The Shot: Traincoach of Death, Book 1 by Leona Bushman Read Free Book Online Page A

out, but he’d learned over the years to trust his instincts. “There’s an assistant to the station master here at New Yorkshire that I think demands a very close look. The vetting process for anyone working in that position is extraordinary. I barely passed, and we have the official documents. My position is only a business one. Everyone working at the station, from the clerks to the janitors, is thoroughly screened.”
    “I don’t know how you get your information so quickly, but it’s impressive, nonetheless.”
    “In this case, I was left alone at the computer while the station master chased a killer.”
    “What! You and I need to have a discussion about your priorities. Wedding plans and fools.”
    “Actually, my lord, we have been on the subject. I think Victoria is a target, sir. The person who killed the station guard took a shot at her. The Earl walked close enough that if he’d been the target, they could have easily shot at him, and the station master had to have run past the shooter’s hiding spot in the hall.”
    “I see. So you don’t think this is terrorism.”
    “Not on the scale that needs the team sent in. Not yet, anyway,” he said referring to the Ultra King’s Service team started to help control the bombings about the time the Irish Civil War reached its peak. “They may be trying to sabotage the trains, but again, I think it has something to do with Victoria more than anything hot political-wise. The U.K.S. could force the hand of the ones after her.”
    “I agree. What else do you need from me?”
    “I need a special voicelet for her. One that can’t be used by her father to track her.” The king had slipped to the personal me instead of the royal we, which told Bill it had become emotional and not just a matter of the crown anymore.
    “Done.”
    “Your Majesty, do you know Victoria personally?” he asked with trepidation. Did the Earl have any idea of whom he’d messed with when trying to set her up with the other buffoons?
    “Yes. We played together as children. When she was born, our mothers talked of having us engaged, but a couple of things stopped them. They didn’t want to force her. Notice, they weren’t worried about forcing me, but mainly, they didn’t want the Earl to know she was royalty.”
    “How does he not know?”
    “At the time of their marriage, Victoria’s mother, Ruth Anne, was not in line. Her older sister stood to inherit. So when she asked her parents to let her go to the North American continent with only a few of her titles, they’d allowed it. That’s when she met the Earl. They were married. As she is a Viscountess, and the American nobles and peerage aren’t as familiar with the Scottish King as the European, we passed him off with one of his lessor titles and held the marriage over there.”
    “And what about when the older sister died in the Irish bombings?”
    “Ruth Anne came and visited us. She just happened to stop in Scotland and be officially recognized as the next queen of Scotland, making Victoria the princess and heir apparent. Currently, there is a regent in her stead until she comes of age. The regent reports to us in the meantime. However, Ruth Anne and her daughter spent about two years in Scotland when Victoria was very young, only going back to the American continent to check on her business.”
    “What about the earl? Didn’t he need to be officially recognized?”
    The silence on the other end brought Bill to full attention. He peered around to make sure no one showed any undue interest in him as the king answered.
    “He was recognized as a traitor to a crown, and a full divorce given her with the Earl stripped of everything, except his own titles as the royal family did not want him to know we’d learned of his activities. We have been watching him ever since. We’ve been able to prevent quite a few bombings and other terrorist activities as a result.”
    “Why is he still alive instead of hanging from a