Page 15 of Some Like It Deadly
She’d known Richard had been less than enthused about Bing’s behavior on the greens, not that it bothered her. The wanna-be-actor had presented all the danger of a fly, and only twice the nuisance because she couldn’t just swat him. But damn if Richard hadn’t shown his teeth.
No wonder he had the reputation he did—all good looks, smooth charm and the vicious bite to back it up.
“Lunch?” he asked with a charming smile, one that reached his eyes. Maybe the man did need a keeper, but after that display she found herself more intrigued by the man behind the attorney’s mask.
“I’d love some.” What other secrets did he keep so expertly hidden?
Chapter 4
Kate
The bartender set the bottle of beer on a napkin and picked up the ten-dollar bill she’d left for him. His security arrived ahead of them and she watched via the mirror on the bar back as they walked the room.
Quiet, high-end and exclusive, the Felicity was not a downtown hotspot and, between the hours of nine and ten at night, it was damn near dull. Patrons picked up at ten-thirty when the local theaters lowered their curtains. Until then, the very public venue provided an ideal backdrop for an “accidental” encounter.
“Ms. Braddock.” Armand Dagmar, Grand-Control-Freak and prince-pain-in-the-ass took the seat next to her.
“Your Highness,” she murmured quietly. They really needed to stop meeting like this.Seriously.“You wanted to see me?” She rolled the bottle between her palms and refrained from taking a drink or tacking on theagainon the end of the sentence. An evening kicking back in a chair with a beer in one hand and some mindless action flick on the television sounded good, but in the three weeks since she’d taken the job as Richard Prentiss’s assistant, she hadn’t had more than five consecutive hours to herself and she needed every one of those for sleep.
“Yes and thank you for taking the time this evening. Where does Richard think you are?” As tempted as she was to tell him that Richard knew she was here reporting to his best friend, she decided against being glib.
“Does it matter?” The grand duke’s constant need for hands on reports threatened the operation, but apparently, he didn’t care.
“I suppose not.” Armand accepted the tumbler with amber liquid in it and the bartender retreated to a discreet distance. “How is he doing?”
“He’s exactly as he appears.” Discomforted by the questions, she chanced a direct look at the grand duke. She’d had a front row seat to his near self-destruct with Anna. He was a man who wore his responsibilities like a hair shirt, but more—he was overprotective of those he loved. They’d already gone through a few rounds of this her first day on the job. Maybe she could cut him some slack. “And he’s secure currently, as secure as we can make him, Your Highness.”
Concern deepened the grooves around the grand duke’s mouth. “Peterson’s kept you up to date on the current chatter?”
“Following the consortium announcement? Yes, sir.” Kravitts continued to maneuver to be a power player, but Richard had begun to string him along. He’d even taken a particular glee in it after the day on the course. “Peterson also said that security for the Voldakovs was doubled as a result. But none of that chatter includes Mr. Prentiss.” Though that seemed too simple. She’d continued to work her way through the attorneys at his firm and their previous caseloads, but it was taking forever. Richard continued to juggle a caseload that would make an associate attorney blanch, much less the major shareholder in his own firm, he handled the work—not to mention the projects he refused to allow her to sit in on. Impressively well.
Leaning forward, the prince clasped his hands together on the bar. “Ms. Braddock—Kate—how ishedoing?”
She understood the question and, while she sympathized, she gave him a brief albeit regretful smile. “As I told you, I’m not permitted to discuss the behavior of my protectee.”
“And as I told you, you work for me.” The first time the grand duke cornered her on this issue, she’d had Peterson to back her up. Since then, Peterson was never present. The grand duke really didn’t like being told no.
“Yes, Your Highness, and you hired me to protect Mr. Prentiss, and before that, you charged me with the protection of your fiancée. In pursuit of these goals, I have been employed by both. I would no sooner betray her secrets, than I will his.” They really needed to nip this in the bud. “Whether Mr. Prentiss knows I am his bodyguard or not, I can’t protect him if he feels he has to do things behind my back and so I am not permitted to discuss the behavior of my protectee.”
“You realize I can replace you.” It was an empty threat.
“Your Highness, I don’t discuss you or your family or Mr. Prentiss with anyone. You can obviously replace me. That is absolutely at your discretion. But you’ll choose one of these men around you or someone like them. They will not give you the answers any more than I will. I am happy, however, to meet with you regularly to tell you no if it brings you peace of mind.”
Whatever the grand duke might have said in response ended when the door to the street opened and Richard entered.
Adrenaline flooded her system and she picked up her beer and took a long drink. She’d have about twenty-five minutes to find food before the alcohol on an empty stomach messed with her reactions, but they needed this to look like a casual encounter. Two other familiar faces entered with Richard.
“Alyxandretta.” Armand rose smoothly and opened his arms to embrace the flame-haired princess.
“Okay, I adore you and accept you as family, but can you please just call me Alyx?” The woman laughed as she hugged him. Her blond husband wrapped an arm around his wife when she stepped back, and grasped Armand’s hand in a firm grip.
Richard gave her a curious look. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”
Because it would be far more noticeable if she pretended to not notice any of them, Kate stood and turned her attention to all the new arrivals and gave Richard a chagrinned smile. Saluting him with her beer bottle in lieu of a greeting, she chuckled. “Busted.”
“So I see.” Amusement softened the note of curiosity in his gaze. “Join us? We ran into each other at the theater… Alyx, Daniel, you remember my new assistant, Kate.” Fortunately, neither had been aware of her position as security for Anna Novak, only as her assistant.
“Of course I do.” Alyx tossed her a friendly grin. “Anna misses you terribly at the foundation, but I can understand why Richard lured you away.”
