Free Broken Ties by Gloria Davidson Marlow Page B

man who stepped from the car was the farthest thing removed from him she could imagine. Tall and blond, with chiseled bronzed features and a lean athletic build, he looked far too noble and debonair to be a kidnapper of women. Was he the mastermind? The one who sent the other to do his bidding?
    He stopped a few feet away from her, bending at his waist with a grand flourish of his hand.
    “Your Highness,” he said in a deeply accented voice. “I am so glad to have found you at last.”
    Headlights blazed to life behind her, and his gaze darted over her shoulder. Before she could run, he was on top of her, knocking her to the ground as a bullet whizzed past her ear and buried itself in the concrete post beside her.
    The man cupped his hand over her mouth to keep her from screaming as the second bullet shattered the window of his car.
    A dizzying wave of shock rushed over her, and she fought to maintain control of her mind and body. She couldn’t faint. She had no idea if he was friend or foe, but she wasn’t willing to take any chances. She had to be alert so she could act on any opportunity to escape.
    Any hope of escape died when he pulled a gun and began firing in the direction of the unknown shooter. Gunfire rang in her ears, mixing with the cries of alarm coming from the businesses along the sidewalk.
    The shooting stopped, leaving the parking lot in utter silence except for the faint sound of a siren in the distance. Through a billowing wave of darkness, she saw a familiar SUV pull to the curb. Levi flung the door open before he had come to complete stop.
    “Get in!” he roared and the man pushed her inside, leaping in behind her as the vehicle surged forward.
    The shooter had time to fire only one more time before jumping out of the way of the vehicle intent on mowing him down. The bullet struck the passenger-side mirror, leaving a gaping hole that Sidra couldn’t pull her eyes away from. She had come a hair’s breadth away from having just such a hole in her.
    “Did I injure you, Princessa?” The blond man asked as he turned toward her.
    “No,” she whispered, his piercing green gaze the last thing she saw as oblivion claimed her and she slumped in her seat.
    ****
    “She’s fainted,” the man announced in a heavily accented voice.
    “Are you sure she’s not hurt?” Levi’s heart dropped. “She wasn’t shot?”
    “I’m certain. I had no choice but to knock her down. She would have been killed otherwise.”
    “Who the hell are you?” He had come into the parking lot just in time to see the man tackle Sidra. It had taken him only seconds to realize the lay of the land and ascertain that this man had saved her life. Although he couldn’t think of a reason someone who wanted her dead would save her, he wasn’t ready to trust the man, either.
    “Philippe Beauchene. I am Princess Sidra’s fiancé.” At Levi’s dubious glare, he continued. “We were promised to one another as infants, and I have been raised knowing she would be my bride.”
    “I don’t think she can say the same,” Levi said, darting a glance behind him. When he was certain no one was following, he pulled the SUV onto a narrow, wooded lane.
    “We shouldn’t stop,” Philippe protested. “The assailants could be just behind us.”
    “They aren’t,” Levi barked as he got out and opened the back door.
    He leaned inside, relieved to see that Sidra appeared to be rousing. He smoothed her hair from her face, watching her closely as her eyes fluttered open.
    “What the hell were you thinking, running away like that?” He wanted to sound angry, but his words came out rough with emotion. “You could have been killed.”
    “I don’t want you endangering your life,” she told him as he helped her sit up, a steadying hand on her arm. “I thought if I disappeared, they would leave you alone.”
    “Did you really think I would let you disappear?” How could she think he’d just let her go? Didn’t she realize what she