Chapter 3

Paris, France

Sophia’s fingers tightened around the grab handle above the door of the dark sedan, trying her best not to end up in Jen’s lap as the guard maneuvered the car with the precision of a grand prix driver. It seemed the dark, nearly empty Paris streets were her racetrack. So much for enjoying the beautiful, moonlit night with a leisurely ride from her opulent suite at the Hôtel Le Lys Royal. With an inward sigh, she admitted a “relaxing drive” would never be her destiny as long as the ex–Secret Service agent was behind the wheel.

“Is this really necessary?” Sophia gritted out. Her attempts at remaining upright proved futile as the car swung into an alley and burst through to an empty street going in the opposite direction from the one they’d come. This was a little much, even for Jen. Sophia looked out the windows, checking the mirrors for anything she could have missed. The powerful revving of the engine was the only sound as the German machinery careened through mostly vacant streets.

“Wouldn’t want me to lose my edge, would you?” Jen drawled, but there was an unmistakable twinkle in the guard’s eye when she glanced over. At nearly thirty, the other woman carried off a look that was very sixties rebel, with cat eyeliner and the occasional cigarette she smoked while off duty. Her dark hair was pulled back in a high, functional ponytail, and she’d gone with a dark sweater and jeans instead of the black suit that was her usual uniform. It was as much of a disguise as she needed.

Sophia shook her head as she noted her guard’s quirked lips as they roared into another unpredictable turn.

Sophia groaned, bracing her body as best she could, praying that the handle didn’t snap off. There was a very good chance Jen had been a getaway driver in a past life. The other guards refused to allow her to drive anywhere for exactly this reason.

Sophia found herself huffing. “So, let me confirm—there are no threats; you simply enjoy driving like we just robbed someone. Is the Mona Lisa in the backseat?” She’d only seen a few cars out as they neared a more residential area, and none had seemed to be following them. They’d taken a different route last night, so the turns kept catching her unaware. This way seemed far longer already.

“I didn’t say that.”

Those words stilled Sophia before her heart rate kicked up. Sitting straighter, she scrutinized the mirrors again for something she might have missed.

Jen glanced over. “It’s fine, Sophia.” When it was only the two of them, Jen cut the formal address. They were friends. But Jen’s calm tone did little to alleviate the tension in Sophia’s shoulders.

Had they been followed and she’d completely been oblivious to it? That wasn’t like her. She was always as aware of her surroundings as any of her security team. It wasn’t wise to let down her guard, not only because she was royal, but because she was part of a far more dangerous game. Jen was a part of her covert activities, and it made her the best guard Sophia could ever have had, but Jen was still only one guard.

Sophia’s heart continued to race as she searched the shadows along passing roads. Each car parked on the tree-lined streets suddenly seemed to pose a silent, dark threat. The streets held an eerie, too-quiet feel. “You think we have a tail?”

“I’m saying if anyone was following, they aren’t now.”

Sophia assessed the other woman, sensing there was more to what she’d said, yet she knew Jen would tell her if there was a threat. It was far safer and smarter that way.

Jen’s résumé and referrals had made it impossible for her brother not to find her suitable. Sophia’d made sure of it when she’d pushed her family for a female guard. She and her friends had handpicked the woman for the skills and connections that had since been erased from her records. If there were a threat, her friend would calmly detail a plan. That was her way.

Sophia would have lost her mind long ago if she’d been forced to spend the last two years without Jen’s easing qualities. Having one person around who was aware of her secret life had been invaluable to Sophia’s sanity, but Jen was also one of the best at what she did. Nothing shook the guard.

After a few more moments of staring in the mirrors and peering down streets, the tension in Sophia’s shoulders finally started to dissipate.

Jen was skilled and paid to be extra vigilant. The woman had swept the car for trackers at the same time she’d checked for explosives, making the odds good that they were as safe as her friend’s relaxed frame seemed to indicate. But Sophia had been on edge since they’d gotten to the club earlier, first because of the operation and then because of the damned Russian.

If there had been a tail, she needed to know who it was. There hadn’t been any indication that something had gone wrong with the operation. There’d been lust—dark, scary, chop her up into little pieces lust—in Jean Luc’s eyes, but she hadn’t seen suspicion. Unless she’d missed something, like she’d missed the tail. That was enough to bring back her tension.

If it hadn’t been Jean Luc, there were unfortunately more than a few other options.

Viktor was staying in the same hotel as she was, but he’d made no attempt to communicate with her at the nightclub or at the hotel, so she was doubtful he’d been the one following. The idea was more seductive than she liked to admit. She really needed to end her fixation with the Russian.

“What did the car look like?”

“Two SUVs. Both dark. They entered from different roads just after we left the hotel. May have been nothing. I didn’t get a look at the plates before I lost them.” Better to lose a potential tail quickly than get a plate number. Those were Jen’s security rules for when they were alone. As it was—just the two of them without another car of guards—Sophia wholeheartedly agreed with that philosophy.

“So not paparazzi or one of the stalkers on the list?” Paparazzi could be stealthy, but most worked alone, so two thinking they’d find her out after retiring to the hotel wasn’t likely. And a stalker wouldn’t have a partner either, would they?

“Nope.”

Sophia’s grip on the handle above the door tightened as her heart rate sped up again. That left less savory alternatives. “Who do you think it was?”

“Your brother has few enemies, but that’s always a consideration,” Jen answered, seeming unconvinced of her own words as she scanned the roads. Abduction and ransom attempts were always a possibility for the wealthy. Most rarely, if ever, made it to the news because they were taken care of in-house, usually with payoffs.

That left an abduction attempt as a warning or threat. Fortunately for Sophia, Jen was right—her brother didn’t have criminal ties or enemies on that level. Another option would be local extremists with political agendas, but Porenza had little to no issues that would warrant taking the crown princess.

Jen seemed to know where Sophia’s mind headed next. “I don’t think it was Antony. I doubt he’d have men follow us to see what you’re doing so he could tell your brother. He’d be more concerned with securing you back at the hotel.” Antony was an asshole, but Jen was right. As Sophia’s head of security, he’d never have let her leave the hotel just to see where she was sneaking away to.

Logical or not, Sophia worried about being found out by her guards and, in turn, her brother. Not that she truly feared William, but it would complicate things if her family learned she was eluding her security team. At the very least, she’d be fielding a lengthy interrogation before her protection detail was once again overhauled, as it had been after William ordered her from university after Riot and Irina’s magazine shoot.

Sophia sighed. “So this could be something worse.”

Jen nodded. “That’s something I plan to check out when we get to the house. No one should have known you were in this car. There were half a dozen other black sedans with blackout windows at the hotel. It’s very possible someone thought they were tailing a different high-profile guest.”

True.

The fact that Sophia had just bugged Jean Luc wouldn’t have gotten her followed so soon, unless he’d found the device or felt her plant it. He hadn’t appeared to have noticed, but that didn’t slow her skittering heart. As long as they retrieved the microtech bug through his laundry service as planned, everything should be fine.

The more she considered it, the more unlikely it seemed that the tail had been someone sent by Jean Luc.

If someone was after her because of her covert activities, it would most likely have to do with a past operation. Their group had always been highly cautious in their dealings, but what they did was dangerous even with their bankroll, security measures, and very public personas as spoiled and oblivious socialites. They’d know soon enough. James, their resident hacker, monitored all the players in their old jobs.

Jen’s thoughts about it being someone looking for another guest made the most sense. The alternative was that someone had been watching her far too closely and seen through her disguise, and she couldn’t believe she’d made that kind of mistake. In her life, paranoia was a near constant, but in this case, it might be unneeded.

Still.

“I swore I felt eyes on me while I climbed,” she admitted after some thought.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Jen’s head turn to her. “Tonight?”

“Yes. I’ve been tense in general for months and thought that’s all it was.” She’d been on edge for far longer than that, if she were being honest.

There was always another name on the list, and that realization had made her more and more cynical as the years passed, but there was no help for it. They did what others wouldn’t or couldn’t do.

Jen made a noise, clearly indicating she wasn’t thrilled with the news. “I know you’re burned out, and it’s wearing on your nerves. I also know you haven’t wanted to admit it. I get that. But from now on, you tell me when you feel eyes. I’ll sort out if it’s in your head. I didn’t see anyone on the grounds who shouldn’t have been there, just the usual security for the other guests, but no one was around to see you climb.”

Sophia’s head fell back on the headrest as she owned up to her mistake. “You’re right on all counts.”

“Viktor Popov is staying at the hotel, and his guards are everywhere. Considering only guests or employees should have had access to the courtyard, it makes me wonder if your toast had something to do with the tail.”

“That would be better than the alternatives, but still not ideal. I only did it to stop him from getting under my skin.”

“Yeah, I saw him eye fucking you all night. I didn’t say you were wrong for calling him on it.”

“He didn’t make any effort to speak to me or even look at me when he left. If he wanted me enough to have me tailed, why even let me leave the hotel?”

“He does deal in secrets.” Jen tilted her head before continuing. “But I’d say his interest in you was definitely about getting your clothes off.”

Sophia grunted.

“That man is the only person I’ve ever seen derail your perfect princess persona.”

Sophia cringed mentally at Jen’s assessment. It wasn’t good news that her attraction held the power to crack her façade. It was just one more reason to stay away from him. And if she ever got near him and William found out, her brother would lose his mind. William would use it as a reason to take even more of her freedom away.

It didn’t matter how wealthy Viktor was. He had ties that made him strictly off-limits to her. Yet a man like Jean Luc was invited to the palace, which left a distinctly sour taste in her mouth. “Nothing can ever happen with Viktor.”

“Maybe not publicly,” Jen mused as she took another turn.

They had to be winding down this trip. Sophia hadn’t seen any suspicious-looking cars in the residential area, and there were no cars behind them.

“Are you saying I should sleep with him? Don’t you think that’d be rewarding bad behavior if he’s having me followed?”

“If,” Jen allowed. “Listen. You’ve held on to this infatuation for years. When I first saw your reaction to him, I went to check him out, but James had all the Russian’s details already. Everyone knows you want him. Tonight, he made it clear he’s interested.”

Sophia knew James had been monitoring Viktor’s life because of her ridiculous obsession. Her friends had teased her enough in front of the team all these years. Nothing was sacred. Their group was more of a family to Sophia than her own flesh and blood.

With all Viktor’s questionable affiliations, it seemed he fit into the gray area of their world—he didn’t prey on anyone who didn’t deserve it. She wasn’t about to reanalyze their criteria for bad guys. The world was not black and white.

She shifted uncomfortably at Jen’s words. “I know.”

Jen apparently wasn’t done. “He’s got a good reputation with women, as long as fucking’s all we’re talking about. He’s only dangerous with secrets or if you’ve crossed him. Don’t talk, don’t cross him, and hop on the ride you’ve been itching for.”

Sophia snorted. “‘Don’t talk’ is your winning advice?”

“Unless it’s dirty, it’s unnecessary.” Jen winked. “Get him out of your system. I hate to ruin this for you, but no man could possibly live up to an eight-year fixation. I’m betting one night will fix your obsession. And no offense, but celibacy has not been your friend, so if it’s good, then all the better. You’ve chosen too tense a pastime to not have some way to decompress.”

She rubbed the sudden ache at her temple. “Yeah, I have.” Her double life really was taking its toll, especially in the two years she’d been home from university. The palace was more of a prison. She watched every word she said. Those gilded walls had never been a home. There was no sanctuary when everyone was expected to report on her every move. It was psychological warfare, and it was exhausting. Just the thought of returning the next day filled her with dread.

A couple of stolen hours with her friends tonight would help, but she knew she needed to do something more before she really lost her mind.

Could she have sex with Viktor? How? Show up outside his hotel suite and risk humiliation? What if he already had company? No thanks.

That led to her real question. Did she really want to get him out of her system? She knew what she wanted at that moment, or rather what her body wanted, considering she hadn’t had time to get off in the shower before sneaking away.

“What bothers me is why he’s suddenly interested. Maybe he was just bored and thought he’d toy with the ‘prim princess of Porenza.’ He didn’t look all that intent on getting me into bed when he left the club.”

“That man wanted to fuck you sideways. Even Antony noticed and sniped about dirty Russians not knowing their place.” Jen snorted. “And you’re crazy if you think he hasn’t noticed you before. Don’t kid yourself.”

“A glance or two isn’t the same thing.” Throughout the years, they’d crossed paths at upscale hotels many times. He’d always given her the same look—a quick perusal as part of an assessment of his environment, nothing more. Though she’d imagined heat in his gaze a thousand times, it had been nothing more than wishful thinking.

His attention earlier that night had been completely different than anything her overactive mind could have conjured. She was well aware of her reputation for being proper and reserved. Hell, she’d cultivated it well. Maybe he wanted to dirty her up for the sheer challenge? A part of her found it dangerously tempting to show him just how filthy she wanted to be with him.

Jen was probably right about his not measuring up to her fantasies. He’d taken her every way possible in her dreams. He’d done things to her she’d never done with anyone, or even considered. She wasn’t sure she wanted to be disappointed. Fantasies about him had kept her warm at night for a very long time. Without them, what would she have? Porn. Maybe a dirty book.

That’d be safer than having thoughts of Viktor distracting her, as they had tonight.

She’d never had much luck with sex. The couple of times she’d tried hadn’t been worth it. There were too many risks, which were mood killing at best for a person in her position. Security measures, background checks, and nondisclosure agreements were far from sexy. Not having all of those was even less appealing. It involved trust, and given her life and activities, she hadn’t been capable of that.

Scratching an itch hadn’t been her thing, not even with any of their operatives. Sex with someone she worked with hadn’t been somewhere she’d wanted to go.

“I know you’re right about needing to decompress. I know I’m too edgy, but hopping into bed with Viktor isn’t likely to help.”

“Even the best, highly trained operatives have trouble with the mental stress of long-term undercover assignments. We both know you’re burning out, and that’s where mistakes happen. If not the Russian, find something or someone else to get rid of the tension. And give yourself a break. You weren’t trained for this shit, yet you handle it like a pro.”

That sentiment, coming from someone like Jen, warmed Sophia.

She was spared more conversation when they spun into a hidden drive lined by a moss-covered block wall shrouded in old trees and overgrown shrubbery. Her side would have slammed into the door if she hadn’t seen it coming. The gate was already opening as they entered and glided shut the second they sped through. With another burst of velocity, they descended into an underground garage and lurched to a stop beside a couple of dark SUVs.

It was time to see what Jean Luc was up to with the French president. They were meeting off the books in the dead of night. The charming Emile Mauroy was young and beloved by his country, so what was he up to with Jean Luc? Sophia and her friends hadn’t found any evidence that the French president was anything but what he seemed.

That was the problem in their world—you didn’t always see the snakes lurking in the grass.