Personal Protection

by Julie Miller

  “Fun?” the security chief growled.

  “Honestly, Filip.” A woman’s cultured, melodic voice chided the man as Galina Honchar stepped out of the opposite side of the limo. The scent of her expensive perfume reached Ivan a few seconds before she did. “Has it been so long since you’ve been with a woman that you’ve forgotten all the juicy bits about being in love?”

  Filip glared daggers at the raven-haired beauty, but Galina deflected the silent accusation as though flicking away a raindrop. Filip stepped aside as she approached, avoiding a verbal sparring match he had no hope of winning.

  She reported on the phone call she’d been finishing up in the car. “I cleared two hours on your schedule for lunch and sightseeing Wednesday, Your Highness. But you will need to be ready for cocktails with the Mayweathers at five thirty. They’ll be cohosting the fund-raiser ball at the embassy on Saturday. I’ve noted which suits are to be worn at each event on your phone.”

  Still in mourning over the death of her fiancé, Konrad, black was her color of choice. Galina had lost a little weight since that fateful day in St. Feodor. But something about losing the man she loved in that bombing had galvanized her into becoming more than Ivan’s administrative chief of staff. She would not allow for Konrad’s death to be without meaning. Now, Galina guarded the prince’s interests as well as his time, serving as an extension of his royal hand. She’d become his emotional protector as well as his personal planner, as they neared his coronation at the first of the new year. She had been efficient before, but now Ivan suspected she could run the palace and even Parliament without him.

  Her black suit remained wrinkle-free, despite the long hours of traveling they’d been through today. “Filip does make a point. Why haven’t we heard of Miss Valentine before now? An ‘old friend’ from your army days?” Galina, a mix of efficiency and deportment, would have made an ideal consort for a prince.

  Yet despite her classic beauty and flair for social networking, she did absolutely nothing for Ivan. Even if she didn’t still wear her late fiancé’s engagement ring, she didn’t stir his hormones. Didn’t stimulate his curiosity to get to know her on a more personal level. Didn’t engender trust with the calculating sharpness of her dark brown eyes and knack for getting things done behind the scenes, handling details he never knew about. He wasn’t chauvinistic enough to eliminate her as the traitor in his inner circle simply because she was a woman. He watched everything he said or did around her. Galina, perhaps more than anyone else in this delegation, would be able to spot a charade. Whether or not she was the mole leaking information to his enemies, she would be a hard one to fool. Even if she was innocent, her suspicions would most likely put the real traitor on alert about his relationship with Carly.

  Ivan had carefully considered the lies he needed to tell. Ones based on a truth would be the easiest to remember. “I do not say much about my military service and the people I worked with or missions I took part in. And I certainly do not discuss my love life. With anyone,” he added for emphasis.

  A bright grin appeared in the middle of Aleks’s curly black beard. “You never thought you were going to see her again, did you? Now you cannot stand to be this close—in the same country, the same city—and be away from her for a moment longer.” He flashed that smile at Galina. “It’s called passion, darling. Perhaps yours died with poor Konrad.”

  “Aleks,” Ivan scolded. “You take your teasing too far.”

  “I am fine, Your Highness.” Galina arched one perfectly sculpted eyebrow upward at Aleks, silently informing them both that she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. “I have not forgotten what love is like. Nor have I forgotten the cause that Kon died for. As long as the indulgence of this affair doesn’t distract the prince from the goals at hand, I will support it.”

  Eduard and Danya returned from their reconnaissance of the nearby homes in the cul-de-sac. Eduard Nagy, Ivan’s personal driver, the more sedate of the two, peeled off the sunglasses he no longer needed on the shady street. “Everything looks secure. Almost every house has eyes on us, though. I talked to the man digging up that yard, a Bill Furness. He’s the caretaker. The retired couple who lives there is away on a mission trip to Central America for several months. He said the only new residents in the neighborhood are the moles destroying his lawn. He hasn’t seen anything unusual.” He turned his gaze, scanning the entire neighborhood. “I’ll need to pull up the city map on my laptop and mark the through streets and potential bottlenecks in this area if we’re going to be frequent visitors.”

  “We will be,” Ivan insisted.

  Filip grunted his acceptance before firing off another command to his staff. “Run that watch list of names Homeland Security gave us, too. Make sure there are no potential enemies nearby.”

  Danya seemed irritated that they hadn’t found anyone who seemed an obvious threat. “Your lady friend is cooking on a grill in the backyard, and a man is doing construction work there.”

  “A man?” Ivan asked. Surely, Carly would have mentioned if she had a boyfriend or fiancé who’d throw a wrench into their pretend relationship.

  Danya muttered a word of frustration in their native language. “I didn’t take names. I was looking for weapons, not checking out your competition.”

  Ivan wondered at the anticipation quickening his pulse. It was probably just relief that he’d get to share his suspicions with Carly sooner rather than later. “Just do the job you are paid to do, Danya. And do not use language like that in front of Miss Valentine.”

  “She speaks Lukin?”

  “She understands the tone, if not the words.”

  Aleks rubbed his hands together in a different sort of anticipation. “You said grilling? I have read that Kansas City is famous for this cuisine. We will be staying for dinner, yes?” He climbed back inside the limo to retrieve the basket of fruit and one of the bouquets that had been delivered to Ivan’s hotel room to welcome him. “Perhaps we will bargain for a bite to eat?”

  Ivan hated the idea of regifting the items, but he hated to show up empty-handed as well as unannounced even more. He patted the chest pocket where Carly’s card rested against his heart. He’d considered calling first, to see if they could meet. But he worried she’d make up an excuse to say no. Plus, upsetting the schedule with this impromptu detour might just put the traitor off his or her game long enough for him to pick up on a clue that might reveal their identity.

  Appreciating Aleks’s ability to defuse a tense situation, Ivan moved up the sloped driveway to the concrete steps. “We can ask.”

  Filip lengthened his stride to move ahead of Ivan. “Eduard, stay with the vehicles. Find out what you can online. Danya, you’re with me. I’ll lead the way. I want to do a sweep inside the house, as well.”

  Ivan jogged up the second tier of steps onto the raised porch. “I remind you, we are knocking on the front door, not invading a neighboring country.”

  He bit back the same Lukin curse Danya had used as Filip pressed the doorbell before Ivan could reach it. “Indulge me, sir. I don’t have my full team with me in the States. That means I must be more vigilant than ever.”

  And yet someone had managed to get around that vigilance and send him a death threat. Twice.

  Ignoring the urge to point out the failure, Ivan smoothed his fingers over the angle of his beard. “Fine.” Flanked by Aleks and Galina, with Danya watching the street from the steps behind them, Ivan motioned Filip to stand aside. “I speak first. I do not want you frightening anyone else.”

  The inner door swung open, revealing a stocky man with a royal blue and white ball cap pushed back past the receding points of his graying blond crew cut. Although the face was older and male, the green eyes were the same as Carly’s. “Mr. Valentine?”

  The older man looked at the entourage on his front porch and frowned. “Yeah?”

  “I am Ivan Mostek of Luki
nburg.”

  “I’m Carl Valentine of Kansas City,” he echoed with sarcasm, raising his voice to be heard over the whir of an electric saw from somewhere in the back of the house. “I ain’t interested in anything you’re sellin’.”

  “I am not selling anything.”

  “Then what do you want?”

  “To see your daughter.”

  Carl Valentine laughed.

  Chapter Four

  Ivan didn’t get the joke.

  Apparently, Carly hadn’t mentioned him to her father. While it was not allowable for her to share the details of her new assignment, she might have at least prepared her family for the new man who would temporarily be a part of her life. “Is she at home?”

  “Is this KCPD business?”

  The lies came more easily as he grew impatient. “This is a social call.”

  His thin eyebrows arched toward the brim of his ball cap. The grinding noise of the saw stopped abruptly, leaving the shock of Carl Valentine’s incredulous words filling the room. “Like a date?”

  Carl’s obvious surprise at meeting the man who’d come to call on his daughter was hardly the kind of reaction that lent believability to this relationship. “Sir, Carly and I—”

  “Dad, if that’s Jesse, tell him I need one of those beers right away.” He was relieved to hear Carly’s voice shouting from the kitchen. “Then he can be a lazy butt and watch the game.”

  “You got company, Carls.” Her father stepped back from the door and invited Ivan and the others onto the landing that opened into the living room and split into stairs going up and down to his left. “Better get in here, girl.”

  “What are you talking about?” Carly strolled into the main room, drying her hands on a towel. “I still have to finish the potato salad... Ivan?”

  She stopped in her tracks when she saw the prince and his entourage. It took a split second for her startled expression to soften into a smile, and in that moment, he breathed a sigh of relief. Yes, she’d be able to play this undercover role. Even on the fly like this.

  But relief wasn’t the only thing he was feeling. She had on no makeup, but that only revealed that her skin was tanned and smooth, glowing with a sheen of perspiration. Her hair was a rich mix of caramel and wheat, and it hung in a loose braid over her shoulder. Even the black leather boots with the thick soles and scuffed, gray toes looked sexy on her, their heft balancing the athletic curve of her legs and making them look impossibly long in those raggedy denim shorts. His body hummed with an awareness that was as invigorating as it was foreign, since he’d purposefully shut down any male needs months ago when he’d agreed to take this position. Carly was no conventional beauty. But she was unique. Intriguing. He suddenly wished he knew her as well as he pretended to.

  Their gazes locked for several moments before he realized she was struggling with the protocol of the unexpected meeting. “Should I have said, Your Highness?”

  He put up a hand, urging her, and reminding himself, to relax. “Ivan will do fine.”

  When he took a step toward her, her father put out his hand to stop him. “Wait a minute. You’re a prince? Like, you’re going to be a king one day? In my house? For my girl?”

  The moment Carl’s hand touched Ivan’s shoulder, Filip was there. With a sweep of his hand, he sent Danya up the stairs and poked his finger in the middle of Carl’s chest, knocking him back a step. “No touching.”

  Carl swatted the offending finger away. “What are you doing? Where is he going? This is my house.”

  “Filip!” Ivan grabbed the security chief himself and dragged him back to his side. “We are guests.”

  He needn’t have bothered. Carly moved in front of her father, her eyes locked on to Filip like a lioness siting her prey. “It’s okay, Dad. This is Prince Ivan’s security team. They’re checking the house. Your man will find my father’s hunting rifle locked in a gun cabinet in his bedroom closet. My badge and service weapon are in a lockbox downstairs beside my bed. My brother is out back using power tools. Otherwise, we’re unarmed.” Although her demeanor remained calm, there was no mistaking the warning in her tone. “If you ever touch my father like that again, I will break that finger.”

  Ivan swallowed a grin as she faced off against the man who was twice her size. Either deciding a confrontation wasn’t good for international relations, or perhaps wondering if she could make good on that threat, Filip offered the Valentines a curt nod and hurried down the stairs. “My apologies.”

  After tucking the towel into the back pocket of her shorts, she tilted her eyes up to Ivan, sending a silent look that was filled with frantic questions. Why are you here? Did something happen?

  When we’re alone, he wanted to answer.

  Her words came out in a surprisingly casual tone. “I thought we were meeting tomorrow. For lunch.”

  “I could not wait that long to see you again. Is it rude if I invite myself to dinner?” He sniffed the sweet, spicy smells coming from the kitchen and wafting around her. “It smells delicious.”

  He was as aware of everyone in the room watching them as he was of her transformed appearance. If they were alone, this meeting might go very differently. But with an audience, he took her hand and played the attentive suitor. He leaned in to press a kiss to her cheek, lingering longer than he intended because he couldn’t resist inhaling the essence of something tasty on her warm skin. Although he still detected a faint wisp of smoke clinging to her, her scent was cinnamon-y, with a hint of onion and something warm, like molasses or brown sugar, just like the food he smelled from the kitchen. Carly’s homey, natural scent was much more appealing than the stain of body odors that had wafted about her at their meeting earlier in the day. He pulled away, stroking his fingertip across her cheek to remind her to blink instead of looking so stunned by his attention.

  Her voice was a breathless whisper, for his ears alone. “Are you going to kiss me every time we meet?”

  He answered just as quietly. “Are you going to blush every time I kiss you?”

  If anything, the rosy tone on her cheeks intensified and she pulled away. She cleared her throat before addressing him in a normal voice. “I swear I don’t always smell like ashes. I’ve been wrestling with the grill out back.” She smiled up at her father. “Somebody left the bag of charcoal out in the rain.”

  “I said I was sorry.” Blushing much like his daughter, Carl quickly changed the conversation. “You might as well stay. Carly’s been fussin’ over a big dinner. Plenty of food. You folks like baseball?” he asked, gesturing into the living room where the television was broadcasting a sporting event. “The game’s about to start.”

  Ivan gave him an honest answer. “It is not a sport we play often in Lukinburg. I follow football, er, soccer. But I wish to learn more about your country.”

  Aleks stepped up beside Ivan, hugging the flowers and fruit basket against his chest. “I understand your team is called the Royals? That seems to be a fortuitous sign with the prince here. I would like to watch.”

  Carl nodded. “They’re actually named after the American Royal livestock show that’s been around since we had stockyards and cattle drives in KC. But it sounds like good luck to me. Come on in and sit.”

  “Thank you.” Needing no other invitation, Aleks pushed the flowers and basket into Carly’s arms and followed her father to the sectional sofa.

  Galina took his place at Ivan’s side, extending her hand. “We have not had the pleasure to meet. I am Galina Honchar, His Royal Highness’s chief of staff. I coordinate his appearances and manage his schedule.”

  Juggling the gifts she held into one arm, Carly reached out to shake the other woman’s hand. “Carly Valentine. Nice to meet you. I...date him.”

  “Whatever you are cooking smells amazing.” Ever an icon for etiquette, Galina asked the question Ivan should have. “Are you sure we are not imposin
g?”

  “It’s not fine dining, but you’re welcome to stay.” The basket and flowers teetered over the edge of Carly’s arm, and Ivan reached out to grab the cellophane-wrapped basket of apples and oranges before they hit the floor, forgetting for a moment that the future leader of Lukinburg did not haul anything, especially when there was staff there to do it for him. “Thanks. I’m grilling burgers.” She grinned. “For Lukinburgers.” As quickly as she’d smiled, she frowned. “Wait. That’s not an insult, is it?”

  Galina laughed politely as Ivan hastened to reassure Carly. “Not if the food tastes as good as it smells.”

  Or as good as Carly smelled.

  Her smile reappeared, and Ivan suddenly felt as successful as he would once the Kansas City agriculture and trade officials signed the new business contracts with his government.

  But any feeling of victory was short-lived when the front door burst open behind him. A young man with shaggy brown hair, wearing a T-shirt and a leather vest entered with a bellow. “What the hell are those cars doing out front? I had to park way... Whoa.”

  The security team returned in a blur and shoved the young man up against the wall. He lifted the six-pack of bottled beer he carried out of Danya’s way when the bodyguard felt beneath his leather vest and patted down the sides of his jeans. “Hey, pal, you ought to buy me dinner first.”