He retrieved the summary of activity that had occurred near the chateau throughout the night. From what he could tell, Garrett and Janessa had returned home without incident and without the paparazzi. He wasn’t sure how they had managed that, but he suspected Janessa’s CIA skills may have come into play.

Satisfied that Cassie’s presence would remain out of the public eye for the foreseeable future, he opened the latest report Janessa’s brother, Jeremy, had compiled on the bank robberies. The Interpol reports offered more depth to the extent of the thefts. Though the detailed loss reports were still being collected, it didn’t take long for Levi to see a distinct pattern. Every safe-deposit box that had been broken into had been cleaned out entirely, and in every case, either a row or a section had been robbed, but nothing beyond it.

As much as he hated to admit it, the evidence was consistent with the facts Cassie had shared with him.

A knock on his door caused him to look up. Janessa entered and closed the door behind her.

“I was wondering how long it would take you to make your way down here.”

“I would have been here fifteen minutes ago, but I got caught talking to Patrice.” She sat in the chair across from him.

“I should have known. You probably smelled the fresh croissants when you walked in the door.”

“They’re so good,” Janessa said. “Patrice really is the best cook around.”

“I agree, but I doubt that’s what you came down here to discuss.”

“You know me so well.” Janessa crossed her legs at the ankles, a habit she had picked up since becoming a royal. “Jeremy said he sent you the latest updates on the robberies. What’s going on with that?”

Levi hesitated a split second too long.

“Levi, don’t go there.”

“Go where?”

“Don’t pull that ‘you don’t need to know’ thing with me. I may not be Agency anymore, but as a member of the royal family, I obviously care deeply about matters affecting Europe,” Janessa said. “And you of all people should know I can keep a confidence.”

Levi didn’t correct her assumption of why he was reluctant to share information. He leaned back in his chair. Janessa was right. She wasn’t Agency anymore, and he couldn’t think of anyone he trusted more fully. “Don’t press me for details, but I think the robberies are connected to the assassination attempt in Sereno.”

“Can you tell me why?”

“No.”

Her eyes narrowed. “What’s going on with you and Cassandra?”

“It’s been a tough morning for her. She received some bad news from home.”

“Nice evasion, but you didn’t answer my question.”

“Seems to me that we had a very similar conversation when you were pretending to be engaged to Garrett.”

“And you were there for me when I needed you,” Janessa reminded him. “Let me return the favor.”

Levi debated a moment, but he couldn’t bring himself to voice his feelings for Cassie aloud. He wasn’t sure he could identify them himself. Instead, he tapped on the keyboard of his computer and retrieved the list of suspects he and Cassie had identified. “I asked Director Palmer to put some analysts on this, but if you want to help, I have a suspect list for the mastermind behind the robberies.”