His phone rang again, and again, he ignored it. He left the television on and crossed the room to sit at his desk. A few keystrokes on his laptop brought up the spreadsheet he used to track his finances. The money he had collected off the life insurance policies from the deaths of his parents had dwindled significantly over the past few months. Maybe he should have kept more than a 10-percent cut of the bank robbery money, but at the time he planned the heists, he had been faced with the simple fact that there was no honor among thieves.

Pratt had insisted the only way to enlist the help of so many top-end bank robbers was to guarantee them the majority of the take. Pratt had been right about that. The bank robbers had all taken their cuts and disappeared into the wind. Of course, Pratt had the added incentive of choosing people who would follow his directions since he had earned 5 percent of the proceeds as well. Julien supposed that was a small price to pay for the man doing all the legwork.

Until now, Julien had needed to ensure his anonymity. If things progressed as he hoped, he would step out of the shadows soon.

It was a shame that Sereno had awarded the drilling rights since Julien wouldn’t be able to use Satori as a means to hire assassins again. He still had options, he assured himself. The princess was home, he thought again. Perhaps it was time he joined her.

CHAPTER 35

The staff knew she was back. Levi had dreaded this moment, not only because of the increased security concerns but also because of the constant presence of household staff in the residential wing. How were he and Cassie supposed to have a personal conversation with maids and assistants constantly interrupting? It seemed to him Cassie’s private quarters should remain exactly that: private.

Over the past three days, he had learned the routines and policies of the royal guard. It hadn’t taken him long to understand how the assassins had managed to bypass the main gate and penetrate the second layer of guards. Security’s strict protocols ensured everyone would be at their post, but those same protocols made guard movements predictable.

Jeremy and Noelle had done a good job of creating new security procedures and installing enhanced motion detectors along the perimeter of the palace grounds, but Levi wanted another layer of protection. He didn’t want Cassie to ever experience the kind of trauma that had befallen her the night of the shooting again.

Levi approached the central portion of the palace, where Cassie’s private office was located on the second floor, with the royal administrative offices. He stepped into the outer sanctum where a woman in her late twenties sat behind an antique desk, a slim laptop resting atop it, along with an office phone.

“You must be Anastasia,” Levi said, naming Cassie’s personal assistant. “I’m Levi Marin.”

“May I help you?”