I let out a loud yawn as I was driving down the dark road to go home after a ten-hour shift at work. On the radio the DJ was going on about the deal Liberty was going to sign with Dres Van and that a lot of the people in the country were not happy about. I didn't know what the heck it was about because I had other things to worry about. Like sending money to my mom so my little sister could have proper nutrition. God knew if it was left up to my dad both my mom and Sarah would starve.

I turned the corner and a figure ran out in front of my car about thirty feet from me and stood there. "Oh shit!" I yelled and slammed on my breaks. I came to a stop two feet from him after my car fishtailed a little from fighting my sudden wish to go from sixty to zero in less than a second.

The person in the road fell onto the hood of my car. Not because I hit him but because something was wrong with him.

I hit the button on my seatbelt faster than I've done anything in my life and flung the door open. I got halfway out of my car one foot on the pavement and the other still in my car just in case I needed to get away fast. "What the hell are you doing?"

He looked up at me. His face was shadowed and he was taking deep breaths like one does when they get done running. "You have to help me."

At the same time I heard people yelling from the woods where the man had just came from. I couldn't hear what they were saying but I just had this gut feeling I did not want to find out. "Oh you have got to be kidding me," I whispered almost in fear that they would hear me. I took a deep breath and nodded. "Get in."

The man stumbled around the side of the car and opened up the passenger side. I got back in and buckled back up. He looked like he wasn't in any condition to buckle up and I wasn't in a hurry to remind him, because whoever was after him their flashlights were getting closer to the road.

"Hang on," I said as I floored it. I was worried my car would be able to handle it but thankfully it decided getting the hell out of there was a great idea as well.

Before I rounded the bend something hit the trunk of my car. "Holy shit are they shooting at us?" I yelled.

"Yes," the guy in the seat groaned out. I looked over at him. He looked pretty banged up. And I still didn't get a good look at him since it was dark. I wondered if I just picked up someone I should have left back there with the guys with guns. But I wasn't about to stop. Not when I had a bullet hole in my trunk.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Now I am," he groaned in pain.

"What happened?" I asked. My curiosity got the better of me when I knew I should have been minding my own business.

"I…I don't really know," the guy said.

I looked over at him he had his hand on his forehead like he was in pain. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I…I can't remember anything," he said.

"Um…nothing?" I asked as I glanced over at him from watching the road. We were about five minutes from my house. I kept looking in the review mirror as well to make sure no one was coming after us.

"No…I woke up in a dark room. Someone came in and kicked me and said his boss wanted to see me and they tried to take me out of there. I thought that if I didn't get out of there right then I'd be dead," he said. "So I ran for it."

"Probably a good thing you did," I nodded. "Anyone who calls their boss just boss isn't a good sign."

I didn't add that I thought it was the mob. They were known to be around these parts. I glanced over at the guy again and wondered who he was that he pissed off the mafia.

"Do you remember your name?" I asked. "Or anything?"

He let out a low growl in frustration as he tried to unlock his memories. "No."

"They must have hit you pretty hard to knock your memories loose," I said.

"It feels like my skull was split open," he mumbled. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize to me," I said. "Although if those guys come after me then you might."

I was worried they had seen my license plate. It was dark but then again I do have a license plate light right above it. That would be a bridge I crossed when I got to it.

We pulled into the town I called home and I slowed down. I worked an hour away because the rent was cheaper in River Meadows but the pay was better in the capital. It was a small price to pay to be able to send more home.

"Where do you want me to take you?" I asked as I looked over at him. Now that we had streetlights I could see him better. He opened his eyes and he looked at me and my eyes went wide. I slammed on the breaks. No one was behind me thankfully since it was two in the morning. So the fear of someone rear ending me because of shock wasn't a worry.

"What is it?" he asked as he sat up and looked around. When he didn't sense any trouble he looked back at me. "What?"

I just stared at him. I closed my eyes and rubbed them a few times and then opened them to make sure I wasn't seeing anything. "You…you don't remember anything?"

"No," he was frowning at me.

Now that I could see him better I saw the bruises on his cheek and the cut above his lip and his eyebrow that was still bleeding. If he was missing he hadn't been missing for very long. People, powerful people were looking for him and I didn't mean the mafia. The guy in front of me with the emerald eyes who had girls screaming across the world was now looking at me.

"What is it?" he asked. "Why are you looking at me like that? Do you know who I am?"

I nodded my head. "You could say that."

"Who am I?" he grabbed my arm and sounded desperate.

"You're the Prince of Liberty. Prince Keith Alford," I swallowed the lump in my throat. Never in my life would I have ever thought I would meet the prince. Let alone be sitting in my car with him. Especially not while he looked like he had a run in with some very bad people. Hell those people even shot at me because of him. My first instinct was to dump him on the side of the road while I ran like hell after calling the cops or somebody. But I wouldn't trust the cops in this town further than I could throw them.

"Prince…me?" he frowned like he couldn't quite believe it himself.

"I know crazy right?" I forced myself to look away. What the hell did I get myself into? My conscious got the best of me as I started to drive again.

"What now?" he asked. "Where are we going?"

"My place," I said against my better judgment. I didn't need to get into whatever mess the prince had become involved with. But as a citizen of Liberty I felt I had to do something. If we lost the prince we didn't really have a next in line for the throne. Unless the rumors from gossip magazines about a princess were true.

"Shouldn't we be going to the palace if I'm a prince," he asked.

"Don't you think whoever you were running from would think of that and be watching it?" I looked over at him. "We'll go to my place clean you up and get some sleep and then figure out what to do after that."

Why was I involving myself in this mess? I had Sarah and mom to think about.

"What's your name?" he asked me.

"Rachel," I looked over at him.

"Just Rachel?" he asked.

Now that I could see him better he did have this arrogant air to him. The way he tilted his head as he looked at me as if he was judging me. I had nothing against the prince but I made it a general rule to stay clear of the rich and the powerful. And he was on the top of that list.

"Just Rachel for now," I said. I pulled into my apartment complex and I reached up and pressed the button on my garage door opener. Thankfully I had one to hide my car in. As soon as I pulled in I grabbed my purse and got out.

Prince Keith hesitated a second and then got out. I looked at him in the light of my garage. It was dim and probably on the verge of going out but I still got a good look at him. He was beat up pretty bad. I wondered how they got a hold of him. Didn't he have an entourage everywhere he went? Doesn't he go around with bodyguards and a butler? But here he was leaning against my old car looking like hell and looking at me like I had the answers to every question.

I guess I had more answers than he did at the moment. He had no memory. I sighed and looked down, "Against my better judgment I'm going to help you for the time being."

"If I'm your prince shouldn't you be a bit more reverent?" he asked as he stood up straighter.

"You are prince of the country I just happened to be born in. Politics and the rest of that crap that runs our country I could care less about. I have enough problems of my own," I said. "Are you coming or not because those guys won't stop until they get you."

"I'll go with you," he limped towards me. I winced as he got closer and I could see the damage up close.

"Let's go clean you up then," I said. "If I get arrested for what happened to you though I'm going to be pissed."

"I'll make sure you get out," he said. "If it wasn't for you I'd be dead."

I put a hand over his mouth as I heard people coming. He shot me a look. "Shh," I whispered. I pulled my hand away as I looked for the people the voices belonged to.

"What?" he whispered back.

"It's best if people don't see you," I said. "They'll know who you are. Especially under these lights."

One good thing about my apartment complex they had good lighting in parking areas.

The girls who lived three apartments from me were walking to their garage and would have to pass by me. I cringed because they would want to talk. My mind was working fast trying to figure out what to do. There was nowhere to duck and hide. So I turned towards the prince. "Excuse my impertinence," I said.

"Wha…?" he attempted to say but I kissed him to shut him up and to also hide him from them.

"Is that Rachel?" I heard my neighbor Korrin ask her roommate Portia.

"It is," Portia laughed. "Way to go Rachel!"

Portia gave a sort of a cat call and laughed. Korrin joined her. I wanted to turn around and tell them to shut it but then that would have been bad.

Prince Keith caught on to what I was doing and let me kiss him. I felt him relax under me. I wasn't kissing him too hard because of his cut lip. And well I wouldn't really call it a kiss it was more putting my mouth against his. Nothing about what we were doing screamed sexy at all and I wasn't going for that. When Portia and Korrin were gone I pulled away. I looked back to where their garage was then turned back to Keith. He was leaning against the building his cheeks a little flushed.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"So they wouldn't see you," I said.

"So you kissed me?" he glared.

"It seemed the best idea at the time," I shrugged. "Come on we need to hurry."

Keith followed me after a few seconds and we were quiet the rest of the way to my apartment. He followed me in after I switched on the lights. I turned around and locked the door and went over and pulled the curtains closed. He was looking around. Everything was probably foreign to him. It would probably have been foreign to him even if he had his memories.

"I'll get the first aid kit," I said. "Take off your shirt."

"Shouldn't I be the one giving the orders?" he asked with a raise of his eyebrow and his eyes narrowed.

I had seen him look like that on the news. He was very intimidating in person I had always thought and now I could definitely see it. "I tell you what when you're back in the castle you can order me around all you want. But until then you're stuck with me giving orders. Unless you want to go back out and face the guys who did this to you?"

That shut him up. He let out a frustrated sigh and started unbuttoning his shirt. I smirked I had always heard he was a bit of a snob. I guess not all things were lost with his memories.