Edge of Tomorrow (76 page)

He let his statement sink in, then continued,
“I know for a fact that the President wants to maintain the status
quo here in Monterra. If the CIA has any intention of taking this
opportunity to mess with Gadhafi and the Libyans, that could result
in unexpected bad consequences for them. Keep that in mind. What
have you found out about the Prince’s intentions on this mess?”

“Not a lot so far. Italy is trying to pursue
this in the World Court. The Prince’s minister who is handling that
is a nincompoop. He’s backing himself into a corner where his only
option will be calling on Libya for military support,” said
Judy.

“We’re trying to shore that up. Syd’s sister,
Karen Steppe, is an excellent attorney schooled in treaties. She
may become the Prince’s attorney on this. If she does, I want to
issue one more warning. If I find out that anyone—CIA, SISDE,
whoever—is snooping around her for any reason, I will take
immediate and decisive action! She is off limits to everyone!”
exclaimed Hatch solemnly.

Judy replied, “I can handle that for my
people. If I sniff out anyone else, I’ll get word to you. In the
meantime, it’s good to see you alive, Bob!”

She stood and walked to the door. Hatch
followed her and peeked into the hall. The only person out there
was Sara. She waved that everything was clear, and Lady Morley
walked toward the elevators. Hatch motioned to Sara to come join
him. In Syd’s suite, he briefed Sara on what had transpired and
told her to go get some sleep, but to not let her guard down.

• • •

Earlier, at 11:45 P.M., Bruno escorted Karen
to his suite where he picked up a small bag containing toiletries,
pajamas, et cetera, and also his briefcase, which contained his
electronic gadgets. They then went to Karen’s suite and
double-locked her door and hooked the chain.

Bruno said, “I’ll try and not disturb you too
much, Karen, but until Hatch sorts out what’s going on, I’m not
letting you out of my sight.”

Karen was feeling her liquor, and was also
quite attracted to Bruno. She was quite pleased he was going to
spend the night in her room, but she had no idea how far to let
things go. On the other hand, she was feeling very horny.

She giggled, “How gallant of you! I feel so
safe with you here! Unzip my dress, please. I’m going to get
comfortable.”

She turned her back to Bruno and he unzipped
her dress down to the small of her back. She walked to the bedroom
to change, but did not close the door. He watched her go, and
sucked on his lower lip.

Shit! She’s just too beautiful and sexy!
I’ve got to watch myself or I’ll be all over her! Hatch and Syd
would have my head!

Karen yelled from the bedroom, “Hey, Bruno.
Want a nightcap? Check the mini-bar and see what they have.”

She took off her dress and hung it in the
closet, stripped off her pantyhose, and put on a shortie robe and
walked barefooted back into the sitting room. Bruno had removed his
white dinner jacket and unclipped his holstered Beretta from his
belt and laid it on a table at the end of the couch. Karen felt a
shiver run up her spine when she saw it. Bruno went to the bar and
made a survey.

“Quite a selection, Karen. You want hard
stuff or wine?” said Bruno.

“Maybe a white wine,” she replied as she
picked up her purse, retrieved her cigarettes and lighter, and lit
up. “I enjoyed our date tonight, Bruno. You’re a lot of fun.”

“It wasn’t exactly a date, Karen, but I
enjoyed it, too. Especially dancing with you. It’s been a while
since I had my arms around a woman as pretty and sexy as you. I
wish I could get duty like this more often!”

“I’m duty?” she giggled as she sat on the
couch and crossed her legs, exposing them all the way to the top of
her thigh. The top of her robe was open slightly, exposing some of
her white, strapless bra and her cleavage.

Bruno said from the bar, “I didn’t mean
that the way it sounded, Karen. I
really
enjoy your company!”

He turned around to take her glass of wine to
her and nearly dropped it when he saw her on the couch, much skin
exposed. He recovered and put the wine on the table in front of her
and went back to the bar and got himself a can of beer. He popped
the top, then turned around again.

Karen blew a stream of smoke toward the
ceiling and patted the couch next to her. “Come sit with me,
Bruno.”

Bruno took a swig of his beer, but did not
move. “I better get a pillow and some blankets from the closet.
I’ll sleep out here on the couch.”

“You can have a drink with me first. Then
we’ll discuss sleeping arrangements,” said Karen.

He sat down next to her and groaned,
“Karen, don’t do this to me! If I make a pass at you, Hatch will
kill me! And if
he
doesn’t,
Syd will!”

“Were you going to make a pass at me?
Then you
are
attracted to
me!”

“Of course I’m attracted to you! What man
wouldn’t be? Look at you! You’re exuding sensuality!”

“Exuding? I’ve never been told
that
before!”

“Karen! I’m serious!”

“Well, Hatch and Syd don’t run my life! Maybe
you’re afraid to make a pass, but I’m not!”

She put her cigarette down in an ashtray and
quickly pulled Bruno’s head toward her and kissed him on the lips.
He put his beer down and pulled her to him and kissed her back.

Then he suddenly pulled away and said, “We
can’t do this, Karen!”

“Why not? I won’t tell on you! I liked that!
Kiss me again!” replied Karen, having decided what the sleeping
arrangements were going to be.

Bruno got up and propped a chair against the
front door.

“These locks are easy to pick,” he mumbled,
trying to cool down.

Karen took a drag off her cigarette, then
crushed it out in the ashtray. She stood and walked to the bedroom
door.

“Bruno, this is a big king-sized bed. You’re
not sleeping on the couch. Come on in here.”

Bruno groaned, “Karen! Don’t do this to
me!”

She took off her robe and unfastened her bra
and both fell in a heap at her feet. That did Bruno in. He lost his
resolve. The sight of her pale, pink-tipped breasts was too much!
He picked up his holstered Beretta and followed her into the
bedroom. She pulled back the covers, slipped off her panties, and
stretched out on the bed. Bruno could see that she was a true
blonde.

“Leave the light on. Now, come here!” she
ordered.

“God, you’re beautiful! And you sure as hell
don’t play fair!”

Royal Palace, Monterra

Saturday, August 25, 2001

10:00 A.M.

By ten o’clock the next morning,
Captain Rossini had escorted the five of them to the Costume
Wardroom in the Royal Palace. He had brought a stretch limo instead
of the Royal Carriage this time. The women were having a great time
trying on 18
^th
- and
19
^th
-century ball gowns with
the help of the two women who ran the wardroom.

Hatch and Bruno selected costumes
similar to the ones that might have been worn by the
Three Musketeers
. Bruno looked at
himself in a full-length mirror.

He laughed, “Do you think D’Artagnon looked
this foppish? No wonder they fought so often in those days!”

“I suppose they called that ‘dashing’ in the
olden days,” chortled Hatch.

Bruno had not been able to keep his eyes off
Karen all morning. She was going about things as if nothing had
happened last night. All he could do was remember her every curve,
her every move. After he was redressed in his own clothes, he heard
Karen call him over to where she was modeling her tenth gown.

“What do you think, Bruno? Too low on the
décolletage?” she laughed as she twirled around.

He was
using
his X-ray memory on her as he said, “Just
the right amount,
signorina
.
Just enough to drive me crazy!”

She giggled and went back to the dressing
room.

• • •

Captain Rossini informed Karen that the
Prince had reserved an hour at 11:30 A.M. for them to meet and sign
the appropriate documents so Karen could represent the Principality
in legal matters.

After her meeting with the Prince, Karen was
floating on air! This could be her most high-profile case ever! Win
or lose! But especially if she won!

I must find a way to win this case! The
Prince, my client, needs it, and Hatch and the President of the
United States want me to win. I’ll call Carla this afternoon and
tell her what’s going on and get the research underway. At the very
least, I can tie things up in court for awhile. Give me a chance to
come up with a winning strategy.

• • •

After a marvelous lunch at a restaurant on
the beach, Sara was thumbing through a tourist’s guide book looking
for things for them to do in the afternoon.

She looked up from the book and laughed,
“Now, here’s something up my alley! They have a clothing-optional
beach about twenty miles up the western coast. If I had a man, I’d
have him take me there! I haven’t been to a topless beach since I
was in the south of France two years ago!”

Syd said, “How can you walk around topless
among a lot of strangers, Sara? Isn’t that embarrassing? It would
be to me.”

“It’s easy around strangers. It’s when you’re
with people you know that you get a twinge of shyness, but you get
over it,” chuckled Sara. “You know my motto …”

Syd chimed in, “When you’ve got it, flaunt
it!”

“Right on!” laughed Sara.

While they were laughing, they failed to see
Captain Rossini approach their table. He was not in uniform, but
instead was dressed in tan slacks and a brown T-shirt that showed
off his muscular body.

“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.
Please accept my apologies for intruding, but I have the afternoon
off, so I thought I would offer my services as a tour guide, if you
are so inclined. It would also give
Signorina
Smith and me a chance to get to know a
little about each other before I escort her to the Royal Ball
tomorrow night.”

Sara gave him the once over and scooted her
chair over as she said, “Pull up a chair, Captain. The first thing
you can learn is that my name is Sara. What’s yours?”

He pulled a chair up next to Sara’s and sat
down.

“My name is Charles. My father is Monterran,
but my mother is English, so she insisted on me having at least one
English name,” he said in his clipped British accent.

Sara said, “We were just discussing
what to do this afternoon. I suggested
Capriati Beach
, but no one opted to take me. How
about you take me there, Charlie?”

He hated being called anything except
Charles, but the nickname somehow seemed acceptable—even sexy—when
Sara said it. Her suggestion about the nude beach caused his ruddy
face to flush.

“I do want to get to know about you, Sara,
but perhaps not that much so quickly,” he smiled, exhibiting his
perfect teeth. “Possibly, any other beach. We have many nice
ones.”

“Hey, Charlie, I live in Florida most
of the time. I can go to the
beach
anytime! Oh, well, I tried. Let’s hear the dull suggestions
from everyone else.”

Charles Rossini would have loved to
take Sara to a topless beach, but he had taken a French girl there
once and the Prince had heard about it and gave him a reprimand.
The Prince thought that it was not appropriate for one of the Royal
Guard officers to be seen on
Capriati
Beach
.

Sara thought,
Well, Charlie. I’ll have to arrange for a private showing!
You don’t know it yet, but you’re in for a great time before I
leave here!

• • •

Captain Rossini suggested a tour for them
that fit into the three hours allotted by Hatch. He wanted to be
back by six P.M. so he could try and make contact with Lady Morley
again and see if there were any more problems he should know
about.

Rossini and Sara definitely got more
acquainted during the tour. At its conclusion, he asked her to
dinner and, of course, she accepted eagerly. She was on a
quest!

Back in Hatch’s suite, after Bruno swept it
again, Hatch said to Syd, “I wonder if Captain Rossini is just
after Sara’s body, or is he watching us for the Prince?”

“Or both,” laughed Syd. “Although, he had a
perfect opportunity to slip off to the nude beach with her, and
instead, stayed with the group. Makes you wonder. I’m beginning to
worry about getting Karen mixed up in this confusing mess.”

“I’ll have Bruno stick to her like glue. He
hasn’t complained about the assignment.”

“I’ve noticed! Karen doesn’t seem to mind
either! Do you think Sara can pick up any inside knowledge about
Rossini when she has dinner with him tonight?”

“She’s focused more on
carnal
knowledge than anything
else,” laughed Hatch. “But she’s a pro. If he’s snooping around,
she’ll pick up on it.”

• • •

At nine o’clock that evening, Hatch was back
at the Baccarat table. All the seats were filled, more to watch the
billionaire play than anything else. Syd sat on Hatch’s right,
placing small bets and following his instructions on how to play.
Her main purpose was to save a seat for Lady Morley in case she
showed up and wanted to talk to Hatch.

It was after 9:30 before she approached the
Baccarat table. Her escort was nowhere to be seen tonight.