Chapter 13

After driving around for what seemed like forever, they finally saw an old-looking cabin near a swamp. There was a van parked outside the cabin. Badir turned his head and looked at Bassem. They shared a look of suspicion and concern.

“Let’s check it out,” Bassem said to Badir.

“Yes sheikh.” Badir nodded as he rolled the window down and stuck his hand out. He gestured for the SUV behind him to go first.

The SUV behind them overtook them and drove up to the cabin first. The security guards jumped out of the SUV with their guns drawn and scanned the area first before they broke into the cabin. Badir drove up closer to the cabin and parked a few yards from it. He turned to face Bassem. The sheikh gave him a nod. Badir bowed his head and then grabbed his gun and rushed out of the car.

A gunshot sounded, causing the birds to fly away and Blake to inhale sharply. Bassem turned and looked at her. “Are you okay?” he asked her.

“Just shocked, I’ve never heard a gunshot in person,” she replied.

Suddenly some unfamiliar men walked out of the cabin with Bassem’s men pointing their guns at them. Bassem unbuckled his seat belt.

“Where are you going?” Blake asked him.

“I need to know if they’re my brother’s abductors,” he replied.

“That isn’t wise.”

“Stay here.” Bassem held Blake’s face in his hands and pressed his lips against hers. It was a quick kiss but Blake felt how soft and luscious his lips were. She raised her eyebrows and watched Bassem getting out of the car. He had kissed her so easily, as if it was a reflex, as if it was something they did all the time.

Blake was full of mixed emotions. She was startled because of the gunshots. She was worried for Basil’s safety. She wondered if he was in that cabin. She hoped that he was there and unharmed. She was confused by Bassem’s kiss. It was their first kiss and it looked as though he had done it instinctively. He hadn’t thought about it, he had just done it.

She watched as Bassem approached the chaos. She saw him talking to the unfamiliar men. She wondered what he was saying to them. She could only assume that he was asking about his brother. There was one man that was doing most of the talking. Suddenly Bassem threw his fist into the man’s jaw causing him to stumble backwards.

Blake gasped at Bassem’s unquestionable strength. He had punched the other man without much effort at all but it had caused the other man to stumble. She wondered what he had said to Bassem that had angered him. As much as she wanted to get out of the car, she had to stay inside just like Bassem had asked her to do.

Suddenly one of Bassem’s men walked out of the cabin with Basil. He rubbed his wrists as he walked out. His shirt was unbuttoned halfway down. Blake gasped as she placed her hands on her heart. She was so glad to see that he was okay. He had been gone for a day, but it felt as though he had been gone for ages. She watched Bassem and Basil look at each other and then exchange nods.

A few words were exchanged between Bassem and Badir. Badir bowed his head. Bassem and Basil headed towards the SUV Blake was in. She opened the door and rushed out of the car. “Basil!” she cried out with her arms wide open. He looked at Bassem with a questioning gaze. Bassem shrugged his shoulders and shook his head.

Blake wrapped her arms around Basil. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” she said to him. Basil pulled out of her embrace and held her shoulders.

“What are you doing here? This place isn’t safe for you,” he said.

“I tried to tell her,” said Bassem.

“It wasn’t safe for you either,” Blake retorted. She turned her attention back to Basil. “We were both worried about you. We couldn’t just sit at home and wait to hear back from Badir,” she said to him. Basil smiled at her and rubbed her shoulders.

“I’m fine, thanks for coming along,” he said. He leaned in closer to her and kissed her on the cheek. Bassem slightly crossed his eyebrows.

“Let’s go,” he said to them, interrupting their moment. Basil and Blake both turned their heads to look at him. “There’s no reason to linger around,” he added. He looked away and walked around the car to the driver’s side.

“You’re driving?” Blake asked.

“Yes,” Bassem replied. Blake never expected the sheikh to drive himself. She turned on her heel and just as she was about to get into the backseat of the car, Bassem stopped her. “Sit in the front,” he ordered.

“Um, okay.” Blake headed for the passenger’s seat and sat next to Bassem. Basil climbed into the backseat of the car.

“I’ll just sit back here by myself,” he said sulkily. Bassem looked in the rearview mirror.

“You’ll survive,” he said. The car key was still in the ignition. He turned it and the engine purred in response.

“How come you’re driving?” Blake asked. She looked outside the window as they pulled away from the cabin. “And what is going to happen to those men?” she asked.

“Badir will deal with it.”

“How?” Blake whipped her head in Bassem’s direction.

“What are you thinking about right now?” Basil burst into laughter.

“Well, they’re in the middle of a deserted forest by a swamp. With guns,” Blake replied. Basil laughed even harder.

“Yes, and so?” Bassem replied. Blake raised an eyebrow.

“Oh my God,” she whispered.

“Don’t worry, Badir is a professional,” said Basil. Blake whipped her head in his direction. She stared at him with her eyebrows raised.

“Are you serious right now?”

“Do you think anyone can just threaten a prince of Al Huddah and get away with it?”

“Exactly,” said Bassem. Blake stared at Basil with a face full of concern. Basil burst into laughter.

“Relax, no one is going to die,” he said to her.

“Really?” she asked. Bassem shot her a glance.

“Is that that what you were thinking?” he asked her.

“Yes.”

Basil laughed and shook his head. “Oh Blake, you’re so adorable,” he said. Bassem looked into the rearview mirror and crossed his eyebrows.

“You have to stop playing jokes on me,” said Blake. “Seriously though, what is going to happen to your abductors?”

“Well, Badir will find out who was behind it all and then hand them over to the police. We don’t kill people,” said Bassem.

“Oh.” Blake turned her head and pouted at Basil and then relaxed in her seat. Her heart had been racing thinking about Badir killing those perpetrators, and Basil was just laughing about it. She knew that she needed to play a joke back on him.  

It was night when they arrived at Basil’s house. Bassem dropped Basil back at his house first before dropping Blake at her place. Blake noticed that his house was heavily guarded. She assumed that it was in response to Basil’s abduction.

Blake keyed her address into the navigator for Bassem. He had insisted on driving her home himself. Even though he was driving himself, there was an SUV with a few of his security guards tailing them.

“I’ll leave someone to watch over your apartment overnight,” Bassem said to Blake when they had arrived at her place.

“Oh, that won’t be necessary,” she said to him. “I don’t think anyone will come looking for me.”

Bassem switched off the engine and then turned to face Blake. “My brother’s abductors were trying to get to me but got my brother instead,” he said softly. Blake raised her eyebrows.

“They wanted you? But why?” she asked. Bassem shrugged his shoulders.

“I am the future king of Al Huddah. That’s a big enough reason to make an attempt on my life.”

“That’s awful.”

“They might come after those close to me, since they failed to get to me. So I need you to be safe.” He sounded so protective. His masculinity just made Blake’s insides melt. She nodded.

“Okay,” she said. Bassem reached out and touched her face. He traced her jawline with his finger. Blake was caught off guard by his sudden touch. She felt butterflies fluttering in her stomach. He made her nervous.

Bassem leaned in closer to Blake and gently caressed her lips with his. He placed his thumb against her cheek and held the back of her neck. He pressed his lips against hers and slowly kissed them. Blake closed her eyes and placed her hand on his rock-hard chest. She responded to him by slightly parting her lips and kissing him back.

Bassem’s lips felt good against hers. He caressed her jawline with his thumb. The combination was so intense and made Blake not want to let go of him. He was such a good kisser. Blake could feel the kiss all the way down to her toes. She couldn’t help but curl them. She had been kissed before but not like that.

He broke off the kiss and pulled away from her. “Call me if something happens,” he said to her.

“Huh?” Blake was still so immersed in tangles of passion. It took her a moment to comprehend what he had just said to her. She cleared her throat. “Yes, I will, yeah. Goodnight,” she said. She turned to open the door and scrambled out of the car. She almost stumbled on her way out of the car. She straightened her hoodie and then headed to her apartment.