Chayton by Danielle Bourdon Page B

Jeans, tennis shoes and sandals or flats or something similar. Also, under garments. Put a rush on it and have it delivered as soon as possible.” Chayton gave the clerk the correct sizes, added the total to his bill, and hung up. He trusted the employees of the upscale boutique downstairs to find appropriate clothing. Anything was better than the maid's uniform.
    Turning from the nightstand, he glanced at the closed bathroom door. The sound of the shower assured him he had time to make another call, this one from his cell phone. He fished it from his pocket and hit speed dial.
    “What's up, old man?” Leander said.
    “I don't have a lot of time to explain. She came back. Penelope—Kate. Her name's Kate. I've got the story—if not all of it, then most of it. I need you to organize the men and turn the search party into security. Entrances and exits and the parking lot. We might be leaving Singapore for the states, but I'm not sure yet. We're still deciding.”
    “All right. That's a surprising turn around. What happened?”
    “The short story is that Anton Bertini is trying to coerce her into marriage to get access to her fortune. Apparently he has lost a lot of his money, might even be broke, and he sees her as an easy target.”
    “Should I check that out?” Leander asked.
    “Yes. Find out just how broke Bertini is. And whatever else you can dig up on him. Siblings, friends, anything.”
    “Got it. So you're taking her on the run?”
    “I'm going to take away his desire to marry her. It's the easiest way to protect her.”
    “By going back to the states? But isn't he from there?” Leander sounded confused.
    “By marrying her myself.”
    “...whoa, whoa. You're what?”
    “She's on board with the idea. It's a temporary fix, that's all. Once Anton realizes she's off the market and unreachable, he'll turn his attention to easier prey.” Chayton didn't have any hesitation about taking this step. He hadn't broken into a cold sweat, had second thoughts, or felt the desire to flee far and fast from the situation.
    Silence stretched down the line. Finally, Leander said, “Are you sure about this?”
    “Yes.”
    “Are you going to have a pre-nuptial agreement drawn up? How do you know you weren't the target all along? I mean, what if she's working with Anton? What if she knows damn well who you are and how much money you have?”
    Those were all valid questions. Chayton knew if he was in Leander's shoes, he'd be thinking exactly the same thing. The members of the Royal Elite were a paranoid, wary bunch who typically questioned everything. He'd made the offer on gut instinct, and he still felt it was the right decision after asking himself some of the same questions Leander posed. It must sound crazy to his brethren.
    “I'm confident that's not the case,” Chayton said after a moment. “And no, there's no time to call my lawyers and have anything drawn up. We'll be doing this tonight or tomorrow or something, I think. The sooner we do it, the safer she'll be.”
    “Wow man, you're blowing my mind,” Leander said, never one to hold back. “We'll get on the security. Let us know when you're planning to depart the city, too, so we can meet you at the airport.”
    Chayton smiled, but didn't outright laugh at Leander's shock. “Plan for it soon. See if Mattias can get the jet cleared as soon as possible. I'll need one of you for a witness, too. Depending how it goes.”
    “I...we'll...yeah. A witness. You got it, brother. I'll call Mattias now and get things arranged.”
    “Thanks.” Chayton rang off. He knew Leander wanted to call Mattias—and probably Ahsan and Sander, too—to tell them what was going on. That Chayton might have lost his mind. He expected Mattias to call and try to be the voice of reason within the next ten minutes.
    While he waited for Kate to finish, he started pulling clothes from the drawers to set them on a nearby chair. It didn't take long. He never fully unpacked his suitcase