Page 76 of Stolen Princess

I nod. “Tonight. We’ll talk more tonight.” I give her another kiss and climb off her, throwing on my nasty clothes from last night. “Lock and bolt the door behind me. And keep the gun out with the safety off.”

Worry creases her features, but I’m not taking chances.

“We’re fine. It’s a precaution.”

“Okay.”

With that, I close the door behind me and walk across the hall to my room, Lars’s phone in my hand. I unlock it with the new passcode since I can’t use facial recognition with it. There are texts waiting, but I do a quick search and find that an unidentified body was discovered in an alleyway. No suspects have been apprehended, except my princess was seen eating beside him last night, and he followed her when she left.

It won’t take long until they find her here.

Then there are the texts.

I scroll up to the top of his exchange with A, but it’s not that far. It has an abrupt beginning, almost as if he deleted texts that came in prior, which is so fucking frustrating. Yet, it’s also obvious that they know each other, more than her simply having his phone number. It almost proves that I was right that this is how my safe was broken into so easily.

They’ve likely been working together for a long time.

A: The ten thousand euros were transferred. Bring the girl to me at 8 Nuage Crest in Zermont, and you get the other ten. Another ten when you give me proof Marie and Rhys are dead.

Jesus. That’s something. I move on to his texts with Sven.

Sven: Where are you with the girl?

Sven: Check in.

Sven: Where the fuck are you? Your location says you’re at her hotel.

Shit. I should have known they’d track each other.

Me: I’m with the girl. She took me back to her hotel room.

Sven replies instantly.

Sven: No shit. Really?

Me: Really. I had my fun, and now I’m bringing her to the woman for the second part of the payment. She’s not taking it well. I may have to drug her. Where are you on the sister?

Sven: Working on it. This woman doesn’t want to be found. I say we kill the girl and her mother, like you mentioned yesterday. I agree that’s the smartest play.

Me: I say we threaten the girl and get whatever money the mother has then we kill them both.

Sven: That works too. You good to take care of that?

Me: I’m good. You find the tiara.

Sven: And Rhys. I’ll find his ass and kill him.

Me: No loose ends.

Sven: No loose ends. Text after you ransom the girl.

Me: Later.

I wipe my hand across my mouth. Jesus fucking Christ. What a goddamn mess. One thing is certain. I’m glad I killed Lars. And if I could kill him all over again, I would.

I text the princess’s mother. The meeting point is farther north than we are now by a decent amount. It’s far beyond the forest or the cottage. It’s almost near the Italian, Swiss, and Messalinian borders. I wonder why she wants to meet there. Is there where she lives? Desta said she didn’t know the details of her mother’s life. Yet I can’t imagine she’d give them an address that could be tied to her beyond a swapping point.

Me: I have the girl. I’ll be at the meeting point in six hours.