The King and The Maid

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Harland’s POV

Something wasn’t adding up.

How the hell did he “already know” where they were? He’d just said Ivan left before he could catch him. Sending out a team immediately should have been instinct. My father was cruel, yes—but never careless. He was too calculating, too deliberate.

So what was he playing at?

My jaw tightened, heat rising in my cheeks as I watched him lower himself into the chair behind his desk. His posture perfect, his back straight, fingers steepled neatly atop the polished wood. His smugness gleamed in his eyes, pride radiating from him like poison.

I closed mine, forcing a long breath. Composure. Calm. If I snapped, he’d win.

“How would you know this?” My voice was steady, but my nails bit into my palms. “They could be anywhere by now. And yet you didn’t bother sending anyone after them.”

His eyes sharpened, glinting with satisfaction. “The black SUV he took was mine.”

My head tilted. “And that matters because?”

“Because,” he said, leaning forward slightly, savoring the moment, “every vehicle I purchase is installed with the latest GPS tracking system. I know exactly where they are and where they’re headed. If my calculations are correct, he’ll need to stop for gas just outside Lime Lake. I already have their location pulled up. Take a look for yourself.”

From his blazer pocket, he produced his phone and extended it to me with maddening calm.

I snatched it. “I guess this explains how you always managed to catch me and Seth sneaking off when we were kids, huh?”

On the glowing screen, a red dot crept north along the map, steady and unhurried. My stomach turned.

“This is Rachel and Ivan?” I demanded. “Where is he taking her?”

My father rose, stepping close enough that I felt his cologne—a sharp, metallic scent, like steel and ash. “That we don’t know. He appears to be heading toward the northern territories. There isn’t much out there, but Ivan has always been… unpredictable. Loyal, yes. Trustworthy, to a point. But unstable. I should have reassigned him years ago.”

Unstable. Loyal. My father’s words sounded hollow. He was too smart not to have seen this coming.

I pushed past the unease, mind racing. Three, maybe four guards. Light enough to move fast, strong enough to handle him if he resists. Hit him when he stops. Get Rachel out.

I tapped the map, tracing a route. “Send Trey, Oliver, Camron, and Fin. If they cut east through the mountains, they can bypass him and intercept here before Lime Lake. Out of sight, ready to move when he stops.”

My father smirked faintly. “Exactly my thought. That’s why I already sent them. They left ten minutes ago.”

Relief washed over me so quickly it almost made me dizzy. I hated that he could still affect me like this—hated that a single decision from him could loosen the knot in my chest.

“Thank you,” I forced out. “And I hope you meant what you said earlier. About Cali. She’s… magnificent. You’ll love her, if you give her the chance.”

“I will,” he said smoothly. “It will be my pleasure to know her. I only want to see you happy, son.”

The words twisted inside me. I wanted to believe him. God, I wanted it. But my father had never given me reason to. I couldn’t lower my guard now. Not when everything I loved was on the line.

“Thanks, Dad.” I turned toward the door, every step heavy with suspicion. “I need to get back to the clinic before Cali wakes. Send me updates the moment you hear anything. If I don’t hear from you within the hour, I’ll be checking myself.”

He reached for his phone, still calm. “The guards have it under control. Go. Be with your mate. You reek of worry, and she’ll need your strength.”

He waved me off as if I were a boy again. I hesitated—one last glance at the man who’d shaped my entire life—and then nodded once.

“One hour,” I said coldly. And I left.

⸻

Cali’s POV

Consciousness was a battle I barely won. My eyelids fluttered, my head heavy with fog. Each attempt to think felt like wading through mud.

Bright lights burned against my vision, making me squint until the shapes of the clinic came into focus. I was still here. Safe. For now.

But alone.

My chest tightened as I sat up slowly, clutching the sheets until my knuckles whitened. A fresh wave of nausea rolled through me, accompanied by the dull throb of a headache that pulsed behind my eyes. I pressed my forehead to my hands, waiting it out, willing myself not to collapse back into the bed.

“Willow,” I whispered into the silence. “Do you… remember what happened?”

Nothing.

“Willow?” My voice cracked.

At last, she stirred. “Oh, goddess… did you party without me last night? Because I feel like I got flattened by a truck, rolled down a cliff, and stomped on by trolls.”

Despite the ache in my skull, a strangled laugh escaped me. “I can’t remember anything. Not clearly. The last thing… Seth. Talking to Seth. And then—Rachel. I sent him to find Rachel.”

“Yes.” Willow’s tone sobered. “The guards came. Said they couldn’t find her anywhere. You panicked. Full-blown meltdown. It got… violent. They were afraid you’d hurt yourself. That’s when they sedated you. Everything after that is just… blank.”

Her words landed like stones in my stomach. Rachel. Gone. Taken.

If they’d found her, she’d be here. Waiting by my side. But she wasn’t.

My chest rose and fell faster. The clinic walls closed in. I couldn’t—wouldn’t—just lie here while she was out there, maybe terrified, maybe hurt.

I swung my legs over the bed. The floor’s cold bite shot up my legs, grounding me.

“Well, I’m not sitting here useless,” I muttered. “I need to find Harland. Or Seth. Someone who knows something.”

The door creaked before I could take another step.

“Cali,” Harland’s voice, sharp with concern. “What are you doing out of bed?”

I froze, caught like a child sneaking out. “No one’s told me anything. No one’s here. I need answers about Rachel.”

“You should be resting. The doctor—”

“The doctor can kiss my ass,” I snapped, anger sparking with my fear. “You think I can just lie here while she’s missing? While the people who starved me, tortured me, imprisoned me now have her too? She’s the only family I have left!”

My voice cracked, and the tears I had fought so hard to hold back finally broke free. “I can’t lose her, Harland. I can’t.”

Before the first tear fell, his arms were around me. Strong, steady, anchoring me against his chest. His scent—pine and smoke—calmed me, slowing the frantic rhythm of my breath. I wanted to melt into him, forget the world existed, stay here forever.

When my sobs finally dulled into shaky breaths, he pulled back just enough to see me. His eyes searched mine, fierce and unwavering.

“You’re not going to lose her. We’re getting her back.” His thumb brushed away the wetness on my cheek. “Ivan took her, yes. But he won’t get far. Our guards are already in position. Fifteen minutes, maybe less, and she’ll be back where she belongs. Safe.”

I swallowed hard, nodding, clinging to his certainty like a lifeline.

“Would you like to come with me?” he asked softly. “I was on my way to get an update.”

My lips pressed together, trembling with fury and grief. Of course it was Ivan. Of course.

I nodded once.

If I ever see him again… I’ll kill him myself.