Royal Target (14 page)

“You think he was involved in smuggling?”

“It’s highly likely.” Garrett nodded. “He had access to every small vessel in the area. All someone would have to do was go gas up their boat, and Manero could easily distribute whatever contraband he wanted to through them without raising suspicions. Besides providing gas, Manero also ran a small store. To everyone in sight, it would look like someone was buying supplies.”

“If your father allowed the United States access to your waters, what would that do to a smuggling ring like this?”

Garrett let out a long breath. “Twice as many naval vessels would mean twice as many chances of getting noticed. Even more of a concern would be the unpredictability of the US Navy, particularly during the first year or two.”

“Then we may have been looking in the wrong direction this whole time. The embassy bombing may have just been set up to look like a terrorist attack, when it was simply a matter of someone trying to protect their business interests.”

“It’s possible. Manero and his associates may have bombed your embassy to create tension between our countries in an attempt to keep your Navy from building a base here.”

Janessa’s mind whirled. “And the gas station fire could have been the result of some internal strife within the smuggling ring.”

“I need to call our director of security and let him know about this.” Garrett picked up the phone in the library.

“And I’ll call Director Palmer.” Janessa stood and moved toward the door. “Maybe our finance staff can trace where those deposits came from.”

“Tell him thank you for the information.”

Janessa nodded, then hesitated when she reached the door. “Can I ask you something?” When he nodded, she continued. “Why didn’t you ask me to get this information for you?”

“I don’t know. I guess I didn’t think about it.”

“I see.” Janessa stiffened. “In the future, I would appreciate it if you would send your requests through me.”

“What does it matter?”

“I can’t do my job well if I don’t know everything. Part of my role as this team’s leader is to coordinate all of the intelligence we collect.”

“Janessa, I didn’t mean to upset you,” Garrett told her, somewhat surprised to hear his own apologetic tone. “You had already returned to the chateau when our director of security and I thought to ask for the information. Coletto was there in Calene, so I went to him.”

Her shoulders relaxed fractionally, and she gave him a brief nod as she left the room.

Garrett watched her go, surprised by the barriers she seemed to have put up between them. He had thought that after he told her of his desire to be baptized they would grow closer. Somehow, the opposite had happened.

Chapter 23

Janessa sat at her desk with her back to the window. The final security sweep of the chateau had been completed nearly an hour before; two sets of guards were in position on the beach, and analysts at the CIA were working on tracing the deposits into Alberto Manero’s accounts.

Her e-mail account had received 162 messages since she had left the US, most of them since the newspapers had reported her engagement to Garrett. Unwilling to lie directly to her friends and family, she ignored all of them and wondered idly what the record was for unread e-mails.

She had sent her sister, Mary, a letter the day before, but so far that was the only communication she had allowed herself with her family. For now, she had to rely on her sister to pass along what little information she could provide.

After storing her laptop, she secured her documents in her briefcase and then placed the briefcase in the wall safe Martino had revealed to her just the day before. Since the incident with the bomb, Martino had warmed up slightly. He was still formal and aloof, but he didn’t seem to resent her quite as much as he had when she first arrived.

With her work done for the moment, Janessa went out onto the balcony and looked out into the darkness. The stars shone brightly above her, competing only with the lights from the chateau and the full moon. A mile down the beach, she could see one of the guards manning his station.

Restless, she turned and slipped on her sandals as she left her room and made her way outside onto the terrace. She walked by the swimming pool, pausing for a moment as she leaned on the wrought iron fence and looked out into the darkness.

The waves crashed on the beach below in the timeless battle between land and sea, the crests of the waves visible in the light of the moon. She would miss this place when it came time to go, more than any other, and nearly as much as she would miss Garrett. The overwhelming fear for his safety had settled deep inside her, along with an emptiness she had never before experienced.

Footsteps sounded behind her, and Janessa whirled around. She lifted a hand to her pounding heart, not sure if she was relieved to see Garrett approaching. “You startled me.”

“I’m sorry.” Garrett leaned on the rail next to her. “I saw you from my window, and I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“I was just thinking,” Janessa said wistfully, turning back to look over the water once more. “It will be hard to leave here when the time comes.”

“So don’t leave.”

“Just yesterday you were trying to get me to leave,” she reminded him. “Besides, this is your home, not mine.” She didn’t quite manage to keep the regret from her voice. “Even if I were assigned to the embassy here, it would only be for a year or two.”

“I don’t want you to go.” Garrett took her hand in his and moved closer as she turned to face him. “Even after the gala is over, I want you to stay. I want you to give our relationship a chance.”

She desperately wanted to comply but forced herself to remember the reason she was here, the reason she couldn’t afford to love him. “I almost lost you last night.” Janessa’s voice was soft. She lifted her hand, measuring her thumb and finger a centimeter apart. “I came this close to not doing my job well enough to protect you. Neither one of us can afford for me to be distracted by my feelings for you.”

“What are your feelings for me?” Hope shone in his eyes.

“Don’t you understand?” Her voice rose fractionally. “I don’t want to have feelings for you.”

“But you do,” Garrett insisted.

“Do you realize how close we both came to dying last night?” Janessa’s voice caught. She took a steadying breath before continuing. “The bomb on your car had just enough time on it so that someone could
almost
disarm it. Even with two of us, I didn’t think we were going to make it. Whoever planted it wanted to make sure someone died last night.”

Garrett’s hand squeezed hers as the muscle in his jaw twitched.

Janessa watched a wave of frustration surge through him before he controlled it. She hadn’t wanted to tell him about the bomb, but she had to make him understand. “Already you’re having trouble letting me do my job. I can’t have a personal life right now. It will only get in the way.”

“Watching you walk out of my room last night, seeing you leave so you could protect me, was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” Garrett admitted. “If I had lost you last night, do you think it would have hurt any less, knowing that the ring you wear doesn’t hold any promises?” He took a deep breath before continuing. “I understand your responsibilities here. That doesn’t change the fact that I’m going to do everything I can to make sure you’re safe, too. I love you too much to lose you.”

Her eyes darted up to his, her mind whirling as she replayed his words in her mind. Could he really love her as much as she loved him? She had spent so much time convincing herself that his feelings for her would never go beyond her brief assignment in Meridia. Now she stared at him, amazed and confused.

Garrett reached for her left hand, holding it up so that the ring sparkled in the moonlight. “I do love you. I want you to marry me so that we can spend the rest of our lives together—the rest of eternity together.” He linked his fingers with hers, and she felt tears threaten. “The real question is, what are your feelings for me?”

Janessa was unsure how to respond. She knew she did love Garrett, and here he was actually proposing to her. “I didn’t want to love you.” Janessa’s resolve to keep a professional distance crumbled as a tear spilled over. “I just couldn’t stop it.”

Garrett slid his arms around her, pulled her close, and held on. They stood there for a moment, the only sound coming from the waves crashing on the beach. Garrett finally leaned back so he could see her face. “I know you worry that our feelings will keep you from doing your job, but I think trying to ignore these feelings is going to cause us more trouble than if we just face them.” His eyes searched hers, and he trailed a finger down her cheek. “Please say you’ll marry me.”

Janessa studied his face in the shadows. More than anything, she wanted to share a life with Garrett. If only their backgrounds weren’t so different. “Garrett, we both know that I could never live in your world.”

“You already do,” he said softly. He lifted a hand and motioned to the chateau. “I’m the second son. My role won’t always be in the spotlight. You can work with me in overseeing our military operations or going on diplomatic missions. Being royalty isn’t simply dining at the palace.” He leaned closer and briefly touched his lips to hers. “Please marry me.”

He was offering her everything she had ever dared to hope for, and as warmth spread through her heart, she knew what her answer was. She laid her hand on his cheek, and a smile bloomed on her face. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

His smile was immediate, making her forget everything and everyone else. He lifted her off the ground, spinning her in a complete circle as her laughter rang out.

Her feet had barely touched the ground when a sobering thought crossed her mind. “What are your parents going to think?”

Garrett’s smile didn’t dim in the slightest. “They already know about everything except about me getting baptized.”

“You already told them that we’re really getting married?”

“I think it would be more accurate to say that they told me.” Garrett laughed. “I believe my brother put it best when he said that if we were any more engaged, we would be on our honeymoon.”

Janessa’s jaw dropped. “How do you manage to keep anything from your family? They see everything!”

“You’re going to fit right in,” Garrett agreed with a grin.

* * *

“Are you sure you don’t want me to drive you, Your Highness?” Enrico asked Sunday morning when Garrett headed for his car. All of the cars had already been checked for explosives and any other tampering earlier that morning, but tensions among the staff were still high.

“It’s Sunday, Enrico,” Garrett pointed out. “Go enjoy a day off with your family.”

Enrico’s eyebrows went up, but he smiled as he gave a small bow. “Yes, sir.” He then turned and went back inside.

“Do you think he’ll know what to do with a day off?”

“Knowing Enrico, he’ll go spend some time with his father. Paolo and Enrico have been playing the same game of chess for more than a year.”

“The same game?” Janessa asked, humor and disbelief filling her voice.

“That’s what happens when you don’t have a time limit on the moves.” Garrett grinned at her. “I think the game is just an excuse they use to sit and talk.”

“You’re probably right,” Janessa commented as she slid into the passenger seat. She had promised herself she wasn’t going to think about the bomb Alan had removed from this very car several days before. At least she’d promised to try. “I hope you’re good with directions.”

“I already know where the church is,” Garrett told her as he started the car and pulled out onto the road. He glanced into the rearview mirror and saw his security detail pulling out behind him. Turning his attention back to Janessa, he added, “I’ve just never had the opportunity to go before.”

“So now I’m your excuse?” Janessa’s eyebrows lifted.

“There’s no way I can answer that without getting into trouble,” Garrett said with a wry smile. “I do need your help in setting up my baptism though.”

“You can probably have an interview with the branch president today,” Janessa suggested. “Is there anyone in particular you would like to have baptize you?”

“My friend Tim O’Donnell will be arriving Tuesday. He’s the one who gave me the Book of Mormon,” Garrett told her. “If possible, I would like to be baptized sometime this week.”

“I thought you would want to wait until after the gala.”

Garrett glanced over at her. “It’s my understanding that I can’t go to the temple until I’ve been a member for a year.”

She nodded, still trying to adjust to the new reality that they would soon be planning a real wedding and a life together. “That’s right.”

“Then each week I wait to get baptized means another week before we can go to the temple together.”

“You have a point,” Janessa agreed with a smile.

Garrett reached over and gave her hand a squeeze before settling back in his seat for the long drive.

* * *

Several miles later, Garrett pulled around the corner to the church. “There aren’t very many people here,” he commented when he pulled into the parking lot.

“This is just a branch. It only has about forty or fifty members,” Janessa told him. “From what I understand, most of the members in Meridia live in and around Calene.”

“That makes sense.” Garrett nodded. “The new temple is being built about twenty miles this side of Calene.”

“Wouldn’t it be amazing if the temple were done before we get married?” Janessa commented as Garrett took her hand and started toward the entrance.

“I’m not sure how I feel about such a long engagement, but we can talk about it once the gala is over,” Garrett said as he ushered her inside.

Before she had a chance to respond, the missionaries approached them.

Garrett introduced himself simply as Garrett Fortier and was amused when he didn’t notice any glimmer of recognition from either of the elders, neither of whom appeared to be natives of Meridia. He led Janessa to a seat in the back and was surprised when she didn’t sit down.

“I have to play the piano,” she told him with an apologetic smile. “At least I have to try. I’ll come down and sit with you after the sacrament hymn.”

With that she continued down the aisle and took her seat on the piano bench. A moment later the branch president stood to welcome the congregation and begin the meeting. His eyes scanned the small congregation, pausing as he noticed Garrett sitting in the back. He did a double take before announcing the opening hymn. Garrett noticed a few curious glances cast his way during the opening song, and the young deacon that came to offer him the sacrament goggled when he recognized who he was serving.

Garrett watched as a combination of men and boys continued to pass the sacrament. He considered how different this branch was in comparison to the ward he had attended with Tim. At the same time, everything was so much the same.

As the meeting progressed, he imagined he could be sitting anywhere in the world listening to testimonies similar to those being given here today. At the conclusion of the meeting, Janessa once again moved to the piano at the front of the chapel. After the prayer she stopped and spoke with the branch president before returning to his side.

“We stay here for Sunday School,” Janessa told him as she reclaimed her seat. “Also, the branch president said he can meet with you right after church.”

Garrett nodded, settling in for the next meeting. Janessa slipped her hand into his, and in that moment he knew everything in his life was exactly the way it was supposed to be.