The Prince's Gamble by Caridad Piñeiro Read Free Book Online Page A

would prefer to dispense with formalities. Is that all right with you, Special Agent Martinez?”
    She inclined her head. “Of course. Call me Kathleen.”
    “Thank you.” Alexander smiled, and took another sip of wine. “As I was saying, Tatiana wanted to stay in the States and earn her degree. Maybe find a job here, and more important, pick her own husband.”
    Kathleen mimicked his earlier gesture, spreading her arms wide and gazing all around his domain. “So this was your way of keeping her here?”
    He threw his head back and laughed out loud. “No one keeps Tatiana. She is as you implied, a free spirit. But, the casino does give her the freedom to go to school nearby, where I can make sure she’s okay. That satisfies my parents for the moment.”
    Kathleen eyed him carefully. “It seems to me that given how much older you are—”
    “Ouch. I guess I should go get my cane.”
    She grinned. He enjoyed how her smile transformed her face, bringing a mischievous gleam to her changeling-colored eyes.
    “Well, you are almost thirty. I bet your parents have been bugging you for the next generation for some time.”
    “Incessantly,” Alexander quickly admitted. “My mother has been trying to match me with one princess or another for years. But like my sister, I’ve grown too American.”
    Kathleen tipped her head. “An odd choice of words. What does that mean to you? Being American?”
    He looked away, almost absentmindedly glanced around his office as he thought about it. After a last sip of wine, he set the glass aside and casually braced his hands on the edge of his desk. “It means that while I honor my heritage and traditions, I want to be valued for who I am and not for my ancestors. It means that I want to be free to make my own choices in life.”
    She nodded thoughtfully. “And to do that, Russian Nights has to continue to be successful. I guess that means you’ll stop at nothing to have this casino turn a profit.”
    His back went rigid, obliterating his earlier relaxed posture. “You make me sound so ruthless.”
    “I’d rather say determined. But I’m just as determined to find out what’s going here, Alexander,” she said, saying his name in a soft, conciliatory tone. But he sensed the steel behind the words. She wouldn’t believe him if he told her so, but he was extremely grateful for that steel. He wanted answers to what was happening in his casino just as badly as she did. It had taken too much to build his business from scratch and then save it after the storm for him to lose it now.
    “I know I’m a suspect,” he said. “I understand why, Kathleen. I just hope that in time you’ll come to trust me.”
    “In time. Maybe,” she offered.
    The look on her face said it would take quite a lot to make her believe he was actually the good guy here. Even more for her to take him off her list of suspects.
    As for anything more personal… Well, he was more used to dealing with flighty, flirty princesses than a woman whose most prized fashion accessory seemed to be the ankle holster for her spare weapon.
    But he was intrigued.
    Oh, yes. He was definitely intrigued.

Chapter Five
    Kathleen padded past the bed, noting that the big fluffy covers had been turned down in her absence, but she ignored just how comfortable and inviting it looked.
    She still had work to do.
    She yanked her laptop from her briefcase, grabbed the thumb drive from her jacket pocket, and was getting settled at the desk when a discreet knock came at her door.
    Tightening the belt on her robe, she strode to the door and peered through the peephole. A uniformed maid waited there. She opened her door for the woman.
    “Prince Alexander thought you might find these useful,” the maid said and bustled into the room with a lap desk under her arm as well as a room service cart bearing an assortment of cookies, a carafe, a delicate china set, and an ornate silver chest filled with high-end teas.
    The maid placed the lap desk