Russian Enforcer's Royal Engagement (Russian Enforcers Book 7) (10 page)

“Good,” he rasped, then twisted her around, pinning her beneath his hulking frame. Then he slowly rolled inside her once again. “Now, as for the encore…”

CHAPTER 22

“So tell me, what’s going on with you and this Prince Jacques?”

Diana grinned. Her mother had never been known for beating around the bush. “So you noticed, huh?”

“Honey, I think it’s safe to say
everybody
has, especially after his shock announcement you two were engaged.”

They were walking along the beach prior to Mom’s return home. The wedding was over and the entire Petrov clan were scheduled to fly home that evening. Except for Diana, who’d decided to postpone her return.

Temperatures were in the low sixties, and they were both sporting jeans and sweaters. But the sun was bright, and Diana was in love. In love with a prince.

She lifted her hand to brush a strand of golden hair from her brow and tuck it behind her ear. “Well, that was only a ruse, of course.” There was no engagement, and probably never would be. She might be in love, but she wasn’t delusional.

“Are you sure?” Mom riposted with a worried frown. “I mean, I don’t want to pry, but if there’s another wedding coming up, we can simply hang around. It would save us the flight.”

Diana laughed at the notion of her getting married to Jack. “No way,” she said a little too quickly. “Jack and I…we’re merely enjoying a…”

“Physical relationship?” Mom put in quite aptly.

“I guess you could call it that,” she agreed, though somehow she felt the word didn’t do justice to what she and Jack had.

Mom bent down to scoop up a handful of fine white sand and let it sift through her fingers. “Are you in love with him?” she asked abruptly.

“No…that is…I don’t think so,” she answered. Her hesitation was indicative of her own confusion. Was she in love? Yes, she was. She’d fallen for the young prince. Spending the afternoon in bed with him, she’d discovered that beneath his gruff exterior Jack had a kind heart. When she’d admitted she was missing her German shepherd he’d even suggested having Lady flown in from the States on the family’s private jet. He’d confessed he was extremely fond of dogs himself.

“Relationships formed under duress don’t always last, honey.”

She looked at her mother, incredulous. “Where did you read that? Cosmo?”

Mom shrugged. “Let’s just say I’ve seen a fair share of marriages fail where the couple had been thrown together in a stressful situation.”

“Well, Erik and Laura are doing fine.”

“True,” Mom admitted.

Erik and Laura had met when he saved her from a mobster club owner and had accidentally killed the man. They’d been forced to go on the run together. They’d been married for a little while now and still going strong.

“And what about Alex and Jackie? And Mike and Emily?” She narrowed her eyes. “What about you and Dad for that matter?”

Mom laughed and held up her hands. “All right, all right. Seems like Petrovs defy the general rule on that one.” She took her daughter’s hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. “I’m just worried, honey. You’re the only daughter I have, and…” She sighed. “I just don’t want to see you get hurt, that’s all.”

“I won’t get hurt,” Diana told her mother. As she spoke the words she wondered if she believed them herself. It was true that she and Jack had found each other while under extreme stress, and so far all they’d shared was great sex. Make that mind-blowing sex. But other than that they hardly knew each other. Jack was still pretty much a stranger to her, and she to him. To establish more than a mere physical relationship they would have to get to know each other. She feared that outside of the bedroom he would grow bored with her quite easily.

She decided to confide in her mother. “I worry that he won’t like me very much, Mom. That I won’t measure up to the other women in his life.”

Mom frowned. “If he thinks you’re not good enough the man’s an idiot.”

Diana stared into the middle distance, watching the yachts sail by en route to Montinia’s marina. This place probably sported more billionaires per capita than any other place on earth. “I mean, look at this place. It’s simply swarming with rich and gorgeous young women, all of them interested in snagging Montinia’s most eligible bachelor—the
only
bachelor I should say. And then there’s me. Just some girl from Brooklyn. I’m not rich or pretty or—”

“Hey!” exclaimed Mom, giving her hand a tight squeeze. “You
are
pretty, honey. And as far as rich is concerned, I think we’re doing just fine.”

“You know what I mean.” She shrugged. “I’m not part of the jet set.”

“Perhaps that’s not what Jack wants,” offered Mom. “Have you thought about that? Perhaps he’s not interested in those jet-setting young women at all. The fact that he spends most of his time in war zones might tell you something. Not many eligible young women there.”

“Or photo models. Or princesses. Or gorgeous actresses below the age of twenty-five,” she stated moodily. She and Jack, when they’d finally come up for air, had taken a stroll to the casino, and she’d noticed how the women, all more stunning than the next, had practically thrown themselves at him, all the while darting envious and derisive glances at her.

“Don’t worry too much about the competition, honey,” advised her mother. “After all, if you’re only in a physical relationship with the man, there’s nothing to worry about, is there? As long as your heart is not on the line…”

She grimaced, then admitted, “I might have feelings for him, Mom.”

Mom sighed. “That’s what I was afraid of.” She eyed her solicitously. “Be careful, all right? I really don’t want to see you get hurt a second time. After that horrible Murgatroyd man…”

Diana groaned at the recollection of Jim, the lawyer who’d dumped her. “Don’t worry, Mom. I won’t let that happen again. Ever.”

Though as she spoke the words she had the distinct impression it
was
happening again. Wasn’t she dating a guy who was way out of her league? Wouldn’t she ever learn?

“Do you even know his full name?” Mom asked cheekily.

Diana frowned. “As a matter of fact, I don’t,” she admitted. She’d only ever called him Jack.

“His Royal Highness Jacques Francois Georges de Betancourt,” Mom said, rolling the words around her tongue. “Quite a mouthful.”

“He is,” Diana blurted out before realizing she’d said too much.

Mom laughed heartily, patting her daughter’s hand. “At least you’re having fun.”

They were definitely having fun, Diana thought with a wicked grin, then clasped her mother’s hand. “Oh, Mom, can’t you stay a little longer? I’m gonna miss you so much.”

“I’m only a Skype call away, honey,” Mom told her cheerfully, though it was clear from the expression on her face she was just as unhappy to leave Montinia.

“I’ll call you every day,” Diana promised.

“You better,” warned Mom. “I want to know everything that goes on with you and Prince Jack.”

“Trust me, you will.”

“And if he so much as looks at you the wrong way I’m taking the first flight to kick his ass myself.”

Diana leaned her head on her mother’s shoulder. “Oh, Mom.”

She sighed, hoping it would never come to that. In a few days Jack would probably tire of her, and send her home, and that would be it. Her vacation would be over, as would her royal romance. She decided to harden her heart so that this time she wouldn’t be caught unawares. The sex was great, but that was all this was ever going to be. She decided to enjoy it while it lasted.

Which would probably not be very long.

CHAPTER 23

Jack eyed the burly police chief askance. “Are you telling me you still have no clue who these men were?”

They were seated in Jack’s office, the head of the Montinian police department here on his invitation.

The chief scratched his grizzled scalp, then wiggled his three chins, directing an apologetic look at the prince. “We’ve searched the entire palace, Your Highness. Not a single trace.”

“No fingerprints? No fibers, DNA or footprints? But that’s impossible!”

“It is very unlikely,” the other man agreed, “but unfortunately these men are pros. Apart from the damage they caused it’s almost as if they were never here.”

Jack gestured impatiently. “And the kinds of weapons they used? Or the explosives? You must be able to trace those, right?”

The police chief eyed him wearily. “Just your garden-variety plastique, Prince Jacques. And the weapons were never discharged. We didn’t find a single bullet.”

Jack thought back to the weapon they’d fired in Diana’s face; only a gaseous substance had erupted. He frowned. What kind of terrorist doesn’t use bullets? This whole thing was growing curiouser and curiouser by the minute. He tapped his desk. “And the account information? There must be something you can deduce from the bank account that was hacked.”

The policeman checked his notes and cleared his throat. “We went over that with Mr. Yulian Gornakov. The funds that were stolen were placed in a private account set up by Yuri Gornakov as a trust fund for Miss Anastasiya Gornakov. Mr. Gornakov told us he wasn’t aware of the existence of the account. Only his father knew about it, and perhaps the few lawyers and bankers who set it up.”

He pointed at the man. “Then perhaps that’s where you should focus your investigation. One of these men must have talked. How else could the terrorists have found out?”

“I’m afraid it is not that easy.”

“What do you mean?”

“Mr. Gornakov has decided to treat this as a private affair. He has denied us access to either his bankers or attorneys.” The policeman coughed. “Also, since all these people are Russian subjects, it is very hard to track them down. We would need assistance and permission from the Russian authorities, and send a rogatory commission to Moscow.” He shook his head sadly. “I’m afraid they will never give us permission without Mr. Gornakov’s approval.” He gave Jack his best impression of a sad bulldog. “I’m afraid it’s looking rather hopeless on that end.”

He couldn’t help but agree. They talked for a few minutes more, the chief explaining how they’d looked into helicopter rentals. Nothing. Wherever the chopper had come from, it had gone the same way as the terrorists themselves: vanishing into thin air.

Finally, after ascertaining the investigation was still nowhere, he dismissed the policeman. He found it hard to understand how these men had gained access to the castle, had managed to disable its communications systems and gotten away with their daredevil antics without leaving a single trace. It was baffling to say the least.

A knock on the door sounded, and he rumbled, “Yes!”

Looking up, he found it was his brother Rudolph. His scowl immediately morphed into a smile of relief. He was always glad to see his brother’s mug.

“Hey, buddy, how are you holding up?” Rudolph said the moment he stepped into his office.

Jack seldom occupied this space on the second floor of the castle, though now he was glad Dad set it up a couple of years ago, when he still held hopes Jack would stay in Montinia and take over some of the royal tasks. Instead, he’d spent the past five years overseas, Rudolph picking up the slack.

He stood to pace the floor. “It’s an outrage!” he lamented. “Mike and Emily have been going over every inch of the castle. So have Armand and the entire police force, and not a single trace of these guys. Not a one, can you believe that? It’s almost as if they were never here.”

“Except for the big hole in the ceiling and that mess they made when they detonated a bomb in father’s study, you mean,” retorted Rudolph.

“Except for that,” he amended. Repairs had been put off until the police investigation was finished.

“What did Armand say?”

Jack held out his hands in frustration. “What can he say? He doesn’t remember a thing. These guys simply came in and knocked him out cold.”

Rudolph nodded. “Gassed, just like Diana, huh?”

“Untraceable. And now Yulian Gornakov doesn’t even want to give us permission to pore over his accounts or interrogate his lawyers and bankers.”

Rudolph shrugged. “That was to be expected. The guy runs a shady business. I don’t think he’s too keen on outsiders snooping around and discovering the skeletons in his closet.” He cocked an eyebrow. “Literally, I should think.”

“He could set up an independent investigation. Check into matters himself.”

Rudolph eyed him incredulously. “He doesn’t even want to do that?”

“Nope. Says he’s got better things to do and can’t be bothered.” Which wasn’t exactly what Yulian had said. The billionaire had merely told them he would take the matter under advisement, which was basically the same thing as giving them a big FU. “I just don’t understand! I mean, this is his sister we’re talking about, right? His own flesh and blood? And he doesn’t want to know who targeted her? Held her at gunpoint and stole her inheritance? It just doesn’t make sense.”

“Unless Yulian is involved somehow,” said Rudolph thoughtfully.

Jack frowned. “How do you figure that? Why would he go after his own sister? And steal his own money?”

“But it wasn’t his money, was it?” Rudolph pointed out. “This money was in a separate account, only accessible to Diana.”

“But why would Yulian need that money? He’s got billions of his own.”

Rudolph shrugged. “Just a thought that occurred to me.” Then he abruptly changed the subject. “Speaking of Diana, how are things?”

“Things? What things?” he returned irritably.

“Between you and the young wench,” Rudolph added helpfully, then looked inscrutable when Jack threw him a look that could kill.

Jack was inclined to tell his brother to mind his own fucking business, but then thought better of it. He threw himself into his chair and propped his feet on the desk. “I don’t know, buddy. I’ve managed to convince her to stay on for a couple of days. At least until we get to the bottom of this whole mess.”

“Ah, so that’s the reason you asked her to stay, huh?”

He detected the mocking tone in his brother’s voice and decided he didn’t like it. “That’s the
only
reason she’s staying,” he grumbled.

“Just checking,” Rudolph said innocently. He picked up a seashell. “Remember collecting these?”