Two weeks later, Raina shielded her eyes against the sun setting beyond the ocean and frowned. She wasn’t ready to return to Haven City. The admission took her by surprise. To her complete shock, she’d adjusted to the simple way of life. Kevin still helped her dress in the mornings. She’d learned how to brush and even braid her hair, though the result wasn’t elegant or even pretty, but it kept the mass out of her face and from getting tangled.
The privacy they’d be giving up returning to the city was almost more than Raina could bear. So, instead of dwelling on what she couldn’t change, she focused on the memories they’d made. Held them close, and dear.
Kevin stopped at the back porch on Eadric. The horse’s incredible height paired with her tall husband brought him almost eye level with the floor. “House locked up?”
“Yes.” She dropped the keys into his waiting palm. “Do we have to leave?”
“Yes. I thought you’d be happy.” His gray eyes searched her face.
She sighed. “I did too.”
He angled in the saddle, still regarding her. “What’s wrong?”
Sitting on the edge of the wooden deck, she held her arms out for him to help her down onto the mount. “I don’t know, I guess… I guess I’ll miss the privacy. I never realized how very public my life is.”
“Ah, now maybe I’ll have some sympathy when I disappear into my study.”
Eadric dug his hooves into the sandy ground, acknowledging her additional weight in his very horse way. Raina patted his mane. Long tendrils of gray hair tangled between her fingers. “I think I’ll join you.”
Kevin nuzzled her neck, placing a gentle kiss over her pulse. “I won’t complain.”
Raina sighed into the intimacy. She enjoyed the new expressions of their love, and how openly Kevin embraced the change between them. “Will we be able to be so affectionate in our Haven City home, do you think?”
He urged Eadric forward into a slow gait up the winding path, away from the house. “I think the bigger question is, will you want to be?”
She considered the inquiry, realizing it had merit. Would she mind if her staff, and possibly her clients, witnessed what some may consider an inappropriate display between the spouses? “I’m not sure.”
Another kiss landed on the back of her neck, exposed by her braid sliding over her shoulder. “At least my princess didn’t completely disappear. I don’t know what I would have done.”
Raina stiffened and slapped at his good thigh. “Don’t make me feel bad about what’s been trained into me. I’m trying… I am.”
His arm slipped around her waist, pulling her close to his strong chest. “You mistake my teasing. I fell in love with a princess, I’ll have you anyway you decide to be.”
All the frustration left her and she relaxed. “You’ve never really teased me before.”
The flutter of his lips against her ear made a shiver race up her spine. “There’s a lot we’ve never done before a couple weeks ago.”
Heat fanned across her cheeks. How could so much change so quickly? She laced her fingers through his, still pressed possessively to her belly. She knew the answer. They’d trusted each other not only with their bodies, but with their hearts. They had a battle ahead of them still, one she didn’t want to return to, but knowing they’d be in it together made the fear easier to accept.
The cool, gentle wind off the ocean teased her bound hair and ruffled the fabric of her peach skirt. A gift from Kevin, along with two more. Something easy to take on and off, she simply slid the skirt on, pulled a thick matching strap tight around her waist and tied the whole thing off. A feminine tail of fabric hung from her left hip to past her knee. She rather liked the simple, elegant style, planning on having more made upon their return to the city. The warm finely spun wool sweater kept the chill in the air from settling on her skin.
They reached the outskirts of the small New Hampton community. Off in the distance on a hill, Raina recognized the tall wooden arch marking the town’s cemetery. She squeezed Kevin’s hand. “Can we stop there?”
“At the cemetery? Why?”
Raina drew her brows together. “I don’t really know, I feel like we need to.”
He urged Eadric into the new direction, but remained silent.
“Do you ever visit?”
“No.”
Raina chewed on her bottom lip. Maybe they shouldn’t go. But yet, she couldn’t stop the compulsion to do so. Eadric waited at the gate for Kevin to tie his reins and then went to exploring the rocky ground for edible grasses. Kevin jumped down first before helping Raina. He eased the creaky gate open, his hip braced against the rough wood.
“Where is your family?” she asked, grasping her hands together in nervousness.
“Over here.”
He gestured to the right of the cemetery, picking his way through closely packed headstones. Raina followed carefully. Large expanses of rock separated meticulously spaced markers, the residents using every available space of diggable land to bury their family members. They eased over several huge boulders, reaching a squared off plot with a large MERRICK family memorial. Names were etched into the slate with dates, taking up the entire left side and half the right. Probably close to fifty names if she had to guess. The small plot had been in the family for generations.
Taking a deep breath, Raina sat cross-legged before the grave. Most families chose cremation, making a burial site possible for near infinite generations. Behind her, Kevin leaned against a huge boulder, shading the area from the last warm rays of the sun. Raina read the names and dates until tears burned. So many children lost to one family.
The last two names caught her attention. Listed together with the same date.
Dustin and Angela Merrick – August 17th, 823
“What happened to them?”
“You don’t recognize the date?”
Raina stared at the carved stone and shook her head. “No, should I? I would have been eleven that year.”
“The Great Derailing of 823,” he said.
A gasp escaped before she could contain it. Now she remembered. Over a thousand people died in the only recorded mega-accident of a MagnaRail. They never discovered what actually happened, and the resources to repair the line, and replace the train, had been immense. The economy was still recovering from the loss. Not to mention the population. In a world where life was cherished by most, the pain of losing a thousand people at once had been felt across the entire country.
“I’m so sorry,” she said.
She felt more than heard his presence shift behind her. The warmth of his body spread across her back as his arms wrapped around her upper chest. His thighs slid along hers, locking her into the strength of his form.
“Why are you sorry?” He whispered the words against her temple. A feather light kiss lingered on her cheek. “I have everything I need right here.”
Her heart nearly burst. “But they’re your parents, and I know they loved you.”
“They did. I was their only survivor of six. Saying they loved me is an understatement. I couldn’t have had parents who treasured me more. And yes, I miss them. But I still have family. I have you, and we’ll build our house. And I have Sean, Mason, Kat, Cora and now Jonathon is being folded into our hectic little family. We will do almost anything for each other. Family is who you make it, Raina, not only who you’re born into.”
“I know.”
His arms tightened around her chest. “Do you?”
She grasped his muscled forearms and squeezed. “Of course. I’m still heartbroken for you, for your parents. It’s not fair.”
“Never is.”
They sat in the still peacefulness of the cemetery for a few more minutes before he stirred behind her. “Are you ready to leave my bleak family history now?”
Raina nodded and accepted Kevin’s hand when he helped her rise. On their way out, she paid careful attention to the family lots, noting some parents hadn’t been able to simply list their children, they’d given them individual, personal little stones. Raina’s heart clenched. No, none of this was fair.
Looking over the uneven resting grounds, she figured children occupied over half. If Kevin’s family was the average, most families experienced an eighty percent mortality rate beyond the Northern Boundary. Did the Sziveria government know? Did they care they lost entire generations due to lack of medical care? One way to find out.
“Is a census conducted up here?” she asked.
“Here as in past the Tabrias?”
“Yes.”
“Yeah.” He helped her over a jutting rock and uneven ground. “Around every five years.”
Once they returned to Haven City, she’d visit the Records Department and get copies of the census and see what exactly everyone appeared to be ignoring. She also decided on their way out, to make Kevin stop so she could order the additional skirts from the young woman who made them. If the residents of New Hampton couldn’t earn a living, nothing anyone did would help in the long run.
They arrived at the train depot well after dark. A thin layer of frost coated every surface and glittered in the low light of street lamps. Inside people sat huddled under cloaks or blankets on bench seats, drawing them closer when the air swept across the room from the open door. A small woodstove barely took away the chill.
Raina noted a man moved from the counter and dropped two pieces of wood on a small pile. Kevin followed her in, stomping dirt off his boots. He carried an armload of wood to the pile and dropped it, before continuing on to the ticket counter. Raina raised a brow and hurried after him.
“You have to supply firewood?” she asked.
“Yes, it’s customary since we all need to stay warm, to help provide. Wood is more expensive here. The trees are smaller and closely guarded to keep the environment intact. Most wood is cultivated further up north by the prison inmates and shipped down.”
While Sziveria supplied a lot of its own wood, it was a major import from several nations. She knew, she handled the logistics of shipping and distribution, and she also knew there were several companies always looking to offload a surplus. Why did none of it make it north? The more she glanced around, the more she felt like she looked at a forgotten people.
Kevin purchased their tickets, and then they settled in for the wait, which wasn’t long. The train outbound for the mainland, returning the last shift change for the prisons and picking up anyone leaving the Northern Boundary, arrived minutes later. They took care of Eadric before finding their small private suite. Once the thin folding door was secured, Raina let out a long exhale. They were heading home. Sort of.
After much discussion they decided staying at Mason’s house would be best. Not only was it larger, offering them more of the privacy they’d grown accustomed to, but Mason needed to converse with Raina about the maps. Until they knew what they were up against in the city, traveling had to be kept to a minimum.
Kevin settled in the smaller bench seat across from her, resting his head against the wooden wall. The train lurched forward. Under them, the metal wheels squealed and ground on iron tracks. Within moments, the gentle sway of momentum rocked their cabin.
“Why does this place feel like some forgotten realm?” Raina mused aloud, watching the dark landscape roll by. Shadows of tall trees and glistening patches of snow.
“I thought you paid attention in Geography lesson?” Kevin bumped his foot playfully into her thigh.
Raina shot him an annoyed glare at the reminder of her snappy words to him when he’d tried to explain Northern Sziveria’s precarious situation. “I did. But you’re not allowed to hold my attitude against me. I wasn’t exactly in the best place when I said them.”
“Very true. Does that mean you’re ready to listen now?”
She glanced back out the window again. “Consider me completely at your mercy.”
“Dangerous words to say to a husband.”
Raina slid her attention back to him. They’d moved well past any hope of light beyond the faint glow of the moon. He sat in the shadows, but she knew the look he’d have if she could see his eyes. The same look that had landed him between her legs anyway she could get him over the past two weeks.
A sliver of desire raced through her body and she took a slow breath. If the little door meant to be their gate to privacy weren’t as thin as the walls likely were, she’d be closing the distance between them. She’d learned something else over the last few weeks however, she wasn’t quiet.
“Indeed,” she whispered. “How about we save that particular lesson for another train ride?”
He chuckled. “Coward.”
“Princess,” she corrected.
“Very well, for another ride. Back to geography then.” He leaned forward and clasped his hands between his knees. “It would help if I had a map, but you know enough of the land to get an idea.
“The Tabria Mountain’s divide the top third of our country from coast to coast. There’s only one useable pass, and it’s barely wide enough for two trains. An in-going and out-going, nothing more, nothing less. We have a small military tower station at the base of the mountains near the pass, that should something happen and we’re invaded, the pass can be blown up and the top half of the country closed off. Whether or not it’s taken back will depend on a lot of things, and many people have varying speculations. In the end it doesn’t matter right now.
“The reason for the land being sovereign versus incorporated is because if anything does happen, the response time would be too slow. Also, when thefts, murders, assaults, arson, or any other crime happens, it takes too long for an investigator to arrive to handle the issue. The population is too small to assign a unit to the area, and the taxes too few to account for the cost of paying people. Most disputes are handled by a town Marshall and local judgement by a group of peers who are voted on yearly. People run for the Judgement Committee and, like in Italyssa, can’t run more than once, keeping people from being bought by criminals.”
“Or that’s the idea,” Raina mused, relaxing back in her seat, taking in everything he said.
“Yes, that’s the idea. Anyway, the economy is, you could say, purposefully kept weak.”
Raina drew her brows together. “I don’t understand.”
“Say it were to become strong, protecting it would then become a priority and everything I just said would need addressing.”
She sucked air in between her teeth. “And the logistics behind that would be a nightmare.”
“Yes. Plus, with three maximum security prisons holding the most violent of our criminals on the northern shores, they don’t exactly want a population bloom a rising economy would bring.”
Disgusted, Raina shook her head. “So everyone suffers because our government doesn’t want to inconvenience itself. Everyone north of the Tabrias has to deal with burying five out of six of their children because, so sorry, you’re just not worth the effort it would take to keep you safe and allow you to afford a Medical Scientist.”
“This has become important to you,” he said softly.
Anger at the reminder of how close he’d come to death crept like a dark monster into her mind. Seeing his sibling’s names, precious lives neither he nor his parents had the time to know or love, made the fury grow.
“I almost lost you.” She took a deep, steadying breath. “I would have lost you if I didn’t know Sean’s role in your life. If I didn’t know with absolute certainty he’d come the second he was able. No one else has that, Kevin. They bury their sick who could be saved with medication we consider basic. Yes. It’s become important to me.”
He slid down to the floor at her feet. Resting his arms on her thighs, he dropped his chin and looked up at her. “Well, instead of getting mad at the people I work for, who mostly do the best they can in the interest of all, how about your incredibly smart self thinks of a way to improve their lives, and give others the opportunity to step up and help small communities.”
Raina smoothed her hand along his jaw and into the short length of hair at the back of his neck. Her heart fluttered and swelled. He heard her rant, let her have it. Then he supported her need, and trusted in her ability to see it through. “I love you so much.”
His arms wrapped around her waist and before she could protest, he yanked her forward, forcing her knees apart to accompany his large chest. “Good, because I changed my mind about dangerous husbands and train rides.”
“Here we are, Master Guardian Raiventon, your quarters.” The housekeeper pushed a tall door open and stepped aside. Raina tried to peer inside, but the woman swept her arms forward. “And if you’ll follow me Guardianess, I’ll show you to yours.”
Raina wanted to say no thank you, she was fine with her husband. However, social traditions dictated they have separate sleeping quarters, usually for their possessions and attendants. Dutifully, Raina followed. She caught Kevin’s bemused smile on the way past and wanted to glare. She knew exactly what he thought, back into princess mode.
Squaring her shoulders and ignoring the annoyance at falling so quickly into her old self, she walked into the lavish suite. Decorated in shades of rose, sage and cream, the elegant room held a large pine bed on a dais draped with rose and cream silk, a sitting area, and reading nook. Huge double doors led out onto a balcony. Satiny sage curtains rustled in the wind, sweeping the floor with each inward gust.
“The bathroom is joining and shared, right through there.” She pointed to the right. “Your closet is over here. Miss Cora was unsure how long you’d be joining us and has already sent for your Stylist and wardrobe.”
Shocked, Raina barely kept her mouth from falling open. “Thank you.”
“Of course. Primary Guardian Kynhaven said Master Guardian Raiventon will be handling dinner, so I’ll leave you to it then. Ring if you need anything.” She bowed her head and then disappeared, closing the door behind her.
Raina rushed to the joining bathroom, flinging the double doors wide. Kevin stood in the center of the large room and grinned at her.
“Look,” he said.
She followed his hand to where a massive tub was recessed in the floor. Beyond the tub, a shower took up the entire back wall, closed in by glass. Warm water. A hot shower. A sigh of longing escaped her mouth. Raina gravitated to the shower, slowly shedding clothes from her body each step. She would have stepped right into the tub if Kevin hadn’t redirected her. The cool glass swept aside with the faintest touch. Raina frowned, unsure how to work the knobs.
Kevin reached around, pushed and turned. Water fell from three different areas, steaming and glorious. Cold stone tile met her toes along with a rush of warmth. She moaned and tilted her head back, soaking in the heat. Kevin stood in front of her, doing the same.
“This is amazing.” She held out her hands and caught random drops in her palms, reveling in the sensation of hot water flowing over every part of her body.
“Yes, you never take a hot shower for granted again after returning from the Northern Boundary.”
On a happy sigh, Raina dropped her forehead to his solid chest. “We will have to scheme how to remedy that.”
His strong arms pulled her against his body and she complied, sliding her hands up his slick back. The flesh of her belly pressed into his growing erection and she smiled. Her smile quickly turned into a squeal when with a growl he hefted her upward. Hard, cold tile met her back the second his mouth found hers. Raina wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist and held tight. Desire shot through her like lightning. Then her talented husband showed her how amazing a shower really could be.
“I hope you like your rooms, because you’re never leaving.” Mason dropped a rib bone on his plate and Raina kept from laughing at the almost pitiful expression on his face. “I haven’t eaten this good in months.”
“Still no cook?” Kevin asked, wiping his fingers on a dark blue cloth napkin.
“No.” Cora wasn’t as polite. She licked sticky sauce from her fingers. “I haven’t found anyone I liked.”
“You know your problem?” Mason asked, fork pointed at Cora. “You’re too picky.”
“I’m selective. There’s a difference, dear brother. Learn it.”
Mason glared at his twin. “And I have no opinion?”
Cora’s smile mocked. “That’s right, you don’t. You’ll make a good husband one day. You always know when to defer to a woman.”
With a groan, Mason’s head fell to the table. His long black hair flared out around him on the cream table cloth. “Why me?”
Cora patted his wide shoulder. “It’s because you love me, nothing wrong with that.”
“You are the bane of my existence,” he muttered, his words barely intelligible against the wooden table.
“I do try.”
Raina glanced at Kevin, who watched the exchange with an amused smile. “Are they always like this?”
“Mostly,” Kevin answered.
Cora’s silvery eyes found Raina. “Do you like your room?”
“It’s very nice, thank you. And for sending for my wardrobe and Tabby.”
Cora waved the praise away with a graceful flick of her wrist. “Nonsense. I know you’ve been living in savage conditions up there in New Hampton. I’d have gone crazy in your place for that long, it was the least I could do.”
Raina set her fork down on her plate. “You’ve been to the Northern Boundary?”
“One time for a story. Dreadful place. I don’t know how people stand it. No hot water, unpaved roads that are more like ditches than travel worthy. Not to mention the primitive living conditions.”
Intrigued, Raina braced her forearms on the table and leaned forward. “What was your story about?”
“Prison escapes.” Cora popped a piece of biscuit into her mouth. “With three major prison facilities up there, and most of the Wolven Guard being primarily based either out of Haven City or along the southern shores, I wanted to know how the population handled the threat.”
Raina drew her brows together. “There aren’t any Wolven Guard teams beyond the Boundary? Or even positioned at the tower station at the foot of the Tabrias?”
Cora shook her head. “No. The escapes are fairly infrequent, and depending on the convict determines which Wolven Guard team is called upon to go on the hunt.”
“The escapee has several hours lead on anyone searching for them?”
“Pretty much. That’s why I did the story. It was exciting and dangerous to consider.”
Raina sighed. “What did you find out?”
“What I found out wasn’t quite as exciting. Turns out the prisons are, at the nearest, a solid day’s walk from any inhabited town. In the ice and snow, most prisoners only make it halfway before they’re found. And then it’s a toss whether they survived the elements. The towns also know anyone sentenced to those three prisons isn’t anyone they want around, so the escapees really have no hope of help.”
Raina considered the information and focused on the people left to deal with yet another danger on their own. An idea formulated in her mind, spurred on by the whispered reminder of Kevin’s suggestion. Give others the opportunity to step up and help…
“Do you think you’d be willing to do another story on the Northern Boundary?”
Hours later, Raina learned two interesting facts. First, Cora was smart, too smart to be running around gaining the reputation she so carefully cultivated as a woman with loose morals. Raina wanted to know why, but couldn’t ask, not without overstepping social boundaries she’d been taught never to overstep. Which left her to muse, glancing up at the woman over a map, who curled comfortably on a seat in Mason’s cramped study, idly turning pages in a book.
Second, Mason wasn’t scary. Not even a little. The man was big, no question, but with a large presence and even larger smile. He picked at his sister, and held an air of polite aristocracy toward Raina that allowed her to slide into the professional role she’d become content in.
After pointing out the discrepancies between her maps and his, they’d set about determining which were fact. Raina was shocked at the vast differences.
Kevin lounged against the wide windowsill behind them, his legs stretched out. “You built these over the course of four months?”
“Yes. I was given information on rail lines and trade routes with some of the shipments, to help plan them accordingly. Some ports ended up being closer than one I would have used due to the updated information, cutting transport length.” She sighed, pulling a map of South America closer. “This doesn’t make any sense. Why would they have access to different information than everyone else?”
“Several reasons come to mind, but the two making the most sense are they either stole the information from the governing bodies, or they built the lines, roads and ports,” Mason answered.
Raina looked over the borders of several touching South American countries. “It’s the entire continent.” She slid her finger from New Panama to Perazil in middle of the continent. “And these two nations have been bickering with New Columbia over border issues here in the middle for over a hundred years. Little skirmishes break out along all three borders. There’s no way New Columbia would share this rail information willingly. It could give New Panama and Perazil advantages.”
Kevin rubbed at his beard under his chin. “Isn’t there an Italyssian colony in Floradesol?”
Raina nodded. “Yes. Cairo has a large colony on the western side, but only Graecily is recognized. Both countries help protect the borders for Floradesol, and in return the colonies are left alone for the most part. I think Cairo is looking to secure the land wholly for themselves though, and be recognized like Graecily is. They’re capable military wise.”
“A new Cairo.” Mason shook his head. “That’s a scary thought. They’ll attempt purchase and treaties first.”
“Of course,” Raina agreed. “But, if they want the land, not much will stop them from securing it. They just have to have the right pieces in play.”
Cora straightened. “How many of the new features run through Italyssian and Cairoen land?”
Drawing her brows together, Raina surveyed the maps. “All of them have differences from what Mason has.”
“Interesting. Cairo would definitely not part with that information if they’re planning on separating their land from Floradesol,” Cora surmised.
Mason nodded. “I agree completely. It would hurt them if a war broke out.”
“So,” Raina began with a sigh, “we’re likely looking at thefts?”
Cora tapped her index finger to her bottom lip. “Or carefully constructed alliances built on lies. A do-this-for-us-and-we’ll-do-this-for-you scenario.”
“There’s a way to find out.” Mason stood and crossed his arms over his chest. “We happen to know an Italyssian shipping heiress who probably deals a lot with the colony. I bet she can get the information for us at least on what pertains to their land.”
“Unless it was given in secret, then no one will admit to it,” Cora argued.
“Then we’ll know one way or another it was stolen,” Kevin stated.
Something about the position of the lines and roads, and even some of the ports bothered Raina. Tapping her fingers on the map, she chewed her bottom lip. She pulled Westica’s map to the top. “Where is your map of Westica?”
Mason searched through the sheets and pulled a huge map to the top. He carefully laid it out, smoothing the corners down. “I updated it six months ago based on information they sent us.”
Raina slowly nodded and compared the two. “I was given this map when Enbrackon first hired me. I didn’t make it.”
“He gave it to you, or one of the people he was working with?” Kevin asked, coming to stand behind her.
“He did.” The urge to lean back into his strength had Raina fisting her hands until the desire passed. Carefully, she analyzed the maps, her heart pounding with each little discovery. “I don’t know how this is possible, but I think I see what they’ve been doing. I bet if we check against the other countries with differences, it’ll be the same.”
Kevin’s chest brushed against her back. His hands rested on her hips as he looked over her shoulder. Raina took a deep breath and sank her weight onto her heels, pressing closer to him. He whispered into her ear, “What do you see?”
“Look at the interior edges of Westica on my map compared to Mason’s.” She pointed to the jagged lines that separated known safe land from unsafe.
“They’ve ventured into Uninhabited Zones,” Kevin stated gruffly.
Cora leapt to her feet. “What?”
“Look,” Kevin pointed to a section of land that swept deeply into a partitioned off line. A railroad followed the new edge. “All this is unclaimed territory, deemed unsafe.”
“Deemed by who?” Raina asked, never quite understanding the zones. Sziveria didn’t have any, but most nations either had borders with them, or had areas quarantined off.
“By the local governments. Something about the land, either the water, soil, air, or some other factor makes it unlivable. How often it’s reevaluated is determined by the country the land borders,” Kevin explained.
“Either these roads and rail lines are entering into dangerous territories or someone has decided the land is no longer a threat and is utilizing the resources,” Raina said.
Cora let loose a long exhale. “If this land is being resourced without the knowledge of the country, the profits would be enormous.”
“Where are they getting the laborers do you think?” Mason wondered. “They couldn’t use men from the country, there’d be too much talk.”
“Bringing in large groups of people would cause an issue too,” Kevin surmised, his fingers clenched and relaxed on her hips in a thoughtful massage.
Raina thought about all the shipments she’d arranged for the group of men Enbrackon had brought to her. Knowing how they worked now, a notion formulated. “Unless they were smuggled in and forced into some sort of work camp.”
Cora shook her finger in thought. “There would be evidence of that in the country. If I could—”
“No,” Mason bit out.
“But—”
“No,” he snapped at her again. “Absolutely not. These are dangerous people who have already killed to keep their secrets. You’ll be nothing against them, especially out of the country.”
“He’s right, Cora,” Kevin said. “It’s too risky.”
Her pale gray eyes glimmered with determination. “Do you realize what kind of a discovery this could be? What I could do with the information? The stories I could write?”
Mason leaned forward, his hands splayed on the desk. “Do you realize no one will ever know if you’re dead?”
Cora braced her palms on the desk and copied his action, coming inches from her glaring brother. “Their entire network, all their plans, could be unraveled with one story, Mason. Think what Synintel could do with anything I’d be able to learn.”
Raina stilled at her words. Would her father risk one woman against an entire organization for the chance at information? While Raina figured the answer was probably a resounding yes, the problem here wasn’t whether Synintel would agree or not, but whether Mason would. Since the twins were mirrors of each other’s personality, Raina didn’t see the argument resolving any time soon.
“Maybe we can find out some information a safer way and still ask Asherwick’s promised to check with the colony’s leadership,” Raina suggested, hoping to ease the spike in tension between the siblings.
“Sure, fine,” Cora bit out, but didn’t back down. “But we all know Westica is the most stable country to investigate the Uninhabited Zones along its borders. Everyone else is either a hostile culture, or on the edge of war with someone. Due to Westica’s isolation, like us, they’re remarkably stable and don’t have any colony’s vying for emancipation.”
“Still a no,” Mason said.
Cora shoved away from the desk and huffed. “I’m twenty-seven years old, fully grown, with my own career. I don’t need, nor did I ask, for your permission. If I want to go to Westica to chase a story, I’ll go. If I wanted to go to Westica to chase a flock of birds, I’d go, and you’d have nothing to say about that.”
“Birds don’t shoot or kidnap people, now do they?” Mason snapped. “As you said, you’re a grown woman, now start acting like one and make better decisions.”
“Always comes down to my decision making.” Cora waved a hand and flopped into the chair. “Hard to believe I’m still alive.”
“I do stare at you in wonder,” Mason said with all seriousness. Then he sighed and straightened. “As a Master Tribunii, Asherwick likely has a radio at his house. We can ask Miss Seartavos to make the communication where no one else will overhear.”
Raina looked over the map. Kevin had yet to move away from her and she resisted the need to thread her fingers through his still gripping her hip. They’d only been around people for a couple hours now and already she missed him. How silly could she be? Forcing her focus onto the map, she traced a long rail line that bordered a Perazil UZ and ran through Italyssa’s colony.
“I want her to ask about this. It runs through both Perazil and their territory,” Raina said to Mason.
“I’ll draw it up. Do you think she should mention Perazil’s sharing?”
“I’m not sure. I’m not involved in politics to know what asking that could mean.”
Mason nodded and started sketching. “Have you had any luck with the records for Asherwick, Cora? Since it looks like we’ll be going to see him soon?”
“Yes, I have actually, but I’ve been a little worried about that,” Cora admitted with a frown.
“Why?” Raina asked.
Cora shifted in the chair, her frown growing darker. “Well, of the ones I’ve reviewed, your name and signature has been on all of them.”
Behind her, Kevin stiffened. “On all the imports or the exports?”
“Both,” Cora admitted. “I’m hoping I missed something and maybe a few of the original manifests are buried. But, I have a strong feeling someone else has them.”
Panic seized Raina. Her breath caught in her lungs. “That must be plan B. If they failed to kill you, they had an alternate means of getting rid of my father.”
Mason slowly turned and looked between her and Kevin. “What do you mean, if they failed to kill you?”
“Me,” Kevin specified. “Which we already figured out, but Raina confirmed.”
Raina couldn’t breathe. Her legs became useless and had Kevin not still had hold of her hips, she would have sunk to the floor. His arms wrapped around her waist, easily supporting her weight.
“Breathe,” he whispered, giving her a soft shake and gentle squeeze. “Breathe.”
She sucked in a lungful of air. “He’s going to frame me, take the evidence to the E&R meeting, and have my father thrown out of office.”
“The E&R meeting was already supposed to have happened,” Kevin stated.
Cora shook her head. “No, it was postponed.”
Raina didn’t hear any of it, she was fixated on the catastrophe waiting to become her life. “They’ll arrest me. Oh no, no.” She turned in Kevin’s arms and grabbed the front of his shirt by the fistful. “You’ll be married to a criminal.”
“Why was it postponed?” Kevin asked, his hands on Raina’s shoulders.
“I’m not sure,” Cora said. “There was an article about it. Let me see if I can find the paper, hopefully they didn’t use it for tinder yet,” The rustle of fabric sounded as she rose.
Closing her eyes, Raina considered every bad decision that brought her to this point. “Oh sweet summer sun, you are already married to one. I did do those things. No one forced me. I willingly let them do this. I’m going to jail. I will be stuck in a prison cell, tattooed with a felony stamp…”
Kevin dropped down to his haunches before her. Since she still held his shirt, the fabric lifted. He swiped in a quick downward motion, forcing her to release and redirect to his shoulders if she wished to maintain contact. Taking hold of her chin, he urged her to meet his stare.
“You aren’t going to prison.”
“But—”
He shook his head. “No. Listen to me again. You aren’t going to prison.”
“But they have…”
Kevin no longer looked at her. His attention shifted to Mason and he stood. “We’re going to Blackbain’s. There’s too much planning involved now, and new information he needs to know.”
“Agreed.”
“I can take the map to Jonathon,” Cora volunteered, returning with a paper in hand. “I have to bring him the records anyway.”
“We need him at Sean’s,” Mason told her, rolling up the copy he finished.
“I can tell him that, too.”
Mason tapped a coal pencil against the desk. “We shouldn’t be seen arriving together.”
“Raina and I will dress down and take a hired coach,” Kevin said.
Dread filled Raina at the idea of sitting in a rough, smelly carriage again. But, she also didn’t want to worry about an assassin’s bullet finding her husband.