Page 156 of Defenders of Jawhara

“Sheikh Kamal and his wife, his brother Khalil, and his wife have all left for their island retreat in the Mediterranean. The media was, at the time, busy touring new refugee camps for those coming into Jawhara to escape unrest in our neighboring countries. As far as the world is concerned, His Royal Highness and his family are all still ensconced in the palace,” Talib announced.

Trent leaned forward. “Who’s heading up their security detail?”

“We are,” Brock chimed in.

“I asked PJ to accompany them, but she refused to leave, saying her absence as well would be most suspicious. I was forced to agree with her,” Talib added.

"But that only leaves Keira to keep track of both cousins. Is that wise?” Slade asked.

“We have enough guards with us, and Maela insisted on coming along to make sure Erin ate properly, and she’s far more protective of the sheikha and the future crown prince than the security staff combined,” Brock informed them as he chuckled. “Dude, we really should consider putting her on payroll.”

Slade frowned and Trent knew that this was more than a job for him. Both Kam and Kale were his friends. “What do we know about the flights scheduled to come into the country?”

Talib glanced down as if checking his tablet. “A couple private planes are requesting permission to land an hour after you touch down. One belongs to one of our ministers, but we were unaware that he had left the country, and the other is new to Jawhara. I am awaiting additional intel on the passengers on both jets.”

“Do you need any assistance?” Slade asked.

Talib looked grim. “I will touch base with Bethany, if I need further assistance. I have requested CCTV coverage, if available, from where the flights originated to compare to the manifests that I am expecting.”

Trent swapped stares with Travis. What had he gotten Chloe into? He had a feeling it was only going to get worse from here on out.

18

“Talib, be prepared to inspect the passengers and the cargos on those planes,” Slade said. “We still don’t have a complete list of all the players, so everyone is suspect until proven otherwise. The Guardians may expect Trent to fail—or maybe they set him up as a decoy. If Chloe talked—”

"She wouldn’t do that!” Trent argued, but Slade held up his hand.

“She might not have had a choice. Given that we just stopped her father from being moved, maybe they threatened her. We will move forward with the meet, but we also have to assume that you’ve been compromised and plan for contingencies,” Slade replied, and Trent fought the urge to argue.

“So, after we land, I will head to customs via the commercial terminal and get checked out by Rael Mehalel and make my meet with Al Shabib.” Trent also hoped he’d get a bead on Chloe so he could make sure she was safe.

“Actually, bro, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Trent’s head snapped up as he looked at his brother. “No offense, dude, but your head isn’t in the mission with your concern over your girlfriend.”

“So what do you recommend?” Slade asked.

“Well…as luck would have it, Trent has a better-looking twin brother who can take over while he sits this one out,” Travis offered as he grinned at him.

Shaking his head, he said, “No. No way. They’re expecting me. This won’t work.”

“Actually, I think that’s a good idea,” Slade chimed in. “Travis will take Trent’s place and you’ll be on surveillance.”

“And Chloe? What about her?” Trent cringed at the desperate tone of his voice.

Gesturing to the screen, he said, “Talib will circulate her photo to his team with orders to detain without harm.” Talib nodded in agreement. “But…” Slade paused, waiting for Trent to look at him. “This is exactly why your brother is taking your place. Our primary job is to stop the threats against the royal family and catch the people sabotaging Jewel Oil. Understood?”

“And Chloe’s what, collateral damage?” Trent rubbed the back of his head. “Look, I get it,” he started before Slade decided to pull him off the job entirely. “Job comes first, but if I see that Chloe is in danger, I will put a stop to it.”

“And if she’s working for them?” Slade asked, his jaw tense.

Trent huffed out a breath. “Then she’ll be arrested along with everyone else.”

Slade stared at him, as if he were trying to read his mind to see if he was being truthful. He seemed to like what he saw as he nodded. “Agreed. Now, what’s next?”

They spent the next thirty minutes outlining different contingencies when Brock’s phone chimed with a text. “Looks like some of our feelers in Bashiria have paid off. A distant cousin, a widow by the name of Amalia, has made a sizable withdrawal to the tune of two million.”

“I know her,” Talib added. “She has been pushing the sheikh to promote her son, Zaid. He’s been working at Jewel Oil for two years as a geologist, but she wants him brought up to the executive level.”

“Any reason why he hasn’t been?” Slade asked.

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