To Catch a Princess (10 page)

Chapter 12

Tatiana led Peter from the balcony, through her bedroom, and to the dining room where the breakfast she had ordered for them waited.

“I could get used to this,” he said and pulled off the covers to reveal Eggs Benedict as well as some creamy cheese grits and a bowl of fruit salad.

“Don’t you eat breakfast back home?” she asked. She handed him a plate and he served the food for her before taking larger portions for himself.

“If you call coffee and a donut in my car breakfast, I guess I do. Lunch is not much different.”

“Which I guess is why you’re always snacking,” she said, and he nodded while chewing on a piece of the Eggs Benedict.

“And why I’m
not
snacking while I’m here.”

“What are the plans for today?” She forked up some of the cheese grits, a favorite of hers.

“I want to map out the spots where we saw that man yesterday and go over the route the jewels will take from the ballroom to the amphitheater and back. I’d also like to take a walk around the amphitheater to see if there are any potential liabilities we might not have noticed there. Same with the ballroom, and then on the floors above and below those areas.”

“Do you really think they’ll break in that way? There are shops below and the gaming salons above but it’s hard to work unnoticed in any of those places.”

“You’re probably right, but I’d like to double-check. My guess is they’ll try to take the jewels either while they’re being transported or when they’re placed on the models. They’re most vulnerable at those times.”

She couldn’t argue with his assessment. She’d had the same initial concerns and for that reason, Tony had arranged for a small armored cart to move the jewels, and extra guards in the backstage dressing area.

“The cart to transport the jewels is arriving this morning. We can take a look at it in the ballroom,” she said.

“Great. This afternoon I’d just like to walk around and get a feel for the place without Tony or you, if that’s okay.”

She wasn’t sure of his rationale for not including either of them. “Is there a problem with us showing you around?”

He twined his fingers with hers and squeezed reassuringly. “Believe me, Tatiana. I’d like nothing better than to spend the day with you, but you are too recognizable. Everywhere we went in the casino, people would be looking at us.”

Which was part of the reason getting involved with her didn’t make sense, Tatiana thought. He’d never be able to do his job back home.

Peter continued. “As for Tony, if I were the thief, I’d know each and every one of your people so I could avoid them.”

“But the man you picked out saw you yesterday.” Which meant that if he was the thief, he’d have tagged Peter as part of her staff.

“I’m hoping he didn’t get a really good look. Plus I think I’ll wear my regular clothes. Not look so fancy.”

“Good plan. I have chores to do this afternoon. I should also call Vanessa and see how things are going back home. We could do dinner later—”

“Somewhere nice. I’d like to take you somewhere really nice for dinner,” he said, and raised her hand to place a kiss on the back of it.

“I’d like that,” she said, pleased by his tenderness. “Maybe we can even play some roulette and test our luck.”

“I don’t need a roulette wheel to tell me how lucky I’ve been,” he said with a sexy gleam in his eyes that had her blushing and looking away.

“Eat before your food gets cold,” she admonished, although given the heat in his gaze, she suspected nothing was going to get cold anytime soon.

…

The morning had gone well, Peter thought, although he had some lingering concerns about that vulnerable time as the jewels were moved from one area to the next. The armored cart they had brought made it difficult to do a smash-and-grab of any of the jewels, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t just grab the entire cart, heavy as it was.

But he didn’t believe they’d be taking everything, just a select few of the pieces. Which meant that maybe it would happen in the dressing area. Selectivity had been their M.O. during all of the thefts. From the first incident where they had stolen a necklace but left behind other valuable jewelry, to the latest robbery at the museum, only specific pieces had been targeted. They’d do the same here.

But that also meant one other thing. Peter had missed something. Something big. Motive.

Why had the Thief of Hearts and his gang only gone after certain jewels? Even assuming they’d been hired to do the jobs, there was a reason the person who’d hired them wanted these particular items. They were too similar not to have a single person behind the thefts.

Figure out the connection, and Peter could solve the crime before it was even committed. But for now, he drove that thought away to keep it from distracting his surveillance of the casino. At a leisurely place, he strolled from one place to the next, snapping photos with the cheap point-and-shoot camera he had purchased at a small shop a few blocks away. Together with his jeans and an Atlantic City T-shirt beneath a faded denim jacket, he hoped his look and actions screamed tourist.

After meandering through all the shops on the lower level, and lingering possibly a bit too long on the floors beneath the ballrooms and amphitheater, which earned him some hairy eyebrows and pointed requests from the security staff about whether he needed anything, he headed to the floor above the lobby level. He sauntered from one gaming salon to the next, calculating where the possible areas of interest would be to a thief. The gaming tables and activity in those areas made it next to impossible for someone to break through into the space below.

The gaming salons were far different from those in Atlantic City. The people were more reserved and the noise likewise more subdued. While there were quite a number of patrons, there wasn’t the feel of the rush and hubbub that occurred back home.

After his walk through the last gaming salon, he was satisfied he had eliminated one possible vulnerability. He returned to the main floor and did another loop past the ballroom and amphitheater. As requested, Tony had beefed up security in the passageway between the two. When he lingered too long by the ballroom, one of the guards came over and politely asked, “May I help you in any way?”

Peter played it up for the man, wanting to assess the quality of the people Tony had hired. “I’m not sure. I thought I was supposed to be in that ballroom—” he said, and stepped toward where the jewels would be displayed.

The guard discreetly moved to block his way and politely said, “I’m sorry, sir. But that area is closed to the public right now. We’re setting up an exhibit.”

“Thanks. I guess I was wrong,” Peter said, and walked away. But as he did so, he listened carefully and heard the guard calling in to ask that someone monitor Peter’s movements.

Good job, he thought, and continued with his surveillance.

…

Tatiana spun back and forth in front of the full-length bedroom mirror, wondering if the silver grey cocktail dress she’d picked out was a tad too much. But then again, she and Peter were going “somewhere nice.”

A princess had to look respectable, right?

Which meant setting aside the staid pearls for teardrop diamond earrings and a three carat teardrop diamond pendant. She clipped on the necklace and the diamond nestled comfortably into the cleavage revealed by the deep V of the gown she wore, which left her bare down to the ruched empire waist.

He’d certainly look, but not at the diamond, Tatiana thought with a knowing smile. She finished by adding a diamond tennis bracelet and a diamond ring on her index finger. No doubt she’d have the gossips talking if they saw it on either of her ring fingers.

No matter that Peter was the one her parents wished her to marry, she still wasn’t prepared for a step like that. Not unless and until she knew more about the man to whom she was so attracted. A man who had secrets yet to reveal. Secrets which kept her from fully committing to a relationship with him. Plus, if truth be told, the fact that her parents had chosen him had her a little freaked out and maybe she was just a little too stubborn to just give in and admit they might have made a good choice.

But that didn’t mean they couldn’t explore the desire simmering between them.

She grabbed a wrap in deep charcoal grey and headed into the living room, but stopped short at the sight of him.

He was wearing dangerous black all over. From his tie and shirt to the elegant wool tuxedo, he was swathed in darkness and he looked amazing.

“You’re beautiful,” he said, approached, and slipped his hand into hers.

She smoothed her hand over the satin lapel of the dinner jacket. “You’re…lethal,” she said with a choked laugh, unafraid of admitting just how devastatingly handsome she found him. Savoring the flush of color that spread across his cheeks at her compliment.

“If anyone is deadly, it’s you, Tatiana. I’m almost afraid to ask you to turn around,” he said, and with gentle pressure had her do a little swirl.

…

Peter groaned at the expanse of creamy skin exposed by the non-existent back of the gown. He trailed the back of his hand down the flawless line of her spine and stopped at the small of her back. “Definitely deadly,” he said, although as she faced him full-on once more, it was possible the front of the gown was even more dangerous to his peace of mind. So was the immense teardrop diamond nestled between the generous curves of her breasts.

“We should go to dinner,” he said, because he was just way too tempted to brush aside the satiny silver fabric and have her as an appetizer.

“We should,” she echoed, and they quickly made their way down to the main lobby and the hotel’s five-star restaurant where he had made the reservation.

As they walked in, almost every head in the room turned to follow their passage to a far table in the room. A low murmur of excitement commenced. The table was set aside slightly from the other nearby patrons, providing them a modicum of privacy, and he wondered if he shouldn’t have arranged for a private room as Tony had two nights ago.

Apparently sensing his concern, she said, “Don’t worry. You get used to the attention.”

With a regal coolness worthy of admiration, she smiled and sat down with her back to the crowd. The chatter which had started upon her entry slowly died down.

He wrestled down his apology, sensing she wouldn’t appreciate it. But he should have known better. He remembered many an awkward meal with his mother and father while all eyes had been on them. It was that lack of privacy, in large part, which had led him to his current life.

It reminded him that entering her world on a more permanent basis would once again rob him of the privacy that was so important to him.

That realization dimmed the joy of the meal. Apparently for both of them, for when the waiter brought around dessert, she passed on it.

“Are you okay?” he asked, but when he met her gaze, the answer was obvious.

“What do you think?” she responded abruptly, but then quickly apologized. “I’m sorry. It’s not your fault.”

But it was, he thought with a wince. “I should have been more careful about my choice.”

“I’ve forgotten what it’s like on this side of the pond. I’ve gotten spoiled in Atlantic City.”

He had gotten spoiled as well. While the Americans loved their royals, there wasn’t the same kind of stalking and gawking that occurred on this side of the Atlantic. “How about we just go back to the room and have dessert?”

The first glimmer of a smile skipped across her lips and the color of her eyes deepened to an almost sapphire blue. “Is that what you’re calling it now?”

He coughed and forced himself to tamp down the erection that jumped to life at the thought of what they had done the night before. “I believe you craved some chocolate.”

“I did, but you wanted to get lucky…at roulette, right?” she said with a wink. “We only have a few more days here and I’d hate to deprive you of that experience. We have excellent roulette tables here at the casino.”

She was acting as if they could be two normal people having a fun night out, and he wasn’t going to spoil what she was trying to do. “I’d like that.”

He signaled to the waiter to bring the check, but the man glanced at Tatiana, doubting the request. At her nod, the waiter stepped away and returned with the tab. He slipped the waiter his credit card and after he had finished paying, he rose and held out his hand to her.

“Want to be my lucky charm tonight?”

“I don’t know how lucky I’ll be, but I’ll do my best.” She slipped her hand into his and led him from the restaurant to the largest of the gambling salons on the main floor. An assortment of gaming tables and slot machines filled the large space.

“Let’s do the European roulette wheel. The odds are better there,” she said. They walked arm-in-arm through the area. In here the patrons were more interested in their games than a princess, although every now and then someone looked their way. Invariably, that look was chased by excited chatter as that gambler alerted another about Tatiana’s presence. But as she had before, she handled the attention with elegant aplomb.

“Why are the odds better?” he asked. They approached one table where there were a few open seats. The minimum stake at the table was five Euros, well within his limits. He wasn’t much of gambler, but it was fun on occasion.

“There’s only one zero, which improves the odds.”

They sat down together and he peeled about three hundred Euros from his money clip and purchased chips, asking for the navy blue ones that were not in use.

“To match your eyes,” he told her and the croupier handed him the stacks of chips.

She smiled, obviously pleased with his choice, and leaned into him.

The croupier called out, “
Faites vos jeux.
”

Peter quickly placed his bets, laying out chips to split some numbers, select a row of another, and then finally put down straight bets on the eight and twenty-seven.

“You bet my numbers,” she said with surprise.

“Your birthday,” he replied as the croupier waved his hand across the wheel and said, “
Rien ne va plus.
”