JULIAN'S POV
My heart slammed against my chest continuously. I had no idea if I was being too loud or too quiet but right now, I was so frustrated and badly wanted to knock everything off.
My knees stayed on the cold floor of the study, my fingers hovering over the keypad of the safe tucked beneath the oak cabinetry. I had tried three combinations already, I used dates that meant something to Richard, or at least to the version of himself he projected to the world but each one resulted in a mocking red flash.
Think, damn it. I wiped a bead of sweat from my upper lip. Richard didn't value sentiment; he valued power. I started to reach for the keypad again, my mind racing through the dates of his biggest political acquisitions, when the phone in my pocket let out a sharp vibration.
I nearly jumped out of my skin. Scrambling to pull it out, I saw Catherine's name lighting up the screen. I didn't answer; I swiped to the message she'd just sent.
