The Female of the Species?

Ros glared straight ahead as she thought about the case. She knew they had all been lucky to get out of Havensworth Hotel relatively unscathed. Lucas setting off the sprinkler and fire alarms had given them the element of surprise they had needed to be able to overpower the gunmen. Now that she was back at Thames House in clean, dry clothes she had to admit there were still too many loose ends to call the case anything near closed. She wanted to talk to the Prince and the head of the Royal Protection Squad. Someone was taking them for mugs and she was not having it.

"Ruth?" She walked towards the analyst's desk as Ruth looked up.

"Prince Faceache."

"What about him?" Ruth asked, knowing Ros was probably going to terrify the man into telling them everything he knew with just one of her patented looks. She knew how to terrify the hardest of criminals. An Eton reject that was a darling of the tabloids didn't really stand a chance.

"Find out why he was there today. Any dirt on him?"

"Have you read any of those celebrity magazines in the last decade?" Catherine asked as both older women turned to her.

"I have a brain." Ros stated as Ruth smirked slightly.

"Well, he's in one or more of them most weeks with a new Bimbo on his arm. Usually blonde, big boobs, skirt shorter than your hair."

"Ok, and?"

"And I think he chose the wrong arm candy last time." Catherine turned the screen where the website of a well known gossip magazine could be seen on the screen. "That is Katya Dennisof."

"And who is she?" Harry asked as he approached. Catherine rolled her eyes.

"Daughter of the man Ros shot today."

"Yannis?" Ruth began tapping keys on her computer. Ros pulled a face.

"He reproduced?"

"Apparently so." Ruth looked at the screen. Ros narrowed her eyes as she watched the screen. "Catherine is looking into Miss Dennisof's background."

"And?"

"Nothing more serious than a parking ticket." Catherine huffed. "I mean, she is squeaky clean. The woman is the most boring human being on the planet."

"Almost too clean?" Ruth raised an eyebrow as Catherine bit her lip.

"Like someone wiped everything from the records. All I get is she was educated in Moscow. Went to University in London, graduated with a third in Politics." Catherine paused. "No scandals, nothing so much as a arsehole boyfriend. That is not normal. I mean every woman over the age of 25 has an arsehole ex somewhere."

Ruth and Ros exchanged glances.

"Dig deeper." Ruth turned her attention back to her own work. Ros looked over to where Zoe and Beth were deep in conversation while Dimitri and Malcolm were deep in conversation. She had a feeling they were all still trying to get their heads around the fact a royal was in the building as a person of interest. She nodded once as Adam emerged from the small kitchenette with a mug of coffee.

"Adam."

"Now?" Adam looked at his mug before handing it to Zaf and following her out of the Grid.

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Harry looked out over the River Thames deep in thought. He had been glad to get back to London, knowing that the Climate Change conference that never was had been nothing more than a sham. The various politicians and dignities had been sent back to their various embassies and back to their own government agencies. What he wanted to know was why they had been used to such an elaborate extent. A known hitman had been at the conference - one that should have been on Death Row in Texas. His team had not been given all the facts. For that he was beyond angry; knowing that Ros, Lucas, Beth and Ruth were the reason there hadn't been more injuries. Seeing Ruth with a gun to her head made his stomach lurch. He had promised her that she would be safe.

"Harry."

"Minister." He looked up to see Pauline Crowther sit on the bench next to him.

"Harry, what a shit show." The older woman looked over the water. "That was supposed to be a flagship for the UK. The brightest and best of the world's environmentalist community coming together to."

"Strike an arms deal?" Harry snapped as she turned to him.

"Excuse me?"

"We were not there to protect the great and good. We were there to stop an arms deal." Harry narrowed his eyes. After the Lydia Morgan fiasco he had lost the little trust he had for the middle aged politician. He had chastised himself, knowing he should have known better after the trauma his team had been through at the hands of former Home Secretaries. He remembered Andrew Lincoln and Nicholas Blake being complete traitorous nightmares. He had hoped this incarnation of the Home Secretary was above that. Crowther frowned as she watched him.

"How does that translate to the Prince being threatened and the four gunmen of the Apocalypse storming in?" She looked him in the eye. Harry nodded, he had asked himself the same question. Not for the first time he wondered if he was now too old for his job. He looked away for a moment.

"Home Secretary."

"Pauline."

"Home Secretary." He continued. "I cannot do my job. My Section are unable to do their job without the full facts. We had no idea the Queen's relative was going to be there. We could have prevented the whole cock up with respect, if we had to full facts."

"Well, you are the spy." She hissed. "You should be able to get them!"

"Not when we are blocked at every turn. Royal Protection had a duty to tell us. You had a duty to tell us."

Pauline sighed heavily. "I was not informed." She frowned, her eyes narrowing as she did. "If I had known, you would have. Harry, this Yannis person."

"Attacked Ros once. Years ago." Harry paused. "His daughter is on scene - a tabloid darling apparently."

"And not the bimbo she would have you believe." Pauline paused. "Remember what they say, Harry." She got to her feet. "I'm meeting my daughter for a late lunch. If I don't get a move on my bodyguard will know I've given him the slip."

"Again." Harry smirked as Pauline shrugged.

"You see the TV drama, you think the Home Secretary's bodyguard would at least be pleasant to be around, if only in an aesthetic way."

Harry chuckled slightly, knowing how much she detested having a bodyguard around. As the widow of a former spook she knew exactly how lose someone if she chose to. She also knew he would never report the matter as he was too afraid of losing his job.

"Keep me in the loop." She picked up her handbag.

"You do the same." Harry watched her walk away wondering if they would ever be able to work out where her loyalties lay.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Adam pushed the door to the meeting room open as the Prince turned to look at them. Ros stepped into the room, walking over to the desk. Adam closed the door before turning to join Ros.

"What is the meaning of this." The Prince snapped.

"Sit down." Ros stated calmly. "We need to talk to you about what happened today." She looked at the thin faced man wondering if he really did have two brain cells to rub together.

"Excuse me!" Bertram snapped. "How dare you talk to me in such a way!"

Adam flinched internally, glancing at Ros as her face hardened slightly. The Prince had no idea but he had just made an enemy of the woman who had saved his life. Adam had a feeling he was going to regret it.

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