Going Royal 02 - Some Like It Scandalous (24 page)

“No. But he was here on a forged passport, the name didn’t match his and we have enough to hold him. Fortunately, he didn’t think to clean out his car—the man was a slob—and we found receipts to three different motels. His brother Yuri was staying at one until two days ago. Now he’s in the wind, but we know where he was and we’re putting together a profile on where he’s been so we can anticipate where he might be next.”

Returning Agent Thomason’s phone, Armand frowned. “So we have one in custody, and one still at large.”

“As far as we can tell. We’d like to ask you to not attend your event tonight. Keep a low profile for a few days and let us track this guy down.”

“Absolutely not.” He had no intentions of keeping a low profile. If Yuri Markov wanted to kill an Andraste, he would have one single target to focus on: Armand. His security was ready—even if they didn’t approve.

“Your Highness...” Filch interjected. “We can’t guarantee your safety. While there have been no new threats issued, the presence of yourself and Miss Novak at the same event—whatever is setting these guys off, if they want to make a statement, this is where they will do it.”

His gut clenched. Anna had left an hour before. Peterson assured him they’d doubled her detail for the night and Kyle Johnson would be at her side at all times along with two female bodyguards. They would keep her safe and after tonight... After tonight the bull’s-eye he’d painted on her back would be gone.

“Thank you for your concern, gentlemen. But we postponed this event once, we will be proceeding as planned. We’ve taken security into account. Please let me know what happens with Markov.” At least they got the bastard who hurt Richard. It was a small recompense for his friend’s injuries, but better than leaving the man at large.

In the car again, Armand motioned for the driver to get them under way. He still had three stops to make before the event center. He glanced at his watch. They would arrive after the official beginning, but he planned the timing for maximum attention.

* * *

“
We are coming to you live from the Disney Event Center here in Los Angeles where the Andraste Grand Duke
,
Prince Armand
,
is hosting a gala to launch the Princess Alyxandretta Dagmar Scholarship.
This is a fund dedicated to foster children who might not otherwise be able to afford college.
Hosting this event alongside the prince is Miss Anna Novak
,
the administrative director for the fund and
,
according to many reports
,
the prince’s first love.
The two reunited recently after a near ten-year separation.
All royal watchers will be on this couple tonight—could another royal wedding be in the offing?
”

Anna smoothed a hand down the velvet-and-silk royal-blue dress. It cost her over five hundred dollars and was worth every penny. The snug bodice emphasized her curves, while the flaring skirt gave it an air of whimsy. She wore very simple jewelry and sedate cosmetics. This event was about the scholarship, not her. Her hair gathered back from her face and spilled down from a simple knot in the back. She’d let the curls do their thing and practiced her smile in the mirror while she got ready.

She’d hoped to see Charlie before she left, but he’d been on a call in his office and left word to not be disturbed. But she suspected Charlie knew the color of her dress, because a black velvet box waited for her on her bed. She glanced down at her wrist and smiled at the sapphire and diamond bracelet. It was simple, elegant—and utterly unexpected. More so was the note with it.
You will be magnificent tonight
,
never forget you are a treasure.

He confused the hell out of her.

She arrived early enough to walk the ballroom. Kyle and his men wore tuxedos, blending in with the crowd—not that their six-foot-plus statures, square jaws and broad shoulders weren’t noticeable, but she understood. They each wore flesh-colored earbuds, and if she hadn’t known what to look for, she might have overlooked it.

Better to let them do their jobs while I do mine.
The guests began trickling in at five after seven. Required to pass through two checkpoints, they were greeted by waitstaff offering champagne flutes. Anna agreed to mingle on one side of the room only, away from the main entrance, and it didn’t take her long to be drawn into conversations with a dozen different guests. She shook hands, talked about the scholarship and received numerous pledges.

Kate attended alongside her, thankfully. She carried a digital tablet, took personal information, noting the donation numbers and more. Anna’s head whirled as they moved through the crowd. The turnout was enormous. Of the twelve hundred guests invited, Kate told her over seven hundred were in attendance. Since they were charging a thousand dollars a plate, they had already earned a huge amount for the fund.

At exactly a quarter to eight, a stir rolled through the crowd and Anna turned from greeting the head of a movie studio to see Charlie arriving. The nervous flutters in her stomach doubled, then plummeted.

He wasn’t alone.

The Grand Duke Armand made a hell of a noise when he entered the crowded ballroom with not one, but three women—including his former paramour Nikole holding on to his right arm. He looked devastating in his black tuxedo, his charming smile lighting up his dark looks. His hair feathered rakishly across his forehead. Instantly captivated, the crowd surged toward him.

Men shook his hand. Women curtsied. Photographers snapped his picture. The buxom blonde model on his arm looked across the room, her gaze cutting into Anna’s with a look of such utter triumph in her brittle smile.

Stomach aching, Anna forced her own smile to stay in place. When Armand seemingly glanced across the room at her, he spared her the briefest of nods. She returned it, trying to ignore the sucker-punched feeling in her abdomen and the cascade of hot, then cold, racing over her skin.

The executive seemed to sense her distraction and excused himself. Anna glanced at Kyle. “I need a moment,” she murmured.

He nodded and with one gesture, her security fell in around her and they began to weave their way through the crowd toward the side of the room. Kate, swept up by the security force, stayed with her. “Are you all right, Anna?”

“I’m fine.” Anna lied through her teeth. “I just need to catch my breath and maybe splash some water on my face.”

At the restroom, Kyle opened the door and Kate slipped in to check for him. “It’s empty.”

Anna followed her inside, grateful for the sudden silence away from the murmuring crowd. She planted her hands against the cool marble and closed her eyes. Breathing through her nose and out her mouth, she tried to calm the wild stampede in her chest. He brought Nikole. It didn’t matter that those other women were with him with their poured-on dresses and glittering jewels and overwhelmingly gorgeous bodies—he’d brought Nikole.

The woman who name-dropped him as her fiancé. The woman with whom he’d shared an on-again, off-again affair.

Was it suddenly on-again?

Nausea surged up and she pressed her lips together. She would not get sick. She would not do this.

A cool washcloth draped against the back of her neck and she jerked, glancing up to find Kate looking at her in the mirror. “You’re not okay.”

“I am fine. But thank you. I just—”

“Need a moment, you said.” Quiet empathy echoed in the woman’s voice. “What can I do?”

Anna looked at herself in the mirror and saw a pair of hollow eyes gazing back at her. She took another lungful of air and exhaled. “How are we doing with donations?” Focus on the job.
We’re here to raise money
,
a
lot of those people came to gape and point at the royal sideshow...but they’re paying for the privilege.
Hold on to that.

“Well, in addition to the per-plate fee, of which we take half directly for the scholarship and the checks and pledges we’ve taken so far...” Kate glanced down at her digital tablet. “About four million, five hundred thousand. And we’ve only spoken to about a fourth of the people in attendance. I’m sure there will be more after your speech...”

Oh my God.
Nausea burned up again and she barely made it into the toilet in time to throw up. Kate was there again, holding her dress and hair out of the way. She didn’t hesitate, disappearing to the sink and returning with another cold washcloth.

“I’ll get you some water.” She walked over to the door and had some quiet words with Kyle. By the time she returned, Anna was back at the sink and rinsing out her mouth. Thank God, she didn’t soil her dress. Kate passed her a cold glass with ice and water in it. She also held two tablets in her hand.

“They’re for motion sickness. It’s not quite anxiety, but they should help. Just don’t drink any more wine or champagne.”

The thought of alcohol revolted Anna. She took the pills and washed them down with the water.

Kate leaned against the counter. “Can I give you some advice?”

“You just watched me throw up and freak out.” Anna blotted the damp washcloth against her mouth and pulled open her clutch to find something to repair her makeup with. “I think you’ve earned the right to give me some advice.”

“His Highness is a prince, a grand duke, CEO of a large international corporation and sits on numerous boards and advisory councils in the European Union. He’s wealthy, famous, a celebrity of sorts and really not hard on the eyes.” Kate ticked off the qualities with her rounded, red nails.

“I’m pretty much aware of that.” Being reminded only made her unease sink its claws deeper into her belly.

“Of course you are.” Kate smiled. “But you’ve forgotten the most important part.”

“And that is?” Irritation crept into her voice. The woman had become something of a friend over the last couple of weeks, but she didn’t know Charlie—not the way Anna did.

“He’s a man, sweetie. And all men are stupid.” Kate’s quick grin was equal parts amused and sympathetic. “I don’t know why he brought the freak shows with him, but he isn’t paying any attention to them. He watched you when he came in that room. He knew exactly where you were and when you left, his gaze followed you all the way out. So you go out there, you put on your game face and you show him exactly why he can’t take his eyes off you.”

Anna gaped. “He’s your boss.”

“That doesn’t make him any less male or any less prone to their fits of stupidity.” Kate turned to the mirror and leaned forward to check her teeth. “Besides...you look amazing, you do amazing work and you’ve been busting your ass to get this event off the ground. It’s your night—take it. Now, fix your lipstick, dab some perfume on and let’s go knock them all dead.”

“You’re right,” Anna said after a long silence.

“Of course I am.” Kate winked and gave her arm a friendly pat. “You ready for it?”

Not even a little.
I’d rather go have my teeth extracted than walk back out there.

“No, but let’s do it anyway.” Anna fixed her smile, burying the hurt beneath a veneer of professionalism. She would do it. She would give the crowd a show—maybe not the romantic love story they came seeking, but she would make the most of the opportunity to fill the scholarship fund’s coffers and raise enough money to send a thousand kids to the colleges of their choice.

She could get through the next few hours.

Right?

Chapter Sixteen

“
In what may be the most shocking turn of events this evening
,
the Andraste Grand Duke
,
Armand
,
arrived at the Disney Event center almost forty-five minutes late for the gala he is hosting with not only another woman on his arm
,
but three women
,
including internationally renowned Nikole.
As you may recall
,
just a week ago
,
Nikole
‘
announced’ that she and the prince were engaged.
She later retracted that statement
,
but with her unexpected appearance at her side tonight
,
could the reunited love affair with Anna Novak be over already?
They don’t call him the playboy prince for nothing.
Back to you
,
Kym.
”

Anna disappeared long enough that Armand began to worry. Glad-handing his way through the crowd, he headed in the direction she disappeared. Pulling free of Nikole, he sent her off to mingle and find a drink. He was halfway across the ballroom when Anna reentered. Her chin up, she didn’t look in his direction at all. Her dazzling smile focused on the British ambassador and his wife. She shook hands, gestured to some of the prints hanging around the room that detailed the scholarship and moved on.

Relieved that she was okay, he turned his attention to the New York bankers seeking a deal with Dagmar International. It never failed to surprise him how many corporate heads would attend a charity event as a negotiating tactic. The next thirty minutes passed in tedium. Per his instructions, his personal security maintained a discreet distance, allowing him to flow through the crowd.

Two representatives from Belaria actually put in an appearance, the middle Kachusov son and his attaché. “Your Highness, it is good to see you looking so well.” His tone disagreed with the words.

“Colonel—is it?” Armand enjoyed the look of surprise rippling across Kachusov’s face. He didn’t wear a uniform, but the prince made it a point to know his enemies.

“Yes, Your Highness. Although I am retired presently.”

“Ah, but the life of a military man is never complete unless his country has need of him again.” They shook hands briefly. “Thank you for contributing to the cause. My cousin will be thrilled by the outpouring of international support for something so close to her heart.” Years of practice kept his smile firm and his tone even. He stared into the eyes of a man who may have sent death threats to his family—or at least instigated them.