Unmasked (Godmother Security Book 1) (2 page)

A little more than sixteen hours later Cindy dropped her travel bag and mission utility pack onto the entryway floor of her Upper West Side apartment. After delivering Cody to his father at a hotel in San Antonio, she and her team took the two young women to a local hospital.  Cindy waited at the hospital with the girls while Jack and Gus took the Godmother Security jet to Salt Lake City to pick up their parents, reuniting the families six hours quicker than if they had waited to get a commercial flight.  Cindy had called to clear the expense with her boss, but it had just been a formality.  She’d known her Aunt Faye, the owner of Godmother Security, would help in any way possible, even before knowing the whole story.

There hadn’t been any time on the chopper ride from the cartel’s compound to the airport in Monterrey, Mexico where the company jet waited to get details. On the short flight from Monterrey to San Antonio the girls had been very quiet while Cody told how he’d been kidnapped.  He’d been in Monterrey visiting a college buddy who lived there.  They’d been out partying one night when Cody was lured out for a midnight ride with sexy young woman.  Turned out the woman was bait. He was kidnapped, and a ransom demand had been sent to his wealthy father.

The girls’ story was very different, and they didn’t tell it until they were alone with Cindy at the hospital.  They were in Mexico on a church mission trip.  Their church group had gone into Monterrey for an afternoon of shopping and sightseeing.  When they got separated from their group, they decided to take a taxi back to where the group’s truck was parked.  They had been kidnapped by the driver, and delivered to the cartel.  Instead of ransoming the two girls, they had been kept for entertainment.  They didn’t go into details, but they didn’t need to.  Cindy could imagine the horrors they’d been forced to endure. 

Neither of them had been sure how long they’d been held captive, but when their parents arrived Cindy had learned the girls had been missing for over three months.  Both families had flown to Mexico to look for the girls, but there had been no luck. After two weeks the money the church had raised to help had ran out, and they’d been forced to go home.   

Due to the nature of their injuries, the hospital notified the police when the girls’ were admitted. So, while Jack and Gus napped in the hotel room they’d rented earlier in the week while planning the rescue, Cindy stayed with Faith, Tiffany, and their parents while they gave the police their statements.  She also had to deal with the legalities associated with the rescue.  Faye had made a couple of phone calls from New York to help with that, and it had all been tied up fairly quickly.  

“Home sweet home,” she mumbled to the empty room.  Her one bedroom apartment was barely larger than a studio apartment, but it was cozy.  She was looking forward to taking advantage of the amazing water pressure in the tiled shower and big, soft bed. Dirt and grime from the Mexican desert still covered her skin and she hadn’t slept in thirty-six hours, unless you counted the catnap on the plane ride home, which she didn’t. 

She’d just stripped off her t-shirt and was headed for the bathroom when her cell phone rang. 

She tapped answer and barely had the phone to her ear when a smooth, cultured voice said, “Welcome home.”

“Faye, are you tracking my phone’s GPS?” Cindy asked, smiling.

“Honey, my computer is always tracking your phone’s GPS.  It’s my job.  But, as it happens, I don’t have my computer in front of me just now.  I actually bribed your doorman to call me the instant you got home.”

Cindy laughed.  “Remind me to reduce Albert’s Christmas bonus this year.”

Faye gasped in mock horror.  “Don’t you dare!  If you do I’ll have to double my bribes.”

Cindy laughed again.  “So, what was so important that you had to bribe poor Albert to spy on me?”

“I thought you’d want to know Tiffany Stokes’ mother called me while you were on your way home.  Tiffany’s ankle won’t need surgery, but they want to keep her a couple of days to keep an eye on the infection.  Faith will be released tomorrow but has refused to leave Tiffany so the Lucas family will be staying on as well.  I’ve arranged for hotel rooms for both families near the hospital for as long as they need them.  And I’ll take care of their flights home when they are ready.”

“That’s very kind of you,” Cindy said.

“It’s not much, really.  They’ve been through a lot, and have a lot more to go through.  Their parents are missing work, and both girls will have medical bills and therapy to contend with.  Mrs. Stokes said their church is already planning fundraisers to help with some expenses. Neither family is destitute, but every little bit helps.”

Cindy smiled at the phone.  Her aunt was a savvy business woman and had been, at one time, a ruthless killer; but she had a soft side a mile wide. “Both families seemed very nice, and it was very sweet of you to take a little worry off of them so they can focus on their girls.  Thanks for letting me know.”

“Oh, there’s one more thing before I let you go,” Faye said.

“What’s that?” Cindy asked distractedly.  Her mind was already back on the warm, soothing shower she had planned.

“I need you in the office first thing in the morning,” Faye said, all business now.

Cindy groaned.  “It’s Saturday.  You don’t even go into the office on Saturday.”

“This is a special case.  I’ve got a job for your team.”

“We just came off a job, like half an hour ago. Don’t you have like five other teams?  Let one of them have it,” Cindy groused.

“All of them are on jobs, except Grant’s team.  You are more qualified for this particular job.  It’s local, you’ll be okay.  Go get some rest, and I’ll see you in the morning.”  She hung up before Cindy could complain anymore.

Cindy stared at the dress, horrified.  “Come on, Faye.  You can’t be serious.”

“Honey, when it comes to a job, I’m always serious,” The woman holding the ball gown high so it wouldn’t drag the ground looked like a kindly grandmother with her tall, thin stature and perfectly styled silver hair, but Cindy knew the truth without being told.  Faye Littleton could be as sweet and kind as her appearance suggested, but when it came to Godmother Security she was a hard as steel.  It wasn’t just business savvy, either.  Faye was ex-CIA, and despite her more than sixty years, Cindy had seen the older woman take down men half her age and twice her size.

Godmother Security was a private security firm that specialized in the protection of high profile clients.  In the two years since she’d come to work at after leaving her job at the FBI, Cindy had worked a variety of dangerous and covert assignments.  She’d been shot at, stabbed, and stranded in a South American jungle, but this had to be the worst assignment Faye had ever given her.

“Why do I have to dress up like a fairy princess?”  She stomped her foot, knowing she sounded like a whiny four year old, but not really caring.  The thought of being trussed up in that frothy, lacy excuse for a dress made her hackles rise.

“Because Jack and Gus would look silly in it.  Plus, they don’t make ball gowns to fit linebackers.”  Faye said, her eyes twinkling.  “At least the dress is black.”

Cindy took the dress from Faye and laid it on the small sofa in the corner of the office.  “I suppose that is something, but I still don’t get why I have to go to this thing tonight.  Two bodyguards are more than enough at a fancy shindig.  Jack and Gus should be able to handle it.”

“There’s a little bit more to it than that,” Faye said as she walked around the large mahogany desk.  She took a thick manila file folder from a drawer, tossed it on the desk, and sat down in her leather upholstered desk chair.  “Sit, I’ll brief you.”

Cindy sat on the opposite side of the desk in a smaller, less comfortable chair.  She took the folder and began silently flipping through the pages as Faye talked.

“You know who Sebastian Prince is?”

“Sure, heir to the Prince Industries fortune. Billionaire playboy type that dates starlets.  I think he’s something like the fifteenth or twentieth richest person in the U.S.”  The guy was all over the news, mostly because of who he dated.  Cindy hated that the “news” these days had turned into nothing more than celebrity gossip.

“Actually, he’s the eighteenth richest in the world, tenth in the U.S.” Faye said with a smile.

Cindy shrugged. “Meh, so I was off by a couple billion.  Pocket change to him, I’m sure.”  She wasn’t at all impressed.  Although Faye often took humanitarian missions, the bulk of Godmother Security’s clients were some of the richest people in the world.  Private security wasn’t for the poor or middle classed of the world.  In Cindy’s experience, money usually did nothing more than make people feel like they had the right to be jackasses.

“Chump change it may be,” Faye said, leaning back in her chair. “But, his pockets are about to get a whole lot heavier.  Sebastian Prince is heir to Prince Industries, but he also inherited half of his maternal grandfather’s real estate empire, and has made quite a bit on his own.  He only has half interest in Prince Industries.  His father, Jackson, who is several rungs above Sebastian in wealth, announced last month that he will be handing over the full reigns of Prince Industries to junior at the end of this month.”

“Which is a week away,” Cindy supplied.

Faye nodded and continued, “At the same time he will also be handing over the entirety of the inheritance that will be due to Sebastion, seventy five percent of his and his wife’s personal wealth.  That alone comes to around twenty billion.”

Cindy let out a low whistle.  “Ok, so Prince is about to slide up to pretty close to the top of the food chain.  I take it someone isn’t too happy about that?”

“You guessed right.  We know a hit was put out on Prince, and we know who did it.”

That caught Cindy’s attention.  She sat straight up in her chair.  “What?”

Faye grinned.  “I thought that would interest you.  Prince’s cousin on his mother’s side, his only cousin by the way.  Andrew Duke didn’t take kindly to only inheriting half of their grandfather’s estate.  He thought that since Sebastian was the sole Prince heir, he should give up his claim to the Duke fortune.  Apparently the senior Duke had anticipated his whiny grandson and had put in the provision that if either heir declined the inheritance, both would forfeit.  Duke fought the will, but the old man had been wily and the will was ironclad and unbreakable.”

“So, how much did Prince inherit from his grandfather?”

“The will split everything down the middle, including control in the companies owned by Duke.  It came down to around 40 million each in cash and assets.  Prince even offered to settle the dispute by giving Duke a cash settlement of 50 million.”

“Pocket change,” Cindy said again, but with less bile this time.  Obviously the guy was trying to make good on a situation he couldn’t do much about.  “But, that wasn’t good enough for Andrew Duke?”

“No, though he did take the settlement.  Apparently what he wants is full control of all Duke owned companies.”

Cindy nodded.  “And because of the will, the only way to get that is if Prince is dead.”

“Bingo,” Faye said, tapping her finger to her nose.

“Okay, but what I don’t get is how you know all of this.  And if he’s already been found out, why are we needed?” Cindy asked, her brows knitted together in an expression that Faye constantly told her would give her wrinkles someday soon.

“Well, I’m guessing that the reason Old Man Duke made it impossible for Andrew to get control of his businesses is because he knew his grandson is an idiot.”

Cindy raised one eyebrow, but didn’t interrupt.

“Duke was boffing his secretary and during a late night
dictation
session, he let slip he had put out a hit on his cousin.  He was talking about all the things he was going to do his grandfather’s companies when they were in his control.  He had plans to sell the companies off, or dismantle them and close them down.  Apparently he had hated the old man, and it was his deepest desire to destroy his business.  Of course, he was more than happy to take any and all cash he could get.  The kicker is that he is, or was, in Sebastian’s will to inherit half of Prince’s estate if Sebastian died unmarried and with no children.”

“Which means he could destroy what his grandfather built, and still live high off the hog among the wealthiest of the world.  I’m guessing the secretary went to the cops.”

Faye laughed.  “Didn’t pass go or collect two hundred dollars.  She bolted from the hotel room they had their little tryst in and went straight to the FBI.  Apparently he scared the bejeezus out of her.”

“So the Feds are investigating?”

“
Have
investigated, and have hit a brick wall.  Take a look at the back of the folder.”

Cindy did as she was told.  “Copies of the case files, how did you…”

“Don’t ask,” Faye cut her off, her smile sly.

Cindy laughed.  “Okay, I won’t.”

She skimmed the paperwork.  “Okay, so it looks like they found a ton of incriminating emails on his personal computer.  Gee, you weren’t kidding. This guy really is an idiot.”

“Yes, but unfortunately whoever he hired isn’t.  Apparently 50 million hires tech savvy assassins.”

Cindy’s eyes went wide.  “Holy shit!  Is Prince a despot dictator of a third world country and I just didn’t know it?  That’s a lot to take out one guy.  Even a rich guy.”

Faye leaned forward and put her elbows on the desk.  “Apparently it really is small change if you plan to inherit a hundred times that.”

Cindy shook her head.  “This is ridiculous.  It’s like Monopoly money to them.  Ok, so Duke has been caught, the Feds got the evidence on him.  Prince should be out of danger now.”

“Except the hit has been ordered, half of the money has been transferred to an offshore account, and then transferred again.  It has as good as disappeared. You know the drill…”

“All we have to do is publicize his arrest, the hit won’t go down.  If they are smart enough to make sure they can’t be traced, they would be smart enough to take the money and run.”

Faye sighed wearily.  “Maybe, maybe not.  But it doesn’t matter.  Prince doesn’t want a word of this leaked.  In addition to the upcoming transfer of power, he is afraid of what the negative publicity will do to Duke Holdings.  He wants to keep word of this out of the press for as long as possible.”

“So, we are protecting him against a hit by professional assassins?” Cindy asked, wryly.

Faye lifted a mocking brow, “Too dangerous for you?”

“Not a chance!” Cindy smirked.  “It actually sounds like fun.  I need a good challenge.  So, do you really think they’ll try to take a shot at him tonight at this charity thing?”

“Actually, no.  According to the emails Duke was very specific about waiting until after the transfer of the company and inheritance takes place.  He doesn’t just want control of Duke Holdings anymore; he wants a share in Prince Industries and all that money.  And before you say it, no, we can’t postpone the transfer.  Both of the Prince men have been adamant about that.  The reasoning is twofold. First, if they postpone the media will want to know why, and if you get a tenacious enough reporter, something will get leaked.  Second, they are keeping the whole thing from Mrs. Prince.  Duke is her nephew, the son of her only brother. She was very close with her brother, and the Prince’s took Andrew in when he was a teenager after his parents died.  When it all comes out she is going to be heartbroken.  They don’t want to add the stress of worrying about her son’s life being in danger if they can help it.”

That was understandable.  Cindy couldn’t remember her own mother or father.  They’d been killed in a car accident when she was very young.  She lived at a boarding school until she was in her teens and her aunt found her and took her in.  In the few years they’d known each other, mostly the last few since Cindy had come to work for Faye, the two had grown quite close.  Though Faye was usually the one keeping secrets, Cindy could understand the need to protect a loved one from as much emotional hurt as possible.  While it made her job harder and more dangerous, and put several people in danger, she could commend the Prince men for their decision.

“Okay, so we know they won’t make an attempt tonight, why aren’t Jack and Gus sufficient?  Why do I have to get trussed up in that thing,” she wrinkled her nose again when she gestured to the dress.

“The Princes want to be as discreet as possible.  Jack and Gus are consummate professionals, but blend in, they do not.  Especially not in tuxes.”

It was true.  While the best at their jobs, their stature and demeanor screamed “bodyguard.”  Especially Gus who, with his broad, muscle bound build looked like he would be more comfortable in a football uniform
than a tuxedo.  Tall and well-muscled, Jack looked like he belonged on a basketball court.  They looked exactly the way most people want their security to look - dangerous and formidable.  Not discreet enough for a fancy charity ball.

Faye continued.  “Sebastian didn’t want to have any personal security at tonight’s function at all. Apparently he started the foundation, and tonight’s fundraiser is a big deal.  He doesn’t want anything to take the spotlight away from the charity.  But his father would not be swayed.  So, the compromise is that Jack and Gus will be there, but they will be blending with the function’s security detail.  With so many uber-rich showing up they already have a pretty good security planned.  I’ve had a look at the roster, there are some good guys working the party.  Jack and Gus will be able to hover around the edges of the party without anyone knowing they have eyes just for Prince.”

Cindy found the security plans in the file.  “Looks pretty solid.”

Faye smiled slyly, “Yes, it does.  But if they are good, it won’t keep them out.  Though we don’t expect a hit tonight, it would be the perfect night for some recon.  If I were planning to hit Prince I wouldn’t do it with a sniper rifle.  I’d get as up close and personal, not to mention private, as I could get.”

Realization dawned on Cindy.  “You think the assassin is a woman.”

“I don’t have any idea,” Faye laughed.  “So, you noticed how delicious the man is, have you?  I see where your mind immediately went.”

“I, uh, no…ugh! Faye!” Cindy stammered.  Her face burned.  It amazed her that, despite being over thirty, she could get so flustered.  It was probably because she had been thinking exactly what her aunt suggested.  Sebastian Prince was brain melting hot.  In truth it only seemed natural that he had a new starlet each month.  He was richer than God, and had the body of Adonis.  Women probably threw themselves at him every day and twice on Sundays. He would be a fool to pass up the opportunities.

Laughter poured from Faye.  “Okay, okay.  Sorry, it’s just, if you could have seen your face.  Okay, back to business.”  She composed herself and went on with only the slightest smile.  “In addition to his playboy status, Sebastian is a shrewd but compassionate businessman.  He only makes deals he believes they will be profitable for all involved, and he has strict ethical guidelines, but he has a reputation for listening to pitches and giving everyone a chance. Prince also donates millions to charities every year, most of them small nonprofits with yearly budgets smaller than what he probably makes in a day.  Right there are two prime chances to get behind closed doors with him.”