Ben did remember her saying that, although her particular behaviour with him last night, before they’d been interrupted by the sounds of gunfire, had made him wonder about it. Unless his imagination had been playing tricks on him, she hadn’t been acting quite like a woman with a special someone waiting for her back home. The memory of it was lingering strangely in his thoughts.

‘Please, Madison, leave the bloke alone.’ But before Ben could stop her, she was up on her feet and striding over towards the Pathfinders with a swagger in her step that made him think, Uh-oh.

Ben might not have been the only one thinking it. The prince looked up as she planted herself confidently in front of him with a bright smile, her hands on her hips and her black hair streaming in the wind. None of the Pathfinders had laid eyes on a woman for weeks on end, not that they were in any state to have any notions of flirting with this one. Madison bent down, stuck out her hand and said in a voice that carried all across the camp, ‘Hey, Prince, how ya doin? Sorry about your buddies back there. I’m Madison, by the way. Welcome to the gang. We’re all crazy here, you should know.’

The prince was slightly thrown for a moment, gaping at her speechlessly. Then gathering his wits and casting off his mournful expression for a moment, he took her hand and flashed her one of those famously charming smiles that had graced the front page of every tabloid and celebrity magazine in the world at one time or other, if somewhat more haggard. He replied, ‘Oh, don’t worry, I’m perfectly used to being surrounded by crazy people.’

Ben was spared having to hear any more of Madison’s conversation with the prince, because Holt came over, frowning at his watch and looking unhappy. ‘We should’ve been out of here ten minutes ago. You got any more waifs and strays you want to bring along for the ride before we get moving?’

‘Not unless more turn up,’ Ben replied, meeting his eye.

Holt jerked a thumb back towards the Pathfinders, then aimed a finger at Ben like a pistol. ‘You’re responsible for him. We clear on that? This wasn’t part of our deal, for my guys to play nanny to some pretty-boy princeling who shouldn’t have been placed in command of a catering corps, let alone a special recon unit. As for his troopers, they don’t look a whole lot of use to us, you ask me.’

‘Give them a break,’ Ben said. ‘They’ve lost a lot of their people.’

‘Yeah, well, get in line,’ Holt replied not too sympathetically. ‘Soldiers die. It’s an occupational hazard. Meanwhile, I have a job to finish. And I mean to finish it. We’re not done yet, not by a long shot.’