Umberto growled, then motioned for Oliver to search Joe. The pat-down was quick and efficient. Oliver shook his head.

Mia wore a cropped tank top over a long cotton skirt. She’d left her purse in the car and held nothing in her hands.

She spun in a slow circle. “As you can see, I’m not armed, either. Don’t worry, as much as I want him dead, I don’t want to be obvious about killing him.”

The men exchanged a glance, then waved Mia and Joe through. Mia checked the numbers on the doors and knocked on 23.

Rafael answered immediately. She ignored him as she stepped into the suite. Just being close to him was enough to send her into a fiery temper, and right now she wanted to avoid any strong emotion. Far better to just get through the conversation without feeling anything at all. Emotional neutrality would be a win for her.

She took a moment to absorb the floral wallpaper and how it carefully matched the drapes and the cushions on the sofa. There were silks and satins and laces. Plants, tiny tables crammed with pictures in frames, and tiny crystal vases and knickknacks. There wasn’t an inch of clear tabletop or a foot empty of furniture. The rooms were crowded and fussy. She knew instantly he would despise them. How lovely.

She turned back to Rafael. “Interesting room.”

He shrugged. “I wanted to be close.”

“I’m sure you did. All the better to kidnap Danny.”

“Mia, please. That was not what I had planned.”

She held up a hand to stop him. “This is my meeting and I’m in charge. You’re going to listen.” She reached into her skirt pocket and drew out a piece of paper. After unfolding it, she handed it to him.

“We’ve been to a judge,” she said. “This is a restraining order. I’ll give you the highlights, although I’m sure you’ll want to read it all yourself later. You’re not allowed on Marcelli land without first making an appointment to see either Danny or me. You must notify me first, and telling someone else in the family doesn’t count. You must speak directly to me.”

“So you can avoid me for as long as you would like,” he said bitterly.

“Actually, I can’t, and I wouldn’t, but I don’t care if you believe me or not. You’re not allowed to see Danny on your own. I will be with you at all times. If you try to see Danny on your own or without setting it up with me first, you will be deported.”

He stiffened. “That is not possible.”

She tapped the paper. “Read it and weep, big guy. It is possible. I will supervise your visits and if you try to take him or influence him or anything else I don’t like, you will be deported.”

She nodded at Joe. “Why don’t you do the next part.”

Joe smiled. “Happy to. Danny has been fitted with a small wristband that constantly monitors his position. If he is removed from the property, an alarm will sound and an APB will go out. Local and federal law enforcement will be notified and all airports within a fifty-mile radius will instantly be closed. When you and Danny are found-”

Rafael raised a hand. “Let me guess. I will be deported.”

“I think you’ll be charged with some serious crimes,” Mia said. “Then your government will get involved because they won’t like that you’ve been arrested. That will be messy. And I’m pretty sure you’ll be fined for the whole airport closure thing. Then you’ll be deported.”

“Should you try to remove the wristband,” Joe continued. “An alarm will sound.”

Mia glared at Rafael. “Unlike you, I won’t try to keep you from Danny. I think it’s important he have a relationship with his father, regardless of how ratty that man may be. I was willing to trust you and you blew that, so now we do this my way. You may see him, you may be a part of his life, but you may not take him to Calandria. Not until he’s eighteen, and then only if he’s willing.”

Rafael’s anger was a tangible creature in the room. “You cannot do this. Daniel is the heir to the Calandrian throne. He has much to learn about his country and his people.”

“I guess he’s going to have to take his classes over the Internet.”

“This is unreasonable.”

“Unreasonable?” She felt her own temper flaring. “Let’s talk about unreasonable. Let’s talk about a man who slinks into my life, telling lies at every turn. Let’s talk about someone willing to deceive my entire family. I would have worked with you,” she yelled. “That’s what really bugs me. I would have been reasonable. I would have done the right thing. Because that’s the kind of person I am. But you weren’t willing to find that out. The very first thing you did was to lie to me. You used me in every way possible to get what you wanted.”

She curled her fingers into fists and wished she were strong enough to hurt him if she hauled off and socked him. “Do you think I like having to do this? Oh, sure, there’s the initial thrill of getting a little revenge, but then what? How do I explain this to Danny? How do I tell him that his father is a liar?”

“You do not understand,” Rafael said between clenched teeth.

“Actually, I understand perfectly.” She moved toward him. “Why didn’t you even ask? Why didn’t you try telling the truth?”

“If you said no, I would be left with nothing.”

“Which is pretty much what you have now.”

He grabbed her by the upper arms. “Mia, Daniel has a great future. He will one day be king. You have no right to keep him from his destiny. Do you think he will thank you when he learns the truth?”

Joe hovered close enough to rip Rafael away if he tried anything. Mia hated that Rafael’s touch made her blood heat and parts of her ache. So much for fury burning away baser desires. She’d been so hopeful, too.

“How do you think Danny will feel when he finds out that you were planning to steal him away?”

His blue eyes darkened with emotion. “He will understand why I thought it necessary.”

“As a rule, four-year-old little boys don’t appreciate losing their moms.”

He released her. She hated how she instantly felt about twenty degrees colder.

“You keep saying that,” he growled. “I would not have kept you from him. I planned for you to see him whenever you wanted.”

The last of her emotional restraints snapped. “You planned? Where the hell do you get off making statements like that? You planned. That’s bullshit. You don’t get to make those kinds of decisions without me. A person planning visitation talks about it. He doesn’t try to trick his child’s mother into a fake marriage for the sole purpose of divorcing her and stealing her son.”

“I know,” he said. “I am sorry.”

The apology surprised her, but it wasn’t nearly enough. “It’s done,” she said. “We deal with where we are now. Danny stays here until he’s eighteen.”

“He needs to be in Calandria.”

“Sorry, he’s not going to be. If you want to compromise, then get your law changed.” She smiled tightly at his look of surprise. “Oh, yeah, we looked it up. The second Danny is on Calandrian soil, he cannot be taken away without his father’s permission. It’s an heir thing. Change the law and we’ll talk. Until then, we play by my rules.”

He glared at her. “I am Crown Prince Rafael of Calandria. You can’t do this to me.”

“Watch me.”

Rafael arrived at the Marcelli house fifteen minutes before his first scheduled visit with Daniel. While he was furious with the fact that Mia was able to dictate all the terms of his seeing his son, he also admired her strength and tenacity.

She dared to stand up to him. More impressive, she managed to broker a legal deal that put him at her mercy. He would not have thought her capable of such machinations.

Unfortunately for him, her legal maneuverings were proving most difficult to escape. The top lawyers in Calandria were investigating ways around what she’d put in place, but they were not hopeful. An appeal could be made to an international court. The most likely outcome was that Daniel would live part of the year in both places. But that would satisfy neither of them. In addition, Rafael was not yet ready to go public with this complication. He did not relish being made a laughingstock in the tabloids for a second time.

Something Mia could have done, he thought as he climbed out of the limo and saw the four security guards standing by the house and in the yard. She could easily have taken her story and her plight to any one of several television news shows. But she had not, and he appreciated her restraint.

Not that his appreciation blinded him. He knew her decision had nothing to do with him and everything to do with keeping Daniel out of the limelight. Something else he appreciated.

He had handled everything badly from the first. In truth, he had never considered compromise because that was not his way. But he had also forgotten Mia’s determination.

He missed her. A foolish waste of time, but there it was. He missed her and Daniel. He missed how they had laughed together. With the two of them, he could be himself.

If things had been different…, he thought, not for the first time. If she had been from another family with different lineage. Except then she would not be the Mia he knew, and he would not have her change. Despite everything, he wanted her exactly as she was.

His father would not agree, he thought as he walked up to the back door and knocked. His father wanted Mia punished and Daniel returned at any price.

Joe opened the door and motioned for him to come inside. Oliver came with him while Umberto stayed outside. Rafael wasn’t sure what the other man expected to do-he was outnumbered and outgunned. Still, he appreciated the show of support.

“You have ninety minutes,” Joe said, then walked out of the kitchen, leaving Rafael alone to face the Grands.

Both old women stared at him. He could read the anger and hurt in their eyes. Grandma Tessa held a butcher’s knife in one hand and he sensed she very much wanted to use it on him. Grammy M chose a different tack.

“I’m very disappointed in you, Rafael,” she said, her voice sounding low and frail. “You were to be a part of this family.”

Her words cut him in a way he had not thought possible. “I did not…”

Did not what? Plan to hurt them? Expect to steal Daniel away?

Tears filled her eyes and she trembled slightly. “So much for being a prince,” she said, then left the kitchen.

He stood there, feeling uncomfortable in a way he had not experienced before. People were supposed to do his bidding. He was the one who decided what was right and what was wrong.

Daniel ran into the kitchen. “Daddy, Daddy! You’ve been gone so long!”

The boy raced right up to him. Rafael bent down and instinctively caught him as he jumped. Then he pulled him close and smiled at him.

“I am here now,” he said.

“I missed you.”

He stared into familiar brown eyes. “I have missed you as well.”

“Look what I got.” Daniel held out his wrist and rubbed a small metal band. “Uncle Joe says real soldiers wear one just like this. Now I’m a real soldier.”

The tracking device. Of course. “Very nice,” he told his son.

“Come play with me,” Daniel said. “We can play soldiers and then I want to ride my pony and then read a story. Five stories.”

“That is much to accomplish. Do you know how many stories five is?”

“A lot.”

Rafael chuckled. “It is indeed.”

The boy felt good to hold, he thought. He’d been telling the truth when he’d said he’d missed Daniel. In a matter of weeks, the boy had become important to him. In time he, Rafael, would have to return to Calandria and then what would happen? Would he truly be forced to leave Daniel behind?

Mia walked into the kitchen. Rafael stared as need flooded him. Not just to have her in his bed, but to talk to her, be with her. Ridiculous. He would stop needing her this instant.

“It’s a little hot for pony riding,” she said from the doorway to the kitchen. “Let’s leave that for next time. But you can play soldier in the family room. I cleared off a big space. You can have a whole war.”

“Mommy, no!” Daniel protested. “I want to ride my pony. I’m the heir and I said.”

“I think your mother is right,” Rafael said. “It’s not good to be out when it is so hot. Not good for you or Gaspare.”

Daniel pouted for a moment, then squirmed to be let down. “I’ll get more soldiers. I’ll get them all.”

“Sounds like fun,” Mia said. She turned her back and returned to the family room.

Rafael followed her. All right, perhaps he had expected some acknowledgment of him for taking her side, but if she chose not to give it, he would survive.

He found pieces of white satin scattered on the coffee table. There were several bags of open beads nearby.