by S. E. Rose
“Your Highness?” the flight attendant says, pulling me from my memory. I glance up and find her holding a tray with a cup of coffee. I nod and motion for her to set it down.
“We’ll be landing in thirty minutes,” our pilot’s voice permeates the silence of the cabin. The only other humans on the plane are Cain and Vince, my bodyguards and two of my closest confidants.
“Anything?” I turn to Cain, who’s been on his laptop this whole flight.
“Not yet, sir. I don’t have any footage of her recently. She may not have left her parents’ home,” he says as his fingers fly over the keyboard.
It’s been less than two weeks since I last held Mia in my arms, but that might as well be two years or two decades because each second has felt like a lifetime without her. I reach inside the satin lining of my suit jacket and feel the letter I tucked away. I was going to mail it. I wasn’t sure if she would want to see me. She hasn’t taken a single call or answered a single text from me in over a week. So, here I am, flying across the North Sea to England because I’ll be damned if I let the greatest thing that ever happened to me disappear from my life.
Only, I fucked up by letting her go in the first place. I just hope that I’m not too late.
Chapter Two
Christian
I’m not sure what I expected. Mia had told me about the small English village where she was raised by her parents, Marilyn and Max Edgewater. Marilyn is a retired pediatrician. Max still has a small practice as the town physician. She had one half-sister, Naomi, from her mother, who fell pregnant while in college, but never married Naomi’s father. Naomi lives in Scotland now and the two aren’t particularly close. Her mother had complications at her birth, and they were never able to have more children after Mia. She didn’t even have cousins. All her grandparents had died before she was born. It was essentially just Mia and her parents for most of her childhood. She was close to them, calling all the time. They had even come to visit a few times over the years.
I exit the limo and walk up to a small stone cottage. It sits near the end of the town center, which isn’t much more than a pub, post office, and bank. Tucked away behind some trees, it abuts fields with a few meandering horses and sheep. A hedge-lined road that’s nothing more than a glorified trail, leads to the humble home.
I raise the brass knocker and tap it against the wooden door. I can hear the sound reverberate throughout the inside of the dwelling. It is quiet. I knock again.
The door finally opens, and Marilyn stands there looking quite surprised to see me.
“Your Highness!” she exclaims, giving a small bow and opening the door farther. “Please come in.”
I nod and lean down to walk through the small doorframe. I tell Cain to stay by the car.
“What can I help you with?” she asks as she motions for me to take a seat in a cozy little sitting room. I sit on a sofa and look at her. “Can I get you something to drink?”
I shake my head. “No, I am here to see Mia.”
Her facial expression tells me that what I have said makes no sense to her.
“Mia is here, isn’t she?” I ask.
She slowly shakes her head. “No. She had popped in for a visit almost two weeks ago, but then she left. I thought she was going back to you.”
I frown. If Mia isn’t here and isn’t with me, then where the hell is she?
“Marilyn, did she say where she might be going?”
Now it’s Marilyn who frowns and shakes her head. “No. Now that I think about it, it was quite odd. She spent the night and then the next afternoon she went outside for a bit. A few minutes later, she popped her head in the kitchen and said she needed to be going but would try to come back for a visit soon. I just assumed that you needed her, and she would visit us the next chance she got.”
I frown again. “Do you have any idea where she might be? Have you spoken to her since then?”
Marilyn shakes her head. “No. I hadn’t a reason to. Should I be worried?”
She reaches for her phone, and I see her sending a text to Mia, I presume.
“I don’t think so. Mia was not happy that we had sent her away. Everyone was sent away for security purposes,” I explain, but even I don’t believe the words as they leave my mouth.
“Oh, OK. I just texted her to make sure.” She pauses as she checks her phone to see if there is a response. She looks back up at me. “Sorry, can’t help being worried. How is everything? I heard there was another attempt to assassinate the royal family.”
Nodding, I fist my hand and then unclench it. It’s one of the few things I do when I’m stressed. The last time I saw Mia, she was shoving clothes in her suitcase and muttering under her breath. Saying she was angry is an understatement.
“Fucking stupid asshole. Like I would do anything to hurt anyone here,” she mutters as she zips her suitcase closed with such force, I think it might break the zipper.
“It’s just for a few days,” I say. I walk over to her and take her face in my hands. “I promise. Just a few days. Let everything calm down here and I will send for you.”
Her eyes glisten. “Fine,” she grumbles in a soft voice as her shoulders slump. It is unlike my girl to not put up a fight. She is a spitfire, always has been. “I’ll go see my parents, but so help me, if this lasts longer than a week.”
I smile at her and kiss her gently before adding, “It won’t. And if it does, I’ll come to you.”
She gives me a small smile at that last statement, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. She is upset, and rightfully so.
“Things are…fine,” I state as I realize Marilyn is waiting on my response.
“Oh, good. I’m glad to hear that.” She looks down at her phone again and now I feel bad. I’ve worried her.
“Marilyn, the palace has your number. All our employees’ phones are…tracked. I will make sure they ping Mia’s and I’ll let you know when I hear from her if she doesn’t reply to you first,” I say, trying desperately to think of something that will ease her fears. It’s a white lie, but not a complete lie. Mia does have a phone that is tracked. That phone was also left on her nightstand. She’s essentially gone zero dark thirty on me. But that won’t be for long because I’m going to find her.
“Please do. I know she’s a grown woman and all, and, well, you know, she has a mind of her own. I’m sure she’s fine and just upset as you alluded to. Parents never stop worrying,” she explains with a tight smile.
She reaches over and grasps my hand in hers, squeezing it. It’s such a maternal thing to do, and it feels odd to me. I’ve almost forgotten what a mother’s touch feels like. I pat her hand with my other and stand to leave.
“I should get going. There’s so much to do back home,” I state because again, it’s not a lie.
“I’m sure there is. Do you have to collect any other employees or is Mia the last one?” she asks.
It takes a moment to realize that she thinks I’m going around to bring back each employee that we sent away.
I swallow. “Oh, there are a few others, but Mia’s the only one that works directly with me. I had to be in London this week, so I thought I’d stop by in person.” It’s a lie. This one isn’t even a white lie, yet Marilyn just nods and walks me to the door.
I turn and hand her a card. It’s my personal card, the one I rarely give out. “This line will get you through to me right away. Feel free to use it if you have any concerns about Mia, now, or ever. She’s an important part of our royal family.”
Marilyn’s smile is real this time. “She does love her job. She tells me that all the time.”
My returned smile is also real. “I’m glad she does. She’s made my life better, that’s for sure.” I open the door and turn back to her. “Take care, Marilyn.”
“You too, Your Highness,” she replies as I shut the door behind me.
Cain is leaning against the car door when I approach. He looks at me with curiosity. “Is Mia not coming back with us?”
I run a hand through my hair. “No. Because Mia isn’t here.”
Cain, who seldom ever shows what he’s thinking, looks at me with raised eyebrows. “She isn’t here?”
I shake my head and he opens the car door for me. Once he’s seated next to Vince, who’s driving, he turns back to look at me. “Are we worried?”
I take a deep breath. “We are…concerned. I’m calling Pete.” I pull out my phone and dial the head of royal security. I’m sure he has more pressing matters to attend to, but that’s all about to change. Until I find Mia, safe and sound, his entire world is going to be about locating her. And so, help her, if she’s hiding from me on purpose.
“Pete?” I say as he answers.
“Yes, Cub,” he replies, using my codename.
“She’s not here. I need you to locate her,” I state as I stare out at a nearby field filled with mustard flowers making it look like a yellow carpet. I wish I could see Mia running across it instead of a sheep.
“What do you mean, she’s not there?”
“I mean, I am here, and she is not. Find her,” I reply as I hang up. The next number is dialed on autopilot.
“Wow, I thought for sure you’d be having wild makeup sex,” my sister, Anna’s voice rings out on the other end of the line. I’m slightly shocked by her statement, although nothing my sister says should shock me any longer. This is the first time she’s verbally acknowledged that Mia and I have a relationship.
“Subtle. And she’s not here.”
There’s silence on the other line. Surely my little sister has a comeback for that.
“Hold on, I’m checking a few things,” she finally answers, her voice serious. Now I can hear the clickity-clack of her keyboard. Of course, she’s at her computer, my little princess sister, the world-renown hacker extraordinaire.
“It’s odd. Her phone is—”
“Still at the palace,” I finish.
She’s quiet again.
“What are you doing?” I ask because I have zero patience left.
“I’m using some facial recognition software on airport video surveillance over the past two weeks,” she explains. I wait as I hear more movement of her fingers on her keyboard.
“Her parents don’t know where she may have gone?” Anna asks as she continues typing.
“No. Her mother thought she was with me,” I say dryly.
“Did you sense she was concerned?”
I narrow my eyes before realizing that Anna can’t see my face. “Of course, she’s fucking concerned, that’s her only child. I told her I’d locate her, and she might just be hiding because she’s mad at me. Hopefully, I sounded genuine.”
Anna clears her throat.
“What?”
“I mean…she was sort of pissed off when she left here,” Anna states.
“I know her, and she wouldn’t just up and leave her parents’ home like that. It doesn’t add up.”
“OK, no matches at Heathrow or Gatwick. Let me keep trying some of the smaller airports and maybe train stations,” she says. “I’ll call Jack.”
“I already talked with Pete.”
“Good. And, Lion,” she says, using my childhood nickname, “be careful. Don’t do anything stupid.”
I sigh. “That’s rich coming from you.”
“Do as I say and not as I do,” she retorts and hangs up on me. I groan. I love her, but she’s not helping me feel better about this situation.
I look out the window again. Where the fuck are you, Mia?
Chapter Three
Christian
If it was up to me, the entire branch of our military and national security would be looking for Mia, but, of course, it’s not. Sitting at my desk, I stand and begin pacing my office. I’ve been here since I landed last night, waiting to hear updates. There are so many questions. Why did she leave her work phone here? Why did she leave her parents’ house? Where’s her personal phone? Does she not have it? Is that why she hasn’t responded to my calls and texts? A knock at my door pulls me away from my thoughts.
“Enter,” I state. Part of me hopes to see Mia as the door opens, but instead, my sister stands there. She takes one look at me and rolls her eyes.
“Wow, don’t look so…disappointed.”
I motion for her to enter but she’s already barging inside. Typical Anna.
“So?”
She slaps a photograph on my desk.
“That’s very nineteen nineties of you,” I state as I glance down to look at the printed-out picture.
She shrugs. “I…never mind. Just look.”
I lean over my desk and stare at it. It’s a terminal for a ferry. I can make out a boat in the background. There are a half dozen or more people in the photograph. All walking with purpose to their destination, but then I see it. Out of the corner of the photograph, a bench with a woman sitting on it. She’s glancing up at the camera as someone stands in front of her. I can’t make out the person in front of her except to guess it’s a man. I can’t even tell if he’s talking to her or just happens to be standing in front of her. The woman though is most definitely Mia.
“When?” I ask.
“This was taken two days after she left her parents’ house.
“Something doesn’t add up,” Anna declares as she slumps into a chair across from me and curls her legs under her.
“Meaning?”
My sister is more than just a princess. She’s a world-famous hacker who now handles high-level espionage issues for our country. But I know damn well that she also still operates under one of her fake online aliases. It’s what she lives for and far be it from me to deny her what makes her happy. Our brother, Auggie, might disagree with me about it, but as long as Anna is being safe, then I’m alright with her forays into the dark web, well, to a certain extent.
Anna sighs as though reading my mind. “Don’t freak out. I’m being careful. I just stumbled upon something, and it puzzled me.”
“And what did you stumble upon?”
She glances down at her hands in her lap.
“Anna?”
Her eyes slowly move up until her gaze meets mine. Shit. Whatever it is, it’s not good.
“Who did the background check on Mia?”
“What do you mean?” I snarl, losing patience by the millisecond.
Anna sighs. “I’m not sure yet. But there’s more to Mia’s past than I was aware. That I am certain.”
I pound a fist on my desk and stare down at my little sister. She doesn’t even flinch. “Stop talking in riddles.”
She leans forward, her eyes darkening. “Where is Mia from?”
“England.”
“Wrong. Try again.”
I frown. “She said she was from England.”
“She was born there. That is true. But what about her family?”
I shrug. “I assume her parents are British as well.”
She shakes her head. “Nope. I don’t think they are.”
I huff and lean back in my chair. “So? What if they aren’t originally from England. Why does that matter?”
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out. I found a document and it shows Max Edgewater as Maximus Eldegard.”
I frown once again. “Why would he change his name?”
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out. It may not be important, but I’m not leaving any stone unturned. It pisses me off that something like that was missed by our security and intelligence.”
“I could just call them.”
“Who?”
“Her parents.”
Anna shakes her head. “No. Not yet.”
“What about Mia? This doesn’t give us much to go on.”
This time Anna smirks. “I’m on it. It’s gonna take a little time, but we’ll find her. Finding people who don’t want to be found is my specialty.”
And with a flourish of her hand, she curtsies with a wink and leaves. I’m not sure if I want to slap her or hug her, but I know she’s right
. She will find Mia.
I’m about to head back to my apartment when my phone buzzes. It’s Pete.
“Yes?”
“Can you come up to Mia’s room, Your Highness?” he asks, but the tone of his voice and the fact that he didn’t use my given name or codename says he’s not asking.
“On my way.”
I stick my phone in my pocket but not before looking at it in case Mia has called. There are a dozen missed texts but none from her.
I step into the hallway and nearly slam into my brother.
“Shit, watch it,” Auggie scoffs.
“What are you even doing here?” I ask with a raised eyebrow.
“I live here.” He rolls his eyes. My siblings spend entirely too much time rolling their eyes.
“I mean, shouldn’t you be with Kate?” I ask, referring to his girlfriend who also happens to be the daughter of the U.S. president. They haven’t officially announced their relationship yet, although the rumors are running rampant. There is a constant deluge of magazines with covers talking about how the straightlaced first daughter has tamed the playboy prince. It’s me who should be rolling his eyes.
“She’s busy with some charity thing. I was just going to see if you wanted to grab a coffee.”
“Can’t. Pete needs me for something,” I state as I start down the hallway that goes to the staff quarters.
“All work and no play…” Auggie calls out as I disappear around a corner. I extend my hand and flick him off before pulling it back toward me. I hear his laugh and I sigh as I climb the steps to the third floor. I managed to strategically pick Mia’s room. While it’s in the old staff quarters, it also has access to one of only two secret passages that I’m aware of in this part of the palace. And conveniently, the tunnel from her closet leads to a main tunnel that is accessible from the hallway outside my apartment in the east wing.
I push open Mia’s door and find Pete standing in front of the closet.
“What’s going on?” I inquire as I glance inside the closet. It looks like it’s been ransacked.