Page 19 of Ruthless

She had a lot of explaining to do. And she would do that soon. But for now, she needed to find Gideon. She reread the texts she had sent him. She had told him they needed to talk. She had described what he needed to do to be able to enter the castle and get to her apartment. She’d even used an emoji. It wasn’t a smiley face, but she’d thought it softened what might look like another command. Still nothing.

She’d informed both the day and night butlers that when Gideon showed up, he was to be allowed entry and sent directly to her apartment.

The knock on her door had her heart picking up. Maybe instead of answering her text, he had decided to come directly here.

“Come in,” she called.

She heard footsteps, and then her father peered inside the room. “How’s my angel doing?”

She couldn’t help but smile. Not many people would agree with his nickname for her.

“I’m much better, Papa.”

She noted his deep blue suit and light blue tie made his eyes even more distinctive. She had inherited her mother’s ink-black hair, heart-shaped face, and slender frame, but her eye color was from her father, as her nose had been. It was hard to believe she still felt a tug at her heart for the loss. Before the horror of her kidnapping from the embassy, her nose had been the bane of her existence. With all her heart, she had wanted to change it into a more attractive size and shape. Because of her injuries, surgery had been necessary. What she hadn’t anticipated was that her father, who’d only wanted to see her happy again, had arranged for her to have exactly what she had asked for—a perfect, beautiful nose. And she had discovered how wrong she had been to want to look different.

“I’ve come to talk with you about Gideon.”

Her heartbeat jumped. “Why? What’s going on? He’s not responding to my texts or calls. Do you know where he is?”

“He’s been incarcerated.”

“Excuse me? What are you talking about?”

“Apparently, he attacked a couple of the castle guards and had to be detained.”

Gideon attacking anyone without provocation wasn’t possible. He was the most principled and even-tempered person she knew.

“If Gideon was in some kind of altercation, it was because he was attacked and was defending himself.”

“According to Clement, Gideon provoked the attack. Two of the guards had to be hospitalized.”

Jeremy Clement was an incompetent idiot. When she’d heard he had been promoted to head of the castle guards, she’d been shocked. Eve did not trust his word or judgment. In her experience, he was both inept and evil, and that was a dangerous combination.

If she’d learned anything from Gideon, it was to hold on to her temper. He had talked her down numerous times, and she could hear his voice in her head telling her to get all the details before she exploded. With that thought, she settled herself and held her temper. Making demands to her father was not the way to go. Her father was both loving and kind, but when it concerned his responsibilities as king, he would not tolerate disrespect.

“Where is Gideon being held?”

“He’s in the cells here.”

Rage began to bubble. “The dungeon?”

“That’s not what it’s called anymore, but yes, I believe so.”

“Why the dungeon?”

“I’m not sure. I have a luncheon, but as soon as I return, I’ll see that he’s moved to more comfortable quarters.”

She would handle this herself. There was no need to tell her father that, though.

She said calmly, “I’m sure he’ll appreciate your interest, Papa.”

Over the years, her father had stopped being able to read her. They’d had a relationship she had treasured. She still treasured it, but as she had matured, she had learned to keep her thoughts to herself. Which was why he was unable to read that she was quickly becoming a bubbling caldron of fury.

They talked for a few more moments, then he kissed her on her forehead and walked out the door. The instant he was gone, she was out of bed. As much as she’d like to do this on her feet, she had no choice but to use the wheelchair she’d been provided. She couldn’t even use a crutch because her shoulder was still too tender. Besides, a wheelchair would get her there faster.

She rolled out the door, heading to the door at the end of the hallway that led to the secret passageway. With each spin of her wheels, her ire rose. The dungeon? They had put him in the dungeon? When she reached the elevator, she slapped the down button so hard, the plastic cracked.

She remembered that hellhole all too well. When she was twelve years old, her brother had played a joke on her, locking her inside with the lights off. It had been only a couple of hours or so before he’d relented and let her out, but she’d never forgotten it. Dark, damp, smelling of earth and an undertone of evil, it was a place no living creature should be forced to stay. Especially not Gideon.