AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Princess?
Andi takes it all in stride, grabbing me and Lina to pose in front of the band as they finish their song. The crowd is so focused on us, they barely applaud the performance. Bewildered members of Tripl3Threat stare up at our seats, whispering to each other. Andi blows a kiss at them, and cameras snap. The crowd cheers, and she takes a bow.
Security from the venue crowd in behind the three photographers—it only feels like dozens because the balcony is so small. They help Celeste push the invaders against the wall and escort the four of us out of the box.
Chapter Twenty-Four
TEO
As we cross town in a taxi, Hans hands me his phone. “That’s not good.”
I look at the screen—it’s a video of Lina and Andela from the side. My sister’s hair is a million shades of green in an elaborate braided style. It’s stunning, but the Grand Duchess is going to flip. Andela and Lina wave what look like glowing red and white gelato cones. They’re leaning over a stone barrier, staring at a lighted stage. The volume is off, but I’m guessing that’s a K-pop band in the background, although it’s not one I recognize.
What? I enjoy K-pop, too. “Whose account is this?”
Hans jams a finger on the screen, and the video switches to an account page: Eva’s. And she has thousands of followers. “What are the odds of anyone in Vienna seeing this?”
“It’s a reel.” Hans shrugs. “I think they push those out to random people, not just your followers. You should know this stuff—aren’t you a social media guy?”
I run the company’s social media accounts, but they are only a small fraction of my daily duties. “Maybe I should hire you.”
“You couldn’t afford me.” Hans takes his phone back with a wry grin. “I’ll have you know I am big stuff in oompah band circles. I have tens of followers. What are you worried about? Andi posts stuff like that all the time.”
“Yeah, but she’s usually smart enough to schedule the posts after the event. We aren’t supposed to put our current location on the web.”
Hans shows me another account. It’s a selfie of the three girls in front of the same band. Both girls are tagged, as is the location. My aunt is not going to be happy about this. The good news is the palace can’t blame Eva for the security breach. Or at least they can’t blame only Eva.
If she deletes the video, will they know she posted it? I pull out my own phone to text her and find a picture of Andi’s security officer, with a question about her devotion to K-pop.
A wash of relief floods over me—Andela took security. But is this a joke? How could Eva not know Celeste is working? Surely Andi told Eva and Lina what Celeste’s function is. Although, now that I think about it, maybe she didn’t. She obviously didn’t tell them not to post real-time photos.
“Oops.”
I close my eyes for a second and sigh. “Oops, what, Hans?”
“This might have blown up.” He holds out the phone again. This time it’s a typical paparazzi video. The focus starts on the stage, showing Tripl3Threat staring at the camera, then zooms back to show Andela posing between a shell-shocked Lina and Eva.
I grab the phone and look at the caption: “Daiquiri Dela is back!” Dropping the device in his lap, I groan. “Mannomann, wir sind sowas von erledigt!” Andela is in deep trouble.
The taxi stops, the road blocked by flashing lights. The driver looks over his shoulder at us. “You’ll have to get out here. I can’t get any closer.”
With a stifled sigh, I pay the fee, and we climb out. We shoulder our backpacks and hike up the sidewalk, weaving between gawking pedestrians. A line of uniformed men stands across the road, facing us. As I try to slide past, the one on the sidewalk puts out an arm. “Kein Zugang.”
“I’m supposed to pick up my sister at a concert,” I say in English. Maybe playing the dumb tourist will get me through.
The officer’s eyes flick from me to Hans and back. He takes in our clothing and backpacks. “What’s in the bags?”
“Clothes. We just got off the train.”
He looks us over again. “From where?”
I’m not going to lie to the police. “Freiberg.”
“You came all the way from Freiberg to pick up your sister? Shouldn’t you have arranged local transportation?”
I lean a little closer and lower my voice. “She snuck out. I’m trying to get her home before my parents notice she’s gone.”
“Then why’d you bring luggage?”
