Page 1 of Shâhzâdeh

CHAPTER ONE

Strategies

XERXES

FUNNY HOW LIFE will humble you.

Because of the man I was and the family I came from, there were too many people who would look at me and assume I was a man who would never have a bad day.

I was wealthy.

My parents were crazy about each other.

I was a part of a brotherhood that would ensure I was always protected no matter what.

I had the type of power and connections that governments wished they had.

And I was a prince.

Funny how that last title was the least impressive to me. And to the woman that I was crazy about.

This woman showed me that all the moves I was making internationally didn’t mean a damn thing because I had no one to ground me. No home to center me and no one that was waiting to love me unconditionally. Outside of my parents of course. But the love they had between them was something I was born from but would never be a part of. I had to find that for myself.

And with one look at Vanya Kennedy I knew I would find it in her. My father told me that it was the same way he’d felt about my mother. I thought I would eventually marry, much like my friends. But it wasn’t something that had been at the forefront of my mind. The idea was there, but the action to make it happen wasn’t high on my list. Until I saw the flame-haired maid of honor at one of my brother’s weddings. Her skin was like looking at butter pecan ice cream with freckles sprinkled over her face. Her hair was the brightest of reds and golds symbolizing the power she unwittingly already held over me. In Islam, there is the concept of souls finding one another from a past life, making you feel that instant attraction. I’d felt it with her. An intensity of emotion that I couldn’t put a name on outside of possession. Devotion. The knowledge that I would do whatever necessary so that she would agree to share her life with me.

The battle to win her heart would be harder to scale than Annapurna. But I’d risk the 27% death rate if it meant I had a 73% chance of winning her love.

“Boss?”

A familiar voice cut into the drift my mind always seemed to do. Only it wasn’t an aimless one. No. The direction was always focused on her.

Only her.

I shifted in the back of the SUV I was riding in, trying to adjust my body to this latest time zone. Lebanon to Ireland to New York and now Texas. Not a state I was wholly unfamiliar with, but one I didn’t have plans to enter. Not until my hand was forced. And there was nothing more that I hated than someone else’s bullshit interrupting my fucking plans.

My thoughts had been to head toward Vanya to get back on the path of trying to get her to see that we were a match. Perfect for one another. Her sweetness to my hardness. Her timidity to temper my boldness that at times bordered on arrogance. The heat felt on and the pull to her indescribable. But I was still dutiful and handled family business for both families. Hearing this latest news, I was regretting the deal I’d secured to help one side of my family.

“What is it, Shoaib?”

Shoaib had been my guard for longer than I could remember. He was always by me, by edict of my father’s family. Quentin, who was driving, was the man I’d hired to ensure that my back was always protected as well as my front.

“Ve’re almost at zhe ranch.”

He was giving me the warning to force me to get my head in the game. Too often I was the person who would kill first and worry about discovering the information someone held never. In my mind, if an idiot that had to die held the knowledge, surely it wouldn’t take much for me to find out what it was. But someone’s life was at stake and I hoped I wasn’t getting here too late to prevent any damage from being done.

“Good, I need to work out my stress.”

I straightened the heavily embroidered sleeve of my thobe. It was more for impressing others than actual utility. I was pissed that I was going to potentially get blood on the gold embroidery, but hopefully I’d be able to keep it off. Thankfully, the material was black, but that was only a slight consolation.

Three SUVS crept into the back gate of a horse facility that had obviously seen better days. The gate wouldn’t secure a toddler let alone a race horse. The path was only lit by the headlights of the car in front of us, another sign that neglect was happening. A horse stable needed to be lit on the outside. The cargo inside was far too precious to not have the type of security that would rival a bank vault. But this place? I could have stolen everything they had of value, which was probably only the buildings, within an hour and none would be the wiser.

The roadway was muddy, besides it being unguarded. The foliage was overgrown and the road hadn’t been tended. Attempting to have a horse on this terrain was begging for one of them to have their leg snapped. I was pissed that anything with my name attached to it was being housed in conditions so poor.

I reached under my seat pulling out my favorite tool, which caused both of my guards to glance at each other then back at me. Because I didn’t reach for my guns, they knew what type of time I was on and I could tell they were more than happy about it.

“Is that how we’re doing it?” Quentin was trying to keep the humor out of his voice, but I could still hear it. It gave me a slight smile despite the anger I was feeling at the situation.

I sighed watching the metal catch the faint light as we pulled closer to the facility. “I’m very displeased. And since I’m sure I know who’s in here with him, they deserve the death that they will receive on this blade.”

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