I Married a Sheik (15 page)

She managed to glare at him. "Yes,
dear.
" Her teeth hurt from clenching them together. "Very suddenly." She glanced at his parents, then forced herself to smile. "So suddenly it even took me by surprise."

"I apologize, Father, but I'm sure you can understand." Ali spoke slowly, carefully, not wanting to arouse his parents' suspicions. "Faith and I wanted a chance to have some privacy in order to make certain of our decision." He smiled to take any sting out of his announcement, holding on to Faith's hand tighter to get her to stop struggling to get free.

"This is, as you know, Mother, a very important decision in my life, one I do not take lightly, and we wanted to just keep it to ourselves for a brief time, to give ourselves some time to get to know each other, to—"

"I understand, Ali." His mother glanced at her husband, her eyes filled with love. "Even though our marriage was arranged by our families, when your father and I became engaged, we went off together to simply have some time to get to know each other. It was a most wonderful time."

"Yes, son." His father's smile flashed. "This is a wise and smart thing for a young couple to do. Marriage is a very serious matter and must be undertaken with great care and consideration."

"I am so glad you understand, Father," Ali said.

"But of course, son." Omar grinned broadly at him, then at his wife. "We understand perfectly."

Omar turned to Faith, his eyes soft, his smile welcoming as he touched his hand to her cheek in such a loving, unexpected gesture, he stunned her.

"Dear one, my wife and I are honored to know that you will be joining our family and look forward to getting to know you better. We will welcome you into our home and into our hearts as our daughter and hope that one day you will love us as our son does."

"Oh." Faith's free hand went to her mouth. "What a lovely, lovely thing to say." Tears burned her eyes and she had to swallow around the lump in her throat.

They simply, automatically, accepted her, welcomed her, included her as one of them. It was unbelievable, and touched her fragile heart. In her whole life she'd never felt like she belonged anywhere, but in the space of just a few moments, Ali's parents had made her feel welcome, made her feel as if she
belonged.
Here, with them. As part of their family.

And she realized it was a wonderful, incredible feeling.

There was unadulterated joy radiating from both of them, joy that their son had finally found a mate, so how on earth could she hurt them?

How could she tell them that their only son, their pride and joy, was a lying, conniving snake in the grass, without a shred of decency or honor? A man who thought nothing of lying to the parents who adored him?

She couldn't, she realized sadly. She simply couldn't break his parents' hearts.

No matter how angry she was at Ali, or how she felt about his ridiculous lies or actions, his parents did not deserve to be hurt. And she would
not
be the one to hurt them.

However, hurting their son just might be a possibility. She tried again to tug her hand free from Ali, then realized it was probably a good thing he held her hand still or she'd probably strangle him. That'd no doubt change his parents' feelings for her!

"Faith dear." Tibi's eyes gleamed with humor. "I am thrilled with the bride my son has chosen to bring into our family." Tibi laughed. "But I must warn you, you are a brave woman to take on my son."

"Brave?" Faith cast a scathing look at Ali. "I'm not sure that's the right word for me at the moment."
Idiot
was the word that came to mind. How on earth did she ever let him put her in this situation?

"Like his father, he can at times be…a handful." Tibi leaned over and gave her husband an affectionate peck on the cheek. "But you will find, my dear, that in the end it will be worth it." Tibi tenderly wiped her lipstick off her husband's cheek. "You will find the men of our family to be very loyal, very loving and very, very stubborn."

"Well, I guess one out of three isn't bad," Faith said glumly, giving Ali another scathing look and making his parents laugh.

"Ah, see, Omar dear, she is learning already."

As the waiter hesitated, dinner plates in hand, then approached, Omar stood up. "Ah, your dinner has arrived. We shall let you eat in peace."

"No, please," Ali said a bit desperately, not certain he wanted to be alone with Faith right now. He was no fool; he knew when he was in trouble. "Why don't you stay. Please? Have a drink with us?"

"I need to freshen up," his mother said, patting her hair as she, too, stood up. "Eat your dinner, children, and then we'll join you in the lounge for a nightcap later." Tibi smiled at Faith. "I am anxious to get to know you better, dear. We have much to discuss. Wedding plans to make."

"Now, Mother—"

"Hush, Ali, this is between Faith and me." She patted her son's cheek. "I have waited a very long time to plan the wedding of my only son and I am very much looking forward to it." She glanced at her husband. "Shall we go up to our room and freshen up?"

"Fine. Fine." He looked at Ali. "Son, we are most proud of you on this day." He glanced at Faith in approval. "Most proud. You have honored me and your mother with your choice of a bride, and we could not be happier."

Feeling a bit guilty, Ali stood up and shook his father's hand. "We shall see you in an hour, then?"

"Yes." Slipping his arm around his wife's waist, Omar glanced back at Faith. "Enjoy your dinner, our daughter. We will join you a bit later."

Ali watched his parents weave their way through the crowded restaurant, wishing he was going with them.

He glanced at Faith, saw the stubborn set of her jaw, the fire dancing in those glorious green eyes, the way her arms were crossed over her delicate breasts.

Ali sighed, feeling a tremor of trepidation. He had survived many, many things in his life, dangerous things, and feared nothing.

Except the anger of a woman.

He sighed again. He may be a sheik, but when it came to the heated emotions of a woman, Ali knew not even he was a match.

Seven

Prosperino, California

S
hivering now as the night deepened, Emily swiped the back of her hand against her nose, then sniffled as she trudged along the shoulder of the highway, drawing her flimsy sweater tighter around her trembling body.

She was still in shock, her body drained from stark terror, her head pounding from crying.

Her knees ached from being crouched in the alcove for so many hours, and her empty stomach was rumbling, so she knew she'd been hiding in the alcove for a long time.

She had no idea how long, but she knew she had dozed off a few times, then awoken with a start, near panic when she realized what had happened.

It hadn't been a nightmare.

It was real.

Someone was trying to kill her.

She knew she couldn't stay in the alcove too much longer. The temperatures had started dropping at night, and she was dressed only in a pair of jean shorts, a T-shirt and a light sweater. The alcove was damp and cold, with a musty smell that made her nauseous.

In the echoing silence, pressed against the wall, she could hear the scurrying of night critters that burrowed under the sand. It only heightened her fear. Every sound seemed to echo loudly in her ears, making her nerves squeal ominously.

She couldn't stay in the alcove for much longer. And so she'd worked out a plan in her mind.

She'd wait until she was absolutely certain it was safe, then she'd make her way to the highway and hitch a ride—somewhere, anywhere. All she knew was that she couldn't stay here, not any longer.

She had to find someplace where she felt safe.

Only when she was certain it was clear had she slowly, carefully crept out of the alcove, checking in every direction to make sure the man hadn't waited, wasn't hiding or lurking about, waiting to grab her.

Now, forcing one foot in front of the other, she was drained and exhausted, and more than a little terrified. She had no idea what had happened tonight, no idea why anyone would try to harm her.

But she intended to find out.

Oncoming headlights had her scurrying deeper into the shoulder, stepping behind some brush so she could see, but not be seen.

Still jumpy, she had to make sure she was safe, had to make sure the person she hitched a ride with at least looked normal.

She'd never hitched before and that, too, brought its own nervousness, but she had no choice. She had exactly one dollar and forty-seven cents in her jeans. The movie tonight and pizza afterward had wiped her out.

She shook her head as she shielded her eyes from the oncoming headlights. The movie with her friends seemed like it was another lifetime ago. In reality, it was probably just a few hours.

As the vehicle drew closer, she could tell by the set of the headlights that it was a truck and a big one. This highway snaked through the entire state and was a familiar path for truckers hauling wheat to other parts of the state.

Emily sniffled, swiped at her eyes, then ran her hands over her tear-streaked face so that she looked as normal as possible.

After saying a quick, silent prayer, she stepped back out onto the shoulder, standing as close to the highway pavement as possible.

She stuck out her thumb, squinting as the headlights drew closer. The truck's horn wailed in the night, making her jump. But the driver slowed, and then finally pulled to a stop a few feet ahead of her.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Emily sprinted toward it, grateful when the passenger door opened. She glanced up into the smiling face of an elderly man.

"Well, hello there, little lady." He grinned, lifting his cap to scratch his white hair. "What are you doing out here all alone at this time of night?" He glanced around, as if looking for a disabled vehicle.

"I'm…I'm…" Emily swallowed. "I need a ride."

He nodded, replacing his cap. "Gathered that. Where you headed?" He glanced at the road ahead, then glanced back at her, a soft smile on his face. "I'm heading up near Wyoming, got a haul of hay to deliver by morning." He watched her shiver with a worried frown.

"Wyoming?" Emily's face brightened. Her adopted father, Joe, had grown up on a ranch in Wyoming. It seemed too good to be true.

"Yep. Then I'm heading home to the missus. Big party this weekend. The kids and the grandkiddies are all coming home. We're about to celebrate our fifty-second wedding anniversary." His eyes softened at the mention of his family, then he frowned as she shivered. "Lookee here, missy, it's too late and too cold for you to be out here all alone."

"I'm going to Wyoming, too," Emily ad-libbed, feeling as if someone actually was looking out for her. She rubbed her hands up and down her arms.

"Are you now?" He grinned. "Well then, why don't you ride with me a spell? You can keep me company. My name's Charley. Charley Roberts."

"I'm Emily."

"Just Emily?" he asked.

"Just Emily," she confirmed, and he nodded again.

"Okay then, Emily, let me come around and give you a hand up. It's a mite high, specially in the dark." He opened his door and climbed down out of the cab, walking around the front to help her in.

"Thank you, Charley, I appreciate this."

He chuckled softly. "It'll be nice to have the company. But I gotta warn you, I'll probably bore you to tears with stories about those grandbabies of mine." He nodded toward the dash. "You can see their pictures up there. Keep them right where I can see them all the time."

Feeling better for the first time in hours, Emily settled into the cab, sighing in relief as the warmth of the small space washed over her. She hadn't realized how cold she was until now.

She smiled when she caught the array of pictures of various children ranging in ages from babies to high-schoolers. Obviously Charley was a very proud grandfather.

The thought brought on a rush of sadness, and Emily blinked back another rash of tears. Family. It had always been so important to her, so essential, and now…Now she had no idea what was happening to her family.

To her mother.

Checking the highway for traffic, Charley paused before crossing in front of his cab, glancing at Emily through the windshield. Poor little thing. It was clear to see she was scared to death of something.

Or someone.

No doubt another runaway. Lordy, he thought with another sigh, what was the world coming to? Thank goodness he and the missus were done raising their brood. World was too scary to be raising kids nowadays.

He climbed up into the cab and settled behind the wheel, glancing in his rearview mirror before he pulled out.

"You know, Emily…" He turned to her, then smiled.

She was already fast asleep.

* * *

Prosperino, California

"What the hell do you mean she's not dead?" Meredith's voice hissed through the phone. "What the hell happened tonight? You said you were good, you said your plan was foolproof. I paid you good money, Silas, you bastard, and you blew it." Furious at this complication, Meredith blew out a breath, then dragged a hand through her still perfectly coiffed hair. "What the hell happened?" she demanded.

"She got away," Silas whined, swiping his damp palm down his jeans. "Guess she saw me before I had a chance to grab her. I was waiting in her bedroom, just like you told me, but she must have seen me, and she just took off."

"You idiot!" Nervously, she paced the length of the bedroom, glancing around carefully to make sure no one was around. She and Joe had returned awhile ago, from a day visiting with the El-Etras. Everyone was in for the night and the house was quiet. Still, that nosy housekeeper Inez was always sneaking around, listening, watching. It made her nervous. "Where the hell is she, then? She's not here."

"I don't know," Silas admitted, sniffling, then wiping his nose with the back of his hand. "She took off. I went after her, searched the grounds and stuff, but it was dark and I couldn't find her. I think she hid somewhere."