Spy Girl (Spy Girl #1)

Imagine a world with no politics. No poverty. No debt. No suffering. A world where everyone is equal. Every citizen would have their basic needs met. Water, food, shelter, transportation. Where we use clean energies like solar, water, and wind power and stop depleting our natural resources. We would raise the standard of living for the entire world. Imagine what we could achieve together.

“My plan is to stick to her like glue for the next two days,” Ari states. “Your job is to make sure the Prince stays safe.”

“My head is spinning, Ari.” Particularly because I must complete the rest of my mission: Eliminate the threat. Clarice would be easy to take out. I could order brunch, go kill her, and be back before it was served. But I need to be certain she’s the threat before I do.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a few hours,” Ari says. “We’re on the right track.”

“Do you ever get scared?” I ask him.

“Yeah,” he says, wrapping his arm around my neck and giving me a stiff hug. “But we’ll get through it together.”





X X X





The Prince calls and says he’s going to be in meetings most of the day and will hopefully meet up with us later.

Daniel, Ari, Peter, Allie, and I decide to go watch some of the qualifying.

I was worried about how I was going to juggle Daniel and the Prince, but it’s easy since only one of them is here, but I know it won’t last long. After all I’d read about Daniel, I thought I could sleep with him, he’d lose interest, and move on to his next conquest. But he hasn’t. I suggested rather than doing the whole yacht-Amber Room VIP version of watching qualifying that we do what normal people do and sit on the hill leading up to the castle on blankets and take a picnic.

As we’re looking for a place to sit, Peter asks, “What’s with all the military?”

“A big event like this,” Daniel says, “they have to be vigilant. And I would think it helps the people feel safe. Especially after the attacks on the Prince.”

“Feel safe or be safe?” Ari ponders, spreading out a blanket and plopping our gourmet picnic basket down.

“That is the question,” Peter replies. “However Montrovia is such a unique country in that it has no poverty. Those who want to do business within Montrovia have very strict guidelines regarding wages. From the janitor and maids to the gardeners—all are paid handsomely. Have you ever been to a coastal town and the closer you get to the beach, the higher the cost of fuel and food?”

“Yes,” we all say.

“That’s not allowed here. No price gouging. Food and wine is cheap, and all citizens are covered by their world-class medical insurance and facilities. They are a peaceful sovereign state and don’t stick their noses in world affairs. They have a capable army, elite forces to guard their borders, and a world-class maritime division which controls the Strait of Montrovia. In the last four hundred years, there has been only peace.”

“Sounds like Montrovia has it all figured out,” I reply, wondering why Peter is so knowledgeable on this.

“Although they allow visitors to come spend their money, they have very strict immigration policies and visas. Citizenship is what you are born into. It’s the only way to make a small country work, probably. The average United States citizen can’t afford to get sick. Here, they have to focus on taking care of their own.”

“Enough talk of politics,” Daniel says to them. “We need to open the champagne and see what goodies your chef packed.”





Later, I wander away from the group, checking out the crowd of people on the hill and noticing that I have a very good view of the Royal Yacht, where the Prince and I will be watching the race tomorrow. How easy would it be to hide a rifle in a picnic basket, screw it together, and take a shot? Or worse, launch a rocket-propelled grenade. We’d be gone in an instant.

And I can’t die yet.

Not until I avenge my mother’s death.

After that, I don’t care much about living.

“Hey, where have you been?” Daniel says, wandering up to me. “I’ve been looking for you.”

“I snuck out for a smoke?” I lie.

“You don’t smoke,” he says, smacking my ass and causing me to jump. I tumble forward, almost falling to the ground, but Daniel’s strong arm reaches out and grabs me.

“You and those heels,” he says, causing an instant flashback to me in his townhouse wearing nothing but.





X X X





After a long day in the sun, we head back home. Daniel wants to play video games, but Ari beats me to it, the two of them quickly engaging in some fake battle together.

I’m lying across a chaise watching them when my phone buzzes. I walk out on one of the villa’s sweeping terraces to take the call.

“You have the tabloids all in a tizzy now,” the Prince says.

“Why’s that?”

“Your picnic today with Daniel.”

“I had a picnic with Allie, Peter, my brother, and Daniel, as well as some of Peter’s friends who showed up.”

“It’s quiet where you are,” he says. “Are you not at the race pre-party at the Amber Room?”

“No, Peter and Allie went, but Ari is still hung over from last night, I think, and Daniel is exhausted from his photo shoot with the Swiss bikini team, so they are on the couch playing video games.”