Princess Bodyguard

by Sophie Thompson

  "I definitely don't mind the used merchandise look."

  "Good thing, honey, because four years and a hundred battle scars latter, that's what you got."

  She reached up, impatient, and grabbed his belt as he had grabbed her the day before and pulled him down toward her.

  His lips followed her jawline to her ear then down her neck. She arched up and her hands found his face, rough with evening stubble, as she guided him back up to her lips. He settled in between her open legs. Even through their pants, Elizabeth could feel his arousal hard against her inner thigh. She was about to tell him she couldn't wait much longer -- it had been too long already -- when something vibrated against her leg. She broke the kiss and looked at him.

  "That's new."

  Callum glanced down at Elizabeth and wondered what he had just done that would warrant such a comment. He was so mind-numb having her half naked underneath him that he was flying on pure instinct. He was too far gone to use any of his tricks -- not that he had many. Those would have to come later in the night. He was about to go back to work on torturing her neck when he felt his phone vibrating in his pants.

  "Shit."

  He rolled off of her and sat on the edge of the bed. His back to her. He took a deep breath trying to calm his racing pulse as he put the phone up to his ear.

  "Yeah?"

  "Go secure." Sam demanded.

  "Can't now." Callum clenched his jaw and ran his free hand through his hair.

  "Well, you need to get down to the house ASAP. We just got the records you asked about earlier and there's something you need to see. This will not wait."

  Callum turned his head to look at Elizabeth. She was lying on her side half naked and staring at him like he was dinner and she had not eaten in weeks. Pale skin, beautiful breasts swollen from his kisses. Achingly beautiful. To Callum she looked like a she was sculpted by the hands of a master. Except she was flesh and was on an emotional roller-coaster and shit, what did he just do?

  He turned his head back around and stared down at the carpet underneath his feet. Sam was still talking in his ear and Callum had missed everything his teammate just said. He promised himself he would never hurt her again. But here he was again doing exactly that. Taking advantage of her when he should have kissed her on the cheek and tucked her underneath the covers.

  "Repeat." Callum asked.

  "We have already called this back to headquarters. Edward is on his way, and expects you at the house within the half hour."

  Callum knew from experience that he needed to move now. Whatever happened in the last hour was serious.

  "Okay. I'll be right there."

  Callum disconnected the call and ran his hand though his hair again. He never thought of himself as a coward, but there was no doubt in his mind that not turning around and facing Elizabeth was about as cowardly as it gets. He felt the bed shift and heard her get up on the other side.

  Digging for a courage he did not feel - he stood up and turned in time to see her slip on a blue robe and walk back out into the sitting area. He grabbed his clothes and began dressing. After he picked up his suit jacket and stuffed his tie in the pocket, Callum stood in between the door and Elizabeth not sure which way to go.

  Callum wanted to choose the door that lead out of her suite and just walk away. He itched to leave every emotion that raced through him behind. But he couldn't do that. He turned toward her and looked at her for the first time since the phone call. Her eyes were red rimed and looked like embers left from a dying flame. Before he could formulate any words that could explain his actions, she spoke the one word he needed. The word that pushed his feelings - his obsession - of her deep inside of himself.

  "Go." She said in a whisper.

  "Elli, it's important. I'm sorry." Callum had never noticed what lame words important and sorry were when strung together.

  Wordlessly, Elizabeth walked into her bedroom and shut the double doors in one swift motion. The unmistakable click of the lock felt like a prison door just slammed shut. If he ever doubted it before, he was sure of it now - he did not deserve Elizabeth. He was a grunt. A solider who was wired to wreak havoc everywhere he went. No one deserved someone like him messing up their dreams and making promises that could not be kept. Especially not twice in one lifetime.

  He hung his pathetic head and headed out of her room promising himself that after Sunday, he would protect her in the best way he knew how. He would walk away and never look back.

  Callum jumped in his car and raced down the hill from the palace. His headlights illuminated the road in front of him as he took sharp turns and side streets to avoid detection. He thanked his years of military and intelligence training because he needed his muscle memory to propel him forward. His mind was useless. The click of the bedroom door echoed through his thoughts.

  Of course he loved touching her and kissing her, but he also loved just being around her. Being in the same room with her. He wanted to hear her laugh and roll his eyes at her bad jokes. He wanted to reach out and feel her next to him. Dammit, he just wanted her.

  Callum slammed his hand against the steering wheel. His wants were pointless. Even if there was no mission. No Victor. No Watson. They could not be together. He was a grunt and she was a princess. Elizabeth and her country needed more than he could ever offer. That is why he let her go four years ago and that is why he will leave her on Sunday. That is why . . .Callum swung his head around just in time to see the white van crash into the side of his car. The sound of mangled metal and shattered glass deafened him. His hands hugged the steering wheel in a death grip. With wrists locked, he jerked the car to the left then the right in time to keep it from flipping over. The seat belt dug into his chest as it hugged him hard. His head whipped back and forth as airbags exploded around him. He slammed on the brakes.

  He heard tires screech. Over the top of the air bag, Callum saw the van pull off into the night. There were no other cars on the dark road. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the backrest of the car seat. It took a moment for his breathing to stabilize and his heart to slow down into a more normal rhythm. Pain surged through him as his adrenaline levels regulated. He took a deep breath as he did a body check. Nothing felt broken, but he knew he was in no shape to make a thorough assessment.

  He reached down and undid the seat belt. He rested for a brief moment as his body adjusted to moving. Once he was able, he gathered his strength and pulled his cell phone out of his pants pocket. He could feel the sweat beading on his forehead. His hands shook as he dialed the code that would connect him directly with the safe house.

  "Mac?"

  Sam's deep voice was a welcome sound to Callum's ears. "Sam, I need you to track my phone and send someone to my location. I just got t-boned by a van. Might lose consciousness."

  "Roger, Mac. Already on it. Stay with me. Can you move your neck?" Sam asked. Callum could hear raised voices and movement on the other end of the line. He knew help would arrive soon. He tried to concentrate on Sam's voice and do what he asked him to do. Move his neck, right? But the airbags went out of focus and moments later his world went black.

  Chapter 10

  The phone on Elizabeth's bedside rang. With eyes still closed, she groped for the device and knocked over a glass of water on her nightstand.

  "Crap." Elizabeth said as her hand found the phone and brought it to her ear.

  "And good morning to you, too, sister."

  Stefan sounded too awake. Elizabeth could see the light filter though her curtains, but had no idea what time it was. After she heard Callum close the door the night before, she sat on the edge of the bed for another fifteen minutes. Even if she wanted to move, her limbs refused the request. The fear of her maids finding her comatose from exhaustion on the bedroom floor was the only reason she got up and finally climbed into bed. At least when she shut her eyes, she fell right to sleep.

  "Are you there?" Stefan asked.

  "Sorry. Yes. What time is it?" Her voice
was groggy with sleep.

  "Six thirty. I just got a call from the US Embassy. The Ambassador would like us to come down to the Embassy as soon as we can. He said it was an emergency. How fast can you get ready?"

  US Embassy. Callum. Her heart raced. "What do they want?"

  "I don't know, but they insisted they need to speak with us at their Embassy rather than come to the palace."

  She threw the covers to the side and scrambled out of bed as she spoke. "Give me half an hour." She passed the mirror above her dresser and glanced at her reflection. "Nope. Give me forty-five and I'll meet you in the garage."

  Elizabeth did not wait for Stefan to respond. She ended the call with him and dialed her day maid.

  After numerous apologies about the time of day and going off her set schedule, Elizabeth arranged for the maid to come up and help her get ready. She still needed to be presentable even if this was not an official visit. And if she saw Callum or this was about Callum in some way, Elizabeth wanted to have her armor on. And in her world, Dolce and Gabbana was stronger than chain mail.

  An hour later, Elizabeth sat next to Stefan in the wooden paneled private conference room of the US Ambassador to Corrannia. She sipped on strong coffee the Ambassador's assistant fixed her and prayed the caffeine would jumpstart her brain and keep her from embarrassing herself.

  The Ambassador sipped at his own coffee as he sat across from her and Stefan at a large table in the center of the room. He appeared uncomfortable, which heightened her concern about why this meeting had been called.

  "Thank you for coming in such short notice. I realize this is highly irregular, but I understand that this is a very delicate matter." The Ambassador gave her a funny expression then took another long sip of his coffee as his eyes shifted to the closed door. She wondered if Callum told someone where he was and what he was doing last night.

  Her stomach flipped-flopped and the coffee threatened to change direction in her throat. This could not be about last night. That would be ridiculous. She knew she should have never let Callum get close, but that was between the two of them. Why would the Ambassador care? She decided that the best way to deal with the situation was for her and Callum to stay as far away from each other as possible.

  During the car ride, Elizabeth told Stefan that she would only be able to make a brief appearance at the ball tonight and then at the signing ceremony tomorrow. His questioning look told her he knew something was wrong, but he did not push for more information. Stefan accepted her adjusted schedule and said nothing more of it.

  She only had to get though twenty-four more hours and then Callum would be gone from her country and her life. A separation that would be best for both of them. Her eyes darted between her brother and the Ambassador, who made small talk about the weather. If she need to, Elizabeth would be more than happy to share her decision to stay to herself until the American delegation departed with anyone who asked.

  "Why don't you begin by telling us why you called us here? I would be delighted to work on a solution together to whatever delicate matter concerns you." Elizabeth asked the Ambassador. If this was going to be an uncomfortable conversation then she wanted to stay on the offensive as long as possible.

  Before the Ambassador had a chance to reply, the conference room door swung open and Callum walked in. Elizabeth's felt her eyes go wide at his condition. His forehead was bandaged with a large piece of gauze, his lower lip was cut, and his left eye and cheek were black and blue with bruises.

  His eyes found hers as he gave her one of his cocky half-smiles. She noticed that he limped to one of the chairs next to the Ambassador and fought the urge to rush to his side.

  "What happened to you?"

  She asked forgetting that they were barely supposed to know each other, but she did not care about formalities at the moment.

  "A van slammed in to his car last night."

  Elizabeth did not notice the tall, attractive man that came in behind Callum until he spoke. His dark eyes assessed her as he stood by the door.

  "Thank you, Doug. I'll stop by your office when we are done here."

  The man spoke directly to the Ambassador who did not hesitate to get up and head to the door as if the man had just given him a get out of jail free card. The Ambassador turned and nodded his head toward Stefan and Elizabeth before he disappeared down the hall. Elizabeth felt her stomach churn again. What kind of meeting was this if the Ambassador went running out of the door?

  The tall man walked over to the table. "Andrew Edward, Deputy National Security Adviser. I am here on behalf of the President. I believe you have met Major Evans." Edward offered his hand to her. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness. I have looked forward to meeting you for a long time. I am sorry it is under such unusual circumstances." His voice was deep with a slight accent she could not place.

  Elizabeth stood and shook his hand. Edward gave her a warm smile before he turned to her brother. After Edward and Stefan shook hands, they all took their seats. Edward sat in the seat the Ambassador vacated and Callum took the seat across from Elizabeth. Stefan gave her a quick glance before he turned toward the men on the other side of the table. Elizabeth had a thousand questions run through her mind, but could not find her voice. Thank goodness Stefan asked what she wanted to.

  "What happened to you, Major? A van slammed in to you?" Stefan asked.

  "Yes." Callum offered. "Last night. Just a few minor injuries." Callum looked turned to Elizabeth. "Nothing to worry about."

  She gave him a once-over. The injury did not look minor to her.

  "Did you go to the hospital?" Elizabeth asked as she tried to keep her expression neutral.

  "No need. I'm fine. Really." Callum insisted.

  She crossed her arms and glared at him. Callum raised an eyebrow. His expression dared her to say something more. She knew probing Callum further would be useless. Either he did not want to talk about it in front of an audience or he did not want to talk about it at all. If he wanted to pretend like he was fine then what could she do about it. She lifted her chin and tuned to Edward.

  "If I may ask, why did you call us down to your Embassy at such an early hour? The Ambassador said it was an emergency." She wanted to know what this meeting was about and when she could leave.

  "We wanted to make sure we were somewhere that our conversation was not overheard." Edward offered.

  Stefan's face turned hard and he leaned his elbows on the table. "Are you insinuating that we cannot secure our conversations? I assure you, Mr. Edward, that . . ."

  "Your father has been poisoned." Edward said matter-of-factly.

  Stefan and Elizabeth exchanged a look. She remembered how her father looked the night before. But positioned? She must have misheard. Her eyes darted between the two men in front of her.

  "That is quite an accusation." Stefan said, his tone firm.

  "I don't make it lightly. If he does not get the antidote within the next forty-eight hours the damage the toxins have done to his nervous system will be irreversible and he will die."

  Edward slid a manila folder across the conference table. Stefan opened the folder so both he and Elizabeth could read the paperwork inside. She studied the medical report. It was conclusive. Her father had been the victim of a slow ingestion of a combination of ricin and tularemia.

  She blinked. That can't be right. That combination of toxins could not exist. It was impossible. Elizabeth lifted her eyes. Callum gave her a brief nod and in her heart she knew it was all true even if he brain begged for more information.

  "But how?" She asked her voice raw with emotion. "Why?"

  "We are still working on the why, but we believe your bodyguard or someone working with him had been slowing ingesting your father with poison."

  "Victor? What?" Elizabeth questioned.

  "It's the real reason we brought you to the Embassy at this hour. Callum's team took Victor in for questioning while he was waiting outside for you."

  "What!" Stefan
's chair flew backward as he stood. His face was red with anger. "That is the most blatant disregard of international law that I have ever heard of."

  "Please take a seat, Your Highness. I promise to explain everything." Edward spoke in a calm, even tone.

  Stefan glared at Edward then looked down at Elizabeth. She was as shocked as he was, but she wanted to know more. She trusted Callum.

  "Stefan, let's hear them out."

  After a few moments, Stefan pulled his chair back to the table and sat down.

  "Where is Victor? And how does this pertain to my father?" She asked. Elizabeth was just as upset as Stefan, but she needed answers and knew the only way to get then was to stay in control of her emotions.

  "Let me start at the beginning." Edward offered.

  "Please, but make it quick. I only have so much patience for this type of strong-arm tactics." Stefan countered.

  Edward gave Stefan a brief nod before he spoke. "First, let me say that Victor is fine. The Team will keep an eye on him until we can decide on our next steps. Yesterday afternoon, we received a copy of your father's medical records."

  "What!" Stefan exclaimed.

  Elizabeth put a hand on her brother's sleeve to hold her brother back from marching out of the room.

  Callum continued for Edward, "Once we got wind of your father's illness. . ."

  "How did you get wind?" Stefan looked at Elizabeth briefly. She shook her head but felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment that Stefan thought she would betray family secrets to Callum.

  Edward spoke again. "I know this is out of the ordinary, but we had to act fast. We normally would not have even mentioned such a breach of trust. . ."

  "You apologize for divulging the information, but not on the fact that you collect it." Stefan pounded his finger on to the table for emphasis.

  "You had better be damn glad we did or else we might be burying your father instead of signing the agreement on Sunday. Sorry to be so blunt, but we are running out of time."