Her Desert Protector, page 6
His cell rang. He looked at the screen. Malik. “Don’t know much yet,” he told the king. “Explosions outside city limits. Will call you when I know more.” He disconnected the call before his brother could get a word in.
They arrived at the affected area within ten minutes. People were milling around. Khalid and his men jumped out and began their search for anyone hurt and for evidence to help them capture those who’d done this.
Zoey stood frozen for a minute after Khalid left, then she grabbed her camera before going back out on the balcony and taking several pictures. Even from this distance she could still see the dust and dirt in the air.
She hoped no one was injured or killed. “Lady Zoey,” Habib said as he walked out the balcony doors from the room next to hers. “You should be inside.”
“I’m fine.” She waved her hand. “Why are you here?”
“My job is to protect you. Khalid ordered it.”
Zoey sighed. “What happened?”
“If you please.” He gestured for her to move inside. Zoey walked into her room, then turned to Habib when he followed her. “An explosion. I don’t know more than that.”
“Who would know?” A knock sounded on her door, and she opened it to see a concerned Bobbie standing there.
“Oh, good, Zoey.” Then she saw Habib behind her. “I see Khalid wasted no time with your protection.”
“Do you know what happened?”
“Come downstairs with me, and maybe we can find out. I know Malik is already on the phone with Khalid and others.”
“I have my orders,” Habib said.
Zoey started to say something, but Habib motioned her to go, and she followed Bobbie down the stairs and hallway and into a big room. Catherine and Sara were there, with three other men. Zoey made an educated guess these were Khalid’s brothers, and the women’s husbands or fiancés.
“You’ve had one heck of a welcome to our country.” A man with bright blue eyes crossed the room to them. “I’m Hassan.” He held out his hand.
“Zoey.”
“Yes, Khalid’s guest. I must say, he has good taste.”
Zoey’s cheeks grew warm.
“I see my soon-to-be husband is flirting. Behave yourself,” Sara said, coming up to them.
“I am behaving.” Hassan dropped a kiss on top of Sara’s head.
“I’m Rafi,” the man to her left said. She looked him over and noticed the resemblance to Khalid. “I’m usually the one who charms the women.”
“Control yourself,” Bobbie said, swatting his arm.
Zoey felt the love. “Any news?”
Hassan turned and gestured to the dark-haired man pacing while talking on a cell phone. Catherine stood next to the desk. “Malik is getting an update now.”
Just then the man swore and hung up. Catherine reached out and touched his cheek. His eyes closed, then opened to gaze at her. “Excuse my language.” He crossed the room to the group, bowing his head slightly. “Malik, the one in charge. I hope Khalid has been taking good care of you.”
“He’s been very kind, even if I don’t think I need protection.”
Malik laughed. “Sounds like him. Come sit down, and I’ll brief everyone.” Over the next ten minutes she learned that four small explosions had all gone off at the same time. No one was hurt, just a lot of dust and dirt, and they were still searching to see if there were any more devices.
“We’re not usually a war-torn country,” Rafi said.
Zoey shook her head. “I realize that this is unusual. I did do some research on Bashir before I came.”
“Bobbie mentioned you were in Iraq?” Rafi said.
“Yes. I was doing a set of articles on some of the smaller villages.”
“How bad is it there?” Malik asked.
“Bad, but the people are strong. I did a five-part story about Iraq and what I saw. It should be coming out shortly.”
“Wait, I thought you just did travel pieces,” Hassan said.
“Usually, but while I was Iraq I was approached by a worldwide magazine asking if I was interested in writing about the people of Iraq and how the war affected them. Since I was there, I figured why not. And the money helped finance my trip to Bashir.”
“Why Bashir?” Sara asked.
“I’d heard about the wedding celebration; I even watched a little bit of it on TV.” She didn’t mention she thought it was a fairytale come true. “Then I heard about the 300th anniversary and decided it would be fun to cover it.” Let alone she wanted to explore this country and understand the people.
“Tell us about your other travels,” Malik said.
“Are you sure?” Zoey wasn’t used to talking about herself.
“I’m interested. Please, it will keep our minds off of our brother.”
Zoey hadn’t thought about that. “Is Khalid in danger?” Her stomach clenched. He was always going on about her protection, but what about his? He was part of the royal family, after all. How could they let him put himself in danger?
“Malik.” Catherine slapped her hand on his chest. “Khalid will be fine, Zoey. But I’m like my husband. I’d love to hear more about your travels. I love your blog.”
“Let’s go into the family room and get comfortable,” Hassan said.
Zoey followed them down the hall into another big room. This one made her smile. Overstuffed chairs and sofas in browns and beiges.
Zoey sat down as the others did. They looked at her, and she began talking. Maybe it would keep her from worrying about Khalid, but she doubted it.
“Bed, all of you,” Khalid told his security force when they returned to the palace grounds after midnight.
His men didn’t grumble, which told him just how tired they were. He was tired as well. Almost six hours of shifting through mounds of debris, making sure there were no more devices, and interviewing people in the area. No one had seen anyone in the area who didn’t belong.
Thankfully, no one had been hurt. Kalif was grating on his nerves, though. At least this was not as bad as the marketplace bombing a few months ago. Still, bombs at the edge of the city were a reminder Kalif was dangerous and had to be stopped.
The problem was finding the man. Khalid sighed as he made his way toward the sitting room where he knew his family would still be gathered. He would meet with Malik and Ryan officially tomorrow. They could brainstorm ideas of what to do to find and capture Kalif.
Laughter reached his ears as he drew closer to the room. Khalid paused in the doorway. Zoey was speaking, and his family seemed enthralled. He wasn’t surprised. She was the most intriguing woman he’d ever been around, and that was saying something based on his sister-in-law and soon to-be sisters-in-law.
Rafi looked up. “Khalid,” he said.
Zoey stopped talking, jumped up, and took several steps before she stopped, the worry in her eyes evident. He held open his arms. She ran to him. “You’re back. Are you okay?” she asked, throwing her arms around him.
He automatically put his arms around her waist, holding her to him. “I’m fine, just tired.” He enjoyed the feel of her body against his. Having her arms around him. Having someone to welcome him home. Not that his family didn’t, but with Zoey it was different. He could get used to coming home to her waiting embrace.
“Any injuries?” Hassan asked.
“No, I would have called if there had been.” He released Zoey, then guided her over to the chair she’d been sitting in. “We were right, it was all outside the city limits.”
“Why? I don’t get this,” Bobbie said.
“I don’t either.” Khalid took the chair next to Zoey as she yawned. “Malik, it’s late. Everything is stable for now. If you don’t mind, Ryan and I will brief you in the morning.”
“Do you mind if I join you for that?” Rafi asked.
“You are more than welcome.”
“Well, since there are no injuries, and everything seems to be under control, I don’t have an issue with waiting until first thing in the morning. I suggest we all get some rest,” Malik said, standing. “Is the police department on alert?”
“Yes.” Khalid rubbed the back of his neck. His men had wanted to stay in town, but the police were more than capable, and they needed rest.
Khalid escorted Zoey upstairs to his wing as the others called out good night and made their way to their own rooms. Habib stood outside her room.
“Habib, thank you,” Khalid said.
Habib nodded his head. “I will stay until morning when I can be relieved.”
“Go now. All is well.” Habib took his job seriously. Like Khalid did.
“Yes, sir.” Habib left, and Zoey looked at him.
“Why was Habib still here? I thought my being here meant I was safe?”
“You are. He was under orders to make sure you stayed safe. While you were with the family, he made sure no one disturbed your room.”
“But—”
Khalid placed his fingers against her soft lips. “We’ve had incidents happen in the palace in the past. The issues have been dealt with, but I refuse to take chances.” He pushed open her door and stepped inside. Nothing out of place, balcony doors closed. “Stay here.” He checked out the rest of her quarters before returning to her side with a yawn.
“Go get some sleep, Khalid.” She brushed a kiss over his cheek. “We can talk more tomorrow.”
“We can. Lock the door and rest well.” He brushed a kiss over her forehead, then stepped out of the room reluctantly. He waited until she’d closed the door and locked it before he made his way to his room, which was next to hers. He was exhausted and hoped he would sleep. Sleep hadn’t come easily to him in a long time.
His brothers complained about burning the candle at both ends, but he’d never told them about the nightmares. He’d never told anyone of the one mistake that still haunted him.
6
Early the next morning, Zoey scrolled through the photos on her computer once again. She’d already written three more articles and several blog posts. There was something nagging at her about the photos.
She flipped through them again and again, yet she couldn’t put her finger on it. Maybe if she could print them and lay them out on a table to figure out what bothered her. A glance at the clock showed her it was only eight. She’d been up since six. She’d fallen asleep around one, but at six she was wide awake.
It wasn’t unusual for her. That’s why she usually made sure she didn’t share a room with anyone. Once she woke up, she could rarely go back to sleep. Pushing her computer aside, Zoey stood, stretched, and went in search of some food. Five minutes later, one of the maids directed her to the dining room, where food was set up.
Zoey grabbed some coffee and filled a plate before sitting down. She had just started to eat when Malik and Catherine walked in. Instantly she stood up.
“Sit down, please. We’re not formal.” Catherine waved her hand at Zoey.
Zoey sat, but didn’t start eating again until Catherine and Malik began eating. “I hope it’s okay I’m here. A maid directed me here.”
“It’s fine,” Malik said. “As Catherine said, we’re not formal, but I am curious why you’re up so early.”
Zoey shrugged. “I woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep.” Just then Khalid walked in, looking more tired than he had the previous night. Her stomach clenched. “Did you sleep at all?” she asked before she could censor herself.
“A bit,” he said, as he poured some coffee and got food.
“Does Hassan need to give you something?” Malik asked.
“I’ll be fine. Just keyed up after last night,” Khalid said.
Malik opened his mouth and then shut it, making Zoey wonder if this was a pattern with Khalid. Not that she needed to pry into his life, but she was well aware of how insomnia could affect a person. If he wasn’t rested, he wouldn’t be at the top of his game, security-wise. That worried Zoey a lot more than she thought it would.
Zoey waited until Khalid sat next to her. She toyed with the food on her plate. With Khalid this close, her nerves danced with excitement, but she could also see the fatigue lines in his face. She knew what fatigue could do to a person. “Would it be okay for Habib to take me into town today? I saw a photography shop the other day, and I’d like to go get some photos printed.”
“Don’t you work digitally?” Malik asked.
“Usually, yes, but ... ” She glanced up at Khalid and he was watching her. “Something about the pictures I took the other day is nagging me.”
“What is it?” Khalid set his fork down.
“I’m not sure. I keep going back to the pictures, thinking I’m missing something.”
“You believe printing them out will help you?” Malik asked.
“I hope so. I’m thinking if I can lay them out side-by-side I’ll see something.”
Malik nodded. “We have printers you can use.”
“I appreciate this, but I needed high-quality photo printing.”
“Malik and I have a meeting after breakfast, so I’ll take in you into town after we’re done.”
The events of last night rushed back into her mind.“You don’t need to take time away from your work. I’m fine going with Habib.” Zoey glanced from Khalid to Malik and back. They had more important things than to interrupt their day for her.
“It’s fine. I’d rather take you myself. Finish eating.”
His tone was firm and no nonsense. Zoey nodded. Not that she was hungry anymore. Instead, she drank her coffee and nibbled at her food until Khalid was done eating.
“Meet me at the front door at eleven,” he said, standing.
“Is that enough time for your meeting?” She didn’t want him rushing through for her. There could be lives at risk here.
Khalid glanced at Malik, who nodded. “It’s fine. See you then.” He brushed his fingers down her cheek.
Fire followed his touch. Malik’s eyes widened, and a smile touched his face. She kept her gaze on Khalid until he left the room with his brother. Catherine let out a sigh.
“I love those two, but sometimes they take their duties too seriously,” Catherine said.
“I don’t have enough information about Malik to agree or disagree, but Khalid? Yes, he does take protection very seriously. Do you know why?” That was probably a question she should ask Khalid, but if Catherine could give her some insight into this man who made her blood heat and body throb, then all the better.
“Not really.” Catherine shook her head. “He’s been this way since I’ve been here. The al-Hakim men are very intense.”
“That I agree with.” Zoey finished her coffee and stood up. “I’ll see you later.” She left the room and jogged up the stairs. She’d already copied the pictures to a flash drive and another SD card. She put them in a special case she used just for them, and slipped it into her backpack.
Since she had some time, she started organizing the other pictures she’d taken. Her mind started buzzing. Would the royal couples allow her to do a story on them? They each had interesting stories on how they’d met and their lives together.
By the time she’d finished sketching out her idea and a way to present it to everyone, it was almost eleven. Slinging her backpack over her shoulder, she made her way back downstairs to the front door, where Khalid already waited for her. “I hate that I’m taking you away from your work.”
“It’s fine.” He ran a finger over her cheek. “Let’s go.”
Habib was in the front seat of the SUV with a driver. As they pulled through the palace gates, Zoey turned to him. Her nerves danced as she debated what she wanted to say. “Khalid, why don’t you take Malik up on his offer to have Hassan prescribe you something to sleep?” She might be overstepping her bounds, but that had never stopped her before.
“It will be fine.” He pulled a piece of rope from his pocket.
She stared at the piece of rope. Interesting. Zoey had seen denial before. She had gone through it herself. And she might be overstepping her place, but somehow, Khalid had wiggled his way inside. While she didn’t want to examine that too closely, she’d come to care about his welfare. Keeping quiet had never been a strong point for her, so she plunged ahead, covering her hand with his. “We all get insomnia now and again. Hassan can give you something to help you fall asleep. You don’t have to do this alone.”
His dark gaze rose, and their eyes met. “All is well, Zoey.”
“But it’s not.” She shook her head. “Look, I know I’m the outsider here, but sometimes that allows me to see things. I know the signs, because I’ve experienced them.” If she was going to get through to him, then she had to open up to him.
His eyebrows rose, and he frowned. “Are you not sleeping?” Instantly his demeanor changed.
“Always worried about everyone else,” she said, smiling. “When was the last time you’ve slept more than four hours?” It was guess, but that was usually about how long she’d slept when she was having issues with insomnia.
“Several months.” His features froze. “Why did I tell you that?”
“Because I’m probably the first one to ask you point-blank.” She rubbed her fingers over the back of his hand.
“I’ll be fine, Zoey.” He was trying to shut her down, and while she didn’t want to let him, she knew when it was time to back off.
“I’m sure you will. But if you don’t get some sleep, you won’t be able to protect anyone.”
Khalid let out a groan, and she hid a smile. She pulled her hand back and watched as Khalid began to knot the rope, creating an intricate pattern with it.
“That’s very interesting.” Her memory banks fired. The design reminded her of the time she’d spent in Japan. “Shibari?”
His eyes widened. “You know shibari?”
“I spent a week in Japan several years ago and was treated to a demonstration. It is a beautiful art. Even more so when there is a connection between the two people doing it.”
He stared at her for a moment before turning his attention back to the rope in his hand. “It is. It helps settle my mind.” He pulled the rope apart, then he lifted her hand and cradled it in his lap as he began tying the rope around her fingers and palm. “There is something soothing about doing it.”
