Heir in Exile (Royals Book 3) Read online

  After the meal, she slouched in the booth, hands cupped around a cup of coffee, her phone sitting next to her leg on the seat.

  The jingle of bells on the door two hours after finishing her meal drew Chey's gaze to the side. A hand landed on her shoulder before she could catch a glimpse of the person's face, startling her bad enough that she thumped the mug on the table. Just about to fight back, she realized it was a staying touch.

  “Ready to go?” Mattias asked, cautioning her with a gaze that peered out from a hood drawn over his head. It completely obscured his features unless someone was right in front of him.

  “Yes.” Chey didn't waste a second leaving money on the table and gathering her things. Relief felt like a drug in her veins. She wasn't sure how he found her—GPS on the phone, most likely—and didn't care. Mattias was here, and he would make everything all right.

  Exiting the restaurant, she followed him to a waiting black Hummer and climbed into the back. A guard drove and another sat in the passenger seat, dressed warm for the weather instead of their usual suits.

  Setting her bag on the floor at her feet, Chey looked across the vehicle at Mattias. “What happened? Someone followed me into the woods when I ran from the house,” she said.

  “I know. I'll tell you about it on the way. Sander has been forced to leave Latvala. We're going to have to figure out how to reinstall him as Heir to the throne.” Mattias's grim expression boded ill for the near future.

  Chey said, “I may have found a clue that will help.”

  . . .

  As the vehicle drove the roads away from the small town, Mattias, frowning, glanced across the car to Chey. “What do you mean?”

  Half turning on the seat, she met Mattias's eyes. “This is going to sound crazy, but I have proof. Anyway, I got lost in the woods after I left the cabin. I'm not sure how far I ran, or in what direction. I suspect I wound up in the East woods, however.”

  Mattias's frown turned into a scowl. “Why do you say that?”

  “Because of what I found there. Tell me—have you or Sander ever explored that area?”

  “No. What did you find?” He shifted in his seat, curiosity mingling with wariness on his features.

  “Late in the evening, when I knew I needed to find shelter before it got darker and colder, I stumbled upon a building. It's surrounded by a wall, but I managed to get in the back gate and break into an outer basement door. While I was huddling down there, I fell asleep. The next thing I knew, someone was in the basement with me.” She paused to lick her lips, then continued. “I opened my eyes, and in the available light—which wasn't much—I thought I was looking at Sander's back. I was so convinced he'd found me that I even started to call out. Thank God I didn't, because it wasn't him.”

  Mattias's frown deepened. “So you think a man who shares a build like my brother is somehow a clue?”

  “Yes, and when you see these, you will think so, too.” Chey fished her phone out and called up the photos she'd taken.

  Mattias eased the cell from her grip and muttered something under his breath in his own language.

  A curse, as far as Chey could tell. Maybe an exclamation.

  “See? The profile...there is no denying he resembles Sander. It's not just the build. The jaw, the shape of the face where it isn't deformed, it could be Sander except for the black hair.” Chey glanced from the phone to Mattias.

  “Yes. This is striking. I wonder, then, if this has to do with the King's recent cryptic remarks about being able to force Sander into exile.” He thumbed through the photos, examining each with critical care.

  “It could be. Those were taken when I sneaked upstairs at one point, into the building proper, and discovered that man playing violin.”

  Mattias gave Chey a chiding glance for the risk of entering the house proper. Her information seemed to surprise him. “Violin? You saw him playing?”

  “Yes. Sander told me he plays, too, although I've never heard him yet. There are one or two photos that show the violin, when I wasn't zooming in.”

  “He does. Excellently, at that.” Mattias looked down at the phone, thumb passing along the edge of the next picture. “What else did you glean?”

  “Nothing too much more than that. He almost caught me, so I had to hide then escape back to the basement. I stole a car in the morning, before sunup, and made my way through the countryside to that little town you found me in.” Chey didn't ask for the phone back. Not yet. She saw Mattias forward the photos, likely to his phone or a secret email account. Then he deleted them from her photo gallery.

  “You are a wily creature. I knew you would escape from the cabin successfully.” Mattias, approval in his eyes, handed the phone back.

  Chey took it and slipped it into her pocket. “I did what I had to. It wasn't fun, and I'm pretty sure my hands and feet will never feel truly warm again, but it's a small price to pay. Thanks for the forewarning.”

  “You're welcome.”

  “So what do we do now?”

  “I'm thinking. Can you find that place again?” he asked.

  “Maybe. It was dark and all I wanted to do was get out of there. I can get you to the general area and we can narrow it down. I think you'll find it fairly easy because it's some sort of old building, probably an orphanage or old hospital type place. Does it sound familiar?”

  “Not really. If it's something the King and Queen are keeping secret, the building might not be on any current maps, either. So we'll need you to guide us back.” Mattias pocketed his phone and clasped his hands in his lap.

  Outside, the snowy landscape slipped past the windows. Chey couldn't tell where they were going or what their destination was. Maybe she wouldn't be able to find the building after all. She wasn't reassured to hear it might not be on a map somewhere.

  Twisting in the seat, she glanced behind her, already fretting about directions.

  “We'll find it, don't worry. Even if I have to take to the air and circle, then I'll do that. For now, we need to figure out who this person is,” Mattias said.

  “How will you do that?” she asked when she sat straight in her seat once more.

  “I'm not sure,” he admitted. “Just showing up and demanding information won't be met with good results.”

  “Why not? You're in line to the throne, a Royal, they wouldn't dare refuse you, would they?”

  “They might have more guards there than you saw, or they might contact the King and tell him we're there. I cannot guess what might happen if Aksel thinks we're on to another of his secrets.” Mattias, looking thoughtful, stared out the window.

  Chey watched his profile rather than the landscape. “And see, I think the element of surprise is best. Just show up outside with as many guards as are loyal to you, and barge your way in. Talk to this man for yourself. He might not know anything, but someone there surely will. I mean, if the resemblance is this strong for us, then there is no way the staff there overlooked it.”

  “Probably not. I hesitate to storm the castle, as it were, until I know we won't be overwhelmed.”

  “What about secret documents? Do you think the King and Queen kept any?”

  Mattias glanced back at Chey with a wry, humorless smile on his mouth. “What do you think?”

  “Yes, I guess you're right. They probably burned it all if it ever existed in the first place. Could the man be a cousin? An uncle?”

  “I can't be sure. Somehow I doubt it. The extreme precaution to hide him makes me think it's closer than that.”

  “A brother? Could it be another child like Sander, born of the King and another woman?” Chey asked.

  “Let's discuss it inside. We're here.” Mattias gestured to a large manor of stone nestled into the landscape.

  Chey, distracted for the last several miles, didn't see any other homes in the near vicinity. The driver used a remote to open a gate that slid back on its rails. Pulling in, they cruised along a teardrop shaped driveway and stopped before a broad set of stairs.

/>   “Another Royal holding?” Chey asked as she snagged the strap to her bag and got out.

  “One of mine, actually.” Mattias set a gentlemanly hand low on Chey's back to escort her up the steps and inside after a guard opened the doors.

  This home was smaller than the castles, more cozy and inviting. It was still large by regular standards, with soaring ceilings, stained glass over some of the windows, and decorative, medieval looking archways leading into other halls.

  Mattias guided Chey straight into a large sitting room with an array of plush, expensive chairs and couches. A fire was already blazing in the hearth and a middle aged woman dressed similar to Sander's staff on Pallan island entered a few moments later with servings of tea on a tray.

  Shucking her coat and bag, Chey whispered gratitude for the tea, accepted a mug, and slouched down onto one of the couches. The long trek through snow and the broken night of sleep were catching up to her. Exhaustion threatened to sidetrack her attention. Maybe the hot drink would help. She took a sip.

  Accepting a mug of his own, Mattias chose to pace instead of sit.

  “If it is a brother, and he has emotional or mental issues, he would be unfit to rule,” Mattias said after several silent minutes.

  “Then they wouldn't be able to use him as a weapon. Do you think he's an illegitimate child?” Chey asked.

  “They might if they never planned to expose him and only use his presence as a threat to force Dare into exile. It means someone else has to know who can back up the claim. One of the higher advisers or something like that.” Mattias paused near a window and brought the cup to his mouth for a drink.

  “If you go public with it--”

  “We cannot risk that. Not until we know for sure who he is and where he fits in the grand scheme of things. To do so might risk Dare's position for good. Right now, no one knows about his birth mother. He could come back and take the throne.”

  “Or you could just step in and become King when it's time. Sander can live something of a more normal life.” Chey knew even as she said it that Sander wasn't cut out for anything but leader of Latvala. It was everything to him.

  “He will be unhappy for the rest of his life if that happens. Never mind I believe he should have the throne instead of me. He's always had an edge I don't.” Mattias took another drink.

  “That doesn't sound like it's hard for you to admit. You're content with being his right hand, so to speak, aren't you?”

  He smiled without looking away from the window. “Yes. It is a role I am well suited to, and he knows without doubt he can trust me. Paavo? There is a question whether he would not subvert to underhanded dealings. Dare and I are the way forward for Latvala and we both understand it on a base level.”

  “So what are you thinking? A surprise approach isn't the way, there are no documents to fall back on, and asking around the higher members close to the King and Queen might tip someone off who was never supposed to know there is another Ahtissari floating around Latvala.” Chey tipped her temple into her palm, inwardly cursing her tiredness.

  “I think this man must be an older brother. Dare mentioned Aksel said the Queen 'had no choice' but to accept Sander as her own. What if she gave birth to the other boy around the same time as Dare, but they realized immediately there was a problem and Aksel covered by forcing her to accept his bastard instead?” Mattias glanced away from the window to Chey.

  She sat forward as Mattias presented the idea. For some reason, it sounded like the most logical thing she'd heard yet. “It's so twisted, yet it makes perfect sense.”

  “It does. I would like to present this to Dare and see what his reaction is. If he thinks we're on the right track.”

  “Except he's on his way to Barbados and we're not. Won't someone inform the King if you go after him? It might look suspicious,” she said.

  “I don't need to go after him. We'll set up a secure feed and have a web chat as soon as everyone can arrange it. I would prefer to do this in person, but leaving here to fly all the way to Barbados is a waste of time. I have no doubt we can establish a connection that the King's spies are not aware of.” Mattias finished his tea.

  “Even better. Can I sit in with you? I'd like to see him if that's all right.” Chey took her time with her drink, relieved they wouldn't have to jet off across the world once more. She missed Sander and wanted to be near him, but not at the cost of risking someone's life or alerting the King that something was up.

  “Of course. Excuse me for a few minutes while I get this set up. Feel free to choose a room upstairs to make your own.” Mattias paused to touch her shoulder on his way out of the parlor.

  “Thanks, I think I will. Wake me when you're ready.” Chey lingered over the tea for another fifteen minutes before gathering her bag to head upstairs.

  A short nap would do her good.

  Chapter Eleven

  The first thing Chey noticed about Sander was how annoyed he looked. His image flickered on the computer screen through the video chat program, a whole head and shoulders shot with a glimpse of what appeared to be a plain white wall in the background. A tee shirt of blue covered his chest, lacking a logo or any other identifying marks. Hair loose around his face, he stared into the web-cam with evident irritation.

  “All right, can you hear us?” Mattias asked Sander.

  Evening had settled over Latvala between Chey's nap and their video conference, the late afternoon light bleeding away to full black beyond the window panes.

  “I can see and hear you fine. That we're having to take these measures tells me you must have found something pretty damn strange,” Sander said, then added, “Good to see you, Chey.”

  “Hi babe. Strange doesn't begin to cover it.” Chey wished they were in the same room instead of thousands of miles away from each other. Hearing his voice and seeing his image on the screen made her long for his scent and his touch. Reaching out, she traced her fingertips over his image.

  On the screen, he smiled, as if he knew what she was doing.

  “Chey came across a building in the East woods while she was on the run--”

  “I thought I told you never to go into the East woods?” Sander said to Chey. He frowned his apparent disapproval.

  “Don't interrupt, brother. Let me get this all out. She came across a building, sitting separate from others. While she was there, she saw a man who bears a striking resemblance to you. We have pictures. Where he differs from you is some kind of deformity on his face, perhaps even in his brain. We're not sure. The resemblance is too coincidental to be denied.” Mattias held up his phone with the image on it.

  “It was an accident I wound up there. I got lost. Anyway, the man looked just like you. I told Mattias that for a second or two, I thought it was you,” Chey said.

  Sander sat forward on his end, squinting at the screen. It took a moment for his expression to show recognition and surprise. It became more obvious when Mattias scrolled through several of the photos, including the one of the man playing violin.

  “I'll be damned,” Sander said.

  “Yes. Exactly. Chey and I have been conjecturing what might be going on, considering everything you've told us and what seems logical. My best guess is that Helina was pregnant around the same time as your mother, and when Aksel realized Helina's child might be compromised mentally, had you brought to take his place. It answers the question of why Helina was forced to accept you, and why the East woods were always off limits to everyone.” Mattias lowered the phone and powered it off. He sat back in his chair and reached for a drink.

  “It can't be a distant cousin or something of that nature?” Sander asked. He sounded disturbed and wary.

  “Why take those extremes to hide his presence? If he was just a cousin, the secrecy shouldn't be at the level it is. What, then, would cause them to hide this man away? You said Aksel seemed certain he could remove you from the throne, and the only possible way now, after all this, is if he caught you committing treason or if you had a
n older brother that out ranked you. I'm putting my money on the older brother theory,” Mattias said. “It's the most logical.”

  “I haven't committed treason. These charges would be devastating if they were true—and if they came to light. We need a way to prove it. Aksel told me Helina faked her pregnancy up until my birth, but it sure does fit into your scheme better if she was actually carrying and had the child close to when I was born. The problem is that if the man is not her child but another bastard,” Sander snarled the word. “It will be for nothing. I will still not regain the throne, it will fall to you regardless.”

  “What if you could get a DNA sample from the man, and from Helina? I think you can use hair, which wouldn't be that hard to obtain,” Chey said.

  “Hair? I thought blood?” Sander said. He appeared to consider the idea.

  “I'm not sure. Fifteen minutes on the internet and I'll have all the information you need.” Chey knew she could find the answers fast.

  “And just how do you propose we get the sample from the man?” Mattias said. “I could figure a way to get one from Helina without a problem. But I bet the guards will raise an alarm, either outwardly or discreetly, if we drive up and ask for a blood sample from someone who is not supposed to exist.”

  “I know the back way into the building. We go in at night--”

  “No,” Sander said, cutting Chey off. His voice took a stern turn. On the computer screen, he stared straight into the lens with a look that brooked no argument.

  Chey scowled at Sander's expression. “I'm capable.”

  “No.”

  “You can't just tell me no and think--”

  “Yes I can. I just did. Mattias, she is not allowed anywhere near that place,” Sander said.

  “I'll make sure she doesn't go back,” Mattias said in his calm, reassuring tone.

  Chey's jaw went slack. She glanced from Mattias to the screen, then leaned forward to glare right into the web camera. That way, Sander got the full effect of her discontent.