He chuckled, “As if they could kill me. I was checking in and seeing if you needed anything before I went dark again.”
“I need a lot, but I’m not sure what you can provide.” Roger was loyal, but he wasn’t a miracle worker. There was only so much he could do from another country.
“Why don’t you let me judge what I can give you, my king.”
I frowned. Was I still king if I didn’t have the throne? “I need a house in Winchister Falls. Remote and quiet.”
Roger groaned. “I thought you were going to stay out of trouble out there.”
“I am toeing the line, but you know who I am. You know where I come from. I can’t sit idly by as my brother tries to take what isn’t his.”
“Sir, if I may, he already has so much support here. Maybe it would be best to lie low.”
Though he was my godfather, I wanted to wring his neck. “Don’t worry about what I’m doing. My hands are pretty full here.” I imagined Sloane’s hips resting between my palms and laughed to myself. At least I wasn’t dull.
“Anything else?”
“I need security at that location as well. State-of-the art. The best technology money can buy. Please send whatever low-level manpower you can spare to guard the place, and loyal staff as well to run it. Can you make that happen and ensure they are silent?”
“Of course, sir. Anything else?”
Was that sarcasm dripping off his lips? Roger has gotten mighty uppity since my brother rose to power. I noted this so I could nip it in the bud later. For now, I had more pressing matters to attend.
“Trackers.”
“Who are the trackers for?” Roger asked.
I was two seconds from hanging up on him, but I couldn’t allow my anger to ruin this. I needed him. Far more than he needed me at the moment. The very thought caused me pain. I hadn’t needed anyone in a long time. Now here I sat, no throne, no home, and no power.
“A woman.” Short and to the point. He didn’t need the details.
“Do you know her name?”
“No. But when I find out, I’ll have you do an in-depth search on her.”
Another sigh, “Do they have to be injected?”
I laughed, “I don’t want her finding them. I really want to keep this prize under lock and key. Literally.”
“She’ll hate you afterward,” he mused.
“She won’t live long enough to do me any harm,” I reassured him.
My godfather was like a mother hen. How hard could it be to push a needle under the skin to place a tracker?
“Good. How many were you thinking?” Roger, always thinking ahead.
“Eleven, just to be on the safe side.”
Roger paused, then said, “That’s a very specific number. Any reason?”
I loved educating Roger on things he should already know about. “Most made men are going to look for six to eight trackers, tops. It would be smart for me to mitigate that issue by injecting way more than they would suspect in places they normally wouldn’t check.”
“Good plan. I’ll have some of it together in a few days. Stay safe.”
“Da.”
The call ended the same way I’d begun it.