Breakfast was spread out before her: a basket of rolls, a bowl of cut cantaloupe, and a platter of meat and cheese.

Cassie spotted him and waved to the seat beside her. “Have you eaten yet?”

“No.” Levi glanced around the terrace to find it deserted except for the two of them.

“Patrice sent plenty for me to share.”

Because he needed to assure himself that Cassie was alive and well, Levi leaned down and greeted her with a kiss. Her hand came up to rest on his arm as though holding him in place.

“Good morning,” Levi said.

She smiled. “Good morning.”

“How long have you been up?” Levi took his seat and scooped some cantaloupe onto his plate.

“You asked me that yesterday,” she said. “This is starting to become a habit.”

“Is the answer the same as yesterday?”

“I managed to sleep until six, so a little better,” Cassie said. “How about you?”

“I’ve been up for a while. I had some work I needed to do.” He saw her expectant look. Avoiding the inevitable, he took a bite of his fruit and chewed slowly while he organized his thoughts. “I need to talk to you about the night of the shooting.”

The smile on her face faded, and she set her fork down.

“I know this isn’t an easy subject, but what I want you to relive is the ten or fifteen minutes before the unexpected guests arrived.”

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly as though trying to clear her mind and settle her emotions. “I went to my father’s private quarters.” A weak smile appeared, and Levi didn’t miss the wistful look on her face. “Dad needed help with his tie. He never could properly manage a bow tie on his own.”

“Was anyone else there?”

“No, not until Theo arrived to escort us to dinner.” Cassie picked up a roll and broke it in half.

“Did you have a scheduled time to arrive?”

“The invitations said seven. My father always makes his entrance later, usually half an hour or so.”

“Did he have a specific time designated for that night?”

“Not exactly. The typical routine is for Theo to inform us when the guests have arrived and are ready to receive us,” Cassie said. “After that happens, security prepares for us to move from the residential side of the palace to the dining hall.”

“How does security prepare?”

“The front gate is closed, and additional guards are stationed at the main entrance.”

Levi took a bite of cantaloupe and mentally compared the chateau’s security protocols to what Cassie described. “Where do the extra guards come from?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Is this procedure followed at every formal dinner?” Levi asked.

“As far as I know, yes.” She buttered her roll and took a bite.

“Then anyone who knows about the security shifts could have used this as a signal on when to attack.”

Her food once again forgotten, Cassie’s eyes met his. “You think the assassins used our own security protocols against us?”