Chapter 12: Wrong Target [II]

The Present

It hadn’t taken the Wild Hounds long to discover that they had messed with the absolute wrong target. They might soon have the entire kingdom’s security apparatus on a relentless hunt for them, all because the boss’s sister couldn’t take a simple rejection.

The hideout had become unbearably tense over the past three weeks.

Leo sat behind his desk, his finger tapping repeatedly on the polished tabletop in perfect sync with his knee bouncing relentlessly beneath it. The rapid, rhythmic movement betrayed the sheer impatience and mounting anxiety he was trying so hard to hide.

Across the room, Rosé paced back and forth like a caged animal. Her hand was pressed to her mouth as she clamped her teeth around her index finger, chewing absently, her gaze darting towards the closed door at every few second. Time seemed to have stretched itself solely to torture her, each passing minute tightening her nerves further.

How could things have gone this wrong?

How in the hell had Darius become the King and Queen’s long-lost son? What kind of ridiculous plot twist straight out of a webnovel was this?

"Fuck," she muttered under her breath.

She had really messed up this time. Her brother’s entire gang had been forced into hiding because of her while simultaneously trying to find a way to get their arrested men released. The only thing working in their favor was the fact that there had been no sign of the Royal Police investigating the Wild Hounds. Which meant none of the captured men had talked, or Darius simply had not told his newly discovered parents what had happened or who was after him, and Rosé honestly did not know if she should be profoundly relieved or utterly terrified.

They had tried countless ways to get in contact with Darius at the hospital to plead for their mercy, but every attempt had been entirely futile. The Royal Police and palace guards had practically turned the hospital into a fortress, especially with the King and Queen constantly visiting him — getting anywhere near him had become nearly impossible.

"Damn it," she cursed again.

Leo’s head snapped up.

"Sit the fuck down and stop pacing around." He glared at her. "I can’t concentrate with all that damn movement."

Rosé winced and quietly crossed the room before dropping onto a leather sofa. The last thing she wanted right now was adding to her brother’s stress. This was already entirely her fault. If only she had given up on Darius when he made it clear he wasn’t interested.

But seriously, how the hell had he ended up being a prince?

And who had been audacious enough to switch a royal baby in the first place?

Whoever was responsible for that crime was the one who had put them in this cruel predicament. If the switch had never happened, Darius wouldn’t have grown up as a rugged street rat on their turf, and Rosé would never have met him, much less fallen for him.

"If I ever get my hands on the fatherfucker who switched those babies," she muttered darkly, "I swear I’ll kill them."

"Shut the fuck up," Leo slammed his hand on the desk. Rosé flinched, biting her lip.

Leo rubbed both hands over his face before fixing her with another hard stare. "If anybody is to blame here, it’s you for not knowing when to give up."

She lowered her eyes.

Leo leaned forward. "You better pray this gets resolved without me having to sacrifice my Hounds, or I’ll personally make you regret ever being my sister."

Rosé’s shoulders shrank. "I’m so sorry, brother." Her voice came out small. "If I knew Darius was a prince, I swear I wouldn’t have treated him the way I did."

"Don’t you get it?" Leo snapped. "You shouldn’t have tried forcing him in the first place, prince or not. Now we’re in this massive shitstorm all because of your selfish ego."

"I’m sorry." The apology sounded even weaker the second time.

Leo shook his head and leaned back heavily in his chair. "I spoiled you too much." He grumbled. "Always letting you have your way. Now it’s come back to bite me in the ass."

A sharp, measured knock came at the door, making both brother and sister straighten instantly. "Come in," Leo called out.

The door opened to reveal Marcus, Leo’s most trusted lieutenant. He was a tall, lean, sharply dressed man with tattoos peeking out from almost every part of his body one could see, his alert eyes glancing from Rosé to Leo.

He shut the door behind him and offered a tight nod. "Boss."

"How did it go, Marcus?" Leo asked immediately.

"It appears the Royal Police have not yet found out the reason behind the attack on Prince Darius," Marcus said. "They’re still treating it as a random district brawl."

Rosé felt a strange twist in her chest. Prince Darius. Even after three weeks, hearing the title attached to his name still felt unreal.

"It seems the new Prince hasn’t said a word about us yet." Marcus continued. "Security around him remains extremely tight, and he was discharged from the hospital today."

Leo’s eyebrows shot up. "So you’re saying he’s in the palace now?"

"Yes, boss," Marcus replied.

Leo exhaled slowly, a heavy weight lifting slightly from his chest, though his expression remained dark. He reached into a drawer and pulled out a sealed envelope, sliding it across the desk. "Find a way to get this to him."

Marcus accepted the envelope.

Leo’s gaze hardened. "I trust you’ll make sure the new prince receives it personally."

Marcus tucked the envelope inside his coat. "Consider it done, boss." He turned cleanly on his heel and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Leo leaned back against his seat, rubbing his temples. Hopefully, the letter reached Darius and they could reach an understanding — and that was strictly on the ground that the boy even accepted his invitation to talk.

Rosé shifted nervously. "Everything will be okay now, right?" she asked. "Darius won’t come after us?"

Leo turned his glare back onto her, and she immediately clamped her mouth shut.

"I swear, Rosétta," he said, his voice deadly quiet. "If by some miracle we get out of this shit, I am shipping you as far away from my Hounds as possible."

"Big brother," Rosé whined. "I know I messed up real big this time, but that’s not enough reason to banish me."

"Oh, it’s more than enough reason." Leo countered flatly. "You almost destroyed everything I built."

Rosé slumped back into the sofa. After a few seconds, her eyes gleaming with a sudden, delusional spark. "But don’t you think we should milk this opportunity?"

Leo frowned. "What opportunity?"

Rosé straightened slightly. "Think about it. If we settle things with Darius, there’s a chance he’ll finally realize how strong my feelings for him are. I mean, I went to such lengths trying to win him over."

Leo looked horrified.

Encouraged by her own logic, she continued. "And if he decides to give me a chance, then the Wild Hounds would have a direct connection in the royal family."

Leo looked at Rosé in absolute, stunned silence. If looks could kill, she would have been buried twelve feet below the ground, as a standard six feet would never be enough to hide the sheer, unadulterated stupidity he was witnessing.

Rosé slowly shrank under the weight of that stare. "Okay, I’ll shut up now."

Leo rubbed his forehead for the umpteenth time, the idea of abandoning his sister somewhere far away and never looking back was starting to look more and more appealing by the second.