1 I pulled the Miata to the curb and checked the address one more time. I stared at the building and the neighborhood. It wasn’t what I’d expected. The interview I’d had with the prince’s retainer had taken place in a conference room at one of the very best Los Angeles hotels. In fact, at this moment I knew that the press and several royal bodyguards were stationed at that same hotel. This place was nice, palatial even, but it was far enough off the beaten path that I’d had to use MapQuest to find it. I shut off the engine and looked down at the file sitting on the passenger seat. I thought about looking at it again, but I’d practically memorized the contents already. Prince Rezza of Rusland was in the United States with his father’s blessing, meeting with private defense contractors. Publicly the prince was being the very image of a religious conservative. Ruslund was a small kingdom in eastern Europe, nestled primarily between the Ukraine and Poland, touching on the Czech Republic as well. Rusland might be small in size, but it was gaining a whole new level of prominence politically thanks to the discovery of a huge supply of natural gas in the region. The Russians were practically apoplectic. Their control over Europe’s natural gas supply was critical to their economy. Having a competitor next door wasn’t making them happy. Despite