“Need to stop the bleeding,” he said, struggling to get the words out against teeth clenched in pain.
“We will. Hang on.”
“Up ahead!” one of the guards said. “There are a couple of boulders we can get behind. We’ll have higher ground from which we can defend, and they’ll provide shelter for the Prince.”
I was supporting more and more of Amand’s weight. We needed to get him to shelter and soon. As I crouched to lower him to the hard ground behind the boulder, I heard more footsteps pounding our way.
“Friends!” they whispered in Calonian. Not the reinforcements we truly needed, but at least a few more people to help protect the Prince, and one at least who had a portable radio with him. As he began relaying our position, another guard helped me check Amand.
“He’s bleeding heavily from his left side,” I told the other man. “There’s an artery somewhere near there.”
“No artery,” Amand ground out. “I’d already be dead. Stop the bleeding. Check my ribs.”
We focused on what the vest hadn’t covered. If he had another injury to his ribs, then the chances were good it was just blunt force trauma through his vest. While the other soldier applied pressure and began bandaging the area between his pants and the vest’s protective plates, I released the hook and loop fastener on the side so I could get my hand beneath the vest. To my relief, all I felt was warm male, no wetness along his ribs or chest that would signal blood.
“Take this light,” the one doing the bandaging said. “Check to make sure he’s not hit there or in the gap around his arm. I’m about finished with his side.”
“Ribs,” Amand hissed.
I shined the light carefully, lifting his shirt to make sure. His skin was turning all different shades of color, but there was no broken skin.
“Bruising, Amand. You might have some broken ribs but no bullet wound there.”
He squeezed my hand. “Be careful, Daniel. Be safe.”
His eyes fluttered shut, and I had to fight the feeling of panic that flashed through me. I wanted to call his name, but the guard who had wrapped his arm put his hand on my shoulder.
“He’s passed out. Not dead. Passed out. There’s a good chance he has a punctured lung.”
I sucked in a deep breath and nodded. As my worry over Amand dialed down a notch, I became aware of the continued gunfire coming sporadically from below. I wasn’t sure who was in charge now that Amand was down for the count, but I heard a deep-voiced member of our party whisper orders.
“Do not fire unless we start taking fire. I want to keep our position quiet as long as possible.”
Someone pressed a water bottle into my hand and I drank gratefully. My hand shook a bit.
“Here. Eat.” The same person who gave me the water handed me an energy bar. I downed it in two or three bites. Several minutes later, some of the shakiness and fogginess I’d been feeling disappeared.
The gunshots began again. We had been discovered and were taking fairly heavy fire. I stayed close to Amand, willing to protect him with my own body if it came to that. On both sides of us, men were cursing and returning fire. In addition to the shell casings pinging as they hit the rocks around us, empty magazines dropped while new ones were jammed into place.
This couldn’t be good. The guard with the radio crouched down to update our situation and the need for reinforcements. As he stood again, he was suddenly knocked backward, his radio and his weapon clattering to the ground. I moved quickly to try to help him and realized there was no help for him.
“Grab his rifle!” the deep-voiced guy giving orders told me. “You know how to use it?”
“Hunting rifles. Nothing like this.”
With a terse word to the guy next to him, he stepped back and crouched next to me.
“Here’s the release on your magazine. When you’re out, drop it and jam in a new one. Safety is on this side. Keep it on a three shot burst instead of full auto so you don’t waste your ammunition. We need to make every shot count. Got it?”
“Yes.” I jammed a couple of extra magazines into my belt and moved to a position where I might fire and still have cover.
This had gone so far beyond a simple kidnapping, if a kidnapping could ever be called simple. Was this situation we were stuck in now what Amand’s uncle had envisioned? I found it hard to believe, so maybe he was as much a dupe as Ricard. If…when we got out of this alive, I would give almost anything to have the very great pleasure of kicking their asses.
The gunfire began again from below. Was it my imagination, or were they gaining ground? I eased the nose of the rifle around the rock, took aim at the last burst of gunfire I had seen and pulled the trigger. More shots followed. Back and forth it went. I wasn’t sure how much longer we were going to be able to hold them off.
I shoved the last magazine into my rifle, felt it click into position, and eyed the tree a few feet away from me. It was large enough to provide cover and would give me a better vantage point from which to fire.
I dashed the two steps across and slammed my back against the trunk just as another burst of gunfire whizzed past me. I waited while I counted to five and then turned around the trunk to aim downhill. I fired, heard a cry and a crash from below right before the force of a couple of bullets knocked my legs out from under me.
I was hit. It wasn’t pain that struck first, more of a burning sensation in my arm and my leg. There was a lot of blood, and I was on my own. Looking across the several feet that separated me from Amand, I was afraid I might not ever have another chance to tell him how much I loved him. I crawled to the tree and leaned my back against it so I could still use its cover. The noise of the gunshots faded as the buzzing in my ears grew louder. It would be over soon.
23
Daniel
I heard voices first amidst the buzzing in my ears. My sense of smell returned next. Antiseptic like a hospital. I tried to move my arms, but only one responded. The warmth and crispness of fresh linens brushed my fingertips. Finally, I opened my eyes. Muted lighting on one side and rays of sunshine streaming through half-open blinds on the other.
“You’re awake,” a soft voice remarked. “Can you tell me who you are?”
“Daniel Leifsson. I’m an American, a guest of the royal family of Calonia, and I think I was shot.”
The dark-haired nurse straightened the sheet and thing blanket covering me and smiled, her white teeth gleaming. “Well, you’ve handled most of the questions I was going to ask you. So I think we can safely say you are aware of what’s going on.”
“How is Prince Amand?”
She smiled. “Someone from the palace will be in shortly to talk about that. I must get the doctor so she can address your specific injuries.”
With a pat on my arm, the nurse exited the room. I ground my teeth with frustration. I didn’t need to know about my injuries. I needed to know if Amand was all right. I attempted to sit up, but wasn’t getting anywhere fast when a petite blonde with spiky hair entered the room wearing the traditional doctor’s white lab coat.
“Let me guess. You must be the doctor.”
She arched a brow. “Sarcasm? You must be on the mend. Let me give you the details you need. You took a bullet to the outside of your right thigh. You’re lucky it essentially grazed you. Instead of dealing with shattered bones and massive tissue damage, we were dealing with controlling bleeding and only moderate soft tissue injuries.”
I glanced at my arm. “What about my arm?”
“Not quite so lucky. Again, more of a graze, but it was enough to break the radius and ulna. You’re in a soft cast now until we’re can take the sutures out, then we’ll need to put you in a hard cast for a few weeks.”
I nodded, taking in everything she was saying, but my mind was still screaming for news of Amand.
“What about Prince Amand?”
“Prince Ricard is waiting outside. He’ll speak with you about his brother.” She glanced from the chart to me, smiled enigmatic
ally and exited the room.
As soon as Ricard stepped into the room, I burst out, “Why won’t anyone talk to me about Amand? Is he dead?”
Just saying the word made me want to throw up or weep or both. Ricard shut the door behind him before walking to the side of my bed. He looked so serious it only ratcheted up my dread to an even higher level.
“Ricard! Please—”
He touched my cheek, the look in his eye kinder than what I had seen in a while. “They’ve upgraded his condition from critical to serious.”
“I want to see him.”
Ricard rubbed my uninjured shoulder. “He’s still sleeping Daniel. He lost a lot of blood, then they had to do surgery. The Crown Prince and I both donated blood. I promise you that as soon as he awakes, you can see him.”
The door opened to admit the Crown Prince. I turned my appeals on him.
“Please, Your Highness. I just want to see him.”
He stood at the foot of the bed and touched my foot. “You both need rest right now, Daniel. You have the entire country’s gratitude for your actions out there. More than one of the security people said had it not been for you stepping up to help, there would have been more losses.”
“I overhead a phone conversation while I was in that hut,” I said. “It was your Uncle Bernat. He was involved somehow.”
The Crown Prince pulled the chair around to the side of the bed and took a seat. “If you’re feeling up to it, I can fill you in on some of what’s been going on.”
I nodded.
“You’re right that our uncle was involved. In fact, I don’t think there’s any other way to describe him but to say that he is a traitor to Calonia. Interests inside Tsaledonia—we’re stopping short of saying the government, officially—paid him off to aid them in making sure our trade deal with Movarino didn’t succeed.”
“Why? I would think increased trade in the area would benefit everyone.”
The Crown Prince acknowledged that idea with a tilt of his dark head. “We certainly saw it that way, but certain…interests…inside Tsaledonia didn’t. Without access to a seaport, there were plenty of companies that profited from Movarino’s need to ship certain goods in overland.”
“Okay, I get that, but what was really in it for Bernat other than some cash under the table?”
The Crown Prince chuckled though his expression remained grim. “It was a bit more than petty cash. Then, on top of that, Bernat was able to make some investments in companies that would have taken off if our trade deal collapsed. In fact, that was what allowed us to finally get a lead on who was the real problem within the palace. Bernat became careless in hiding how much money he was diverting to investments in the Tsaledonian transportation companies.”
I glanced at Ricard, who stood near the window, the sun reflecting off his lean features. “Was involving Ricard a red herring?”
“Yes. Most of that was meant as a diversion to distract everyone from Bernat’s true activities.”
I shook my head and stared at the cover. I had spent so much time longing for a family, longing to be able to put down secure roots and claim a heritage of my very own that it was beyond my comprehension how a man betrayed and almost killed his own family.
“The Queen must be so hurt,” I murmured.
“She is,” the Crown Prince admitted. “But as in everything, she’s bearing up well.”
“So the situation is over and done with?” I asked.
“Not quite. We’re still trying to pinpoint the exact people who were blackmailing Ricard. Our hope is that it is members of the European mafia.”
“That’s your hope?” I couldn’t help the note of incredulity in my voice.
“It would be better all around if it did not turn out to be highly-ranked members of Tsaledonia’s government. Much easier for everyone if the entire episode can be attributed to already known nefarious elements.”
A rather twisted logic, but it did make a certain sense. If mafia types were blamed, then an international incident would be avoided. Ricard and the Crown Prince spent a few more minutes with me, reassuring me that I was Calonia’s national hero at the moment and would likely have a parade in my honor.
I hoped they were kidding.
I discovered one excellent benefit of being the national hero, a guest of the palace, and the fiancé of Prince Amand. No regular hospital food for me. Definitely no broth and gelatin. Nope, lunch and dinner were both served by a uniformed chef. I tried to eat so I wouldn’t offend him, but honestly, all I could think about was Amand.
Finally, the night nurse entered the room with a wheelchair. “His Royal Highness Prince Amand is awake and asking for you.”
I nearly leaped from the bed until my leg and my arm both reminded me that I wasn’t all that far away from getting shot by bad guys on the side of a mountain.
“Slow down, Mr. Leifsson. Let me help you.”
Properly chastened, I allowed myself to be moved, then appreciated her support to my elbow and my back as I attempted to shift my weight from the bed to the chair. It was embarrassing how weak I felt. As she wheeled me to a room a couple doors down the hall, I got the distinct feeling that there were no other patients on this floor. Amand and I were truly getting the royal treatment.
A footman stood at the door and opened it as we approached. As soon as the nurse wheeled me inside and next to Amand’s bed, she retreated with a bow and a murmured, “Ring if you need anything, Your Highness.”
It was the Crown Prince who responded, drawing my attention for an instant to where he sat in another part of the room. I had hoped for some privacy.
Amand turned his dark eyes on me. He was pale and looked tired, but stretched a hand out to me. I took it and pressed it against my cheek. “I thought you were going to die,” I croaked hoarsely.
“And lose you? Never.” His smile was fleeting. “Have you been well cared for? I will tell them to bring you only the best food. You need to get your strength back.”
The Crown Prince chuckled. “Be at ease for once, Amand. We have all made sure that Daniel receives only the very best of everything. You need to turn your concern on yourself and make sure you heal. Our country needs you.”
Amand turned his head slightly. “And I need a few moments alone with my future husband.”
The Crown Prince rose. “A few minutes. If the doctors had not overruled me, you would both still be in your own beds, but I could see you were fretting.”
Amand lifted his other hand and motioned weakly for his elder brother to leave. When the door closed behind them, I finally let my guard down enough to reveal my emotions.
“Don’t cry,” Amand whispered. “We will be all right.”
“I was so afraid I had lost you, and it was my fault.” I rested my forehead against his arm. “I was such a fool.”
“No. Bernat duped us all.” Amand stroked my hair with his other hand. “My brother is right. We must both rest. I love you, Daniel.”
Over the next couple days, we were able to visit one another, but had little privacy to do more than hold hands and talk. My strength returned rapidly, though the broken arm, with all its added bruising, was giving me fits.
I had just finished dressing in the fresh clothes I had found at the foot of my bed when Ricard entered the room.
“I have some wonderful news, Daniel,” he said, though his expression seemed to convey anything but that. “The doctor says you may leave here for medical care at the palace. You will be able to sleep in your own bed. Good news, huh?”
“Yes. I am anxious to get home.”
Funny that it had actually begun to feel that way for me. Yet, as excited as I was, as the time came for me to leave, I couldn’t help recalling how ill at ease Ricard had seemed to be. I had asked him if everything was all right, and he had assured me it was, but I didn’t believe it. To be safe, I insisted the nurse take me by Amand’s room before I departed.
He was in his bed asleep, the dark shadow on his cheeks and ch
in showing that he had not yet shaved. I didn’t have the heart to wake him, so I indicated to the nurse she should take us to the front of the hospital. After the way in which Ricard and the Crown Prince had been so insistent about what a hero I was considered to be, I was surprised when only a car and driver awaited me.
With the nurse’s help, I stood, not ashamed to lean heavily on the cane they had given me and insisted I practice with over the last day. I turned to tell her thanks and goodbye when shouting erupted from the end of the building.
Running toward the car was a disheveled man in clothing that looked as though it had been slept in for several days.
“I will get you for this!” the man shouted and I realized his insane tirade was aimed at me. “You American bastard. I’ll kill you!”
I pulled the nurse behind me, staggering a bit as I tried to use the cane to keep some of the weight off my injured leg. I had nowhere to go and couldn’t run. As the man barreled toward me, my jaw dropped. It was Bernat Masdu as I had never before seen him.
“Stop!” I yelled at him, not at all sure how I was going to back that up.
Just then members of the palace security team swarmed Uncle Bernat, cutting off his maniacal race toward me. The limo’s rear passenger door opened, and the Crown Prince stepped out.
“Take my uncle into custody, and this time, ensure he does not escape again.”
All I could do was stare at Amand’s elder brother as it dawned on me what had occurred.
“You used me,” I finally said.
The Crown Prince shrugged. “It was the surest way we had of drawing him out. You were never in any danger.”
Unfortunately, Amand didn’t take it that same way. He was released the next day. In the limo on the way back to the palace, he kept an icy silence where Constantin and Ricard were concerned. When we reached the palace, he tersely asked me to join him in his quarters. I cast a glance back at the Crown Prince, who looked haughty, and Ricard, who looked hurt.
This was not good. The last thing I wanted was to be the source of discord in this family.
The Prince’s Passion: A Fake Engagement Royalty Romance Page 15
