Jack (Eidolon Black Ops #8) - Maddie Wade Page 0,32

Now that’s fucking funny.”

“Fuck off, Blake. I was helping my mother out.”

“Whatever. It was still as funny as fuck.”

Astrid rolled her lips between her teeth as she tried to hold back her hilarity, and he shook his head and rolled his finger in the air. “Come on, get it out so I can go back to work.”

She let it free, and he basked in the fact he’d made her smile, even if it was at his expense. He was so fucked.

Chapter Twelve

She hadn’t realised that it would be so hectic in Toronto but was glad it was, or she would’ve gone out of her mind with boredom and worry. Ever since the attack, she’d felt a cloud looming over her, waiting for something to happen. At this point, she wasn’t sure if she’d prefer that. She could deal with a situation happening, but the axe hanging over her head left a gnarly knot in her belly.

She hadn’t had to attend the dinner with the Prime Minister so had spent the evening with Bebe going over what they knew of Adeline’s last movements, which wasn’t a lot and what they did have was hazy. The hospital opening had gone well if somewhat emotionally. Seeing the patients who would get the care they needed and hearing the families’ stories made her tear up.

It made her want to call her own parents just to talk to them, but that was harder now she knew her sister could be alive. She could potentially fix their grief if she only worked harder and found the link, but it had been three years since she’d escaped Iago and she still had nothing.

Her head held high as she accepted another bouquet of flowers from a little girl for the Queen with a smile, Astrid glanced around the crowded streets. This was a logistics nightmare. No wonder Jack was so uptight half the time. Keeping the Monarch safe when tall buildings and hundreds of people surrounded them was like counting grains of sand—almost impossible to do and yet he still worked his butt off to do it.

It was safe to say her attraction to Jack grew with each passing day. Watching him with his men and his friends only added to that. He was more than the handsome package she’d lusted over for the last year or so. That was the thing she’d have to watch out for. Keeping her heart safe from that part of Jack would be tricky.

He was two steps behind the Queen as they carried on walking the street and one behind her. Blake was between the Monarch and the crowd in case anyone got overzealous and tried to grab at Queen Lydia or touch her in any way. Waggs was to his left with Mitch. Gunner was to the left side, and Liam and Decker were walking out in front. Alex was lost in the crowd somewhere and she couldn’t see him. The local police force provided crowd control, but the police weren’t there for the Queen’s protection—they were.

They were as protected as humanly possible with extra coverage on the roof from Nate and Zack, who were watching through scopes. Will was monitoring the cameras, yet she still felt the tension radiating from Jack and his team as if they sensed something. She felt it too, but everything seemed as it should be as she continued to smile and take flowers.

The wind whipped at her skirt, and she dropped her hand to hold the flowy fabric down, the air cooler than previous days but the Queen and the Prince Consort didn’t seem to notice. Although the Prince Consort didn’t seem to notice a lot except his Queen, and she loved the way he stayed a step behind her, his hand at her back showing more about his feelings than a grand gesture would.

They were getting to the end of the street where they would cross to the other side and walk back down towards the cars. This was the dangerous part because crossing the wide road would expose them. As she’d been schooled by Alex over and over, she kept close as she handed off the flowers to someone who would deliver them to the local hospital.

Shouts from the mostly positive crowd filled her ears. An oddly negative comment penetrated and she briefly turned in that direction looking for a threat before turning back, not wanting her attention drawn away.

Halfway across the road, she heard a pop of gunfire and dove towards the