Читать книгу Under the Sheik's Protection - C.J. Miller - Страница 11
ОглавлениеThe moment Sarah awoke, she knew she was in a hospital. A heart rate monitor beeped rhythmically. Her left arm was restrained and covered in heavy bandages. It took her a few seconds to remember what had happened. She had been speaking with Barr in the alley outside the first trade summit meeting. Not Barr. Saafir, the emir of Qamsar. His big, brawny guard, Adham, had been lurking in the doorway. Then, she had been pinned behind a Dumpster as the sound of gunfire exploded around her.
Thanks to the emir of Qamsar, she was alive.
She opened her eyes and saw Owen’s concerned face. Owen leapt to his feet. “Jeez, Sarah, you scared about three decades off my life. What the hell happened in that alley?”
Sarah struggled to sit. She felt groggy and tired. She pressed the button on her bed to raise the back of the hospital bed. Her entire left arm was numb. “I remember to a point, than it goes hazy.”
A long pause. “There are reporters everywhere. What do I need to know about this?”
She wasn’t hiding anything. She wasn’t sure she fully understood his question. “I don’t know anything more than you. How is Saafir? I mean, the emir?”
Owen shot her a curious look. “The hospital won’t release details, but a spokesperson for the emir said he is in good health. Given the political environment in Qamsar, there’s nothing else they could say. The leader of their country being down and out opens the door for a coup and could cause a revolution. How are you feeling?” Owen added quickly.
“I’m a little worse for wear,” she said. When the pain medication wore off, she guessed she’d be in a great deal of pain. “What’s wrong with my arm?” She couldn’t see anything under the mass of bandages.
“You were grazed by a bullet that hit a large vein. You’ve got a lot of healing to do,” Owen said. His face was grim. “I don’t want you to worry about anything except getting better. There’s a bunch of crap in the news. You’ve been named as the emir’s lover, the emir’s mistress and the emir’s American bride.”
Sarah groaned. “Already digging around for some lurid ties between us. Will this hurt the trade agreement?”
“Obviously, day one has been derailed,” Owen said. “I’ve communicated with every member of the committee and their staff to alert them we might be dealing with a violent extremist. We’re organizing increased security measures and will implement them immediately. The emir could be the target, but how could they have known he’d step into the alley? This may have been an attack of opportunity. The target could be anyone on the committee. It’s too soon to know what the objective of the attack was.”
Though it wasn’t the most pressing concern, she worried about her future. “What about my job?” Sarah asked.
Owen touched her arm lightly. “Don’t worry about that. Worry about getting better.”
Anxiety made her feel sick. “Owen, no. Don’t blow me off. Don’t feed me a bunch of bull. If you’re planning to fire me, tell me now.”
He sighed. “Nothing has been decided. The contract is still yours. But Sarah, it’s not worth losing your life over this. I want you to consider stepping back.”
Sarah shook her head. Her marriage was over, her apartment was trashed, her personal life was being eviscerated by the press and her job was the one thing she had left. She needed the money and she needed the event for her resume. “I wasn’t the target. The emir was.”
“If you are not around the emir, you will be safe.”
She couldn’t back down or back away from this job. She needed it. She’d earned this opportunity and she might never get another like it. “I will be fine, Owen. Please don’t take this away from me.”
Owen sighed. “Until the police or FBI tell me differently, I am taking the threat as directed at us—all of us. If you get hurt again, I’ll hold myself responsible.”
“If I get hurt, I only hold the people shooting the guns responsible,” Sarah said.
Owen leaned forward in his chair. “May I ask you a personal question about you and the emir?”
Unease twisted through her. Sarah worked to keep her composure. Had she given away that something had transpired between her and Saafir? Owen was perceptive and the intimacy she and Saafir had shared had made a permanent impression on her. It could have been obvious to others. “Go ahead.”
“I thought I saw something between the two of you this morning. Have you spoken with the emir before today on more personal matters? Is there more to your relationship than you’ve led me to believe?” Owen asked.
His question was made more awkward by Owen being her former brother-in-law and her boss. She hadn’t wanted to speak of the night she and Saafir had spent together, especially not after learning of his connection to the trade agreement. In light of the shooting, was that information relevant? She didn’t want her life to be fodder for the gossip rags, but Owen was a friend. She could trust him. “I ran into the emir Saturday night in a bar. We talked.”
Owen was too much of a gentleman to push for details, but he could infer the rest. “You have a personal relationship with him.”
She supposed relationship was as good a word as any. “I didn’t know who he was,” Sarah said. “I was feeling bad about the divorce and he’s a tough guy to ignore.” In a crowded room, Saafir stood out head and shoulders above other men.
Owen was silent for a minute, his eyebrows drawn together in thought. When he spoke, the words came out slowly and carefully. “This is a good opportunity for us. You can talk to him. Find out what he’s thinking. Get a read on him to further negotiations. The faster we can get signatures on paper, the better.”
Sarah groaned. She was groggy from meds, but even in her half-addled state she knew this was a bad idea. “We’ve spent time together twice, including today when someone tried to assassinate him. I don’t think that puts our relationship into confidante status. I don’t have any pull over him.” She did not want to insert herself into a political negotiation.
“I’m not suggesting you pull him, I’m suggesting you do what you can for your country and be his friend. If anything relevant comes to your attention, you bring it to my attention.”
“I can’t do that,” she said. She was the event coordinator. Her responsibilities ended at lodging, food, drinks and entertainment. She guessed security arrangements would be passed to Owen now. Her interest in spying was nil. “I won’t. From what you’ve told me, the agreement is good for both sides. You don’t need me in the middle. I’ll make it worse.”
“The agreement is good, but it’s not without trouble spots. You can smooth those over. Come on, Sarah, I got you this job. You owe me. You just asked me not to release you from the contract. Do this for me in return.”
He wasn’t pulling punches. Her choices were to help Owen or lose the contract. If she lost the contract, she had nothing left in her life. Weeks of sitting around her apartment, draining her savings account and waiting for another job. She had turned away a few jobs knowing the trade agreement would occupy most of her time and it was too late to acquire more. Idle time was bad. She needed to stay busy.
If she agreed to help Owen, maybe she wouldn’t have to pass on anything because she may not learn anything. Saafir might not want to see her alone again. He might not say anything to her about the trade agreement. If they never spoke of the trade agreement, she’d have zero insider knowledge. “If I hear anything, I will let you know.” The words felt like they were stuck to her tongue.
She was spared further conversation by Molly and Krista, who arrived in her room carrying a balloon and flowers.
Owen sighed. “The news is already on the street?”
Molly glared at him. Owen and her friends had never gotten along. “Details aren’t in the news. I heard from Debbie about a problem with the trade summit,” Molly said, referring to the congresswoman she worked for. “Krista called one of your waitstaff and got the details.”
Gossip spread quickly in D.C., especially when it involved international politics and high-profile situations.
“I’ll give you a few minutes to talk,” Owen said.
After Owen left the room, Krista set the flowers on the table across from Sarah’s bed and sat in the chair he’d been occupying. “He is always so uptight.”
“That’s not true,” Sarah said, though she’d had similar thoughts in the past. “He’s under a lot of pressure.” His marriage, his work and Alec were strains on him.
“Oh, please. He’s always been hard on you,” Molly said.
Sarah and Owen had a shaky history. They hadn’t agreed on the right course of action for Alec’s care. “He’s protective of Alec and he knows you guys were on my side during the divorce.”
The word “divorce” still pained her. It should be easier to talk about it. Maybe one day it would be.
“Of course we’re on your side. We’re always on your side,” Krista said.
Her friends were the closest to family she had. She’d once felt that Alec, Owen and Evelyn were her family, but not recently, not based on how they now treated her.
“How are you feeling?” Molly asked.
“I’m okay,” Sarah said. Should she tell her friends Barr’s real name? They were usually understanding and nonjudgmental. “It turns out that I accidentally slept with the emir.”
Molly lifted her brows. “Accidentally? How do you accidentally get naked and sleep with someone?”
“The guy from this weekend is the emir.”
Molly and Krista had matching looks of shock.
“Does that mean you’ll be a princess?” Krista asked.
“What does that mean Adham is? His courtier or something?” Molly asked.
“I am not a princess and Adham is in charge of his security. Adham was outside when the shooting started,” Sarah said.
“Is he okay?” Molly asked.
“I haven’t heard anything about Adham, and Owen says the emir is doing okay.”
“What about you? How are you feeling about all this?” Krista asked.
Confused and overwhelmed. “Physically, I’m okay.”
Molly chewed her lower lip. “I’ll talk to one of the nurses and see if I can get more information. I’ll be right back.”
Krista touched Sarah’s arm. “Excuse her. She’s bounced between worry about you and talking about Adham. She’s crushing on him hard. But are you really okay? I was terrified when I heard there was a shooting.”
Sarah hadn’t had time to process what had happened. “I’m scared, shaken and confused. It happened so fast. One minute, I was talking to the emir and the next I was waking up in a hospital. I have some fragmented memories, but I think I was fading in and out of consciousness.”
Krista clasped her hand. “Maybe you should think about taking a vacation.”
“You sound like Owen. You know I need the money and my business needs the boost. Alec is counting on me to pay the bills for his rehab.”
“Why can’t Owen pay for it? He brags about how he’s some big-shot negotiator. Let him deal with his brother.”
Krista’s vehemence was in defense of her. “I promised Alec I would do this. It’s the last thing I will do for him.” And Owen had indicated he had some financial problems. His wife was running up credit card balances across town.
“I’ve heard that before,” Krista said.
Sarah let her head fall against her pillow. “It’s not easy to cut him out of my life.”
“Okay, forget about Alec for a minute. You have that outdoor wedding coming up. You’ll get some work from that,” Krista said. “You can pass out business cards.”
Sarah never promoted her business that way. She let the event speak for her. “The wedding is small potatoes compared to the work I’m getting with the trade summit.”
“Tell your new boyfriend about your money problems. He owns a country. Maybe he can help,” Krista said.
Sarah laughed. “You know I would never ask him to do that.”
Krista sighed dramatically. “But isn’t it nice for a second to pretend we’d all meet a handsome prince and get swept away?”
“Sure, but you just said it. A fantasy like that is just pretend.”
* * *
The police arrived a few hours later to ask Sarah some questions. They had pieced together most of the day’s events starting from around the time Sarah had arrived at the office building and began setting up for the meeting. She hadn’t noticed anyone strange lingering around the building. She hadn’t noticed any strange cars, either, but the office suites were in a busy section of town. Why would she have noticed a car?
She hadn’t been aware of the gunfire until she was covered by Saafir and his guard. She wasn’t part of a conspiracy to assassinate Saafir.
After repeating details as the police dug for an important clue she had left out, she started to feel like she was answering the questions on autopilot.
Sarah’s arm was heavy and throbbing. She wanted a break, to get some medication, get into the bathroom to shower or at least wash her face. If she pressed the button for the nurses, they might shoo the police from her room. Her finger stretched toward the call button.
Before she could press the button for help, Saafir entered the room. Flanked by three security guards—Sarah noticed that Adham was missing from the group—Saafir appeared regal and composed. He showed no signs of injury and nothing on his face gave away he was in pain. His PR team may have been right when they’d said he wasn’t injured. Though he had said nothing, the room fell silent. One of the police officers, a woman about ten years older than Sarah, was openly gaping at him.
Sarah echoed the sentiment. Saafir was something to look at. Naked, he was even more incredible.
“Do you mind giving us a couple of minutes alone?” Saafir asked, addressing the room at large. Since Sarah was confined to her bed and this was her room, she assumed he meant to speak to her in private. Excitement tickled her insides. He hadn’t forgotten about her. He was interested in talking to her. Though his interest might be rooted in this morning’s event, perhaps there was a personal aspect to it. Why did that make her feel special and wanted?
Her one-night stand was morphing into something more in her mind. She couldn’t help it. If he hadn’t shown up that morning or if she had never seen him again, she may have moved on. With him back in her life, how could she pretend she felt nothing for him? Her body was already betraying her, her skin aching for his touch, her breasts tightening beneath her thin hospital gown and heat pooling between her legs. His gaze plowed into her and she wondered if he could possibly know the direction her thoughts had taken.
The lead detective stepped forward. “Sir, this is a police investigation.”
“What’s your badge number?” Saafir asked.
The man straightened. “What?”
“Your badge number. I need to know who to report when I call the chief of police to discuss this matter,” Saafir said. He barely looked at the police officer. His attention seemed fixed on Sarah.
“But—”
“This is my investigation. I take a personal interest when someone tries to kill me and the people under my protection.” He looked Sarah up and down as if including her under that umbrella.
The glimmer of possessiveness in his eyes did crazy things to her stomach.
“Out. Now,” Saafir said.
The police officers did not argue further. They left the room with only their perturbed faces giving away how they felt. Saafir’s guards followed them out.
Sarah was immediately aware of several things. She wasn’t wearing a bra. She desperately needed a shower. Other concerns should be on her mind, like the person who had taken shots at her, but her physical appearance next to Saafir’s crisp and clean one made her feel like moldy green cheese in the deli display case.
Memories of the night they had spent together replayed through her mind. Every time she laid eyes on Saafir, she experienced a fresh wave of lust.
“How are you?” Saafir asked, taking a seat next to her bed. His voice was thick with concern, and many times softer than it had been moments before. He seemed to flinch slightly when he sat. “I’ve been worried about you. It took some coercing to find out where you were inside the hospital. American doctors and nurses are protective of their patients. I consider that good overall, but bad for my personal agenda.”
His personal agenda included her. Her skin prickled in awareness and her pulse beat erratically.
Aside from her friends, Sarah was accustomed to looking out for herself. It felt nice for someone to show interest in her. And the emir wasn’t just someone. He was a busy, important leader of his country with little free time and yet he was in her hospital room, talking to her as if she were most important in his life. “My arm is numb and I think whatever the doctors gave me is affecting my brain, too.” And Saafir was affecting her brain, making her feel overheated and tingly.
Saafir adjusted his chair, bringing them closer. Her temperature rose another few degrees. “Exhaustion and anesthesia will do that. I have to apologize for both of those conditions. Because of me, you didn’t get much sleep this weekend and because of me, you’re in this hospital.”
Blatantly speaking of the night they had spent together. Maybe getting it out would defuse some of the desire simmering inside her. They had already discussed they wouldn’t repeat the encounter, but alone in this room with him, even with her arm in pain, she was thinking about pulling him into bed with her. A hospital bed had interesting possibilities she hadn’t experienced before. “I don’t blame you for my injury.”
His dark eyes darted to her arm and back to her face. “Can I get you anything to make you more comfortable?”
If she wasn’t almost lying down, his question would have floored her. The leader of a country was offering to play nurse to her. Even if it was only for a few minutes, she was pleased.
If he wanted to pamper her, she’d let him. “It’s a little warm in here,” she said.
He immediately walked to the thermostat and adjusted it. With his back to her, she had a few minutes to take him in, from the broad expanse of his shoulders to the trimness of his hips and long length of his legs. She undeniably wanted this man.
“It will take a few minutes to cool down,” he said, turning to face her.
The room. Not her. When he was close, her body ran a dozen degrees too hot. She had to get her lust in check. Owen had agreed to keep her on the contract and not activate the termination clause. Her professional ethics had to stay in place or she risked losing this job. Her attraction to Saafir was an unexpected and unwanted complication, but she could handle it.
She shook off thoughts of having sex with Saafir again. She had drawn a clear line with him and she wouldn’t cross it just because her emotions were out of balance. He had saved her life. He was being kind. That didn’t change the circumstances. She turned the conversation to him, the client. Not lover, not sex god, not client with benefits, just client. “How are you?” she asked, expecting the party line that he was fine.
“I have some pain, but it’s manageable.”
His honesty surprised her. Owen had told her what was at risk if the public learned the emir wasn’t in peak condition. Telling her the truth implied a level of trust between them she wouldn’t have assumed was there.
“How’s Adham?” she asked, thinking of Molly’s quest to learn more about Saafir’s guard.
“Adham is in surgery. He suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen that might have killed a lesser man. But Adham is a Qamsarian Warrior and he will be fine.”
Sarah heard compassion in his voice and worry below the surface. Sarah had read that Qamsarian Warriors prided themselves on indifference to pain and not allowing injuries to slow them down. Even so, it was clear that Saafir was concerned about his guard. “The police are trying to find who did this. I’m not sure how much help I was. After the shots, my memory is fuzzy.”
Saafir filled in the blanks she was missing: the driver being held at gunpoint by Nibal, Saafir killing him and their race to the hospital to stop her and Adham’s bleeding. “My guards and investigators from my country are looking into the incident. Nibal may have spoken with someone in the past several weeks who might have orchestrated this. I believe those responsible are members of a political party in Qamsar known as the Conservatives, or at least some far-leaning members of the group. Their leader, Rabah Wasam, has made some statements this morning to the press that imply he was involved.” He paused and Sarah wondered if he knew more about the story but was holding it back. “I wanted to speak to you directly, because I brought danger to you and because you were, and perhaps still are, a target.”
“Why would I be a target?” she asked.
Saafir set his hand on hers. “The public has linked us romantically.”
She couldn’t refute it. She had slept with him. Saying “it meant nothing” or “it was over” felt like a lie. “How do you want to handle it?” He must have more experience dealing with the media and the public. She would take her cues from him.
“I insist on providing you protection and security until the men responsible are found and held accountable,” Saafir said.
That wasn’t necessary. Sarah wondered if Saafir had come to her room out of a sense of obligation. For a moment, she had thought he had feelings for her, but Sarah was quick to reconsider. She was terrible at judging a person’s intentions. Her relationship history was marred with disasters. “Owen mentioned he was increasing security for everyone involved in the trade summit. You don’t need to provide anything for me.”
Saafir stiffened. “Again, I insist. You’ve been pushed into the spotlight because of me. The men who want to hurt me won’t stop with just me. They will try to hurt the people I care about.”
A wave of disorientation pounded over her. Again with the implication that he cared about her, but Sarah was reluctant to believe him. “If we don’t see each other again, eventually, people will realize there is nothing between us.” She was giving him an out. If he was acting on his sense of responsibility, he didn’t need to look out for her.
A grave expression crossed Saafir’s face. “The media has already named you as my mistress. If someone thinks they can hurt me by hurting you, they will. I will not allow you to be harmed again.”
When she thought about being close to Saafir, a strange mix of anxiety and desire crept over her. “We can make this decision another time.” Being near him felt too intense, as if every decision could have life-altering consequences.
Saafir shook his head. “I’ve already made the decision. I am taking responsibility for the hurt and damage I have brought into your life. I’m looking after you and the people I am working with in America. I am concerned about you.”
Even if he hadn’t implied interest in her as a lover, how could she say no to that? “It’s best if you talk to Owen. He’ll be making the arrangements.”
“I will do that directly.”
Wasn’t Saafir concerned that the assassins would return to take another shot at him? “Are you planning to return to Qamsar? Perhaps work through an intermediary?” Sarah asked.
Saafir shook his head and relief tumbled through her. She wasn’t sure how to handle him being so close, but she didn’t want him to leave. What she had with him didn’t feel over.
His face was determined. “I will work through these negotiations until they reach their conclusion. I will not bow to terrorists or political pressure by running home in fear.”
