Page 34 of Trapped with the Undercover Prince

Chapter Six

Zar watched Anna’sgaze cloud with futile despair and had to resist the urge to grab hold and never let her go.

Later, he’d allow himself to be selfish and hold her for hours. “I understand. Do what you can for him.” He held her gaze a few seconds more. “I’m going to ask the train employees to bring the injured to you.”

“Yes, thank you. I won’t be able to do much, but if help is coming soon...” Her sentence died. “Be careful,” she cautioned as he stepped away.

“I will. I wouldn’t want my doctor upset.”

“Sir.” Jean Paul approached, but Zar gestured to one side so they wouldn’t be in Anna’s way.

“Sir, this was no accident,” Jean Paul said in an undertone. “You need to move to a secure location.”

How was he supposed to do that? “By what means? Rescue teams will be here in—” He checked his watch. “Twenty-five minutes.”

Jean Paul’s jaw ground his teeth. “At least move away from the scene a reasonable distance.”

And make himself an easy target? Perhaps Charles wasn’t the only one affected by smoke inhalation. “No,” he said finally. “You and I will assist in locating the injured and getting them off the train. Marc will stay with Anna to watch over Charles and help her if she needs it.”

Jean Paul’s face grew red, and his hands curled into two tight fists. “You can’t—”

“I can and will help as many people as possible.” He put his hand on Jean Paul’s shoulder and squeezed. “I appreciate your concern, my friend, but this is more important. I must do it.”

Jean Paul reluctantly nodded.

Zar turned then and strode toward the emergency exit. A knot of people came through it, including several train employees. Several of them spotted him and hurried over.

“Your Highness, are you all right?” the first man asked Zar, panting heavily, his torn train uniform spattered with blood and burn marks.

“Cuts and scratches. Are there more survivors still on the train?” Zar asked him.

“Yes, but—”

“Organize the crew. We’re going to have to work fast to get as many passengers out as we can before they’re overcome with smoke or the fire consumes them. Bring everyone here.” Zar gestured toward Anna. “This lady is a doctor.”

The train employee glanced at Anna and released a relieved breath. “Yes, Your Highness.”

“Sir.” Jean Paul had his cell phone pressed against his ear. “A large contingent of medical and fire services are on their way.”

“Excellent.” He turned to the man from the train. “What’s your name?”

“Louis, Your Highness.”

“Louis, break up your people into teams of three to four and have them check the wreckage for injured. Does anyone have a passenger manifest?” Zar started off at a brisk walk toward the train.

“Right here, sir,” one of the other train employees said, holding it up as he jogged to follow.

“That will help with rescue efforts.” He exited the safety of the emergency tunnel with his band of merry helpers. The rail tunnel was still partially filled with smoke, but it wasn’t as bad as a few minutes ago.

The true magnitude of the disaster was now visible. Not a single car appeared to be on the track. A lot of them were on their sides, and one or two were resting upside down.

“How many passengers were on the train?” Zar asked of no one in particular.

“Three hundred and eight passengers. Thirty-seven staff,” said the man with the tablet.

“There can’t be more than three dozen in the emergency exit,” Zar said.

“That means we have a lot of work to do,” Louis said, his voice firm. He cleared his throat and began to issue orders to everyone except for Zar. Two teams of three moved off to start the search for survivors.

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