Royal Secrets (7 page)

“But King Eduard would still be in power, and the U.S. navy would likely maintain their presence here. Besides, we can’t be certain how the public will react. We need to make sure we have a backup plan in place.”

Dark eyebrows lifted over equally dark eyes. “Are you certain that once we follow through with our plans, the public will embrace everything we have to offer? You are deliberately creating chaos here in Meridia.”

“Chaos is necessary before the calm.” He smiled charmingly. “Patience, my friend. Everything will happen when the time is right.”

* * *

Janessa clutched the strap of her briefcase with one hand as she followed a White House aide down a wide hallway in the west wing. The past several hours had been completely surreal, starting with Garrett escorting her onto his father’s private jet and continuing right up to being greeted by the White House chief of staff when they arrived a few minutes ago. Then again, life for her had hardly fallen into the normal category since meeting Garrett last spring.

The young man escorting her stopped and pushed a door open for her. Then he motioned her inside.

“Thank you,” Janessa said to the aide before stepping in where the director of the Central Intelligence Agency was sitting at a conference table reading through files.

Director Palmer stood and reached out to shake her hand. “Hello, Janessa.”

“Director Palmer.” Janessa smiled warmly at the gray-haired man in the tailored suit. “How are you, sir?”

“I’m well, thank you.” Director Palmer motioned to the conference room chair beside him. “Please, sit down.”

“I’m sorry I don’t have those reports you asked for. I’m afraid Garrett didn’t tell me where we were going until we landed.”

Director Palmer nodded as a smile crossed his face. “I haven’t heard of any problems in Meridia over the past few weeks. Is it safe to assume you haven’t broken anyone’s nose lately?”

Janessa chuckled and shook her head. An unfortunate incident in Paris a few years ago had grown into a running joke within the Agency. “No, not lately. I’ve been trying to control my temper.”

“Good to hear. How are the security plans going for the naval base?” Director Palmer asked as he settled back into his chair. “Are we still expecting to break ground on Thursday?”

“We are.” Janessa nodded. She gave him the updated timelines and took the time to discuss a few other security matters.

“You’re doing a good job over there,” Director Palmer told her. “Is there anything new about Prince Stefano’s accident?”

“The findings are inconclusive, but the police chief still suspects foul play.”

“Our analysts have expressed similar concerns,” Director Palmer admitted. “We think it’s possible that someone was trying to eliminate a member of the royal family and make it look like an accident.”

“To what end?” Janessa asked, mulling over the information. “Stefano isn’t king yet, and all indications are that Eduard will continue to rule for many more years.”

“Yes, but if the attempt had been successful, the succession to the crown would be altered.”

“Garrett would be next in line,” Janessa said slowly. “Surely you don’t think Garrett would hurt his own brother.”

“No, not at all.” Director Palmer shook his head.

“Have our analysts expressed any concern about Garrett’s extended family?”

“Nothing of significance.”

“Would it be possible for me to get copies of the dossiers on Elam, Victoria, and Philippe?”

“Has something happened to cause you concern, or do you just want to check up on your future in-laws?”

“Some comments have been made about that side of the family living beyond their means,” Janessa admitted, certain this information would not be anything new to the CIA. “I would feel better if I had a clearer picture of what their situation is like in case there are any vulnerabilities that could be exploited.”

“I’ll make sure you get copies of our files, but there is another angle you need to consider.”

“What’s that?”

“Have you heard of Caspar Gazsi?”

Janessa shook her head. “Who is he?”

“He’s the president of Caspian Oil.”

“Isn’t that the Libyan company that petitioned for the rights to drill for oil off the coast of Meridia?”

“That’s right.” Director Palmer nodded. “He owns a residence in Meridia just outside Medina. He is also a known supporter of Liberté, a small faction in Meridia that’s showing strong anti-American tendencies.” He took a photograph out of his file and slid it toward her. “We’re concerned that this group might try to use the construction of our naval base and Prince Garrett’s engagement to an American to trigger civil unrest in Meridia.”

“In Meridia?” Janessa’s eyebrows drew together. “That’s crazy. Meridia is a peaceful country, full of loyal citizens, most of whom are pro-American.”

“Yes, but almost 90 percent of those citizens are also loyal members of the Meridian Church,” Director Palmer pointed out. “If something did happen to Prince Stefano, how do you think they would feel if they found out their future king and queen were both Mormon?”

Janessa’s eyes widened. “What?”

Director Palmer gave her a knowing look. “We’ve known for some time that Prince Garrett was interested in your religion. I realize his baptism isn’t yet public knowledge, but it’s possible that someone is planning on using that information against you.”

“How did you know Garrett is LDS?” Janessa asked now. “Only his immediate family and a small handful of Church members were at his baptism. Everyone there promised to keep the information confidential. Even the members of our branch don’t know he’s a baptized member.”

“One of the locals who works at our embassy in Calene was there when he got baptized. He said something to our operative there, assuming we already knew about it,” Director Palmer told her. His voice took a serious tone when he added, “Janessa, Garrett isn’t the only one at risk right now. Your association with the royal family makes you a target too.”

Janessa swallowed hard as she considered his words. “How credible do you think this threat is?”

“We’ve seen an increase in chatter in the region over the past week, but we aren’t sure yet if it has anything to do with Prince Stefano’s accident,” Director Palmer admitted. “I promise you’ll be among the first to know if we uncover anything new.”

“I would appreciate it,” Janessa said. “I don’t know if the royal family can handle another threat like the last one.”

Chapter 8

“Mama, Mama! Look!” Dante pointed excitedly out the window as the royal chateau came into view.

The stone structure itself was exquisite, towers and turrets spearing into the sky in a way that made Alora think of fairytales. Summer flowers contrasted with the lush green hillside and the bright blue of the Mediterranean. Her eyes shifted to the water and the pristine white beach that stretched out behind their new home.

“Are we really going to live here?”

Alora swallowed a bubble of uncertainty and managed to nod. “Yes, we’re really going to live here.” She glanced at her children in the rearview mirror. “Now, don’t forget what we practiced. When you greet any grown-ups, you need to bow, right?”

“We remember, Mama,” Giancarlo insisted.

Dante shifted excitedly beside his brother. “Can we play on the beach? And go swimming? And get a puppy?”

“Slow down.” Alora chuckled at Dante’s enthusiasm and his continued plea for a puppy. She slowed the car as she approached the gate at the entrance. “I’m sure you’ll be able to play on the beach, but only if I’m with you. For now, we need to get settled.”

“But we’ve been driving forever.” Dante’s voice came out in a whine. “Can’t we go play first?”

Before she could answer, Giancarlo asked, “Are you sure they’re going to let us in?”

“We’re about to find out.” Alora rolled down the window.

“May I help you?” the guard asked, looking first at Alora and then glancing at the two boys in the backseat.

“Yes, I’m here to see Janessa Rogers.”

“I’m sorry, but Signorina Rogers is not in right now,” the guard informed her. “Was she expecting you?”

“Yes. I’m Alora DeSanto.” She started to fumble for a way to explain that she was moving in, but then the guard smiled warmly.

“Ah, yes, we’ve been expecting you. I will need to see some ID though.”

“Of course.” Alora rummaged through her purse and pulled her passport free. “Here you go.”

“Thank you.” He looked down at the passport to verify her identity. Then he motioned to a second guard to open the gate. “Follow the driveway to the front of the house. After your luggage has been unloaded, you can park your car in the garage.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course, Signora. Welcome to Bellamo.”

* * *

The green and brown patchwork of fields stretched out for miles under the wispy white clouds that accented the brilliant blue sky. In the distance, Janessa could see the cluster of neighborhoods that made up the outskirts of Des Moines, Iowa, the closest town to her family’s farm.

Idly, she fiddled with the diamond engagement ring on her left hand, twisting it back and forth as she leaned back beside the man she planned to marry, the man who was about to meet her family for the first time. Besides the obvious concerns of whether her fiancé and family would like each other, Director Palmer’s revelation had pushed Janessa’s already strained nerves into overdrive.

She had expected suspicions to arise about Garrett’s religious preferences as time went on, especially once he became a regular member of the local congregation in Bellamo. What she hadn’t anticipated was for the information to leak so quickly. She understood Garrett’s need for privacy, but the fact that the CIA knew of his baptism only proved that people liked to talk and that eventually someone in the media was going to find out that Garrett had strayed from the Meridian Church.

Not willing to put a damper on their weekend with her family, Janessa had chosen to keep this new information to herself for now. Today she had enough to worry about, although she wasn’t sure if she was more concerned about what Garrett would think of her family or the other way around.

“You aren’t nervous, are you?” Garrett asked with a touch of amusement in his voice. “I’m the one who should be nervous.”

Janessa glanced over at him. “Why should you be nervous? You’re a potential father-in-law’s dream.”

His eyebrows winged up. “Oh really?”

“Oh yeah.” Humor danced in her eyes. “A handsome prince who’s also kind and generous. You’re definitely a keeper.”

Garrett grinned at her. “Glad you think so.”

“I know so.” Janessa leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. Warmth spread through her, but the kiss did little to calm the nerves fluttering in her stomach.

Garrett looked over at her, his expression becoming serious. “You really are nervous. Why?”

She shifted restlessly. “I always get nervous when I go home to see my family. They have a tendency to ask questions I’m not prepared to answer.” She glanced at the back of the plane, where her sister and brother-in-law were sitting, their month-old daughter strapped into a car seat between them. Instinctively, Janessa lowered her voice. “I don’t like lying to them.”

“Why would you lie to them?”

Janessa looked at him, a little surprised that he didn’t already understand her reasons. “Because they always want to know how work is going, and I hate not being able to tell them the truth about what I do.”

“Surely they know you can’t talk about your work. That’s the nature of the CIA.”

Understanding dawned on her, the realization that he didn’t know how deep her cover ran. “Garrett, they don’t know I work for the CIA.”

His eyes widened. “Your own family doesn’t know who you work for?”

Janessa shook her head. “Of course not. No one knows who I work for except the people I work with. Even when I was working in Venezuela, only a handful of people knew I was really an intelligence officer.”

“Wait a minute.” Garrett held up a hand and shook his head as though trying to clear his confusion. “You’re telling me your parents don’t know why you’ve been in Meridia all this time?”

“They believe what the tabloids have told them. They think I met you a few years ago and that I went to Meridia to visit you.” She rolled her eyes. “Believe me, I’ve had a ton of e-mails from my family over the past few months asking why I never told them I knew you.”

“Surely you can tell them the truth now.”

Her eyebrows drew together as she considered the implications. Then she shook her head again. “No, I couldn’t do that. Besides the fact that I signed a secrecy agreement with the CIA, I don’t think either of us wants to take the chance of one of my siblings sharing my secrets. Could you imagine what would happen if the newspapers got wind of the fact that I work for the Agency?”

“Don’t you trust them?”

“It’s just safer if they don’t know the truth,” Janessa insisted. She drew a breath as though steadying herself, and he was surprised to see the raw emotion in her eyes. “A few years ago, a friend of mine was working undercover for the CIA. His brother was all bent out of shape about holiday plans, and he finally broke down and explained who he worked for and why he couldn’t come home to the United States. Two weeks later a bomb went off at my friend’s house. He didn’t survive. Most of his family died with him.”

“His brother blew his cover?” Garrett’s eyes widened.

“According to the investigation, it was an inadvertent disclosure. He told his wife in confidence, who then told a friend. It didn’t take long before something ended up on the Internet. That was all it took for the group my friend had infiltrated to discover his true identity.”

“That’s awful.”

Janessa nodded, and she blinked back the tears that misted her eyes. “It really brought home how important it is to protect my cover, even from those I trust the most.”

Chapter 9

Stefano moved gingerly as he walked down the stairs. He knew Patrice would have a fit if she saw him up and around without his sling on, but he was already tired of wearing it, and he still wasn’t convinced it was helping. Not that he’d spent the past twenty-four hours dwelling on his injuries. His thoughts instead had been consumed by the doctor’s news, the news that had been confirmed only an hour ago when the doctor had called to give him the results of the second set of tests. There wasn’t any doubt. He had Merid’s syndrome.