As the former Minister of Jawahir and second cousin to Melik, Rashid's claim would be legitimate—just as long as everyone else in line for the throne was dead. It was a shame that Bronislav was such a damn liar.
No, my only recourse now is revenge,he thought.
“I want you to remain hidden," Bronislav said. "You know the activities of the royal family. Do you still have your contact inside the palace?”
“Yes. Two of the brothers are in America. My contact said Junayd requested provisions for his private home near the eastern oasis,” Rashid said.
“What of the others?” Bronislav demanded.
“Qadir and his soon-to-be wife are at the palace. The double wedding will happen at the end of this month. All the royals will be together. It would be the perfect time to take care of all of them,” Rashid stated.
“Get the security details for me."
Rashid scowled. “My informant will not have that kind of access. I will get you what I can,” he said.
“If you want to rule Jawahir, you'd better give me what Iwant.”
Rashid gritted his teeth. They both knew that he would never rule Jawahir—at least not for very long. In fact, he would be lucky to be alive six months from now. Once he fulfilled Bronislav’s plans, the military leaders—and/or tribal leaders of Jawahir—would have him assassinated. His trial had produced only a few supporters willing to tolerate his rule.
“What about Junayd? He will be vulnerable before the wedding," Rashid said.
“Leave him for the moment. Any attack on the family now will only increase the security at the wedding. We will attack then,” Bronislav said.
“I will have the initial information to you by the end of the week,” Rashid promised.
Bronislav ended the call.
Rashid stared out the dirty window of the apartment he was hiding in. Coldhouse had left two men to ‘protect’ him. In the reflection, Rashid could see the faint light from the window glinting off their merciless eyes.
Once this is over, I will disappear in South America,he decided.
* * *
“What’s going on?” Junebug asked.
Midnight internally grimaced. She knew this was coming, and she still wasn't sure how she wanted to handle it. It had been three days since she had last ventured out, and her sister was bound to notice. She had spent her time finishing the remodeling of the bathroom. It didn’t look half-bad.
“Nothing’s going on. Why do you ask?” she said, moving to find her next project.
Junebug danced around her as she left the bathroom. Today, her sister was wearing a rainbow-colored skirt that flared out around her as she twirled and a key lime-colored blouse that buttoned at the shoulder. On her feet were a pair of giant white bunny slippers.
“You haven’t accepted any jobs in three days. Does it have anything to do with the guy that followed you home or the one who took his place?” Junebug asked.
Midnight straightened and frowned. “What guys?” she demanded.
“The two guys that have been taking turns keeping an eye on our place. They tried to figure out how to get in, but I locked them out. Facial recognition scan tells me their names are Yahya Walid and Issa Zayn. Two of Junayd’s bodyguards. He has two others—Hyder Faiz and Ziya Abd-el-Kader. I have full reports on them if you are interested. They are like these super-smart, talented special forces guys. I’m really surprised there are any left in the Jawahir Special Forces because all the royal family seems to like hiring them. The guy that followed you is like this really special super-tracker. Of course, he must be if he was able to follow you. Why didn’t you tell me you got shot the other night? You never tell me—”
Midnight laid her fingers over her sister’s lips to quiet her. Junebug paused mid-sentence, her eyes wide with hurt. Midnight knew it was because she hadn’t told her about getting shot, not because she was trying to get her sister to breathe.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I got shot. Yes, I’d like to read the files on them, thank you for watching my back. You should have told me they were there sooner! How did you even find out that I was hurt?” she asked.
“Harry sent me a message asking me if you were okay. He was worried when he didn't see you again. That doctor prince is looking for you like crazy. He’s been outside a few times, too, just standing and looking at the bridge. Jam-man was asking about you before, but now he's gone all silent. Every time I mention the mystery-lady Junayd was looking for, he tells me not to worry about it,” Junebug replied, biting a fingernail.
With a sigh, Midnight quickly brought Junebug up to speed about Aaron's job and the medical help she got at Colours. "Junayd must have had this guy Yahya follow me home. I should have been more careful!” she growled, running her hands through her hair.
Junebug touched her arm. Her heart wrenched when she saw the worried expression on Junebug’s face and the tears in her eyes.
“Does this mean we have to move? We were really making this place feel like home.” Junebug's voice quivered with emotion.