Chapter 51: Here is the plan
"Have you thought about getting rid of him?"
"Good morning to you too, Eva"
"What is good about the morning if we all have to be walking around wondering when the rogue king will set upon us because of you."
Soren sighed.
He wondered if he had done a good thing telling Brenna. He had just needed to talk to someone then and she had been the best bet. Now, he wasn’t so sure.
He looked up from the stack of reports spread across his desk as Brenna strode into his study without waiting for permission. She closed the door behind her with a soft click, then crossed the room and settled into the chair across from him, crossing one leg over the other.
She looked good. She always looked good, even after all these years. Her hair was pinned in a loose arrangement, dark waves escaping to frame her face. The dress she wore was simple but cut low enough to remind a man that she was still a woman worth looking at.
Soren forced his gaze back to her face.
"What brings you here at this hour?"
"I have been thinking." She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "About your problem."
"My problem?"
"The man from the rogue king. The one who is here gathering information." She lowered her voice, though there was no one else in the room to hear. "Have you thought about getting rid of him?"
Soren set down his quill. "What exactly are you suggesting, Eva?"
"I am suggesting you kill him."
The words hung in the air between them.
Soren stared at her. "You cannot be serious."
"I have never been more serious about anything in my life."
He let out a breath, shaking his head. "You do not understand how this works. The rogue king sent him here. If he does not report back, the king will know something happened. He will send someone else, and that someone else will come looking for answers. It will only make things worse."
"Will he?" Brenna tilted her head. "Let me see if I understand the situation correctly."
She rose from her chair and began pacing slowly, her fingers trailing along the edge of his desk.
"This man you are working with was sent here to gather information for the rogue king. That is his purpose. And once he has what he needs, he will leave and report back to this king of his. Is that correct?"
Soren nodded slowly. "Yes."
"But aside from that, the rogue king has no eyes or ears inside this pack. He has no way of knowing what is happening here except through the people he sends."
"That is correct."
"And if you got rid of his informant... if this man simply disappeared, the rogue king would have no way of knowing what happened to him. He could assume the man was caught. He could assume he deserted, betrayed, or was killed. He would not know the truth unless he sent someone else to find out."
Soren’s brow furrowed. He was beginning to see where she was heading.
"I am listening," he said.
Brenna stopped pacing and turned to face him fully.
"So you let this man disappear. Then the rogue king sends another, and you get rid of him too. And another. And another. Until the rogue king starts to wonder why his informants keep vanishing. He will begin to suspect the pack knows about him. That the Alpha is onto his schemes. And the only person he can still trust is the one person who has managed to stay alive and undetected this whole time."
She paused, letting the words sink in.
"You."
Soren sat back in his chair, his eyes fixed on her. A slow smile spread across his face.
"Then you feed him whatever information you want," Brenna continued. "You control what he knows. You become his most valuable asset, and all the while, you are on the right side of your Alpha. You protect the pack, yourself and no one ever has to know."
Soren stared at her, his expression shifting from surprise to grudging admiration.
"Brenna..." He shook his head, a laugh escaping him. "I could fucking kiss you right now."
Brenna rolled her eyes, but the corner of her mouth twitched upward despite herself. "That is hardly the reaction I was expecting."
"It is the reaction you are getting." Soren rose from his chair, rounding the desk until he stood in front of her. He reached out, his fingers brushing the side of her face, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "You know, you and I had something good together."
Brenna’s breath caught, just slightly. "Had is the keyword there, Soren."
"Does it have to be?"
She did not pull away as he stepped closer. His hand slid from her cheek to the back of her neck, his fingers threading into her hair. He leaned in, his mouth hovering a breath from hers.
"How about you come to my chambers tonight?" he murmured. "Let me remind you what a good time we had."
Brenna’s eyes searched his. Her hand came up to rest against his chest, her fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt.
"Are you going to tell me who this man is?" she asked. "The one who works for the rogue king?"
Soren’s hand stilled. "Come on, Eva. You know I cannot."
"Then you also know my answer."
She stepped back and out of his reach then smoothed down her dress, lifting her chin.
"Goodbye, Soren and you better do this right."
She turned and walked toward the door, letting it click shut behind her as she stepped out.
Soren stood alone in the silence of his study.
"Eva," he murmured to the empty room.
He shook his head, a rueful smile tugging at his lips.
She was right. The plan was good. Reckless and dangerous and requiring more blood on his hands than he had wanted, but good.
He crossed to the window and stared out at the courtyard below.
His eyes found a figure moving across the far end of the courtyard with a confident stride.
Alistair.
Soren’s jaw tightened.
It was time to put the plan into motion.