Page 4 of Red King
If so, this could be the adventure of a lifetime.
I keep reading and get more and more excited as I do. It’s a position for a nurse on a remote island. This sounds right up my alley. A year-long contract with the possibility of a renewal. The annual package is enough to make my eyes water. I’m an ER nurse, and I don’t make that kind of money. Not even close. Even better, there would be regular working hours unless there is an emergency. There’s plenty of time off for sightseeing. Paid-for accommodation. This sounds perfect. In fact, it sounds too good to be true.
“Sorry, Miss. Excuse me…um…sorry!” I realize that the lady at check-out is trying to get my attention by waving her arms. There is no one in front of me, and there is a whole gap between me and the counter. I zoned out.
“Oh!” I say, looking back. There are three people behind me. They’re looking at me like I’ve lost my mind. “Apologies,” I mutter as I push my cart forward.
I place the newspaper down first. I’m keeping it and applying. I really hope I get the position. I love the idea of a remote island, and the extra money would come in handy. If I don’t get it, there’ll be something else out there for me. One thing is for sure: I’m going to make a change, and it’s going to be for the better. I can’t stay in Cedar Pines. Not now that Lexi and Jim are about to have a baby.
Seeing them together as a family would kill me.
2
Arctic
The head of Council removes his mask and places it on the podium before him. His gaze moves to mine for a moment before sweeping across the gathered crowd, his jaw tensing.
Just do it.
Say it already,I will him, but instead, the male sucks in a deep breath and swallows thickly, looking down for a few long moments. Frost shuffles from one foot to the other before catching himself and tensing up.
The whole room seems to pause. Everyone holds their breath. An eerie silence befalls the court.
The head of Council clears his throat. It’s maddening. I wish he would just get it over with already.
“It is the decision of the Council that Prince Ice be put to death by—”
The whole court erupts, drowning out what he is saying. Many of the amassed crowd cheer at the outcome of the trial.
“No!” Ice yells above the din. “You can’t do that.” My brother turns to me. “They can’t do that. They can’t!” he screams at the top of his voice. “I am a royal. I am, therefore, exempt. I shouldn’t even be jailed, let alone be put to death. This is preposterous,” he yells. “The Council can kiss my—”
The head of the Council attempts to restore order by bashing a mallet onto the podium surface.
It doesn’t work. If anything, the screams and shouts grow even louder, drowning out Ice’s outraged shouts.
The court is full to the brim. There is a huge crowd assembled outside, as well.
Ice keeps shouting but I ignore him, turning away. The head of Council requests that Ice be returned to his cell. It takes several males to wrestle him from the room. My guards surround us and usher me through a side door and into the safety of the castle. The noise instantly quietens as the door is shut and locked. The guards spread out, giving us our space.
Frost puts his back to the wood and sighs. “I wasn’t sure what the outcome would be.”
“It couldn’t have ended any other way,” my head of security, Steel, says. “Ice deserves everything coming to him.”
“Absolutely.” Frost nods. “You’re right, Steel. Our brother crossed a line. He crossed several lines. Are you okay?” He touches the side of my arm.
“No, you?” I ask him back.
Frost is Ice’s twin. They’re identical and yet so damned different in all the ways that count.
“No, but I’m glad that bastard is going to die. I’m glad we finally know the truth about what happened to Anya. Even if we’re still in the dark on many things. Soon, we will have closure,” Frost says.
“Yes and no. We won’t have complete closure unless the bastard talks,” I push out. “We’ve barely scratched the surface. There’s so much he isn’t telling us.”
“We won’t have very long,” Steel says. “A couple of weeks, at best. Once the Council rules, it’s final, and the sentence is carried out almost immediately. They won’t allow for too many delays.”
Steel’s eyes are blazing. His whole body is bristling, muscles bunched and ready. He won’t say it, but I know he’s thrilled with the outcome. He would tear my brother limb from limb if he could, and I can’t say that I would stop him or blame him. He is just as much a victim in all this as we are.
“So, we make him talk. That’s all there is to it,” I say. “I want to be there when his sentence is carried out,” I add in a soft voice that is filled with rage. “When his head is cleaved from his shoulders. I want to watch him die.”
