Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
ANDI
My flight from Heathrow to Seattle arrives on time. I’ve flown across the Atlantic enough times that I have a ritual to combat jet lag. Coming west, I watch three movies, eat all of the meals, and drink a lot of Coke Zero so I can power through until evening in the new time zone. By the time I leave the aircraft, I’m exhausted and wired.
With Celeste intent on returning to Freiberg, I decided to go home—my other home in the United States. My family has been traveling to Rotheberg every fall since I can remember. My father owns Feltz Ornaments, and our huge stall is a fixture of the Rotheberg Christmas Market every year from American Thanksgiving until Christmas. Last year, my brother Teo convinced him to open a brick and mortar store in the town, which does quite well, and my parents bought a new house in nearby Copper Butte Ranch.
Despite our royal connection, my parents raised us as pretty normal kids. My mother stepped out of the limelight when she married my father. She’s still number five in the succession, but no one expects her to ascend. Even if Eduard—the current Hereditary Grand Duke—never marries, our cousin Victoriana is engaged, and her younger brother comes between Mutti and Tori. And let’s face it, Aunt Karolina, the Grand Duchess, will ensure Eduard marries well. She has no interest in seeing a Feltz kid on the throne.
It took a couple of weeks to find an affordable flight—and I couldn’t swing the extra leg to Redmond, the tiny airport nearest Rotheberg. Since the apartment in London was already paid up, leaving early would have been a waste. I convinced Celeste to stay with me until I got on the plane.
I finish with customs and drag my little suitcase toward the doors. For this trip, I insisted Celeste and I travel “carry-on only.” Thankfully, I have additional clothing stored at my parents’ house. We’ve only been traveling since June, but I’m ready to wear something other than my trusty merino wool T-shirts and easy-wash shorts.
I push through the doors and pause to see who is waiting for me. A tiny part of me hopes they didn’t send anyone. I could take the train to Portland, then a bus the rest of the way. I can’t rent a car—US rental agencies won’t give one to someone my age. I only know that because my friend Hans told a hilarious story about trying to make this particular trip on his own. Although now that I think about it, that excursion included a malfunctioning toilet on a packed bus, so maybe I don’t want to attempt the trip myself.
Traveling solo makes me think of Reece. I spent less than an hour with the man, but random thoughts constantly bring him to mind. Regret that we didn’t exchange phone numbers or social media links washes over me, then I almost laugh aloud, trying to imagine that big grump posting on TikTok.
“Andi!” Hans swoops forward and throws his arms around me. He gives the best hugs—full-bodied and cozy without being painful or awkward. His genuine pleasure at seeing me warms my soul. Plus, his cologne reminds me of lemonade and the beach.
“Hans.” I squeeze him back and disengage. “Why are you here?”
Hans clasps a hand to his heart and staggers back a couple of steps. “You wound me!”
“Have you been taking drama classes again?” I roll my suitcase toward the exit.
He grabs the handle and pulls it from my hand. “School doesn’t start until the end of next month. And to answer your question, I’m here so Teo doesn’t have to pay for parking. Text him we’re ready, okay?” He pulls his phone from his pocket, makes a face at it, then hands it to me.
Hans really is too trusting. I fall back a half-step as I type into the phone, then take a series of selfies with ridiculous faces before closing the camera app. The phone pings with Teo’s response. I send back a line of hearts. “He’s on his way.”
Hans takes the device and slips it back into his pocket without looking. “It’ll take him a few minutes to get from the waiting area, but it’s a fair walk from here to the pickup point. This way.”
We stroll through baggage claim and out the double doors. Despite Seattle’s reputation for rain, temperatures can soar during August. After the cool of the air-conditioned terminal, the heat hits like a blanket. Hans guides me to the curb, and we loiter, waiting for my brother.
The sidewalk is crowded, but a small eddy has formed, as if someone is directing pedestrian traffic around us. I turn and catch sight of a large man in a black suit facing away from me. Looking the other way, I spot his twin. Grabbing Hans’s arm, I tilt my head at the guy closest to him. “Are they with us?”
Hans smirks. “Crazy, isn’t it? I feel like the president. Or a celebrity. I mean, more of a celebrity than I am.” He preens ridiculously, his straight, dark hair swinging around his cheek bones. Despite his German name, his mom’s Japanese heritage dominates his appearance. He’s also the leader of his father’s polka band, and at twenty-three he’s at least two decades younger than anyone else in the group. He’s a pseudo-celebrity in Rotheberg, but so is the high school quarterback. “Of course, they aren’t here for me. Apparently, you aren’t supposed to be alone in the big city.”
“Celeste must have thrown me under the bus after all,” I mutter. At his raised brows, I go on. “I had only her in London, so why I need two for an airport pickup?—”
“Three.”
“Where?”
“He’s driving. Sitting in the cell lot with Teo.” Hans’s grin widens. “They wanted to extract you themselves, but Teo and I convinced them we could do the job. They’re only with us until we get past Salem.”
Before I can respond, my brother’s shiny, dark green SUV pulls to the curb and the passenger window rolls down. Teo leans across the front seat. “Hop in, Sis. The local cops are ruthless about drivers stopping very long.” The periodic announcement I’d automatically tuned out takes that moment to remind us that the white zone is for loading and unloading only.
Hans pulls the rear door open and tosses the case through. “You take the front seat. I rode shotgun on the way up.” He climbs in and slams the door.
I bite back a smile as the security guy on my right darts a look at me. He makes an aborted attempt to reach for the front door handle but turns away as a uniformed SeaTac officer approaches. I pull the door open and climb in. As I raise the window, the security guy pivots away from the rent-a-cop to pat my car door. Teo eases the car away from the curb.
“I guess that means we’re cleared to leave.” I twist around in my seat to watch out the back window as the suited guys jump into the SUV behind us. “What’s up with that?”
Teo shakes his head and puts his left blinker on to slide into the stop-and-go traffic. “The Grand Duchess insisted. She says you’re an easy target. I think making a production of your arrival makes you a target. No one had a clue who you were. But she didn’t consult with me.”
“Hans says they’re leaving us in Salem?” I glance over my shoulder. The black vehicle trails us through the heavy traffic.
Hans leans forward, putting his forearms on the backs of our seats. “I’ll bet you could lose ’em if you tried!”
“I’m not going to try.” Teo takes the freeway entrance ramp and stops at the metering light. When it turns green, he hits the accelerator. “Although they might have trouble catching—nope, he ran the red.” His eyes flick from the rear-view mirror to the front.
“Where’s a cop when you need one?”
“We aren’t trying to ditch a tail, Hans. They aren’t hurting us, and they’re just doing their jobs.” I frown over my shoulder. “And you should have your seatbelt on.”
With a sigh, Hans slides back into his seat and pulls the strap over his shoulder. “Yes, Mother. When did you get so boring, Andi?”
I copy his sigh. “I’m just trying to be respectful. I don’t want them to lose their jobs because I’m being careless.”
Teo does a melodramatic double take. “Who are you, and what have you done with my little sister?”
I smack his arm. “Just because I like to have fun doesn’t mean I’m completely irresponsible. Besides, Celeste helped me to realize that my actions have unintended consequences.”
He smiles. “Good job, Celeste. I’ve been trying to teach you that for years.”
I roll my eyes. Teo is a good big brother, but he thinks his two years’ seniority give him authority over me. Although, to be fair, he is one step closer to the throne, so legally he might have some degree of influence. But we aren’t in Freiberg anymore, and in America, I can do what I want.
Right now, what I want is to take a nap, but that’s a bad idea. “Can we stop for a Coke Zero?”
The boys laugh. Hans tosses a five-dollar bill into my brother’s lap. “You called it. Less than ten minutes.” He hands me a cold can of soda. “We prepared for your addiction.”
“It’s not an addiction. I can stop any time I want.” I pop the can open. “I just?—”
“—don’t want!” the three of us say together.
* * *
The drive to Rotheberg takes about six hours. As planned, the SUV follows us through Portland to the state capitol, then flashes its headlights as we exit the freeway south of Salem. A text pops up on the car’s screen thanking us for our business with a link to an invoice. Before Teo can stop me, I send back a series of hearts and flowers.
“Andi!” Teo thumps his hands against the steering wheel, then turns onto highway 24 toward Rotheberg and Bend. “That’s coming from my phone number.”
I smile innocently. “Aren’t you the sweetest boy?” I pat his leg. “Can we stop for food now? I’m starving.”
“Why didn’t you say so?” His eyes dart to the mirror. “Oops, Hans is asleep. We’ve got sandwiches back there if you can reach.”
“No problem.” I squirm around in my seat and poke Hans in the stomach. “Wake up, sandwich boy! We’re hungry up here.”
“Andi, you suck.” Hans yawns and takes his time wiping his eyes and stretching.
“You weren’t really asleep.”
“I was dozing. That’s just as important as sleep!” He grumbles under his breath as he opens a cooler on the floor behind Teo’s seat. “We’ve got roast beef, chicken salad, and turkey. What do you want?”
“Did your mom make them? I love Mama Ingolf’s chicken salad.” I make grabby hands at him.
“ I made it.” He holds out a paper-wrapped square.
I pout. “Did you put in the grapes?”
“Of course. And the curry powder.”
I grab the food. “Is that what makes it so tasty?”
“And yellow.” Hans passes another sandwich to me. “That’s for our driver. I get the turkey.”
“Beef is fine with me.” Teo puts out a hand.
I unwrap his sandwich partway and place it in his hand. He takes a bite without removing his eyes from the road, then chokes. The car swerves a little and he yanks it back into the lane. Fortunately, we’re far enough from the city that traffic is almost nonexistent.
“What the heck, Feltz!” Hans struggles upright and picks chips from his shirt. “Good thing I didn’t open the soda yet.”
I smack Teo’s back as he continues to cough. “Gimme some water, Hans.”
He passes a bottle forward, and I trade it for Teo’s sandwich.
When he finally stops coughing, Teo drinks, then puts the water bottle in the cup holder and wipes his eyes. “There was enough horseradish on that sandwich to kill a… horse. You gotta warn a guy.”
Hans grimaces. “Sorry. I made that for myself. I knew Andi would go for the chicken…”
“Then why didn’t you give me the turkey?”
Hans shrugs with faux innocence.
Reaching over the seat, I drop the roast beef sandwich in his lap. “Your pranks are hilarious except when they almost get us killed.” I yank the turkey from his hand.
Hans blushes. “Sorry.”
“We survived. I forgive you. Don’t do it again.” I peel off the top slice of bread and check for unexpected condiments. “Tomato, mayo, lettuce, and Havarti. Unless he hid something in the mayo…” I fold the paper around the bottom of the sandwich and give it to my brother.
Teo raises it in salute. “Let us eat and die together!”
“Wow, that’s not morbid.” Hans chucks a bag of potato chips over my shoulder and into my lap. “I think he misses Eva. I’m glad you’re home, Andi.”
I raise my third can of Coke Zero. “Me, too.”