Royal Pursuit

by Susan Kearney

  “Yes, but the crown prince is claiming that the old guard from the former Soviet Union is funneling funds to the nobility that was once close to General Vladimir.”

  Alex stiffened, alerting Taylor that he considered this problem more serious. “You have proof?” he asked.

  Hunter shook his head. “I’m afraid this is all rumor.”

  Taylor leaned back on her heels. Hunter wouldn’t have risked their cover or his own to speculate about rumors. While the news about the security chief’s men following them in the car was troubling, as was the news of the terrorists, there was little they could do with the information. “Do you have anything solid for us?”

  Hunter reached into his pocket, withdrew a thick envelope, then handed it to Alex. “Nicholas thought you might need some funds.”

  “Thanks.” Alex stuffed the envelope into his pocket without even looking at it.

  Taylor should have been happy. Alex could pay her fee and reimburse her for her expenses. She’d make next month’s rent. However, since she’d met Alex, her priorities had changed and her primary concern had turned from increasing her cash flow and bolstering her reputation to keeping Alex safe.

  Although there hadn’t been another attempt on his life since he’d turned himself into the embassy handyman, sooner or later his disguise would fail. For all she knew, someone had already recognized the prince and was simply waiting for an opportunity to catch him unaware.

  Yet, if he refused to leave the embassy, she could only stay close and hope for the best. Knowing that Hunter and his CIA friends were also keeping a close watch made her feel only a little better.

  History had proven that anyone could get past the Secret Service to the most powerful man in the free world, the president of the United States—if the killer was willing to lose his life in the process. If Alex was shot and afterward she killed the shooter, it would be small consolation to her.

  She wished she could convince him to go into hiding. Play it safe.

  So his next words shot fear through her heart. He shook Hunter’s hand. “Thanks for keeping us informed. It’s time to get more aggressive.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Taylor told herself not to fly off the handle. Obviously her priority and Alex’s were different. She wanted to keep him safe and he wanted the identity of the man who’d tried to kill him. Reminding herself that Alex was her client and that she worked for him made no difference—not after they’d made love. She had never become involved with a client before; she had certainly never slept with one. She never thought she would behave so unprofessionally.

  But now she had more at stake than just her professional reputation. Last night, Alex had been incredibly tender and sexy. She liked the man, was beginning to think of him as a friend. And she damn well didn’t want him to get himself killed.

  After Hunter left, they’d walked through the park to a busier street. While they stood on the corner sidewalk and waited for the cab she’d called, she took a good look at Alex. He seemed totally unaware of his stunning good looks. Even in overalls, he turned women’s heads.

  He would certainly leave her. That was what he did. What he’d always done. To think he might change was a foolish dream that she would never allow herself. She’d already made that mistake with her first husband, thinking that her love would make a difference. Older and wiser, she knew better now.

  Although Alex would soon be exiting her life, she still worried about his future. She couldn’t stop fretting that he would attempt some kind of crazy heroics. And to stop him, she needed to know his plans.

  “You told Hunter that we needed to be more aggressive,” she began. “What exactly did you have in mind?”

  “Now that the offices are mostly completed and the primary suspects have moved in, we need to search through their mail, their computer systems, their files. In addition, I intend to search their private residences.”

  “That’s called breaking and entering. You can go to jail for that.”

  “I have diplomatic immunity.”

  Great. She could go to jail. However, getting shot concerned her a lot more than doing time.

  “And I suppose you have their private addresses?” she asked, hoping he didn’t.

  “Since I arranged for their housing, yes, I know where they live.”

  The taxi pulled up to the curb and Alex gallantly opened the door for her, seemingly blithely ignorant of the churning in her gut. She could think of a better way to spend the rest of her weekend, but she understood Alex’s growing sense of urgency. The fire damage had been mostly cosmetic, not structural. With crews paid to work practically around the clock, the construction schedule would soon be back on track. Which meant that the embassy opening in just a few days and the visit of the king and queen of Vashmira must be made as safe as possible.

  Alex gave the taxi driver an address. During the ride, he opened the envelope Hunter had given him. Apparently he hadn’t just received a large sum of cash, but a small fortune. “Nicholas wired a bank, so we are no longer broke.”

  He might no longer be broke; however, her financial status remained unchanged. She refrained from saying so. She simply listened as Alex used her cell phone to buy a car. She’d never heard anyone buy a vehicle, sight unseen, over the phone before. The last time she’d bought a car, she checked out every used lot in town for the best buy. Then she’d dickered and haggled and had to arrange for a loan.

  Money made the purchase as easy as ordering take-out pizza. She was amazed that Alex was so specific. He insisted that the gas tank be full and that the white sports car should be delivered to the same address he’d given the taxi driver. He’d arranged to borrow temporary dealer plates and insisted that the title be put in her name. He handed her the phone and she called her insurance company and added the car to her policy.

  “Thanks.” He squeezed her hand. “Don’t forget to add the insurance to my bill.”

  She wouldn’t forget. The premium for his little sports car was more than double what she paid for her sedan. She’d almost protested when he’d put the car in her name. But he couldn’t very well use his real name and, besides, even if he had an international driver’s license, he shouldn’t allow his real name to be entered into any computer system.

  Alex paid the taxi driver and they exited the vehicle. They were in a neighborhood that was a combination of old brownstone homes, modern town houses and luxury apartments. The new car he’d ordered was waiting for them. Alex opened the car door, flipped down the visor and caught the key. After trailing a hand over the sporty leather seat, he locked the car.

  She tried to look unimpressed, but it wasn’t easy. The car had to cost more than she’d earned in the last two years. “Whose house—”

  “Condominium.”

  “Whose condo are we casing?”

  “Ira Hanuck’s. And we aren’t casing it. We were sent by the embassy to repair the faulty electric wiring in his home office.”

  “Clever.” She strolled beside him along the shaded sidewalk. “How do we know that Ira has a home office?”

  “It makes sense.”

  Taylor restrained a scowl. Alex’s idea might be clever but he hadn’t thought it through. They had no idea what they were even looking for. When Alex rang the doorbell, she didn’t know whether she hoped Ira was home or not. But if no one let them inside, then Alex would no doubt find some excuse to break the lock.

  A short, stout woman with curly chestnut hair that had been fried by a cheap permanent opened the door, a feather duster in her hand. “What I can do for you?”

  Alex showed her his embassy identification. “We were sent over to check the security chief’s office wiring.”

  Taylor also had mixed emotions about going in through the front door. The security chief was bound to learn about their unofficial visit and, if the man was legitimate, he’d have them fired. If he wasn’t on the up and up, then he would realize they weren’t who they claimed, putting Alex in danger.

&n
bsp; “He didn’t tell me nothing ’bout it,” the housekeeper said with a shake of her head.

  “It must have slipped his mind.” Alex attempted to reassure her. “Mr. Hanuck’s been busy trying to find the arsonist who almost burned down the embassy.” Alex leaned closer to the woman, as if by taking her into his confidence, he could convince her they were on the same side. “You can call and check our credentials if you like, but your boss is hoping there isn’t a conspiracy.”

  The housekeeper’s eyes opened wide. “Really? A conspiracy?”

  “We want to make sure the people who started that fire didn’t try to do the same thing here,” Taylor added, holding back a grin at Alex’s smooth flair for making up stories. He seemed to charm women naturally, whether they were European or American, young or old.

  The housekeeper stepped back and opened the door wider. “Come in. Come in. Wipe your feet,” the housekeeper told them, and Taylor realized that she hadn’t overestimated Alex’s charm. “Better yet, take off your shoes and leave them by the door. I just mopped, so watch your step.” She led them through a foyer filled with furniture, new wallpaper and a hanging crystal chandelier that sparkled with light beaming in through immaculate windows.

  Since the security chief had only recently arrived and the condo had a settled-in look, he must have leased the condo furnished. The housekeeper led them to an extra bedroom that had recently been turned into an office.

  Cream drapes covered windows that faced the backyard. The room was painted a cream color with a dark gray border and had cream carpeting. Boxes of papers were neatly stacked in a corner. An empty file cabinet stood open. The desk, a massive, gray Formica-topped slab with black legs, didn’t have a speck of dust on the surface. A new calendar that showed off antique guns hung on the wall.

  Alex set right to work. He took a screwdriver from his pocket, unscrewed the cover plate from the light switch and revealed the electric wiring.

  The housekeeper peered around him. “Is it okay?”

  “This switch is fine. We’ll have to check them all, as well as the light fixtures and the circuit box. We might be a while.”

  Taylor hoped not. The longer they stayed, the greater the chance that Ira would come home and catch them.

  “Oh.” Clearly, the housekeeper didn’t want to leave them alone. “I’ve got a turkey in the oven that needs basting.”

  “Go check it,” Taylor told her. “You needn’t worry. The embassy people already vetted our credentials.”

  “I suppose it’ll be all right, but Mr. Hanuck warned me not to let strangers inside.”

  “We aren’t strangers,” Taylor told her. She sniffed appreciatively, the aroma of roasting turkey reminding her of a time before her father had abandoned her mother and long before her brother had exhibited violent tendencies. Christmas dinner had been turkey. The delicious scent brought back memories of gifts under a tree decorated with homemade candies and topped with a silver star. Taylor, her little sister and her older brother had played quietly, listening to soft music while their parents set the table. Once, she’d been part of a real family, one she hadn’t allowed herself to think about for years.

  She reminded herself to call her sister, not to be too hard on her for thinking she was once again in love. She and her sister had reacted differently to their childhood experiences. Taylor had practically walled herself off from the male sex, while Diana seemed to believe that lust at first sight equaled true love. But that didn’t mean Diana hadn’t been hurt as badly by the family break-up as Taylor had been.

  Alex waved a hand in front of her unseeing eyes. “Space to Taylor.”

  His action jerked her back to the present. “Sorry.”

  He held a stack of files, but gestured to the computer. “Why don’t you see what you can find in there while I peruse these?” He didn’t wait for her to agree, but opened the first folder and began reading.

  She slid in front of the computer, booted it up, hoping the housekeeper wouldn’t suddenly return. The computer blinked Password at her.

  Alex peered over her shoulder. “Problems?”

  She held out her hand. “Can I borrow your screwdriver?”

  She turned off the computer and went to work on the casing. The entire time she wondered if the housekeeper would return before she finished. The case stuck, but finally opened with a scrape and a metallic thud.

  Taylor held her breath but heard no sign of the housekeeper. She reached into the hardware and flipped a switch. Without putting the case back on, she again booted the computer. She waited, tapping her foot with impatience, hoping she’d bypassed the password.

  Meanwhile, Alex kept turning the pages of a file. “This is interesting.”

  “What?”

  “Our security chief has been watching the secretary of state, who’s had several clandestine meetings with certain members of the Russian nobility—the same Russians who are funding Vashmira’s Moldovan enemies.”

  “Wouldn’t part of Anton Belosova’s job be to negotiate with your enemies?”

  “Yes. But he should have kept our cabinet informed of his actions.”

  Taylor detested politics. Politicians never said what they meant and rarely did what they said. Such scheming disgusted and confused her. She had enough trouble figuring out what she thought about issues when people spoke clearly and fairly represented both sides. A long time ago, she decided that she didn’t like fanatics—any fanatics. But she supposed if one worked within a government, even middle-of-the-road people had to deal with the fringe elements, which didn’t necessarily make Anton Belosova a traitor.

  “Hmm.” Taylor pulled up computer files. One with General Vladimir’s name popped onto the screen and she opened it. But she couldn’t read a word. “Help.”

  Alex leaned down. “It’s Russian.”

  Taylor knew he couldn’t read the hard copy files and the screen at the same time. “Okay. Since we’re hooked up by cable to the Internet, I can run a translation program.” She searched for the program she needed and marveled at modern technology as the words were translated into English.

  She leaned forward with a frown. “It seems that the general also has contacts with your enemies. According to Ira’s notes, Vladimir’s made several undisclosed forays over the border in the past three months.” She scrolled down. “Ira appears suspicious of Vladimir’s intentions.” She drummed her fingernails on the desk.

  “What?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe this is way too big a stretch, but finding this information has almost been too easy. Do you think Ira could have planted this data with the intention of having us find it?”

  “To cover his own actions?” Alex frowned. “I think you’re overreaching, although I suppose it’s possible. I’m just not sure he’s that clever.”

  “Oh, come on. A security chief has to think at least three steps ahead of the other guys. And he sent out people to watch us.”

  “Nicholas has been thinking of asking Ira to retire. He’s not really up on the latest technology. Where you think breaking into his system was easy, he may think he’s been smart.”

  “Well, there are too many files here for me to translate and read them all. I could send them to Hunter but…”

  “I’d rather you sent them to Nicholas. While we are friendly with your country, they needn’t know all our secrets.”

  “Do you really think the contents of this computer are safe?” Taylor shook her head. “Since it’s connected by cable, our CIA or FBI could extract any information they wanted, anytime they wanted.”

  “I thought you had laws against—”

  “We do. But they might obtain a search warrant because they’re protecting a reigning monarch’s life.”

  The discussion ended as footsteps approached. Taylor barely got the casing back on before the housekeeper entered the office. The woman had brought them coffee and a plate of home-baked cookies. “Thought you might like a snack.”

  She spoke to Alex, practically igno
ring Taylor, which was all right with her as she tightened the last screws on the case from a position behind the desk.

  Alex helped himself and bit into a cookie. “Thank you. These are delicious.”

  Not even his compliment could deter the housekeeper from scowling at Taylor. “What are you doing?”

  The sharp-eyed woman must have seen her fix the casing after all. Taylor stood and stretched. “The fire at the embassy started with two stripped wires from a radio. I wanted to make sure no one had done that to the wiring inside the computer.”

  Taylor had no idea if a fire could start in the manner she’d described, but if she didn’t know, the housekeeper surely wouldn’t know, either.

  “And, is it okay?”

  “Seems to be fine. But if you smell any smoke, it wouldn’t hurt to throw the main breaker and call the fire department,” Taylor added for good measure.

  “Mr. Hanuck phoned to say he’ll be home soon. How much longer will you be?”

  “We’re done here,” Alex told her. “Thanks again for the cookies.”

  ALEX HAD DONE his best to charm the housekeeper, but he could still see a flare of suspicion in her eyes. So, he and Taylor quickly walked out of the security chief’s leased condominium back toward the new car he’d just purchased.

  “Do you think she called Ira and that’s why he’s coming home?” Taylor asked him.

  “I’m not sure. There are several possibilities. If she called him, Ira will question us. I’d prefer to get out of here so he can’t do it now and delay our investigation.”

  “If you want to search the general’s and the secretary of state’s residences, we can’t afford to have Ira detain us,” she agreed. “Of course, even if the housekeeper didn’t phone him, she might mention our visit to him later.”

  “You may be right, but she might not say anything at all.”

  “Really?”

  “I’ve often found that when employees think they may have made a mistake, they remain quiet to cover themselves.”

  Alex took the car keys from his pocket before they reached the vehicle. He wanted to avoid running into the security chief—at least until next week, when he might have some answers. Since the housekeeper had interrupted before Taylor could send Ira’s files to Vashmira, they didn’t have one lick of proof that Ira wasn’t simply doing his job and investigating the conspiracy, just as they were. Alex was not pleased that the security chief hadn’t discussed his suspicions about the general with the king—those unofficial visits across the border bothered him. Nor did he believe his brother knew of Anton Belosova’s efforts to negotiate with Vashmira’s enemies. For all Alex knew, all three powerful men had joined together in a conspiracy against his family.