Page 38 of The Sheik's Pretend Fiancee
Damn it, he was going to embarrass himself if he didn’t get control of his thoughts! He looked around, realizing that everyone at the table was waiting expectantly for him to start the meeting.
“Gentlemen,” he greeted each in turn. He wished Aziz was here to listen in. He hoped his friend and bodyguard was okay. He’d have to give him a call after this meeting, to check on him. If the man was feeling well enough, Tiro would update him on this briefing. “What have you learned?”
The man in a tan suit and dark brown tie opened a file and slid a picture toward Tiro. “We spoke with several of the hotel employees and we were able to ascertain that this man,” he pointed to a grainy, black and white picture, “is the man who came to the security office the following morning. He’s the onewho intimidated the security guards into giving him a copy of the video, Your Highness.”
Tiro frowned at the image, then looked at the next photo. It was of the same man, but at a different angle. He picked the photo up and stared hard at it. Aziz. But it would make sense that his friend was there, working with the security guards at the hotel. Aziz would have gone to the security office to keep the video from going out to anyone else. He would have been there to protect Ginisia’s interests.
“Who else obtained the video footage from the security office?” Tiro demanded, tossing the photos back onto the conference table.
“As far as we could determine, no one else entered the security office that day other than the normal hotel staff. And according to their system, only one download was made of that time period, Your Highness.”
These men were implying that Aziz was the person who released the video of his kiss with Angela to the world.But…no! That was impossible! He forced hisspiraling thoughts to work through the details, to demand more information. Tiro simply couldnot believe that his friend would do this!
“Then who hacked the security feed from outside?” he demanded.
The man in charge looked intense, his eyes serious as he explained, “We’ve gone through the hotel’s security system from five different angles. We’ve found twenty different breeches, but the only person who was interested in that time period in that specific area of the hotel was this man,” the leader explained, tapping the photo.
What the hell was going on? Histhoughts went back to the saddle incident.And the food this morning? Or yesterday, actually.
His stomach tightened as several puzzle pieces came together. He’d walked into this conference room thinking Aziz’s suggestion about the lithium didn’t make sense. But what would make sense was if Aziz had released the video to humiliate Angela, or the Lativa government, since Angela’s father was in charge of the Lativa economy. And yesterday’s saddle problem…was Aziz responsible for thatas well? Was he trying to hurt Angela for some reason?
“We haven’t been able to ascertain who this man is or who he works for, Your Highness. But we’ll continue to investigate until we have more details.”
Tiro laced his fingers together and went silent, staring at the table, but he wasn’t seeing the grain of the polished wood. His mind was working through the puzzle pieces, trying to make sense of everything.
Why would Aziz be against Angela’s presencehere in Ginisia? What would make him hate a woman he didn’t even know? Angela hadn’t done anything to harmAziz.In fact, Aziz didn’t have any…!
Tiro stopped, thinking back to ten years ago. He and Aziz had been in the military together and his friend had been telling a story about…what had the story been about?Aziz had mentioned an older brother who hadalso been in the military. No, not the military, the brother had been in another branch of the Ginisia government. A secret organization that…he’d have to look into it. But from what Tiro could recall, Aziz’s brother had been killed during a mission more than twenty years ago.
He made a decision, one that he sincerely hoped he wouldn’t regret. But it had to be done, he knew.
“Gentlemen,” he looked around and nodded to the woman, “and ladies, I need you to continue your investigation, but with a slight shift.” And then he explained the other incidents and how he needed them tocontinue to investigate in absolute secrecy. “I need answers in days, not weeks or months,” Tiro emphasized.
And in the meantime, he would ensure Angela’s safety. Even if he had to protect her with his own life.
Plus, he knew exactly how to best ensure her safety. He could just keep her in his bed. Then he considered a plan, certain activities that might bring the real culprit to light.
Standing up, he nodded to the group, then left the meeting. They had their orders and Tiro knew that they would be conducted with efficiency and professionalism.
Chapter 27
“You’re…really going to get a manicure?” Helen asked, her mouth agape as she stared at Tiro as he stood in the spa area of the palace. “That’s…odd.”
He walked over to Angela and, ignoring palace protocol, braced his hands on her chair and leaned in, giving her a soft, almost innocent kiss. “Are you okay?”
Angela smiled, her lips tingling as she replied, “I’m fine,” her smile widened as he kissed her again. “And getting better by the moment.”
Did he understand what she was telling him?When he pulled back, he winked at her, indicating that he understood completely. He moved over to an empty salon chair and waited.
The salon artisans stared at him with open-mouthed horror. “You…want a manicure, Your Highness?” one asked. They all looked suddenly nervous. But the possibility of Tiro wanting his nails done shouldn’t be that weird. Many world leaders had their nails done, especially when they would be in the public’s eye. The world had become a very judgmental place with observers picking the smallest detail to criticize.
The nail artisan stepped forward, visibly terrified of making a mistake. “It will be fine,” Tiro assured her. The woman smiled weakly, then picked up her tools and started working on his cuticles.
The ladies returned to their previous conversation, chatting about other spa offerings that they preferred and it turned out to be an extremely lively and informative conversation, with even the nail artisans offering their input.
When it was all over, Angela had beautiful red finger and toenails, while Tiro had clean, neat cuticles and perfectly shaped nails.
“Excellent!” he told the woman and thanked her. Then he turned to Angela. “And now, I’m afraid that I’m going to have to risk your relatives’ wrath, because I’m going to beat you on the mat.”
