"I consider myself warned."
Matt shook hands with Theo again, then Theo walked him outside to his rented Fiat. As he drove out of the driveway, he glanced in his rearview mirror and caught a glimpse of a servant handing Theo a cellular phone.
Finding the Odyssea Cafe had been relatively easy, although it blended into the scenery, being only one of many restaurants on Lidinis Street. The building next door, another modernized old structure, boasted intricate iron banisters surrounding small, second-story balconies.
Matt parallel parked the Fiat, locked the car and headed toward the cafe. If he was lucky, he'd find Adele and her friend enjoying a late-afternoon snack. As he approached the sidewalk cafe with red-and-white-striped umbrellas over the tables matching the canopy over the restaurant's entrance, he caught sight of the princess sitting with a strikingly attractive black-haired woman at a table about fifteen feet away. The two were laughing and talking the way old friends usually do. Stacked in three other chairs at their table were boxes and sacks, no doubt filled with feminine treasures from their shopping spree. Matt took his time, assuring himself that Adele wouldn't run when she saw him. After all, she was expecting him. They'd made arrangements for him to follow her, hadn't they?
When he was within ten feet of their table, the princess turned her head ever so slightly, almost as if she had sensed his presence. Her gaze searched through the customers, then moved across the sidewalk cafe to where he stood. When she saw him, she threw up her hand and waved, a warm smile on her face. A tight knot of something odd, something alien, formed in his stomach. He couldn't remember when he'd ever been so damn glad to see a woman, unless she was lying naked in his bed, waiting for him with outstretched arms.
Adele returned her attention to her friend as Matt made his way between tables. Suddenly, in his peripheral vision, Matt noticed a dark car nearby, and at first he thought the driver was trying to parallel park the black sedan. But the hood of the vehicle faced the sidewalk. A warning signal went off inside his brain, the result of years as a soldier and more recently as a security agent. When he turned his gaze fully toward the car, he realized immediately that the driver had either lost control or was deliberately heading straight toward the sidewalk cafe filled with afternoon patrons. Adele! She and Dia Constantine sat at a table nearest the street and would therefore be the first two people hit if the car didn't stop.
Following gut instinct, Matt shot across the sidewalk in front of the black car, missing the hood by mere inches. "Get out of the way!" he yelled to Adele, who looked in his direction, gasped and then screamed. He dove toward her, jerked her out of her chair, reached over and grabbed Dia Constantine's arm and pulled both women out of harm's way just as the late-model black Mercedes crashed into the table where they'd been sitting.
Matt kept the women moving farther and farther back and then into the cafe, fearing the out-of-control vehicle would continue its perilous route. But suddenly, as if the driver realized he had missed his target, the car backed up and sped off down the street.
Dia Constantine leaned against the door frame, her huge gray eyes staring sightlessly into space. Adele clung to Matt, her ragged breathing pressing her breasts against his chest. Unconsciously he lifted one arm, wrapped it around her and threaded the fingers of his other hand through her hair. She tilted her face and looked up at him. Her soft, pink lips parted on an indrawn breath.
"Are you all right?" he asked, his gaze caressing her face.
She nodded. "What. . .what happened?"
"I'm not sure, but—" He felt her shivering. "It's all right. You're not hurt and neither is your friend."
"Yes, thanks to you. You saved our lives."
"Adele. . ." He probably shouldn't have used her given name, seeing that she was a princess, but it was rather difficult to remember proper protocol when you had your arms wrapped around a woman and she was looking at you as if you were the most wonderful man on earth. "You realize this might not have been an accident, don't you? I'd say the driver of that car was either trying to kill you or frighten you to death. . .or possibly get close enough for his partner to grab you."
She trembled from head to toe as she comprehended his meaning. "The Royalists will stop at nothing to force my return to Orlantha. And if I don't marry Dedrick, they are willing to kill me to accomplish their goals. Oh, God, Matt, what am I going to do?"
"You're going to let me take care of you," he told her. "I promise I won't let anyone hurt you."
Chapter 6
After dealing judiciously with the local police, assisted in great part by the that fact that Mrs. Theo Constantine was involved, Matt secured the ladies in the limousine and followed closely behind in his rental car. He'd learned from Dia that her chauffeur also acted as her bodyguard whenever she left the villa. Apparently her personal security hadn't acted as quickly or successfully as Matt had. The chauffeur, a man she called Peneus, seemed rattled by the attack, probably not only afraid for Dia, but fearful for his job once Theo found out what had happened.
On the drive from Dareh to the villa, Matt kept a close watch to make sure no one followed them. He couldn't be absolutely sure the target of the "accident" had been Princess Adele, but what reason would anyone have to want to harm Dia? Due to Theo's great wealth, Matt suspected that the greatest threat to the Constantines might be kidnapping.
The minute the chauffeur opened the limousine's back door, Dia jumped out of the car and ran toward the house, calling her husband's name. Adele exited more slowly, apparently still slightly shaken and a bit dazed. Matt parked the Fiat, pocketed the keys and got out as quickly as possible.
Standing on the porch beneath the villa's twenty-five-foot entrance arch, Adele turned and looked at Matt. When their gazes met, he understood that she was waiting for him. A totally masculine sense of pride surged up within him. This beautiful, wealthy, aristocratic woman needed him—and she knew she needed him. He could see the understanding in her eyes, the knowledge that he—Matt O'Brien—had saved her life and she could depend on him to keep her safe. Odd how suddenly nothing else seemed to matter except protecting Adele. His assignment to find her and return her to her father would have to take a back seat to a more important issue—making sure she was safe.
When he approached her, she lifted her face and looked up at him. In her loafers she stood nearly a foot shorter than he, the top of her head reaching just above his shoulder. It took every ounce of his willpower not to reach out and pull her into his arms. She looked so small and lost, so sad and vulnerable.
"Dia is very upset," Adele said.
"As she should be," Matt replied. "You two came very close to being run down, perhaps killed."
"Dia thinks the driver and his partner might have been trying to harm her. She's gone to tell Theo what happened and ask him if he has some enemy who might want to kill her."
"You don't think Dia was the target, do you?"
"Do you?" Adele's gaze locked with Matt's.
"Explain to me why Dedrick would want to kill you? I thought the guy wanted to marry you so he could be the prince and start changing your government from within."
"Pippin says that since Balanchine's military power doesn't match that of Orlantha's, then the Royalists would much prefer taking control of my country through peaceful means. Dedrick marrying me is the ideal situation. But if I won't marry Dedrick, then their next course of action will probably be to kill me and make it look like an accident. Then, in a few years, after Dedrick persuades my father to name him his successor, they will kill my father."
"Pippin seems to know an awful lot about the Royalists, doesn't he?"
"If you're implying—"
"I'm not implying anything. Just making an observation," Matt said. "By the way, if something happened to you, why would your father name old mule face to be his successor if the two of you weren't married?"
"Dedrick is one of three people directly in line to succeed to the throne if I die witho
ut an heir. His mother was my father's cousin as are Count Elend and Bernadette Billaud, the Duchess of Ghislaine. Count Elend is seventy-seven and the duchess is seventy and in poor health, and both are childless. So it would stand to reason that Dedrick, a young, healthy man of thirty-four, would be the logical choice."
"I see." Matt considered the situation for several minutes, then said, "Do you trust Pippin Ritter with your life?"
"Yes, I do. Why?"
"Call him and tell him what happened in Dareh today, then tell him that the Dundee Agency is going to send him some help."
"What do you mean—"
Matt gently grasped Adele's shoulders. "We need to find proof against Dedrick, and the sooner the better. The Dundee Agency provides detective services. It's our business to find people, to find evidence, to find proof of guilt. You tell Pippin that I'm going to contact my boss and request that a couple of our agents go to Orlantha and work with Pippin, speed up the process by putting the Dundee Agency on the job."
"Oh, Matt, would you do that? I. . .oh, dear, I'm afraid I might not be able to get my hands on that much money. Most of my assets are frozen now. I had to depend on Dia to buy my new clothes today."
"Don't worry. We'll figure out something. If necessary, we can bill King Leopold after we get the evidence we need against the duke."
Adele threw her arms around Matt's neck and hugged him. From behind them, someone cleared his throat. Adele and Matt broke apart instantly and turned to face Theo and Dia Constantine where they stood in the open doorway of the villa's front entrance.
"Dia has told me what happened today, Mr. O'Brien. . .Matt," Theo said. "It seems I am in your debt. You saved my wife and the princess. I should like very much to reward you."
"That's not necessary," Matt replied.
"But I insist. I will write you out a check for—what amount do you think, my dear?'' Theo turned to his wife. "Is a hundred thousand American dollars satisfactory?''
"I think you should give him more," Dia said.
"Look, I appreciate the offer, but I can't— Hey, here's an idea. Princess Adele's assets are temporarily frozen while she's at war with her father, and she's in need of some money right now to pay the fees of a couple of Dundee agents."
"Oh, Matt, that's a great idea." Adele looked to Theo. "Please, Theo, say yes. Matt plans to contact his agency and request two agents be sent to—''
Dia cleared her throat loudly and shook her head. Adele groaned, then bit down on her bottom hp as an I'm-sorry-I-almost-let-the-cat-out-of-the-bag expression crossed her face.
Theo slipped his arm around his wife's waist. "It's all right, my dear, Matt filled me in on the situation earlier today, when he first arrived at the villa."
Dia smiled. "Then you aren't upset?"
Theo kissed Dia's forehead. "I am upset only because you were nearly killed this afternoon. . .and perhaps because you felt it necessary to be less that completely honest with me about the purpose of Adele's visit."
"What did you tell Theo?" Adele asked Matt.
"Pretty much everything," Matt admitted.
Adele turned immediately to Theo. "I'm very sorry that by simply being with me this afternoon, Dia was almost killed. I truly didn't believe that—"
"We will not send Adele away!" Dia said forcefully. "She's my friend, she's in trouble, and I intend to help her."
Theo grinned. "Yes, of course, my dear. If you wish Adele and Matt to stay on here at the villa, if you wish for me to pay for these Dundee agents to go to Orlantha, I will." Theo looked to Matt. "Exactly what will these Dundee agents be doing in Orlantha?"
Before Matt could respond, Adele said, "They're going to help Pippin prove that Dedrick is a Royalist and therefore a danger to Orlantha." She took a deep breath, then continued, "The Dundee Agency not only specializes in personal protection, but in investigative work, too."
"Tell me, Matt, are you now convinced that the princess is telling you the truth about the Duke of Roswald?"
"Unless you know of a reason why someone would have wanted to kill your wife today or to issue you a warning by frightening her, then I'd say Princess Adele was the target of either an assassination attempt or a kidnapping attempt. So, the answer to your question is yes."
Theo turned and gave a quick bow to Adele. "Then I am at the princess's service. My money, my power. Adele is very dear to Dia and therefore to me. She is, after all, our precious Phila's godmother."
"Are you interested in a little professional advice?" Matt asked.
"And that would be?" Theo looked at Matt point-blank.
"Beef up security around the villa. Hire your wife and daughter their own personal bodyguards and don't rely on the chauffeur, no matter how competent, to do double duty."
"But here on Golnar we Constantines have always been safe," Theo said. "This is my country, my island, no one would dare—"
"That's definitely old-fashioned thinking," Matt said. "I know you told me you were an old-fashioned man, but you can't honestly think that because your family has controlled Golnar for three generations that you're safe from the same threats that other wealthy men face every day."
Dia gasped. Adele looked at Matt in awe—and with respect.
"We have servants who are loyal to a fault, and they are all the protection we have ever needed here at the villa," Theo said. "And whenever we travel away from home, I have security with us at all times."
"It's your life and the lives of your family members," Matt said, "so it's your decision about how to ensure your safety and theirs. However, if you're serious about helping the princess, you might want to engage some private security for the villa during her stay."
"Then you expect another attempt to be made? To what? Kidnap her? Or perhaps kill her?" Theo's classic Greek features tightened, changing his face from handsome to menacing.
"Yeah, it's a possibility that I'd be a fool to rule out. And if something happens, I would do everything in my power to protect you and your family, but make no doubt about it, Princess Adele is my first priority."
Adele wished she could control the erratic beating of her heart, the increased tempo of her pulse, but she was powerless to stop her purely feminine reaction to Matt O'Brien's protective, possessive statement. In all the years she had known Theo Constantine, she had never seen anyone brave enough to stand up to the man and to contradict him. But Matt had been totally unafraid. She thought it utterly amazing that a middle-class working American man, a mere commoner, with no wealth, power or title, possessed so much self-confidence.
"If you think my staying here will put Dia and Theo and little Phila at risk, then perhaps we should make arrangements to stay in Dareh," Adele said.
"No!" Dia cried. "You are safer here." She turned to her husband. "You will hire guards for the villa, at least for the time being, as Mr. O'Brien suggested, won't you Theo?"
Theo hugged his wife to his side, kissed her temple and replied, "Yes, I will arrange for professional security here at the villa." He held out his hand to Adele, which she accepted. "You will stay here with us."
"Thank you."
Theo looked squarely at Matt. "I will take care of my woman and my child. You take care of your. . .of the princess."
"Now that that's settled, let's go inside," Dia said. "It's almost dark and I'd like to go to Phila and spend some time with her before her bedtime. She's quite upset that we aren't having dinner together tonight as planned." Dia held out her hand to her husband. "Come, Theo, Phila will want you to finish that story you began last night."
Once Theo and Dia disappeared inside the villa, Adele spoke. "Perhaps you should telephone your boss first, before I call Pippin. That way I can tell him the name of the Dundee agents coming to Orlantha and when to expect them."
"Do you think Theo will mind if we use the phones in his library to make our calls?'' Matt asked. Adele giggled. "What's so funny?"
"You are. Only a moment ago you were issuing orders to one of the wealthi
est men in Europe, and now suddenly you're concerned about using his telephones?"
"I suppose my basic bossy, take-charge nature is constantly at war with the good manners Aunt Velma tried to drill into me." Matt grabbed her arm. "Come on. Let's make those calls and get the ball rolling."
While Adele telephoned Pippin Putter to bring him up-to-date, Matt sat across the room from her using another of Theo's telephone lines. He dialed Ellen's private home number, since with the time differences, it was early morning in the U.S. He hoped she didn't chew him out for calling at the crack of dawn, but the sooner she sent a couple of agents to Orlantha, the sooner they'd be able to help the vice chancellor collect evidence against the duke. As he listened to the ringing phone and waited for Ellen to answer, he heard the hum of Adele's voice, but since she spoke softly and not in English, he really couldn't make out what she was saying.
"You've reached 555-8017. I'm unavailable to take your call at present. At the sound of the tone, please leave your name, number and a brief message."
Damn! Ellen's answering machine had picked up.
As soon as he heard the beep, he said, "Hi, there, boss lady. It's Matt O'Brien. If you're there, how about picking up the phone. I've got a job for a couple of our guys, and it's urgent."
"At such an ungodly hour, this had better be important, O'Brien," Ellen said.
"Not a morning person, are you?"
"Cut the crap. Why do you need two agents? Can't you handle the princess without assistance?"
"There's been another attempt made to either abduct or perhaps kill Adele—Princess Adele." He elaborated, explaining the incident at the Odyssea Cafe. "What we need is a couple of agents to go into Orlantha, undercover, meet with Pippin Ritter and see if they can't get the goods on Dedrick Vardan."
"And who's going to pay for this little venture?"
"Theo Constantine."
"The Theo Constantine?"
Matt thought Ellen's voice sounded peculiar. "Is something wrong? You sound kind of funny."
The Princess's Bodyguard Page 8
