Hey guys, I hope you're having a good start to the holidays! Going to note that Alexei does some stuff that is illegal and kinda out of character for him in this chapter (and because he's still going through all the feels, there will be a lot of swearing too). All I'm going to say is if you are not legal where you live, then you really shouldn't be drinking, especially out in public.
Gonna reply to reviews on the previous chapter, thanks so much for the love and to everyone who reviewed!
Guest: Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed that chapter (despite all the feels) and that you found I was able to give it a fresh perspective!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Embassy Row series and all the characters (except for Tanner and Jordan and Alexei's Moscow friends, who are my own creations). They belong to Ally Carter. I am merely using her characters and plotline to create this fanfiction. I have no intention of profiting off the Embassy Row series in any way. This fanfiction is purely for entertainment purposes and would not exist without Ally Carter's wonderful works.
The events that happen in this fanfiction are not meant to be representative of real life. Any similarities to any real-life events or fictional works is purely coincidental and not intentional (with the exception of the original Embassy Row books by Ally Carter since this fanfiction is literally Take the Key and Lock Her Up but from Alexei's, not Grace's, perspective). The character's actions may not always reflect my own opinions or views. Based on what happens or is mentioned in this chapter (spoiler alert), I do not condone underage drinking, drinking in public or at work, sneaking alcohol into public establishments, blowing up or taking down state institutions, or hacking into technical networks.
Content warning: mild to moderate
This fanfiction is rated M, for explicit and suggestive themes (such as mental health and abuse), language, and violence. This chapter contains moderate to strong language, underage drinking, explicit depictions of drinking in public and at work and of sneaking alcohol into public establishments, and mentions of blowing up and taking down state institutions, hacking into technical networks, and mental health struggles. Please read at your own discretion.
Chapter Twenty-Two: She Did What?
"Woah, bro, let me get this straight, she did what to you?" Tanner asked.
"She broke up with me." I stared at the ground, the words sounding funny out loud.
"Why?" Jordan asked. I just stayed silent, unable to get the words out. I had basically spent the rest of the day staring into space or aimlessly wandering around the townhouse, unable to think of anything except Grace, what we had and what she had done to me. I couldn't stop replaying that last conversation over and over in my head, wondering if I should have tried harder to convince her not to go through with this ridiculous plan.
I didn't have any intention of leaving the townhouse today but I should have known the story would blow up on social media. Of course, Tanner and Jordan had showed up at the townhouse after school, asking what the hell was going on after seeing shining, edited photos of Grace and the Adrian prince online, insinuating the end goal of the Society's plans for her. After they refused to leave, saying they'd camp out in the lounge until I spilled, I finally caved, which was how I found myself sitting on the crates outside Amelia's with them.
"I, I – she –," I started, before stopping short again. I didn't even know how to verbalize this morning's events. Not when it was still a mess inside my mind.
"It's okay, bro. You don't have to tell us if you're not comfortable," Jordan said, clapping my shoulder a couple times. "We're here for you."
"Who would have thought, the heartbreaker gets his heart broken," Tanner mused. I glared at him. "Sorry, man, just making an observation. Either way, I know this sucks."
I just nodded, feeling completely numb inside. Sure, I had been upset after breaking things off with Lila and Yulia but this was a whole other feeling. It felt like I had been punched in the gut a million times over, the wind completely knocked out of me. It felt like I had been stabbed in the back, breaking me out of a dream where Grace was mine and everything was right and into a harsh reality where Grace had turned her back on me and us.
This felt worse than anything imaginable. Now, I felt bad for ending things with Lila and Yulia, wondering if this was how they felt. Grace hadn't just been a casual fling though. She had been the world to me, and so much more.
"Whoa, have you seen this?" Jordan's voice brought me back to reality.
"Seen what?" Tanner asked. Jordan held out his phone for us. The headline of the displayed news article shook me to the core. American Ambassador's Granddaughter Moving to the Adrian Palace: Is a Royal Marriage in the Works?
"What the fuck?" I cursed. Grace had only just told me this morning. How had this already gotten out?
Jordan handed me his phone. I quickly scrolled through the article. It started off with how Grace was moving into the palace to live with her godmother, AKA Princess Ann, because her grandfather was unwell and she needed somewhere safe to mentally heal. However, it soon took a wild turn, suggesting this was really a scheme to ensure a royal marriage and great-grandchildren in the next few years. I shook my head, unable to believe what I had just read.
"Crazy, right?" Jordan asked, as I handed him his phone back.
"This is absolute insanity," I muttered.
"Hold up, something isn't adding up," Tanner said, looking like he was in the middle of working out an important puzzle. Jordan and I just looked at him. "You're telling us that your girl broke up with you this morning. Then, word gets out that she's moving into the palace. Add in the crackpot theories about how it's just a ploy so she can shack up with Prince T. Does this mean what I think it does?"
"What, that a royal marriage between your girl and the Adrian prince is really in the works?" Jordan asked. The two of them looked at me. Something in my face must have given me away because their facial expressions suddenly softened.
"Bro, please don't tell us that's why she dumped you," Tanner said, his voice surprisingly subdued. One look at them and I absolutely lost it. Before I could get control of myself, hot, angry tears brimmed in my eyes, spilling onto my cheeks.
"Man, we are so, so sorry," Jordan said. He moved his crate next to me and put his hand on my back, rubbing comforting circles. I ran the back of my hand across my eyes, trying to stop the tears as they flowed freely down my cheeks. I heard Tanner moving so he was sitting on my other side. Neither of them said a word but I felt their comforting presence, a reminder my bros were there for me.
I kept my head down as the tears continued streaming down my face, a release of emotions that had been bottled up inside me since this morning, and perhaps longer. It seemed like time had stopped as I sat there and cried my heart out. Eventually, when the tears finally dried up, I poked my head up, running my hand across the back of my eyes one last time. I looked at Tanner and Jordan, both of whom had nothing but sympathy in their eyes.
"Bro, she really messed you up, didn't she?" Jordan asked, although it was really a statement. I just nodded, not trusting my voice to work.
"That's her fault for doing this to you. I know you really cared for her but you'll find another girl out there," Tanner said. I nodded again. I knew they were doing their best to cheer me up, which I really appreciated, but it sure didn't feel that way at the moment, not when Grace had meant so much to me and we had shared so much history.
"We got your back, Alexei, okay?" Jordan said. "If you need someone to vent to or cry to, we're here for you."
"Or if you need a little something to deal with the pain right now, I got you," Tanner said. I looked at him, confused, until he pulled a flask out of his backpack.
"I know you're not a big drinker, Alexei, but I figured you could use some liquid courage to get through the rest of today," Tanner said. I eyed the flask warily. I had never been a big drinker, not after seeing what it had done to my father. Drunk or not, his character had always been questionable to me and I never wanted to turn into him.
"What's in there?" Jordan asked, looking hungrily at the flask.
"Soju. Basically Korean vodka. Sweeter and without the alcohol burn," Tanner said. "We can each take a shot before the squad gets here. I may or may not have texted them to hang out." At the mention of the squad, I grabbed the flask out of Tanner's hand. I unscrewed it then took a large gulp. Tanner was right; it was really sweet and didn't burn my throat on the way down. I handed the flask back to him, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. Tanner and Jordan both stared at me wide-eyed.
"Damn, bro, I hope this breakup isn't going to turn you into an alcoholic," Tanner commented.
"It won't," I said, although I wasn't too sure of that myself. "I just don't think I can see the squad without some alcohol." The thought of having to face all our friends, quite frankly, terrified me. Surely, they too must have seen Grace's news somewhere on social media by now. I wasn't quite ready to face them just yet, to have them know what had happened.
"Fair enough," Tanner said, giving me a mock cheers with the flask before taking a shot himself.
"Hand it over," Jordan demanded, gesturing to the flask.
"Dude, isn't a bad idea to drink at work?" Tanner asked, being the sensible one for once. I blamed the alcohol and this morning's events for clouding my logical side.
"Screw it," Jordan said. "Our bro is having a rough day and I'm not going to let him go through this alone." Seeing that as reason enough, Tanner shrugged before handing Jordan the flask.
"Man, that is some good shit," Jordan said, after taking a shot. He held up the flask. "Anyone want more?" I grabbed it, taking another large gulp. I could see why people turned to alcohol in times of distress. It was numbing my ability to think, which was exactly what I needed right now. When I finished, I screwed the cap back on before handing it to Tanner.
"You sure you don't want more? There's plenty more where that came from back in the embassy," Tanner said.
"I'm good." I shook my head. Although it was tempting, I didn't want to overdo it. Two shots was more than out of character for me.
"Damn, she really must have done you in," Jordan commented, as Tanner put the flask back in his backpack.
"There's no one else for me," I said softly. Even with the alcohol on board, I still couldn't imagine a life without Grace. Jordan gave me a sympathetic look as he nodded in understanding.
"Well, it looks like the squad is here," Tanner said, typing on his phone. He then looked at me. "Do you want to join them? You don't have to if you don't feel comfortable. I can walk you back to your place then come back here to meet them."
"Yes," I said, standing up. While Tanner's offer was really generous, as well as the fact that he was giving me a choice, I didn't want to back down. I had to face them eventually. Better to get it over with sooner rather than later.
I didn't miss the look Tanner and Jordan gave each other as they stood up, heading around to the front of Amelia's. I trailed behind them, my heart numb and my mind racing. One quick look at the waiting area told me the entire squad was here, minus Grace of course. The thought of her name alone was enough to bring tinges of sorrow to my heart and thoughts of regret and longing to my head. She had this effect on me that no one else had and now she was gone, her absence magnifying that.
Jordan led us to a large table on the patio. Belatedly, I realized it was the very same one I had sat at after the self-defence classes gone wrong in the embassy. It seemed like this table was where I was doomed to live out the aftermath of my life trauma.
Just as I was about to sit down, a collective silence fell. I finally looked up, seeing varying looks of surprise on everyone's faces. Megan's face suddenly softened and she immediately ran to me, pulling me into a hug.
"Alexei, I'm so sorry to hear about what happened," she said. I just nodded, grateful for her support.
"Man, that seriously sucks. I can't believe she did that to you, Alexei," Noah said, coming up behind Megan. She let me go, only for Noah to give me a brief guy hug. Again, I nodded at his sympathy.
Lila's eyes met mine. She gave me a gentle smile. "How about we get some food first? We'll have plenty of time to discuss this over dinner." I gave her a grateful look, thankful for taking the attention off me.
I just sat there, aimlessly flipping through the menu as the rest of the squad ordered. I wasn't that hungry, not when the numbness and sorrow was eating me alive.
"Are you getting anything, Alexei?" Lila's voice broke me out of my trance. I looked up, not realizing she was sitting right next to me. She was looking right at me, her gaze intense.
"Probably not."
"You should eat something, even if you're not hungry," Lila said, concerned. "Do you want your usual? I can cover you."
"Sure, thanks," I said, figuring it'd be easier than arguing with her. Besides, something told me that Lila wouldn't have let me argue with her anyways. After Jordan took our orders, everyone started talking about school. I sat and listened, grateful for the normal conversation.
"So, Alexei, Tanner's been telling us you've got some sweet new digs," Noah said, turning towards me.
"Yeah, Dominic set Karina and I up in a spare townhouse," I said.
"It's hella sick," Tanner added.
"Hmm, maybe we should all stop by sometime," Megan said, sharing a look with me. "It'll be nice to check on Karina and see how she's doing." Noah had a wary look on his face, which I didn't blame him for.
"How is she anyways?" Rosie asked. I gave them the same update I had given Megan this morning.
"Seems like she's still loopy," Tanner said. I just shrugged, not knowing what else to say. Loopy sounded about right to me.
Jordan then brought out our food. Everyone dug in but I picked at my meal, not in the mood to eat.
"Hmm, have you all seen this?" Megan said, frowning at her phone.
"Seen what?" Tanner asked. Megan hesitated, glancing over at me. My stomach churned, already anticipating what Megan was going to share.
"This article about Grace and the Adrian prince. Apparently they've been friends for ages and have really been getting to know each other this past day." Megan passed around her phone. When Tanner handed me the phone, I almost wanted to throw it in anger, thanks to the article headline. American Beauty and Adrian Grace: Ambassador's Granddaughter and Adrian Prince Going Public. I quickly scrolled through the article. It talked about how Grace and Prince Thomas had reacquainted earlier this summer, when Grace returned to Adria, and were really bonding. The article then continued on about how they had played together as children and were rekindling that friendship now. Lastly, the article hinted that Grace and the Adrian prince had secretly been dating all summer and were ready to take their relationship public, now that Grace had moved into the palace to be closer to her godmother.
"This is utter bullshit," I cursed, handing Megan's phone back to her.
"I'll say," Lila said, backing me up. "There's no way Grace and Prince Thomas have known each other for that long." I couldn't help but agree with her. Yet, according to the media, this one day was enough to instantly discount all the childhood summers I had spent with Grace and Jamie, while our mothers gossiped amongst themselves, and all the time I had spent with Grace this summer.
"Wow, who knew she was two-timing you and that you were just her side dick? That's a serious asshole move on her part," Jordan said, as he refilled everyone's waters. The thought of Grace marrying the Adrian prince and having royal children with him made my stomach churn.
"I can't believe she dumped you for the Adrian prince. What does she even see in him anyways?" Lila asked, snorting.
"Well, he is a prince," Noah pointed out. "What girl wouldn't want to marry a prince?"
"Anyone but Grace," I said quietly.
"Wait, back up a sec," Tanner said. "So the Internet is saying your girl is ultimately going to marry the prince and she even broke things off with you. But you're saying she doesn't want to shack up with him."
"No way in hell," I replied. "I have a feeling she didn't have a say in this."
"Back up, bro, you lost us," Jordan said. "You aren't making any sense." I quickly summarized everything Grace had told me this morning.
"Man, that is messed up," Noah said, shaking his head.
"Well, no matter how messed up it is, it's true," Lila spoke up eagerly. "In case you've all forgotten, I'm a member of the Society and I get a lot of intel from them. At the moment, they seem to be intent on destroying Grace's life."
"Well, did you get any intel on how to get Grace out of this shit?" Noah asked, looking at his twin sister.
"Unfortunately, no. I feel like this plan was devised by the Society's top members. I'm not privy to that sort of info but word still gets around," Lila said.
"Well, who's involved?" Noah asked.
"Definitely the Society and Princess Ann. Grace mentioned them this morning when she broke the news," I said, trying not to let the memory sting.
"No way, the Princess Ann of Adria?" Noah exclaimed, his eyes bugging out of his head.
"She's not as squeaky-clean as she appears to be," Megan said. "Because of this, it's making me fear for Grace even more, being at the palace."
"Add in everything that your girl told you this morning. This isn't going to end well," Jordan said.
"Not unless we do something about it," Lila said fiercely.
"What, storm the palace and demand they free Alexei's girl?" Tanner asked, half-joking.
"How else?" Lila retorted, looking dead serious. "If you have any other ideas, then by all means, please contribute something useful to the group."
Tanner just held up his hands, shaking his head. "You got me there."
"Can we blow up the palace?" Rosie asked eagerly. Tanner and Jordan looked at her like she was nuts but hey, they hadn't seen her at Binevale.
"Rosemarie, remember what happened at Binevale?" I scolded, giving her a hard look. Blowing up a heavily guarded psychiatric hospital was one thing. Blowing up the royal palace at the centre of the world's diplomatic affairs was another thing, one that was not going to end well, no matter what happened.
"I had to put in some last-ditch plans but it more or less went fine," Rosie said, shrugging as she stuffed another forkful of food in her mouth. "I'm sure it can't be that much harder to blow up the palace."
Lila scrunched up her face. "No, we are not blowing up the palace and that's final, on my word." She laid eyes on each of us, her face a hard authoritative mask that I wouldn't dare to go against.
"So now what?" Tanner asked, dumbfounded.
"We investigate all suspicious parties slowly and carefully," Lila said, taking charge. "I can get intel from the Society. Megan, you can look into everyone's social media. Alexei, see if you can get anything useful from Karina."
"Hey, what are the rest of us guys going to do?" Noah asked, sharing looks with Tanner and Jordan.
"And me!" Rosie chimed in. "Please let me blow up the palace!"
"Fine, bring your explosives or whatever but only if everything else absolutely fails," Lila grunted, brushing Rosie off before turning to the rest of us. "As for the three of you, you're manpower for when we storm the palace. Alexei, you too. Megan, I may need you to launch a virtual attack on the palace's networks so we can get in and find Grace." We all nodded along, too fearful of Lila's fierce leadership to say anything.
"This sounds great and all but is this really going to work?" Jordan asked skeptically. "Are we really going to be able to free Grace like that? Provided she even wants out in the first place?" That was a great point. Thinking back to my conversation with Grace this morning and the one from yesterday, it almost seemed like Grace wanted to go the palace. Surely, it wasn't just because she was madly in love with Prince Thomas, despite the part of my brain that told me that was true. Was it possible she had her own plans up her sleeve?
"Alexei, you look like you have something to share," Lila said. I looked up, finding all eyes on me. I quickly recounted my thoughts, desperate to get the attention off me.
"Well, anything is possible with Grace," Megan conceded. "I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss her."
"Is there any way we can get in touch with her?" Noah asked. "I don't want to show up at the palace with our plan all ready to go and then have Grace refuse to go along with it. There's gotta be some way we can tip her off."
"As far as I can tell, the palace is built like a fortress," Megan said, furiously typing away on her laptop. "Their networks are already proving to be a bitch to get into."
"Don't worry. I'll see what I can do," Lila said. "We'll think of something to get Grace out." While the others seemed quite optimistic, some part of me still felt like she wasn't going to leave so easily. I couldn't stop replaying my last conversation with her and how she had so easily broken things off with me. Even though I knew her well enough to know that being a princess was the last thing she wanted, maybe a small seed had been planted in her head, courtesy of the Society, to slowly and gradually change her mind until she took her rightful place on the throne of Adria. Was it possible I had lost the girl I had known and loved, with her headstrong spirit and adventurous heart, to the throes of Adrian royal society and its rigorous rules and idealized glamour? I couldn't bear that thought.
"Hand it over," I said to Tanner.
"Hand what over?" He frowned, scrunching his eyebrows.
"You know what." I made a drinking motion at him.
"You sure, bro? Out in public?" Tanner looked around at the other patrons.
"I don't care. I need it." Maybe it was the alcohol speaking, clouding my already dark thoughts. Besides, the restaurant was busy enough that hopefully no one would notice me sneaking a drink. Regardless, I needed something to numb the pain now.
Tanner handed me the flask, although he still looked doubtful. Faking a cough, I ducked my head down, sneaking a sip from the flask. The sweet taste of the alcohol radiated throughout my entire body, making all my nerves tingle.
"I'm going to pretend I didn't see that, Mr. Volkov." I sputtered at the unfamiliar voice. The alcohol caught in my throat, burning my airway. I coughed, trying hard not to choke.
"Alexei, are you okay?" I looked up to see all eyes on me. I then had the sensation of being watched. I slowly turned around, seeing Ms. Chancellor standing behind me, a stern look on her face. What the hell was she doing here? I shoved my hand under the table, hiding the flask from sight as I tried to assume the picture of innocence.
"Uh – yeah, yeah I'm fine," I managed to get out. No one looked convinced though.
"Alexei, is that what I think it is?" Lila asked, looking right at me, before glancing down at my hand under the table.
"Um –" I started, not sure what to say. I didn't want to incriminate Tanner for bringing alcohol.
"Hey, our boy has had a rough day," Tanner interrupted, as he supportively clapped my shoulder before slyly taking the flask back from me under the table. "Cut him some slack, will you?"
"I'm sure the day's events have been quite taxing," Ms. Chancellor said. Everyone looked at her in surprise. "I came to pick up some take-out for Ambassador Vincent and I. I figured I'd come say hello, especially since you all must be here to talk about one thing." She went silent but we all knew what she was talking about. Grace, the clear elephant in the room.
"How is she doing?" Megan asked tentatively, breaking the silence.
"I haven't been to see her yet," Ms. Chancellor admitted. "However, I have been in touch with Dominic Novak, who has been assigned as her security detail. They're both aware that something is going on and are determined to put it to an end."
"Is there any way we can help?" Lila asked fiercely, which surprised me, considering her initial dislike towards Grace.
"I'm not aware of anything at the moment," Ms. Chancellor said solemnly. "I will be seeing Grace tomorrow. Perhaps after talking with her and Dominic, we can think of something."
"We'll do anything," Noah added. "We just want our friend back." Everyone nodded in agreement. Grace had gotten herself into a dangerous situation, perhaps much more than she realized, and we could only hope she'd make it out alive.
"Takeout for Vincent." Jordan came out of the kitchen with a large bag.
"Oh, that must be for Ambassador Vincent and I," Ms. Chancellor said, following Jordan to the cash register. After she paid, she gave us a diplomatic nod and goodbye.
"Here, let me take that for you. It looks heavy," I said, standing up to help Ms. Chancellor. She looked a bit confused, as did everyone else, but she handed me the bag without protest.
"Thank you. The car is just parked around the corner so it won't be too far of a walk." I nodded as I fell into step with her.
"How is Karina doing?" Ms. Chancellor asked.
"She still doesn't seem totally there," I admitted. "She's spent a lot of time sleeping or staring blankly into space. She'll talk if you engage her but not for long."
Ms. Chancellor nodded gravely. "I'm not sure if her mind will ever return from where it was lost. She had been struggling with mental health issues for a long time, even before she disappeared. I'm afraid this has just made it worse." I hadn't known that about my mother but so much about my childhood suddenly made sense. Like how she could be wildly erratic at times then suddenly shut down. And her wild imagination.
We rounded the corner, where sure enough, a black car with tinted windows was waiting.
"Well, that's my ride," Ms. Chancellor said, with her usual diplomatic air. She turned to me, a serious look in her eyes. "I know you've been through a lot, Mr. Volkov, but I'm sure you'll get through it. Along with your friends, you have my support."
"Thank you," I said, trying not to sound surprised. Just earlier this summer, hell, even yesterday, Ms. Chancellor had been out for my guts but she seemed to have undergone a total personality change. I had a sneaking suspicion as to what had brought it about but didn't want to push it.
The driver stepped out of the car, opening the door for her. I handed her the bag of take-out. She took it, giving me one final nod. "If you ever need me, you know where to find me."
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Next chapter will be up between Dec. 23 and Jan. 2.
I realized this is the first full squad reunion (minus Grace of course) after Alexei's return to Valancia and of course, I had to include a couple of throwback elements from 'Falling for You'. And it was a fun and easier chapter to edit (I don't remember about the writing though since the first draft was completed two and a half years ago, which literally feels like forever ago). I also wanted to explore the dynamics of how the rest of the world would react to the news, particularly with adding in the social media aspect that was lacking in the original books. What do you think happens next?