Page 39 of A Valiant Prince

She grins. “I’m a princess,” she says.

“Your Highness,” he growls, clearly not having the patience to be toyed with even by a member of a royal family.

She sighs. “I hacked the phone system at Interpol,” she says.

“You what?” he exclaims.

“Listen, I don’t have time to explain. I’m calling from my secured server which is working remotely, and I only trust it to stay secured on such a call for a short period of time. So, can you meet with me?” she asks.

“You’re in the States?” he asks, but in a way that tells me he already knew that.

“Yes,” she answers.

“Tomorrow,” he states. Not a question, just a statement.

“Fine, what time?” she asks.

“I’ll come to you,” he says. “I’ll be in touch.” And then he hangs up as she looks over at me.

“Well, this ought to be interesting,” she muses as she closes down her laptop.

“Very,” I agree.

“Let’s go visit your grandparents,” she suggests.

“Now?” I ask.

“Why not? I mean, they are retired, and it’s not like they are going to be busy,” she says. “Plus, we promised them we’d come back over this week.”

“We did,” I recall.

“Good, it’s settled then,” she says. And just like that we get ready and head back to my grandparents’ home.

Chapter Twelve

“I’m so glad you came over,” Nana says as she busies herself in the kitchen preparing a feast fit for a holiday.

“Nana, you really don’t have to go through all this trouble,” Anna says. “At least let me help.”

Nana shakes her head. “Oh, thank you, my darling, but I love cooking. It relaxes me. Plus, we so seldom get a house full of young people. It’s my pleasure to cook for you all,” she says as she chops vegetables on a cutting board.

“What can we do to help?” I ask her.

“Yeah, put us to work, Vera,” Hendrick says as he walks into the room with a mouth full of food from the appetizers Nana set out on the living room coffee table.

I half grin at the fact they are still there, remembering the days when we had Muffin, a mutt who we adopted and who would eat everything off any surface she could reach.

“Pish posh, you go relax, young man,” Nana scolds as she sweeps the chopped vegetables into a bubbling soup on the stove.

With a sigh, I start toward the living room. “You could go through more boxes up in your mother’s room?” she suggests gingerly. Nana has been gently hounding me forever to clean out that closet. She refuses to do it herself, hiding behind the fact that my mother’s belongings are technically mine, but in truth, I think it’s more because she doesn’t want to be reminded of the loss. Nana was always strong, even after my mother died, but I know Mom’s death took away a piece of her that she’ll never get back; it took away a piece of me too.

I walk up the stairs, and Anna follows me. My mother’s room hasn’t changed much. It still sports a light green mint color and the dark wood furniture of her youth. There’re a few family photos sitting out on the dresser. Mom always kept it tidy.

“This was your mother’s room?” Anna asks as she runs her hand over the dresser.

I nod.

“Which room is yours?” she inquires as she hovers by the door. I point to the door across the hall. She turns and opens it. I hear her giggle.

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