Page 78 of Mercenary Princess

“Did you need something, Your Royal Highness?”

“Yes. I need to leave my room.” Her voice rose as she allowed her fury and indignation to show.

Antony seemed to find twisted amusement in her imprisonment, while the other guard had the decency to look uncomfortable. She strode until the nice guy stepped in front of her. “We cannot let you leave.”

She made as if to slide between the guards, squirming weakly and snapping at them not to touch her as she pushed and swatted at them. She made a sad show of defeat before going back through the door and slamming it shut for good measure.

She flipped the lock and rushed into the bathroom. Once inside, she kept going to the private room housing the commode and locked herself in. Then she tapped numbers on the phone she’d lifted from Antony’s pocket. She couldn’t be sure he wouldn’t feel it missing, so she’d put as much space as she could between her and the men preventing her escape. She only had a few numbers memorized, but that was all it would take.

Blood rushed through her ears as she listened to ringing on the other end of the line. Come on. Come on, she mentally chanted.

Then someone answered, “Who is this?”

She slumped in relief as she whispered, “It’s Sophia. I need you to call Edward Franklin of Franklin, Standen & Wiezen, the attorney from this morning. Tell him I gave my brother the documents and verbally informed him of my abdication, and now I’m being held by him in my room. There are guards outside, and I’m not allowed to leave.”

Forde’s voice turned glacial. “I’ll be right there.”

“No! William is the law in Porenza. Having you charge in here could create an international incident.” A part of her wanted to laugh, and part of her wanted to cry. How had this seemed even the slightest bit logical to her brother?

“I’m calling him now. Call me back in five minutes.” That tone didn’t ease her tension; it only added to it. Her friend was furious, and a furious Forde could be a potentially dangerous Forde.

She was doing everything she could not to have a meltdown, but it was close to happening. Her brother’s harsh actions dredged up old memories of her father and his death, a death she’d overheard her mother discussing with the head of security when she was no more than a child. Her father’s death had been sanctioned by her mother. It was one of her darkest secrets, one only her friends were aware of. The darkest part had been the reasons why her mother had it done. She bowed her head. Her father had been a monster.

Not to her, but she’d seen enough in her childhood to know he had been evil. If he hadn’t gone too far in abusing staff members until one of them had died, her mother would have continued to turn a blind eye.

Sophia swallowed back the bile. Her mother didn’t care about anything but her image or Porenza’s, and that had ranked higher than a life.

Sophia ran a shaking hand over her face. Was her brother a monster like their father had been? He’d locked her away easily enough.

She stayed in the tiny room, fighting back old demons. Forde had been right all along. She’d punished herself by staying with a horrible family, keeping her title to atone for the sins of her father. He’d been the type of man they had brought down with all of their work.

Sweat dotted her brow, and she heaved in breath after breath to gain some kind of calm as her fingers tightened around the phone. She sent a mental thank you to Lauren for all the lessons in lifting items. Irina’s assistant had given her the skills as a way to plant the bug on Jean Luc, but damned if it hadn’t helped her at that moment.

The minutes were ticking by far too slowly. She called Forde at the five-minute mark because she was worried she would need to calm him down. “What did he say?”

“He’s on his way. He headed straight for the airport. That means it’s going to take a couple of hours,” Forde growled into the line.

Probably closer to three.

“Good,” she intoned.

“I will be there in twenty minutes.”

“Forde, don’t. Please don’t. I’m fine. It’s only a few hours.” She kept her tone calmer than she felt.

The silence stretched for a moment. “You’re not fine, but you will be.” Forde’s tone eased to a calm she appreciated. Part of her wished she could call Viktor. She wasn’t sure where that thought had sprung from. Talking wasn’t something they could do, but having his sexy voice in her ear would relax her.

“Yes, I will be. I can handle a few hours. I’m just kicking myself for not having been more prepared.” Like having brought her attorney with her. She’d thought her mother and brother would yell, make threats, and punish her by taking away her money and the ability to travel. She’d planned for transportation, mistakenly thinking that would be her largest obstacle.

“Is Jen at the plane with you?”

“She just arrived.”

Good. At least her friend had gotten out.

“This is not your fault, Sophia.” Forde’s voice had turned hard.

“You have to promise me you will let the attorney deal with this.”

“They have until nightfall. You, Jen, and I will be wheels-up by nine.”

She smiled a little at that. He would indeed take on her brother if she didn’t get out.

“If Edward doesn’t get me out by nightfall, I’ll climb out myself. Harness be damned,” she half joked. She wasn’t any more inclined to stay in her prison longer either.

She would have sworn Forde growled at that option.

She’d done all she needed to do for now. She still held tight to the phone. It was her lifeline, at least until Antony realized it was gone.

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