The Deadly King

Chapter 6

Hawthorn glared at Jack until the door took the view from him. He turned to Orin, plain-faced and subduing the anger. It took a lot of restraint not to unleash everything upon him.

"Give it a couple of days. Let Jack think that this is over with. Let people see Jack and his wife in public or at their workplaces. Then, stage a home invasion. No witnesses, no survivors. He will pay for every single bruise on her body."

"The wife as well?"

Hawthorn inhaled deeply as he closed his eyes. He had to keep telling himself to remain calm. Hawthorn also reminded himself that the wife's disgust was obvious. The wife was unaware of what had happened and showed clear signs of horror.

"If she is not in the house at the time, then so be it. Just remember that she has been here and knows something happened between us and Jack. She could easily point the finger. I do not want this to come back to us."

"I will start with round-the-clock surveillance. Someone has also bugged the house, as well as the wife's handbag."

"She will find it."

"It's a small device that was slipped into the lining. Unless someone checks her bag, it is unlikely. I have already assigned a team to monitor everything. I will update you when there is more."

With a dutiful nod, Orin turned and walked towards the security office. There were a multitude of tasks to do and watch over. The night was not nearly long enough for everything, in his opinion. Hawthorn was angry, which was expected. Orin was equally irate, if not more. He'd been with them for every outing. He didn't notice that they were clearly being watched. For Jack to send in people to abduct Seraphina, it meant that they'd observed them for long enough to create a plan.

And, of course, there was a failure on his part. He was the one that organised the security. He was the one that allowed Seraphina to go shopping. Reina had been with her for every trip out, and she clearly needed time off. As much as he could suggest it, Orin knew Reina would state that it was okay. She didn't mind and believed that it made the situation a little easier for Seraphina. To the outside world, they looked like two women going shopping. If it were a male, it would be obvious because they would remain at a distance to allow her privacy.

For a moment, Hawthorn stood in the lobby, alone and lost. The thoughts that floated through his mind were Alfie's chiding words and the lecture he'd given him before all this started. It might have been the plans of the old kings, but that didn't make it the right path. Alfie even warned that blackmailing Jack was a risky thing to do. Their intel on the Prime Minister told them he was arrogant, short-tempered and unstable. Hawthorn mused that Alfie was right, which was not unusual.

Climbing the stairs, Hawthorn made his way to the apartment. Each step was torturous, knowing that he'd done this to Seraphina and Reina. The guilt would remain longer than the bruises. Hawthorn believed that he deserved the guilt, but Seph and Reina did not deserve any of this nightmare.

Reaching the bedroom wing, Hawthorn stopped with the bathroom door opened. The nurse emerged, gasping softly when she saw the king. As she murmured her apology, Elena closed the door.

"Your conclusion?"

"The queen will be fine. There is a lot of bruising. There is nothing broken, and the queen will recover soon despite experiencing tenderness around the midsection of her torso."

"Perhaps this could be the only time that I am grateful she is not pregnant."

Elena nodded sadly. Her eyes lifted to the open doorway behind the king. Hawthorn turned to see Orin.

"I forgot to ask if you'd like me to take a statement from the queen. Reina is currently writing her notes."

"I suppose it might be ideal to get it done while everything is fresh in her mind. Was Reina able to provide information about the abductors?"

"The ones that she saw. She believes that there were others in the office area, and there is only one person who can confirm that."

"I will ask her."

Orin nodded, stepping back into the hallway.

"I will visit with Reina now if you don't need me any longer."

"Of course."

As Elena walked away, Hawthorn turned back to Orin.

"I've given Reina time off to heal."

"That is gracious of you, but I know Reina. She will protest, even if you think she has accepted it."

"Then you may tell her I would find it extremely pleasing that she allowed her body to recover from this event. If she continues to argue with you, then state the most that you will permit is light duties. She has endured far too much."

Hawthorn entered the bathroom, leaving Orin to his thoughts. He could easily point out that it was a guard's duty to protect, and that it was all part of the job. Orin would say nothing, knowing that Hawthorn felt a lot of guilt and responsibility for what happened.

Seraphina wrapped herself in a thick and fluffy robe and sat on a chair. She looked clean and refreshed from her bath. With her hair wrapped in a towel, it highlighted the discolouration on her face, adding to Hawthorn's dismay.

The bruising would fade quickly, and for that, he was grateful. The less she had to remind her of what happened, the better. Emotionally, though, Hawthorn didn't know how long that would take. He'd ask her if she wanted to talk to someone about it, but Hawthorn knew Seraphina. She refused help regarding the deaths of her family, and he knew she would do the same for this as well.

Hawthorn stopped, giving Seraphina a wary smile. She returned it, but he could see the pain in her eyes. A maid carefully cleaned her nails while the other held her hand as support.

Hawthorn looked at her hand. The maid lifted her gaze, and Hawthorn saw the uncertainty.

"The nails regrew," she whispered.

He now understood the dried blood and uneven nails. She hadn't broken the tips, as he'd originally thought.

"He will be lucky if I don't burn his house with him inside it."

"Hawthorn," Seph chided.

"See it from my point of view. See what I see and try to remain rational. How long will it take for you to recover?"

Seraphina chuckled, rolling her eyes.

"Trust you to think with your dick. We will be fine. Lots of time left to make those babies."

Hawthorn scowled at Seraphina. Baby talk in front of the maids was not appropriate. Neither was highlighting his inability to keep it in his pants.

"It is more than that. Orin wants to know if you'd like to give your statement now."

"I suppose it would be ideal."

Turning on his heels, Hawthorn stalked out of the bathroom. Orin lifted from the wall when the door opened. Hawthorn flicked his head, wordlessly gesturing to enter.

Pulling a small ottoman over, Orin sat down with his notebook and took notes. Reina had summarised what she thought had happened in the office, but because she wasn't in there, she did not know. Orin soon learned that Reina's thoughts were vastly wrong.