* * *
“In breaking news, Lieutenant Governor William Davidson was found dead this morning. At the moment we have no information about whether it was from natural causes. . .”
Wolfe paused the TV, not needing to hear anymore.
So he was dead. She was free.
Jaw tightening, he turned to his laptop. He was in the security center of the palace, a space he shared with Caleb and Aleki. You could easily tell who occupied each space. Aleki’s was a mess of computer parts, food wrappers, and bits of paper strewn everywhere. There were at least fifty photos stuck with blu-tack to the wall behind his desk.
Caleb’s space was neat and tidy. Everything was put away in its place. There was a photo of his parents on his desk and framed certificates hung on the wall. His chair was pushed in, while Aleki’s had spun out into the middle of the room.
Wolfe shook his head and turned to his desk.
It was barren. Empty. Soulless.
Just the way he liked it.
Should he even tell them?
Everything would be easier if people just acted on logic and facts. Not feelings.
It worked for him.
He sent off a text to Caleb and Aleki as he conducted a search for Genevieve. Several images of her popped up immediately. He hated the surge of lust he felt as he studied her, the way his body started to burn.
She didn’t deserve his interest. She wasn’t even worth a fuck.
Yeah, who you kidding?
The door to the office opened and Aleki walked in, bouncing a basketball. Caleb closed the door behind them.
“Wolfie, what’s up? I was off to go beat some princely butt,” Aleki said.
Wolfe raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t Tavi beat you last time?”
Aleki pointed a finger at him. “Fucker cheated. Don’t think I don’t know that he did.” Aleki jumped up on the corner of Wolfe’s desk.
“No, he outplayed you,” Wolfe countered. “And get off my damn desk. Jesus.”
Aleki grinned and jumped off. Wolfe reached into a drawer for a disinfectant wipe.
“What’s going on?” Caleb asked, glancing around the monitors on the wall. Aleki and Wolfe had set this entire system up themselves to help guard the huge palace and grounds.
“Something has come to my attention, I thought you might like to know.” He looked from Caleb to Aleki.
Caleb narrowed his gaze. “What is it? Never known you to be reluctant to talk about something.”
“Yeah, even when you really should be,” Aleki said. “Like that time you got food poisoning and—”
Caleb held up a hand. “Okay, I don’t think we need to relive that particular incident.”
“Not my fault you’re squeamish,” Wolfe commented.
“Dude, that sort of thing is not something you share with your friends,” Aleki complained. “What comes out of you is your own private business.”
“If I fell unconscious, I thought you might need to explain to the doctor what was going on.”
“Yeah, I’d have told him you were exploding out of both ends. No need for anything more—”