All Her Men (The Queen's Men Book 1) (9 page)

Chapter 19

The city was eerily quiet. The streets were empty. No one hampered their path as they drove down the deserted streets. Where were the people? Had they misunderstood her message and fled? Had the attacks been more widespread than she had been told? The sun had long since disappeared beneath the horizon.

Rounding the corner she saw thousands of people standing in the square. They made no noise, but held lit candles. Darren lightly urged the car to a stop. “Shall we continue?”

A candlelight vigil… They had heard her. They knew what she wanted and they stood with her. Scotland was still united. “No, Darren. We shall walk the rest of the way.” Without waiting for their response she opened the door and stepped out. Her dress was torn and muddy. Her ankle was still sore. However, she held her head high as she began walking towards the palace. Stepping over the rubble that littered the streets, she urged herself not to cry. The people stepped aside allowing her to pass unheeded. As she came close to what had once been the front gate of the palace grounds a man handed her a candle.

“Yer Majesty, we rejoiced when we heard ye were safe. Scotland stands with ye. Scotland stands united.”

“Thank you.” She took the candle and whispered, “Where are the dead?”

“They have not been…” He cleared his throat. “They have not been brought out. We must go get them. First, ye must order it.”

“No one has entered? Not even to look for survivors?”

“No, Queen. No one has entered. The staff that were able to get out checked as they were leaving. No survivors were found.”

Amelia nodded and turned to a woman that stood beside him. She cradled a small boy to her. The woman held out her candle, so Amelia could light hers using its wick. “Thank you.”

“Yer Majesty, my husband… He was one of the castle guards. They say… they say I have lost him.”

The little boy had lost his father.

“My husband… he believed in ye. His name was Seamus.”

Amelia held the candle away with one hand and enveloped them in a hug with the other. “I am so sorry. There are no words that I can say to make it better. I can’t even begin to try. I promise you though that they will pay.” The woman nodded as sobs tore from her throat. She pulled back and looked into the boy’s eyes. “Little one, one day you will seek to understand what happened here today. When you do, come see me. I will tell you everything. Until then, look after your mum. She loves you with her whole heart.”

The little boy looked up and stared at her with wide eyes, “My da’ will na be coming home?”

Everything ached within her to pick him up and cradle him to her. Every fiber of her being to hug him tight in hopes that the pain would ease for him. Instead she resolved to see him taken care of. Reaching out her free hand, she lightly cupped his face. “Sweetie, you will be taken care of. All of my guards that are left shall serve as a father to you. They will never be able to replace the one you lost, but they will protect you. They will steer you along the right path. They will help you become the man your father wanted you to become. That is the least I can do for you.”

The little boy held his head higher, defiant of anything that might hurt him. “My da’ will be proud of anything I do. I will be like him.”

“Remember this. If you never remember anything else, remember that your father loved you with his whole heart.”

Turning away from them she walked closer to the gates. Holding the candle with both hands she stood in front of what had once been a beautiful entryway. Now the gates were blackened, crumpled, melted metal pieces that lay scattered about. The beautiful cobblestone road leading into the compound was now broken and littered with debris.

The castle itself was no longer whole. Entire sections were missing. Their debris scattered for blocks. Smoke still rose from the ashes. The most damage was in the very center facing the front. Perhaps the package had just been taken inside. The area of the tunnels where she and Jacob had been standing were just underneath that section. The explosion had been quite large. Much larger than she had believed it to be. What had they used to cause such damage?

A glimpse of red caught her eye. A child’s doll lay amongst the broken blackened stones. Half covered, she could barely make it out. It was small, the face was smashed in, yet the red hair still shone bright. Had the child made it out alive? Or was she amongst the casualties that were awaiting burial? Where were her parents? Where they amongst the dead too?

Fresh tears came to Amelia’s eyes. She dropped to her knees. Dear God, was she going to be burying children?

The weight of the country was on her shoulders, crushing her. Hate. Greed. Hate and greed had caused this. How could she fight back against that? Such sadness filled her. How could she handle this? Thousands of people had converged on the city. All waiting to see how their queen would handle this atrocity. She had not been prepared for this. Nothing in her life had taught her how to handle this.

‘Strength. Show them strength. Yer a woman. Ye have more strength than ye will eva know. Be the queen they need.’ Jacob’s words came to mind. Yes, that was what she would do. She would show them strength.

Slowly she stood. “First we will mourn and give our loved ones the burials they deserve. They are all heroes and shall be treated as such. Then we will clear this path. I have friends coming to assist. Once this path is cleared… our loved ones will be avenged.”

The man that had handed her the candle whispered, “How shall we do that? Who would come to help us?”

“My friends do this for a living. They will know exactly what to do. I am their family. You are mine. Therefore, you are theirs as well. They will be here soon and they will bring an army. An army that’s been trained to handle this.” Taking a deep breath she stepped over the first stone. “Now, let’s go get our loved ones.”

Chapter 20

Stepping across the gate, Amelia steeled herself for what she was bound to find. “Will! Darren!” She called them to her. “Gather those that that are willing, please.” Darren nodded. “Will, see if you can find some flashlights. These candles could be dangerous.”

As Will left to get flashlights and Darren went to get volunteers, Amelia reached down to tie her dress around her thighs. It would be easier to climb over the debris in shorts than a dress.

“Yer Majesty, ye should remain here. ‘Tis safer.”

Amelia looked up to the man that had handed her the candle. “What is your name?”

“My name is John.”

“John, something you’ll learn is that I have a tendency to ignore people that tell me what to do. I may not be suited for this, but I will do it.” Certainly others were better suited, but she would not be known as a pushover. Instead she would have people wary of the queen that would dig through rubble hours after surviving a bomb blast to look for survivors and casualties. Hopefully they would find at least one survivor though. At least one. Maybe the nightmares wouldn’t be so bad if they did.

There. Upon the wind. A slight keening sound. Almost like… like a child. She dropped the flashlight and ran forward, ignoring the creaking of the beams overhead. They would hold, they had to. “Sweetie, we’re coming! We’re coming! Hold on!”

The men searching the debris heard her yell. Darren shouted, “Queen? What did ye find?”

“A child! It’s a child!” She began digging through the rubble with her hands. Pushing stones out of the way. Intent on reaching the sound. Darren knelt beside her and began moving debris as well.

“Lass, yer wheezing.”

It was true. Her asthma was reacting to the smoke. The child came first though. She would deal with her weakness later. If she survived. Looking down, she focused on the child. Her hands were raw and bleeding as she and Darren moved the larger stones. A small voice filtered up to her. “Mommy?” As the last stone was picked up Amelia saw them. A woman with blood covering the back of her head had used her body to shield a small girl. The woman was still alive and so was the child. However, while the woman was unconscious the child was wide awake. “Darren, take the woman. I’ve got the child.” Coughing over took her as Darren reached to roll the woman over. Carefully he picked her up. The wheezing from her lungs grew louder as she smiled at the little girl. “Sweetie… everything is fine… I’m going… to… carry you.” The little girl nodded.

“Lass,” she turned to see Will. He held an inhaler out to her. “Jacob had each of us carry one for ye.” Quietly she took it and instantly relaxed at the familiar taste in her mouth.

“Go search for others. I have her.” She did too. The little girl was leaving that horrible nightmare with her. “Sweetie, I want you to close your eyes and pretend you’re at the beach.” The little girl did as she was told and reached up. Wrapping her arms around Amelia’s neck the girl held tight.

As they exited from the rubble she saw the flashing lights of an ambulance waiting just on the other side of the gates. Paramedics were rushing her way. They had already taken the woman from Darren and placed her on a gurney. “Keep her with her mother!” Vaguely she saw flashes from cameras as she handed the little girl to the paramedics. Why were they taking pictures?

Will stood behind her as she stared sadly after the paramedics rushing the little girl to the ambulance. “Will, there were survivors… Survivors! I want every inch searched now! Look for survivors! Open the gates! Bring in everyone except children! I want the entire place searched! There will be no losses because we didn’t try, do you understand?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Now!!”

Chapter 21

They searched all through the night. Her hands were bruised and refused to work properly. Her fingers were stiff and sore, even the muscles up her back and in her neck hurt. Survivors had been found, but not enough. They hadn’t found Jacob.

As the water rained down on her, she shifted in the shower. Sitting in the tub with her knees up to her chest, she stared at the tile. The dingy gray and black of the grout stood out against the odd yellow tile.

The sun had come up before she was ready for it. Silence had allowed for them to find as many as they could, but once morning hit Darren had escorted her to the hotel. A woman guaranteed her safety at the small hotel several blocks from the explosion. Unfortunately, reporters were camped outside of the hotel.

A knock on the hollow bathroom door startled her. “Yes,” she queried.

“Lass, ‘tis a message for ye. Ye long lost friend ‘tis on ‘er way.”

“Long lost friend?”

“Aye.”

“Gen?” She jumped up, slipping on the porcelain tub. “Ahhh!”

“Lass?”

As she connected with the floor she lightly cracked her head on the sink that had seen better days. Dazed, she was unprepared when Will forced the door open. He leaned down to her and she waved him off. “I’m fine.”

Without a word he handed her the towel, so she could cover up. “We must go meet the plane.”

“The plane?”

“Aye, yer friend says to meet the plane.”

“Gen.” It was Gen. She was here.

Amelia was in so much trouble.

Chapter 22

Amelia saw Genevive and Chris walking towards the exit. They were holding hands until they saw her. Genevive immediately dropped her bag and ran towards Amelia. As they enveloped each other in a crushing hug the tears fell. Amelia sobbed and Genevive rubbed her back. “Shh… It’s ok. We’re here now. Everything’s going to be ok. I promise we’ll find a way to fix this.”

Darren and Will stood protectively a few feet away. Watching and waiting.

“Gen, there were survivors. A mother and child. We pulled them from the rubble…”

“I know.”

“How?”

“Sweetie, you’re on the front page of every newspaper in the world right now. You’re the queen that survived a bombing and pulled a child from the devastation. You’re famous.”

Amelia came to a halt. Famous? “What?”

“There’s a picture of you carrying a little girl and rushing towards paramedics… It’s everywhere. Have you not seen the news?”

“I’ve been a little busy.”

“Understandable. The image has become iconic. Here, I have a copy of the paper from the states.”

She pulled it out of her shoulder bag and handed it to Amelia. The headline read:

QUEEN AMELIA SURVIVES BOMBING AND SAVES MOTHER AND CHILD!

Two pictures and story graced the front page; however, the pictures caught her eye. She was running towards the paramedics, cradling the little girl. Her face was blackened from smoke, but tears had made two clean lines down her face. Her face reflected urgency and pain.

The other picture was of her in an alley. She remembered it quite well. It was as the sun was coming up. They had pulled several bodies from the blast. After slipping away from Darren and Will she collapsed against the wall in sheer exhaustion. Sliding down, she had pulled her knees to her chest and cried. The picture was of her in that position, but looking forward with head supported by one hand. So much pain was reflected in her gaze. “How dare they…” How could this person take such an intimate photo of her!?!

“Sweetie, don’t worry about it.”

“It makes me look weak.”

“No, it doesn’t. It shows just how bad the devastation was. It shows that you need rest. You need us.” She turned back to Chris. “Hon, say I’m right.”

“Amelia, she’s right. Whatever she said, she’s right.”

“He’s too well trained.”

“Nah, he’s in love. I got lucky with him. Now, come. Let’s go. Chris’ men have already arrived. We’ve put them in place around the city to try to find out what happened.”

“When did they arrive?”

“Who do you think took the picture?”

“How? I had just spoken with you…”

“He had guys in England. They took the train. You didn’t stop the trains. Why?”

“How could you get them to take such an intimate picture of me?”

“It was necessary. You need backup. You need support. This country loves you and because of those iconic images they will never forget the queen that pulled survivors from a building instead of being concerned for her own safety.”

Amelia buried the anger at what Genevive had done. Even if her friend did have her best interests at heart, she should not have taken advantage of her that way. Gen should have let her mourn in private. She was raised by someone that taught her safety came at the cost of hiding your feelings. How could she hide them when they were plastered all over every newspaper in the world? “Whatever… In answer to your question, people have to have transportation, don’t they?”

“Did you even pay attention in our Terrorism class?”

“Yes.”

“To anything other than that hot guy?”

“Yes!”

“Amelia, do you remember the lesson on embargoes and sanctions?”

“Yes, but I’m not stopping transportation. I want the city to operate as if nothing is wrong. Too much has been lost. I want the people to have some sort of normalcy in their lives.”

“Do you have a place for us to work?”

Amelia grinned. “Wait until you see it.” Payback was a bitch.

“Where is it?”

“Parliament.”

“Are you serious?”

“Oh, yes. I commandeered parliament for this.”

“You’ve lost your mind.”

“Yes. Yes, I have.” Maybe she really had. She wasn’t strong enough to deal with this. This was pain — angry hot pain that burned deeper than anything she had ever known.

Gen placed her hand lightly on Amelia’s shoulder. The touch, while meant to be comforting, alarmed her. It was sisterly and motherly. Something Amelia avoided at all costs because it reminded her of the loss of her mother, and that still ached. “I’m sorry about your love.”

“Jacob. His name was Jacob and he didn’t deserve what they did to him. He didn’t deserve to die. His guys don’t know what we had. We kept it secret. Don’t let anyone know.”

“I understand, Amelia. It’s ok. I didn’t want anyone to know about Chris either. It’s harder for you.”

“Yeah, Chris didn’t die for you.”

Inside the Parliament Building Amelia stood amongst her guards. Several had been killed in the attack; however, those that remained were prepared for anything. Chris’ men had been summoned to the Parliament Building as well. The men and her guards were divided. They each worked on their own sides of the room, as if they didn’t trust each other enough to get close. The sheer amount of weapons being readied was confusing to her. They were truly preparing for war.

“Will?”

“Aye?”

“Why is everyone separated?”

His eyes took on a sad look as he whispered, “’Tis a lack of trust. Too much has been lost today.”

“Chris’ men are good guys. They know how to fight. I trust Chris and he trusts them.”

“That may be. We lost good friends yesterday. ‘Tis too hard to trust. Those men understand.”

She nodded. “I understand.” There had been too much lost. It hurt her to consider it.

“Lass… Jacob…”

“Please don’t.” No, she could not bear to think of Jacob. There was too much to be done. No one else was going to use her grief as a political campaign. No one else was going to use her grief for an ‘iconic image’. Maybe if they made it through the coming war she would forgive Genevive for that, but it was going to take a lot.

“Ye need to know…”

She threw her arms up to stop anything further he might say. “I know all I need to know!”

He raised an eyebrow at her exasperation.

She took a deep breath. It wouldn’t do to get upset with him. He had lost a friend and knew how she felt, in a way. “Please don’t talk about him. I can’t bear it right now.”

“Verra well. Nothing else shall be said on the matter.”

“Thank you. Where are we on preparations? Have you guys deployed men to the Trident’s yet?”

“Aye.”

“The oil fields?”

“Three ships were sent to defend it.”

“Has there been any word on who sent the package?”

“Yer friend, the shrew…”

“The what?” A grin broke out on her face. Maybe she should ask him to call Gen that to her face. That would really start something. It would be hilarious!

“I meant the angry one.”

“Of course you did…”

“The lass is making headway on the computer. She expects an answer soon.”

“Good.” It was time they had some answers. They had been in the dark for far too long. It was only giving the perpetrators a chance to get away. They just needed a starting point. Something that could point them in the right direction. Who would want to destroy a newly formed country? Even if it was one that had stood for centuries, it was still newly formed in a way. Was that the key or was it more personal?

“I got it!!”

She turned towards Genevive.

“I got it!” Gen’s excitement was overwhelming. She held her laptop up in her excitement. “I found him!”

“The bomber?”

“Yes! He’s a mercenary from Sierra Leon.”

“Why in the world would a mercenary from Sierra Leon be interested in destroying Scotland?”

Genevive stopped and her face went blank.

“You have no idea, do you?”

“Not yet, but I will soon.”

“You’re still in the dog house. Show the bastard to me.” It would be good to put a face to the hatred she felt. The overwhelming hatred that threatened to boil over at any minute.

As Genevive held out the laptop to her she held her breath. What if she had seen him, but did not stop him? What if the little girl and her mother could have been saved the pain of being buried alive? What if Jacob’s death could have been prevented? Maybe there was something she saw, something she could have done… something to save them all. Would she be able to forgive herself? No, the answer was no. Still though, she looked.

As she gazed upon the face of the murderer she felt a small ounce of recognition. The man’s picture was deceiving. Bright green eyes. That’s what stood out the most. His bright green eyes. His skin was slightly tanned, his hair blonde as the summer’s sun, and his expression… It spoke of deceit. It spoke of lies. He was a mercenary alright. Someone trained to kill anyone they sought.

Someone had sent an assassin after her. The thought was sobering. Someone hated her so much that they wanted her dead. So much that they had killed a staggering 18 people to get to her. Yet, they missed. He missed.

He would come after her again. The question was when.

“Do you know his name?”

“Not yet. Amelia, you know…”

“That he’ll come after me again? Yes.”

“We need to get you to safety. He could be anyone by now. He could be wearing a disguise. If he’s a good assassin, then he’ll know how.”

“No, I’m staying. I’ll stay in this building if I absolutely must, but I’m staying. I want to see the bastard’s face when he loses this battle.” Her anger was showing. Taking a deep calming breath, Amelia continued, “You must understand. This is a personal attack in more ways than one.”

“Amelia, it’s ok. You want to be there. We get it.”

“I fer one, dinnae. The lass needs to remain safe. We cannae keep her safe if she goes gallivanting into danger.”

“Darren, I assure you that I will be fine.”

“’Tis not some game. We swore an oath.”

“I’m sure you will keep it, but remember I’ve grown stronger in the few weeks. I’m not the same woman you kidnapped.”

“Not enough to take on assassins.”

“Gen, tell me what all you’ve got on him.”

“Gladly. His name is Marcus Jones. He was born in Sierra Leon in March 1980 to a Virginia and Leonard Jones. His parents were killed when he was ten and he was raised by a warlord.”

“Are you shitting me?”

“Nope. He was raised by a warlord. Seriously. Then at sixteen he was hired for his first job. A local diplomat. Over the years he’s worked for just about anyone and worked just about anywhere. This man has quite the resume. His last kill was a United States Senator. It says his preferred method is poison.”

“So why did he chose a bombing this time?”

“Not sure yet.”

It was time to make sure everyone knew that she was alive and getting on with governing a country. “I need to be escorted to the Tridents.”

“What!?!”

“You guys don’t understand. Personal appearances are very important right now. It’ll give the people confidence and give him a chance to screw up.”

Deacon frowned. “Aye, the lass speaks the truth. Too many unknowns haunt us at the moment. ‘Tis important to choose the scene on which we fight. We have the advantage and we must use it. Gavin will escort her in one hour. ‘Tis true, the people must see the Queen out and about. Or they shall begin to worry. Worry breeds fear and fear breeds hate. The country could easily erupt into chaos.”

“See, Will gets it.”

Chris stepped forward away from his men. “Amelia, it’s too dangerous.”

“Chris, did I tell you it was too dangerous when you wanted to go after the man that shot Gen?”

“Point taken.”

“Good. Now shut up. I have to go get ready for my first public appearance since the bombing. God, I wish Edith was here. Where’s a publicist when you need one?”