Page 18 of The Sheik's Kiss

“What happened yesterday?” she prompted when he continued to stare into the amber liquid.

He finally took a sip, then looked at her. “Several of my council heads didn’t bother to show up for meetings. And I don’t know where they were.”

“Is that…a problem?”

He nodded. “It is unprecedented.” As he spoke, his eyes hardened. The look he gave her was one of absolute determination. “Later that day, there were rumors that I was unwell. That I’m sick. The rumors were vague enough that nothing could be confirmed.”

Mandy’s heart pounded against her ribs. She knew what vague rumors of instability could do to stock markets. Not just the stock markets, but banks would start to worry about the stability of the government. That meant that banks would “pause” in mortgage approvals and bank loans. They might call their biggest loan customers and demand larger payments to ensure that they had enough cash on hand to pay their other customers. If the everyday person heard that the banks weren’t stable, they’d all rush to their banks and withdraw their savings. Banks usually didn’t keep large amounts of cash on hand and they would have to close their doors, further increasing the general population’s fears. Rumors start small, but they gain momentum quickly.

“Okay, I’m listening,” she told him. She set the sangria down on the coffee table, not wanting the alcohol to dull her mind. “What do you need me to do?”

He sighed, folding his hands together as he leaned forward. “Several months ago, there was a blast in one of the out-buildings of the palace. Did you hear about that?”

She nodded. “Yes. I read a small headline about it, but the news downplayed the incident. I read that the explosion was caused by someone mixing the wrong ingredients in a cleaning supply room.” Mandy leaned forward. “That’s what I heard at least.” She narrowed her eyes on Zahir’s strained expression. “I’m guessing that there was more to the story?”

He nodded. “That’s exactly what we wanted the world to hear.”

Mandy was starting to understand. “But the truth is a bit different?”

“The truth is that someone deliberately sabotaged the outbuilding. There was no accident. It was an actual bomb that was triggered and killed two of my security guards. The same ingredients were used in the storage facility several months ago. We suspect that the storage facility was a test to see if the mixture would work properly.”

“Oh no!” she gasped, horrified that the minor news article had hidden such an incident. “Who built the bomb?”

“We don’t know, but the bomb closer to the palace revealed that the security team was compromised.” He eyed her carefully. “That’s why I asked you to come and help, to investigate each agency’s money issues. At first, I thought that the problem was just embezzlement. But after yesterday’s absences during a council meeting. And until yesterday, when the new rumors began, I thought that we had time to figure out who is doing this. But there have been too many incidents and they are creating more rumbles about instability.”

“Obviously, the wife candidates aren’t really a priority.”

He smiled faintly, then shook his head. “No, as I mentioned before, that was a legitimate reason. I’m thirty-five years old and I need to marry. Hell, I should have married several years ago and produced an heir by now.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Maybe if I had an heir, then last month’s incident wouldn’t have happened and those two men who were killed at the storage facility would still be alive. If I had an heir, then whoever is behind the rumors of my health wouldn’t be so bold. But getting me out of the way creates a power vacuum and that’s always dangerous. Any time a government is destabilized by desperate factions, that allows extremists to gain control.”

“You’re blaming yourself?”

He shrugged and stood up, shoving his hands into his pockets as he looked outside. “If I hadn’t been so wrapped up in the day to day workings of my government, if I’d been concentrating on the bigger picture, I might have seen the signs that someone was trying to infiltrate my government.” He turned around. “Because of my error, my tunnel vision, two people died and more problems have come up.”

Mandy’s heart ached for the man. He seemed so powerful, so determined! And yet, there was someone trying to hurt him. She wanted to find the person and do something horrible right back to them! Although, her expertise meant that she could…maybe empty their bank account. Not the most dire threat, she knew.

Standing up, Mandy moved closer to him. “I don’t think that you can take full responsibility for the actions of a terrorist,” she asserted firmly, taking a few steps closer. But she halted before she was within arms’ reach. Her reaction to his problem meant that she might be more vulnerable to him than she’d realized.

His reaction was a huff of air that some might translate to a brief laugh, but it sounded more self-deprecating. “I don’t blame myself for the actions of the murderer. I blame myself for not being a better leader. It’s my responsibility to lead my people, to protect them. And I couldn’t even do that inside the palace walls.” He ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “I need to find out who infiltrated my security team and who is spreading rumors about my health in the hopes of destabilizing my government. I don’t know who to trust, Mandy. Which is why I brought you here. First, I need a wife and you seemed like the perfect solution,” he explained, his eyes intense as he looked into hers. “The more we talk, the more convinced I am that you are the solution.”

Mandy heard the words and her heart pounded against her ribs. His word choice seemed…odd. As if he were trying to tell her something, but she was too flustered to understand. So she relied on her professional training. It was all she had at the moment.

“I’m honored that you are willing to trust my investigations, Your Highness.”

An impatient hand sliced through the air. “Would you please call me Zahir? I have to hear every damn person within this place call me ‘Your Highness’ but it sounds wrong when you say it.”

Mandy reared back, startled by his request as well as by the vehement tone. “I…I don’t…think that would be professional, Your Highness.”

He chuckled, and this time, there was a great deal of amusement in the sound. “I don’t want professionalism, Mandy. Not between us. I want…” he paused, his head tilting slightly as if he were choosing his words carefully. “Authenticity,” he finally finished. Then nodded firmly. “No, that’s not exactly right, but I’ll settle for authenticity for the moment.” He rubbed his forehead slightly, then looked at her again. “Will you give me that? For now?”

Mandy still didn’t understand what the “for now” implied, but she smiled and nodded. “Yes, Your…Zahir,” she replied. “If using your first name enhances your trust in me, then yes, I’ll give you that.” Her smile shifted to a grin. “It’s the least I can do.”

He laughed and the tension that had been sparking and flaring between them seemed to settle down to a mere zinging. “I’ll take that. For now.” He turned and walked over to a table. Hefting a heavy stack of files, he turned to look over his shoulder at her. “Can you come here so I can explain this?”

“More women you want me to investigate?” she asked, walking over to the couch. She tried to hide her trepidation at being so close to him, but when his large body sat down next to her, she could feel the heat radiating from his thigh. Because his shoulders were so wide, Mandy had to shift her own shoulders so that he wasn’t touching her. Although she had to admit that it was very tempting to lean into him and just…perhaps let her shoulder brush against his. Just for a moment, she thought. What would that feel like?

She didn’t do it, of course. That would be embarrassingly unprofessional, she admonished herself silently in her head.

He was speaking, Mandy suddenly realized. And looking at her expectantly. She stared back at him, having absolutely no clue what he’d just said.

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