The few times he and his father communicated, they tried to use as few syllables as possible. Callum could never remember his father ever touching him except to pat him on the back when he passed his room inspection every evening. Callum knew how to make bed with hospital corners before he could read.
When he was young, he had wanted nothing more than to please his father, scared that if he didn't, he might leave for a tour and never come back. But as a teenager, that intensity had turned to rebellion. Callum had worked hard to push his relationship with his father to the brink, daring the man to cut him loose. An inevitable outcome for a kid growing up in such a strict environment.
At eighteen, Callum could not apply to West Point fast enough. He rapidly excelled through the ranks, eventually becoming and officer and passing the gulling test to be accepted into the Special Operations branch. It was not long until senior decision makers noticed his unique leadership skills. He moved from mission to mission to mission. All he needed was his team and an objective. Simple and routine. Until Elizabeth.
When Edward pulled him aside and briefed him on the Honduras mission, it sounded more like a vacation than a job. Keep an eye on the daughter of some important family who had links to European royalty. A favor for a friend of a friend. According to Edward, her father just wanted to make sure his daughter stayed safe, as her let her have the freedom she craved.
Callum staged a little meet and greet, a controlled operation, to mask his true identity. He rigged her truck to break down on the desolate road and made sure he was the only one to come to her aid. Elizabeth fell for it hook, line, and sinker, which was about the same rate he fell for her.
From the moment she walked over with her hair messed up from the steam of the engine babbling about her, he was a goner. Callum kept his distance for as long as he could, but his job did not make that easy. After a few days, they became friends. And a few weeks later lovers.
"How you holding up?" Sam's voice interrupted Callum's revere.
"Fine. The meetings are putting me to sleep, but I'll survive."
Callum loosed his tie and pulled it off in one fluid motion.
Sam looked at him like he had two heads. "Not the meetings, dumb shit. Elizabeth."
Callum had confided in Sam just after Honduras. Sam and Edward were the only people who knew how hard this mission was for Callum.
Callum shrugged his shoulders. "No big deal."
"Sure. I bet. That's why you look like someone just stole your lunch money and its chili-mac day." Sam leaned back in his chair took a swig from the water bottle that sat on the table.
"Whatever." Callum dismissed Sam's comment. He had had enough rehashing of emotion for one day. "Where is the rest of the team?"
Sam had called Callum during the afternoon session to let him know that JT, Trevor, and Buck arrived with the rest of their gear.
"Picking-up the last minute supplies from the airport." Sam answered.
"How is the signal off of Elizabeth's phone?" Callum asked.
"Strong. We are getting good reads from her bedroom as well. But, nothing interesting yet."
"What about background checks on the delegations and palace staff?" Callum started flipping through the preliminary reports laid out on the table in front of him.
"Our personal analysts . . .” Sam winked obviously liking the idea of having a staff at his beck and call. "Our analysts at the Embassy are working on it. That is the initial background info on her personal staff. A few interested tidbits. Her personnel secretary, Maya, is in serious financial debt. Elizabeth had a maid whose brother has some questionable ties to a Russian mob family."
"So, no smoking gun?" Callum had hoped the background checks would make this easier for all of them.
"No such luck, my friend. You're not getting off that easy. But, we should have more this evening. I'll call you if anything looks interesting." Sam tapped on one the computer screens a few times as he spoke.
They discussed mission details until Callum looked at his watch and got up, the wooden chair scraping against the stone floor. "Okay, I need to head back and get ready for this evening event."
"Where you going?" Sam asked as he grabbed his headphones and put them around his neck.
"Dinner with the delegation then the ballet." Callum pulled his suit coat off the back of the chair and slung it across his arm.
Sam made a face like he had just tasted something unpleasant. "The ballet? Man, I would rather be in a foxhole eating bugs for dinner."
"I couldn't agree more. Let me know when you get something." Callum clapped Sam on the shoulder and headed toward the front door.
"Will do." Sam put his headphones back on his head and was lost again.
Callum headed to his hotel room to change, and prepare to see Elizabeth again.
Chapter 6
Elizabeth could not believe that she almost kissed him. All of that bravado she mustered up. Dressing in front of him. Showing him he was no more special than a fly on a wall. She even slapped him. And, then he got near her and she melted like jelly.
She wanted to kick herself. What was it about that man that made her lose all rational thought? She was a grown woman. Strong. Powerful. She was one step away from ruling a country for goodness sake. But put Callum Evans in the room with her and she was putty in his large, scarred hands. She shifted in her seat, but Elizabeth knew the chair had nothing to do with her discomfort.
Elizabeth scanned the audience again, but did not see Callum. She wondered if he had taken her suggestion and left the country. He had left before when things got serious, why should now be any different. Good thing she did not care. Thoughts of Callum churned in her mind as if she was caught in a riptide from her mind until a deep voice pulled her back to the present.
"Are you okay?" Watson leaned over and whispered in her ear. He sat in the seat next to hers in the royal box at the national theatre. Elizabeth had no idea what was happening on stage. Once the house lights went down, her mind replayed her last encounter with Callum word for word and touch for touch. She knew she had pushed him this afternoon, but he had pushed right back. Her skin turned warm at the thought of how exactly he pushed back. She poked the lion and now how to deal with consequences.
"Yes. I'm fine," she lied.
"Really?" Watson lifted the mangled program from her lap. She must have been twisting it with her hands as she thought about Callum. She felt guilty thinking about another man while sitting next to her so-to-be husband.
"I'm just tired."
He stretched his arm over the back of her chair and cupped his hand around her shoulder.
"Do you want to leave at intermission? I can make our excuses."
"No, I will be okay." She refused to let Callum get in the way of her duties.
Just as she spoke the crowd erupted with applause and the house lights came up. He moved his hand and they both clapped their approval, although Elizabeth had no idea what transpired on stage.
"Do you want to head to the balcony with us? We were going to stretch our legs." Stefan said as he walked passed them toward to the door at the back of the theatre box. He was followed by Philip and two other senior American delegates. During intermission, the royal family and their guests stood outside the box on a balcony above the crowds below. It was a way to see and be seen without compromising security.
Elizabeth put her crumpled program in the corner of the seat and moved to follow the group.
"We will be out in a minute." Watson told Stefan.
Stefan smiled and headed out the door. In a moment, she and Watson were alone. Elizabeth pivoted in her seat so she faced him.
"Don't you want to stretch your legs?" She asked.
"Yes, but. . . Elizabeth, is something wrong? Ever since last night you have seemed distant. I'm sorry if you felt I was pushing you for an answer, but I asked you to marry me over a month ago."
Watson spoke in a low whisper. Elizabeth was sure no one overhead them, but she still was conscience of
prying eyes. Two in particular. She had not seen Callum yet, but every nerve ending in her body told her he was close.
She looked around the theatre. Outside of the usual glances toward the royal box, no one seemed to care what was happening between them. Still, talking to Watson about his proposal was the last thing Elizabeth wanted to do.
"Watson, this is not the time."
"I know, but I can't stop going over last night in my mind and wondering if I did something wrong or pushed too hard too soon."
Elizabeth hated seeing the vulnerability in his eyes. She was not being fair to him. She wanted to reassure him without making any promises she could not keep. "You didn't. I loved last night. I just need some more time. I'm trying not to make any mistakes."
He reached out and brushed a lose tendril of hair back behind her ear. "I want nothing more than to be with you. You and me. A family. A true Corranian family. Everything I said last night was from the heart. This has nothing to do with politics or cameras. Just promise me your thinking about it." He gave her a wink. "I am a patient man, but I also know what I want."
"I promise I'm thinking about it."
She did not want to hurt him, but she was not ready to say yes especially after her afternoon encounter with Callum. Watson deserved someone who would be fully committed to the relationship, and after her almost kiss with Callum, she knew she had a long way to go before she would be ready to say yes.
He stood up and took her hand. "That's all I ask. It would pain me if your quiet mood was because of last night. I miss your smiles."
She grabbed her small clutch as stood up. "Oh, believe me. You have nothing to do with my mood. In fact, quite the contrary." She gave him a smile and squeezed his hand before she turned and headed toward the door at the back of the box.
Watson put a hand on her lower back and walked up the two low stairs next to her. "I need to call General Avery and finalize my plans to visit the northern territories tomorrow. I'll meet you back at the box at the end of intermission."
"That sounds fine. I need to find Maya and see if I can reschedule a meeting at the hospital wing tomorrow. It looks like one of our shipments is delayed."
Elizabeth opened the door to find Victor and Maya waiting on the other side for her. She glanced around to make sure Callum was nowhere close. She was not going to let him sneak up and surprise her again.
Callum watched Elizabeth as she exited the royal box. His eyes honed in on Watson's hand that rested on the curve of her back. He clenched his jaw for control. Sam had pulled some kind of electronic magic so Elizabeth's cell phone acted as a microphone for a very short distance. Callum heard every word of endearment Watson spoke to Elizabeth.
A few years ago, he took shrapnel to his left leg while on a mission in Uganda. The medic dug the pieces out in the middle of the jungle during a monsoon while Callum gnawed on a stick. Callum thought that was a bad day. This was worse. Seeing them together was very different that glancing at a photograph on the cover of a magazine. Callum knew that Watson was just the type of man Elizabeth needed by her side. But that did not mean he had to like it.
Elizabeth smiled and spoke to the few people that approached her. He doubted that they saw the fine lines of stress around her mouth and the smile that never reached her eyes. But Callum did. He ached to comfort her. To whisk her away if only for an hour or two. It was insane that Edward asked them to go through this, but the alternative was worse.
Callum readjusted the glasses he wore. They had a video camera embedded in the screw. He leaned against the wall where he had a good vantage point and could see almost everyone on the balcony, although he concentrated his gaze on the crowd nearest to Elizabeth.
"Are you getting this?" He asked Cal who was on the other end of the dot microphone that rested on his collar bone just underneath his shirt. It picked up the vibrations of his voice and transmitted them to the team. A microscopic receiver sat behind his ear that allowed him to hear what was being said on the other end. To the layman, it looked like a small freckle.
"Yep." Cal replied. "The analysts are running the facial recognition software real-time, but no one is coming up as a potential match."
"Okay. Let me know if you need me to change positions." Callum said.
"Who are you talking to?"
Philip Matthews walked over to Callum with his program tucked underneath his arm and a cocktail in his hand. Callum let out a sigh of frustration.
"I didn't know you wore glasses." Philip commented.
"I need them to see at a distance, and I didn't want to miss any of the ballet." Callum wished the man would disappear, but had to maintain his cover.
"Oh. I did not realize you were the fan of the ballet, Major." Philip took a slow sip of his drink. Callum winced when he saw the two cherries floating in the glass. He almost felt sorry for the bureaucrat. Almost.
"I would not say I'm a fan, but after seeing Misty Copeland in Firebird, I discovered an appreciation for the art form." Philip's look of shock was priceless. A highlight of the evening for Callum.
"Where the hell did that come from? Wikipedia?" Cal said in his ear.
Callum ignored the laughter he heard from his team on the other end of the radio and concentrated on keeping Elizabeth in his sights and not blowing his cover with Philip.
"Yes, I could not agree more. She is an exquisite dancer."
"Exquisite." Callum said.
"Shift a little to the left, Mac. We want to get a second reading on the blonde at Elizabeth's two o'clock." Cal requested.
Callum pushed himself off the wall and walked toward the center of the balcony. Philip followed.
"Was there something you wanted, Philip, or did you come over just to talk ballet?"
Callum really wanted the man to go bother someone else.
"I was just wondering if you had heard anything about King William."
"No. Why?" Callum kept his face turned toward the blonde, while he listened to what Philip said. Did something happen to Elizabeth's father?
Philip took a step closer to Callum as if he was sharing a secret and dropped his voice into a whisper. "Well, someone on the Corranian delegation has a friend that works at the airport. The King and Queen were scheduled to come home tomorrow from Switzerland, but instead they flew in this afternoon."
"So? Weren't they bringing the General's body home?" Callum asked. "I thought I saw it on the news this evening."
"Now move to your nine o'clock and focus on the waiter carrying the tray of champagne." Cal ordered. Callum adjusted his stance to get the angle he needed for the team. Philip gave him a funny look then readjusted his stance to mirror Callum's.
"That's the story, but the delegate said the party deplaned in a closed hanger, which is unusual. Then he said his friend saw two stretchers come off the plane. One was covered with a white sheet. That was likely the General. But the other carried the King. It was all very hush hush."
Callum spun around and focused his full attention on Philip.
"Say that again?"
"Rumor is the King might be sick. If not, and the King and Queen were back in country, why wouldn't he be here? This is an important this weekend for all of us." Philip reached his fingers in his glass and pulled out a cherry to eat.
"We're on it." Cal said in Callum's ear.
Callum ran his mind though the briefing prep and his discussions with Edward. Hankski was the only one of the group in Switzerland that showed any signs of illness. Callum was worried although he tried his best not to show it.
"Did anyone else mention that the King was back or ill? The Prince and Princess don't look concerned." Other than tired, Elizabeth seemed to be fine. She spoke to two women as Victor loomed a few steps away.
Before Philip had a chance to answer, Sam's voice bellowed in Callum's ear.
"Callum, scan the room now. Elizabeth's phone is in use right now. It just made contact with the AP number we are tracking. The text reads 'proof imminent.'"
"Say
again." Callum said as his eyes darted around the room.
Sam repeated the text message they intercepted. "Proof imminent. They are going to use Argent at the ballet tonight. The signal from her phone geolocates close to your current position. The call is coming from the theatre."
Callum went on alert. His mind blocked everything and everyone out except his target. His sharp gaze inspected every person on the balcony. There were at least two dozen people either talking, texting, or looking at their cell phones. His gaze locked on Elizabeth. The two women had left and were walking back to the bar. Elizabeth and Maya were moving in the direction of the royal box. Maya had a cell phone in her hand.
"Elizabeth." He called from across the balcony.
She turned to his voice. Eyes wide in surprise. Callum saw the shocked looks on the faces of people as he made a bee-line for her.
When he finally reached her, he asked, "Where's your cell phone?"
Victor moved to stand between him and the Princess. He held up his hand and Callum noted that he held a cell phone. The screen was lit which meant it had been recently in use.
"Major Evans, you are out of line. Step back right now." Victor's voice was firm.
Elizabeth moved next to Victor. Her eyes burned with anger. "I know you are unfamiliar with proper protocol, Major, but please do not refer to me in the familiar. I am sure your Embassy has instructed you on the protocol."
Philip appeared out of nowhere. "Absolutely he has, Your Highness. I apologize for his behavior."
Callum ignored the men and kept his eyes locked on Elizabeth.
"Where's your phone, Your Highness?" Callum spoke in a low voice trying to keep the growing crowd around them from overhearing what was being said. He would have to work at being subtler. Later. Right now he had to know who accessed Elizabeth's phone. That person was the key to AP.
The flash of a camera came from somewhere to his left. Elizabeth looked uncomfortable with the attention.
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