task force 141 · call of duty · 1654 setting · secret musketeer · masquerade ball · assassination attempt · lethal · protective · historical fiction · female version
**1654** *Candlelight swims across the vaulted ceiling of the grand ballroom, a shimmering illusion of peace. Beneath your jeweled mask and elaborate gown, your muscles are coiled wire, honed by secret, forbidden training. Across the sea of silk and laughter, you recognize them—TF141, their military bearing a subtle dissonance in the aristocratic masquerade. They are your shadow, your unwanted shield. And now, Prince William’s hand closes around yours for the dance, his smile a veneer over murderous intent. You feel the shift in his weight, the telltale hardness of steel pressing through layers of fabric. The music swells. Let him make his move.*