Читать книгу The Sheikh's Lost Princess - Linda Conrad - Страница 9

“I see.” The horrified expression on Nicole’s face was no surprise, and Shakir didn’t blame her in the least.

He’d deliberately neglected to tell her one thing. This Kadir son was already a tough, ruthless youth when they’d been involved in their college fling. He’d hid his true nature from her, from everyone, all along.

Perhaps it was best if she never learned the uncomfortable truth. Too much information could destroy lives as well as memories. And all he had to do to keep his secret was lead her out of Zabbarán to freedom tonight. Then they would never have to see each other again.

But, hell, he’d been trying to lead her out earlier, and they were within seconds of attaining that goal. She’d casually sneaked away from the chopper instead. Now he would have to find another way of taking her to safety. But somehow his brain wasn’t processing those facts in the right way. Why hadn’t she jumped at the chance to leave?

“All right, Nicole,” he began, using his sternest tone. “I told you how I knew you were a prisoner in Zabbarán. It’s your turn. I want to know why you didn’t board the chopper for safety when rescue was offered.”

“I didn’t want to leave the country yet, obviously.” She sniffed, looking down her nose at him. “And stop calling me Nicole. That’s not my name anymore.”

He was positive she had not married and ascended to the throne of her tiny country the way her parents had wanted. If she had, he would’ve heard the news long ago.

Her current snippy attitude put him at a loss. “Shall I address you as Your Majesty?”

She wrinkled up her nose and frowned.

“How about if I call you Princess? Would that suit you better?”

“I answer to the name Nikki now. Or sometimes to Ms. Olivier. The person you knew as Nicole has been gone a long time.”

That reply brought up more questions than it answered. She hadn’t said why and that made him curious. But Shakir decided against asking anything else. There was probably a long story behind both the name change and why she’d been seeking a job when she came here. He wasn’t sure he wanted to hear any of it.

Their very survival meant he needed to extend his full focus toward getting them out of the country. Becoming caught up in her troubles was the last thing he could handle in the meantime.

He stole a glance at the lengthening shadows beyond their cave’s entrance. Daylight hours were growing short.

“Let’s take this conversation outside while we test our leg muscles. Rest period is over.”

Going up on all fours, he crawled out into the dry, fresh air. He wasn’t sure what he would’ve done had she refused to follow. But fortunately, when he rose to his feet and turned around, she was right behind him. He took a sip of water and encouraged her to do the same.

Then he said, “Okay, I will ask once more and this time you’d better give me a straight answer. Why did you sneak away from the chopper? Why didn’t you want to leave Zabbarán?”

Tracing a finger across her dry lips, she silently stared at him as if lost in thought.

“If you don’t tell me, Nikki, I’ll simply drag you across the desert tonight to the Zabbarán port city of Sadutan. You know I can do it, too. The Kadir family has contacts there. If all else fails, I can either sail us out or fly us over the border in a stolen plane.”

She made no reply.

“And I will do that with or without your consent if you don’t start giving me answers.” He narrowed his eyes and silently dared her to go against him.

“You can sail and fly both? I didn’t know you were such a superhero.”

He didn’t crack a smile. “This isn’t a joke. You have two seconds to explain yourself.”

She looked away, while rubbing circles on her stiffened knee and elbow joints. “To start with, I didn’t come to this horrible country for a job. That was only the excuse I used to earn the airfare. I came for …”

Her hesitation irked him. “Don’t stop now. I need the truth.”

She flicked him a glance full of fear. But he had not a clue what she might be afraid to say.

“Um … Look,” she began hesitantly. “The truth is, a child was stolen from his mother in Paris. I came to Zabbarán to find him and take him home.”

“What?” Her words made no sense. Shakir shook his head and put a hand on her shoulder. “I said the truth. Start again.”

Ripping her shoulder from his light grip, she glared at him. “It’s the absolute truth. A little boy …” Her breath hitched and she had to stop and breathe deeply for a moment. “Just a baby—really. Anyway, he was kidnapped and brought to Zabbarán. The Parisian police refused to do anything about it so I volunteered to bring him back.”

“You?” The idea was almost laughable, but no one was smiling. Shakir put a hand to his aching temple.

“What would possess you to believe you have the knowledge or the strength to attempt such a daring feat?”

She fisted her hands onto her hips. “I made it this far, didn’t I?”

Throwing his own hands in the air in frustration, Shakir turned in a wide circle, counting to ten under his breath.

Finally, he said, “This is crazy talk. No one in their right mind would trust you to carry out a rescue mission for their child. Why didn’t the mother hire a professional to help if the police refused?”

“She didn’t have any money and …” When he started to interrupt, Nikki waved him off. “And no friends or family, either. She had only me. I couldn’t very well say no.”

Her whole story was way beyond nuts. Shakir paced around the water well a few times, trying to process what she’d told him.

“All right, where is this supposed child being held?”

“This quite real little boy was brought to Zabbarán by a middle-aged couple who said they wanted the son they could never have. I was told … that is … the mother was told the couple lives in the small town of Kuh Friez.”

“Kuh Friez? But that’s nearly fifty miles away. It’s high on the mountain slopes.”

“Oh, well, I didn’t know about the mountains. But fifty miles isn’t so much.”

Needing another moment, Shakir took a sip from his water skin and then proceeded to refill it at the well. When that chore was complete, he was somewhat calmer.

“Let’s discuss this.” He stretched out his hand to offer her a seat on the one flat-surfaced rock. She refused and folded her arms over her chest, glaring at him.

“All right then, I’ll discuss it. In the first place, fifty miles in the desert while climbing rock-strewn mountain slopes could take you about ten nights’ travel time. Even if you can find enough water during the trip, what do you propose to eat?”

She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes but didn’t open her mouth.

“In addition to that,” he went on, “how do you plan on convincing the couple to give up the boy if you do finally arrive at Kuh Friez? If they’re kidnappers, they could be dangerous. And thinking beyond that potential problem, how did you intend to get the child out of the country?”

Her shoulders slumped and she looked like he’d punched her in the gut. “I hadn’t planned ahead that far. I didn’t know Zabbarán and the Taj Zabbar were so … so …”

“Backward and dangerous?”

She nodded and covered her face with her hands. “I thought there would be police. Someone of authority who would help me.”

He couldn’t stand seeing her defeated. He hadn’t realized how much he had begun to respect her unfamiliar and yet much stronger attitude. The new version of Nikki fascinated him.

“How about if we make a deal?”

She looked over at him with cautious hope in her eyes.

“You give me all the information about the child,” he began in his most convincing tone. “And then let me take you across the border tonight. I promise that my brothers and I will come back for the boy after we’ve had a chance to make a decent rescue plan.”

Hanging her head, she sat on the rock. “No.” Her whispered answer was almost too quiet to hear. “I can’t. I’m sorry, but I won’t leave Zabbarán without him.”