He trusted Michael with his life.
He trusted him with Jensen’s life.
“All right,” Henry said. “Just find her quickly before something happens to her.”
As Henry was led off, Michael turned to the rest of the men. “I want all of you to go into the city of Adjani, some in pairs, some of you alone, spread out and start asking questions. Did the minister give you Miss O’Hara’s description?”
The men all nodded.
“Time is critical. I don’t even know if she’s still there. Start on the outskirts of the city and work your way toward the center of the town.” He looked at Yusef who was still standing there. “I thought I told you to go with Henry.”
“No,” he said, his skinny arms folded across his chest. Then he looked down. “No, sir.”
“You’ve done well, Yusef, but there’s nothing more you can do. Go with Miss O’Hara’s brother.”
“I’m sorry to disobey, but I’m going with you. If you won’t let me, then I go to Adjani alone. She’s nice lady. I find her.”
Michael knew the kid was serious and he didn’t have time to argue with him. “All right. But you have to stay with me. I don’t want you taking off on your own.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And I want you out of Western dress.” He looked at Ali. “Do you have anything he can wear?”
Ali cleared his throat. “Miss O’Hara’s clothing—the robe and headdress. They’re in the car.”
Michael flinched inwardly, but no one looking at him would have known.
“Yusef, you go with Ali and put on the clothes. Once we arrive at Ahmed’s palace, stay out of sight until we’re inside the gates. Once Ali and I are inside the palace itself, you get out of the car and look around as much as you can around the outside of the building. If Jensen is there, she’s inside. Check windows. Do you have a watch?”
He proudly held up his wrist.
“Good. From the time we enter the palace, you take exactly half an hour to look around, then return to the car. Don’t be any longer than that. Understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Any questions?”
“What if someone sees me?”
“Behave as if you belong there. Don’t show fear or awkwardness under any circumstances.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Ali, once we’re inside, I want you to look around as much as possible. I’ll be with Ahmed. You make some excuse to be somewhere else. There will be guards, so your access will be limited and your appearance is much more conspicuous than Yusef’s. Just do what you can.”
He inclined his head.
“Let’s go.”
As Ali and Yusef climbed into one of the cars, Ali reached into the back seat for Jensen’s robe and headdress, and handed them to the boy. “Put these on.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And don’t talk to me.”
“Yes, sir.”
Michael took the lead with Ali right behind him.
They went straight back into the city and traveled within its walls to the outskirts where an elaborate palace sat regally on the edge of the desert. Michael was stopped at the gate by two armed guards.
As soon as they looked in the car window, they knew who he was and executed sharp bows.
“I need to see King Ahmed.”
One of the solders inclined his head toward the second car. “Who is he?”
“My bodyguard.”
“Of course. I’ll tell the king you’re here. He’ll wish to know what your business with him is.”
“I want to enlist his help in finding a young woman who recently disappeared from Adjani.”
Michael knew Ahmed well enough to understand that he’d find that kind of request too amusing to turn away, particularly if Yusef was right.
“And please apologize to him for the informality of my visit, but there’s no time to waste.”
“Yes, sir.”
Both soldiers, backs straight, marched away. While one stood at the gate, his gun at his side, the other went into a small booth and made a phone call.
Michael literally held his breath. Jensen was there. He knew it. He could feel it; feel her presence.
The soldier in the booth signaled the other. That one waved Michael and Ali through the gate.
Once inside, Michael, who had been there many times before, took the drive around to the other side of the palace and parked. A guard greeted them at the door.
“Your Highness,” he said with a bow. “I’m to show you into the living area. Sheik Ahmed will be with you soon.”
Ali and Michael followed the guard into a very Western-looking room.
“Excuse me,” said Michael before the guard could leave, “but would you please show my bodyguard where the bathroom is.”
“Of course. Follow me, please.”
Ali inclined his head toward Michael and followed the guard out.
That left Michael to pace helplessly while he waited for Ahmed.
Ahmed walked into Jensen’s room and sat on the edge of the bed staring down at her unconscious figure. “Well, well, it appears you’ve made friends in high places. I thought Michael’s rescue of you in the desert was a fluke, but apparently not.
Jensen’s eyes fluttered open. “What?”
“You seem to have bewitched the king of my neighboring country just as you bewitched me. Could Michael be the man you spoke of earlier?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“He is here, apparently, in an effort to enlist me in the search for you. How ironic is that, my dear?”
She tried to sit up. “Michael is here?”
Ahmed put his hand on her shoulder and shoved her back on the bed. “That’s right. But he’ll be leaving soon enough, assured of my concern and a generous offer of assistance.”
Jensen looked at him blurrily through heavylidded eyes. “What do you hope is going to happen? Do you think I’m going to suddenly fall in love with you?”
“Love isn’t a requirement for what I have in mind. But I feel confident you’ll come around.”
“You’re a pathetic man, Ahmed. I’ll never feel anything but contempt for you.”
His eyes narrowed. “You had better watch what you say and remember the power of the man to whom you are saying it.”
“What more could you possibly do to me? You’ve already stripped me of my freedom.”
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
She watched as he rose from the bed and went to a chest where a horribly familiar bottle of liquid rested.
“We had to get a new one, since you spilled most of the other,” he explained.
Jensen was feeling remarkably calm. Perhaps it was because Michael was nearby.
Perhaps she’d simply found her courage.
She just knew that something inside her had changed.
“Tell me, Ahmed, have you ever had a woman you didn’t have to kidnap and drug? I mean, one who liked you well enough to come with you of her own volition?”
He didn’t answer, but Jensen could see the anger etched in the lines of his profile and she reveled in it.
“I imagine the people who know what you’ve done—and there must be many—are laughing behind your back.”
“They wouldn’t dare,” he said angrily as he picked up the bottle and removed the cap.
Jensen had a plan. She was going to appear to drink the vile potion, then spit it out as soon as Ahmed left.
So this time, when Ahmed grabbed her hair to jerk her head back, Jensen gave him a token struggle so she wouldn’t arouse suspicion. He forced the bottle into her mouth and poured.
Jensen gave the appearance of swallowing. In fact, a little did trickle down her throat. But she held most of it in her mouth.
But Ahmed didn’t leave. He just sat there, staring at her.
“How stupid do you think I am?” he asked.
Jensen didn’t say anything. She couldn’t. Her mouth was full.
&nb
sp; Ahmed pinched her nose to cut off her air. Now Jensen really struggled, but with her hands and feet bound, there was really nothing she could do.
She swallowed for real.
Ahmed smiled victoriously.
Jensen fought to stay alert. Michael was here. If she couldn’t call to him, he’d never know. He’d leave without her.
But she could feel herself losing control of her body as her limbs grew weak and blackness enveloped her.
As soon as her body went limp, Ahmed screwed the lid back on the bottle and set it down. He sat staring at her, his gaze moving over each lovely feature of her face. What he was doing was completely irrational. He knew it. He’d never done anything like this in his life.
But he’d known the moment he saw Jensen that he had to have her. And this was the only way.
He reached out and touched her cheek. “Whether you want to believe it or not,” he said softly, “you will be mine, in body and soul. You will grow to love me.”
Rising from the bed, he took a last look back at her and left to meet with Michael.
Unbidden, unnoticed, tears rolled down her pale cheeks.
“Hello, Michael,” Ahmed said cheerfully when he walked into the room. “It’s been a long time. I’m sorry about keeping you waiting so long. So what exactly is it that you want to see me about?”
Michael watched his reactions carefully. “A missing American woman. Her name is Jensen O’Hara. She’s the sister of a friend of mine and she was abducted off the streets of Adjani. I need help to find her. I need your help.”
“Of course, of course,” he said in a friendly fashion. “Tell me what I can do.” He waved Michael into a chair.
Michael inclined his head toward Ahmed’s hand. There was a perfect set of teeth marks. “That looks painful.”
Ahmed looked at it and shrugged. “It’s nothing. A little accident. Now tell me exactly what you want.”
“I’d like you to have your men blanket the city to interview people about whether or not they’ve seen her.”
“Blanket the city. That’s a lot of manpower. What’s this woman to you?”
“I told you. She’s my friend’s sister.”
“And that’s all?”
“That’s enough. So will you help?”
“Absolutely. I myself am leaving the city for my other palace in less than an hour. But I’ll make sure men are dispatched immediately and I’ll have you updated as they report in.”
“Thank you.”
“If there’s anything else, don’t hesitate to ask. It’s important that we maintain the high level of cooperation between our countries that existed in your father’s time.”
“I agree.”
“Good.” He rose, indicating that Michael should rise also. “You’ll pardon me if I don’t walk you to the door. I have some arrangements to make.”
“Of course.”
Ali was waiting at attention outside the door when Michael stepped out. Wordlessly the two of them walked through the foyer and outside into the stifling heat.
“Well?” asked Michael under his breath as they walked.
“I saw nothing,” said Ali, “but I wasn’t allowed to move freely. The guard kept an eye on me.”
“She’s here,” said Michael. “I know it with every fiber of my being. She’s in that palace.”
“How can you be sure?”
“I can feel it. But more importantly, there’s physical evidence that Ahmed has had contact with her.”
“What evidence?”
Michael held up his hand where Jensen’s teeth marks had faded, but were still visible. “Ahmed and I have matching scars. Jensen has a way of leaving her mark on men who touch her without her permission.”
“What do we do now?” asked Ali. “If, as you believe, she’s in there, we can’t leave without her.”
“Go to your car. We’ll discuss the matter later when we meet outside the gates.”
Ali was clearly reluctant, but did as he was told.
“Your Highness,” said Yusef from the floor of the back seat of Michael’s car as soon as the door was closed.
“Did you see anything?”
“No, sir. And I went all the way around the palace.”
“I didn’t expect you would, but thank you for trying. Now I need you to do another service for me.”
“Of course.”
“Drive this car out of here for me.”
“What about you?”
“I’m going to be flying out.”
“How?”
“There’s no time to explain now. I want you to meet with Ali outside the gates—well outside the gates—and then I want both of you to return to my desert home. I’ll see you there. In fact, I’ll probably get there before you.”
“What about lady?”
“She’ll be with me.”
Yusef didn’t ask how that was possible. If his king said it was so, then it was so.
“Shouldn’t Ali stay with you?”
“No. The guards need to see two cars leaving. There will be no way for Ali to return unnoticed.”
“Perhaps Ali should stay and you should leave.”
“I’m a pilot, and that’s what is needed for this. Ali is not.”
Yusef nodded. “Still, I’m surprised he would leave you.”
“He doesn’t know it yet. And I’d appreciate your discretion in the matter for as long as possible.”
“Yes, sir.”
Michael looked around to see if anyone was watching. “Ready?”
“Yes.”
“You’re a fine young man, Yusef.”
Yusef beamed.
Michael climbed out of the car and Yusef instantly took his place behind the wheel. Ali, who had already turned his car around and started down the driveway, saw nothing.
Michael took a cushion from the back seat and put it under Yusef. “Much better,” he said. “Now be careful.”
“Yes, sir. Yusef is always careful.” The next moment, the car was in gear and following Ali.
Michael stepped away from the car and stared at the palace as he slipped on a pair of sunglasses to hide his blue eyes. He knew this palace well. He’d flown here many times over the years with his father and brother.
He’d played here as a child.
Jensen was in there.
His Jensen.
And he was going to get her out safely so she could come home to him.
A corner of his mouth lifted ironically.
Come home to him. That was impossible, of course. Jensen wasn’t his. She never could be.
Michael headed for the tarmac.
He had to admit it was impressive. Ahmed had done a good job of building an airport in the middle of nowhere. It must have cost him a fortune.
Ahmed and his family had always spent lavishly on themselves. Their palace had every accommodation one could think of. Their cars were only the best and their private fleet of jets and yachts would have made the richest of men proud.
Michael’s father had a tradition of giving back to his people through schools and special programs. That was the way Michael intended to handle things.
As he approached the large private jet waiting on the runway, he inclined his head toward the workers. In the robes, he looked like anyone and everyone.
The stairway into the jet was down.
Michael climbed aboard as though he belonged there and did a walk-through on the jet.
No one was there.
Then he went to the cockpit. The pilot was there, getting things ready for takeoff.
“What time are we leaving?” asked Michael.
“Who are you?”
“One of the passengers.”
The pilot nodded. “Probably in another fifteen minutes. Thirty at most.”
Michael stepped further into the cockpit.
The pilot looked up. “Is there something else?”
“Nothing important.” And with that, Michael reached out and grasped a pressure point on t
he man’s neck, rendering him almost instantly unconscious. Serving in his country’s air force had its advantages. He’d have to teach that one to Jensen.
Chapter Thirteen
A hand came down on Michael’s shoulder. He turned, ready to do battle, only to find Ali standing there in a white robe. “What are you doing here?”
“My job.” He inclined his head toward the unconscious pilot. “What now?”
“We hide him.”
“I’ll take care of that,” said Ali as he leaned over the pilot, picked him up and threw him over his shoulders as if he were a sack of flour.
“Make sure he’s bound and gagged,” said Michael. “He’ll be coming to in a little while.”
Michael slid into the pilot’s seat and began doing an instrumentation check.
As he sat there, the copilot arrived. Before anything could be said, Ali was behind him. He met the same fate as the pilot and was carried away by Ali.
As Ali returned to the cockpit and sat beside Michael, he touched Michael’s arm and inclined his head toward the tarmac. A long, black Mercedes was making its way toward the jet.
Michael stared intently at the car as it stopped near the stairs. Where was Jensen?
Sheik Ahmed and three other men got out, two of them presumably bodyguards. While three of the men boarded the jet, the driver reached into the back seat of the car and lifted an obviously unconscious, robed and heavily veiled woman into his arms.
Michael, his body rigid, started to rise, his anger a palpable presence in the cockpit.
Ali put his hand on Michael’s arm to hold him in place. “We must get her to safety first. Then we’ll take care of other business.”
Michael retook his seat.
Ahmed’s voice came on over the intercom. “Let’s go.”
Michael inclined his head toward Ali, who left the cockpit and secured the outer door, ignored by the others on the jet, then returned to sit beside Michael.
“Where are we supposed to be going?” asked Ali.
Michael pointed at a map. “Cairo.”
“And instead, we’re going?”
“My desert palace.” The jet engines whined as Michael moved into position for takeoff.
“So what you’re saying,” said Ali, “is that we have a jet full of hostages?”
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