The Doctor and the Princess Read online

  She didn’t walk towards him. She bounced. It was almost a skip. He couldn’t wipe the smile off his face as her gaze connected with his and she made her way back over to join him.

  ‘Ready, soldier?’ she said as he held the door open.

  He was too busy watching her moves, too busy focusing on those long legs and curves, too busy watching her eyes to notice anything else.

  It all happened so quickly.

  Gabrielle took a few steps out of his reach. She was teasing him, taunting him, spinning around to face him, pulling down her jacket to reveal one shoulder.

  One second he could see her delicious smile, the next second his vision was entirely obscured.

  It happened in the blink of an eye.

  Six men—all dressed in black—surrounded her.

  It seemed as though time stopped. At least it did for Sullivan. He’d never really suffered from flashbacks of his time in the army, but now adrenaline pumped through him.

  He might be a medic, but he’d always made sure he could give the guys from Special Forces a run for their money.

  Tunnel vision. That’s what some people called it. But for Sullivan it was different. It was ultimate focus.

  He moved quickly. The first guy he just grabbed between the shoulder blades and flung backwards to the floor. The guys on either side took a couple of punches to the face. The guy at ten o’clock got a swift kick to the chest, the guy at two o’clock a karate-style chop.

  But the man directly behind Gabrielle had more time—if mere seconds—to react. He grabbed Gabrielle and spun around, shielding her body with his own.

  Noise had faded as he’d moved. He hadn’t thought. He’d just reacted. It took another second to realise Gabrielle was screaming. The kick from behind took the legs from him, but the punch to the head hardly registered.

  ‘Stop it! Stop it!’ Gabrielle screamed, extricating herself from under the dark-suited man’s grip.

  An arm clamped around Sullivan’s neck and he reached up to grab it, ducking forward and throwing the man over his shoulder without a thought. The second punch to the side of his head annoyed him.

  Who were these men and why were they attacking them?

  Or were they?

  He gave his head a shake. Only about five seconds had passed.

  He pressed his hand to the ground, getting ready to jump back to his feet, when Gabrielle moved into the middle of the sprawled bodies. ‘Stop!’ she shouted, standing with her legs spread apart and her arms held wide.

  All heads turned in her direction. She turned to the man behind her and pointed at Sullivan. ‘He,’ she spat out furiously, ‘is with me!’ She pointed her finger to her chest to emphasise her words.

  Her angry gaze connected with Sullivan. ‘And they...’ she looked around at the dark-suited men, and let out a huge sigh ‘...I guess are with me too.’

  ‘What?’ Sullivan shook his head. Maybe that last knock to the head had been harder than he’d thought. What on earth was she talking about?

  He stood up and looked around. A few of the guys were shooting him looks of disgust and dusting off their suits.

  He could sense one of them standing directly behind him. The guy was practically growling.

  Sullivan stepped forward. His first instinct was still to protect Gabrielle. ‘Are you okay? What on earth is going on?’

  He slid his hand to the side of her waist. She was trembling. Her whole body was trembling. But he could see the determined jut to her chin. She pressed her lips tight together as she tried to compose herself.

  She spun around, facing the guy who’d shielded her body with his. ‘Arun, what is going on? Why are you here?’

  The dark-skinned man gave a little bow. ‘Your Majesty. Your brother—the former Prince Andreas—has abdicated. He left the country a few hours ago. We have to take you back to get you sworn in as Head of State.’

  ‘Your...what?’

  Sullivan gave his head a second shake and glanced downwards for a second. Was he secretly out cold or hallucinating? The dark-skinned man had a strange accent, Middle Eastern mixed with a distinctly British edge.

  Gabrielle swayed. Two sets of hands reached out automatically to catch her. Arun’s and his own.

  ‘He’s what? Andreas has done what?’ Her voice rose in pitch and she started pacing in circles. ‘Where is he? Where has he gone? Why hasn’t he spoken to me? He can’t do this.’ She flung her hands in the air. ‘He can’t just walk away from Mirinez! Who does that? Who walks away from their country?’

  Five sets of eyes blinked and averted their gaze for a second. Sullivan felt something washing over him. Unease.

  Arun kept his gaze solidly on Gabrielle and his voice low and steady. ‘Princess Gabrielle, it’s time to return home. It’s time to come back to Mirinez. Your country needs you.’

  Panic flooded Gabrielle’s face. She pulled her phone from her bag and started pressing buttons furiously. ‘Andreas. I need to speak to Andreas. He emailed me a few weeks ago. I told him I’d get in touch when I got back.’

  Arun pulled an envelope from his pocket as he glanced at his watch. ‘He’s currently on a flight to New York. He left you this.’

  Her hand was shaking as she reached for the envelope. She pulled the letter out and took a few steps away, head bowed as she read.

  Sullivan looked around and put his hands on his hips. ‘It’s one of these things, isn’t it?’ He took a few paces, glancing towards every corner on the street. ‘You’re filming us somewhere and it’s all a set-up—it’s all a big joke.’

  Arun met his gaze and shook his head, giving a few rapid instructions to the other men, who changed positions.

  Gabrielle was still reading the letter. Her body was rigid, her face pale. She crumpled the letter between her hands.

  Several of their colleagues came out from the bar. ‘Gabrielle? Sullivan? Is everything okay?’

  The shout seemed to jolt Gabrielle into action. She pushed her hair back from her face. She gave a wave. ‘Hi, Connor, Matt, everything’s fine. Just a little misunderstanding.’

  Connor frowned and shot Sullivan a wary glance before giving a brief nod and disappearing back inside the bar.

  ‘A misunderstanding?’ Sullivan walked up to Gabrielle. ‘We walk out of a bar and get attacked by six goons and you think that’s a misunderstanding?’

  She glanced sideways. ‘Shh,’ she said quickly. She stared down at the crumpled paper in her hand.

  Sullivan took a deep breath. ‘Are you going to let me into the secret here? What’s with the princess stuff—and why are these guys attacking us?’

  Gabrielle gave a huge sigh, her shoulders slumping. She shook her head. ‘They’re not attacking us. At least, not me. They’re my protection detail.’

  ‘Since when do you have protection detail? Where were these guys when we were in Narumba?’ He shook his head. ‘And princess? Mirinez? Is this all some kind of joke?’

  Tears glistened in Gabrielle’s eyes. ‘Believe me, Sullivan. I wish it was.’ Her gaze was drawn back to the six men. ‘I have a protection detail now because I’ve just inherited the title of Head of State of Mirinez. It’s a small principality—you’ve probably never heard of it.’

  Sullivan narrowed his gaze and racked his brain. He’d lived in enough places to know most of the geography of the world. ‘I have heard of it. It’s in the Med. A few hours from here, in fact.’ He tried to pull what he could remember from the vestiges of his mind. ‘It’s a tax haven, isn’t it?’

  Gabrielle made a kind of exasperated sound. ‘Yes, yes, it is. My brother inherited the title. He was Head of State.’ She held up the crumpled paper. ‘But it seems he’s had a change of heart.’

  Sullivan felt as if he were waiting for someone to pinch him. Or punch him—but, no, two guys h
ad already done that.

  ‘You’re a princess?’

  She nodded.

  ‘We spent two weeks together in Narumba. We were just about to head off to a hotel suite and do...whatever. And you’re a princess. And you didn’t tell me.’ It was almost as if saying it out loud actually clarified it in his head.

  For a second she looked pained. But that passed fleetingly, quickly replaced by a stubborn look. ‘It wasn’t important. I’m a doctor. That’s what you needed to know in Narumba. And even though I was a princess it wasn’t important. I didn’t need to fulfil that role any more. When I work for Doctors Without Borders I’m just Gabrielle.’

  In a way he could understand that. He could. But it still annoyed him. Would he have looked at Gabrielle any differently if he’d known she was a princess? He didn’t think so. But it was just the fact she hadn’t told him that irked.

  He kept his voice steady. ‘You didn’t need to fulfil that role...but now you do.’ He met her gaze. ‘So what now?’

  There it was again. That little flash of something. It wasn’t horror. It wasn’t fear. It was just...something. That thing that you saw in a kid’s eyes when his parent made him do something he really didn’t want to do. It looked almost like regret about having to be there. Having to take part in that point of life.

  Gabrielle looked down. ‘I guess... I guess...’ She lifted her gaze. ‘I guess I have to go back. I have a duty.’

  Her voice shook and her eyes reflected all the things she wasn’t saying out loud. The upset. The shock.

  He reached up and touched her cheek, ‘If you don’t want to go back, you shouldn’t have to go. You’re a free woman, Gabrielle.’

  She blinked and he could see the tears hovering in the corners of her eyes. She pressed her hand up to her chest. ‘But I’m not. Not now. I haven’t been back to Mirinez for the last few years.’ She gave a sad smile. ‘Being a doctor gave me the life I wanted. I never wanted to rule. I never wanted to be Head of State. That was always Andreas’s job.’

  ‘But he’s bailed.’

  His blunt words brought a hint of a wry smile to her lips. ‘He’s bailed.’

  She sucked in a deep breath and looked over at her protection detail. It was almost as if something had just flashed into her brain.

  He had the oddest feeling—like a million little men with muddy feet were stamping all over the next few hours of his life.

  ‘What does this mean for you?’

  All the warmth and fun that had been in Gabrielle’s face earlier had vanished. She had that strange pallor about her—the kind that a patient had before they fainted.

  He put his hand on her shoulder. Visions of the night he’d planned had just slipped down the nearest drain. The fancy hotel suite and room service he’d looked forward to sharing with Gabrielle would remain a figment of his very vivid imagination.

  He could go back to the bar and get drunk with the others.

  He could sign up for another mission, avoid taking that flight home—yet again.

  Gabrielle squeezed her eyes closed for a second.

  The words were out before he thought about them. ‘Gabrielle, if you need to go home, if you’re worried, I’ll come with you.’

  She opened her eyes. They widened slightly. It was almost as if she couldn’t think straight.

  She shook her head. ‘Don’t. Don’t do that. Don’t come with me. I can’t ask you to do that. It’s not fair.’

  ‘What’s not fair?’

  She threw up her hands. ‘This. All of it.’ She glanced over her shoulder and lowered her voice. ‘I don’t want to go back. I can’t ask you to come with me.’

  He shrugged his shoulders. ‘You haven’t asked. I’ve offered.’

  She paused. He could see the hesitation in her face. But she shook her head again. ‘No, it just won’t work.’

  He hated the expression she currently had on her face. She was saying no, but his gut instincts could tell she didn’t mean it. And Sullivan had always prided himself on his instincts. It was the one part of him that thankfully hadn’t dulled in the last few years.

  He held up his hands. ‘Well, okay, then. I don’t even know where Mirinez is. But I’m sure I can find it on a map. I can still get there, you know—with or without you.’

  She gulped. That edge of panic was still in her eyes and they were shining with unshed tears. He could sense the emotion in her.

  He didn’t need to go to home. He’d put it off for three years. He could put it off a whole lot longer. It didn’t matter that he’d almost persuaded himself that this time he finally would go. It wasn’t like he really wanted to.

  Part of him ached. And he couldn’t quite work out if it was entirely for the woman in front of him, or for the recognition that once again he was avoiding the one thing that he shouldn’t.

  The thought kick-started him.

  ‘I’m coming with you, Gabrielle. You don’t need to say a single word. I know you’re shocked. I know this wasn’t in your plans.’ He raised his eyebrows and put his arm around her shoulders. ‘We’ll talk about the fact you didn’t tell me you were a princess later.’ He was half-joking. He wanted to try and take the edge off her nerves and worry.

  She sucked in a breath. He could tell her brain was churning, thinking of a whole lot of other reasons to say no.

  He leaned forward and whispered in her ear, ‘You need a friend right now. That’s me.’

  Gabrielle was a princess. This was the woman he’d flirted with like mad for the last two weeks, had worked alongside and he’d dreamed of exploring beneath the confines of those clothes.

  Were you actually supposed to do that with a princess?

  Part of him wondered if there was some ancient law against those kind of thoughts—let alone any actions.

  She tilted her chin up to his ear. Her voice was trembling. ‘Thank you.’

  Every emotion was written on her face. She was scared. She was worried. She was overwhelmed.

  This was a whole new Gabrielle. The one he’d worked with over the last two weeks had been confident, efficient and extremely competent at her job—even when under pressure and difficult circumstances. She had a cool head in a crisis.

  This Gabrielle looked as if she could burst into tears.

  Just how bad could Mirinez be?

  He glanced over at the security detail, some still glowering at him as they talked in low voices. These were the people in charge of protecting Gabrielle? He wasn’t entirely impressed. The only one that actually gave him any confidence was Arun.

  He gave a squeeze of her shoulders. What on earth had he just got himself into? ‘I guess it’s time to visit Mirinez.’

  CHAPTER FIVE

  FOUR HOURS LATER their plane left Charles De Gaulle airport. Their departure had been a whirlwind.

  One of the security detail had sidled up to him with a suspicious glare and muttered to him in French, ‘Special Forces?’

  ‘Surgeon, US Army. I’ve done two tours of Helmand Province and spent the last three years with Doctors Without Borders.’

  The man blinked at the quick response in his own language. He sauntered off again.

  Sullivan was pretty sure that his details were now being fed through every security system that they had. He didn’t care. There was nothing for them to find.

  The private plane was sumptuous. There were wide cream leather seats, a table in front of them with an attendant waiting on their every need.

  The protection detail was on the same plane, but Gabrielle spent most of her time on the phone to someone in Mirinez, answering emails or staring out of the window forlornly.

  As the plane descended for landing Sullivan leaned over and looked out. The vast picturesque landscape took him by surprise. Mountains, green fields, river and t
rees. As they skirted the edges of the coastline there was a huge array of harbours filled with bobbing boats and a number of cruise ships anchored in the ports. It seemed Mirinez was quite a tourist destination.

  The plane banked to the left and they passed over a city, which was overlooked by a cream castle halfway up the mountain.

  ‘This is Mirinez?’ he asked. From her reactions he’d thought they’d be landing somewhere stuck in the virtual dark ages. From a few thousand feet up Mirinez looked like a playground for the rich and famous.

  She nodded as she drummed her fingers nervously on the table. ‘Yes.’

  His voice seemed to focus her. She pointed out of the window. ‘This is our main harbour. Chabonnex is our capital city. It’s the most popular tourist destination.’

  He looked up towards the mountain. ‘And the royal family stays in the castle?’

  She gave a wry smile. ‘Yes. That’s one thing that’s never changed in the history of Mirinez.’

  Sullivan spoke carefully. ‘So, there’s just you and Andreas left?’

  Gabrielle nodded. ‘Our father died a few years ago after a massive stroke.’ She sighed. ‘He wouldn’t listen. He liked the good life. He was overweight, had high blood pressure and cholesterol and wouldn’t listen to a word I said to him.’ Her voice softened. ‘I think, in truth, he just missed my mother.’

  He felt a pang. ‘What happened to your mother?’

  It took a few seconds for her to answer. ‘She had heart surgery. We thought it would be routine. She’d had a valve replaced due to rheumatic heart disease as a child. There had always been a question about whether my mother should have children.’ Gabrielle gave a little smile. ‘But apparently she’d been very determined. The heart valve needed to be replaced and she went in for surgery...’

  Her voice tailed off and Sullivan didn’t need to ask any more. Cardiac surgery might not be his speciality but any surgery carried risks.

  He wanted to reach over and squeeze her hand but the truth was he wasn’t quite sure what his role here was. He still wasn’t certain why he’d insisted on coming. A tiny part of him recognised that being here was easier than going home. Was coming here really just an excuse to avoid that?