Brian rushed from the secret room, the note folded tightly in his hand, his eyes anxious as they touched on Justin and Jasmine sitting at the window, admiring the all-encompassing view. Clearing his throat, Brian gruffly spoke, "Justin, can I see you for a moment?"

Jasmine stood to her feet, moving forward to speak to her father. "Uhhh, I've been giving this some thought, and I- I was wondering if it would be okay if I changed my mind. I don't think I want to meet her or hear any of her lies. I-it's just too much."

"It appears that fate smiles on that decision, my child. Unfortunately, your mother has escaped. I have my guards on the way to escort you to the tower. I won't take any chances with your safety." Brian watched his daughter intently, uncertain why she had made this decision, but glad she had done so, even though Lindsay was no longer held in the next room.

"Escaped?" Justin gasped. "How is that even possible?"

"Apparently she deceived the guard that was leading Ethan out of the room. She could see him key in the numbers as she was standing directly behind him; no doubt, during an emotional display where the guard assumed she was simply distraught when she was in actuality playing him."

"Wow..." Justin breathed. "She can't possibly think of leaving the grounds. What is she planning now!?"

Brian held up his hand, cautioning Justin to silence. He didn't want to say too much in front of Jasmine. The child had been through enough, and now, thanks to Lindsay's escape and whatever plans the diabolical woman had concocted, that might not be over yet. When one of his personal guards entered the suite, the king addressed him in fierce Arabic with his commands. "Take my daughter to the tower. Gus will be arriving shortly, as will Justin. I want them under the tightest security. No one enters or leaves without my direct order. NO EXCEPTIONS!"

The guard bowed to his king, before moving to lead Jasmine away. He only paused when the princess turned to face her father. "Uhhh, will you be joining us?"

"Not immediately, my dear. I need to lead the search for your mother. When I can, I will come to you."

She nodded, softly biting at her bottom lip. "Please be careful. I-I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

At once, the rage sweltering inside him decreased, at least, for the moment. He moved closer to her, smiling affectionately at her. "Not to worry, my child. I have too much to live for, especially now. I will join you soon." Brian nodded to the guard before watching as he led her from the room, his hand shaking as he handed the note to Justin, deciding that Justin needed to completely understand the monster he was facing. "I am showing you this because I trust you, even if I was harsh with you just a short time ago. My responses always have an underlying cause. I don't have time to debate that right now, but I didn't want to just leave things either."

"I'm a bit too sensitive at times, and I have become so comfortable with you that I sometimes don't see you as my king. But you're right. Now isn't the time for this discussion. Protecting the children is all that matters..." Justin opened the note, his eyes widening as he read it. "That bitch! She can't mean this, Brian. It has to be to madden you and throw you off her trail. It has to be!"

"I don't believe that Lindsay has anyone else helping her. The doctor that plotted with her being the exception, although I doubt he will interfere either. He will try to stay clear of me, not incite me further." Brian shook his head. "No. The more I think about it, the more I believe that this wasn't premeditated since she had no way of knowing one of my guards would be so inept. I also believe that Lindsay has accepted her fate, and is now looking for one last chance to destroy me. There's only one way to do that..."

"The children." Justin shuddered. "She can't get to Jasmine, but what about Gus?"

"Fuck!" Brian swore, instantly knowing where Lindsay would be headed - if she wasn't there already. Reaching for his phone, Brian called Ben, savagely spitting out, "Benjamin, I know where Lindsay is. Tell the security team to keep watching the surveillance videos, but I need you to meet me at the stables NOW. Call down to alert the stable manager. Don't radio Gus' guards. We will connect with them within minutes. I don't want this to be heard over the radio in case Lindsay is within hearing distance. It's my guess she will be waiting inside the stable for Gus to bring his horse back in. We need to act fast!"

Brian rushed to the wall safe and entered the long combination, he pulled out a knife, and a firearm, loading it quickly. He didn't give Justin a second glance as they moved through the doors, one thought in mind... getting to his son before Lindsay reached him. "Go to the tower, Justin."

"No! I'm coming with you." Justin rushed ahead of Brian, making sure he wouldn't detain him. "Think about it. Gus might need me for whatever reason, and I can bring him back to the tower. I promise not to go near Lindsay."

"Fine," he snapped, not liking it one bit, but knowing he might need him for Gus. His son trusted Justin and would go with him gladly. "Stay behind me and away from the bitch. I don't want her anywhere near you."

Justin wasn't about to argue that. He didn't want to be around the venomous witch. This was about being there for Gus, and for Brian as well. Lindsay's fate was sealed. He wasn't about to interfere in that.

Lindsay shuddered as she hid in the corner of one of the stalls, disgusted to be sitting on a bale of hay like an insignificant commoner, but believing the ends would justify the means. Her life will be over now. She wouldn't waste what she had left with regrets or thoughts of what might have been. She had made so many mistakes. The first one had been trusting that damned doctor. He was living the good life, whereas, she was about to be executed. Why hadn't she listened to Ethan? He had told her to leave the country before revealing Jasmine's existence. At that point, with nothing to go on, Brian would have met her demands. Not only would she be rich, but she would be free and alive.

She hadn't expected the opportunity that had come her way. When she had noticed where the guard had been positioned, she had decided to take a chance. If he hadn't been directly behind Ethan, she wouldn't have had the opportunity to see as he hit the four digits that unlocked the door. At the time, she had been hugging Ethan, tears shimmering in her eyes, giving the impression she was staring off into empty space as she held her stepbrother tightly, but in reality, she was watching the numbers the guard was entering. Now, she had to hope that Gus brought his horse in before Brian realized where she had gone. Brian was too intuitive; he would figure it out, even without the surveillance footage. Her best hope was that Brian paused long enough to review them. If he came directly here, time would be too short.

A cold smile twisted her lips as she heard the sound of Gus' voice, knowing he was leading his horse back inside, relieved that her timing had been precise. She wouldn't need long to enact her revenge against her former husband. Then, if he discovered her, it wouldn't really matter. She would have succeeded in ripping out Brian's soul, and in his rage, he would kill her swiftly. Death would be peaceful in realizing Brian would be in torment.

She nearly laughed when she heard the stable phone ringing, knowing it must be Brian or Ben calling to alert the stable manager. No one would answer that call. She had already taken him by surprise. What none of them had anticipated was her preparation for something such as this. She had hidden a gun long before she had been taken to Brian's secret room, it had been extremely useful so far. And she was far from finished.

Standing up, Lindsay peered through a small opening, watching for Gus' approach, making certain he was alone before she stepped out. Gus was never alone for long. His guards would be outside, but they wouldn't come in with him without a sufficient reason. Brian wanted Gus to feel as much as a normal child as possible. Today, that would become another one of Brian's regrets. Stepping out of the stall, Lindsay moved forward, knowing she needed to do so before Gus discovered the stable manager. She couldn't have him running to his guards before her plan was enacted. The fact that she had to do this in order to punish Brian, and derail all of his plans for the future caused her to hate Brian even more. She felt no ill will toward Gus; at least, not when he was just being a child and not a mini version of his father the king. Such thoughts wouldn't weaken her now. She needed to be strong and do what had to be done. Brian would suffer for the injustice he had heaped upon her. He would never recover from this day.

Gus' eyes widened when he saw someone coming out from one of the stalls, cautiously he looked around seeing no one else in sight. As the form came closer, he frowned, unable to believe what he was seeing. "Mother? Why are you here? How?"

A nervous giggle escaped. "I surprised you, didn't I? I know that isn't easy to do."

"Where's John? He never leaves the stable..." Gus' voice cracked, his eyes moving around wildly, not a doubt in his mind that something was very wrong.

"Perhaps he needed to step out." Lindsay shrugged her shoulders, uncaring about the man she shot, seeing it as a necessary step in reaching her objective. "Hurry and put your horse in the stall. We don't have much time." Lindsay turned, looking nervously around, not liking that she needed to tend to the horse first. The only reason she did so was fear that she would be instantly trampled if something went awry, determined to see this unpleasant task through before she met her death in any way.

Nodding, Gus led his horse to the stall, his small legs shaking, wishing that his father was here with them now. His father always knew what to do. Gus knew that he needed him now. After closing the stall door, Gus came back out, his steps faltering when he found his mother not only waiting for him, but aiming a gun in his direction. "M-mother? W-what are you doing?"

"I'm sorry, Gus. This isn't what I want; it's what I have to do." Lindsay felt a degree of regret for what she had to do, but knew there was no going back. This was all about torturing Brian. "I'll make it quick."

Gus screamed, knowing it was now or never for him. "D-don't do this, Mother!"

Almost immediately, Gus' body was thrust to the ground, the king's body covering him, as he issued commands in Arabic. In the next moment, gunfire resounded in the stables, Lindsay was hit multiple times, but not before her gun fired off a shot. Justin rushed forward, shouting out in panic. "STOP! The king has been shot!"

At once, the shots halted, all of them rushing to their king, tears in Ben's eyes as he fell to his knees to assess the damage. "Your Highness! Can you hear me?"

Brian rolled off Gus, his hand clutching at his leg, pain spreading quickly, blood beginning to seep through his pants. "I- I think it's just a flesh wound. N-not bone." Turning his head, he looked at Lindsay's body on the ground, his lip twisting in contempt. "Is she dead?"

"I haven't had time to check." When Ben looked over his shoulder and met the guard's gaze that was leaning over Lindsay's still body, Ben interpreted the grim nod, thankful that part was finally over. "Yes, My King, she's dead."

Gus sat up, tears rolling down his cheeks. "S-she w-wanted to kill me, Father. My mother tried to kill me..."

Weakly, Brian sat up, pulling his son against his chest; uncaring of his own injury, at this moment, only wanting to comfort his son. "It's over, son. She will never hurt you again." Turning to face his guards, Brian ordered them to remove her body, not only to take her out of his sight but to give them some much-needed privacy. "Make certain that her body is guarded until the coroner takes over. I don't want any more surprises or lapses in security!" He watched as they hurriedly carried out his commands, wishing he had been the one to send the immoral bitch to hell.

Moving closer, uncaring of propriety, Justin wrapped his arms around both of them, his heart pounding in his chest. "She could have killed b-both of you. I can't even bear to think about it."

Gruffly, Brian responded, "I'll be fine, Justin. I'm just glad you weren't caught in the crossfire. I never wanted you here!"

Justin held on tightly. "I needed to be." His arms trembled as he held them both close, love, and fear making his heart beat almost erratically.

Ben stood to his feet, wanting to say so much as well, but feeling as if he were intruding. "Uhhh, I'm going to get help to move you out of here, Your Highness, and call for the doctor. We need to get that bullet out and get you stitched up."

"Yes, we do, thank you, Ben." Brian grimaced in pain, attempting to hide as much of it as possible, knowing that Gus and Justin were upset enough. He pulled back from both of them, his expression severe. "Justin? Can you do something for me?" Brian's eyes remained focused on Justin, knowing that Ben would return with help quickly.

Justin nodded his head, unable to think of anything he wouldn't do for the king, here and now. "Of course. What do you need?"

"I'd like for you to take Gus back up to the house. I think he'll be more comfortable with you than his guards. Obviously, I can't see to it myself." Brian smiled tightly, wincing as the pain continued to shoot up his leg. "Also, could you see that Jasmine is released from the tower, and if you don't mind, gently tell her what has happened."

"Okay." Justin agreed. "But you told the guards not to let anyone have access other than yourself. Will that present a problem?"

Gus stood to his feet. "No, it won't. I'm coming with you. I want to be with my sister during this time, and they won't object to me."

Brian held onto his leg as he laughed, not a doubt in his mind that it would be as Gus suggested. "Of course not. How could they say no to their future king? If they do though, have someone alert me, whether the doctor is with me or not."

Justin frowned as he stood to his feet. "We will figure it out, Brian. The only thing that should be on your mind is your injury. Everything else will work itself out."

As Ben returned with a number of guards and a thick bundle of linens in which to carefully carry the king out of the stables, Brian swore beneath his breath, barely mindful that Gus was still present. "I am not some kind of invalid! I can hobble out of here on one leg..."

Ben cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but I must insist. I am sworn to protect you, and this is part of it. And I don't think you want that bullet to go deeper and cause a more severe injury. That would only delay your recovery."

"I'm not going to forget this, Benjamin!" Once again, the king swore as they moved him onto the thick bundle, outraged that he would be seen as weak.

Without too much difficulty, Justin had perfectly understood Brian's expletives, realizing they needed to leave now. "Let's go, Gus. I'm sure Jasmine is anxious to find out what has happened." Justin looked at Brian with concern, yet knowing he was going to be fine. "Once the children are settled, I am coming to check on you, whether you like it or not!"

As Justin walked away with Gus, Brian shouted out to him. "I wouldn't think of objecting. It's not like I'm the king or anything. Why would anyone listen to me!?"

Snickering as they walked away, Justin whispered to Gus, "And they say doctors make the worst patients. Hmph. I think it should be revised to include kings..."

Gus smiled up at Justin as they walked away, for the moment, the nightmare his mother had created, far from his mind. "I like you, Justin. I hope you stay with us forever."

"You know, Gus. I do too. In fact, that's exactly what I plan to do."

TBC