The Missing Monarch Read Online Free PDF Page B

out
here.”
    “How did they find us so quickly in this fog? The Alaskan
wilderness is huge. What are the odds that they’d pick us out of nowhere?”
    “There’s nothing out here but Deadhorse and the road to the
coast. They can find those with their instruments, same as you can with your
watch,” Thad explained, but he still didn’tlike it. Everything about the tiny
jet, from its close sweep above their heads to its uncanny skill at spotting
them in the wide wilderness, raised his suspicions. He didn’t trust Octavian. At
all. “How much do you know about Octavian?”
    She checked her watch and began trudging southward again. “Just
that he’s dead set on finding you. And he’s apparently very, very wealthy.I
gather he’s the reason you abandoned me six years ago? It would be helpful if
you could explain more about him.” A look of challenge glinted in her brown
eyes.
    Thad felt it hit that tender spot in his heart. She was
obviously angry with him, and resentful that he hadn’t explained everything long
before. He figured she had every right to feel that way, but at thesame time,
he doubted there was much he could do about it. The situation was far too
complicated.
    And the appearance of the plane out of the thick fog only made
things more complicated. “If Octavian is watching us this closely, it might be
difficult for me to slip away and reach Peter before Octavian makes a move.”
    Fear rose to Monica’s eyes. “You can’t let that madmanget his
hands on Peter.”
    “I don’t know how I can stop him. We’re too far away. There’s
too much ground to cover between here and Seattle, and Octavian has far more
resources at his disposal.”
    “You’ll have to go along with whatever Octavian says, then.
It’s the only way to keep Peter safe.”
    “I can’t.” Thad wished there was some way to make her
understand.“If I let Octavian have his way, then what? All it proves is that he
can bully people, that he can threaten the innocent to get what he wants. It
makes him more of a monster, not less. Do you really think Octavian will just
let us walk away when this is over?” He gripped her shoulders and answered his
own question for her. “It’s never going to be over.”
    “Octavian toldme that coming to find you was the only way to
keep my family safe.” Monica pulled her shoulders free of his hands and broke
into a jog, as though the mere thought of their son being in danger was enough
to prod her onward again.
    It was certainly enough to spur him into a run beside her. “Do
you have any idea how long Octavian has known about you? Anyone suspiciouslurking around? Any incidents?”
    “No, nothing. Yesterday morning, out of the blue a car pulled
up and two men swiped me and put me on a plane to Deadhorse. Prior to that,
there was nothing to make me think I might be in danger.” She looked up into the
dense fog above them. “They came out of the blue. And yet, I wonder if they knew
about me all along, and were just bidingtheir time....”
    Thad’s heart rebelled against the idea that Monica or their son
might have been in danger prior to the recent events in Lydia. “No one knew
about you. If they’d known about you or Peter, they’d have gone after you long
before this.” He’d given up everything to keep them safe. And yet, he couldn’t
deny the possibility that his efforts hadn’t been enough.He’d been proven wrong
every time he’d underestimated his adversary’s reach.
    “I want to call my parents as soon as we reach Deadhorse.”
    Thad’s initial impulse was to talk her out of it. “We don’t
want to draw any attention—”
    “What do you think that plane was?” Monica protested. “Octavian
isn’t taking any chances. If he’s watching us this closely, I’m sure he’swatching Peter. We’ve got to warn my parents.”
    Reluctant as he was to admit it, Thad had been thinking the
same thing. They couldn’t trust Octavian to stay away from Peter. Though
Monica’s