He shook his head. ‘Princess—’
‘Oh, that’s not fair. I bet my darling brother has provided you an entire dossier on me. I bet you know everything there is to know about me. Birth date, schools I attended, friends I had, shoe size, probably even my dental records. And yet, here I am, knowing next to nothing about you. Or even if you’re one of these rogue actors you’re supposedly saving me from. Maybe you might try to persuade me a little that you’re who you say you are.’
Theo didn’t want to admit that it wasn’t just her body, it was the sound of her voice that stirred him. Her voice was melodic and elegant, evidence of her principality’s Mediterranean connections with its linkages to both France and Italy. Theo also didn’t want to admit that the Princess was spot on. Theo had been given all those details and more. ‘It’s not usual procedure for a recovery expert to divulge details to a recoveree.’
‘I doubt I’m your usual “recoveree”. But I’d really appreciate those details. I’d like to know who it is who is abducting me. I’d like to know who that man is.’
‘I’m not abducting you. I’m taking you home, before something untoward happens to you.’
‘Oh, that’s right. You’re rescuing me before someone else finds and kidnaps me for whatever nefarious reasons they might have. I forgot.’
Theo closed his laptop and squeezed the bridge of his nose. ‘Downplay it all you like, Princess. Just be thankful I found you first.’
‘In that case, tell me, who did find me first?’
‘I did.’
‘And who are you exactly?’
‘You know who I am. My name is Theo Mylonakos.’
‘And you’re a bounty hunter, right?’
He blinked. Slowly. ‘I’m a recovery expert.’
‘A bounty hunter, I get it.’
He shook his head. He knew of such agents, who prioritised money before the safety of their clients. He had no regard for them. They cluttered up the field, messing with the tracks, getting in the way.
‘You mean you’re not getting paid? You’re doing this as some act of charity?’
‘Do you seriously think I’d be putting up with all this—and with you—for free?’
She snorted. ‘So, not a bounty hunter. Just in it for the money. That’s so much better.’
‘If you say so, Princess.’
She sniffed and looked away, and he wondered if she’d been trying to bait him, looking for a bigger reaction. ‘So how much did my charming brother pay you? What’s the deal?’
‘I’m not going to tell you that.’
‘What if I offered to pay you more than he did?’
‘It doesn’t work that way.’
‘How does it work?’
‘I find you and return you home. That’s how it works, Princess. End of story.’
She sat back in her chair, clearly unsatisfied, but any respite didn’t last longer than it took to work out her next line of attack.
‘So where do you come from? Where were you born?’
‘I’m Greek. From a town called Sparta.’
‘Sparta? Isn’t that the place where they used to train boys to become tough and battle hard and become the best warrior soldiers in Greece?’
‘In ancient times, yes.’
