Free To Catch a Princess by Caridad Piñeiro Page A

blueprints to see which of the shops might lie over the ballroom and amphitheater areas for the auction and exhibition.
    More than one heist had been executed by either digging or blasting from a seemingly innocent location to a more secure one.
    At what was clearly the fashion end of the mall, he purchased a trio of suits, half-a-dozen shirts, and socks to match. That should keep him for the first few days. Thankfully, he was an off-the-rack size, although the pricey designer suits were anything but off-the-rack. Each cost him the equivalent of a month’s pay—if he’d had to rely on his detective’s salary. Although he lived off of what he earned himself, he had a large, inherited trust fund he rarely touched. Over the years, he had also saved quite a bit from his detective’s salary and invested it well. There’d be a nice nest egg for his future kids to inherit.
    Damn. Where had that crazy idea come from?
    “We can do alterations, sir,” the salesperson insisted as he rang up the sale, yanking Peter out of his unexpected thoughts.
    “They’re fine, thanks. But I will need something for the fashion show. Maybe you can bring in some tuxedos or dinner jackets for me to try on in the next few days?”
    “Of course,” the man said and offered to have everything run up to his room.
    “That’s great,” he said, then headed out to the shoe shop next door, where he indulged in a buttery soft pair of Bali cap-toe dress shoes and ever-classic tasseled loafers.
    He grabbed the bag with the shoes and rushed back to the room, eager for a shower before it was time for his dinner engagement with Tatiana.
    Despite his rush, he took time to memorize everything about the location, from the minutes it took for an elevator to move from the lower level to their penthouse floor, to what the hallways looked like on each floor. He memorized the details, wanting to build a complete picture in his mind in the event something went wrong.
    When he reached the penthouse suite, the porter from the clothing shop had just arrived, and the security guard at the suite door was clearing him for entry.
    “No need. I can take the garment bags,” he said, and grabbed the suits and a bag with his shirts and accessories. After tossing the items inside, he took another look around the large living area of the penthouse, reviewing the items he could use for defense, like the heavy marble candlesticks on the sofa table and a silver letter opener sitting on an antique secretary at one side of the room. He also considered where someone might be concealed for a possible ambush, and was satisfied that would be hard to do. The space was open and large with few areas to hide in. He’d done it earlier, but he always double-checked everything.
    If someone intended to do harm to Tatiana in addition to the jewel theft, it wasn’t going to happen inside their suite, that was for damned sure.
    He walked out onto the balcony that ran the length of the suite and likewise did a quick reconnoiter. Tatiana had drawn her privacy curtains, but he wasn’t happy that the French doors leading from the balcony to her room could be opened very easily. The one thing that helped ease his mind was the guard positioned in the gardens several floors below, vigilantly watching the balcony.
    The man acknowledged his wave with a nod, confirming that he was paying attention.
    Satisfied that things were under control, at least when it came to security for the penthouse suite, Peter hurried to his bathroom for a shower. A nice long soak might help revive him for the long night ahead.
    …
    Tatiana smoothed a hand across the satin of her dress at her waist and glanced at herself in the mirror. The dress was elegant, but understated. Just the kind of look she hoped would make Peter feel not so out of place. She suspected that on his detective’s salary, he couldn’t afford many of the things she tried not to take for granted. Of course, he wasn’t just a detective, she reminded