Jina almost danced down the hallway, too excited as she felt the weight of the ring on her finger. If someone had told her three months ago that she would be dancing down the hallways of a palace, engaged to marry a man like Malik, she would have laughed and dismissed the possibility. It was simply too farfetched!
But here she was and all of her dreams were coming true. It was too fabulous to be real! Malik loved her and she couldn’t believe how much she loved him. It was almost like a dream…but not a dream! Her memories of this morning, of the way Malik had woken her up, couldn’t be a dream. She had never been capable of dreaming anything so wildly sensuous before meeting this man.
“Food!” she gasped. “I need food!”
She turned to the right versus to the left, heading for the dining room instead of the library where she’d been spending most of her time during the days. She was teaching herself Arabic and loved every nuance of the exotic language. She’d understood a bit of the language before, but now she was really getting into the details, the subtleties of the words. Thankfully, languages had always come easily to her and, although Arabic was significantly different from French or Spanish, the basic rules generally applied across most languages. The trick was to learn the idiomatic phrases that were more a part of culture than they were an aspect of grammar.
As soon as she entered the dining room, she reared back. The smell! Good grief, the smell of coffee was too strong! It was making her stomach churn!
Turning around, she hurried back where she’d come from, not wanting to smell even a hint of coffee.
Wow! Apparently, she hadn’t become quite as acclimated to the stronger brew as she’d thought! Never before had she had that kind of a reaction to not just the smell of coffee but the richness of the Arabic blend was much stronger than what she was used to.
Sighing, she realized that her appetite was completely gone. So instead of grabbing a bite to eat, she headed to the library, eager to start her studies again.
After about an hour of studying, Jina felt the headache start to build. No caffeine, she thought with resignation. Maybe a soda would help? But she really wanted a cup of coffee. She wasn’t a big fan of sodas.
Standing up and stretching cramped muscles, she looked around and wondered if there was a way to have coffee delivered here instead of walking all the way back to the dining room. She suddenly felt exhausted. She almost laughed at how silly that thought was but, at the same time, she truly was wiped out even though she hadn’t done much other than study.
Glancing at her watch, she realized that she’d been awake for less than two hours. Why was she so…?
Jina shook her head. “Of course,” she whispered even as she packed up the books and carried them out the door. “No coffee and very little sleep. What did you expect, gal?” she asked herself.
“Sorry,” she said when the bodyguard that had been assigned to her looked at her curiously. “I was just going to head towards the dining room for some coffee,” she told the man.
His only response was to bow slightly and wait for her to precede him.
Feeling awkward because the man seemed to just be standing around, waiting for her to move, she smiled up at him as an apology. “This is going to take a bit of getting used to,’ she told the man. But again, his only response was a slight inclination of his head. “Got it,” she said, tapping her stack of books with her thumb. “Dining room. Off we go,” she said, almost as if to herself but it really was for the benefit of the guard.
The dining room had already been cleared of breakfast foods but there was a small, silver urn filled with coffee sitting on the side table. Walking over to the pot, she carefully approached, wary of feeling sick again as she had this morning.
Carefully, she poured the coffee into the cup, relieved when her stomach didn’t start churning again. Taking a small sip though, made her almost wretch and she set the cup down with a crash. The hot coffee spilled out over the rim and she stepped back, not sure what was happening to her.
“Is everything okay, my lady?” one of the dining room servants asked, appearing suddenly at her side.
Jina was too busy covering her nose with her hand to answer. Lifting up her palm, she nodded her head, trying to convey that she was okay even when she didn’t feel okay. She definitely was not okay!
Walking out of the dining room, she hurried down the hallway, forgetting all of the books she’d brought to continue studying. She couldn’t help it, her mind was focused only on getting away from that smell.
She hurried down the hallway, pushing through the doorway of the suite she was sharing with Malik and, before she could stop herself, she was falling onto the bed. Jina wasn’t even aware of her head hitting the pillow before she fell asleep.
When she woke up again, her hands covered her stomach as the hunger pains hit her hard. Glancing at her watch, she was shocked to find that she’d slept for four hours! She never napped during the day! Even when she worked with clients on assignments that lasted well into the night, she still wasn’t able to nap during the day. She’d always just thought it wasn’t in her nature.
“You’re awake!” Malik snapped, coming over to her and looking angrier than she’d ever thought possible.
Jina cringed back at the look of fury in his eyes. “I’m so sorry! Was I supposed to meet you for lunch?” she asked, trying to sit up but the dizziness was making her more than a little wobbly.
Malik looked down at the woman who had snuck into his heart, furious that she wasn’t feeling well but not sure how to help her when she was still trying to hide that trouble from him. “What’s wrong? Why have you not eaten and why have you fallen asleep?”
Jina pushed herself up to a sitting position and inched back against the soft pillows. “I can’t believe you are asking me that,” she commented with a self-conscious laugh.
His only response was to lift his dark eyebrows, silently demanding an explanation.
She shrugged, becoming irritated with his demands. “Are you really going to interrogate me about my sleeping habits when you have kept me up all night, for several nights?” she demanded, standing up and coming towards him.
“Yes,” he snapped right back. His eyes noted her pale complexion and the fatigue that was still around her eyes. “You are not well, Jina. You haven’t been taking care of yourself.”
“I’m fine,” she promised, her tone softening when she saw genuine concern in his eyes.
He continued to look at her, then shook his head. “You are not fine. You will stay in bed today.”
Her eyes lit up and her body started singing that song that it always crooned when Malik was close by. “Promise?’ she asked, laughing softly when she noticed his own body respond.
Malik groaned, rolling his eyes because, just the thought of her desire made him want her even more. “You will stay in bed alone,” he told her, even as he pulled her closer to him, gently wrapping his arms around her and kissing the top of her head.
“I don’t want to be alone,” she replied, lifting her face and breathing in the wonderful scent of the man. Brazenly, she kissed the warm skin of his neck and smiled when she felt the rumble of a groan in his chest.
“No, Jina. You need sleep.”
“I just woke up,” she told him, letting her tongue dash out to taste him.
She felt his hands tighten on her upper arms and smiled, knowing that she’d won. So when he pushed her away with a shake of his head, she was almost painfully disappointed. “No. You’re going to take another nap to get rid of those dark circles under your eyes and, hopefully, that will add more color to your pale skin.”
Jina glared up at him, irritated. But then the headache that had been bothering her all morning because she hadn’t had any coffee pushed more into her consciousness. Her hand came up, pressing against her temple.
“What’s wrong?” he demanded.
Jina shook her head, not wanting to worry him. “Nothing. I just haven’t had any coffee yet so I have a caffeine headache.”
His hand went to her chin, tilting her head so that he could study her features more carefully. “Why didn’t you have any coffee this morning?” he demanded.
Jina saw the worry in his eyes and it hurt her to know that he was worried. She pushed the pain away and smiled up at him, trying to reassure him that she was fine. “I was studying your language,” she told him, which was only partly true. “I want to learn to speak it more elegantly before we are married.”
His eyebrows popped up with her explanation. “I will endeavor to teach you.”
Jina heard the suggestion in his voice and her heart rate accelerated. She looked into his eyes, her whole body coming alive. “Now?” she asked, holding her breath.
Malik only chuckled. “No. Now you will sleep. I will bring dinner here tonight.” He laughed again at her frown. “Sleep, my love. We will be married in one month and then we’ll have two weeks alone.”
Jina sighed with delight. “Promise?” she asked him, pressing her nose against his chest and inhaling his wonderful smell. She couldn’t get enough of him, she thought. She’d gone from a prim, prude translator of romance languages to a hussy who couldn’t get enough of her fiancé.
“Promise,” he assured her. “I have to go,” he told her, pulling out of her arms gently. “Get more sleep.”
Jina watched him walk out of the room and smiled. She knew that man and he wanted her. He was just trying to be kind with her. Such a sweet, gentle man, she thought.
But she really wasn’t tired. Not anymore. The headache was a problem and she went into Malik’s bathroom, finding some over the counter painkillers. Hopefully they would kick in and ease the pain quickly.
She found the books she’d been studying earlier, now stacked in the sitting room of Malik’s suite and she pulled them over to a table, settling in to study.
“You must leave the palace,” a strange voice said from behind her.
Jina lifted her head and looked around. Had she just imagined that voice?
“Get out, and he’ll be safe,” the voice said again.
A moment later, an envelope slid out from under the chair on which she’d been sitting, stopping right under her foot.
Jina yanked her foot away, startled by the voice and the unexpected movement. “What is this?” she demanded, looking down at the plain, manila envelope but not picking it up. Her stomach was churning at whatever might be inside that package. She knew that she didn’t want to see whatever it was. She didn’t even want to touch it!
“This is your only warning. If you’re not out of the palace by the end of the week…”
Jina waited, swiveling her head around, trying to find out where the voice was coming from. But each time she thought she’d found the source, the voice would come from another direction.
She was trembling now, genuinely terrified and not sure what she should do. “Who are you?” she demanded, trying to sound confident but her voice quivered, giving away her fear. “Why are you doing this?” she asked desperately.
Nothing. No sound. Not even a slight shuffling of feet to indicate someone had scampered away.
When there were no other instructions, she looked down at the envelope. She had to see what was inside, even though she instinctively knew that she wouldn’t like it.
Her fingers were shaking as she opened the flap and peered into the package. There were only a few sheets of paper. Pulling them out, she realized that they weren’t papers, they were…
Gasping, she dropped the pictures onto the table in front of her and scooted back, reacting as if the pictures were a spider or snake. They weren’t alive, but the images burned into her eyes, making her heart stop beating. And then racing forward, speeding and feeling like her heart might just burst out of her chest.
“No!” she cried, her fingers shaking as she looked at the images. “Please no!”
The first one was a picture of Malik in his office and, in the background, she could see the hazy shape of a gun through an ornate screen. She knew that screen! She’d been in Malik’s office just yesterday and had commented on it. The workmanship was exceptionally good and she’d run her fingers over the ironwork. She had no idea that an assassin could be hiding behind that screen!
The next picture was of Malik out riding his horse but, as she looked more closely, the image was captured through the scope of a rifle! With Malik in the crosshairs. “No!” she cried out, flipping the picture to the ground.
She was afraid to look at the third picture but she forced herself to review it, afraid not to. Sure enough, it was another of Malik and he was in the dining room. This time, there wasn’t a gun anywhere in sight but there was a hand holding a pill. It was just a small pill and if someone hadn’t been courteous enough to write “cyanide” on the picture, she wouldn’t have known what it was. The implication was that someone was willing to poison Malik.
Looking at the three pictures, she actually had trouble breathing for several moments. And then, it was a race to the bathroom where she threw up. Since there was nothing in her stomach, having skipped breakfast and lunch, there was only the small glass of water and the acid that burned her throat as her stomach continued to churn.
When she finally regained some control of her stomach, she wiped her mouth with a cool washcloth. Unfortunately, that was the end of her control. Her knees gave out on her and she curled up into a ball on the marble floor of the bathroom, so stunned and terrified for Malik’s life that she couldn’t think properly.
Jina had no idea how long she sat there on the cold, bathroom floor. It might have been minutes or hours, she couldn’t determine. All she knew was that Malik was in danger and she had no way to stop someone from hurting him. The pictures obviously were someone’s way of telling her that they could kill Malik any way and anytime the culprit chose and her heart ached with the pain of someone hurting him. She couldn’t imagine a world where Malik wasn’t in it! Goodness, just a few months ago, she hadn’t even known the man existed, he hadn’t meant anything to her other than as a ruler to a country she’d never visited and never planned to visit. Now he was her life! He meant the world to her and she couldn’t let anyone hurt him!
There was a rustling noise out in the sitting room and Jina scrambled off of the floor. She splashed cold water on her face and moved out of the bathroom. She didn’t want Malik to see her like this!
Oh no! The pictures! They were still laying on the table in the sitting room!
Stepping into the bedroom, she caught Malik a moment before he stepped into his dressing room. “You aren’t sleeping,” he cajoled as he pulled his tie loose and disappeared.
Jina watched him for a long moment before her eyes darted to the doorway. Rushing out of the bedroom, she found the pictures and shoved them back into the envelope, hiding everything under the cushion of the sofa.
She’d just finished hiding the horrible pictures when Malik stepped into the doorway, minus his shirt and tie. “What are you doing?” he asked, looking at her curiously.
Jina shook her head, unable to come up with a reasonable explanation since her fear for this man’s life was choking her.
Malik walked over to her, looking at her pale features. “You didn’t sleep at all this afternoon, did you?” he asked, worried about her. Something was very wrong. She looked like she was about to pass out on him at any moment and her eyes were wide, almost as if…
His body tensed with the fear in her eyes. “You’re scared about something. What happened today? Did someone say something to you? Did someone hurt you?”
Jina’s mouth opened and closed, not sure how to respond to him. She couldn’t lie to him. He always knew when she was lying. But in this case, she had to! His life depended on it.
Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to smile, trying to appear calm and relaxed. “No. No one has said anything to me. I’ve been here in your suite all day, just studying and lazing around.”
His eyes narrowed on her but, after several moments, he accepted her statement. “You didn’t leave for any reason?” he asked.
Jina shook her head. “I haven’t even peered outside the doorway,” she promised. And that definitely wasn’t a lie. She’d been curled up in a terrified ball for…well, she had no idea how long.
“I ordered dinner to be served here.”
Jina’s heart melted with love for this man. He was so kind and generous and trying hard to protect her from something he couldn’t understand. She couldn’t explain it to him either because she didn’t understand it herself. All she knew was that someone was trying to kill this man and she wasn’t going to let it happen. Not if she could do something about it.
Malik walked into the bathroom and she heard the shower start up. She bit her lip, trying to figure out what to do. What had the voice said? Get out of the palace or something along those lines. She wasn’t exactly sure now. The whole afternoon seemed like a nightmare, one that she couldn’t really decipher a beginning or end to.
When she heard him in the shower, she grabbed the pictures and hid them in the closet, worried that he’d suspected something. She was about to hide them in another place when she heard the water shut off.
Pacing back and forth, she bit the end of her thumb, trying to figure out how to save Malik. She’d have to leave. That was an absolute. She’d just leave the palace, go home and pretend she wasn’t madly in love with the man. Pretend that her world wasn’t destroyed by her departure.
She wished she could say that he wasn’t the man of her dreams, but he really was. Oh, he was nothing like the man she’d dreamed she would eventually marry when she was younger. That man was softer, less powerful and so much less of a man than Malik. No, the men she’d come into contact with over the years were so dramatically different from Malik. She knew that she’d never find another like him.
And her whole body ached because, in her heart, she knew she’d never want to find another man like Malik. She didn’t want another man, she wanted him. She wanted this man! She’d fought him so hard at first. For those first few days, she’d been determined to not become involved with the man.
Goodness, how easily she’d fallen into his arms! Just one pair of shoes! Those dratted shoes! She should have returned them that first night. She should have dumped them into the trash bin and never looked at them again.
Of course, they were sitting in the closet right now. The closet that had her own clothes intermingled with his. Exactly how she wanted her life to be.
But she wouldn’t risk his life. Not even for her own happiness. She loved that man. More than she wanted happiness, she needed Malik to be alive. Even if she couldn’t have him, she needed to know that he was here in this world.
And he was a good leader! He genuinely cared about his people! He worked hard to make sure that they had a good life, a fair playing field in which to work and he was honest, believing in the governmental systems but not trusting them. He went to great pains to make sure that the employees who served the people were well taken care of.
So she had to leave. She had to get out of here.
When Malik emerged from the bathroom, he was wearing only a towel around his waist while he rubbed his hair with another one. And he looked amazing! All those muscles covering his tall body. She was mesmerized!
Okay, so she couldn’t have him in her life. But she could have him tonight! She could make love to him with all of her heart and all of her soul. She wanted this man. She loved him! And this was her one last night with him.
She’d leave the palace if it meant keeping him safe. But she would add a few memories to savor on those long nights when she’d be alone and lonely. Because no other man could take his place in her heart. Or in her life.
Walking over to him, she placed her hands on his chest, gaining his full attention. Kissing the middle of his chest, she slowly lowered herself until she was on her knees in front of him. When she took him into her mouth, she heard his hiss and a moment later, his hands dove into her hair. From past experience, she knew that his head would be back and his eyes closed so she looked up at him and was so turned on when she realized that he was actually looking down at her, not up at the ceiling or at nothing. His eyes were on her, doing this to him, and that dark look made her increase her efforts. She had done this before, but she was never sure if she was doing it correctly but he seemed to like it. And his enjoyment made her body throb with awareness of her feminine power.
“Jina!” he roared after only a few minutes. His hands lifted her up but he didn’t stop with her standing there. He continued until she was in his arms and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He laid her on the bed and quickly stripped her clothes off of her. Then it was her turn to hiss as he impaled her body on his erection.
“Why?” he growled but didn’t care at this point in time. He shifted his focus from trying to get an answer from her to making sure that she was feeling just as much pleasure as he was.
When Jina splintered apart in his arms, she felt the tears in her eyes and couldn’t hold them back. So instead, she buried her face in the wonderful curve of his neck, hiding her sorrow from this man that she loved so intensely that it was almost a physical need to be with him.
A long time later, he pulled away slightly. “You okay?” he asked gently when he could finally breathe.
Jina laughed. “Yes. I’m fine,” she replied, quickly wiping the tears from her eyes so that he wouldn’t worry.
But there was nothing this man didn’t see. “You were crying!” he noticed and pulled back. “I hurt you! Dammit Jina! I’m so sorry!”
Jina laughed and put her arms around his waist, pulling him back to her. “You didn’t hurt me. Just the opposite. You give me so much pleasure, it is all I need.” And she kissed the middle of his chest again.
Malik shook his head. “You need food, love,” he told her. Pulling back, he used his thumb to wipe away the newest tears. “You haven’t eaten all day. Pull on something simple and I’ll call the servants. I ordered food to be brought here tonight so we can be alone.”
Jina smiled weakly. “That sounds wonderful. Thank you for thinking of it.”
She pulled out of his arms slowly, savoring each touch of his rougher skin against hers, loving the way he felt so close to her when they were both completely naked. With regret, she walked into his closet and pulled down a silk robe, wrapping it around her with a sigh. She really was hungry, she supposed. But she’d rather forgo food in order to be in his arms.
But he was already lifting the phone, saying something into the receiver. He glanced in her direction as she came out of the dressing room and, when he noticed she had a robe on, he gave the order to bring in the food. Seconds later, servants appeared through a secondary door and set up a pretty table filled with various foods, then disappeared once again.
Jina chuckled at that kind of service. “You have a charmed life, Malik,” she said as she sat down in the chair he pulled out for her.
Taking the seat, Jina opened the folded napkin and placed it on her lap. “What’s for dinner?” she asked, always curious. The palace chef was amazing, cooking up elaborate meals for Malik, and her, every night. Malik took off the covers and filled her plate with all of the delicacies. “Eat!” he ordered and sat down across from her, filling his plate even more.
Jina didn’t argue. With the smell of food, she realized that she truly was hungry now that her stomach wasn’t upset. As they talked about everything and nothing, she devoured more than half the food he’d piled onto her plate, then sat back in her chair, feeling significantly better. The wine was excellent, the food outstanding and she loved listening to him talk about the issues facing him each day.
So when he stood up and pulled her into his arms, she didn’t hesitate. She moved with him to the bed, knowing that this was her last few hours with him.
And even after they’d made love again, she still couldn’t sleep, too afraid that someone would come to him in the night and hurt him. The pictures showed that, whoever was trying to hurt Malik, could easily get to him. She knew that there were guards outside of the suite, but she still stayed awake, worried that she hadn’t left fast enough to save his life. Throughout the night, she beat herself up mentally because she’d been so selfish about wanting one more night with him. It had been wrong! She should have left the palace immediately. So when the morning light filtered through the curtains, and Malik was still alive, she breathed a sigh of relief.
He slipped out of bed, just like he did almost every morning, and she pretended to be asleep. She felt his gentle kiss on her bare shoulder, knew the moment that the shower turned on and off, heard him rustling about in the room, careful not to wake her up. By rights, she should be exhausted. But the possibility of someone hurting this man, simply because she was still with him, kept her awake and terrified for his safety.
When the door clicked shut, she threw off the covers and raced into the bathroom. She showered as quickly as possible, dried off and hurried into the dressing room. Pulling down her suitcase, she loaded her own clothes, leaving all of the fabulous outfits he’d purchased for her. She loved every one of them because she loved the way his eyes lit up when she’d pulled on each outfit for him. But she didn’t deserve them now. Nor would she need them. She would go back to her old life, restart her life and figure out some way to get through the days without Malik. Because at least he would be alive. That was all that mattered.
A moment before she closed her suitcase, her hand ran into the horrible photographs and she hesitated. She wanted to tear them up, to shred them and burn them. But she couldn’t do it. Not here. She wasn’t sure why, she just knew that Malik wasn’t meant to feel threatened. Perhaps she was being irrational, but death threats against one’s future husband tended to do that to a woman!
As she stood there in the middle of the suite, she looked around, tears streaming down her cheeks, she realized her next challenge was to get out of the palace. If she tried to leave with a suitcase, Malik would be informed. He would stop her, she knew.
Looking down at her suitcase, she realized she’d just have to leave without it. She’d get out of the palace, find a cab and get to the airport. And she’d have to do it all very smoothly so that Malik’s guards weren’t notified.
With a sigh, she unpacked her suitcase and stuffed it back in the closet. But at the last moment, she took out the Louboutin shoes. She couldn’t leave without them! She could leave without everything else, but those shoes…they were the beginning. Well, his glance at her was actually the beginning but these shoes…she might not ever wear them again, but she had to keep them. They were hers. They were a memory of a night when…
She closed her eyes and pushed the memory out of her brain. Stuffing the shoes into her tote bag, she bowed her head as she worked through the details. She didn’t really have a plan. Just get out of the palace, go to the airport and catch the first flight out of Sarkit. She knew that it didn’t matter where the flight was going, she just had to leave as quickly as possible.
She took several steps forward, then stopped and reached back into the closet. She grabbed the pictures that were stuffed into one of the pockets of the suitcase and jammed them into her big, black leather tote bag.
She checked to make sure she had her passport and wallet, then took a deep breath, and walked out of the suite. She didn’t look back, not wanting to think about how wonderful her life had become after Malik’s entry to her world.
In the end, it was easier to leave than she’d thought it would be. She told her bodyguards that she was going shopping. They immediately arranged for a car to take her to the market. She stepped out, surrounded by guards but the market was busy and she was able to step out of their sight. From there, it was a simple task to grab a taxi and head to the airport.
She was standing at the ticket counter when it occurred to her that Malik might think she’d been abducted. As the ticket agent clicked away at her computer screen, Jina took her own phone out of her purse and typed in a message to Malik. “I have to go. I’m not kidnapped. Just going home.”
She stuffed her phone back into her purse, turning it off so that she wasn’t tempted to say anything more, something that might have him coming after her. Like the fact that she felt as if she was dying inside now that she knew she’d never see him again! Or that she needed him more than breathing! Or that he was the most fascinating, gentle, kind and wonderful man she’d ever met in her life!
“There’s a flight…” the ticket agent looked up at the woman standing in front of her, her face crumpled into a visage of abject misery. “Ma’am, are you okay?” she asked urgently. “Do I need to call the doctor for you?”
Jina shook her head and tried to pull herself together. “No,” she whispered, wiping her tears with a tissue. “I’m fine,” she blatantly lied. “The flight?” she prompted. “Where was it going?”
The woman nervously looked down at the screen. “I have a flight to Paris that connects with New York’s JFK, but there is a long layover. It leaves in forty-five minutes.”
Jina didn’t care. “I’ll take it,” she said and handed the woman her credit card and passport.
Two hours later, Jina was still crying as the plane flew over the earth towards a place she didn’t want to be. The only place that she wanted to be was in Malik’s arms, in his palace but he was safe now. She could protect him by leaving him.
So who was going to protect her from this horrible feeling inside of her?
“Find her!” Malik roared to his bodyguards.
A man spun around from a computer screen, his eyes nervous as he ventured out a comment. “Your Highness, we have surveillance from the airport,” he said.
“Show me!” Malik demanded. The text he’d received from her yesterday just didn’t make sense! She’d said she hadn’t been kidnapped but why had she left him? After that night…that just wasn’t like Jina!
After a few clicks on the man’s keyboard, he saw a grainy image of Jina, his beautiful, defiant Jina, standing at the ticket counter. He couldn’t see her face from this angle but he could tell that it was her. He’d know her body anywhere! “What is she doing?”
The man cleared his throat. “This was yesterday morning, Your Highness. She bought a ticket to New York City.”
Another man spun around in his chair. “She landed at JFK this morning. I’ve tracked her credit cards and she’s staying at a hotel in Manhattan, Your Highness.”
Malik stared at the screens. One of them showed her walking down the airport in Sarkit, boarding a plane to Paris. Another showed her stepping of off the jet way in New York City. He wasn’t sure if it was due to the quality of the video, but she looked pale. And her eyes…they weren’t right.
“Why is she in a hotel?”
The man shook his head. No one knew. “We’ll continue to track her, Your Highness.”
Turning to his head of security, he glared at the man. “Find her! I want answers! I want to know why she left.”
The man nodded his head and turned around, saying something into a phone. Their initial assumption was that she’d been kidnapped but, when no ransom or demands were called in, everyone knew that something strange was going on. Now that the woman had turned up in her old hometown, apparently unharmed, they were more suspicious. This obviously wasn’t a kidnapping. So what was it?