Page 90 of One Last Stand
Repeated on the other side.
Turned and spotted himself in the mirror.
He looked like a man who would do violence.
York had followed him in. “Not here?”
“Not. Here.” He rounded on York. “Now what?”
“We can’t get into Cryptex without her card?—”
“Forget the mission, York! She’s introuble.” He kept his voice low. “Someone took her.”
York’s mouth tightened. He whirled around and headed back out into the hallway.
Palace guards stalked the hallways, requesting the guests to assemble in the great hall.Fine—Shep headed toward the ballroom.Maybe?—
York followed him. “We need to talk to their security, see if we can get any footage?—”
“You took that out, remember?” Shep didn’t want to say it, but frankly, he’d hated their entire stupid plan.
Hated the entire gig, really. And sure, he was all for getting London away from this Russian mob, but . . .
Breathe.
London, I’m still on mission. I’ll find you.
A number of the guests must have evacuated, because the crowd that assembled in the great hall was sparse. And no London.
Shep held in a word as Prince Luka took the dais. “Please, everyone, stay calm. There is no fire, simply a malfunction of our system. All is well?—”
“York.”
Shep looked over at the male American voice that called York’s name. A man, maybe six foot or more, came through the crowd. He wore a suit, not a tuxedo, so maybe security instead of invited guest. Tawny brown hair cut military short, blue eyes, and bearing a fierce, almost military demeanor as he pushed through the crowd to York.
“Fraser Marshall. What are you doing here?” York held out his hand, met Fraser’s with a quick shake, Fraser’s other hand gripping York’s arm.
“I’m here with Princess Imani and Creed. They’re with Pippa.” He lifted his chin, indicating someone across the room. Shep followed his gesture and spotted a woman standing in a dressy black suit, her dark hair back in a high bun, wearing an earpiece.
“I should have guessed,” York said.
“Pippa thought she spotted her old roommate, London, across the room earlier, and then I saw you. Something’s going down. What is it?”
“You know London?” Shep said, stepping up to the man.
“Shep Watson—this is Fraser Marshall. He’s a former SEAL, now works security for the Royal House of Blue from Lauchtenland. Fraser—Shep. He’s on the Alaska Air One Rescue team and is here with London, who is here visiting her parents. Her mother is the US Ambassador to Montelena.”
Fraser shook Shep’s hand. “I met your outfit last year during a rescue. Moose still at the helm over there?”
Shep nodded, but he was more interested in—“How do you know London?”
“She’s Pippa’s friend, really. Where is she?”
Pippa. Roommate. University. Her story came back to him.
“Bathroom,” York said.
Shep turned to Fraser. “Actually, she went missing in the blackout.”