LITMIR.BIZ

      Contents

      Prologue

      Chapter One

      Chapter Two

      Chapter Three

      Chapter Four

      Chapter Five

      Chapter Six

      Chapter Seven

      Chapter Eight

      Chapter Nine

      Chapter Ten

      Chapter Eleven

      Epilogue

      Prologue

      Fifty-mile-an-hour winds and driving rain had shut down the Penwyck Airport. All flights in or out had been cancelled because of the fierce storm. In the tower the air traffic controller tried desperately to contact the troubled jet that had taken off just before the closure. Perspiration beaded over his body as he frantically searched the screen for the signal.

      Nothing.

      “Royal Bird Two, repeat your location. Over.” He spoke clearly into the microphone, then released the button praying for a miracle that the plane would reappear in his quadrant. Again he asked for verification. “Royal Bird Two repeat your location. Over.” But outside of heavy static, there was only silence.

      He swallowed back the dryness in his throat and repeated the request again, then again. There was no response from the royal family’s jet.

      He buzzed for help and his supervisor appeared immediately at his station. “Royal Bird Two has disappeared from our radar,” he explained, trying to keep the trembling from his voice.

      “What do you mean disappeared?” the supervisor asked, unable to hide his panic. “How can that be?”

      “I’m not sure. The plane could have dropped in altitude…” They all knew the worst, but no one would speak of it. Tensions ran high in this type of job, but to lose the royal family’s plane…“The last transmission from the jet was a request to change their flight pattern, hoping to get out of the weather. I cleared them, then suddenly they were gone.”

      The supervisor immediately picked up the phone and called the palace. After receiving his orders, he took the controller’s seat and he tried to make contact himself. But he couldn’t summon the missing jet either.

      Not ten minutes later the tower door swung open and three men rushed in. Their black suits were meant to make them blend in with the crowd, but just by their stature and presence alone, they stood out. They wore badges that proclaimed them members of the Royal Elite Team. One of the men, Jack Harrison, approached the control module and everyone stepped back. His expression was deadly serious as he glared at the supervisor.

      “We have a Priority One situation here. So we will go over everything, step by step,” he ordered, then pointed out the window at the raging storm. “Princess Anastasia is out there somewhere and we have to find her.”

      Chapter One

      The Lear jet vibrated from turbulence as Anastasia Penwyck’s grip tightened on the armrest of her seat. Under normal circumstances, she didn’t mind flying, but this roller-coaster ride was not to her liking. Not at all.

      Maybe it had been foolish of her to go off to London in such weather, but with all the madness going on at the palace recently, Ana had put her own projects aside too long. The needs of the children who had come to depend on her were important. Now that Owen had been safely returned home, she couldn’t delay what she had to do. Even if it meant she had to be up at the ungodly hour of 5:00 a.m.

      It had taken some doing to convince her mother of the urgency of the trip. As a member of the royal family, Ana’s safety was always a concern. Her father, King Morgan of Penwyck, had taught her to be aware and alert. These days he had a new battle of his own to fight. For his life. Even though he was receiving the best medical care, she hated leaving him when he was still in a coma. Ana also knew the king wouldn’t want his daughter to neglect her duties.

      The orphanage Marlestone House was one of Ana’s latest campaigns, and she would do anything to help these abandoned children. One of her favorite things was teaching them to ride. She’d already moved several of the palace’s gentlest horses to the home and had been giving instructions. Best of all, the media knew nothing of this. Dressed in jeans and a baseball cap, she was known to the children only as “Annie.”

      But a six-year-old named Catherine couldn’t ride. Two years before, the girl’s leg had been badly mangled in an accident and never healed correctly. Ana’s search for someone to help led her to London’s top orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Thor Havenfield. A busy man, he’d informed Ana that he could meet with her before rounds at the hospital.

      The plane shook again and Ana drew in a breath. Why was she so nervous? The pilot was experienced and they weren’t far from the mainland. She looked out the window, searching for the Welsh coastline, but visibility was nil. Maybe she should have waited for the weather to clear.

      More turbulence! When it settled down for a moment Ana heard the pilot talking with the tower, then she felt the plane change course, but not soon enough. Lightning flashed, followed by a horrendous thunderclap. The jet shook violently this time.

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