Chapter 14

A few days later, Basil and Bassem were sipping coffee and chatting at Bassem’s house in the living room. Basil had come over early for breakfast.

“What’s between you and Blake?” Basil asked his brother.  

“She works for me,” Bassem replied as he flipped through the newspaper. He picked up his coffee and took a sip.

“There is more than that.”

“I have no idea what you are talking about.”

“I’ve seen how you look at her.” Basil took a bite out of his toast.

“Like a human being?” Bassem’s tone was rather sarcastic and Basil caught on. He chuckled a little.

“Like a human being that you have romantic feelings for,” he said. Bassem directed his gaze from the newspaper to his brother.

“What are you talking about?”

“I also noticed how you get jealous every time I get close to her,” Basil pointed out. Bassem raised an eyebrow. “The moment I kissed her cheek was when you decided that it was time for us to leave. Then you made sure she sat in the front with you,” he added.

“I just don’t want you flirting with my staff,” said Bassem. Basil laughed.

“Then you drove her to her doorstep. When have you ever done that? You’ve never even done that for your past lovers.”

It was true. Bassem drove himself places from time to time. However, he had never taken it upon himself to drive anyone anywhere. When he had dropped Blake off at her house, he had kissed her and it had felt good. Thinking about it again made him want to kiss her. It had only been three days since he had seen her, but it felt much longer. Bassem wondered if his brother was right. Did he have romantic feelings for Blake or not? He hadn’t given it much thought.

His thoughts were interrupted by a maid rushing into his living room. “Excuse me, your highnesses, her majesty has arrived,” said the maid. Bassem and Basil looked at each other.

“Whose majesty?” Bassem asked as he put the newspaper down. “Mother is here?” he added.

“Yes,” the maid replied. Basil sprung up to his feet.

“I can guess why she is here,” he said.

A tall, olive-skinned, elegant older woman wearing pearls walked into the room. “Mother,” Bassem and Basil said in chorus. She rushed over to Basil and held his face in her hands.

“Are you alright?” she asked him.

“I’m fine.” Basil flashed a grin. She threw her arms around him and held him tightly.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” she said. She released him from her embrace and then rushed over to her other son. She inspected him before she hugged him. Bassem just stood there with his arms at his sides. He wasn’t an affectionate person.

“What brings you here?” Bassem asked. The queen released him from her embrace.

“I obviously came to make sure that the two of you are okay.”

“Who told you?” Bassem had been planning to tell his parents about the abduction but hadn’t yet. The queen crossed her perfectly threaded eyebrows at him.

“Did you think that you could keep such a secret from your father and me?” she asked. 

“I hoped to keep it quiet a few more days,” Bassem replied honestly. He wanted to find out who was behind the abduction first.

“That is ridiculous! You should have made us aware the moment it happened,” the queen spat out.

“I didn’t want to worry you.”

The queen placed her hand on her heart. “I could have lost you both,” she said. Bassem thought his mother was being hysterical but he could understand where she was coming from.

“This is why I need the both of you to get married and settle down in Al Huddah.” She gracefully sat down on one of the sofas and tucked one ankle behind the other. Bassem sat down next to her, and Basil sat down opposite her.

“Even if we were in Al Huddah, someone could still have made an attempt on our lives,” said Bassem. His mother shook her head.

“A lot of people are scared of your father. Only a fool would attempt such a fruitless venture in his country,” she said. “They probably thought that your father has lesser eyes here and that you would be caught off guard,” she added. Bassem sighed heavily.

“We were caught off guard. We had lesser security,” he replied.

“From here on, make sure that you are fully protected at all times. I wouldn’t be able to live if something happens to either one of you.”

“Sometimes having too much security brings more attention,” said Basil.

“I don’t care. I just want you safe and alive,” said the queen.

“How did the king react to the news?” said Bassem.

“He isn’t pleased.” The queen sighed. “He summoned Badir to the palace.”

“Oh lord.” Basil shook his head.

“He isn’t to blame for this,” said Bassem.

“Maybe not, but he is in charge of your security. Your father wants answers,” said the queen. Bassem crossed his eyebrows.

“But why Badir didn’t say anything?” Bassem wondered.

“He probably hasn’t heard yet. The person sent to him left around the same time as I did.” 

Bassem groaned in response. Knowing his father, Badir was going to be held responsible for Basil getting abducted. The king wouldn’t be pleased about him not knowing who was behind it either. Bassem knew that he had to go to Al Huddah before his father summoned him and to speak up for Badir. He was too valuable to him. He couldn’t leave him to get punished by the king.

One of the maids walked into the room with some tea for the queen. She took the cup and took a sip. “Just what I needed,” she said before she took another sip. She put her cup down and then looked at Basil.

“Have you been staying out of trouble?” the queen asked her younger son.
Basil flashed a mischievous grin.

“Of course,” he replied.

“You need a wife.” She didn’t look convinced.

“Bassem has to get married first since he is older and the crown prince.”

Bassem frowned at Basil. The last thing he wanted to talk about was marriage. Basil grinned at Bassem and wiggled his eyebrows. The queen turned her attention to Bassem.

“You definitely need to get married within the next few months. People are starting to talk. They’re wondering why there isn’t a crown princess,” she said to him.

“Then let them wonder,” Bassem spat out. He didn’t care what people thought of him. The queen raised her eyebrows.

“I have a few women in mind. I’d like for you to meet them.”

“Maybe he already has another woman in mind,” Basil interjected. Bassem narrowed his gaze at his brother. He knew that Basil was referring to Blake.

“What?” The queen whipped her head in Bassem’s direction. “Do you have a lover?” she asked.

“No,” Bassem replied, although the idea of making Blake his lover wasn’t so bad. She was a very attractive woman. She was smart and beautiful.

“It’s okay if you have one. However, if she is a Western woman you know that she can only be a lover. You must marry an Arabic woman.”

Basil looked at Bassem with a questioning glare. It was as if he was asking Bassem what he was going to do. Bassem shrugged his shoulders and looked at his mother.

“I don’t have a lover,” he said to her.

“You were always too serious. There is nothing wrong with you having a woman.”

Bassem rose to his feet. “I have matters to attend to. When I return, we’ll head for the airport,” he said to his mother.

“The airport?” she asked.

“We are going to Al Huddah tonight.”

“You’re going to see father?” Basil asked.

“You’re coming too.” Bassem kissed his mother on the cheek.

“Why am I coming?”

“I am sure father would like to see us both. We might as well go before he calls for us.” Bassem also needed Basil to be with him and not with Blake. He knew that if his brother stayed behind in Austin, he would linger around Blake. He didn’t want the two of them getting any closer than they already were.