Page 83 of The Royal's Pet: A MMF Ménage Royal Romance

“All this time and you chose now to act,” I say. “Why? You had access.”

“Pragmatic bodyguard wants details.” Iris clicks her tongue again. “Very well. Yes, I had access. I also had plenty of motive. Scotland Yard would have fingered me in a second. I thought about pinning it on one of the guards, trust me, but they’re all just bloody good-boys.”

“You’re insane,” Roland snaps. “You can’t possibly think you’ll get away with this.”

“Oh, but I have,” Iris sneers. She motions to us. “A sordid love triangle ends in bloodshed. The despondent, codependent queen takes her own life. The headlines write themselves, dearie. And now… about that bloodshed.”

Iris nods to the agent beside me. I feel the muzzle align with my brains.

Fuck. This is how I die. I taste metal. My eyes meet Roland’s blues. He looks terrified. I search myself for peace in my last moments, but all I find is the same thought, over and over: Please, God, please. Take me and let Roland and Rory make it out of this…

“Wait!” Rory’s voice rings out, and I exhale. I’m glad, at least, her bell chime of a voice is the last thing that I get to hear. “Just… one thing. Before you blow our brains out.”

“What is it now?” Iris hisses.

“Smile for the camera.” Rory lifts her hand out of her jacket to reveal her iPhone, the camera lens aimed straight at Iris. “Livestreaming,” Rory explains. “It’s a bitch. Ten million people just witnessed your confession.”

Iris’s jaw goes slack. “No…” she whispers. “It can’t be…”

Just then, the double doors fly open. Chief of Security Tanner and a crew of guards line up behind him.

“It’s over, Princess,” Tanner growls, his gun trained on Iris. “Step away from the queen of England.”

The agent beside me does the smart thing—she drops her weapon, puts her hands behind her head, and gets to her knees. She knows when the jig is up. The princess doesn’t give in so quickly. Her eyes look bloodshot and frenzied when she says, “God bless the queen.” With that, she grabs the broken shard from the teacup and lunges toward Queen Selena.

Two shots from Tanner’s gun are all it takes to subdue her. The once-proud woman slumps to the floor, limp. Her white-blonde hair turns crimson red.

“Mum!” Roland’s voice snaps me back to attention. He darts forward and lifts his mother, who has fallen back on the bed. “Mum… oh God. Stay with me.”

Rory and I rush to his side. The queen’s eyes flutter open, but just barely. She sees her son, smiles, and her fingers reach out to touch his face. “I only wanted to protect you,” she whispers. She seems loopy, the drugs making her sluggish. “I only wanted to keep you safe… and she was… in the palace… the whole time. Silly me.”

“I know,” Roland murmurs. “It’s over now. Everything’s going to be okay.”

Rory looks sick with worry. Her eyes brim with tears, and her hand covers her mouth. I reach out and touch her arm. “You saved us,” I whisper to her.

It seems to be what she needs to hear. She takes my hand and clutches it hard. I squeeze her back.

Roland cradles his mother, and we hold hands beside him until the ambulance arrives. Officers from Scotland Yard come with them. While the EMTs whisk the queen away, Roland, Rory, and I are stuck with the officers. We recount the story. Tell them what happen. Rory shows them the video. They nod, somber frowns lining their faces, but even these hardened professionals look shaken.

They jot down notes and then tell us to remain in sight. Roland collapses onto a bench, and Rory and I flank him protectively. For a long while, the three of lapse into silence. The palace, which has been so empty for so long, is suddenly buzzing with activity. Scotland Yard officers and medical professionals bounce back and forth while the help flail around frantically, looking lost.

“Are you okay?” Rory asks Roland, breaking the quiet between us.

“It’s strange,” Roland says. He stares ahead at nothing in particular, those blue eyes now smoky and clouded. “There was part of me that thought we’d never find the person behind this… or maybe, that there never was a conspiracy against the crown. For a long time, I thought my mum had just lost her mind. It turns out she was right after all.”

“Half-right,” I speak up. “She never guessed her sister. No one did.”

“I’ve spent my whole life hiding away from some… great monster outside. It turns out, the monster was right within these walls.”

I watch as Rory’s hand slips over Roland’s arm, and he turns to face her. Rory always has a way of grounding us somehow. “You can go anywhere you want now,” she says urgently. “Anywhere. You’re free.”

I see the temptation in Roland’s eyes. The knee-jerk instinct to run. “And you’ll go with me?” Roland asks. His gaze flickers between the both of us.

I nod. “Wherever you are, we’ll be,” I promise him.

Some of the light comes back in Roland’s eyes.

Tanner steps in front of us and clears his throat. “Your Highness? I don’t mean to interrupt.”

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