Page 44 of Zero Hour

“Patrick, I’m scared.” It was the first time she’d admitted it.

His fingers tightened around hers. He held her there for a beat too long before exhaling sharply and pulling back, clearing his throat. “We’ll protect you. If anything happens, we’ll get you out.”

“How?” Her voice cracked. She blinked, trying not to cry, but the fear was suffocating her.

“Trust me. We’ll know.”

Her voice dropped. “Are you listening in? Can you hear what they say?”

He shook his head.

“What then? A camera?”

His jaw popped.

She gave a little gasp. “Youhavegot a camera inside the property.”

He hesitated for a long moment, then nodded. “Only in the living room.”

“Oh, God. You saw what happened with Amir? His panic attack?”

“I saw you talking to him, yeah.”

She could tell by his stormy gaze he wasn’t pleased.

For some irrational reason, she felt she had to explain. “He begged me. They man was in pain. Besides, I wanted Riad to see Amir needed me.”

“Did it work?” He stared at her intently, as if trying to read her mind.

She sighed. “No. Riad hates me. In fact, he nearly caught me in Amir’s study.”

Patrick’s eyebrows shot up. “You got into his study?”

She nodded. “He left it unlocked after his panic attack. That never happens, so I took a chance and had a snoop around.”

He gave a low whistle. “Did you find anything?”

“Only this.” She pulled out the crumpled note and slid it across the table. “It was in the trash. I don’t know what it says, it’s in Arabic, but the word is underlined three times, so I figured it was important.”

Patrick stared at the note. “I know a little Arabic.”

“What does it say?” she asked.

He let out a sharp breath. “It says,Saturday.”

A chill ran down her spine. “You think that’s significant?”

His voice was edged with steel. “I think it’s the date of an attack.”

CHAPTER 17

Pat snapped a photograph of the sticky note and sent it to Anna.

Across from him, Jasmine trembled, her slender frame rigid with tension. He’d never seen her look so vulnerable, or so beautiful. Her jade-green eyes gleamed, bright and raw. A telltale sign of stress. Her lower lip wobbled slightly as she spoke, and for the first time, he noticed how lush it was. How full and sensual. A sudden, unwelcome urge to taste it hit him.

Goddamn. Where the hell had that come from?

He tore his gaze away, forcing himself back to the conversation.

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