Page 152 of Defenders of Jawhara

She swallowed. “This…thing between us. It was just a way to get information?”

“Yes. And no.”

She blinked. “That’s not helping. Trent, I want to believe in you, but…what do you know about my dad?”

A red stain spread over his cheeks. Chloe nodded. “Okay, you ran a check on me or looked me up online. You found out my dad used to drink. He doesn’t now. But when I was a kid…Trent, I grew up with him promising me everything. We’d take a trip. We’d have a great Christmas. He’d stop drinking. He lied and lied…and I found a guy just like him.”

“Sam,” Trent said, his voice soft.

Chloe stared at her coffee. It still hurt to talk about it, but she looked up and pushed the words out. “He promised…we promised. I’d wait for him. He’d come back. He never did. My dad finally sobered up after this last accident, but I’m done with liars. You didn’t just take my faith in you, Trent, you stole my faith in myself.”

“I’m sorry, Chloe. So very sorry. I would never want you to lose faith in yourself. You’re smart and funny and beautiful. That I could have done something like that…” He rubbed the back of his head and his hair stuck up all over the place.

Surging forward, he dropped down in front of her and took her hands in his. They were warm and strong, just like him. Chloe shook her head; she wasn’t going there. Not now. “What do you know about the people you work for?”

She tried to tug her hands free, but Trent held on, forcing her to look at him. “They’re a nonprofit intent on trying to save the world.” As she said it, Chloe realized how fake it sounded.

Trent squeezed her hands to get her attention and when he spoke, his voice was gentle, as if he were trying to calm a skittish colt. “They’re not all bad. But some of them are more interested in lining their own pockets than saving the world.” He let out a breath. “I’ve actually been to Jawhara. A couple of times now.”

“What?”

Trent nodded. Releasing her hands, he groped in his pocket for his phone and pulled it out. Tapping on the screen, he turned the phone around to show her an Instagram account belonging to a Shira Malone. Scrolling through the pics, Chloe saw what looked like wedding pics. There was one of two women, both redheads, in some sort of traditional dresses.

“The one on the left is Erin Malone. She’s married to Sheikh Kamal Mehalel El-Jawhara. And the one on the right is her cousin, Shira, who is married to the sheikh’s brother, Khalil. The brothers both met them while they were in DC on business, and it was love at first sight for them.” Trent chuckled. “Shira was onboard with Kale fast, but Erin took some coaxing. She thought the sheikh was a bit too heavy-handed, and she wasn’t wrong, but he also had his reasons.”

He reached out and tapped at a couple more pics as he spoke. “They’re good people. They’re loyal to their country, but there are traditionalists who think that the sheikh and his brother are too progressive. They don’t like that they both married Americans.”

Chloe had stopped looking at the photos and stared at Trent, so he took his phone back. “Someone within the Guardians is sabotaging their oil wells and disrupting their business, Jewel Oil. Yeah, these guys are rich, but this isn’t about looking after the rich. That company employs a lot of workers—families need that money. And what’s worse, the sabotage has led to injuries and a few fatalities. My company, Slade Security, is working to stop them before more lives are lost.”

Chloe flinched. That can’t be right. They must have the wrong company. “But…the Guardians only go after companies that are destroying the environment.”

“I’m not the only one who lied. From what we’ve been able to pull together, we think that the Guardians are being paid by someone in a nearby country, Bashiria, but we still don’t know exactly who is calling the shots.”

Chloe frowned. “I’m temping for a nonprofit that works for terrorists?”

“Yes—and no. We suspect there are only one or two people who are using the Guardians to make a lot of money under the guise of saving the planet.”

Chloe clutched her coffee mug. She needed to hang onto something, and that was all she had. “We? You and your brother? And the firm you work for.” She slumped in her chair. “I’ve been in California for a little over a month. I’ve been made a fool of, and the only job I was able to find is this, and the thought of going back in the ocean makes me want to puke.” She sucked in a deep breath. “I think I want to go back to Wyoming after all.”

15

Trent’s insides seized up. Leave? “Chloe, it’s not that bad. Besides, there is an upside.”

“I haven’t been mugged yet?”

“I have another job lined up for you, working for a man who I’ve known for years and respect as much as anyone I’ve ever known.”

He watched her stiffen. “I don’t want charity. And this…” She waved her hand at his place. “This was just to keep an eye on me?”

He took her hand. “No. I was genuinely worried about where you were living and knew you needed to get out of there. Plus, Mrs. W. is great to have as a landlady. And the job is real too. Slade Security has an opening for an office assistant. Slade needs someone who can answer the phones, arrange travel, send billing statements, and help keep the rest of us in line. He needs someone to help organize us all.” Trent smiled at her, but his stomach was still knotted. What if she said no? What if she walked out and headed back to Wyoming? He pressed his lips tight. If she left, he’d follow her, and that was that.

“I need some time to think about this.” She stood.

Trent stepped in front of her. There was just one way he could see to move forward—she had to step into his world. “Do you have a passport?”

Chloe shook her head. “Why would I need a passport?”

“Because I’m leaving for Jawhara first thing in the morning. I’ll have to pull some strings. That is, if you want to go, I want you to go. You can email the temp agency your resignation, and they’ll get a new receptionist in at the Guardians.”

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