Page 72 of Mercenary Princess

“I see.” It seemed Forde was taking a turn at reading her.

If Forde wanted to say more, he didn’t get the chance, because Jen rushed through the door.

“We have a problem.” The urgency in her guard’s tone set Sophia on high alert.

“What is it?” she and Forde asked in unison.

“Antony is rushing around the house. Your brother is apparently sending the plane for you.”

Sophia’s eyes shot to the phone at her side. It was the cell with the forwarded information from her private phone. GPS tracking forced her to leave her phone in her room. There’d been no calls, but a glance showed that a single text had just popped up.

“You are to return home immediately. The plane arrives in two hours.”

Her heart raced as she jumped from the chair. Her guards had known she was leaving before she had? Hell, the plane had left Porenza before she’d gotten the damned message. She would have liked to believe someone had died, but she wouldn’t have been railroaded if there had been an emergency at the palace.

If ever there was a last straw, this was the one.

“What the hell is happening?” Forde demanded.

“I don’t know. My brother texted me my summons.” Thinking about it only made her more livid by the second. Ordering her home hadn’t even warranted a phone call or an explanation for her early return? She was supposed to be in London for two more days!

Jesus, she wasn’t even a person to the family who shared her blood. She never had been; she’d known that.

She was already hitting the call button as she forced a breath out to calm her voice and mind. She had a part to play.

Her brother bit out, “Sophia?”

Playing dumb was her best option. “What’s happened? Is everything okay?”

“We will discuss it when you arrive.” Her brother’s icy tone crackled with suppressed fury. “You have proven you can’t be trusted on your own.”

The sudden silence of the disconnected call made her blood chill. Her hand shook as she dropped the phone on the table. Forde and Jen were staring at her as she finally forced out, “I have two hours, and I’m going to need help.”

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