Page 21 of The Sheik's Vow

“She?” Ethan spit out. Then he laughed, shaking his head at the thought of hiring a woman. “Women don’t have the intelligence to find anything beyond a needle and thread!”

The man froze. The look Ethan received was stunned surprise. Slowly, the man looked around at the other desks in the openoffice. Sure enough, several women were frozen in place as well, staring at him with unhidden fury.

Ethan turned away from the women, his hands itching to discipline those insolent females. Not only were they glaring at him instead of bowing their heads in submissive service, they were outside of the home instead of taking care of their families. Or bent over, servicing him!

Standing up, he shook his head. “I won’t need your contact in Bidar. I will find someone who has the intelligence to assist me and finish this mission.”

With that, Ethan stood up and left the office without a backward glance. He should probably demand a portion of his money back. After all, the contract was to find Kaia and the PI hadn’t done so.

But Ethan couldn’t stand to be around disobedient women. It was as if the women were tainted with their filth and if he went back inside, he would be contaminated.

He’d find a private investigator in Bidar in the same way that he found this one in Pitra. With his own intelligence and determination!

Chapter 13

Kaia stood outside of Riaz’ office doorway. He’d said he could help her with this jittery feeling, so she was going to take him up on his offer of assistance.

“Are you going in?” Riaz’s assistant asked, more curious than irritated by Kaia’s hesitation.

She glanced at the man, then rubbed her sweaty palms down her jeans. She was becoming thoroughly sick of these jeans. Yes, they were cleaned every night. But the other women working in the palace’s administrative offices were glammed up in impressive business suits or fashionable dresses. They all wore heels and makeup, did their hair in sophisticated styles.

Kaia had never bothered with makeup, except for the nights when she and Tara had played with the stuff just for fun. They’d done up their faces in gaudy colors and drew lipstick well outside the lines of their lips, just to make the other laugh. It had been more clownish than artistic.

“Yes,” she whispered. “Yes, I’m going in.”

The guard opened the door and Kaia reached down to touch Dibi’s fur. He snuffled her hand a bit, letting her know that she was going to be okay. Or maybe he was thanking her for the attention?

As soon as the door opened, Riaz looked up from what he wasreading, his dark eyes sharpening as he looked at her standing in the doorway.

“Kaia? What’s wrong?” Riaz demanded, tossing the papers he’d been reading onto his desk. He stood up and rushed around the desk to take her hands in his. “Tell me what’s wrong, love.”

Kaia took a deep breath and stared down at their mingled hands. His grip was firm but gentle. She knew that she could pull away if she needed to. That was the reminder that she needed and Kaia breathed easier.

Looking up at him, she swallowed hard. Then felt Dibi pressing his body against her leg. Support. The dog wasn’t just a guard dog. He was an emotional support animal. What a sweetie!

“Would you…sit down, so I can talk to you?” She felt his grip on her hands loosen. “Please?”

“Tell me you’re okay,” he urged, releasing her hands, but without moving to sit down.

“I’m okay,” she replied. “I’m not hurt.” That was a clarification. She wasn’t “okay”. In reality, she felt as if she might explode. “I need a favor. And I can’t ask you for this favor when you’re towering over me like this.”

Riaz’s eyes searched hers for a moment, but in the end, he nodded slowly. She saw the muscles in his jaw tighten and knew that he was upset, but wasn’t sure why.

Maybe, this was a bad idea.

He was striding over to the leather sofa when he stopped and looked at her. “I know how I can help, if you’d just–”

“Please?” she whispered, and he stopped. That muscle in his jaw flexed and Kaia tensed, praying that he would listen to her.

He sat, but she could tell that he didn’t like the passive role. Kaia almost laughed at the situation, but she was too tense, just thinking about what she was aboutto ask him.

“Kaia, if you’d just–”

She lifted her hands while her eyes pleaded with him to stop speaking.

“Riaz, I…need a favor and…it’s hard for me to speak. So, if you could just…?”

“Fine,” he grumbled, sitting down and leaning his elbows on his knees as he waited impatiently for her to explain this favor.

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