Her visit was the last time the palace was attacked, fifteen months ago.That was also the last time Courtney and I were together.She turned down our offer to become a Royal Protector and left without saying goodbye.
Then she disappeared.
It never sat well with me, and in addition to being worried, I’m annoyed.
We aren’t teenagers—she could have simply said she wasn’t looking for a relationship or whatever you say when you’re not that into someone.Leaving without a backward glance—twice, I might add—is just rude.The first time was when we met at Lennox and Sandor’s wedding.She came for a second visit when Lennox was about to have the twins.That was when all hell broke loose at the palace.
When it was over, she vanished like a ghost in the night.
But now I have a pretext to see her again.
I excuse myself right after the briefing is over and make a call to the U.S.It’s nine in the morning here, which means it’s eleven in the evening in Las Vegas, where Chains lives.
“Hey, Dan,” he answers on the first ring.
“Is there a reason you can’t tell us where Courtney is?”I decide to go on the offensive.Chains and I have been friends a long time—he might not be able to tell me what I want to know, but he won’t jerk me around either.
He sighs.“I’ll tell you what I told Joe—talk to Grim when he gets back.”
