Page 61 of Defenders of Jawhara

Talib gave his ruler a nod and a smile. “Understandable. I will be in contact as soon as the American contractors have coms set up. You have the frequencies they will be transmitting on. If anything changes, please let Brett know. He will be running lead on the stationary team until Slade arrives.”

“Godspeed, my friend. I will expect to see my fiancée at your side when you return.”

Talib took that as a dismissal and quickly left Kamal’s quarters. He had a job to do and was anxious to get moving.

When he found PJ, she had just finished gathering up her gear, and she filled him in on her conversation with Slade and the final preparations with her teammates.

“Slade said he’d already spoken with Sheikh Kamal. The rest of the team left the palace twenty minutes ago via helo headed for the drop zone inside Sumari. They will contact us once coms are established.”

As she spoke, she was trying to figure out how to don the headscarf one of the palace maids had procured for her.

Talib watched her struggle with the fabric, hiding his grin as she became more frustrated with each failed attempt.

Her long blonde hair was so soft and silky that the thin fabric slid right off each time she lifted it over the crown of her head. Coming up behind her on silent feet, he stopped the fabric’s descent, pressing his body close against hers as he lifted it back in place.

“Allow me,” Talib said softly as he reached over her shoulder to take the remaining fabric from her hands.

PJ released the hijab, not even protesting when he spun her around to face him, and he proceeded to expertly wrap the fabric around her forehead and drape it around her shoulders. He was intent on adjusting the fabric and was surprised when she lifted a hand to the scar that ran from his right temple down to his jaw. She traced a single finger down its length.

“What happened here?”

Talib closed his eyes at her soft touch, forcing his body to hold still and his hands to remain where they were. Opening his eyes, he met her gaze, shocked to see the compassion in them for an injury he had suffered as a child.

“Nothing life threatening, I assure you. A foolish stunt undertaken by a young man who should have known better. Khalil and I attempted to emulate one of your rodeo acts—calf roping. Unfortunately, the young cow we were attempting to rope headed for the fence. I was so focused on holding onto the animal, I didn’t see the fence until I had been rammed head first into it.”

PJ smiled at him. “Good thing you weren’t trying bull riding.”

Talib laughed. “A very good thing. Now.” Talib took a step back from her and gestured for her to twirl for him. “Very nice. The only thing you must remember is to keep your face down when facing others. Your eyes give away your heritage.”

PJ nodded. “I’ll remember. Is everything else ready?”

“Yes. We should go. I would like to be on the road back to Jawhara before the other team makes contact.

“We are tracking the two figures we spotted earlier via satellite. They are still more than ten miles from the Sumari border, and both figures were last seen walking.”

“Is that healthy for Miss Malone?” PJ asked. “You said she’s been sick.”

“I don’t think any of this is healthy for her. The faster we make contact and can get her away from the kidnapper, the better.”

PJ nodded. “I’m ready. Let’s go find her.”

Talib escorted PJ from the palace and to the waiting vehicle. Two of his most trusted security personnel would be escorting them to the border and returning the vehicle to the palace. Sheikh Kamal had authorized an appropriate gift be given to the nomads for their assistance, and the crates and coolers of produce and meat had already been loaded into the back of the vehicle.

Talib took his position in the front passenger seat of the vehicle, but only after assuring himself that PJ was comfortably installed in the back seat. The second man would act as the sentry, maintaining an armed lookout during their journey.

“How long will it take us to reach the border?” PJ asked.

“About forty-five minutes.”

“Okay.” PJ hid her yawn behind her hand.

Talib watched the tiredness sweep into PJ’s eyes. He knew she had to be exhausted. She and the other contractors had arrived in Jawhara in the predawn hours. When word had reached them that a convoy was headed to the refugee camp, along with Miss Malone, the team had volunteered to go along before getting any much-needed rest. That had been twelve hours ago.

He softly spoke to her. “Take a short nap.” When she started to argue, he cut her off and insisted, “I need you to be alert once we get there. I can see the tiredness in your eyes. Take a nap. I will wake you when we arrive.”

He could tell that she wanted to argue some more, but the urge to give in and close her eyes was too strong to ignore. Nodding, she gave him a brief smile and then leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes.

Talib watched as her breathing evened out and knew that she was asleep. Even a short nap would be beneficial to her, and they both needed to be ready for anything out there. Once they started on their trek back to Jawhara by camel, they would be all alone in the desert.

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