Page 19 of Death and Desire

“What are you planning over there?” Father’s voice echoed from the head of the table.

Violet turned to him with a smile. “Dina was telling us about a lovely tour on the Nile. I asked her to make reservations.”

Father’s brow furrowed. “Is your brother joining you?”

She turned expectantly to Isaac, who blanched but nodded. “Yes...and David too.”

David half choked beside her. She pinched his arm.

“Sounds delightful,” he croaked.

“Very well,” Father said. “Ah, I forgot to mention. I hired someone to accompany you and ensure your safety as you explore Cairo.”

“You hired someone?” Violet’s pulse pounded with irritation. “I am more than capable of taking care of myself. And I have David and Isaac toprotectme.”

“He will also be your guide,” Father persisted.

“Dina is a perfectly adequate guide,” Violet argued, her irritation growing.

“This is not a debate, Violet. He will be here at nine tomorrow to escort you wherever you wish to go.” Templeton’s pointed stare silenced the protest on her tongue.

Whatever remained of her good humor vanished as he turned back to his guests, as if their conversation had never transpired. She inhaled deeply, trying to quell her rising frustration. Isaac offered a halfhearted smile.

Dina rested a hand on Violet’s shoulder. “It’s not so bad,” she murmured with a kind smile.

A stiff smile stole across Violet’s lips as walls slowly pressed inward. Her chest ached with the pressure of confinement. Blinking back tears, she inhaled to steady herself, but she needed fresh air. A way to clear her mind and center herself before she made a scene.

With a muttered excuse, Violet pushed away from the table. Determined to collect herself, she retreated to the hotel lobby in search of a quiet place to think. If she went to her room, not only would her father find her but her brother would as well.

Keeping her gaze fixed on the floor, she took steady, measured breaths as she wove through the guests and slipped out to the garden she’d admired from her room. Moonlight shone down from overhead.

Sparsely lit, the garden lay shrouded in shadows with strings of sparkling lights strewn across walkways leading deeper into the foliage. Violet sidestepped a wandering couples as she meandered along the path. When she spied a small bench at the base of a palm tree, she went to it, hoping to steal a few moments of fresh air and silence.

A flicker of movement in the bushes beside the bench drew her up short. She paused, leaned her hand on the trunk of the tree, and peered into the bushes.

Familiar golden eyes met hers. She jumped back as the dog emerged from the darkness.

“Oh, you’re still here, are you?” Violet dropped her hands to her sides before glancing around. “Where is your master?”

With a snort, the dog shuffled around the tree and trotted down the path.

“Wait.” Violet followed, hoping to reunite the dog with its owner. “Come back here.”

The dog vanished from sight.

Violet stomped her foot. With a heavy sigh, she scoured the foliage. “Damn it.”

“Is something wrong?”

Panic and hope infused her at the familiar voice. She turned to find Khalid standing on the path behind her.

“You again.” Violet huffed. “Everything iswrong.”

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

“What are you doing here?” she asked. “Are you a guest?”

“In a manner of speaking.” He inclined his head, then regarded her for a moment. “You are upset.”

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