Page 19 of Perfect Liar
“Your father did research for the British government. I don’t know why, only that he did. He had a deal with my father to protect you from a small order of extremists who believe families like yours could inspire threats to the Crown. They hire assassins to eliminate those families.”
“What?”
What he’d said, it was impossible, insane even.
I jerked my hand away from him.
“I don’t understand. Eliminate them? This makes no sense. How could my family inspire harm to anyone?”
“People view the heir as incompetent. The thought is that public mood might weaken when he inherits, and a parliamentary referendum could get enacted to appoint a new Head of State.”
“This group is protecting the prince’s interest?”
“Yes.”
“So it’s like political complicity, and that I get. It’s everywhere.”
I swallowed hard.
“But what does it have to do with my family, Will?”
He touched my arm, slid his hand down, and ran his thumb over the veins on my wrist.
“Jesus, you’re delicate.”
I narrowed my eyes.
He straightened his back.
“Please, damn it. I need to know,” I said.
His fingers curled around mine, and he softened his tone.
“Ellie, where do you think parliament might find a replacement?”
I shrugged.
“I don’t know. It’s not my government.”
“They’ll look to families with preferred English bloodlines. The truth your sister never shared with you? Yours is one of them. When your great-grandfather emigrated, he changed his family name. And he did that because he feared his family might be targeted someday, and here we are.”
“What?” I breathed.
“Someone recently discovered your family’s origin and alerted like-minded extremists.”
“And getting to me is the goal.”
“Yes.”
“This is too insane,” I said.
Darkness and anger filled his eyes.
“You must accept the truth to survive it.”
I had an impulsive urge to soothe his anger. I didn’t know why…he’d stolen mine…I should have been the angry one. But I touched his arm anyway, dragging my fingers to his hand.
He stiffened with his gaze locked on my hand.