Princess Bodyguard

by Sophie Thompson

  Princess Bodyguard

  Sophie Thompson

  Princess Bodyguard

  Copyright © 2018 by Sophie Thompson

  Published by Sophie Thompson

  All Rights Reserved

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 1

  An ocean breeze off the Caribbean Sea whispered good morning to Elizabeth Astoria as she snuggled against the cool cotton sheets. With eyelids still closed against the warm rays from the sun, she basked in the joy of waking up on her own time. Not by an alarm clock or city street noise but an internal clock triggered only by her own subconscious desires. Elizabeth stretched. She felt like a self-possessed cat. Her body as languid as her mind. Both still in a welcome fog of oblivion induced by an early morning of lovemaking.

  She rolled her head onto the empty pillow next to her and savored Callum's scent that still lingered in the fabric. His absence did not concern her. Over their last two months together, she had come to know his patterns and quirks. He liked to meet the morning sun head-on rather than being surprised by it while his eyes were closed. He liked his coffee black and his beer full of hops. He liked mangos better than papayas, fish better than chicken, and always kept hard butterscotch candies in his pocket.

  After their first dinner together, he pulled one of the golden wrapped candies deep from one of the many pockets on his cargo shorts and offered her one. She laughed and told him she thought it was a strange habit for a thirty-one year-old to carry a stash of hard candy. A smile teased the corner of his lips and he shrugged his shoulders. Elizabeth was pretty sure that was the moment she fell in love with him.

  Elizabeth swung her bare feet to the floor anxious to be next to him again. She grabbed shorts and a t-shirt from where she had left them on the floor the night before and dressed. Padding through the doorway into the other room of their small two-room cottage, she was surprised not to see Callum. Usually, by this time of morning, he would be almost through the local newspaper and on his second cup of coffee. But every instinct told Elizabeth that she was alone.

  Elizabeth peered out the window above the sink to see if his motorcycle was still parked outside. She was happy to see it sitting where he had left it last night, but then her brain started running through possibilities on where else he could be. Callum always let her know where he was going and when he would be back, although even a few minutes of separation was rare since they met. The only time they were not together was when she worked at the medical clinic or he was out for his morning run. His sneakers sat next to the front door and there was no note on the kitchen table.

  Elizabeth walked over to the window next to the front door, which gave her a better vantage point to see down the sandy driveway. She craned her neck to peer around a large palm tree and saw him. A gasp of surprise escaped her lips. Callum stood next to a large black sedan parked along the main road talking to her father. An uncomfortable mix of fury and confusion raced through her. How dare her father come down to Honduras to check-up on her?

  She knew her parents were having difficulty adjusting to the reality that she was an adult, but this unannounced visit went too far. She had graduated Oxford two months ago and decided to spend the summer volunteering at a small clinic before going to medical school in the fall. Both of her parents hated the idea of her going so far away, but after weeks of arguing they finally relented. It was high-time that her parents let her live her life the way she wanted to live it. Elizabeth was certain her father did not go traipsing around the world tracking her younger brother down just to check up on him.

  Reluctantly, Elizabeth admitted to herself that she was not an average twenty-four-year-old since she was ninth in line for the Conwyn throne, but her link to the small country's monarchy had never affected the way she or her family lived their lives. She grew up in London, attended normal schools, worked summers, and every once in a while attended formal events where she represented her country. But being a distant member of a minor royal family was not a role that defined her.

  Elizabeth mentioned her unique heritage to Callum a few days after they met, but he was adamant that they keep their outside lives separate from their little paradise. They agreed to limit all contact with the outside world and focus on pleasing each other.

  She watched Callum rub the back of his neck with his hand. His expression was hard and focused. Even though she could not hear what was being said, Elizabeth could tell that he did not like what he was hearing. Fear lanced through her body. She was terrified her father was placing ultimatums on Callum, and their relationship was too new for labels or promises.

  Elizabeth felt her hands ball into fists at her side. She planned to go outside and give her father a piece of her mind. But just as Elizabeth reached to turn the brass doorknob, she saw Callum grasp her father's outstretched hand and give it a brief shake. She did not know if she was happy that they seemed to reach an understanding of some kind or disappointed that Callum befriended the enemy.

  Before she could even digest the scene that played out in front of her, a Jeep pulled up alongside Callum and her father. Two men wearing sunglasses, black t-shirts and cargo pants jumped out with the speed and agility of thoroughbred horses. They spoke to Callum and her father, as well as to another man who climbed out of the passenger side of what she assumed was her father's car.

  Elizabeth had no idea if she should go out and ask what was going on or wait for Callum and her father to come inside and tell her. Her instinct told her to stay put and observe for another minute. Maybe it was the serious faces of the men as they spoke to each other or the way Callum stood with his arms crossed as he listened to whatever her father said.

  Elizabeth sucked in her breath when Callum turned his head toward the cabin and his steel gray eyes locked with hers for a moment. His expression was strained as if he was in some kind of pain. She yanked the door open and called his name. Without a word, Callum gave her a weak smile then climbed into the Jeep with the two men. As her pulse pounded and her heart beat hard against her chest, Elizabeth ran barefoot across the small deck and down the stairs just as the driver swung the topless Wrangler into a U-turn. Callum shifted his position in the passenger seat, gave her one last look, then slipped his sunglasses over his eyes and disappeared down the sandy road.

  "What did you say to him?"

  She ran to her father and the strange man standing next to him. Her voice rose in anger and was laced with the fear she felt.

  Her father said something to the large man that was traveling with him then turned and walked toward her.

  "Where did he go? You have no right to come here and mess-up my life."

  Elizabeth knew she sounded too emotional. Too much like the child she tried to convince her parents she was not, but her head spun as she tried to make sense of the situation.

  Her father took
smooth and measured strides toward her. Normally, his calm demeanor would soothe her nerves, but at this moment it did nothing more than further ignite her rage and the small twinge of fear that churned in her belly.

  Once her father reached her, he spoke in an even and soft tone. "Elizabeth, we have a lot to discuss."

  She stood her ground and crossed her arms. "No. Tell me why you sent Callum away."

  "He and his team need to get things ready."

  Elizabeth felt her world tilt. Her breathing became shallow.

  "What team? Ready for what?" Elizabeth asked, her voice caught in her throat as she spoke. "How do you know him?"

  She held her breath, but somehow she knew what he was about to say. At least he had the decency to look uneasy.

  "Callum Evans works for me." Her father let out a heavy sigh. "Your mother and I were worried about you down here on your own so we hired a bodyguard to look out for you. We knew you would not like it so we asked that he stay undercover. I had no idea you two would become involved. From the sound of it, neither did he."

  Ice washed through her veins. Air refused to move in and out of her lungs. Words sat trapped in her throat as her mind raced through images of her time with Callum. Their chance meeting by the roadside. His reluctance to get close to her. His kiss. His touch. Every moment was now tainted with lies.

  The warmth of her father's hand as it covered hers shocked her back into the present. "Elizabeth, I have something more important to discuss with you. We need to go inside."

  More important that realizing she was the stupidest woman in the world? Callum was probably laughing it up with his friends about how easy it was to get her into bed. A few glasses of wine, a midnight walk on the beach, and she was lost. And he worked for her father the whole time. A paycheck with benefits. How lucky can a man get? Too numb to argue, Elizabeth pulled her hand from her father's grasp and walked back toward the cabin. She heard his footfall behind her.

  Once inside, her father led her to the small table where she and Callum shared dinner the night before. It felt like a lifetime ago.

  "Come sit down for a minute, sweetheart. Please. There is a lot I need to say and unfortunately we do not have much time."

  Elizabeth sat in one of the chairs at the Formica table. She lifted her head and saw the tired look in his eyes as he sat in the chair across the table from hers. A new kind of apprehension clouded her emotions. She had never seen that look on his face, and somehow she knew his grey pallor had nothing to do with Callum. Her fear shifted to thoughts of her mother and brother.

  "Did something happen to mother or Stefan?" She swallowed hard scared of what her father might say.

  "No, they are well." The relief she felt was brief. She could see in her father's eyes that the worst was yet to come. Her father looked down at the table as if he needed a moment to collect his thoughts. After a torturous second, he lifted his head and moist blue eyes linked with hers. She braced herself.

  "There was a massive explosion at the annual opening of Parliament in Windsor yesterday. Marcus and his family are dead."

  Elizabeth's hands flew to her mouth as tears begin to form. "Everyone? Uncle Marcus and Aunt Lillian? The boys? All of them? Dead? I'm so sorry. I didn't know."

  "That is why I came. I wanted you to hear it from me rather than read it on the Internet or in a newspaper."

  Her head spun trying to grasp what had happened to her family. They had all been together last Christmas at the palace. Images of her uncle as he laughed at a joke Stefan told or her beautiful Aunt Lillian trying on the scarf her sons bought her. The boys. Her lips began to quiver at the thought. The three boys so bright and strong and full of life. Her cousins, only toddlers, laughing at all of the joys of Christmas. All of them gone. It was too much to take in.

  She looked at her father again. Now she understood the sadness in his eyes. Her over-traumatized brain could only eke out single words. "Who? How?"

  "We are working with an international team to determine what happened. Hopefully, we'll find out more when we get there." Her father stood. "You need to pack as quickly as you can. Take just what you need. Someone will clean up the cabin and send you your things later. I'll be in the car making some calls. Come out as soon as you are ready."

  She tried to shake off the shock and clear her mind, but it was all too much. "What? Go where?"

  Her father turned mid-stride. His look now was determined. The grief she knew he felt buried deep once again.

  "Our country. Windsor. I am going to be crowned king in two days. Your mother and brother are already there. You must be ready to assume your duties as second in line to the throne. We leave in half an hour."

  Elizabeth felt the blood drain from her face. Her father came over and put a firm hand on her shoulder as he stood above her.

  "I know this is a lot to take in." He shook his head lost in his own thoughts for a moment. "Believe me, I know."

  He offered a brief smile.

  "But we have a duty now. A duty that is bigger than all of us. Right now you need to put one foot in front of the other and focus on getting on the plane. We can talk more once we are on our way." He gave her shoulder one more squeeze before he turned and left the cabin.

  Elizabeth sat motionless in the silent cabin. In one, brief moment her world had turned upside-down. Callum was gone. Her dreams of being a doctor were on hold or maybe lost forever. Her once simple life was now complicated beyond anything she could comprehend. She lifted her eyes and scanned the little cabin that would soon be a distant memory. One foot in front of the other. That is all her father asked. One foot in front of the other. She moved about the cabin detached as if she was seeing everything for the first time.

  In the end, she took very little. Essentials she thought she might need. She did not touch anything that belonged to Callum. After she threw a few things into her backpack, Elizabeth opened the door and walked through. There was no sense looking backward. Everything was about to change forever.

  Army Major Callum Evans wrapped his arm around the waist of the woman sleeping next to him and pulled her backside closer to his front. Every place where his skin touched hers sent lightning strikes of craving through his body, but it was a sweet pain. A pain he would gladly spend a lifetime suffering. He nuzzled his face against her neck and filled his lungs with a unique combination of sea salt, sun, and her. His woman. His Elizabeth. A burst of joy exploded inside of him that almost made him smile. He mindlessly ran his fingertips against her flat stomach amazed that skin could feel so smooth. She laughed and turned over onto her back. Whiskey-colored eyes filled with love and passion looked up at him making all coherent thought impossible. There was only her. Her heart-shaped face. Her thick chestnut hair. Her long slim neck. Just her. As he leaned down to kiss her full lips, she called his name.

  "Mac."

  Terror sliced through him. How the hell did she know his call sign? How did she find out the truth? He wanted to tell her his real identity every day they had been together, but he was terrified he would lose her. Callum never thought he could love like this. He reached for her but all he grasped was air. His heart raced as he clawed the sheets for her. She smiled then faded away.

  "Major Evans."

  Callum felt a nudge to his shoulder as if someone gave him a light punch.

  Callum opened his eyes and a blast of sunlight blinded him. Instead of Elizabeth staring up at him like he was her knight in shining amour, he found himself looking up at a large caramel-skinned man who could bench press three hundred pounds without breaking a sweat. Buzz, one of his Echo Company teammates, smiled at him as he stepped over Callum's legs and hopped out of the helicopter.

  It only took Callum a second to clear his head of Honduras and painful memories, and get his brain where it needed to be. It had been almost four years since he left her. The single most difficult thing he had ever done. But he never doubted for one minute that it was the right thing to do. He could never be the man she needed. She deser
ved someone whole and unbroken.

  Callum shook his head, jarring himself back into the present. Afghanistan. He and his team just completed a seventy-two-hour mission behind enemy lines. Callum slung his gear over his shoulder ready to head to the chow hall. Just as he was about to step out of the helicopter, JT tapped him on the shoulder.

  "What should we do with him?"

  Callum followed JT's finger and found their newest team member fast asleep in the corner of the helicopter bay holding his M-110 sniper rifle as if it was a teddy bear.

  "Wake him up. I'm sure he's as hungry as the rest of us." Callum turned, prepared to head out the open door, before JT stopped him.

  "No way. The way that kid shoots, I'm afraid I might have a hole in the center of my forehead before he even opens his eyes."

  JT was right. The kid could shoot. Callum looked down at Ethan Hill taking in his sharply chiseled features and pale blonde hair. The kid should be on a surfboard or chasing girls, not sitting on a helicopter surrounded by a dusty, hungry hard-core Army special ops team. They gave him the call sign 'Cal' for his California-boy good looks even though the kid was from Ohio.

  Callum crouched down with his weight on the balls of his feet and gently shook Cal's arm. The boy hugged his rifle tighter. Callum smiled as he stood up and readjusted his gear.

  "Let 'em sleep. He earned it. I'll come out and get him after we eat."

  Callum hopped out of the helicopter after JT. The four men began walking toward the chow hall. Just as Callum was about to step through the threshold, a young female private ran up to him.

  "Major Evans, Colonel Davis wants to see you ASAP. He's in his office."

  She looked about Cal's age. Either he was getting too old for this business or the Army was recruiting out of kindergarten.