Page 44 of The Sheik's Pretend Fiancee
Tiro wanted to keep him talking until his guards could be alerted. He had a panic button on his watch, but Aziz knew about it. Plus, the watch was on the bedside table, out of reach. However, the way Aziz was tracking Angela, moving around the perimeter of the room, Tiro hoped that he could eventually reach the watch. Just a few more feet and he could…!
“NO!” Aziz shrieked, eyes darting to the bedside table where the watch lay. “You’re not alerting anyone! They are under my command anyway. They wouldn’t dare try to stop me. They know, like I do, that she’s not right for you.”
Tiro understood what his former friend was saying. “Are you telling me that you’ve poisoned their minds about Angela?”
Aziz shrugged, backing toward the door to get a better angle. “I’ve only spoken the truth about her. Nothing more.”
“That would be a yes,” Tiro growled, the thought of wrapping his hands around the bastard’s throat flashing behind his eyes. He felt Angela’s fingers on his back, which was comforting. But he also knew his fiancée. She wasn’t going to stand by. Angela wouldn’t remain idle when someone needed help.
Unfortunately, Aziz was going in the wrong direction, damn him!
“Just…put her on the plane and be done with her!” the man demanded, then reached up to wipe the sweat from his brow. “Everything will be okay again.”
“No, I don’t think that’s going to–” he began. But a flicker of movement behind Aziz caught his eye.
Osman appeared in the hallway. His eyes widened as he took in the scene in the bedroom, then his face went blank. Before Aziz could figure out what had distracted Tiro, Osman stepped out of view. Tiro prayed his assistant would alert the guards. They should be just outside his apartment.
But before Tiro could fully process that hope, Osman reappeared…without his tablet. Instead, there was a massive marble statue in his hands. He lifted the heavy statue and slammed it down on the back of Aziz’s head. There was a grotesque thud, a flash of surprise in the former guard’s eyes, then Aziz crumpled to the floor in a heap.
Osman hurried out of sight briefly and then returned, tablet in hand. “Your Highness, your first meeting of the day is in,” he squinted at his tablet, then looked upat Tiro, “three minutes now.” Heeyed Tiro’s towel, which was still, thankfully, wrapped around his waist. “I will send assistance for this…situation,” he added as he frowned down at the unmoving Aziz. Then he continued, “Princess Angela, your pilot informed me that he is waiting for your arrival at the airport and I’ve informed air traffic control of your imminent departure.”
“She’s not leaving,” Tiro growled, kissing the top of Angela’s head. “She’ll be staying with me until the wedding.”
Osman’s expression brightened briefly before his usual bland expression returned. “I will inform the Lativa government about the change of plans.” With that, he stepped back just in time for thebodyguards to rush into the room. Ten of them piled in, staring down at Aziz, then at Tiro. Finally, five of them surrounded Tiro and Angela while the rest dragged Aziz out by his ankles.
Osman glanced down at the bloodstained carpet and a brief look of disgust flashed through his eyes before it, too, was hidden. “I’ll also inform the housekeeping staff that there is a mess.” Heturned back to Tiro. “How long do you expect this delay to take?”
Tiro chuckled, relief surging through him as he tightened his arms around Angela. “Give me ten minutes,” he said.
Osman nodded, then disappeared, pulling the door closed behind him.
There was a long silence after that. Angela pulled back, looking up at him. Tiro felt an ache deep inside of him, but also anger. “I’m so sorry that you were put in danger, love,” he said, cupping her cheek.
Angela smiled faintly and pressed her cheek to his heart as he wrapped his arms around her. “I’m sorry your friend betrayed you,” she whispered back.
Tiro hugged her close, grateful for her understanding. If he’d had any doubts about how much he loved her, this moment washed them away.
“You’re amazing,” he whispered, kissing her again.
“I love you!” She tightened her arms around his waist
Epilogue
Angela watched as her grandchildren played in the pool, smiling fondly.
“You okay, Mom?” her son asked, sitting down next to her.
She looked at Giro, her heart overflowing with love. “Have I ever told you how much you look like your father?” She sighed before she could stop herself.
He chuckled, rolling his eyes as his sister came over, carrying a squirming two year old on her hip. “All the time, Mom,” Sira replied, sitting down on her other side. “You miss him, don’t you?”
Angela ran a hand through her now-silver hair, smiling at all the memories she’d shared with Tiro over the past several decades. “Absolutely!” she replied.
“I still love the story about how you two fell in love in less than a week,” Sira said, reaching for the inflatable armbands that would protect her rambunctious daughter. “It’s unexpected, you now?Most people take it slowly in new relationships.”
Angela laughed. “You say that all the time, and yet,” she waved her hand over the four grandkids. “It all worked out in the end.”
Her daughter gave her “the look” and Angela laughed. “You do understand how rare it is to find someone you love so quickly, right?” Sira asked.
“And how weird it is that you miss him right now.”
Angela rolled her eyes at her son. “Oh, I didn’t trust your father at all when I first met him. But when our eyes met across the room during dinner that first night, I still remember the excitement that I felt.”
“You don’t remember the reason for the event,” Giro teased, “but you remember the way a guy looked at you?”
Giro’s beautiful wife came over to sit on his lap, handing him a bottle of beer. “Stop teasing your mother.Their love story is one of those amazing tales that always gives me hope.”
In that moment, Tiro stepped out through the double doors. He looked around and Angela’s heart raced when their eyes locked. It was still there, she thought. Even after so many years together, this man still made her heart flutter with anticipation.
That’s when he waved a small box in her direction. Immediately, Angela blushed because she knew what was in that box. Okay, so maybe not the exact contents, she mentally corrected. But she knew that it was some new toy that would drive her wild. Her husband was still just as strong and vital as he’d been when she’d spoken to him on that balcony, all those years ago. And life had onlygotten better and better!
