Private Princess

Chapter 25

Sharon Lewis was there to meet Morgan as he left the stables.

“Are you here to help me, or spy on me?” he asked.

Lewis simply gave a small shrug of her shoulders.

“Can you take me to Cook?” the American then asked.

“Of course,” she replied. Morgan caught a trace of disapproval in her words. They found Cook at the kitchen table, where she was exchanging pleasantries with one of Princess Caroline’s staff.

“Jane,” Morgan said, “I need to talk with you. Alone.”

Lewis half rolled her eyes as the pair left the room.

“She thinks we’re...” Cook suggested as they found a quiet corner.

Morgan quickly changed the subject. “What are the rules of engagement for SAS operatives? Can they take out British citizens, on British soil?”

Cook shrugged. “They can. That’s what Northern Ireland was, wasn’t it? But their operations are better hidden now than ever before. There are hundreds of would-be terrorists in the country, but only a few attacks a year.”

“Taking out terrorists is one thing, but would they kill to silence a scandal? Would they kill for the Princess?”

Cook shook her head. “I really don’t think so. The armed forces are furiously loyal to the Crown, but that would be flat-out murder. Soldiers are used to seeing politicians throw them to the wolves at the first hint of a rule being bent, even in combat, so I doubt volunteers would be lining up to commit such a high-profile crime, even for her.”

Morgan wasn’t so sure. “Maybe not when they’re serving, but you and I saw what Aaron Shaw and Alex Waldron did for money,” he told her, referring to the two former servicemen who had kidnapped Abbie Winchester two years earlier. “Shaw’s record was exemplary while he was in the service.”

“People can lose their way when they leave the forces,” Cook acknowledged. “I’m sure there are more former soldiers like Shaw and Waldron out there — hired guns with no moral compass.”

Jack Morgan had experienced enough of them in his time to know that such men were not in short supply.

“There’s more to the Princess’s relationship with Sophie than she’ll admit. She’s keeping secrets.”

Cook’s bright eyes narrowed. “You’re thinking she’d hire someone to protect them?”

“No. She’s lying about something, but not that.” He shook his head. “You could see it in her eyes, Jane. She cares for Sophie, and she’s worried. Very worried.”

Cook placed a hand on Morgan’s arm — the touch of it sent a thrill through his body, though her words sent worry to his stomach.

Because they were a warning.

“She’s a royal, Jack. She’s been trained her whole life how to act, and how to lie. Out of all the people involved in this, she’s the one we can trust the least.”