Personal Protection

Carly instinctively retreated a step. “Sorry about that. Dougie didn’t come quietly when I arrested him.”

“The baby seems to make me really sensitive to smells right now.” She turned her head to the side to inhale a deep breath, then reached out to Carly. “Better let me take your coat, at least.”

Nodding her thanks, Carly quickly shed her brother Jesse’s old duster coat from his cowboy days. That phase had lasted about two months, once he realized that a real working cowboy got a lot dirtier and smelled a lot worse than the ones he’d seen in the movies. Not all that different than what she was smelling like right now. She didn’t have to be pregnant to know how Dougie’s crude attempt to scare her off had left its mark on her.

She plucked the white T-shirt she wore away from skin that was damp with perspiration and tucked it beneath the belt and holster on her jeans with the holes in the knees. Then she adjusted the chain that held her badge around her neck as if it was a piece of jewelry that could dress up her poor girl from the streets look and gave Brooke a hopeful smile. “I don’t look too scary?”

“It’ll have to do.”

Brooke turned her toward the captain’s office just as Joe Hendricks opened the connecting door with an impatient whoosh of air. “Valentine. Good. You’re here.” He shifted his attention to Brooke while Carly sidled past him into his office. “We’re not to be disturbed. Not even if his men call.”

“Yes, sir.”

The door closed behind her and Carly stopped in her tracks as the man with coal-black hair that she’d seen through the windows rose to greet her. The tailoring of his suit emphasized the width of his shoulders and tapered waist, making him appear taller, though she guessed he was about six feet in height. He practically clicked his heels together and offered her a curt nod. Bowing. Wow. Had any man ever been so formal about meeting her before? “Officer Valentine. I am pleased to meet you.”

“Hey.” Was she supposed to say something more? Shake his hand? No. Not in the shape she was currently in. “Nice to meet you.”

The captain gestured to one of the two guest chairs while he circled around to his side of the desk. “Take a seat, Valentine.”

With a nod, Carly tore her gaze from their guest and perched on the edge of her chair. Partly because it helped her sit up straight and gave her a stronger posture, and partly because she was painfully self-conscious about her soiled clothes leaving a stain on the beige fabric. “Will this take long, sir? I promised Gina Cutler that I’d cover her citizen self-defense training class after work, so she and Mike can go to birthing class.” It seemed that several of her friends were well beyond her in the get-married-and-start-a-family department. “I’d like to grab a shower before then. I think the class would like me to, as well.”

Her attempt at humor fell on deaf ears. “This will take as long as it needs to.” The captain loosened the tie that cinched his collar and gestured to the man seated beside her. “I’d like to introduce you to His Royal Highness, Prince Ivan Mostek of Lukinburg.”

Carly pushed to her feet. “Wait. Should I have curtsied?” She skimmed her hands over the hips of her frayed jeans and frowned at the stains on her boots. “I’m so sorry. I would have changed into my uniform if I’d known I was meeting a dignitary. I just came in off an undercover assignment. I had to blend in with the homeless community in No-Man’s Land. I...” She threw her hands up, helpless to deny the truth. “I’m dirty and I stink.”

The prince stood when she had risen from her chair. With a perfectly straight face, he said, “All I smell is the smoke from a fire. I trust you were not hurt.”

“Aren’t you a gentleman?” A nervous laugh snorted through her nose, and embarrassment warmed her face. “Of course, you’re a gentleman. You’re a prince. I’ll be okay. I mean, my pride is shot to...” Carly bit down on that word and the heat in her skin intensified. She was pretty sure that one didn’t curse in front of royalty. “I’ll have a few bruises, but nothing serious. Thanks for asking.” She turned to the captain, silently begging for backup. “Sir, tell me to shut up.”

Now the captain chuckled. Great. Way to impress the boss and visiting royalty.

“At ease, Valentine,” Hendricks ordered. As he had before, the prince waited for her to sit before he took his seat. She didn’t deserve that kind of chivalry with the impression she was making, but his patience with her had a surprisingly calming effect on her nerves, enabling her to concentrate more on what the captain was saying rather than the humiliation she was feeling. “Lukinburg’s capital city, St. Feodor, is the sister city of Kansas City. Prince Ivan and his delegation are here for a week to negotiate trade agreements, do a cultural exchange with the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum, meet with local and state officials, host a charity ball at their embassy—you get the idea.”

“Uh-huh. What does that have to do with me?”

“The prince has a proposition for you.”

Carly turned her attention to the man beside her. Good grief, his eyes were as blue as she’d imagined when she glimpsed them through the office window a few minutes earlier. The lenses in his glasses didn’t dim their intensity one bit. Whatever this guy had in mind, it wouldn’t be the worst offer she’d ever gotten from a man. Brooke was right, Ivan Mostek was attractive in a polished, faintly arrogant sort of way. In fact, if she met him in a bar, she’d be...lusting after him from afar because she had no clue how to come on to a guy, especially one who looked like he’d stepped out of the self-made CEO section of Forbes magazine and was way out of her league. But she’d definitely enjoy her beer and appreciate the scenery from a distance. Still, she knew Captain Hendricks wasn’t setting her up on a date. She broke the connection with those penetrating blue eyes and looked to her captain. “What sort of proposition?”

“Captain, if I may?” The prince leaned onto the arm of his chair, close enough to catch a whiff of a scent that was much more pleasant than her own. Something clean, all business, masculine. “Due to instability in my country, as we transfer from a corrupt dictatorship to a democratic society, I am required to step up security. Not every Lukinburger is eager to support the new government.”

Ivan articulated every word and avoided contractions. He’d practiced that delivery, so his English would be clearly understood. His tone was less guttural than German, more articulate than Russian, deep in pitch and seductive like fancy poetry. She wondered what that voice sounded like in his native language, whatever language a Lukinburger spoke. Lukinburger? The urge to laugh tickled her thoughts. That made her think of a hamburger. And this guy was nothing but prime steak.

“You find something amusing, Miss Valentine?”

That tone was a little less mesmerizing and a little more His Imperial Majesty, and she shook off the inappropriate detour of her thoughts. “Uh, no. No, sir. But I saw your geeky science guy and bodyguards on the elevator. That’s not security enough?”

“Geeky science guy?” He repeated the phrase, a question in his eyes. Right. Language barrier.

“You know, nerdy? Thick glasses? Needs a haircut? I bet if he trimmed that mountain man beard and got the bangs out of his eyes, he’d clean up as good as you.”

“I assure you he has showered.”

He hadn’t understood the slang she’d used. “Clean up as in he’d be attractive if he, you know, took care of himself a little more. Like you.” The blue eyes narrowed. Great. She’d just admitted she thought the prince was attractive. Or had she just insulted his friend? “No offense. Clearly, the guy’s a charmer. Making a woman laugh is a good thing.” Heat crept into her cheeks again. “I’m rambling again. I’m a little self-conscious right now. I don’t know the etiquette...am I allowed to have a regular conversation with you?”

“No matter the etiquette, it has not stopped you yet.”

Her blush intensified. “Sorry.”

“Do not apologize. You are very observant, Officer Valentine. A good soldier should be. I understand that you served in the military before joining the police force?”

“That’s right. Army National Guard. That’s how I paid my way through school.”

“I, too, served in the army of my country. I admire that sense of duty.” His compliment altered the heat she felt into a bud of self-confidence. As he went on, steering the conversation toward work further distracted her from her embarrassment. “The man in the hallway is my friend, Aleksandr Petrovic. He is a trusted adviser to me. He has, as you Americans say, a nose for business.”

“You mean a head for business? It’s a nose for news, a head for business,” she pointed out. When his eyes narrowed, she pressed her fingers against her lips and apologized, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t interrupt.”

“No. I must use your language correctly.” His fingers spanned her wrist, pulling her hand away from her mouth. The light touch sent tendrils of warmth skittering beneath her skin before he released her. She was just as sensitive to the calluses on his manicured fingers, and surprising strength of his hand that she’d associate more with a working man like her father and brothers than a fairy-tale prince. But the charm was certainly there as he bowed his head to her again. “Thank you for the correction.”

“You’re welcome. You were saying?” Man, was she blowing it in the public relations department. “Your Highness?”

“Ivan will do fine when we are in private like this.”

She was supposed to call a prince by his first name? In what universe? Had she taken a harder hit to the head from Dougie than she realized?

“Just as with our embassies in Washington and now Kansas City, we are coordinating with the Department of State and local law enforcement to ensure that our visit here is a safe one—both for ourselves and for your people. Your captain is indulging a personal request while my chief of royal security and his team are meeting with others in your department.”

“That makes sense.” Carly turned to Captain Hendricks again. “Are you looking for volunteers to work extra duty shifts?”

“Not exactly.”

“Then what? Why the private meeting?”

Prince Ivan touched the arm of her chair to recapture her attention. “I need a personal bodyguard. An American who can assist with my understanding of local idioms, someone who knows the city and can provide security specifically for me while I am here.”

“You mean a liaison officer between your men and KCPD?”

The men exchanged a look. This time she bit down on the urge to keep talking and waited for one of them to explain why she was here.

Captain Hendricks steepled his fingers together on top of his desk. “The prince believes there is someone inside his delegation who is feeding intel to the dissidents who tried to kill him in Lukinburg. He doesn’t know who it is. He’s not sure who he can trust.”

Carly nodded as understanding dawned. “You’re looking for an outsider. Someone who isn’t a part of your inner circle.” The captain and the prince were looking for a cop who could convincingly portray a member of his security team. Maybe a reporter covering his visit. Or even waitstaff or a maid at their hotel. “You want me to sniff around, see if I can find out anything. I can probably get in and out of your functions without drawing any attention to myself. I’m pretty good at blending in.”

“You misunderstand. I want you to be my escort at those functions.”

Carly realized her jaw was hanging open, and quickly snapped it shut. “What?”

“His girlfriend,” the captain clarified. “He’s looking for a female police officer who can be his date at public events. The cover story is that he has an old friend who works at KCPD, someone he met during a military training exercise, and a romance blossomed. His trip to the States has reunited you. She’ll provide a level of security no one will question. Someone who can be seen with him, or even stay the night in his hotel room without anyone questioning why you’re there.”

“Undercover girlfriend? Stay the night?” She snorted a laugh when she heard what the captain was proposing. Then she saw the look in his dark eyes and stopped abruptly. “You’re serious? No. No, sir. Do you see what I’m wearing? Do you see how I look?” She pointed to the bull pen. “I’m in the middle of another case. Emily or Detective Wardyn or any other number of female officers would be a better candidate for that kind of assignment than I would.”

“Valentine—there were two attempts on the prince’s life in Lukinburg.”

“The last one was three months ago,” the prince added. “I have fresh scars from that explosion. Seven people, including a member of the Royal Guard and the bomber himself were killed that day. I felt that coming to Kansas City would ensure the safety of my delegation, and of your people. By distancing myself from the threat.”

Scars? Seven dead? Her panic ebbed at the sobering news. “They tried to kill you?”

“Twice. The bullet missed. The bomb did not.”

“And the threat followed you here to the US.”

“I believe so.” He pulled a note from his pocket and handed it to her.

“You dusted this for prints?”

“There are none,” Ivan answered. “At least, not according to my chief of security, Filip Milevski.”

“One of the guys you’re not sure you can trust?”

“It appeared in my attaché case on the plane during the flight. I do not recall seeing it there when I left St. Feodor.”

With a nod from both the prince and Captain Hendricks, Carly unfolded the typewritten note.

Prince Ivan. The false prince.

We won’t let you sell our country to the Americans.

We will stop you. Dead.

Lukin Loyalists will rule.

Carly let out a low whistle. “Does Homeland Security know about this? The terrorists may be yours, but they’re on our soil.” She folded the note and handed it back to the prince. “No offense, pal, but you need to go home.”

“Valentine—” the captain chided.

The prince waved off his defense and leaned toward her again. “It is all right, Joe. I appreciate her frankness. Miss Valentine—I cannot tell you for certain that the threats are politically motivated. Perhaps they come from criminals seeking revenge for what the new government has taken from them. It could even be something personal I do not yet understand.”

“Personal?”

“Perhaps. This is why I need your help. Whoever is behind this will try again. I want to stop him before any of your people get hurt.”

“Prevent collateral damage.”

“These trade negotiations must happen to ensure the economic success of my country. I need a strong Kansas City police officer, one who knows undercover work. I need a woman to fulfill this role, one who can handle herself as I saw you handle that criminal out there. I need someone I can trust, who is not influenced by the crown, someone who is there to watch me and help me. Lukinburg’s security contingent are trained Special Forces soldiers. If one of them is against me...” He sat back, lifting his shoulders in a weary sigh. “I would like to have an ally in my corner. I would like it to be you.”

She paused a moment to consider what these men were asking of her. “I won’t fit in with royalty. I’m working class right down to my dad’s plumber’s truck. I don’t even own a dress.”

“We’ll get you the right clothes, the right hairstyle, to play the role we need you to. You’d be working straight through the week he’s here in Missouri. We’ll comp you the time, give you a vacation once the assignment is done.”

Prince Ivan nodded. “I will pay for all of these expenses. You will keep anything I purchase for you as a thank-you gift.”

“Dressing me up won’t make me a lady.”

Hendricks rolled his chair back, looking as if this meeting was over and the decision had been made. “You’d be protecting Kansas City by preventing anything from happening to him. You can do this.”

“Are you ordering me to?”

“Do I need to make it an order?”

“No, sir. I took an oath to serve and protect my city. That includes its visitors.” She stood when the captain did. She was okay with the cop part, investigating and protecting, and with keeping a secret. But the rest of this assignment? She only hoped these men understood what kind of magic it would take to turn her into a woman who would date a prince. “When do I start?”

His Royal Blue Eyes rose and buttoned his jacket. “I need you to start the job now. Right here. Before my people return to the captain’s office. I worked as military police when I was in the army, so it is plausible that we are acquainted.”

“How long ago did we allegedly meet?” She’d better start prepping for this part if she was to have any chance of pulling it off.

“Two? Three years ago?”

Carly nodded. “I was deployed to Bosnia two years ago. Guarded the base near Tuzla.”

“I took part in a training exercise in Sarajevo.”

She recognized the city southwest of the base where she’d been stationed. “Then it’s believable that we could have met. If the dates coincide.”

Captain Hendricks circled his desk. “I’ll prep your cover file to make sure they do, in case anyone runs a background check.”

Carly inhaled a deep breath. “Then I guess we’re doing this.”

The prince crossed to the door leading into Brooke’s office. “My first public appearance is tomorrow. I am in meetings throughout the day, but I will have lunch with you to go over the information I have on these threats in more detail, and to discuss the protocols my countrymen would expect from a woman I am with. That will give you until tomorrow morning to get whatever you need to look the part. Aleks will set up an account you may use to buy anything you need.”

At least she didn’t snort this time when she laughed. “I’m gonna need more than a day to make that kind of transformation.”

“Make it work, Valentine.” Captain Hendricks was done with any more excuses. “You’ll be reporting directly to me.”

“I hope you don’t live to regret this, sir.”

“I hope I don’t, either.”

When she opened the door, Brooke was pouring coffee for the armed men from the elevator. A glimpse of a wire curling beneath their collars reminded her that this was Ivan’s security contingent.

“Your Highness.” The man with slicked-back dark hair striped by silver sideburns stepped forward. “Coordination with the local police, providing traffic clearance and venue security is in place. They have your schedule and have assured me they have the manpower to provide the backup my team and embassy security will need. I will coordinate the joint agency security team, of course.”

“Of course.” Ivan laced his fingers through hers, and Carly startled at the unexpected touch. He pulled her up beside him, ashes, grime, stink and all. He hadn’t been kidding. The charade was starting right now. “I want to introduce you to my good friend. Miss Carly Valentine. My valued chief of security, Filip Milevski.”

Um, uh... Think, Carly! Not homeless, not hooker, not task force cop. Girlfriend. She summoned a smile. “Hi.”

Brilliant. Convincing. Not.

The security chief’s dark eyes bored through her with a different sort of intensity than the electricity that charged Ivan’s blue eyes. Yep. That was less of a nice to meet you and more of a what the hell? expression on his clean-shaven face. “This is the woman from the elevator. Why did you not acknowledge her at that time if she is your friend?”

“She was working,” Ivan explained, spewing out lies as if they were second nature to him. “Besides, it has been so long since I last saw her—her hair is much longer now and we are both older—I was not sure it was her.”

Carly could play the lying game, too. “And I wasn’t—I’m not—exactly looking my best. I was a little embarrassed for him to see me like this.”

“Nonsense, дорогой. You know I love to see a woman in action.” What did he say? Huh? Was she going to have to learn a new language for this assignment? Learning to be a proper lady would be hard enough.

Filip Milevski didn’t bother to mask his disapproval of her—although whether it was the idea of his boss having a girlfriend or her, in particular, he disliked—and he acknowledged her with a nod and dismissed her at the same time. “I contacted Eduard. Our car is waiting for us out front to take us to the embassy to meet Ambassador Poveda. The rest of the delegation has gone on to the hotel. Galina is discussing protocol with the hotel staff. She will meet us at the embassy.”

Ivan’s grip tightened around hers, and she got the idea that Milevski’s reaction hadn’t pleased him. “I will finish introductions first, as you will be seeing more of Miss Valentine throughout the week.” He gestured to the sour-faced man with the reddish-brown buzz cut and blotchy skin. “Danya Pavluk. He has worked palace security for years. The Eduard whom Filip mentioned is Eduard Nagy, another bodyguard, specifically, my driver. You will meet him later.”

“I look forward to it.”

Danya Pavluk looked like making polite conversation pained him. All he said was, “Madam.”

“How do you do?”

Danya drank his coffee. Apparently, that conversation was over.

Ivan squeezed her hand again, and she was reminded of the strength and heat of even that casual, deceptively possessive touch. He called to his friend in the hallway. “Aleks, are you ready to leave?”

The nerdy numbers guy said his goodbye to Officer Rangel and came to the doorway. Without waiting for an introduction, he crossed the room to take Carly’s free hand. He kissed her knuckles before stepping back and straightening his glasses on the bridge of his nose. “I am Aleksandr Petrovic. It is my pleasure to meet you.”

She couldn’t help but smile at the way his natural geekiness softened his effusive charm. “Carly Valentine.” He looked like a shaggier, softer version of Ivan. His nose was straighter, his shoulders slightly less imposing. And so far, he seemed to be the friendliest Lukinburger she’d met. “The pleasure is mine.”

So these were some of the suspects Ivan thought might betray him to the Lukin Loyalists who wanted to kill him. She’d need to run background checks and spend some time observing and conversing with all the delegation members to get a better read on who was trustworthy and who hated the prince enough to send a death threat.

She made a mental note to make sure she carried a gun or Taser with her at all times. The security men were armed. Pavluk was built like a tank, and though Milevski was older and had more paunch, she suspected he would be equally hard to take down if she had to protect the prince from one of them. And geek didn’t necessarily mean defenseless, so she couldn’t count Aleks out as a threat, either.

But investigating would have to wait. Sizing up her odds in a physical altercation slipped to the back of her mind, too, when Ivan moved to stand in front of her. With his back to the others, his blue eyes locked on to hers, sending a silent message of gratitude for her alone. Or no, that was a warning. Warning her about what?

Her eyes widened as he dipped his face toward hers and kissed her. Not some fake air-kiss or polite European cheek-to-cheek greeting, either. His firm mouth pressed against the seam of her lips, warmed the spot with moist heat, lingered. His beard and mustache tickled, and she was curious enough about the texture of the dark spiky silk teasing the skin around her mouth that she lifted her free hand to stroke her fingertips across his jaw. The lines of his face were strong, unyielding. She discovered the firm ridge of a scar hidden near his ear when she stroked against the grain of his beard. From his time in the army? A previous attempt on his life?

A blush of feminine interest in his controlled, masculine touch heated her skin as much as self-conscious embarrassment had warmed it earlier. Every instinct inside her wanted to push her mouth more fully against his. She wanted to part her lips and feel that ticklish heat on the tender skin inside. The kiss was easily the most potent she’d ever received, certainly the most unexpected. Ivan’s touch was mesmerizing, magical... Fake, Valentine! The kiss is fake.