Royal Reckoning by Stephanie St. Klaire

21

“What on earthare you doing here?” Eli said when Wit and Israel walked in, all bandaged up.

“Mine is just a flesh wound, couple of stitches, no big deal,” Israel said, taking his chair. “Barely hurts.”

“Mine too,” Wit said, despite his arm being in a sling and the wince everyone saw when he leaned back in his seat.

“Bullshit,” Coy said. “Mendoza told us it was a clean through and through. You have a hole in your fucking shoulder. You should be resting.”

“I’m good. Not my first hit. I had some soup. I’m feeling better.”

“What’s in this soup you’re always trying to get people to eat?” Ronan asked.

“It’s just some good ole comfort food. Heals the soul, mends the heart, makes everything else warm and fuzzy like a hug from your mama,” Wit said. “Comfort food.”

“Cally loves the soup,” Eli said. “I don’t get it.”

“I’ll send some more up to her. It’ll make that boy of yours big and strong. Put some hair on his chest too,” Wit said.

“Are you sure that soup’s safe?” Rip asked. “If it does all that and makes you like him…”

“Aw, it’s all good, brother. I’ll get ya some,” Wit said, slapping Rip’s shoulder.

Rip stared straight ahead and dropped his tone to a threatening level. “Don’t do that again.”

“That’s right. We gotta soften you up still. You’ll come around.” Wit laughed.

“Doubt it,” Rip replied, then turned to Eli. “I’m here as long as you need me. You got a couple of men out, and I know you’re stretched thin. I want to help keep this clean and easy, so it doesn’t make a mess in our town. Anything you need from me, you got it.”

Eli nodded. “Appreciate that.”

“Me too,” Mendoza said, entering the room. “These jackasses wouldn’t go to the hospital, so I treated them here in Doc Charles’s treatment room upstairs. They’ll be fine, but they should sit the rest of this out.”

“Not a chance,” Wit said.

Israel agreed. “Me either. It's fucking stitches.”

“Okay, I get it. Everyone wants in on this one, and let’s be honest, we can use the help. You two are down and not at full capacity, and Gannon and CT had to take off. There was a break in their case with Detective Payne. More eyes, ears, and muscle. So, what do we have, Killion? Want to run it down?”

“You got it. Archer didn’t make it. Let’s just start with that.”

“Does my sister know?” Eli asked, full of concern.

“I was with her and told her,” Ryla said. “She took it well. No love lost, just feels bad that he went down a broken road, and this is how it ended for him, I guess.”

“Understandable,” Eli acknowledged. “I know their engagement was anything but love, but that was close to home for her, and she isn’t used to this kind of thing.”

“Honestly, I think she was relieved,” Ryla said. “Once the surprise of it all wore off, anyway.”

“I don’t blame her for feeling that way,” Israel said. “She should be free to choose her person out of love, not obligation and duty.”

“Well, someone fancies the princess,” Ryla teased. “Reading you like a book, doll. You hope she chooses you.”

“Screw you, Ryla,” he said. “You’re being an asshole again.”

“Oh, I think you like profiling others and getting into their heads but don’t like being profiled yourself there, Iz.” Ryla winked, knowing it would piss him off.

“Let’s not do this again, please,” Eli said. “You’re both assholes to each other. There, settled. I think you really like each other. Now I’ve said what everyone else was thinking, and you’ve both been profiled. Next?”

“Uh,” Killion started. “So, digging a little deeper into Archer’s background, I was able to find pseudonyms and fake shell companies. He wasn’t very clever about hiding them, although he tried. I missed them on the first round because I only looked on the surface since he was least likely to be a threat. He killed the monarchy. He lost his chance at the palace. Though all that is still true, we know he’s deep into something.”

“What did you find in the accounts?” Eli asked

“Not much. Some were just used to pass money through, and some have large sums, but I can’t see where they came from. It’s a cluster. Whoever is on the other end of his stuff knows what they’re doing. Whoever is sending and receiving is covering up well. They account hop, meaning they open long enough for the transaction, then close it and open a new one. The money is constantly moving, and the old accounts are scrubbed. I’ll crack it. It’s just taking a little longer because I’m dealing with two sets of people here. Those who left a nice trail and those who know what they’re frickin’ doing.”

“Moving money constantly? Sounds pretty sophisticated. You wouldn’t need to do that unless you had a lot to hide, right?” Coy asked.

“Yes. They’re all offshore too – a couple in Sweden and the like,” Killion said.

“Banks known for hiding and laundering,” Ronan said. “At least we know what kind of trash we’re dealing with.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Rip added. “How do we take out the trash if we don’t know where to find it?”

“We go over the case until something clicks, and we get the evidence back from the lab. Hopefully, there’s something in there that tells us more than we already know. I’m not holding my breath, though. This guy is good and not leaving much of a trail,” Eli said. “Starting from the top, we know this has to do with Medaro and a play for the throne. That theory is supported by the fact that there have been attempts on Penelope, Ryla’s family…my son.”

Eli paused. It didn’t matter how much time had passed or that Cally was fine. Knowing someone tried to eliminate her as a means to eliminate an heir – their unborn baby – left him with the kind of rage he could hardly contain. Eli wouldn’t hesitate to take a life in the name of justice and to protect those who needed protecting. But he’d never felt the need to kill, simply to kill, in the name of revenge. That was how he felt, and it frightened him.

“That leaves Carter and me, then eventually Ryla. We’re all in the way. Loose ends,” Eli went on. “This isn’t a play for power because there is little to gain, so it has to be about money, resources, and the connections the palace has.”

“Okay, so we’re back to who stands to gain the most?” Israel questioned. “Penelope doesn’t have to fight for it. It’s hers when you publicly denounce. Easy. Carter doesn’t want it, and he’s been here the whole time rolling with us, so it clearly isn’t him.”

“Thanks for ruling me out, asshole,” Carter said. “And to be clear, I do not want it. I don’t even want recognition. I don’t need to be identified at all – especially as the king's secret love child. That’ll piss me off.”

“Noted.” Eli snickered.

“Ryla’s family is next in line and does not want it, but we haven’t heard if Ryla wants it,” Israel questioned with a smirk.

“You have got to be kidding me.” Ryla rolled her eyes. “Guess your skills aren’t as sharp as you thought they were. In case you couldn’t tell by my being here, assisting in the rescue of the next heir, shooting at bad guys, oh…and being with you jackasses when Pen was shot at…I don’t want it.”

“Just checking. Don’t want any loose ends,” Israel stated. “You said there were other lines, but they’ve shied away from the publicity and stayed out of the spotlight. So, are we safe to rule them out?”

“Absolutely. They’re all too financially sound without the responsibility. No motive, need, or want from what we have been able to track. I really don’t see a viable threat there,” Eli added. “Why would they take on a massive job like that when they’re already filthy rich?”

“Good point,” Ryla said. “And I agree. They’ve never been active in the family business.”

“I’ve been able to narrow this down while you all play the game of Clue,” Killion said, rattling away at his keyboard. “I was able to find a common source of funneling between the king and Archer. It looks like they were both paying the same rolling accounts separately.”

“The king and Archer were working together?” Coy asked. “Or the middleman was playing them both?”

“I’m going with the latter,” Killion said. It looks like there is correspondence as well, but most are blank. I can only see the king's side and Archer’s side, and they were always to this third party and never to each other. I think our guy was playing them.”

“Someone they had in common with something to gain by eliminating the line of succession,” Eli said. “So, my father was as involved as I thought and didn’t know Archer was moving against the monarch as well. We’re getting somewhere. Our guy was double-dipping.”

“Hang on. I’m almost through. I found a tiny thread here. Let’s see if this shell account leads us anywhere,” Killion said, leaving everyone on edge.

“This is so damn intense,” Wit said. “If you say the butler did it, I’m just done playing.”

“I concur,” Eli said. “Wouldn’t that be quite the plot twist?”

Ryla looked at Eli. “I hate to say it, but it still could be Jonas. Be prepared for that answer, cousin.”

Eli nodded and swallowed hard. He actually prayed she was wrong. He wanted Jonas to land on the right side of all of this because even Cally believed in him so damn much. It would be a disappointment to all of them if they were wrong about him.

“Here it is. Huh,” Killion said. “It’s just a name. His signature on a bank document, and I can’t find anything else. I’m putting him through the database, but no immediate hits.”

“Okay. But what’s the name?” Eli implored

“You ready for this? Jonas already told you…” Killion said, nodding to the screen so everyone could see the signature he found.

“Storm Getty,” Eli said, rubbing his chin. “Who the hell are you, mate? And what do you want from my family?”

“Jonas knew,” Ryla said. “He said something about watching for the storm? You’ll know when it’s here? Something along those lines.”

“He’s here,” Eli said, studying every curve penned and the cross of the t’s. “There’s definitely a storm that has been chasing us across the globe.”

“I don’t normally believe in this shit, but I think Jonas is handing out clues right now because guess what just landed in my inbox?” Killion teased the group, dangling clues like carrots. “Blood analysis is back, and you aren’t going to believe what it says.”

“You already have a match?” Eli questioned with surprise. “It’s got to be someone at the top of our watch list then. A familiar enemy? Someone we’ve been hunting for a while? That actually makes more sense than anything right now. If my identity was somehow unearthed – I mean, Iz recognized me, so surely others could have – this is about revenge. Top of that list is going to be Chalice, I bet.”

“Not quite,” Killion said, looking straight at Eli. “I’ve been piecing things together, the small things. I built a model using what we knew and tossed in variables we suspected. Every single one of the models came back with you as the suspect. Or Carter, oddly. Then we have eyewitnesses who thought they saw you when it couldn’t have been you. We have the modified facial rec software that thinks this guy is you…”

“I get it, Killion. There are some weird coincidences. He looks like me enough to get a hit. What does that have to do with blood analysis?” Eli asked, his patience running thin with Killion’s long explanations. He didn’t need to know how Killion got where he was going, just needed to know what he found.

“The report came back fast because I only ran the DNA against three people. It’s still running against the database too, but I had a hunch, and I was right.” Killion let out a long deep breath. “The DNA matches you, Eli.”

The room went silent, and all eyes landed on Eli.

“That was impossible. I was standing in the middle of the road right here in front of this damn building. I wasn’t on a rooftop, getting shot.” Eli lifted up his shirt and sleeves to reveal he hadn’t any wounds. “And leaving blood evidence behind. What is this, Killion? Is someone setting me up? Is that what this is?”

Killion shook his head. “Not at all. I just didn’t get to finish. It also matched Carter.”

Carter snorted. “You’ve got to be kidding. Even if I wasn’t right there by his side in the middle of the street…you can rule me out because I don’t look like a dead ringer for Eli Clayton. Minor resemblances, sure, but we are not look-alikes, man. I think you got this one wrong for a change.”

“Again, I was interrupted,” Killion said with a huff. “I did some digging so I’d have a comparable and might have breached international law and treaties somewhere, but nobody will know I was even there. I used the information obtained as the third party today's analysis was compared to, and it was a match too.”

“If you say Pen or me, I’m out of here,” Ryla said. “This is getting beyond my scope of patience.”

“Nope. I didn’t think to run either of you because you never popped up in the models. It’s a male, so you’re ruled out from the get-go,” Killion assured. “Had I run it, there would be a match, though. You’re all related.”

“Dammit, Killion. Get to the punchline.” Eli slammed his fist against the table. “Who the hell is it? Tell me it’s this Storm Getty and where to find him.”

“It’s your brother,” Killion deadpanned.

Eli and Carter looked at each other in confusion.

“My brother – our brother – is dead.” Eli’s tone was cold and monotone. “It isn’t possible. He died years ago.”

“It is possible, and I have proof of it right here, Eli. I know this is a blow, but the blood on the rooftop – the guy we shot yesterday, was Sullivan Clayton.”

“Sully is dead, I said. It can’t be him,” Eli insisted. Taking to his feet, he began to pace the room. “He’s dead. And even if he wasn’t, he wouldn’t try to kill our sister. Kill my son, his nephew. Kill Ryla’s family. Those are his uncles and cousins and aunts. Killion, Sully is not a murderer. He was a highly ranked officer in the Medaro Special Forces, and he died in a, in a…training accident.”

“His funeral was not an open casket. And you’re right, he was Special Forces. A highly trained operative who would know how to do all the shit we do and not be seen. He would know how to find you, how to find Cally, how to get to Pen and even get to your father, poison him, kill him,” Killion said. “We all raced through those tunnels under the palace. It would be easy to slip in and out.”

“Why? Why would he do all this? Why disappear for over a decade – nearly two – and do this? Why not just come back and take his rightful place? The throne is his if he’s alive,” Eli argued. “He wouldn’t try to kill Pen and me. He just wouldn’t, and he knows we wouldn’t protest his place at the head of the family. We were close, very close. This isn’t him, Killion.”

“I remember Jonas said something about the children. Something about how he tried to take care of all of you and implied he failed at some point. He either said it to us before taking his own life or to Cally, but I remember thinking it was an odd thing to say. Who did he think he failed?” Killion said.

“Shit.” Ryker ran his hand through his hair. “We all heard it through comms that night and sat here and heard Cally’s story. In hindsight, it could have been a clue. I mean, would you believe that he’s alive if you didn’t see the guy we’ve been getting hits on for yourself? Or see the blood analysis show his DNA? You have all of those things and still don’t believe it. Jonas knew you wouldn’t believe him either.”

“That was why he didn’t come out and say it,” Ryla added. “They’re not wrong, Eli. I can’t imagine Sully doing this, but everything points to him. The videos, Tanner’s encounter, hell…these guys saw him through their scopes right before they shot him, Eli. Now his blood?”

“Shit, E,” Rip said. “I’m only getting caught up and haven’t seen half the stuff you guys have on this case, but I’m a believer. I know what I saw through my scope. If your brother looked anything like you…”

“They could have been twins.” Ryla smiled at the thought of her cousin. “Growing up, they’d tell people they were despite the obvious age gap and height difference at the time. Two peas in a pod, those two.”

“We were best friends,” Eli said in a barely audible tone. “Better than brothers. He always protected me, especially where Father was concerned. When he died…it was like a part of me died too. I would know if he was alive. Right? I’d feel it or something. You hear those stories all the time. We marched through the streets of Medaro. The country mourned the loss of its prince and heir to the throne. He was a hero, had a bright future. Why would he just fake his own death and disappear for so many years and why come back now?”

“The models and data don’t tell me that,” Killion said. “But the science tells me it is him.”

“Eli, I remember when he died. I remember how more than Medaro mourned him. I remember feeling so sorry for your family,” Israel said. “I was in Spain then. Even they mourned him. I know his death was very real and had to be utterly painful. But I also have to agree with Killion and the others. It all adds up. I couldn’t tell you why without a deeper look into his life, and we aren’t going to get that. But I can tell you how the human mind works, how it deals with trauma, how it can turn on itself. There are hundreds of reasons he would turn on you now. Why he would feel betrayed and want revenge, but it would all be speculation at this point. We need to find him, bring him in, and you can ask him the questions yourself because I know you’ll need to hear it all from him to believe any of this.”

Eli heard Israel and noted his calm, reassuring tone. He was doing what he did best, and it was appreciated. But he didn’t want to believe any of it and likely wouldn’t until he heard it from Sully himself. People changed, but not like that, not Sully. It was like the gaping hole he felt at the loss of his brother had reopened, and someone had just poured salt on it. The information they were sharing, the truths they were spitting, the reality they were painting…it stung. It burned. It made him ill to even think about it. But deep down, Eli knew they were right.

“My brother, then, is Storm Getty. Is that the conclusion you’ve all come to? We’ve seen him on the palace grounds in Medaro, we’ve seen him in New York talking to Archer, Jonas clearly knew, and that meant my father must have too. The money exchanges between my father and Storm, and Archer and Storm… What was my father paying him to do, and what did Archer have to gain by discovering who he was and paying him off too?”

Heads bobbed in agreement around the room. The general consensus was in.

“Okay. Sullivan Clayton Octavio Medaro is operating under the alias Storm Getty. He’s armed, dangerous, and a murderer. Our mission is to locate and contain him before he executes his next assassination attempt. This is what the evidence tells us. We act accordingly.”

“What’s the plan?” Killion said. “I have a hit. He’s on the move, east side.”

“Get the closest team we have in the area on him. Nobody moves until I get there,” Eli said. “Grab your gear. We’re rollin’ out.”