Royal Target (13 page)

Chapter 22

Janessa allowed her emotions full rein when she reached her rooms. Tears flowing freely, she closed the door behind her, for the first time flipping the lock to ensure her privacy. She moved into the bedroom, escaping into the darkness. She threw open the window, and the curtain immediately billowed in the breeze. The scent of salt and sand mixed with the roses beneath her window, creating a combination she would always associate with this place.

She resented the person who had turned this peaceful setting into a nightmare, not only for invoking violence tonight but also for robbing all of the residents of their peace of mind. Even after so many improvements to the chateau’s security systems, someone had still managed to breach it.

The knowledge that someone close to Garrett was involved weighed heavily on her. She still believed the servants to be trustworthy, especially since they could have planted a bomb at any time. And certainly his family wouldn’t try to kill him. That left his friends, of whom she knew little.

Though she hated the idea of prying into Garrett’s private life, Janessa knew that she had to take that necessary next step to prevent another incident like tonight. In the back of her mind, she knew she needed to concentrate on the old girlfriends. If someone was targeting her as well, she had to consider the possibility that an old girlfriend might be involved.

The phone rang, and Janessa straightened instinctively. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and moved to answer the phone.

“Janessa? This is Director Palmer.”

“Hello, sir.” Knowing it was only midafternoon in DC, Janessa wasn’t entirely surprised to hear from him. She sat on the side of her bed, sure that Levi had already contacted him regarding tonight’s incident, and concerned that he felt her work here was inadequate.

“I have some information Prince Garrett asked us to look into,” he told her. “We searched for offshore bank accounts for the gas station owner. Our finance department found three accounts totaling nearly five million dollars.”

“They’re sure?” Janessa asked, reaching for a pad of paper and a pen. “How could a gas station owner make that much money?”

“He couldn’t. I’m sending the bank records in the next diplomatic pouch. Expect it to arrive tomorrow afternoon.”

“Thank you, sir,” Janessa said, suddenly wondering why she hadn’t heard about Garrett’s request for information. “Can I ask which of our personnel submitted the prince’s request for information?”

“Tony Coletto, the agent we sent out to investigate the embassy bombing.” Before Janessa could respond, Director Palmer asked, “How is the security coming there?”

“We had a close call tonight,” Janessa admitted wearily, turning her thoughts back to the events of the evening. She hated to admit failure, but she would rather tell him herself than have him receive a diluted version from someone else. She went on to tell him about the events that had transpired, including Alan’s assessment of the bomb.

“I know it’s difficult, but do what you can to keep this out of the press,” Director Palmer advised her. “Also, remember that our military is at your disposal. Let me know if you need anything beyond what Meridia can provide.”

“I will. Thank you.”

Janessa hung up, breathing a shaky sigh of relief. She had expected some kind of reprimand, but instead the director had offered her further resources. She moved to the window and looked out into the darkness. She could hear the waves crashing in the distance and could see a pair of guards on the beach helping bridge the gap in the sensors.

Tears started flowing once more as she thought of Garrett. Both of them had skirted death tonight, and the ‘what ifs’ terrified her. She wished she could tell him how she had felt when she’d clipped that red wire, when she thought she was too late. What would he think if he knew that his face had been the single image that flashed into her mind?

Absently she dried her cheeks on her sleeve. She looked down at the ring on her finger, reminding herself that it was just a prop and that it had to remain that way. She had almost lost him tonight. When he had demanded to come with her, for a brief moment she had wavered, wanting him close, where she could be sure he was safe. That kind of distraction could have cost both of them their lives. No matter how much she had come to love Garrett, their engagement would have to remain a charade.

Her heart ached as she contemplated Garrett’s disclosure about his plans to be baptized. She was in love with a man who would soon be LDS and wanted to pursue a relationship with her—and she would have to continue to turn a cold shoulder toward him.

* * *

Janessa descended the stairs late Friday morning already dressed for the luncheon that would take place in less than an hour. Outwardly everything was business as usual at the chateau, but she could feel the underlying tension among the staff and security personnel.

She had spent much of the night reviewing the weaknesses in the current security. She was certain that the infiltrator from the night before had made it onto the grounds from the beach despite the guards that had been posted there. She couldn’t be sure whether someone had swum ashore from a boat off of the coast or had managed to slip past the guards on the beach, but one way or another the weakness had been found and exploited. Now she hoped that they could fully secure the beach so she could turn her attention to the service personnel, the guest lists, and Garrett’s friends.

She knew she wasn’t the only one who hadn’t gotten much sleep. She had seen Alan out with Max at the break of dawn checking the grounds. He had stopped long enough for breakfast and to give the dog a rest before running another sweep of the chateau’s interior. She had also seen Levi several times throughout the morning as he continued to check in with her to give her updates.

Though Janessa would have preferred to cancel today’s luncheon, Levi had reminded her that their best defense against terrorism was to proceed as though nothing had happened. This knowledge did little to calm the nerves in her stomach. She noted the fresh flowers spilling out of urns at the base of the stairs and tried to keep her mind on the upcoming event.

Among today’s guests were the main contributors to the museum in Bellamo, as well as a few French dignitaries who had helped orchestrate the current exhibit on loan from the Louvre. Martino had informed her earlier that Garrett had left for meetings at the museum to prepare for the opening of the exhibit the next day. She had worried about him ever since.

Despite Levi’s assurances that the number of Garrett’s bodyguards had been doubled and that the security at the museum had been tightened, she couldn’t stop seeing that bomb planted beneath his car. Weary from lack of sleep, she made her way to the kitchen. She pushed open the door to find Patrice mumbling to herself in French. For the first time all day she felt the corner of her lips quirk up.

“Rough day?” Janessa asked in French.

“Two girls are out sick, and lunch is supposed to be served in less than an hour. It seems unwise to call the catering service for temps, given the drama here last night.” Patrice picked up a meat cleaver and neatly cut a club sandwich in half.

“You’re absolutely right. What can I do to help?”

Patrice turned to Janessa, surprise flickering over her face. She started to refuse the help, but before she could speak one of the servants hurried through the door to tell Patrice that the first guests had arrived.

Janessa grabbed an apron off of the hook by the door and stepped to the sink to wash her hands. “Where do you want me to start?”

Patrice barked out orders, and Janessa followed the best she could, grateful to have something to distract her from thinking of the night before.

An hour later, Martino entered the kitchen. He looked from Patrice to Janessa and shook his head in disapproval. “Signorina, Prince Garrett has been expecting you at the luncheon.”

Janessa turned to Patrice and asked, “Can you manage without me?”

She nodded. “Leave that and go to the party.”

Janessa removed her apron and walked through the door Martino held open for her. She moved outside to the terrace where the tables were covered with pale blue tablecloths, and the guests could enjoy both the view of the Mediterranean and the gardens.

Isabel Dumond laughed at something Garrett said, and Janessa imagined that she had been by his side for the past hour. Janessa wondered which of Garrett’s admirers she worried about more—Cynthia Renault, who had flaunted her movie star good looks when they had been in Calene, or Isabel Dumond, who followed Garrett around like a puppy dog every time she had the opportunity.

She supposed that Isabel’s youth might account for her more subtle pursuit of Garrett, along with the fact that Garrett worked closely with her father at the museum. Isabel probably wasn’t more than twenty-three or twenty-four, but Janessa suspected that she had been planning on being in Garrett’s life for some time.

A photographer shifted to take a picture of Isabel and Garrett. Isabel smiled, clearly pleased with the media attention. Inwardly, Janessa knew that she would never be that at ease in front of cameras. The photographer took several pictures before noticing that Janessa had arrived. With a sigh, she moved forward to play her part.

“Isabel, thank you for keeping my fiancé company in my absence.” Janessa smiled as though she hadn’t a care in the world. She leaned over and kissed Garrett’s cheek, linking her arm through his. “I’m sorry I’m late.”

“I’m just glad you’re here now.” Garrett patted her hand and smiled. “Would you excuse us, Isabel? There are several people who have been waiting to meet Janessa.”

Isabel nodded, her smile dimming considerably.

“Where have you been? I was worried,” Garrett whispered as they moved away.

“I was helping in the kitchen. Two of the girls were out sick, and Patrice looked desperate.”

Garrett looked down at her, surprised. “Next time have her call the caterers in Bellamo for help. They’ve always been willing to send a couple of their employees our way since we always use them to cater our large events.”

“Patrice didn’t want to risk it after last night,” Janessa shrugged, forcing a smile as they approached several guests. “Exactly how many people do I have to meet today?” she whispered.

“Only about twenty.”

“Wonderful.”

* * *

As Garrett descended the main staircase, he was grateful that all of their luncheon guests had departed. He had changed into slacks and a polo shirt after one of their last guests had managed to spill her drink on him. Now he hoped to find some time to spend with Janessa.

He was glad she had been perfectly safe, but he wasn’t happy that she had reduced herself to kitchen help and left him scrambling to make excuses as to why she wasn’t present at the beginning of the luncheon. That fact aside, she hadn’t been herself today. She had greeted their guests and asked the right questions, but he could feel her distancing herself from him, and he didn’t think it was just concern about the night before.

When he turned the corner into the parlor, his eyes narrowed. A man in uniform sat next to Janessa on a sofa, and their heads were bent close as they spoke quietly. Garrett cleared his throat, causing both of them to look up. The officer immediately stood. His hair was short and blond, and Garrett recognized his uniform as that of a commander in the US Navy.

Janessa stood as well, straightening the papers she held in her hand. “Prince Garrett, this is Commander Dan Peters. He’s here to help us with the security problems we encountered last night.”

“I would be interested to hear about it.” Garrett noticed a member of his staff down the hall. “Why don’t we continue this discussion in the library?”

With a shrug, Janessa allowed Garrett to take her arm and escort her down the hall as the commander followed behind them.

As soon as they were inside, Garrett motioned for everyone to be seated and took his place beside Janessa. “Have you figured out where the breach occurred last night?”

Janessa nodded. “The motion detectors work beautifully along the hillside, but during low tide, we have a blind spot on the beach. We’re also vulnerable to someone coming ashore from a small vessel off of the coast.”

Commander Peters nodded in agreement. “We have a different type of sensor we use on the ocean floor, a type of sonar, that we think will bridge the gap.”

“How long will it take to install?”

“The equipment won’t arrive until next Wednesday. Until then, that area remains vulnerable,” Commander Peters said, the easygoing cadence in his voice identifying him as a Californian.

“We will have to keep guards posted on the beach until your equipment can be installed,” Garrett stated. He looked from the commander to Janessa. “Is that the only pressing security problem?”

“For now.” Janessa nodded. “I do have other information I need to discuss with you though.”

Commander Peters stood to leave. “I can show myself out.”

“Thank you for your assistance.” Garrett stood as well, reaching out to shake his hand. “If there is anything you need from my government, please let me or Miss Rogers know.”

“I’ll see you next week.” He nodded, closing the door behind him as he left.

Garrett sat back down as Janessa pulled several sheets of paper out of the diplomatic pouch she held. She handed them to Garrett as she spoke. “My agency found what you were looking for. Alberto Manero did have several offshore accounts totaling over five million dollars.”

“Five million?” Garrett repeated, his eyes widening.

“My director feels Manero must have been involved in something illegal, but we don’t have a clue as to what. Without knowing any of his business associates, it makes it difficult to narrow down the possibilities.”

“Not that difficult.” Garrett leaned back, scanning the bank records. The deposits varied in amount and frequency, ranging from fifteen thousand dollars to half a million. “The port in Calene is busy, and we often have tourists come in on leisure vessels. Smuggling has been a concern for as long as I can remember.”