“Valentine—” the captain chided.
The prince waved off his defense and leaned toward her again. “It is all right, Joe. I appreciate her frankness. Miss Valentine—I cannot tell you for certain that the threats are politically motivated. Perhaps they come from criminals seeking revenge for what the new government has taken from them. It could even be something personal I do not yet understand.”
“Personal?”
“Perhaps. This is why I need your help. Whoever is behind this will try again. I want to stop him before any of your people get hurt.”
“Prevent collateral damage.”
“These trade negotiations must happen to ensure the economic success of my country. I need a strong Kansas City police officer, one who knows undercover work. I need a woman to fulfill this role, one who can handle herself as I saw you handle that criminal out there. I need someone I can trust, who is not influenced by the crown, someone who is there to watch me and help me. Lukinburg’s security contingent are trained Special Forces soldiers. If one of them is against me...” He sat back, lifting his shoulders in a weary sigh. “I would like to have an ally in my corner. I would like it to be you.”
She paused a moment to consider what these men were asking of her. “I won’t fit in with royalty. I’m working class right down to my dad’s plumber’s truck. I don’t even own a dress.”
“We’ll get you the right clothes, the right hairstyle, to play the role we need you to. You’d be working straight through the week he’s here in Missouri. We’ll comp you the time, give you a vacation once the assignment is done.”
Prince Ivan nodded. “I will pay for all of these expenses. You will keep anything I purchase for you as a thank-you gift.”
“Dressing me up won’t make me a lady.”
Hendricks rolled his chair back, looking as if this meeting was over and the decision had been made. “You’d be protecting Kansas City by preventing anything from happening to him. You can do this.”
“Are you ordering me to?”
“Do I need to make it an order?”
“No, sir. I took an oath to serve and protect my city. That includes its visitors.” She stood when the captain did. She was okay with the cop part, investigating and protecting, and with keeping a secret. But the rest of this assignment? She only hoped these men understood what kind of magic it would take to turn her into a woman who would date a prince. “When do I start?”
His Royal Blue Eyes rose and buttoned his jacket. “I need you to start the job now. Right here. Before my people return to the captain’s office. I worked as military police when I was in the army, so it is plausible that we are acquainted.”
“How long ago did we allegedly meet?” She’d better start prepping for this part if she was to have any chance of pulling it off.
“Two? Three years ago?”
Carly nodded. “I was deployed to Bosnia two years ago. Guarded the base near Tuzla.”
“I took part in a training exercise in Sarajevo.”
She recognized the city southwest of the base where she’d been stationed. “Then it’s believable that we could have met. If the dates coincide.”
Captain Hendricks circled his desk. “I’ll prep your cover file to make sure they do, in case anyone runs a background check.”
Carly inhaled a deep breath. “Then I guess we’re doing this.”
The prince crossed to the door leading into Brooke’s office. “My first public appearance is tomorrow. I am in meetings throughout the day, but I will have lunch with you to go over the information I have on these threats in more detail, and to discuss the protocols my countrymen would expect from a woman I am with. That will give you until tomorrow morning to get whatever you need to look the part. Aleks will set up an account you may use to buy anything you need.”
At least she didn’t snort this time when she laughed. “I’m gonna need more than a day to make that kind of transformation.”
“Make it work, Valentine.” Captain Hendricks was done with any more excuses. “You’ll be reporting directly to me.”
“I hope you don’t live to regret this, sir.”
“I hope I don’t, either.”
When she opened the door, Brooke was pouring coffee for the armed men from the elevator. A glimpse of a wire curling beneath their collars reminded her that this was Ivan’s security contingent.
“Your Highness.” The man with slicked-back dark hair striped by silver sideburns stepped forward. “Coordination with the local police, providing traffic clearance and venue security is in place. They have your schedule and have assured me they have the manpower to provide the backup my team and embassy security will need. I will coordinate the joint agency security team, of course.”
“Of course.” Ivan laced his fingers through hers, and Carly startled at the unexpected touch. He pulled her up beside him, ashes, grime, stink and all. He hadn’t been kidding. The charade was starting right now. “I want to introduce you to my good friend. Miss Carly Valentine. My valued chief of security, Filip Milevski.”
Um, uh... Think, Carly! Not homeless, not hooker, not task force cop. Girlfriend. She summoned a smile. “Hi.”
Brilliant. Convincing. Not.
The security chief’s dark eyes bored through her with a different sort of intensity than the electricity that charged Ivan’s blue eyes. Yep. That was less of a nice to meet you and more of a what the hell? expression on his clean-shaven face. “This is the woman from the elevator. Why did you not acknowledge her at that time if she is your friend?”
“She was working,” Ivan explained, spewing out lies as if they were second nature to him. “Besides, it has been so long since I last saw her—her hair is much longer now and we are both older—I was not sure it was her.”
Carly could play the lying game, too. “And I wasn’t—I’m not—exactly looking my best. I was a little embarrassed for him to see me like this.”
“Nonsense, дорогой. You know I love to see a woman in action.” What did he say? Huh? Was she going to have to learn a new language for this assignment? Learning to be a proper lady would be hard enough.
Filip Milevski didn’t bother to mask his disapproval of her—although whether it was the idea of his boss having a girlfriend or her, in particular, he disliked—and he acknowledged her with a nod and dismissed her at the same time. “I contacted Eduard. Our car is waiting for us out front to take us to the embassy to meet Ambassador Poveda. The rest of the delegation has gone on to the hotel. Galina is discussing protocol with the hotel staff. She will meet us at the embassy.”
Ivan’s grip tightened around hers, and she got the idea that Milevski’s reaction hadn’t pleased him. “I will finish introductions first, as you will be seeing more of Miss Valentine throughout the week.” He gestured to the sour-faced man with the reddish-brown buzz cut and blotchy skin. “Danya Pavluk. He has worked palace security for years. The Eduard whom Filip mentioned is Eduard Nagy, another bodyguard, specifically, my driver. You will meet him later.”
“I look forward to it.”
Danya Pavluk looked like making polite conversation pained him. All he said was, “Madam.”
“How do you do?”
Danya drank his coffee. Apparently, that conversation was over.
Ivan squeezed her hand again, and she was reminded of the strength and heat of even that casual,