The Royal Elite: Mattias by Danielle Bourdon

whether she'd been attending the gala at night, where her room was. It struck me as odd, out of place. Not like other conversations, you know? So I decided I was going to have a little chat with him myself when out of the blue, that bastard Cleary all but knocks me down. He got in my face, made a real spectacle.” Ahsan tucked the knuckles of one hand into another, rubbing the redness from contact with Cleary's face.
    “That's a pretty blatant course of action. Do you think Cleary waylaid you on purpose?” Mattias asked.
    “It sure seemed that way. I was enroute to that stranger when it happened. Almost as if Cleary drew me off to allow that other man time to make an exit. Something just isn't right about the whole thing, though I don't have any other hard evidence than my own suspicions.” Ahsan dropped his hands and pushed his fists into the pocket of his jacket.
    Mattias drew a line with the pad of his thumb across his lower lip in thought. “As long as I've known you, your instincts have always been right on. I say we keep an eye on the stranger, and maybe Cleary, too, until we have more answers. It certainly won't hurt anything. Leander should have another report soon.”
    “That's what I was thinking. If we're on the wrong track, then at least she was protected.” A gust of wind buffeted Ahsan's jacket, flapping the ends around his thighs. Rain misted in past the stone balcony rail, wetting the terrace along the edge.
    Mattias regarded the affects of the storm with a critical eye. “We shouldn't let our guard down elsewhere, either. If we are tracking the wrong people, then the real threat may find an opening while we're distracted. I have one of my guards watching the hallway, and if the man leaves his room, we'll know about it.”
    “I can add one of my men to the mix, so we're covered from different angles.” Ahsan centered his attention on Mattias. “And if it is Cleary? If he's the one out for her blood? What do we do then?”
    “What we always do. Find a way to make him stop. He's got pressure points just like everyone else. We find the most prominent three and lean on them hard enough to secure a promise to lay off Astbury.” Mattias wasn't a fan of using blackmail as a method or a tool. It tended to be the better option of many because no one had to die. Cold blooded killing was always the last option; the second they stooped to that level, they became no better than the men planning the hit to begin with. It wasn't always a cut and dried scenario, however, and people had died in the course of saving another, innocent life.
    A life like Alannah's.
    “It might work against Mumford Cleary. The hit man? That's another matter. Unless we can convince Cleary to call him off, we'll have to deal with it in whatever necessary way we have to,” Ahsan said, matter of fact.
    “Exactly. In the meantime, we need to shadow Alannah to every event, dinner and private gathering she attends. Chayton can watch her at night.”
    “I can't tell if it's a good idea to encourage her to go to that party later, or if it's safer for her to stay alone in her room.” Ahsan ran his tongue along the edge of his teeth in thought.
    “I don't know either. Most of the guests will be at one of those private parties or the gala itself, distracted by whatever events Morano has planned. Being out in the crowd should be a safe alternative for her, but we can't rely on that.” Mattias slid his hands into his pockets and followed Ahsan's gaze out over the balcony railing. The landscape was soggy from so much rain.
    “Can't you find a way back into her good graces?” Ahsan asked.
    “I'm not willing to try right now.” Mattias couldn't bring himself to grovel for attention or forgiveness despite the circumstances. He wanted to see Alannah safe, to see her live, and there were other ways to make that happen than another confrontation of their own.
    “I think you're being stubborn. We do what we have to in this business. Even if you