Chapter 9: The Fox
Sean Renard walked in and quickly surveyed the room with his eyes before turning them on Meisner. Always alert, thought Meisner. "How was the trip down here? No one's followed you?" asked Renard.
"No," replied Meisner, shutting the door quickly behind him. "We did have to knock down a few patrolmen when we crossed the border, but they didn't see us, so we shouldn't have anyone on our tail. I've been off-grid this entire time, made no contact with Vienna. No one knows we're here. "
"Good, then we can stay a bit longer at this safe house," Renard said as he walked over to the blonde child at the coffee table. "Diana—I cannot believe how much you've grown."
Diana stopped her coloring and looked up at him straight in the eye. She had an air of cool neutrality about her—she seemed neither happy nor wary about his presence. She simply looked at him.
"What happens now?" asks Meisner.
"My mother is coming here to take care of Diana. I need to head back to Portland before any suspicions are raised. You'll be slipping back into the US and traveling east. Plant some tracks once you're far enough from here to throw off the scent. Then catch a flight from New York to Vienna. I'll have Dominic pick you up there. You'll have to go underground for a bit."
"When do we take down Victor?" Meisner asked, through gritted teeth. Elena's broken body flashed through his mind.
"Not yet. Not till I get the keys from the grimm. Once we have those, we will make a move on the House." Renard shot Meisner a sly smile. "Don't worry—I'll leave Victor to you. You will avenge your fiancée with your own hands."
Meisner nodded, "What about the grimm? You once told me that having him on your side was more important to you than the keys."
"We don't need the grimm anymore," said Renard, as he turned to face his daughter. "We have her."
Diana looked up sharply from her coloring and her eyes once again glowed violet. Meisner held his breath. As much as he liked that child, he was also apprehensive of her powers. Diana stood up and walked slowly to the front entrance. The knob began turning on its own and the door pulled back to reveal Renard's mother, her left hand raised, as if she was ready to knock.
"Why you must be Diana," said Elizabeth Lascelles, with a smile. Diana was just as expressionless as she was with her father. Elizabeth reached down for the little girl's hand and to Meisner's surprise, Diana took it immediately. Together, the duo made their way to the two men.
"My darling," she said as she moved in to give Renard a kiss on the cheek, "the future King Renard."