by Anne Fraser
Once again, she found herself accepting a situation she didn’t particularly like. After freely roaming around on her own for years, being curtailed, even if for a good reason, was a difficult pill to swallow. “I won’t,” she promised reluctantly.
“Good.” He closed his briefcase. “While you get the children, I’ll tell Hugh and Joachim of our detour. Do you have the address?”
She gave it to him, hoping he wasn’t familiar enough with the city to realize the Roy family lived in a rough part of town. If he did, he probably wouldn’t allow her within five miles of the place.
“I won’t be long,” she promised, before she hurried upstairs. After allowing the children a final glimpse of their sleeping mother, who’d sailed through her surgery, she ushered them out to the parking lot where Ruark was waiting.
“Is everyone ready?” he asked as he opened the back door of his car and lifted Cara inside.
“Yes,” the little girl chirped. “I been awful quiet so Mama could sleep. Dr Rock, is she supposed to sleep for a long time?”
Gina thought her mispronunciation cute and from Ruark’s smile, he was amused as well. “She is,” he assured her. “But when you see her tomorrow, she’ll be awake.”
“Good.”
Gina watched Ruark buckle the two girls into the safety seats they’d borrowed from the Pediatrics Department, and as soon as Tim squeezed in beside them, they were off.
“Should we stop for dinner?” Ruark asked her in a low voice.
“The neighbor, Mrs Klimus, said she’d have dinner ready.” She pointed to the next intersection. “Turn right.”
While Cara and Molly chattered away in the backseat, Gina noticed Ruark’s expression harden as they drove farther into the poor neighborhood. She also didn’t miss how often he glanced into the rear-view mirror, as if checking on Hugh and Joachim’s whereabouts.
At long last Molly cried out, “There’s our street!”
Ruark made a final turn into a road that sported more potholes than flat places, then stopped in front of a weathered pink duplex bearing the number Gina had memorized. “We’re here,” he said cheerfully, although he cast a glance at Gina that promised retribution.
In the blink of an eye the children scampered out of the car and rushed up the cracked and uneven sidewalk.
Ruark grabbed Gina’s elbow. “Do not, I repeat, do not, wander off,” he ground out in a voice meant for her ears only.
“I won’t.” Although she wanted to explain that she hadn’t realized this part of town had deteriorated to this extent, he plainly wasn’t in the mood to listen.
Mrs Klimus, who lived on the other side of the duplex, opened the door and welcomed them in with a wide smile on her wrinkled face. She was a portly woman in her sixties and her home, although shabby, was spotless, with the aroma of something tasty drifting out of the kitchen.
“Oh, you poor, poor dears,” she said as she hugged Molly and Cara. “Well, not to worry. Your mother’s going to be fine.” She glanced at Gina for confirmation.
“Yes, she will be,” Gina answered, pleased the woman was apparently a good friend of the family. She didn’t know what she would have done if they’d delivered them to a house where they weren’t welcomed.
“Perfect.” The woman beamed. “And don’t you worry about these three either. They’re practically my own grandchildren.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” Gina said.
“We hate to run,” Ruark said smoothly, “but we have another engagement this evening.”
“Of course, of course. It was delightful meeting you,” Mrs Klimus said as she ushered them to the door. “Come back and visit anytime. My door is always open.”
Outside, Ruark took her arm again. “Ruark, please,” she protested. “I’m quite capable of walking without your help.”
“I know you are, but stay behind me,” he said.
She glanced at him and noticed his expression had turned grim. “What’s wrong?”
“Just do as I say.”
She followed his gaze and saw a young man and woman, probably in their late teens or early twenties, standing near Ruark’s vehicle. Actually, the man was eyeing the vehicle and the girl was leaning against the passenger front tire as if her legs were seconds away from giving out.
As Ruark approached, the young fellow faced them. “Nice wheels,” he said nonchalantly, crossing his tattooed arms over a T-shirt-clad scrawny chest before he swiped at his runny nose.
“Nice,” the girl repeated in a dreamy fashion. She, too, wore low-rise jeans, but while his revealed his boxer shorts, hers revealed a pierced navel. Her eyes and lips matched the pitch-black hue of her short, spiked hair.
“Thank you,” Ruark said politely as he positioned himself between the boy and Gina. “If you don’t mind, we’re just leaving.”
“You can’t go yet, man,” the boy protested. “Wheels like that cost a pretty penny. You can spare a few bucks, can’t you, dude?”
“Sorry, I don’t carry cash,” Ruark said.
“Hey, man, I’ll be happy with a credit card. In fact, that sounds better.”
The girl suddenly groaned, clutched her belly and slumped over. “Tony, I don’t feel so good.”
“A few more minutes,” he promised. “Then you’ll be fine.”
Gina had seen enough cases in the ER to know this woman needed medical attention and soon. She was clearly coming down from her drug-induced high and if her boyfriend gave her another fix, it might well be her last.
“Your friend needs to be in the hospital,” she said. “Let us call an ambulance.” She reached in her pocket for her cellphone just as he whipped a long, lethal-looking knife out of his pocket.
“No. No ambulance. No cops. No doctors,” he said. “Just give me your wallet and you can go.”
Ruark held up his hands. “OK. Just relax and it’s yours.” But before he could move, Gina’s own car turned the corner.
The cavalry had arrived.
Apparently realizing he’d lost his advantage because they now had witnesses, the boy flicked the knife closed, then hoisted his girlfriend onto his shoulder before he disappeared between two equally disreputable houses.
Hugh and Joachim jumped out and rushed toward them. “Are you all right, Your Highness?”
“We’re fine.” Ruark grabbed her arm. “Let’s go.”
She dug in her heels. “We can’t,” she protested. “That girl needs help.”
Hugh walked toward the area where the two would-be thieves had disappeared. “They’re long gone. We won’t find them.”
“Maybe we can’t,” she said, “but the police can. We can’t just drive away and leave her. We have to do something.”
“You heard him, Gina,” Ruark reminded her. “He said no ambulance, no doctors and no cops. We can’t help people who don’t want it.”
She shook off his grip. “Maybe, but I have to try.”
He fell silent, then motioned to Hugh. While the bodyguard punched in numbers on his cellphone, Ruark told her, “This is pointless.”
“Maybe, maybe not.”
“Regardless, while we’re waiting for the police, you will wait in the car.”
Sensing she’d pushed him as far as she could, she obeyed. In less than ten minutes a patrol car arrived and the policemen took their statements.
“I understand your concern, Dr Sutton,” the middle-aged officer, who’d clearly seen his share of sad situations, said, “but we know Tony and his girlfriend. We won’t find them until they want to be found.”
“And if she dies in the meantime?” she asked.
He shrugged. “There’s nothing we can do short of going on a house-to-house search. I suspect Tony is already miles away. We can’t search the entire city for a punk and his drugged-out girlfriend. I’m sorry, but it’s a fact of life.”
“Then what can you do?” she asked.
“We’ll put out the word we’re looking for her and keep our eyes open. Who knows, we may stumble acros
s her.”
Stumble across her body, she wanted to say, but she didn’t. It wasn’t fair to take her frustration out on the police.
“Thanks,” she said. Yet as she gazed at the houses she had an overwhelming urge to knock on doors herself.
Ruark echoed her thanks before grabbing her elbow and propelling her to his car, where he all but lifted her into the backseat.
Deep in her thoughts and disappointed by her perceived failure, she hardly noticed Hugh had taken over the driver’s seat. Neither did she pay much attention when Ruark turned around and began scolding her.
“This wasn’t my fault,” she protested mildly.
“It doesn’t matter,” he continued. “You went into an area that wasn’t safe. You promised you would be cautious.”
“I didn’t know we’d be accosted,” she said, staring out the window. “As for being cautious, I didn’t know the neighborhood had deteriorated to the point it had, but I wasn’t alone. You were with me. Hugh and Joachim were nearby.”
“It wasn’t safe,” he insisted, as if he hadn’t heard a word she’d said. “I need to be able to trust you, Gina. Trust that you’ll use good judgment when I’m not with you. What if I hadn’t been there? What if Hugh and Joachim hadn’t arrived when they had?”
“I’d have given him my purse, as he’d asked,” she said practically and evenly, because she was conscious of their audience. “And if he’d wanted the vehicle, I’d have handed him the keys, too.” But it was obvious from the way Ruark ran his hands through his hair that he wasn’t listening.
“And if it wasn’t enough the man pulled a knife on us…” His voice rose. “You probably would have started looking for that girl on your own. Who knows what mess you would have landed in then.”
His attack stung and she watched the passing scenery out of her window through tear-filled eyes. She’d said all she could in her defense; she’d show that his tirade rolled off her back instead of lodging in her heart.
Hugh pulled into their driveway and shut off the engine before he silently slipped out of the vehicle. Gina, however, didn’t move.
“Well?” Ruark demanded.
“I’ve said all I’m going to say. I only have one question.” She paused. “Are you finished?”
“For the moment,” he ground out before he slid out of his seat and jerked open her door.
She strode past him without a word. Ruark followed and when she headed for the dining room, he veered toward his office. A few seconds later the door slammed.
Startled by the sound, she bumped into Hugh. “Excuse me, Your Highness,” he said politely.
“It was my fault. I wasn’t watching…” She stopped, hating to hear her voice tremble.
He paused and looked down at her kindly. Too kindly for her brittle nerves. It wouldn’t do if she threw herself at him and sobbed on his shoulder.
“Prince Ruark doesn’t usually show his temper in such a manner.”
“I apparently bring out the worst in him.”
“He was very worried for you. Otherwise he wouldn’t have reacted so strongly to the danger.”
“Your loyalty is commendable, Hugh,” she said, still smarting from Ruark’s wrath. “But what happened was a fluke and I won’t be blamed and don’t deserve to be chastised for it.”
“When he calms down in a few hours, he’ll understand this to be true, Your Highness.”
She gave him her “yeah, right” look before she shoved aside the swinging door and entered the kitchen. Right now she needed comfort after a day full of unwelcome surprises, and a bowl of her favorite chocolate ice cream seemed perfect.
“Ice cream?” Henri was aghast as he caught her rummaging in the freezer. “You must eat something more substantial first. How about a nice garden salad with plenty of ham and cheese?”
“Don’t go to the trouble. I just want ice cream.”
“It is no trouble, Your Highness,” Henri fussed as he tugged the carton from her hands. “No trouble at all. Just go and sit down and I will bring it to you in a few minutes.”
Foiled again! She plopped onto a dining chair and stared sullenly through the window into the back gardens. Her day couldn’t have been worse. Her hours had been cut by nearly one-third, her good deed to deliver the Roy children had ended on a sour note, the young woman she’d wanted to help had disappeared, Ruark had yelled at her for something completely out of her control, and now she couldn’t even eat what she wanted to!
Feeling completely adrift, she had no idea where or what her place was. Nothing was going as it should. Her husband had turned into a complete dictator after she’d actually thought she might be falling in love with him. Fat chance of that happening, because right now she didn’t even like the man!
Give him a couple of hours to calm down, Hugh had advised. Fine. She’d give him those hours and gladly. In the meantime, she needed time alone, time to think, but she didn’t want it here, in this house, where she felt like a hotel guest and couldn’t do anything physical to work off her frustration.
She wanted to go home. Home, where she could eat an entire carton of ice cream without anyone gainsaying her. Home, where she could run the vacuum cleaner, dust, and mow the lawn until she was too tired to think. Home, where she’d have the breathing space to regroup before she faced the dragon again.
An overwhelming desire to escape chased away what little appetite she had. If she could only claim a short time to herself, she wouldn’t waste a minute of it by eating.
“Thank you for this, Henri,” she said as she carried her bowl into the kitchen, “but I’m not hungry after all. Would you please wrap it for later?”
“Of course, Your Highness.”
“Oh, and I’m going out to run an errand,” she lied smoothly. “I’ll be back shortly.”
“Would you like me to call Hugh or Joachim to accompany you?”
“No, that won’t be necessary.” She smiled at the Frenchman. “I’ll find one of them myself.”
“Very good, Your Highness.”
Gina didn’t waste time retrieving her purse or her spare set of car keys. Bracing herself for discovery, she was pleased to find her car still in the driveway, making it easier to slip away.
Carefully, she eased away from the house and rolled down the street, grateful her engine motor purred rather than roared. In a few short minutes she was on her way without anyone the wiser. Less than half an hour later she drove into her single-car garage and lowered the door behind her with a simple press of a button.
She was home.
As crazy as it seemed, as comforting as it was to be in familiar surroundings, she felt Ruark’s absence keenly.
No, she didn’t, she berated herself. She was infuriated by his utter lack of faith, his harsh words and imperious attitude. She refused to set aside her anger to remember how he’d been so kind and helpful with the Roy children at lunch, how he’d worried about her safety, how he’d positioned himself between her and danger in order to protect her.
She wouldn’t dwell on the reasons for his anger because as far as she was concerned, he had none. She’d done nothing wrong to warrant his fury. Instead, she’d concentrate on his disregard for her feelings and how he’d carelessly hurt her. Perhaps his unjustified tirade wouldn’t have cut her to the quick if she didn’t love him.
Oh, sweet heaven! She loved him.
Now she understood why Ruark wanted a marriage built on friendship instead of love. Love made one vulnerable, especially if it was one-sided. The only question now was, what did she do next?
Every emotion she felt tumbled and swirled together until her chest ached. Before could slide out from behind the steering-wheel and enter her safe haven, she burst into tears.
Ruark left his office some hours later, determined to find Gina and apologize for losing control. He should have trusted his instincts once they’d gotten within a few blocks of the Roy family duplex, called Hugh to stick right on their tail, and waited until his two men arrived before
they’d gotten out of the vehicle. But he hadn’t, and he’d taken his anger with himself out on her.
He strolled through the house, poking his nose in nearly room looking for her. When he didn’t find her he headed for the backyard, certain she’d decided to watch the sunset.
Returning inside, he ran into Hugh. “Have you seen Gina?”
“Not since we arrived, sir,” the bodyguard answered.
“I wonder where she is,” Ruark mused aloud as a frisson of fear began to wiggle a path down his spine.
“Ah, you’re back, Hugh,” Henri said as he bustled past. “Did the princess say if she’d like a snack? She wasn’t hungry earlier.”
“Back?” Hugh frowned. “I never left.”
The smile on Henri’s cherubic face disappeared. “But…the princess said she had an errand to run. I offered to summon you, but she said she would find you herself.” His expression cleared. “She must have taken Joachim.”
“He’s been here all evening,” Hugh said, exchanging a glance with Ruark before hurrying away.
“I don’t understand.” Concern etched the chef’s face as he looked at Ruark.
“Gina is missing,” he said grimly.
Hugh returned, breathless. “Her car is gone.”
Ruark said two words. “Find her.”
Moments later, in Hugh and Joachim’s office, which was the base of their security operations, Ruark studied the monitors, which were fed by the surveillance cameras. With other security measures in place, he hadn’t insisted on anyone constantly watching the footage, but maybe it was time he did. She would have been stopped within moments, although it would have only reinforced her opinion that she was a prisoner.
“I can’t believe she left,” he muttered, but in his heart he wasn’t surprised.
“Pardon me for saying so, Your Highness,” Hugh said carefully as he typed commands on his keyboard, “but you were rather hard on her.”
“Thanks for stating the obvious,” he snapped. “The question is, where did she go?” He turned to the man who’d seen her last. “Henri?”
He shrugged. “She mentioned an errand. I did not presume to ask what it was.”
