Page 56 of A Valiant Prince

“What?!” she exclaims.

“It turns out my mother wasn’t a journalist, but a spy,” I say because I don’t know how else to say it.

“Holy. Shit,” she says enunciating each word.

“Yeah, holy shit,” I repeat.

“But…I don’t understand. Why was she killed?” she asks the million-dollar question.

“She was using her journalism background as a cover while she investigated anti-monarchists. Apparently, she had traced some of their funds to offshore accounts in the Caribbean. That’s why she moved us there. They had her killed when she figured out too much,” I explain as best as I can.

Anna’s frown only deepens. “I don’t understand. That was years ago. Why wouldn’t they have told you the truth?” she asks me.

I take a deep breath before I answer her because the answer will change everything.

“Because the investigation is still open,” I say as I exhale.

Her eyes widen. “But the anti-monarchists…” She trails off as the realization dawns on her. She bites her lip as she does when she’s deep in thought. “They are behind all of this,” she states.

I nod. “Yes, I think so,” I say.

Chapter Nineteen

Jack walks in and takes one look at us before hurrying over to the computer. “What did you find?” he asks.

“Sebastian Bach,” she says. Jack’s already reading the emails on the screen.

“Damn…he’s clever. We investigated him but we didn’t find these emails,” Jack says.

“I don’t know if they are his. They were heavily encrypted. These emails have never been accessed from any device he owns,” Anna explains. “I only came across it because I stumbled upon a burner account that M was using a while back. I wasn’t sure he still used it, but I checked and…well, he’s still using it, or he was up until the palace bombing.”

“If M is behind that, then he’s probably gone dark,” Jack says.

“True,” Anna agrees.

“What does Sebastian have to gain from any of this?” I ask. “I mean, I get the economic incentive, but the risk seems too high for someone with his public profile.”

Jack laughs. “You’d be surprised what people in powerful positions are willing to do to stay powerful,” Jack declares. I contemplate his statement. I know he’s right, but something doesn’t sit well with me. I feel like Sebastian is just one part of the puzzle.

“It’s very late. I should get you both back to the house,” Jack says. Anna nods.

“Yes, I should get some sleep. But tomorrow night, I need to research more,” she says.

“I’ll arrange it, once you get back from your day trip. It doesn’t appear our breadcrumbs have been found yet, so your plan for tomorrow is still cleared,” Jack says.

“Thanks,” she says as we follow him out to a car, and he drives us back to the house. We barely pull on night clothes before we pass out from exhaustion.

The next thing I know, I hear Auggie’s voice.

“Come on, lazy asses. We need to get going,” he says from the hallway. I groan and put my face into the pillow.

“Fuck off, Augs,” Anna grumbles beside me, making me smile against the pillow. I turn to face her. Even in the morning, with her hair disheveled and no makeup, she’s gorgeous.

“What’s so funny?” she asks on a yawn.

“You two,” I state.

She rolls her eyes. “Trust me, having two older brothers is not funny,” she says as she pulls herself out of bed. I wonder why they haven’t given me the third degree about being with Anna. I cringe for that future conversation.

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