“
When we pull back into the castle courtyard, James is waiting. And he does not look happy. Actually he looks like a blond Hulk . . . right before he goes smash. Sarah sees it too.
“He’s miffed.”
“Yep.”
We get out of the car and she turns so fast there’s a breeze. “I should go find Penny. ’Bye.”
I call after her. “Chicken!”
She just waves her hand over her shoulder.
Slowly, I approach him. Like an explorer, deep in the jungles of the Amazon, making first contact with a tribe that has never seen the outside world. And I hold out my peace offering.
It’s a Mega Pounder with cheese.
“I got you a burger.”
James snatches it from my hand angrily. But . . . he doesn’t throw it away.
He turns to one of the men behind him. “Mick, bring it here.”
Mick—a big, truck-size bloke—brings him a brown paper bag. And James’s cold blue eyes turn back to me.
“After speaking with your former security team, I had an audience with Her Majesty the Queen last year when you were named heir. Given your history of slipping your detail, I asked her permission to ensure your safety by any means necessary, including this.”
He reaches into the bag and pulls out a children’s leash—the type you see on ankle-biters at amusement parks, with a deranged-looking monkey sticking its head out of a backpack, his mouth wide and gaping, like he’s about to eat whoever’s wearing it.
And James smiles. “Queen Lenora said yes.”
I suspected Granny didn’t like me anymore; now I’m certain of it.
“If I have to,” James warns, “I’ll connect this to you and the other end to old Mick here.”
Mick doesn’t look any happier about the fucking prospect than I am.
“I don’t want to do that, but . . .” He shrugs, no further explanation needed. “So the next time you feel like ditching? Remember the monkey, Your Grace.”
He puts the revolting thing back in its bag. And I wonder if fire would kill it.
“Are we good, Prince Henry?” James asks.
I respect a man willing to go balls-to-the-wall for his job. I don’t like the monkey . . . but I respect it.
I flash him the okay sign with my fingers.
“Golden.
”
”