Brandishing a Crown

by Rita Herron

  It was the most beautiful night Jane had ever known. If only it would last…

  But fairy tales were for dreamers. And Jane Cameron was not a fairy-tale kind of girl.

  LONG INTO THE NIGHT Stefan watched Jane sleep, troubled by the emotions churning through him. He wanted Jane in his life, to love her the way she deserved to be loved. To carry her back to Kyros and share the beauty of his country with her.

  To show the world what a treasure he had found in this woman. Jane was like the rarest pearl plucked from deep within an oyster shell at the bottom of the ocean.

  And she was his.

  Whether she understood that yet or not.

  Her cell phone buzzed, and Jane jerked awake, her eyes startled. “Stefan?”

  “It is your phone, Jane. Do you wish to answer?”

  She shoved a strand of hair from her face and sat up, her breasts swaying and making him hard all over again. Her body was perfect, angelic, golden with curves that sent need surging through him.

  “Yes, it could be about the case.”

  He should have turned off the phone, kept them cocooned here together where she was safe, kept her in his bed and in his arms where nothing could harm her.

  But Amir and Hector’s family were missing, so he resigned himself and handed her the phone.

  Jane quickly connected the call. “Jane Cameron speaking.” She wrinkled her nose in a frown. “I’ll be right there.”

  She stood and grabbed her clothes.

  At her anxious look, Stefan did the same. “What is going on?”

  “Tomas has something he wants me to look at regarding the bomb particles.”

  Stefan dragged on his shirt. “Then we shall go.”

  Jane hesitated. “Stefan, stay here with your guard while I check it out.”

  Stefan’s jaw tightened. “No. You are not going anywhere without me.”

  Jane opened her mouth to argue, but Stefan pressed a kiss to her mouth. “Do not bother to protest. I need to see this evidence your CSI speaks of.”

  Jane reluctantly nodded, grabbed her purse and they headed outside just as dawn started to break. Stefan texted Edilio to alert him where he was going and that Jane was with him, then she drove them to the lab.

  Tomas met Jane with a perplexed look on his face. “Come here just a minute, Jane.”

  “I’ll be right back, Stefan.”

  Stefan hated being left out of the loop, but that Osgood imbecile had pointed out that he was not authorized to be in the lab. Still, Jane would share what she knew with him, and show him this evidence. He would insist.

  She stepped from the room, and he paced to the window and glanced outside. Morning sunlight poured across the asphalt as the city of Dumont awakened. Traffic was thickening, pedestrians bustling down the sidewalk with their disposable cups of coffee.

  No time to relax or enjoy a quiet meal as in Kyros where pleasure and relaxation were priorities each day.

  Still it was a beautiful day here, a day when he and his friends should have been conducting business instead of hiding out and wondering if Amir was dead or alive.

  The door squeaked open, and another CSI tech, a young female who looked to be just out of university, stepped inside. When she spotted him, she blushed and graced him with a flirtatious smile. “Prince Stefan…I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”

  He shrugged. “Yes, well, Miss Cameron and I are working together.”

  “Really?” The young girl’s eyes went up in surprise.

  “Yes. Unfortunately there has been trouble since my friends and I arrived.”

  “I know, and I’m so sorry.” She fidgeted with the file in her hand yet her gaze roved over him in open admiration as if she wanted to touch him. “I don’t understand why some people are so prejudiced. I, for one, am thrilled to have so many royals and sheiks here in the U.S.”

  He chuckled. She was another gushing young girl, the type he was sure that he could charm and have if he wanted.

  But Jane’s face flashed in his mind, and he dismissed the idea of ever wanting another woman.

  “Do you have something you wish to discuss with Jane?” he asked, suddenly anxious for her to leave.

  She pushed the file forward, then placed it on Jane’s desk. “Yes. The information she wanted about the cell phone is in there.”

  Adrenaline surged through Stefan. “I shall tell her that you left it.”

  “Oh, I’m not in a hurry,” she said. “I can wait.”

  Stefan took her arm and guided her to the door. A flicker of sexual interest charged her eyes, but the sultry, unspoken promise did not arouse him at all.

  After all, she was not Jane.

  And he certainly could not go from making love to Jane to crawling into bed with another woman.

  “That is not necessary,” Stefan said. “But thank you, miss. Now I would not want to get you in trouble by keeping you from your work. And as much as I am enjoying your lovely company, I have business to attend to myself.”

  Her eyes narrowed into a frown as if she didn’t quite understand what was going on, that he was subtly rejecting her. But he gently ushered her through the door and closed it behind her.

  Intent on finding out what was in that file, he hurried back and opened it. A detailed list of phone numbers from Hector’s phone was inside.

  He scanned the numbers. Then suddenly a jolt of fear shot through him.

  One number had been circled as if in question. A number that had phoned Hector repeatedly. A number from within the States.

  From within this very CSI office.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Osgood. His name was there, plain and clear.

  The CSI who worked with Jane had phoned Hector. But why? If Osgood wanted to speak with his security detail, he would have phoned Edilio.

  Stefan balled his hands into fists, rage tightening every muscle in his body. The man had some explaining to do. Stefan could think of no reason for them to have had contact unless Osgood was behind the threats on Hector’s family.

  Trust no one.

  The warning had proven to be true. His own aide had been coerced into deceiving him. What if Osgood was corrupt?

  He had to find him and make the man explain.

  And he wanted to do it without Jane.

  Leaving the file on the desk, he scribbled a note to Jane that he went to make a call, then strode down the hall in search of Osgood’s office.

  JANE FROWNED as she studied the tests Tomas had run. He was a computer whiz and research fanatic, and had studied the list of all the particles they had discovered and insisted he’d found something interesting.

  “This type of material is being tested in some foreign countries,” he said. “Of course, that research is under the table.”

  This she already knew from Stefan. “Because it has to do with nuclear weapons.”

  He frowned as if he hadn’t expected her to know. “Yes. Biochemical warfare to be exact.” Tomas pointed to several notations on the diagrams of molecules and test studies. “They’ve had trouble using this one though,” Tomas said. “Because of the side effects exposure causes to those who work with it.”

  “What side effects?” Jane asked.

  “Skin rashes, bleeding from the nose, eye problems, even facial muscle spasms.”

  Jane rubbed her forehead in thought. “Skin rashes?”

  “Yes. Rashes can appear anywhere on the body, but are especially prevalent on areas of contact such as the hands and arms.”

  Jane’s mind began to race.

  “And those are the more visible problems. Long term exposure causes cancer, urinary problems, seizures, heart arrhythmia and eventually death.”

  Disturbing snippets of past moments with Osgood jolted through Jane’s mind. Osgood scratching at his arms. His long sleeved-shirt riding up to reveal red splotches.

  He’d claimed it was eczema.

  And one day a few weeks back he’d had a nosebleed. He’d commented that he’d had them
since childhood whenever he got a sinus infection. She had dismissed the incident and accepted his reasoning.

  But now she wondered…

  No, surely Osgood wouldn’t betray his country…. And he wouldn’t indulge in terrorism or a murder plot.

  But her comment to Stefan about not suspecting the people he was close to echoed in her ears. She’d never considered suspecting anyone in her own office.

  Her mind spinning, she thanked Tomas, grabbed a copy of the printouts to show Stefan and hurried from the room. The lab seemed eerily quiet, but downstairs she heard footsteps as other workers arrived at the courthouse.

  She veered into her lab eager to talk to Stefan, but he was gone.

  A quick scan of the room and she discovered his note. Dammit, he’d left without a guard. Then she noticed the file on her desk, picked it up and opened the folder.

  The numbers from Hector’s phone.

  She quickly skimmed the list, noting the out-of-area numbers which according to the computer lab, were Hector’s home number. He must have been desperate, frantic when he thought his family was in danger, and had tried to call them dozens of times in the last two days. But each call indicated that the connection had lasted less than a minute. Just long enough for a message machine to kick on.

  Then her gaze zeroed in on the number that had been circled.

  Dammit. She recognized it immediately.

  Her boss’s private phone.

  Her stomach rolled as she glanced at the note again. Stefan had been here when this file had been delivered.

  What if he had seen it?

  Then he hadn’t gone to make a call. He’d gone to find Osgood.

  She had to hurry….

  She checked her watch. She knew exactly where Osgood would be. This time of morning he always stopped at the coffee shop downstairs. Osgood couldn’t survive without his superstrength caffeine surge in the morning. He’d once commented that he needed it in an IV.

  She punched the elevator button, but it took too long, so she dashed down the staircase to the bottom floor, rushed through the door to the corridor, then jogged down the hall to the coffee shop in the corner. The place was surprisingly empty, only the teenager working the coffee bar was inside.

  Just as she spun toward the entrance, Osgood loped out, coffee in hand.

  Her hand automatically fell over her purse where she kept her gun. His beefy face registered surprise, his eye beginning to spasm. A telltale sign.

  One she should have paid more attention to.

  “Jane, what are you doing here?” he asked.

  “I need to talk to you, Ralph.” She’d lost her breath on the jog down and had to pause to prepare her story before she tipped herself off. “There’s evidence I need you to review.”

  He scoffed. “You, the elusive, independent, brilliant Jane Cameron, need my help?” Suspicion flared in his eyes. “Just what evidence are you talking about?”

  Jane swallowed, trying to hedge, but knowing she had to confront him. “The lab found details about the bomb particles that hint at terrorist activity.”

  “Really?”

  Jane nodded. “And the computer lab came back with phone records that support Prince Stefan’s aide’s story about being coerced into helping the person who attacked the prince and the sheik.”

  Osgood’s beady eyes flitted sideways in a nervous gesture. “What exactly did these records reveal? Do we have a suspect to arrest?”

  Jane met his gaze, her heart drumming like a freight train spinning off the tracks. She wanted to say yes, to slap the cuffs on him, but her training and self-preservation instincts kicked it. It would be better, smarter, to do it upstairs where she had backup.

  “I don’t know.” Pretending nonchalance, she gestured for him to follow her. “Come on. Maybe you can look at it and tell me.”

  Suddenly a hand closed around her elbow. “I don’t think so.”

  Jane shot him a belligerent look. “What are you doing? I need you upstairs.”

  “We’re not going up there, Jane.” His voice was cold as he pressed his gun into her back. “Now, let’s go outside or I’ll shoot you right here. Then I’ll find the prince, and I’ll blow his brains out, too.”

  “Why are you doing this?” Jane shrieked as he shoved her ahead of him toward the exit.

  “Oh, Jane, don’t play dumb. Money buys everything.”

  A sob caught in her throat as she stumbled through the back door. Knowing she was trapped, she slid one hand inside her purse, and slowly hit the button to redial Stefan. “Ralph, don’t throw away your career—”

  “My career is already in the crapper, Jane.” He pushed her toward one of the crime scene vans and yanked open the door. “Besides, the money we get paid…hell, it’s nothing compared to what I got for doing this. I can retire for life.”

  Jane dug in her heels. “Let’s go back inside, talk about this. Running won’t help.”

  “Shut up, Jane.” He raised the gun and slammed the butt of it against her head. Pain sliced through her as he shoved her in the van.

  STEFAN HAD JUST LEFT Osgood’s empty office when his cell phone buzzed. His heart clenched with panic when he heard the scream.

  Osgood had Jane.

  Blast it.

  Taking off at a dead run, he raced down the steps, yelling for security as he exited the stairwell and ran outside. He didn’t spot Osgood or Jane so he ran around the side of the building to the back just in time to see Osgood climb in the crime scene van, gun the engine and speed away.

  A security guard rushed up looking harried. “What’s going on?”

  “Osgood kidnapped Jane Cameron at gunpoint. Alert the sheriff to look for a white van from your office. I am going after them myself.”

  Not waiting for a response, he jogged around to the parking lot where Jane had parked. He fumbled to open the door, then realized she had the keys in her purse and the van was locked.

  Desperate, he ran from car to car searching for one that was unlocked. On the fifth try, he found an unlocked, beat-up Chevy and jumped inside. A second later, he’d hotwired the vehicle and sped into the street.

  He raced along the main road from Dumont, his eyes scanning each alley for the van. A few streets down from the main highway out of town, he spotted it barreling in the opposite direction.

  Swinging the car around, he hit the gas and prayed he could catch up. Clenching the steering wheel with a white-knuckled grip, he wove around morning traffic, veering down side streets to avoid being seen and following at a distance.

  The peaceful wilderness with its cattle grazing and wild horses roaming suddenly seemed ominous, an endless arena of places to hide. What had Osgood done to Jane before he’d put her in the van?

  Had he shot her? Was he driving out in the wilderness to bury her so she would never be found?

  No…he couldn’t let his thoughts stray there…

  Several miles on the outskirts of town, the van gained speed, tires screeching as it rounded a curve and veered onto a dirt drive. Stefan slowed and waited several seconds before following, careful again not to be seen tailing the van.

  The car bounced over the rough ridges and potholes in the dirt road, the plush farmland giving way to natural desert with boulders and rocks dotting the landscape.

  Vultures soared above, and birds of prey screeched and soared along the scrub brush. He punched in Edilio’s number.

  “Prince Stefan, where are you?” Edilio asked.

  Stefan filled him on everything that had happened. “I’m following Osgood now. He has Jane and is armed.”

  “Prince, you should not be there by yourself. Please, I insist you wait and let the security team handle this matter.”

  Dust spewed from the van ahead, and he realized the van was stopping, so he parked to the side beneath a cluster of trees. “I have pulled over, Edilio, but I cannot wait. This man knows he has been caught, and he will kill Jane.”

  “But, Prince, your country, your people, they
are depending on you.”

  To hell with that. Jane needed him now. Stefan inched the Chevy’s door open, wincing as the rusty hinges squeaked. “What kind of leader would I be if I watched an innocent woman die just to protect myself?”

  “Sir, please, do not jeopardize your life.”

  “Call the sheriff and give them my location,” Stefan said. “Then get out here in case I need backup.”

  Slowly closing the car door, he silently cursed that he had no weapon. He should have insisted on being armed when the first threat had come.

  Instead, now he had only his wits and his fists.

  But he had used those before and survived in the military and he would do so now.

  Crouching low, he ducked behind the bushes lining the dirt road, inching his way toward the place where Osgood had stopped. An ocelot sauntered across in front of him and he paused, letting it pass.

  Ahead he spotted tall bushes, dried brush, a deserted area, then an indentation in the ground with boards propped up against an opening.

  An old deserted mine.

  Inching closer, he heard Osgood cursing and saw him drag the boards away from the opening and throw them aside. Wiping sweat from his brow, he lumbered back to the van, opened the back and removed a duffel bag.

  Stefan gritted his teeth. What was inside?

  He craned his neck, listening for Jane, for a scream, any sign she was alive.

  But only the quiet hiss of insects, animals skittering and the wind buzzing through the dry bushes echoed back.

  Osgood returned to the van, opened the side door, then a second later, he dragged Jane out and threw her over his shoulder. She was pale. Limp. Completely dead weight.

  Panic blended with fury as he struggled to see if she was breathing. Her arms dangled beside Osgood’s side as he hauled her to the mine and placed her at the mouth.

  Then he laid her down, and Stefan choked on his own breath. Osgood had strapped a bomb around Jane’s chest.

  Terror momentarily immobilized him. The gods. He could not lose Jane now.