The tabloids had succeeded in locating Princess Cassandra, and yet no one seemed to be able to penetrate the chateau walls. How hard could it be? The chateau wasn’t even the primary residence of the king of Meridia. Surely there had to be a way inside.

Pratt knocked on his office door. “Did you already hear from Oscar?”

“I heard he got questioned by the authorities. He’s already on his way to Rome. Apparently, he’s not welcome in Meridia any longer.”

“He’s lucky they didn’t arrest him.”

“They did, but he got off easy and only had to pay a fine.” Julien spread out photos Oscar had emailed him from his surveillance this morning. “What about sending someone in on the beach?”

“We tested that possibility yesterday. The royal navy must be using some kind of sonar because every time a boat gets close to shore, it gets intercepted within a few minutes.”

“What about from the woods over here?” Julien tapped on a photo that showed the spot where the beach ended and rocks and trees began.

“Oscar tried to get through there too. He said he didn’t even make it onto the grounds before a guard chased him off.”

“He’s lucky they only fined him,” Julien muttered.

“I hate to say it, but I think our best chance is to wait until the princess goes back to Sereno.”

“They’ll be ready for us next time.” To prove his point, Julien slid the photos aside and dumped out another set, these taken from the video feed of one of his would-be assassins. “Look at how many guards were in the entryway. And that was without them knowing we were coming.”

A figure kneeling over a fallen guard caught his eye. Julien picked the photo up for a closer look. “I don’t believe it.”

“What?”

“I think you’re right. We should plan our next move in Sereno.” He tapped his finger against the photo. “This time, we’ll have two items of business to take care of instead of one.”

CHAPTER 27

Levi couldn’t stop thinking about her. Having Cassie sitting two feet away wasn’t going to solve that problem any time soon. Since the moment he’d kissed her, he’d been trying to convince himself that a relationship between them was impossible.

It was impossible: he was a CIA operative. She was a princess from a country that didn’t like Americans, a princess who still thought he was from Meridia and not the United States. Yet, as he watched her sitting across the table from him, he could only see her as a woman. An intelligent, interesting, attractive woman. He might have been able to resist those three qualities if he hadn’t glimpsed her strength that surfaced along with the pockets of vulnerability she tried so hard to hide.

Was it knowing he was one of the few who had seen that side of her that drew him in? Or the protective instincts she drew out of him? Or perhaps it was the whole package.