Her Sheik Protector Read online

  “He was only one man. Now he’s a martyr. They have many that would gladly die like him if it meant doing harm to the Kadirs.”

  She tilted her head in thought the way he’d seen her do before. He tried to memorize the movement for the coming endless nights without her.

  “Then you and your brothers intend to continue with your secret actions in order to stop the Taj Zabbar?” she asked at last. “You still plan on proving to the international community that they’re the bad guys.”

  “Yes, certainly. Nothing has really changed.”

  “You know,” she began, sounding almost coy. “Hamad gave me information regarding his operation. I could potentially be a big help in your investigations.”

  And there it was. Exactly what he had been dreading. Her first move to talk about their future.

  He didn’t know what kind of story would be the best way to go, but he wanted to let her down gently. Should he pretend he didn’t care? Shrug her off and say, “It’s been fun, but…”

  Rylie would never buy that. She was far too smart, and he had been far too open about how much she meant to him.

  No, he had no choice but to stay with who he was. Stay with the honest truth.

  He steeled himself, drew in a deep breath and began, “Rylie, my life has become—complicated. Dangerous. Far too dangerous to be starting any new…uh…relationships. At every turn, I run the risk of being killed. By a sniper—a knife attack—or by an explosion.”

  Her face paled at the mention of explosions, but he was in too deep to stop now. “I can’t afford to take on any obligations at this point. It’s not…”

  “But we’re a team,” she said softly. “I’m not an obligation. I can help. I want to help. The Taj Zabbar are truly evil and they need to be stopped.”

  “Not by you.” The words came rushing out of his mouth too harshly, but he was becoming frustrated. Frustrated and devastated.

  “Look,” he began again after composing himself. “Your company needs you. Go back and take over. I’ll send Tarik here to the hospital to take your statement before you leave. Tell him what you know. And let us do the rest. Stay away from the Taj Zabbar.”

  “Darin, please.” Her voice wavered, cracking as she spoke his name.

  Turning his head rather than look at her didn’t help.

  She insisted, “You know what I’m asking. I realize we’ve only known each other for a week, but what about us? I thought we had…a thing. Where do we go from here?”

  “We don’t go anywhere.” He hung his head, still unable to look her in the eye. “At the risk of sounding clichéd, there is no we. You don’t have any idea what you’re asking. There can’t be anything between us as long as the Taj Zabbar continues their war against the Kadirs.”

  “But…”

  He couldn’t take any more. Knowing he was hurting her was killing him.

  “I’d better let you get some rest.” He moved toward the door without turning to face her.

  “You’re not coming back, are you?”

  He stopped, hesitated, but knew he couldn’t weaken now. “You’re going to be fine. Your girlfriend should arrive in a couple of hours. You two sure don’t need me hanging around.”

  “Darin, wait…” Her words were interrupted by the saddest-sounding sob he had ever heard.

  And without ever turning around, Darin did the hardest thing he had ever done in his entire life. He walked out the door.

  “Damn, but it’s bloody dark in this place.” Shakir walked to the window and threw open the drapes. “And your apartment is utterly disgusting. Where the hell have you been, brother? We haven’t even seen your shadow for weeks.”

  “I needed some time off.” Darin slammed down his beer bottle and put his feet up on the desk. “And I don’t remember asking for your opinion about my housekeeping, little brother.”

  Shakir walked to the sofa, brushed aside the empty liquor bottles and remnants of peanut shells, and sat down. “Bugger that. You never needed a vacation before.”

  Picking up a half-empty bottle, Shakir stared as liquid pooled on the carpeting. “Why the sudden need for booze? You seldom drink.”

  “I do now.” Darin looked over at his brother and shook his head. “You and Tarik have been talking about me, haven’t you?”

  “We might have.” Shakir put the bottle on the table and rested his elbows on his knees. He leaned forward, ready to have his say while looking sincere.

  Oh, no. Here came the “get your act together” speech. Darin turned his back and stared out the window at the sun shining against the crystal-blue Mediterranean. How he hated that sight. The color reminded him of the sexy eyes that had been haunting his dreams. That’s why he’d closed the damned drapes in the first place.

  “Well, get on with it.” Darin let the irritation show in his tone. “Tell me why I need to go back to work. Give me the lecture about supporting the Kadir cause.”

  Darin needed something, certainly. Maybe he needed his brother to kick a bit of sense into him. Darin was itching to hit something. Or pound on someone. But he was too annoyed with the world at the moment to make a move. That made him an asshole.

  And his brothers were bigger asses for caring.

  “No need,” Shakir said. “You’ve got all the answers.”

  Darin wished he had all the answers. Or an Aladdin’s lamp to give him what he wanted the most. He’d spent days drowning in his own self-pity, wishing that the Taj Zabbar would disappear off the face of the earth.

  “I suppose all this—” Shakir waved a hand over the mess in the apartment “—has something to do with Rylie Hunt. Want to talk about her?”

  “Not much.” He hadn’t heard a word from her since the day he’d turned his back and walked out.

  But what had he expected? He’d apparently done a terrific job of driving home his point. She’d be better off if she stayed thousands of miles away from him.

  And yes, it hurt to think he would never see her again. So what? Love always hurt. One way or the other. But better hurt than dead.

  “Tarik went to see her.” Shakir sat back and Darin could feel him looking for a reaction. “Says she’s real smart. She gave us several leads to follow. But we…need someone to analyze those leads.”

  “Was she all right?”

  Shakir slowly breathed in and out until he finally said, “She was being dismissed from the hospital. Heading back to Texas as I understand.”

  Suddenly Darin had a terrible thought. “What if the Taj Zabbar decide to seek retribution against her for Hamad’s death?” Why hadn’t he been smart enough to see this possibility before?

  Shakir raised his eyebrows, but spoke softly. “Something like that is always possible, but…”

  “No, seriously. The Kadirs can’t be in any more trouble with the Taj Zabbar than they already have been for centuries. But what about Rylie? They must know she participated in Hamad’s death.”

  Breathing deep, Shakir’shook his head. “This is war, Darin. Covert war, but war, nevertheless. You have heard the saying, ‘War is hell’? No one can be one hundred percent safe in times like these.”

  “But she has to be safe. She has to be.”

  Darin stood and began to pace. He kicked out at the newspapers and books littering his floor. Think.

  But his thinking was hampered by the amount of alcohol in his system. He turned to his brother for help.

  “Shakir, we have to protect her. She didn’t ask for this. It isn’t her war.”

  “It seems to me that our war is her war now.” Shakir calmly folded his hands and followed Darin’s movements with his eyes. “She stepped into it willingly. Didn’t she come to Geneva looking for answers? Well, she got them.”

  No! Darin couldn’t accept that. Wouldn’t.

  Feeling more useless than he ever had been in his life, Darin slumped down on a chair. “Help me. Please. Someone has to watch over her. Make sure she’s not in danger.”

  “Someone?”

&nbs
p; Chapter 15

  Rylie threw a quick look over her shoulder and dashed for the stairs leading to her second-floor condo. Who was that man? There’d been a dark figure lingering at the edge of the parking lot, smoking a cigarette—and watching her.

  Ohmygod.

  With her heart pounding out a beat like a high-stepping marching band, she took the stairs two at a time. Grateful for having her keys already in hand, by the time Rylie hit the second-floor hallway she was already punching her house key toward the lock.

  Shaking badly as she reached the door, she dropped her set of keys and had to scramble around to pick them up. Then she held her breath, unlocked the door and was inside in a blink.

  Letting loose of her gym bag, she turned back, relocked the door and set the chain. Then she leaned her head against the closed door, drew in a deep breath and listened for any out-of-place noise. Were those footsteps on the stairs? Movement just outside her door?

  Rylie squeezed her eyes shut and regulated her breathing. It was okay. She was okay.

  Most probably the danger had all been in her head. Still, she would be glad when tomorrow arrived and they installed the new alarm system she’d ordered.

  As her heart rate slowed, she thought back to her discussion with Tarik right before she’d left the hospital. He was the one who’d put thoughts in her head of the Taj Zabbar coming after her for retribution. It had come from an offhanded comment of his. A single phrase about watching her back.

  But after considering the idea for the last couple of weeks, she had to agree that it was a possibility. So possible that after getting settled back at home, she’d gone out and bought herself a new handgun. Then she’d signed up for target practice, ordered the alarm system and returned to her self-defense classes in earnest.

  She sighed and figured she was being silly to worry about some strange man in the parking lot. Throwing her gym bag on the couch and heading to the kitchen, she turned on all the lights. Deciding she needed something stronger than bottled water when she opened the fridge, she dug out a diet cola. Not that she really needed to diet.

  However, if she were totally being truthful, she had put on a few pounds since her return to the States. Still, no one would call her chubby. But she did figure that the carbonation in the cola would settle her still-trembling stomach and nerves.

  She held the cold unopened can to her forehead and stared blankly into the fridge. Being a little frightened now and then was good for a person. Would keep her on her toes.

  And working on bettering her own self-defense skills was something to do besides sitting around worrying about Darin and feeling sorry for herself. She certainly wasn’t in demand at Hunt Drilling these days.

  By the time she’d been released from the hospital and made it back to Midland, Darin’s people had already convinced the federal investigators that the shipping-facility explosion was an act of terrorism against both Hunt Drilling and Kadir Shipping. The word had spread that Hunt’s employees and executives had done nothing wrong and were victims themselves. Business was booming again from people who wanted to show their support. Not surprisingly, the loyal, longtime employees at Hunt had also stepped up in her absence, and the company had been running smoothly even before her return.

  No one needed her at work anymore.

  Even her mother was blooming again and didn’t seem to need her much, either. True to his word, Darin’s attorneys had set up a victims’ assistance fund and then had called upon her mother to administer the money in the name of her deceased husband. Rachel Hunt was in her element, working long hours visiting invalids, paying off hospital bills and approving no-interest loans.

  The last thing Rachel needed at this point was a mopey daughter hanging around.

  Her phone jangled suddenly, causing Rylie to drop the can, just missing her toes. Squeaking, she slammed the refrigerator door and picked up the receiver while searching for calm.

  “Rylie, this is Tarik Kadir. Is everything all right?”

  “Tarik? Has something happened to Darin?” Her pulse stood at a standstill. Her mind blanked.

  “He’s fine. Maybe a little pathetic, but he’s slowly coming around.”

  She swallowed hard, trying to keep the melancholy sound out of her voice. “What can I do for you? Why are you calling?”

  “I wanted to tell you that we intercepted a Taj Zabbar directive today. They’ve put out a contract on your life, Rylie. They want you dead for taking part in the killing of Hamad. I’ve been afraid of this.”

  Gasping, she nearly dropped the phone. She gripped the receiver as if it were her only lifeline and listened as Tarik spoke in even tones.

  “You should be okay,” he added. He sounded so sure of himself that her heart rate evened out. “I’ve had a couple of our men watching out for you for the last week to ten days. Just in case. They tell me you’re taking some smart steps toward your own safety. That’s good. And, uh…”

  He hesitated for only a second and then finished the thought. “Uh…I also thought you should know Darin is on his way to the States to help you with further safety precautions.”

  “I…see.” She leaned against the counter for support instead of crumbling to her knees.

  “You haven’t given up on him, have you?” Tarik’s voice was full of worry. “My brother, well, Darin’s personality and background have given him a handicap when it comes to relationships. You should talk to him about it sometime.”

  She almost smiled. “You would have no way of knowing this, Tarik, but I intend to talk to him, and I don’t give up easily.”

  “Actually, I do know about you not giving up,” he admitted. “I’ve been checking you out. I think you might be a great addition to my investigations team. If you’re interested. And if your business can stand to lose you for a while.”

  Chuckling at the very idea of being on a Kadir team, she asked, “Does Darin know about this?”

  “Not yet. I thought I’d let you find the best way to tell him after you’ve thought it through and made a decision.”

  Rylie thanked Darin’s brother for the job offer and agreed to give the idea serious consideration. It might be just the thing she’d been looking for. Especially now that she had a price on her head.

  Relieved to find out that the scary guy watching her from the parking lot had been one of Tarik’s men, she turned her thoughts to the other man she’d been trying to forget for weeks. Darin was on his way.

  Wondering whether he would be coming in tonight or waiting until tomorrow morning, she decided that either way a shower was in order. She’d better wash her hair and maybe even shave her legs.

  Rylie dragged her T-shirt up and over her head, leaving the sports bra for last. Moving through the condo, she grabbed her gym bag and started down the hall, turning on lights as she went.

  Halfway there she thought about how heavy the gym bag had grown recently. She’d taken to carrying her twenty-pound weights in order to do some light lifting, keeping in shape at home. And it had been working.

  Smiling, she wondered if Darin would appreciate how strong she’d made herself. She would have to ask him when he arrived. Of course, if she had any say in the matter, they would be doing a lot more than talking. Sex seemed to be the way they communicated the best.

  The idea made her warm all over. She couldn’t wait.

  Ready to hit the shower, she skipped the rest of the way down the hall and pushed open her bedroom door. A Taj Zabbar assassin stood on the other side, his gigantic dagger gleaming at her in the hall’s light.

  Darin tried to stay under the speed limit, but the car his man had provided at the Midland airport seemed to jump right out from under him at every turn. Or maybe that was due to his lead foot and jumpy nerves making him press ever harder on the accelerator.

  He couldn’t tell if he was more worried about Rylie’s immediate safety or about having to face her again. There might be some serious backpedaling going on the next time he saw her. He should never have left her
on her own. Now he owed her a major apology.

  When he’d first landed at the Midland two hours ago and cleared customs, he’d considered checking into the hotel and then going to Rylie’s in the morning when they were both fresh. But something urged him to see her tonight. To finish with the apologies and start on plans for her safety.

  She wasn’t going to like having to hide out, moving around from one safe house to the next, maybe even changing her name. That wasn’t Rylie’s style. But he was here to make sure it happened. Even if she hated him for it.

  Stopping for a traffic light, Darin thought about calling her. His men had reported that they’d tailed her from the gym to her apartment a little while ago. He knew she was home. But maybe she was expecting company tonight.

  That errant thought did not make him very happy. He had never given a moment’s consideration to the chance that she might find someone else. And he didn’t like the image in his mind of her with anyone new.

  But he wasn’t here as her date. He was here for her safety.

  He’d better call ahead. Punching in the number he had memorized but never used, Darin listened to it ring. Perhaps he would invite her out to dinner. She wouldn’t feel uncomfortable about talking to him alone in a restaurant. He didn’t want to push her.

  Yes, the more he thought about that idea the more he liked it. They could find a nice, quiet restaurant where he would explain all the ramifications of her new status as a Taj Zabbar target for death. She couldn’t become too mad in a public place, could she?

  Her answering machine picked up. He left a short message and hung up. But then he suddenly knew something wasn’t right. He called one of the men he had watching her place.

  “Yes sir, Mr. Kadir,” the guard assured him. “She went inside her condo about twenty minutes ago and she hasn’t come out. Miss Hunt turned on a lot of lights and they’re all still on. Maybe she’s in the shower and that’s why she isn’t picking up her phone.”

  Darin swallowed back his terror long enough to tell the man to meet him in her parking lot. Then he checked his GPS. Five more minutes to her door. He decided to make it in two.