Spy Girl (Spy Girl #1)

“I was told to take a couple weeks vacation until my next mission.”


“Hmm, somehow that doesn’t seem like enough. So, I have some gifts for you, my sweet.”

“I don’t need presents, Lorenzo.”

“Nonetheless. From my country.” He hands me a passport. “You are officially a citizen of Montrovia. There are some places in the world you may travel where having an American passport is, shall we say, tricky.”

“Thank you.”

“From the monarchy which you saved, a monetary account has been set up in the Royal Montrovian Bank to be accessed only by your handprint. No identification is necessary. No name. A nest egg in case you decide to retire.” He holds out an iPad, clicks a button, and instructs me to lay my palm on it. “Perfect.”

“And from my mother, for saving her son.” He hands me a deed. “The villa is now yours.”

“Lorenzo, I can’t accept these. I didn’t do it because—” He puts his finger over my mouth to shush me.

“And that is exactly why you deserve them. I’m not finished.” He grins. “As a token of my gratitude—”

An idea flashes in my brain causing me to interrupt him. “With all the women you’ve dated, why haven’t you dated Lady Elizabeth?”

He sighs. “I’m afraid Lizzy—how do you Americans say it—friend zoned me when we were teens. She liked older boys.”

“You’re an older boy now.”

He cocks his head. “You think?”

“Yeah, I do. She would make a lovely queen.”

“Yes, she would. I’ll admit that I have carried a bit of a torch for her since my youth.”

“I could invite her over to hang out. You could show up. Maybe I could find a date, and we could double?”

“Although that sounds lovely, I’m afraid you are due in port. Right now.”

“For what?”

“Your gift from me is the use of my yacht. Do a few quiet days at sea sound good?”

“That actually sounds really nice.”

“Juan will escort you there now.”

“Now?”

“Yes, now.”

“But I need to go home and pack.”

“Your luggage is already packed and on board.”

“Are you trying to get rid of me?”

“No.”

“Wait, why don’t you want me to go home?”

“Let’s just say Ari will be—um, how do you say it—holding down the fort while you are gone.”

“Did you give him a passport, too?”

“Yes. You and your brother will always have a home here.” He gives me a hug. “I mean that sincerely. And if you ever need anything. Anything at all. Seriously, call me. I would do anything for you.”

“Thank you. That means a lot to me.”

“And, now, you must go,” he says, shooing me into the secret passageway from the castle down to the harbor.





When I get to the docks, I call Ellis.

“Miss Von Allister,” he says, loud dance music blaring in the background.

“What’s going on there? Is Ari having a party?”

“You could say a party is being had for Ari. Can’t say I mind.”

“Girls gone wild?”

“Very.”

As I get closer to the Royal Yacht, I wonder what to expect on board. Will it be full of hot men waiting to fulfill my every desire?

I see the crew lined up for my arrival. No one else in sight.

“Good afternoon, Contessa. I’m Captain Marco. It’s a pleasure to have you on board. I was told to set course for Ibiza. Unless you’d like to go somewhere else.”

“No, that sounds great. And, please, call me Huntley.”

As I’m shown to the owner’s suite, I realize that the Prince knows the real me well. Knows that I crave solitude and silence. A few days at sea with the ocean breeze in my face sounds perfect.

I change into a red bikini then head to the pool deck. It will be the perfect place to view the gorgeous city as we leave the harbor.

I have music playing, and I am swaying to the sounds of a sultry song as I stand next to the railing and watch my new home retreating into the distance.

A steward brings me a flute of champagne on a silver tray. I raise the glass into the air.

“You should never drink alone,” a deep, sexy voice says as a strong arm snakes around my waist, pulling me back up against a muscular chest and swaying with me. “What are we drinking to?”

I turn my head and smile at him. “Montrovia.”

He clinks my glass with his. “To Montrovia.”

After we take a sip, I turn to face him. “Daniel, are you crashing my party?”

He flashes both of his dimples at me and says, “Baby, I am your party.”





EPI:LOGUE





Terrance is in the facility underground the Montrovian villa. With the Prince safe, he can finally focus some energy on figuring out what is on the disc Huntley gave him.

With a computer he built himself that purposely has no internet connection, he pulls up the file’s content list.

He clicks on numerous files, but each one is encrypted.

He spends a few hours trying to hack his way through, but he can’t unlock the code.

So he tries a different approach, pulling up the list again.

This time, he finds a single unencrypted file.