Page 8 of Hiding in the Sheik's Arms

Nathan glared at the man. The guy wasn’t overly muscular, nor did Evan dress with any particular flair. He seemed like just an average guy. His suit wasn’t too expensive, nor did it seem cheap. His hair was brown, eyes a non-descript hazel, and he wasn’t too pale or too tanned. Everything about the man screamed average.

It was what lay underneath the bland suit that should terrify the world. The man had no scruples. Okay, neither didNathan, but at least, as a senator, Nathan had to at least pretend to be normal. There was nothing normal about Evan. Rabid was a better description for the merciless man.

The only reason Nathan wasn’t afraid of Evan was because of all of the evidence Nathan had compiled against him. There was mutually assured destruction, which made their “friendship” so easy going.

“Did I mention she was attached to a breathing tube?” Nathan snarled. “She only had one eye open!”

Evan chuckled. “I thought you kept your fists away from faces.”

Nathan rubbed his knuckles, remembering the soothing sensation of his fists smashing into Tasha’s beautiful features. As an excuse for his rage, he said, “I’d just found out that she’d recorded a private conversation.”

Evan’s grin widened. “And she threatened to take it to the press?”

Nathan shook his head. “No. She didn’t threaten me at all. That was part of the problem. I’d offered her money to destroy the recording. I’d offered her marriage and all the power that being my wife would give her.”

Evan snorted. “I can’t imagine why she’d decline the privilege of being your wife. It sounds so lovely.” His words dripped with sarcasm.

“Shut up!” Nathan snapped. “So, what the hell is this new lead you’ve found?”

“Lativa,” Nathan replied. “I found video of a woman fitting Tasha’s description going into a hotel that was interviewing candidates for a position with the Lativa government.”

Nathan blinked at his fixer. “Why the hell would she…?”

Evan gave Nathan a bland, irritated look. “Because she wanted to get as far away from you as possible?” Evan offered before Nathan could finish his question.

“But…I have business in Lativa! Hell, I’ve had dinner with sheik what’s his name!”

“Sheik Khal Al-Sintra,” Evan filled in.

“Whatever.” Nathan shuddered, looking away at the memory of the powerful leader. “The man’s a brute.”

Evan rolled his eyes. “The man is a brilliant strategist with enough money to crush you like a bug.”

Nathan grunted. “So, you think that Tasha is living in Lativa?” His anger and frustration eased as a plan started forming in his head.

“It’s possible. You gonna cover my expenses to find out?”

Nathan turned, one finger tapping thoughtfully against his upper lip. As he thought, he ignored his fixer’s impatient shuffling.

“Yes,” Nathan replied abruptly, spinning back to face the other man. “Yes, head over to Lativa and find out if she’s there. As soon as you have confirmation, let me know.” He did the lip tapping thing again, still thinking through the potential plan. “I’ll start getting things in place on my end.” He dropped his hands, leaning over his desk with a malicious smile on his features. “If she’s really living in Lativa, I’ll have an excuse to travel to that country already established.”

Evan stared at his employer for a long moment, trying to figure out what the hell the senator was planning. However, he couldn’t fathom all of the tedious machinations of politicaldrama the way Nathan King could. Politics was like a massive game of chess. There were moving pieces all over the “board” and one had to anticipate exactly how another player would move so that you could win. It required patience and a level of evilness that Evan simply didn’t have.

Actually, he had the patience. And the evilness. His job sometimes required him to out wait his prey. But his form of patience was vastly different. Evan considered himself to be more like a spider than a chess player. A spider didn’t need to wait for the other players to move their pieces. The spider simply waited for his prey to come into his web. Then the spider pounced.

Evan was an excellent spider. He just needed to find the right place to weave his web.

Chapter 6

“No!” Tasha gasped, staring at the news article that had popped up on her tablet. “This isn’t…!”

Tasha stopped the incoherent flow of words as she skimmed the news article. “She’s an evil witch!” she hissed. “And that woman…he’d hate her within a month of the wedding!”

“Who is an evil witch and who would hate whom within a month?” a deep voice inquired.

Tasha jerked to attention as Khal stepped into her office. She stood up so quickly, her office chair nearly tumbled backwards. “Your Highness! I thought you were in a meeting for another…” she blinked at the time on the corner of her computer monitor and realized that his meeting had ended five minutes ago. “I’m sorry!” she gasped. “I didn’t realize what time it was.” She gathered up the papers she’d been working on. “I made notes on the environmental issues for the new–”

“What were you reading before I walked in?” Khal interrupted, ignoring work for once as his firm lips pulled into a tight line.

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