Protecting the Prince

by Dana Volney

  “How will we know when the threat is over?” he asked. “Could you help me put a counter bounty out on him?”

  “No. That’s not where we are at with this problem.”

  He heard her unspoken message: Right now they had other options, but if those failed, they’d readdress his idea.

  Hell, maybe Winter could be the person to take Franklin out for him. Was she that kind of woman? Was he the type of person who could retaliate with deadly force, or hire the work done? The questions, for which he had no answers, didn’t relent. They bounced around, making his head hurt and his body tense.

  The situation wasn’t good. And judging by the questions Winter asked, there was no end in sight.

  “I hope you don’t charge per attempt on my life, because I’ve racked up quite the total.”

  A hearty laugh erupted from her lips, and he smiled, knowing he’d caught her off guard with his joke—a sad but true joke.

  “I’m still working out the end game. Protection can’t very well be for the rest of your days.”

  “No. It cannot.” He stood, turned toward the door to her guest room, and wished her a good night over his shoulder. He truly hoped she got some sleep of her own. Tomorrow’s horizon would no doubt bring turmoil—he just hoped he’d get to see the sunset.

  CHAPTER SIX

  She heard jostling from Eliam’s room and looked toward his door from her perch at the breakfast nook.

  “What, no breakfast?” he asked with a fresh smile on his face and dressed in a three-piece black suit and white dress shirt. He packed that in his overnight case? This man knew how to dress. The designer clothes covered him from chin to sole, yet she’d seen nearly naked men who weren’t as provocative as the fully clothed man standing three feet away.

  “I’m not your cook.” Last night she’d been too soft to get information out of him, and it hadn’t worked. So, back to being strict and not caring.

  “No protection against an empty stomach? You don’t believe in starting the day off right?”

  She clinked her spoon to her bowl. “There’s yogurt, granola, fruit, and milk in the kitchen if you’d like some.”

  In one smooth motion his suit jacket was off, laid on the back of the couch, and he was unbuttoning and rolling up his crisp sleeves.

  “A man who likes to get his hands dirty. Nice.” She raised her brows. No, go back to badass. He’s a client. It was hard to remember he was off-limits around those high-cut cheekbones and strong hands.

  Her night had been long—running scenarios of ways the next hitter would try to attack, setting up countermeasures just in case, and texting the team her ideas. Roe and Noor would be back in town tomorrow from their security detail in California, which was good because she could use the extra help on the back end tracking people down and putting an end to this.

  It was a start, and one that got her through the night. Nothing had seemed out of ordinary in Eliam’s apartment before the break-in, although she didn’t exactly get a chance to see what ordinary meant in his world. They both ran companies, yes, but very different ones. She was in the danger business and he in shipping. What a broad term. There was no doubt in her mind that Eliam, his father, and mother did their best to run a legit company. Franklin, probably not. Something, someone, some deal, though, had likely gone wrong lately. She had to find out what, and to do that she needed Eliam on her side. Their side. He had to be straight with her, and she got the feeling under that sexy, olive skin he was hiding more than a sense of humor.

  He had no briefcase; he hadn’t brought one home, either. That was the most unusual thing about him so far. He had the typical CEO attitude—holier than thou and smarter than all others.

  Containers stacked high and orderly peppered the area through the gate as she drove them into Prince Industries’ shipping yard an hour later, the sun still new in the sky.

  The main, five-story office building sat against the water and fit into its surroundings with a sleek black metal and window façade. She parked in front, but on the opposite side of the spot reserved for Eliam. If a sniper were set up, she didn’t want to give them the upper hand.

  Eliam hesitated, staring up at the top of the building from the passenger seat.

  “A couple of my team members are already here. I had Louis let them in this morning.”

  They exited her SUV and she adjusted her shoulder strap, checked her handgun before pulling on her black, fitted leather jacket as she walked in step with Eliam through the front door.

  The guy behind the counter in a navy blue guard uniform greeted them. She nodded—she would need to look through employee files later, after a couple cups of coffee.

  “I’ll be finishing the rest of my office move this morning and then a run of meetings.”

  So, Mr. Prince couldn’t wait to claim his new space, and with good reason. That big cherrywood desk of his could hold all of the paperwork to every case she’d worked on in the past two years.

  There were bookshelves lining the walls connected to the two doors, a bar in the corner to her left, his desk in the side corner, and a sitting area filled with black leather furniture to her right. Typical C-level office, and everything looked to have a place. The only mess was a stack of papers on his desk.

  This guy sure likes his bar areas.

  “Are the meetings here or somewhere else?” she asked.

  “They are all in the office today.” A Southern voice from the doorway made Winter whirl around. “Until five.”

  A blond woman in a mustard-yellow sweater set, straight-legged, black dress pants, and black pumps nodded to Winter as she walked to Eliam’s desk, iPad in hand, and started rattling off his to-do list for the day.

  “You’ll have to move the conference call with Mr. Lau to Monday.” Eliam pulled his cell phone from his pocket. “Morning is preferable.”

  “Yes, sir.” The woman tapped away on her tablet.

  Winter watched their smooth interaction—they’d clearly worked together for a while; this was not a new routine. Did this woman stand to gain anything if Eliam was out of the picture?

  “I’ll have my usual for lunch.” He gazed at Winter and smiled. Warmth trickled down her chest and she swore to herself. How many more times would she have to remind her body that she didn’t get involved with clients? She met his gaze.

  At least one more.

  “Ann Donder, this is Winter Wyn,” Eliam continued. “Ann is my right hand.” His palm waved between the two women. “Winter is the head of the extra security I’ll have around for a while. They’ll need to order, as well.” His computer dinged and he reached for the mouse.

  Ann finally made actual eye contact with Winter for a moment, then smiled curtly as she resumed typing. “How many of you are there?”

  Winter brushed away the clichés of secretaries and their bosses that popped into her head. Maybe Eliam was into his assistant—she didn’t know, and she didn’t care. It would be easier for her if he was in a relationship anyway—then she would have even more of a reason to not think about his smoldering self.

  “Two, maybe three.” She hadn’t planned to stay around all day after the office had been secured. She was going to do some follow-up on her own and grab some groceries for dinner.

  “Why the extra security?” Ann paused, hand prone over her tablet and brow furrowed.

  The difference between the two sets of eyes on Winter was that Eliam’s were calm. Ann seemed to be breathing a little harder—and trying to hide it.

  “There have been some threats,” Winter said to Ann. “My team and I are checking into them.”

  “Threats?” Ann’s voice rose, and fear washed over her face. She didn’t seem worried about Eliam or being caught; she seemed worried for her own safety.

  “Threats on Mr. Prince’s life.” Winter stepped toward the woman who was now clenching the tablet to her chest, white knuckles showing. “Do you know anything about those, Ann?”

  Ann’s shoulder-length curls shook with
her head as she gazed at her toes. She clearly had something to say.

  “Can I have a moment alone with you?” Winter stepped to the side and waved her hand toward Eliam’s door. If Ann wasn’t going to be forthright in front of her boss, maybe she would if they were alone.

  Winter followed her out, but not before she turned back to Eliam and mouthed, “It’s okay.” I think.

  If Ann had found herself knee-deep in the “get Eliam” scheme, wittingly or unwittingly, then knowing what she’d told the mastermind would be helpful. If she didn’t know anything and had an entirely different problem, that would still be good to know. Employees with weaknesses could be a liability.

  Ann’s office was in the middle of Eliam’s and Louis’s. She sat behind a modest desk and clasped her hands in front of her. Winter took a seat in the one chair across from Ann.

  “Why don’t you tell me what’s going on.” Winter crossed her legs and folded her hands on her lap, all the while not taking her eyes from Ann for a second. If there was even a minute tell that she was lying, Winter would catch it.

  “I don’t know who’s after Mr. Prince.” Ann was composed, the concern in her expression gone.

  “But you do know something.” Waiting until the end of a good book for the mystery to be solved was the only way Winter liked secrecy—out in the real world, she wanted all the information yesterday.

  “It’s not relevant.” Ann slid a look to her cell phone that lay on the desk by her keyboard and three pens neatly lined up in a row.

  “Why don’t you let me decide that. There’s already been a couple attempts on Mr. Prince’s life already.” Winter lowered her voice for effect, hoping to nudge Ann along. I’m your friend here. We’re all on the same side.

  “It’s my past. For a moment I thought…but it’s fine. There’s nothing to worry about.”

  Winter arched an eyebrow. She wasn’t going to ask again, and she wasn’t leaving until Ann’s answer was satisfying.

  “A boyfriend I had long ago, before moving to Seattle. He wasn’t a very nice man. I thought”—Ann chuckled with no humor—“that maybe he found me and was causing troubles.”

  Well, she’d been right that the threat wasn’t about Eliam, but Winter didn’t feel any better that Ann was worried about some asshole from her past.

  Ann cleared her throat. “It’s been two years, so I’m sure it was only my paranoia getting the best of me.”

  “Paranoia can be healthy sometimes.” Winter uncrossed her legs and sat forward in her chair. “Did you change your name when you moved?”

  “No. I didn’t go that far. Mostly because I don’t know how to do that without making it legal, and then he could find me anyway so it doesn’t much matter.”

  “Has he tried to contact family and friends from…where are you from?” Alabama or Georgia?

  “Hinesville, Georgia.”

  “How do you know he’s still looking for you if you left him two years ago?” That would be a pretty dedicated ex-boyfriend—although men like that sometimes refused to take no for an answer and didn’t give up because of a little thing like leaving the state. Concern for Ann knotted her stomach.

  Ann rubbed her temple and blew out a breath. “Dustin. That’s his name. He said if I ever left him he’d find me no matter how long it took, and he’d make sure I’d never be able to leave him again.” She shook her head and bit the inside of her cheek. “I have a few friends back home I talk to once in a while, and they say he still asks around about me.”

  “And family?”

  Ann shook her head. Winter knew that look. Sadness started to bite at her chest and she pushed it away. No one in the small office wanted pity over family issues.

  “This doesn’t have anything to do with Eliam.” Ann sat up straighter. “We don’t need to talk about it. And he doesn’t need to know, right?”

  “I won’t mention this to him, no. Do your friends have your number?” Winter was way beyond Ann being a threat to Eliam—she was counting the number of cameras and security measures Ann needed, like, yesterday. There was no place in this world for men who preyed on women.

  “When I call I do it with a blocked number so they don’t get put in the middle if he comes around. I talked to a friend last night who said he still asks about me. That’s why I thought maybe he was the issue today.” Embarrassment flushed her face; Ann was barely able to keep eye contact.

  “My team will check into him just to make sure. What’s his full name?”

  “Dustin East.”

  Winter would do some digging on that asshole later. Eddie would be able to verify Ann’s story if there were police records or filings and then flag Dustin East’s activities so they could keep an eye on him. Ann wouldn’t have to worry about Dustin finding her. They’d make sure of it.

  Winter stood to leave, satisfied for now that it was still Eliam who’d pissed off the person trying to kill him.

  “Maybe you can teach me some moves? You know, for protection.”

  Ann’s big blue eyes were so hopeful, Winter wanted to haul her up and teach her all the self-defense she knew. But right now was not the time.

  “I’d love to. When this is wrapped up, we’ll go over a few basic ones that’ll do damage.” Winter stuck her head into Eliam’s office.

  He was on the phone and covered the receiver. “Everything okay?”

  “Yep. All good. I’m going to catch up with Louis.”

  Questions loomed in his eyes. If he remembered to ask her later, she’d answer vaguely. She backed out of his office and diverted to another door down the hall.

  “How’s Eliam?” Louis stood and waited for her to sit.

  “He’s pissed, beyond that I’m not quite sure. Where’s the guys?” She thought they’d be in there joking with Louis and ready to give her a report.

  “It’s a big shipping yard and they wanted to get the feel. Felix checked in on Eliam’s car this morning. They found a tracking device.” His eyes were steady on hers. “I was hoping for a coincidence.”

  Louis sounded tired. He didn’t have to work; he did it to keep busy and on his toes.

  “Now I know you’ve lost it. Neither of us believes in coincidences.” A smile crossed her face. “And you were convinced something was going to happen even before it did.”

  “Caution, and I was hoping to be wrong all the same.”

  “Hey, boss.” Felix filled the doorway and Eddie stood just inside.

  “Perfect timing.”

  She drank from a bottle of water she found in her bag as she headed back into Eliam’s office to introduce him to her team. Eliam was definitely a target and who knew for how long. She never had been one to mount only a defense. If Eliam was going to stay alive, they were going to have to get to the heart of the problem with a good offense.

  • • •

  Without so much as a warning sound, Eliam’s entire doorway filled—tall and wide would be an understatement to describe the giant beast-man in his office. Where’s Winter? His heart rate kicked up and he glanced down at a pen and stapler on his desk, neither of which would make a dent in the huge man. Eliam hadn’t grabbed his gun when they’d left his apartment last night, and that’d been a fatal mistake.

  “Boss.” Beast-man stepped to the side and Winter appeared. Holy hell. Beads of sweat had started to form on his forehead and he hoped they disappeared before she got too close. He was officially a jumpy mess. Decidedly not a good look.

  “Felix,” she turned to Eliam, “meet our client, Eliam Prince.”

  Felix made no sound as he crossed the floor; for such a broad man Eliam half-expected him to fall through the floor. Instead, Felix shook his hand without breaking it.

  “Pleasure,” Eliam said and Felix nodded.

  When Felix stepped to the side, Eliam saw another man standing by Winter and Louis. The skinnier, but no less buff, blond man stepped forward and offered his hand. “Eddie. Nice to meet you.”

  “You, too. We have a mighty big gang here. W
hat’s the plan?” He directed his question to Winter.

  Personal security was too broad of a term. Since these people were now all in his office and he’d had at least one hour of shut-eye, he wanted to know what the extra men meant and how much his life was going to be constrained.

  “One of us will be with you at all times. Another will be in the shadows.”

  “Sounds sinister.” Eliam pulled a box from the floor and set it on his desk.

  “This son of a bitch has already tried twice.” Louis stepped forward wearing his standard slacks and button-up.

  Taking back his father’s company should be a joyous time, and Franklin was ruining it. Eliam had contracts to negotiate, deals already in place to oversee, and one to make sure it didn’t. He needed to get some space between him and the A Team before the illegal business deal put a stop to everything.

  “You don’t have to remind me.” He stood to look into his box and to get out a bit of the energy that was building. He might need to take up running again.

  “The threat has been established and…”

  “And what are we doing to eliminate the threat?” He was done dicking around. Franklin didn’t deserve the time of day. His stepfather needed to be shut down. Now.

  Winter glanced at Louis with a look that made Eliam uncomfortable to his core.

  “Am I missing something?” There was an edge in his voice and he wasn’t apologizing for it.

  “The guys will check for bugs, put in cameras, and vet everyone you come into contact with.”

  “This is only for a couple of days.” He took an old picture out of him, Mom, and Dad and set it next to his laptop. “Cameras are not necessary.”

  Winter turned her head parallel to her shoulder, lips pressed tightly together, and all of the men nodded and left the room. He didn’t often see that type of power wielded by a woman.

  Sexy.

  “Okay.” She met his eyes with a cold stare. “Then best of luck to you, Mr. Prince.” She twirled on her heels and walked toward the door.

  She’s leaving. Just like that? He had a choice to make. Obviously she wasn’t going to take any input from him. But wasn’t he still the client, the one writing the check?