Billionaire Prince

Billionaire Prince

Jenna Chase & Minx Hardbringer

Billionaire Prince

Copyright: Minx Hardbringer

Published: 2016

This is a work of fiction. Any and all similarities to any characters, settings, or situations are purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, copied in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise transmitted without written permission from the publisher. You must not circulate this book in any format.

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Lorelei

I was more than a little worried when the men in dark suits and even darker sunglasses pulled me out of the line at the airport.

“Come with us, Ma’am.” The biggest of the men said to me as he grabbed my elbow in a way that let me know it wasn’t a request.

“What’s the meaning of this?” I said without any conviction.

“Business of the Crown Prince, Ma’am.” I knew that was going to be the answer, but it didn’t stop my heart from doing a flip-flop in my stomach.

I should have known I wasn’t going to get away with it. I’m not sure exactly where I screwed up, but that doesn’t matter now. If I thought for a second that I had any leverage to get myself out of this mess, now would be the time to use it. Once these men got me out of the public eye, I was as good as gone.

“I’m an American citizen.” I said loudly and hoped that I turned the right heads.

“That’s nice Ma’am. As you may have noticed, this is Najadin.” He said in a thick accent.

Najadin where theft is punishable by life imprisonment. Najadin where they just stopped cutting off people’s hands for stealing ten years ago. Najadin where a twenty-something fake grad student is being led off to god knows where with a back pack full of stolen jewels on her back. The Crown Prince’s jewels.

Vigo promised me this would be an easy job. I should have known better when he promised me sixty percent. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. I know this, and yet here I am.

“Where are you taking me?”

“For search and questioning.” The second biggest of the men said.

I thought we would go to some holding room in the airport, but instead the men loaded me up in a black SUV and took me back towards the palace.

Oh Fuck.

The Prince

Watching her on the security camera has me more excited than I’ve been in years. Until the moment I saw Lorelei slipping the sapphire and diamond necklace and crown into her purse, I felt dead inside.

Most people would love to be me, and I know how arrogant that sounds. I’m rich, I’m royalty, and I can have anything and everything I want. The problem is that after three decades of living that way, having everything handed to me has become dull. I long for a challenge. A statuesque blond challenge in the form of a beautiful jewel thief.

I knew as soon as I saw her that I had to have her, and she gave me every reason I need to keep her. In my country, the crime of theft carries a hefty prison sentence. It could be worse than prison too. Especially since the jewelry she stole are part of the royal jewelry collection gifted to my country a hundred years ago by the French.

My father would have had her hands cut off, but I’ve changed things. He’s a senile old man now, and that has allowed me to put an end to the violence of his reign. I’ve helped usher in a new era of peace and prosperity for our little country, but now I need an heir.

The laws of our country will allow my younger brother to contest my claim to the throne if I don’t have a male child by the time I’m thirty-five. Since that’s only a few years away, it’s time I start making babies to secure my rule. The problem is, I don’t have a wife.

I think I just found one.

I didn’t have her arrested at the palace because I didn’t want my father or brothers to get to her before I had the chance to speak with her. The way the question suspected thieves is a little more intense than the methods I want employed on my future wife. We no longer torture people, but we don’t make it pleasant either.

I’m having her taken to my compound, so I go down and meet my driver in the palace’s underground parking garage. The trip from the airport will take just under an hour, so I have time to make it to the compound and prepare for her arrival.

Lorelei

I’m sandwiched between two huge men, and I’m glad the air conditioning in the SUV is on full blast. I’ve tried to get them to tell me why I’m being detained, but they just look at me skeptically and tell me I know why.

I do know why, and I’m trying not to panic.

My stomach churns when I realize we aren’t going to the palace. I watch out the window in horror as we take the highway around the capital city. If we’re not going to the palace, the only other possibility I can think of is one of the country’s three secret, or not so secret anymore, prisons.

If that’s where we go, I’m as good as dead. No one will ever hear from me again. I took my first job stealing jewels for Vigo because my grandmother was sick and couldn’t afford the treatment for her cancer. I answered an ad looking for young, attractive women who were athletic. I thought it was for acting or modeling, but it turned out he was recruiting jewel thieves.

After the first job, he blackmailed me into doing more. My last job was in Germany, and it was a narrow escape. I told him I wanted out, and that I didn’t care if he turned me in. In my opinion, going to prison is better than dying. At least, American prison is better than dying. Grandma is healthy again, and I don’t want to do this anymore.

So, Vigo sent three armed men to my grandmother’s house to hold her hostage until I stole the Najadin crown jewels. Now I’m going down for a crime I never wanted to commit, and I can’t save my grandmother.

Tears start to spill down my cheeks, and the big guy hands me his handkerchief. It’s a surprisingly sweet gesture given the circumstances.

“Thank you.” I say and wipe my cheeks.

“I know you’re worried, Ma’am, but we don’t cut people’s hands off anymore.” He says with a slight smile.

That’s about the time that the house comes into view. A high fence surrounds it, but other than that, it looks like a normal mansion. Well, as normal as a mansion can look in the middle of the desert. I know enough about the family I’m dealing with to suspect that there could be a dungeon under the house, even if they say they don’t use it anymore.

The Prince

I watch the SUV pull through the gate, and I feel the tingle of anticipation. I assume Lorelei thinks she’ll be put in the holding area underground, but I’ve had the most opulent room in the compound prepared for her. It opens up into a courtyard filled with palm trees and a walk in pool that sparkles in the desert sun.

On my desk are the jewels she tried to steal. Of course, I never let her leave the palace with them. One of my men slipped them out of her bag and replaced them with fakes when she was distracted. The necklace she can have if she becomes the princess, but the crown is mine.

I don’t necessarily like the idea of blackmailing a woman into becoming my wife, but the older generations have done worse. Maybe she’ll find that she likes me, and maybe with time, love can grow.

I’m having a grand feast prepared by my best chef, and she’ll be the guest of honor at dinner tonight. Everything she needs to be comfortable is here, and if I’ve missed anything, I have a literal army of men to get it for her.

Should she become my wife, she’ll never have to worry about being prosecuted for stealing. You can’t steal what rightfully belongs to you. So, she’s protected even if my father, uncles, or brothers find out what she’s done. I will guard her with my life, because I’m convinced that Lorelei is my greatest treasure.

I watch them bring her in, and I can tell she’s been crying. That makes me feel crazy. She should never feel anything but good. I’d do anything, spend any amount of money, to make her happy. I’ve never even spoken to her, but I already know exactly what she is.

Mine.

Lorelei

The men bring me into the house, and to my surprise, they don’t take me down into some dark basement. I’m led down the opulent hallway to a bedroom fitting a queen. In the middle of the room is a four-poster bed draped in gauzy white fabric. The floors are a pink stone tile, and the outside wall of the room is floor to ceiling windows.

Outside of the room is a decadent courtyard lined with trees. In the middle is a pool with tiered steps so you can wade out into the sparkling aqua water.

“You can swim if you like.” The second biggest one says to me.

“I can?”

“Yes, as of right now, you’re an honored guest of the Prince. This room and the rest of the house is here for your pleasure. I’m Abir and the big guy is Gabe. We’re your guards.” He says and smiles.

“I’m not under arrest?”

“At this time, you’re an honored guest of the Prince.”

“So you’re not going to lock me up?”

“Did you look around when we arrived? Where are you going to go? You’d die before you reached civilization. Every vehicle on the property can be shut down remotely. We don’t need to lock you up, but again, you’re a guest here.” He says and chuckles.

I have no idea what’s going on, but I’m starting to relax. Abir and Gabe say that they’ll be in the living room if I need them. They also tell me that everything I need is in the dressers, closet, and the bathroom, but if I need something, let them know. Then they leave. I think to ask them when I’ll see the Prince, but then I decide not to ask too many questions.

I walk over to a door and open it, inside is a walk in closet bigger than my apartment. Half of the walls are lined with built in drawers, and the other half is racks filled with clothing. I go through a few of the drawers and find one that has swimsuits in it. I choose a hot pink bikini and put it on. I wonder for a moment how they made all of this happen so quickly, but the royal family has billions. I imagine they can make just about anything happen.

When I come out of the closet, there is a cell phone sitting on the nightstand with a note.

Call your Nana. She’s worried about you.

“Nana, are you alright?” I gasp into the phone when my grandmother picks up the video call.

“Oh yes, sweetie. There is a very nice man here. He came and those other awful men looked terrified. They left quietly, and Salem is here with me now. Say hello, Salem.” She says and turns the phone so that I can see a man who looks very much like Abir’s twin sitting on my Nana’s couch eating her lemon cookies and drinking from one of her horse mugs.

“His name is Salem?”

“That’s what he said. He said that he’s going to stay here for a while until he’s sure I’m safe. He said that you’ve been invited to stay at the Princes mansion for a while, and that I might get to come see you there.” She says and smiles. “Is there something you’re not telling me, Lorelei?” She sounds excited, not scared.

“I don’t know, Nana. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.” I say and wink at her.

I don’t want her to know I’m scared. I don’t want her to know the men Salem scared off were holding her hostage because I’m a jewel thief. Was a jewel thief. I don’t want to be involved in this anymore. There has to be a way out.

When we disconnect, I tell her I’ll call her later. I go out to the courtyard because I figure a swim will help me burn off some of my nervous energy until I know what’s going on. If I’m being held prisoner here, I might as well enjoy it.

The outside air should be unbearably hot, but the courtyard is perfect. I step onto the cool tiles, and I shiver. The air is cool, but the water is just right. I swim a few laps, and a woman dressed in a maid’s uniform appears and asks me if I’d like a drink.

“A margarita?” I ask quietly. I’m not sure if I’m pushing it.

“Right away, Ma’am.” She says and leaves without another word.

She’s back in minutes, and leaves the drink on a stone table next to the pool. I get out and take a sip. It’s delicious, and the alcohol calms my nerves completely. If it weren't for the circumstances that brought me here, I’d swear I was on the vacation of a lifetime.

What is going on here?