Brett shook his head, his heart barely having repaired itself with Felix’s return before it tore again with the news Felix had brought. “We have plans to make.” He glanced at Felix. “It’s going to take a while.”
“We have all the time in the world.” Felix smiled at him, and Brett itched to drag him into his arms, but once he did that, he wouldn’t want to let go. So, he would wait. But not for long.
****
The first thing they did when they got back to Windsor Castle, after showering, was to visit Andrew. But as with most things when it involves the Sutcliffes, it didn’t end up beingjustthe king. Every member of the royal family joined them, plying Felix with food before he detailed everything about his kidnapping, the live video, the escape, and finally, what he’d found out.
“Jesus,” Freddie said. “I don’t understand what they’re after.”
Brett met Andrew’s gaze, and the king nodded slightly. Taking a breath, Brett began his story. It was past time.
“My father was Vincent Cage.” Christian inhaled an audible breath, and when Brett glanced over, he frowned. He felt awful for not telling Christian his past before then, but he continued, hoping he’d get the chance to apologise afterwards. “For those who don’t know, he was the head of the family, a family that dealt drugs and violence to anyone they wanted.” He looked down at his hands. “Right from being young, I didn’t want to be part of it. I thank my mother for that. She was…the best person in the world. She tried to keep me from being part of their world, but my father saw to it that she failed. He killed her right in front of me.” He swallowed hard. “I walked away not long after, leaving it all behind me. Not long ago, I got a call to say he was in the hospital. I went to see him, knowing it would be the last time. He offered me the position of head of the family, but I declined. That meant it would either go to Malcolm, my father’s second in command, or…my sister, Venus.”
“Oh, fuck. Venus Cage?” Christian said, leaning forward. “It never even occurred to me.”
“The one and only.”
“Who is Venus Cage?” George asked.
“Lieutenant Colonel Venus Cage of the Transport Squadron Royal Logistics Corps in Morden,” Brett said.
“She’s military?” Kieren said. “How did she swing that with her background?”
Brett raised his eyebrows. “How did I swing being the guard of royalty?”
Kieren chuckled. “Which was how?”
“An honest conversation with a king,” Brett said. “Though that wasn’t what she did. She would’ve used what she knew about people to make it more important that she be part of the military instead of against them.”
“Who did the throne go to?” Freddie asked, returning them to the story.
“Malcolm. However, I’m not fully convinced that she doesn’t have a huge say in how Malcolm runs things. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if they were in a relationship.”
“So what does this have to do with what happened to Felix?” Patrick asked.
“So, Maddox is Malcolm’s son, and even though I wanted Maddox gone because he doesn’t have what it takes to be a guard, Malcolm insisted I keep him on. After speaking with His Majesty, he agreed. Unfortunately, Maddox is an asshole and had something to do with Felix’s disappearance. Not sure what yet, but Felix’s saviour told him. When…confronted, Maddox ripped off the mask to show his real colours. We have him in lock-up right now. And even though I’m not sure I believe it, Maddox might be Venus’s child with Malcolm. I can’t corroborate that, it’s just a guess, but I also don’t remember hearing anything about her being pregnant.”
“I can find out for you,” Christian said, pulling his phone from his pocket and texting someone. Probably his ex-boss, Neil.
“Also, some of the men we found in the house were Malcolm’s men. I recognised three of them.”
“And the others?” Andrew asked.
“Not sure.” Brett paused, leaning his elbows on his knees. He had ideas, but he wasn’t certain, so he wasn’t saying anything until he had proof.
“So, let me get this straight,” Henry said. “Everything that happened to Dominic, Randall, Owen, Evan, Nick and Kai, and now Felix, was all concocted by the same person or people?”
Brett nodded slowly. “I believe so. There are too many common denominators. The roses, the scarf, the numbers, the rhymes. It all links. They basically told us they were going after Felix or me next. Felix got the short straw.”
“They’re not finished,” Felix said, staring at Brett. “They’re after you.”
“They’ve been hitting everyone around you,” Mav said, scooting to the edge of the seat. “All guards and the guards’ partners. Everyone who means something to you. Why?”
Brett shrugged. “I don’t know. I told them I wouldn’t fight them for the family business. I’d love to destroy it, but I won’t, and they know that.”
“There has to be a reason,” Christian said.
“It’s either to leave him all alone, or to bring him back into the family business, or both,” Felix said.