The Princess and Her Mercenary: A Driven Hearts Novella Read online

  Jacob left without another word and Ndari had the sense he was not going to fetch her captor. Well, what was she to do now? She looked around again. This whole predicament was becoming less and less amusing. Finally, she decided her only course of action was to rifle through Keane’s things. He obviously didn’t mind since he left her alone with his stuff.

  She gingerly sat on the camp chair and pulled the big backpack toward her. She flipped the top open and immediately regretted the action when the first thing she saw was a handful of grenades inside a plastic ziplock bag.

  “Oh… fuck,” she pulled the bag out and set it on the floor with the care of someone who was positive she was holding a live bomb. “There has to be a better way to pack hand grenades.” Now that was a sentence Ndari never expected to utter.

  Next came two handguns, followed by several boxes of bullets. She found a clip of bullets that she suspected belonged to an automatic gun. Below the guns was an assortment of daggers and knives that would make a retail store specializing in knives proud. By the time Ndari reached his clothing, she was feeling faint and a little sick to her stomach. She’d seen him working, knew he was a security specialist, but she hadn’t imagined the scope of his artillery. And, of course, she realized this wouldn’t even touch the surface of his weaponry. He would’ve left the bulk at home.

  Determined to reach the bottom of the pack, since she’d come this far, Ndari pulled out several T-shirts, two pairs of fatigue pants, socks and underwear. She held up a pair of white briefs. Who would’ve thought? The badass mercenary was a tightie whitie guy.

  There was only one thing left, in the very bottom of the pack. A photo. She pulled it out and flipped it over. Her heart stuttered as she realized it was a picture of her. Damn, she looked good. She was sitting next to the pool at Jaya's and Ivan’s penthouse, the skirt of her sundress hiked up to her thighs, her legs dangling in the water. She looked concentrated, but happy. It was a rare candid moment, when she had no idea she was being watched.

  Ndari couldn’t remember the exact moment, but she was pleased that it had made enough of an impact on Keane that he had kept a photo of her. She sighed and placed it back in the bottom of his bag. The giant badass kidnapper definitely had a romantic side.

  “Still,” she sighed regretfully. “It’ll never work.”

  She stood and dusted the imaginary sand off her skirt. The heat was stifling and relief skated through her when she removed the bulletproof vest and cloak and threw them on the bed. She looked at the cloak regretfully; it had taken a beating in their mad dash from the palace.

  A long wicked curved blade caught her attention. She picked it up and ran a finger over the sharp edge as she thoughtfully examined the side of the tent.

  Chapter Five

  Keane kept his distance from the beautiful princess for the rest of the day. He needed her to settle into the idea of her new reality, and from what he’d learned of her during her time as Jaya’s companion, the little beauty would need time. She wouldn’t reconcile her situation until she realized there was no way out and he wasn’t going to give her an ear to try her arguments on. She would just have to yell at the inside of his tent until she came around to his way of thinking.

  He grinned as he imagined her pacing and cursing him, demanding this and that from the hapless Jacob who had a soft spot for her, which is why Keane had put him on babysitting duty. Jacob would be less likely than any of the others to get frustrated and shoot her to shut her up.

  Ah, how her gorgeous eyes would sparkle in fury, and that lilting accented voice would ring out as she berated him. Keane got hard just thinking about his handful of a Princess waiting for him in his tent. He had to adjust himself so he could continue strategizing with his men. They were discussing the best way out of the country; when they should go, how they should go.

  “Boss!”

  Keane looked up, a frown on his face when he saw Jacob running toward him. Damn it. This had to be about Ndari.

  “Sir, the Princess is gone,” Jacob said the moment he was within ear shot.

  “What do you mean gone?” Keane asked sharply. His thoughts immediately strayed to enemies as he took a mental inventory of everyone that might target him. Keane made his fair share in the business of muscle for hire.

  “Cut a hole in the back of the tent.”

  “When was the last time you checked on her?” Keane demanded, relief surging through him. She hadn’t been taken. He strode toward his tent, Jacob at his side.

  “ ‘bout forty minutes ago.”

  Keane flung back the flap of his tent and walked inside, looking around. Everything looked normal. He half expected her to trash the place in a fit of pique, but it looked like she only rifled through his pack. It was laying on the floor instead of leaning against the cot and the flap was open. He hoped she thought to take a weapon with her for protection.

  He kneeled next to his pack and took out the unnecessary items, then reached for the blanket on the cot and crammed it inside. Over his shoulder, he said to Jacob, “Go grab some food and another canteen.” He glanced at the one laying on the floor next to his cot and sighed his annoyance; she hadn’t even taken water with her.

  While Jacob was scrounging up some food, Keane headed toward one of the bikes. Though the team had flown in low, under the radar to avoid ground border detection, they’d managed to get hold of a couple of motorbikes to make local movement easier until they were in a good position to leave the country. He kicked the stand back and pressed the starter. The bike roared to life. He wasn’t going to be sneaking up on the Princess, but at least he’d find her quickly.

  When Jacob returned with a bag full of food and drink, Keane told him, “Watch the camp. Let Cole know I took off. We’ll be back in the morning.”

  “Morning, sir?” Jacob questioned in surprise.

  Keane gave him the look he reserved for people who forgot he was a stone-cold killer underneath his front of jovial Irishman. Jacob seemed to get it and stepped back from the bike with a nod.

  “Yes sir, I’ll let him know.”

  Keane left the man standing in his dust cloud. He rode toward his tent and then followed the set of small meandering footprints headed straight out into the desert. It wasn’t going to take him long to find his little captive, and when he did, he’d be showing her why she was better off sticking close by him.

  “Ugh, ugh, ugh!” Ndari sat on the nearest rock and pulled her running shoe off. She emptied the sand that had slowly been filling it. This was the third time in the past hour she’d had to stop and empty her shoes. At this rate she was going to be spending more time de-sanding her wardrobe than walking.

  “I hate sand,” she mumbled to herself.

  Finally, she stood and ran her hands down her dress, rearranged the scarf over her head for sun protection and headed back out into the desert. She wondered how long it was going to take Keane to find her. She was under no illusion that he wouldn’t. He went to all that trouble at the palace to procure her, he wasn’t about to let her go now. But she’d had to run away so he understood where she stood on her kidnapping. Tents were unacceptable inconveniences.

  She saw a set of footprints and started following them. “Oh, someone else is out and about. Maybe I’ll run into them.”

  This thought cheered her up. So far the desert was pretty boring. It wasn’t overly hot as the day was somewhat chilly, but the brisk pace she set was keeping her nice and warm. The sun was a little intense, but she was mostly comfortable. Still, there was no company, nothing to amuse her except endless desert.

  Thank goodness for that Fitbit she got for her birthday from her auntie. At first, she’d been annoyed by the gift. Sure, she had some curves, but what girl didn’t? Then her aunt had told her that she expected Ndari to get her butt moving, to keep her health in order before she became old and bedridden, like her aunt. Though Ndari rarely listened to anyone’s advice except her own, she did take her aunt’s advice.

  The Fitbit actuall
y turned out to be a fun piece of technology. It logged her steps, her exercise, water intake, everything, even her sleep! She enjoyed a challenge and tried to keep smashing goals. Ndari was proud that she was able to do three laps and 8000 steps around the palace in 60 minutes. Pretty soon she’d be running the distance and able to do it in even less time.

  Of course, she didn’t have her Fitbit on her, but if she had, it would be logging all kinds of steps. How many now? Maybe 20,000. Yeah, that seemed right.

  She walked for maybe five more minutes before she realized she was following her own footprints. Did that mean she was heading back toward the camp? She looked up at the sun and tried to decipher where it was in relation to when she left. Wait, did suns even work like that? Weren’t desert people supposed to know how to figure these things out? Maybe she’d wait until some stars showed up and navigate that way. Not that she knew which star was which, or even remotely how to use them for navigation. But she was a child of the desert, she would figure it out.

  Another several long minutes of walking and she needed another shoe de-sanding break. She couldn’t find a rock so had to try to empty her shoes while standing. She was in the process of flicking one of her shoes when she heard something. She cocked her head to the side picking up on a sound that seemed out of place in the mostly noiseless desert. She shoved her shoe back on and tried to decipher the noise. It sounded like a low purring. She listened for another minute before realizing it was coming steadily toward her.

  “Oh no!”

  She had no idea who or what was headed toward her and she didn’t want to get caught out in the open. She looked around but there was nowhere to hide. She was a dark speck in a big, endless, light-coloured desert. Damn it. This is why she preferred islands. They usually had cabanas, margaritas, pool boys and excellent escape routes. Like that time she was forced to swim out to Sheik Masala’s yacht because her father sent palace guards to pick her up while she was on an unsanctioned vacation.

  Once she determined where the noise was coming from, she turned on the spot and began running away from it, trying to move at an angle. Hopefully, if she made it far enough, whatever it was wouldn’t see her. As she ran, she wondered if cheetahs made constant purring sounds. She felt pretty certain big cats were native to the region.

  The purring turned to a roar and Ndari realized that she was in big trouble. It was getting louder and coming straight toward her. As though stalking her. She ran as if her life depended on it, as if she was about to be eaten by a very hungry, very big cheetah. She clutched at a stitch in her side but continued her full-tilt sprint. She glanced over her shoulder as she ran but her scarf flew up into her face and she lost her footing on the ridge of a small sand dune.

  Ndari hit the ground with an oomph and rolled over the ledge. She plummeted down the other side with a scream. She tried to brace herself in the sand, but couldn’t stop her momentum, rolling all the way to the bottom where she landed in a heap.

  “Motherfucking ouch!” she yelped, pushing herself up onto her knees and spitting sand out of her mouth.

  She shoved the scarf out of her eyes and stared up at the ridge as a motorbike came flying over the top of it, soaring in the air for a few seconds before hitting the sand and sliding down the dune. Ndari jumped to her feet and took a couple of quick steps back as the bike came to a halt in front of her, the engine shutting off.

  Relief poured through her as she saw the giant red-headed man, his muscles and tattoos looking extra amazing on the back of a motorbike. She threw herself at him wrapping her arms around his neck and pouring out the entire terrifying ordeal against his neck. After a second’s hesitation, Keane’s arms slipped around her waist and he hauled her against his solid chest.

  “I was walking and walking, and my feet hurt because the sand got inside, and I stopped to get the sand out and then a cheetah came after me and chased me until I fell over that ridge and rolled all the way to the bottom. It could’ve eaten me! I could’ve been killed! Thank goodness you came along and scared it away. You might’ve found me dead somewhere in the desert!” She shoved away from him and slapped his chest with enough strength to make him grunt. “Where were you?! I expected you to find me hours ago!”

  He chuckled and pulled her back against his chest. He pushed her scarf off her head and ran his hand over her face and head, checking for injuries. Once he seemed satisfied that she was alright he climbed off the back of the bike with Ndari tucked against his side. He turned and pushed her against the bike until she was perched on the edge of it.

  “There’s nothing out here, Keane. Like nothing, nothing. It’s completely desolate,” she babbled pointing around. “Except for the cheetah.”

  “That’s usually how deserts work,” he said gruffly, dropping to his knees in front of her and running his hands over her body. Checking for injuries, she supposed. “You live here, but you act like you’ve never seen one before. And there was no cheetah up there. The only thing chasing you was me.”

  She shrugged and giggled as he took her shoe off and ran his hands over her foot, tickling her. She yanked her foot away. “I grew up in the palace, not the desert. The only time I’ve seen it is from a distance, either in a truck on the way to the airport, or in a helicopter on my way to the airport. I’ve never had any reason to explore the desert before, nor would I have been allowed.”

  “Huh,” he grunted, checking her other foot before replacing the shoe.

  He stood up, his full height towering over hers. She studied his face, as stoic as always, unreadable. But his actions spoke for him. He came for her. Even though she was a pain in the ass. Not just his, but everyone’s. She knew he would come after her, but it was still really wonderful to see him in the flesh after her ordeal.

  “Are you sure about the cheetah?” she demanded, peering up at the ridge, half expecting to see hungry whiskers sniffing around up there.

  “Yup, positive,” he assured her. “Besides, I would never let you get eaten.” He thought about it for a second. “Unless I was the one doing the eating.”

  She laughed and then stood, pressing her body against his. She touched her hands to his cheeks and pulled him down for a kiss. It was chaste, but still sent a flurry of butterflies through her belly. Just the barest touching of their lips and the ever-present spark that had been there from the moment they set eyes on each other, flared, ready to catch fire.

  “Thank you for coming for me,” she said shyly, then turned back to the bike. She looked at him over her shoulder expectantly. “So, will I sit in front of you or behind? Do you have a preference? I think I prefer the front so that I can see where we’re going, but the back might be better. Less sand.”

  Chapter Six

  The Princess was still talking, but the buzz in his head was too distracting for him to hear all the words. She had created that buzz. The way she pressed herself against him and kissed him fucked with his equilibrium. It was the first time she’d initiated a kiss. He’d stolen a few, but the feeling in his chest caused by her innocent kiss, took his breath away.

  He was in love with her. The revelation felt like a shovel to the head, a pickaxe to the heart, a steel-toed boot to the balls. He knew he lusted after her, figured she was as close to ‘The One’ as he was ever likely to get, but this… love… it was almost more than he could process. He never imagined finding love.

  He put his hands on her shoulders and gave a gentle squeeze. “We’re not going anywhere, Princess. We’re staying here for the night.”

  “Wh-what?” she stammered and looked around as though searching for the luxury abode she must’ve somehow missed. “We can’t stay out here.”

  He chuckled and helped her off the back of the bike. “Here’s as good a place as any.”

  “No, we absolutely can’t stay here.” She shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. “There are scorpions, and snakes, and cheetahs. We’ll die.”

  “We won’t die and I doubt there’re any of those things here.”<
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  “Ah ha!” She pointed at his chest. “You don’t know for sure though, do you? We absolutely can’t risk it. I have no intention of dying in some obscure desert, by poisonous bug, left to dry up until one day someone finds my mummified body. I intend to either die beautifully, or in a plane crash where my body is burned up.”

  Keane let out a bark of laughter as he tried to visualize what dying beautifully would look like. “I’m not going to let you die out here, Princess. Or anywhere for that matter.”

  “You might not have a choice if I’m attacked before you can get to me,” she muttered, sinking down onto the blanket he spread out next to the bike.

  He opened his pack and began pulling out the food and drink Jacob had packed, then he dropped onto the blanket beside Ndari. “Thought we could use some privacy. Just you and me and the stars tonight.”

  She stared at him in horror. “I could not have heard you correctly. You just made it sound like we’ll be spending the whole night out here.”

  “Yup,” he agreed pleasantly, leaning back on his elbow. “Better get comfy.”

  She continued to stare at him. He grabbed her arm and dragged her down onto her back until she was laying prone next to him. She huffed and wiggled, arranging her scarf until she was comfortable.

  They stared up at the sky together. It was blue and cloudless, but the temperature was comfortable. Not too hot, not too cold, with a slight breeze. Ndari supposed if she was going to spend time in the desert this was a good day to do it.

  “Will it get cold tonight?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “Only a few degrees cooler than it is now. There’s another blanket we can pull over top. We’ll be fine.”

  She thought about it for a minute. “And there’s enough food?”

  “Enough to feed three men my size for a couple of days. We also have water, and I think my man might’ve packed a bottle of wine too. I’d assume that’s for you since I don’t drink it.”