Shades and Joseph conferred in the security office, doing some last minute checking of the duty roster when they heard a commotion in the hall. Nicholas burst through the door, calling for Joe.
"He's here! We have to stop him!" Nicholas was carrying a leather-bound book which he held out to Joseph.
"Calm down, Lord Devareaux," Joseph said calmly. "Tell us what is going on."
"My Uncle! He left the house early this morning, and I found this – it's his journal. He left it open on the table, like he didn't care who read it. He said he's coming here today to kill the Queen and Mia! We have to stop him!"
"It's ok, sir." Shades interrupted, trying to calm the distraught young man. "We've alerted the guards not to admit anyone without an invitation. They know he's not welcome here. He'll be stopped before he ever gets through the gate."
"He's not coming as a guest! He's going to disguise himself as a delivery driver or something. He's probably already here!" Nicholas all but shouted the last.
Joseph looked into Nicholas' worried eyes and knew exactly what the young man was feeling. The same cold dread took hold of Joseph's gut as well.
"Shades, we can't take any chances with this!" Joe urged.
"Right! We'll lock everything down and have the workers searched and questioned."
Joseph nodded. "Clarisse and Mia are in the garden," he paused and pulled his gun from its hidden shoulder holster. "Nicholas and I are going down there."
ooooooooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Clarisse and Mia were resplendent in summer finery as they greeted the guests. The garden party marked the beginning of the coronation festivities. Mia was in fine form, saying all the right things and making her guests feel genuinely welcome. Clarisse beamed with pride as she handed off each guest to her granddaughter in turn.
The Queen frowned in the direction of the front lawn when she heard the roar of an engine coming up the driveway in front of the palace. It was too far away to be sure, but she thought perhaps it was Lord Nicholas who jumped out of the driver's seat in an unseemly hurry. She frowned slightly at his lack of judgment – his arrival was something short of proper decorum.
As she turned her attention back to the guests, she saw one of the waiters approaching the receiving line, a tray of delicacies held head high. Guests were never served until after they had been greeted. Clarisse started to ask Charlotte to have the man redirected to the kitchen before he made a mess of things. Unfortunately, Charlotte was engaged in whispered conversation with one of the security guards. Clarisse chose not to interrupt.
Instead she reached out to greet the Austrian ambassador and her husband. Again she noted the waiter's single minded progress, heading straight for the royals and the front of the line.
Something was wrong. Clarisse passed the Ambassador to Mia, never taking her eyes from the hefty waiter. "Lionel," she called softly. As the young man stepped to her side, she opened her mouth to speak further instructions when the waiter suddenly pitched his tray towards her and uttered a guttural yell.
She easily sidestep the flying canapés, but Mia, who's full attention had been on the arriving guests, was struck by the edge of the tray and covered with food. She was yelped in surprise.
As all attention turned to Mia's cream cheese covered form, no one saw the waiter draw a gun from beneath the folds of his considerable girth.
"Your Majesty!" his unmistakable voice boomed.
"Mabry!" Clarisse exclaimed. "What in the name of heaven are you doing?"
The guards standing nearest the royals stepped forward, as if to attack the intruder.
"Don't move gentlemen," he snarled. "If fact, none of you should move. Not unless you want one or both of these lovely women to die."
"This is ridiculous, Arthur! You can't get away with it," Clarisse was thankful her voice didn't betray her fear. "Put that gun away before you get hurt."
"I don't think so. You have created a dangerous situation, Your Majesty. I am a man with nothing to lose. So, before I have to pull this trigger and really spoil your afternoon, you and the Princess should start walking to the side gate just behind you."
She stared at him.
"Move!" he shouted as he turned the pistol from her heart towards Amelia's.
Clarisse bristled momentarily, but the look in his eye told her she had no room for negotiation. She turned and took Mia's elbow. She and the startled young woman walked slowly towards the gate.
"Let's run for it Grandma," she whispered. "He couldn't hit us! And it would give Shades time to get here."
"You have a wonderful attitude my dear, but Arthur Mabry is a crack shot. He would drop you like a deer in the forest and I can't take that chance." She squeezed Mia's arm reassuringly. "But I think I can fix this."
"Stop whispering," Mabry demanded. The entire assemblage had reached the gates. Mabry moved cautiously, never taking his eyes off his prey. Clarisse saw a delivery van parked outside the gate which was evidently where Mabry was herding them.
"You can't take both of us with you, Arthur. Mia will escape. I will see to that. I am the one you have a problem with. Leave her here and I will go with you willingly."
"Willingly? I doubt that."
"She is not going with you. Either you will shoot one of us here and now and be dropped by a bullet yourself, or you will let Amelia go and I will agree to be your hostage. You will have safe passage from the palace."
He thought for a moment. "The Princess stays right here in my line of fire until you are safely locked inside that van, Your Majesty." He never took his eyes from Mia, his hand didn't waiver.
Joe and Nicholas arrived at a run just as Clarisse climbed into the van. Mabry heard the running footsteps and made a lunge towards the Princess. He grabbed her and spun around to face his would-be assailants, the gun planted firmly on Mia's temple.
They drew up short.
"I thought so," Mabry laughed. "Get back you two! And the rest of you as well! I'd hate to have to ruin this young lady's dress with a bloodstain."
"Let her go, Uncle! She's done nothing to you!"
"Shut up, Nicholas. You have nothing to say to me, you coward. Thanks to you and the Queen, I have been reduced to nothing. I will exact my revenge."
"Take me with you," Joe spoke evenly.
"Why?" Mabry snapped.
"I will drive for you. You will have two hostages and I will do whatever you ask as long as Clarisse is unharmed."
Mabry considered he offer and then a wicked grin crept over his face. "Admittedly, your presence might make this a whole lot more interesting," he said. "Empty your pockets, then get in and start the van."
Joseph motioned to the rest of the security staff to back off. He laid down his gun and emptied his pockets of his cell phone, knife, keys and another, smaller gun, before he opened the door to the van and got inside. Mabry pushed Mia away at the last second before he climbed in behind the Queen, placing his gun to the back of her head.
"Remember, Romero, one false move and I pull this trigger."
Joseph nodded grimly. "Are you alright?" he asked Clarisse.
"I was. Until you got here. Get away from here, Joseph, please!"
"Share and share alike," he said quietly, reaching out to stroke her face.
"Enough! Don't talk, drive!" Mabry growled from the back seat. His gun was now jabbed into the Queen's neck. "Turn left towards town."
Joseph said nothing, but his pulse quickened. This was a good development. They would no doubt meet the police roaring in from Pyrus while the palace security followed them from behind. Hopefully the van would be cornered and stopped.
Unfortunately, Mabry had made other plans. Within minutes they reached the edge of town and he directed the van inside a small warehouse building, immediately shutting it off from outside view. He ordered them both out of the van.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooo
At the palace, the crowd stood in stunned silence for a moment before all hell broke loose.
When Mabry pushed Mia away, she had stumbled forward into Nicholas' arms. She regained her balance and screamed after the retreating vehicle, "Grandma! No!"
A contingent of security guards, led by Shade arrived at that moment. Shades began barking orders to his men. They headed for their vehicles to take up the pursuit. The van had disappeared from sight by the time the guards hit the road. Shades cursed the delay. He rode in the front pursuit vehicle, on the phone to the Pyrus police, requesting road blocks. They were only a couple of miles from town. Even with the delay in giving chase, there was no way Mabry could escape the police in the city.
Nicholas and Charlotte ushered Mia back into the palace. They went straight to the security office. Charlotte got through to Shades, who told them there was no sign of the van yet, but that there were police roadblocks being set up. He expected news soon. He would contact them as soon as there was anything to report.
They waited. Mia slumped in one of the office chairs. Nicholas paced the room.
"Oh, God, please let them be ok," Mia breathed. "They don't deserve this! It's not fair!"
"I'm so sorry Mia," Nicholas voice was choked. "I should have known he was dangerous. If I'd called the police, this wouldn't be happening now."
"This isn't your fault!" Mia and Charlotte spoke at the same time. Mia continued, "He's not your responsibility, Nicholas."
"I know, but --"
Charlotte spoke quietly from her seat at the desk. "Joseph has always said a determined mad man is almost impossible to defend against. He felt Her Majesty was more at risk from a lone gunman that she was from any sort of coordinated terrorist attack or something similar." She broke off from that train of thought and looked from Mia to Nicholas. "Shades will find them. I know they'll be ok."
She didn't sound convinced.