Royal Target (20 page)

Chapter 34

Queen Marta tapped her pen on the notepad in front of her. She had spoken to the florists, the caterers, and the musicians. Everything was ready. Janessa and Patrice had done an adequate job filling in for her preparing for the gala, and over the past few days she had been able to finalize the last details over the phone.

The extra security had been somewhat burdensome, but at times these things couldn’t be avoided. She had hoped to find out what had transpired between Janessa and Garrett, but to her knowledge neither one had confided to anyone what had caused both of them to be so on edge. All she knew was that if the tension didn’t ease soon, someone was going to snap.

The call from the caterer had come at the ideal time. She had been looking for an excuse to get out of the chateau for a while, and a drive to the village had been the perfect opportunity. She hadn’t planned on taking quite so long, but it had seemed silly not to check on the other details while she was there. Besides, she knew that the staff at the chateau had everything under control for the upcoming luncheon.

She looked out the window, expecting to see the Mediterranean. Instead, all she saw were trees. Surprised that they hadn’t arrived at the chateau by now, she pressed the button to lower the window that separated her from the driver.

“Driver, where are we?”

“We’ll be arriving shortly, Your Majesty.”

Marta’s eyes narrowed when the driver turned his head enough for her to see his profile. This was not the same man who had driven her into the village. “Where is Enrico?”

“He wasn’t feeling well. I am his replacement.”

Marta thought back to when she had entered the limo, wondering how she hadn’t noticed the change before. She remembered the window between her and the driver being up when she had entered the limo, which wasn’t unusual, but she recalled that one of the caterers had opened the door for her and helped her inside instead of her driver. Suddenly uneasy, she glanced behind her, surprised to see that her security detail was not following them.

Marta took a calming breath and forced an air of authority into her voice. “We’ve been driving for twenty minutes. We should have arrived by now.”

“The road to the chateau was blocked by an accident. We are circling around to come in from the other side.”

With that, the driver closed the window between them. Queen Marta’s eyes widened with shock. The window between her and the driver was always to remain in her control. The fact that he had closed it without her instructing him to do so was a complete breach of etiquette. She replayed her meeting with the caterers, now realizing how odd it was that the owner had not been there but had instead left two of her servers in charge.

Concerned that everything was not what it appeared to be, she retrieved her cell phone from her bag. She noticed that she had forgotten to turn the ringer back on after her meeting and quickly dialed her husband’s number. Relief flowed through her when she heard his voice.

“Don’t worry, darling. We are pulling up to the chateau now.”

“Was the road blocked?” Marta asked, her heart racing.

“What road?”

“Eduard, something is wrong.” Marta fought to maintain control. “My driver said that the road to the chateau was blocked and that he is going the long way.”

“Where are you now?”

“All I see are trees.” She shifted to look behind her, unable to even identify what direction she was traveling in. “I was in Bellamo. We left about twenty or thirty minutes ago.”

“Everything is going to be okay,” Eduard assured her, though she could hear the strain in his voice. “I want you to keep this line open, but don’t let your driver know you’re on the phone.”

“Eduard, I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Eduard’s voice wavered. “I’ll see you soon. Now hide your phone, but keep it turned on.”

“Okay.”

Marta started to put the phone back in her purse when suddenly the limousine came to a screeching halt. She fell forward, crying out as the back door was yanked open and a man leaned inside.

“I’ll take that.” He grabbed the phone out of Marta’s hand and held it up to his ear. “If you want to see the queen alive again, it’s going to cost you fifty million dollars. I’ll be in touch.”

“Now, I think it’s time we got reacquainted.” He slid into the back seat with the queen as her eyes widened with recognition. A moment later they were on their way once more.

* * *

Two police cars and an ambulance were already at the caterers when Garrett arrived just moments after Janessa. Enrico was sitting on the curb, and an ambulance attendant was examining a wound on the back of his head.

“What happened?” Garrett asked as he rushed forward to where Janessa was standing beside two of the police officers.

“I am so sorry, Your Highness.” Enrico started to stand, but the ambulance attendant held him in place and shined a light in his eyes. The attendant looked up at Garrett, his expression serious. “We need to get him to the hospital.”

As Garrett nodded in agreement, a police officer moved forward. “Someone hit him from behind and tied him up in the storeroom.” The officer hesitated a moment before dealing the worst of the news. “I’m sorry, Your Highness, but the limousine is missing, and no one has seen the queen since she arrived in town earlier this morning.”

“Where are her guards?” Garrett asked, his lips pressing into a thin line.

“Three of them are inside being treated by the paramedics. It appears that they were drugged.” The officer hesitated a moment before adding, “I’m sorry, but the other guard was already dead when we arrived. It appears he was shot in the back.”

Garrett let the reality seep in. His mother’s guards had been neutralized, and she was being held hostage by men who clearly would stop at nothing to get what they wanted. He couldn’t contemplate what they might want just yet. As waves of fear and frustration rolled through him, he raked his fingers through his hair and closed his eyes against reality. He anticipated the call he must now make to his father, not sure he could voice the words. He pulled the phone from his pocket, surprised when it rang and his father’s number was listed on the caller ID.

“Dad—”

“Garrett, your mother has been kidnapped.”

“I know.” Garrett took a deep breath. “We are at the caterers where she was abducted.”

“The ransom is fifty million dollars.” The king’s voice was hard, and fury vibrated through the line. He relayed the information his wife had given him, as well as the fact that she had been heading inland.

Garrett turned as he heard a car drive away, and his eyes widened when he saw Janessa speeding away.

“Garrett, come home now,” King Eduard commanded. “I want you at the chateau.”

Not wanting to argue, Garrett simply said, “I’ll talk to you in a few minutes.”

Garrett hung up and then turned to the ambulance attendant that approached.

The attendant’s voice was serious when he spoke. “Your driver is showing signs of severe trauma. Is there anyone we should call?”

“I’ll take care of it.” Garrett signaled to one of the police officers as the attendant crossed to the ambulance. “Please go to the chateau and escort Patrice Saldera to the hospital. She’s my driver’s wife.”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

With a nod, Garrett returned to his car. Trying to push aside his concern for Enrico, he ignored his father’s request and headed away from the chateau.

* * *

Janessa took the curve as fast as the car would allow. Her cell phone sat on the seat next to her on speaker with Levi on the other end. She couldn’t think about what the queen was going through right now. She had to stay focused on the task at hand—finding her.

She had seen Garrett’s frustration, the helplessness he had tried so hard to fight when they had discovered that his mother was missing. She hated herself for adding to his aggravation by leaving him behind, but she assured herself that she had no other choice. She couldn’t put Garrett in danger or allow his presence to jeopardize his mother’s safety. She had to do what she knew best, and that was to work with the US military, not the Meridian authorities.

A trace of a call made from the queen’s cell phone had narrowed down her position, as had the antitheft device on her limousine. Unfortunately, the cell phone had remained silent for the past fifteen minutes, and the limousine had come to a stop, probably abandoned.

“How close am I?” she asked Levi, who was tracking her movements through the car’s antitheft system.

“Take your next left. Your ride is waiting in a clearing about two hundred yards away.”

She whipped around the corner, skidding to a stop a mere twenty feet from the waiting Navy helicopter. Grabbing her cell phone, she ran to the vehicle, lowered her head, and hurried to climb inside. She took a seat and strapped herself in, pulling her headset into place as the helicopter lifted off of the ground.

“Do you have the last known location?”

“Yes, ma’am.” The pilot’s voice came through the headphones. “ETA five minutes.”

* * *

Lauren O’Donnell sat quietly in the chateau library, feeling as helpless as King Eduard and Prince Stefano appeared. Tim had left just minutes after Garrett drove off, and Lauren was trying desperately not to think about the possible outcomes. She didn’t want to intrude at such a difficult time, but the silence was driving her crazy. “I can’t believe we haven’t heard anything.”

King Eduard stood rigidly in the corner of the room, but he turned and gave a brief nod in agreement. With a glance at his watch, he turned to Stefano. “Garrett should have been here by now.”

Lauren immediately averted her eyes to the floor. She didn’t know where Garrett was, but she knew that he had called Tim and asked him to meet him somewhere. She had been battling with herself whether or not to disclose this.

From across the room, Stefano picked up on her body language. “Do you know where he is?”

“I don’t.” Lauren shook her head. “But . . . I don’t think he’s coming back to the chateau. He asked Tim to meet him somewhere.”

“Where?” King Eduard demanded.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know.”

Before the king could press further, Martino opened the door, his eyes wary. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but the guests have started to arrive.”

“We’ll be in shortly,” King Eduard informed him.

“Father, you can’t be serious,” Stefano insisted anxiously. “We can’t go forward with the luncheon. What if we get a call from the kidnappers?”

“We can’t let our guests know that anything is wrong.” The king moved to the door. “Take a few minutes to compose yourself. Then I expect you to come downstairs and entertain our guests. If anyone asks, your mother and Garrett aren’t feeling well and won’t be able to attend today.”

As soon as he left, Lauren turned to Stefano. “How can he be so calm?”

“He isn’t.” Stefano sighed. “But he’s right. We have to appear as though nothing is wrong. It’s all we can do right now.”

Chapter 35

The limousine was abandoned on the side of the road. Janessa instructed the copilot to relay the coordinates to the local authorities as the pilot continued onward. The road wound through the trees for several miles before there were any crossroads. Calculating that the kidnappers could only be about fifteen minutes ahead of them, the pilot conducted a wide sweep to look for any vehicles.

When they found none, he continued forward again following the main road.

Anxiously, Janessa stared out the window, hoping and praying that she would see something that would point them in the right direction. She sighed, wishing she were back at the chateau watching from the security room. She had dreaded watching the single women trying to gain Garrett’s attention at the luncheon, but she would trade that scenario for her current situation in a heartbeat.

At least she had the satisfaction of knowing that Cynthia Renault had been taken off the guest list after lying to the press about her relationship with Garrett. Still, Janessa expected that Isabel Dumond, the museum director’s daughter, would have been at Garrett’s side for the entire event.

Her eyes narrowed as she thought of Isabel. What if she, and not her father, had orchestrated the thefts? With Lord Tratte and Pierre Dumond in custody, everyone was assuming that they had apprehended everyone involved except for the woman who had been with them at the meetings with Alberto Manero. If Isabel really was guilty, one of the men who had attended the meetings was still at large along with her.

Janessa pulled the mouthpiece of her headset to her lips. “Can you patch me through to the security office at the chateau?”

“Just a moment,” the copilot said. He instructed her on how to switch to the external frequency, and a moment later she was speaking with Levi.

“I need to speak with Prince Garrett.”

“It will take me a minute to get him up here,” he told her. Janessa could hear him place the call to summon Garrett to the security office.

Nearly two minutes passed before Levi came on the line once more. “Prince Garrett isn’t here.”

“What do you mean he isn’t there?” Janessa asked, panicked.

“He never returned from the caterers.” Frustration sounded in Levi’s voice. “I’ll call his cell phone and run a trace on his car.” He paused for a moment and then said, “Wait a minute. Prince Stefano just got here. He wants to talk to you.”

Stefano’s voice came on the line. “Where are you?”

“In a chopper, searching the area near the abandoned limo. Do you know where Garrett is?” Janessa asked, afraid to think of where Garrett might be right now. She closed her eyes, praying for guidance, wishing for some way to solve this nightmare before anyone got hurt.

“We don’t know. Apparently Tim is with him, but my father is not happy that he went off on his own,” Stefano admitted. “Janessa, please tell me what I can do to help get my mother back.” His voice was pleading, and she could hear him struggle for control as he spoke again. “Please.”

The sincerity in his voice forced her back to the task at hand. “Can you find out from Pierre Dumond who his daughter Isabel hung out with? Also see if he knows whether she was often gone on Tuesday nights.”

“You think Isabel was using her father’s access codes?”

“I do. It’s possible that she’s the woman who was meeting with Manero.” Janessa kept her eyes on the ground below.

“Keep this line open. I’ll call right now,” Stefano agreed quickly.

* * *

Garrett’s Porsche screeched to a stop in the parking lot at the naval base. He was barely out of the car when he saw Tim approaching with Commander Dan Peters. “Are you ready?”

Dan nodded. “We have everything you asked for. But I still don’t understand why you’re so sure the kidnappers would take her out to sea.”

“It’s the only thing that makes sense,” Garrett responded as he fell into step with the two men as they headed for the dock. “There are too few roads leading out of Bellamo for them to think they could get away. The best way to slip past the authorities would be by boat.”

“I hope you’re right,” Tim said as he stepped onto the speedboat Dan had prepared.

“Do we have any idea where Janessa is?” Garrett asked as he followed Tim aboard.

“You haven’t told her what you’re doing?”

“No. I want her as far away from the action as possible.”

Dan shook his head, silently communicating his disapproval. “Last I heard she was on a Navy helicopter. They’re searching the road where we lost track of your mother’s cell phone signal.”

“What about the limousine?” Garrett asked.

“It was abandoned.”

“Let’s go then,” Garrett said, moving to take the wheel himself. He started the motor as the other men cast off the lines. With a prayer in his heart, he headed out to sea, hoping that logic would combine with inspiration to help him find his mother safe and sound.

* * *

“We’re here, Your Majesty.”

Marta struggled to open her eyes against the bright light spilling into the back of the van. Her hands and feet were bound, and a gag prevented her from responding.

The man she recognized from the caterers moved forward to release the bands on her feet and then pulled her from the van. He held her up as voices drifted toward them.

“Are you sure about this?” a woman asked. “Shouldn’t we keep her alive until after we get the money?”

“Don’t worry,” a man answered. “We’ll have the money before you get clear of the tourist traffic anyway.”

“Call me when the funds are transferred,” the woman replied. “As soon as I receive your call, we’ll finish up the job.”

The voices were vaguely familiar, but Marta didn’t think about that now. She struggled against the man holding her arm, reality closing in on her. They were going to kill her. No matter what money was paid, her fate had already been sealed. Knowing that she was fighting for her life, she nearly managed to break free as the man dragged her down a gangplank to a waiting sailboat.

“That’s enough now.” The man gripped her arm harder, and Marta yelped with pain. “Things will be a lot easier on you if you cooperate.”

She dragged her feet and tried to scream, but the gag muffled the sound. The heel broke off one of her shoes as she struggled futilely to stop her forward motion. Clearly frustrated with her, the man finally gripped her around her waist to carry her on board. Marta kicked her feet but only managed to catch her foot on the dock’s railing.

“That’s enough!” the man roared at her. He set her down on the deck of the sailboat and took both of her arms to give her a good shake. Impatiently, he dragged her through a doorway and down a flight of stairs. Her eyes didn’t have time to adjust to the darkness before she was pushed into a room below deck.

The queen’s eyes widened with terror when the woman came into view holding a syringe.

The expression on Isabel’s face could only be described as smug as she spoke. “You’ve caused enough trouble.”

Marta whimpered as she again tried to struggle free. Her fight took on a new urgency as Isabel moved closer, but none of her efforts could stop the needle from sliding under her skin. The drug took effect immediately, and Marta’s vision blurred until there was nothing but darkness.