Amjad gave him a pitying glance. “Is that what you’re hoping this is? Something I staged? How would I have staged her arms around me when you walked in?”
“Knowing you, you bulldozed her into it. Knowing her, she was too considerate of who you are—to me, and to her in the past—to blast you off the face of the earth as you deserve.” Shaheen suddenly seemed to think Amjad deserved no more attention, swung to her, his face transforming in a heartbeat from intolerant and unforgiving to the very sight of tenderness and concern. “I’m so sorry, ya joharet galbi, that I exposed you to this indignity.”
Overwhelmed, she whispered, “You didn’t do anything …”
“It is on my account that Amjad has insulted you, in an effort to plant doubt in my mind about your feelings and intentions toward me.”
“You realized what he … You know that I …” She choked, unable to go on. That he trusted her, didn’t even pause to question …
All thought of giving him up for his own good forgotten, she threw herself into his arms, breath gone, her heart fracturing at his feet from too much love. He soothed her with gentle caresses, his words of love and apology unceasing. “I’ll always know what’s in your heart. You are my heart.”
“My, Shaheen …” Amjad’s sarcasm fractured their moment of communion. “This has to set a new world record for patheticness. Think, little brother. Why is she back now of all times? Contrary to you, she knows you’re not as clever as you think you are, that we were bound to find out about your ‘secret’ arrangement.”
Shaheen turned to Amjad, never loosening his hold on her. “We? You mean Father knows, too?”
Amjad gave a denigrating huff. “With the hoops you’re making him hop through and the condition he’s been in since Aliyah and Anna returned? Nah. But if I put his and hers together when I saw her coming back to the palace all flushed and flustered yesterday while you were pointedly away, I’m sure others of lesser insight will catch on and connect the dots.”
Shaheen shook his head in amazement. “So enlighten me, Amjad. What is Johara’s plan, in your opinion?”
Amjad sighed as if he had to explain that things fell down or water was wet to a moron. “She’s after a ransom. Yours. I was pretending to offer her myself in return for unhooking you from her claws when you interrupted.”
Shaheen massaged her waist, as if to erase Amjad’s accusations and disdain. “But I didn’t interrupt. You dragged me away on a wild-goose chase, waited for Johara, timed your performance so I’d walk in to see her presumably in your arms. And you thought I’d charge in and accuse her of betraying me.”
Amjad looked the image of uncaring boredom. “Would have been less … traumatic for you lovebirds if you had. Pity. I gave ‘nice’ a shot. I should have stuck with my forte—nasty. Now I will.”
“First, you’ll do nothing, Amjad. Second, if Johara wanted to be bribed to leave gullible me alone, why do you think she insisted on all this secrecy?”
Amjad gave him a ridiculing look. “Because letting you loose when you believe she walks on water will fetch a far higher price. And it worked. I was willing to pay top dollar.”
Shaheen only laughed at that, looked down at her, no longer seething with affront, but highly entertained. “What would it cost for you to let go of me, ya joharti?”
A smile twisted with a wince on her lips. “You know.”
Shaheen stilled them in a fierce kiss before he looked back at Amjad. “Only I can make her let go of me, Amjad. And I’m never letting her go. So why don’t you get down on your knees and beg Johara’s forgiveness, then get out of here?”
Amjad huffed in disgust. “She really has you clinging around her pinky with your face smashed against it, doesn’t she? Fine. Every man has a right to choose his poison. But risking war for her? Tsk.”
“If you’re so concerned about war, why don’t you do something about it? Break your pathetic vow never to marry again and take one of those brides they want to shove down my throat.”
“Oh, I did break it, when I saw you kicking and screaming. I thought as crown prince they’d jump at my offer. But father came back to me with the consensus within an hour. No bride will have me. They believe I’ll go all Shahrayar or Othello on them. Even if their families are willing to sacrifice their daughters at the altar of my madness, the families think I’ll turn on the next of kin. Comes from being viewed as a force that can’t be approached let alone harnessed and profited from, I guess.”
Shaheen guffawed. “Aw, thanks for trying to spare me that at least. But I’m so glad you’re not shocked that you were turned down. You have been tearing through the kingdom—and the world—with borderline sane actions and insane gambles.”
Amjad’s gaze grew more ridiculing. “Really? Then how has each one paid off big-time? Maybe I’m not as irrational as you all like to think I am. Digest this and gain new insight into your mad brother’s actions and convictions. You’ll find I’m right about other things, too.” He flicked Johara a just-wait-until-I’m-through-with-you look. “Her, for instance. Even if you can’t think so now, being caught in her love spell.”
Johara saw Shaheen’s eyes soften. “It’s you who are under a spell—of hatred. You knew and loved Johara once, too. Yet you can’t access that knowledge or that love because of the paranoia you’ve been trapped in since Salmah. You will never understand that I’d mistrust myself before I would Johara. I trust her with my life, and far more.”
Amjad pretended to dust himself off. “Yuck. All that sticky nonsense will take some heavy-duty sense to wash off. Well, you go ahead and smother yourself in her honey trap for now, while I—”
He stopped, turned his head. Then she, too, heard what had caught his attention. A faraway drone. It was getting louder, nearer by the second. In moments, it was unmistakable.
A helicopter.
Amjad turned back, derision turning his beauty into that of an unrepentant devil. “Uh-oh. Sounds like the cavalry have realized what you’re up to and are charging here to save you from your mushy heart and malfunctioning mind.”
Giving him one last impatient look, Shaheen clasped her hand and led her to the western veranda, where she noticed for the first time a clearance that must be a launching/landing pad.
It was. In seconds, the helicopter landed there. As the rotors winded down, a very tall, broad man jumped down from the pilot’s side. He rushed to the passenger’s side to help a woman down, his movements as tender as Shaheen’s were with her. She worked out the woman’s identity when she recognized the man. Kamal Aal Masood, the king of Judar.
Sure enough, Aliyah came into view, proving Johara’s deduction. And deepening her agitation.
From the grim expression on Aliyah’s face as she approached the villa with her juggernaut of a husband, Johara knew that her reason for interrupting them the other night hadn’t been resolved. And Johara was certain that it concerned her. Probably Amjad’s same concern. And Aliyah was back to broach the subject with Shaheen, with a one-man army as reinforcement.
The regal couple walked into the villa. Shaheen received them with her at his side, hugging them both and introducing her to Kamal. Kamal gallantly kissed her hand. Aliyah gave her the accustomed three kisses, one on one cheek, two on the other. It all seemed genial enough, but Johara vibrated with the tension radiating from the couple, from the whole scene.
Amjad advanced on them, pulled Aliyah in for a quick kiss, thumped Kamal on the back, then got to the point without preamble, breaking the stilted cordiality. “So, Kamal, what warrants the presence of the king of Judar on our soil and on such a clandestine visit, too?”
Kamal gave Amjad a smile that echoed his own, that of a man who knew his own power to its last iota, was versed in wielding it to its most destructive limits, who tolerated nothing but his own way, always. “So which part of ‘clandestine’ don’t you get, Amjad?”
Aliyah arched an exquisite eyebrow at him. “Yes, Amjad, if we wanted you to be involved, we wouldn’t have com
e here.”
Amjad held a hand to his heart as if Aliyah had shot him there with a barb. “Whoa. My little cousin-turned-sister has grown some sharp fangs. Especially with your weapon-of-mass-destruction husband at hand.”
Kamal coughed a laugh. “If you think she’s baring her fangs because I’m here, then you should be reintroduced to your little cousin-turned-sister. I’m the one who holds her back when she wants to rip you to shreds. You remind her too much of me before she … unscrambled me.”
Amjad gave him a look of mock sweetness, belittlment blaring in it. “Yes, I can see you’re all ‘fixed.’”
Aliyah harrumphed. “You should be so lucky to find someone who’d ‘fix’ you, too, Amjad.”
“How about I pass, sis? For the next few rein carnations.”
Kamal stepped nearer, his smile becoming as confrontational as Amjad’s was disparaging. “How about I ‘fix’ you myself?”
Amjad’s smile grew more provoking. He was clearly spoiling for the fight Shaheen had denied him. “That’s how you get your kicks nowadays, Kamal? You can’t win against the lady who has you whipped, so you pick fights to win her lenience? Shaheen just finished attempting the same thing, by the way.”
“You know, Amjad, I’ve been wanting to deck you for a long time. Now is as good a time as any to finally act on the impulse.”
As the two men squared off, Johara found herself absently thinking they could have been brothers, too. And it wasn’t just their height and looks. Kamal had more in common with Amjad than Shaheen did. There was the same harshness about him, chiseled into his face and carved into his being. This man could be ruthless. Must regularly be so, to be able to govern Zohayd’s big sister kingdom so well, to be obeyed so completely in this volatile region.
Aliyah pushed the two men apart, one hand perpendicular to the other. “Okay, testosterone timeout. In your corners, boys.”
Johara blinked at the transformation that came over Kamal as he looked at Aliyah. It was a shock to see softness melting him, love and devotion possessing his every feature and move. Johara recognized the emotions that she and Shaheen shared. She had no doubt Aliyah was everything to Kamal, that he’d die for her. And vice versa.
Kamal gave Aliyah a loving squeeze. “Just because you wish it, ya rohi. But next time you want to shred him, let me know.”
Amjad snorted. “So apart from airing the fond fantasies you all have of beating me up, can I hope you’re here on an undercover mission to save Shaheen from his stupidity, too?”
Kamal’s lips twisted. “Maybe I’m here to show him some youngest-brother solidarity, sharing my expertise in swatting off nuisance older brothers.”
“You mean Farooq and Shehab?” Amjad huffed. “Those softies who left you the throne to be with their sweethearts? I almost feel it’s my duty to coach them in how to make your life harder. You have it way too easy.” At Aliyah’s jab in his gut, Amjad rolled his eyes, exhaled. “Fine. Keep your regal secrets. For now. I’ll leave you foursome to your sickeningly sweet double date.” He nodded at Johara as a parting shot. “I’ll be watching you.”
The other three bristled. Johara almost blurted out that he wouldn’t have to, not for long. But Shaheen hugged her closer to him, his protective gesture deepening her muteness.
As soon as Amjad was out of earshot, strolling nonchalantly to the door, Kamal gave a heavy exhalation. “We came here for an update on the progress of your plan and to give you our input, but …” He paused, looked apologetically at Aliyah then Shaheen. “I know I promised, and Amjad is a world-class and probably one-of-a-kind pain, but he’s an extensively powerful one, not to mention he’s got a major stake in this. Though I agree secrecy is paramount, I do believe he and Harres should be brought in now, not later. We need them.”
Shaheen’s eyes flared with alarm. “I need more time. My plan is working. I’m gathering more information every day.”
Kamal shook his head, emphatic, final. “It’s not working well enough or fast enough, Shaheen, and you know it.”
“What plan?” Johara clutched Shaheen’s arm, her heart thudding with dread. “What’s going on, Shaheen?”
Shaheen looked down at her, entreaty setting his eyes ablaze. “It’s nothing to concern yourself with, ya habibati.”
Aliyah placed her hand on his other arm. “No, Shaheen. I now believe Johara has nothing to do with this. And since she doesn’t, she needs to know. This involves her, too, as much as or even more than it does any of us.”
Johara’s heart almost uprooted itself as she watched Shaheen close his eyes for a long moment, confusion and worst-case scenarios crashing through her mind.
Then he let out a ragged exhalation. “Fine. Call Amjad back.”
In moments, Kamal walked back with Amjad. Before Amjad could voice the speculation evident on his face, Shaheen began to talk.
Johara could only stare at him as he revealed shock after shock. The jewels. The Pride of Zohayd. Stolen. Replaced by fakes. She filled in the blanks he left out with all present intimately aware of them. The projected consequences.
After he finished talking, the only thing that could do the ominous revelations justice descended on their quintet. Decimating silence. Even Amjad was lost for words.
It was she, who’d been practically mute since Shaheen had walked in, who finally found her voice, a chafing whisper. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Shaheen cupped her cheek, concern seizing his face. “I didn’t want to burden you with this before I discovered the culprits.”
“Give me a break!” Amjad erupted. “I can forgive you being blind when it’s your own life at stake, even if your actions could cause an internal crisis. But civil war pales in comparison to what this could mean to the whole region. Can you even imagine the instability a coup and a new ruling house in Zohayd would cause? Can you even project what could be far worse, a new ‘democratic’ dictatorship sprouting in the middle of the kingdoms? Are you totally out of your mind? What culprits are you trying to discover? One is standing right before you, the only one who had the opportunity and the means to carry this out. What more do you need? A Dear John videotaped gloating confession from her after she’s destroyed us all?”
“I swear I will knock you down, Amjad,” Shaheen growled.
“Have at it, Shaheen.” Amjad threw his hands in the air, calculation gone, agitation taking hold. “I thought Johara’s return was the plot of a woman out to get all she can out of the royal family she grew up among. But this is far worse. It’s clear how it all happened. Berj summoned her to help him stage his plan and faked his heart attack as motive to call her back. He must have sent her after you to guarantee that no one would think to question her return, not with her double-pronged alibi of being the distraught daughter and hopeless lover. It would have worked spectacularly if Aliyah hadn’t discovered the theft.”
Shaheen slammed both palms flat into Amjad’s shoulders, shouted at him, “You see betrayal everywhere, Amjad. You’re so poisoned by it you can’t hear how your suspicions cancel each other out. One moment you think Berj and Johara are so stupid they’d do something like this when they’d be the first the fingers point to, the next you accuse them of being consummate manipulators. You’re the one who’s so blind you don’t see how flimsy the circumstantial evidence against them is, and the frame up it all reeks of.”
“That makes the most sense,” Aliyah agreed. “Someone thought Berj and Johara would be the perfect fall guys if the plot was discovered.”
“If Aliyah’s—and Shaheen’s—instincts say you and your father are innocent—” Kamal looked at Johara, a pledge glittering in his golden eyes “—then that’s my proof that you are. You have my word I’ll do everything in my power to defend you, to discover those who sought to frame you, and to punish them for it.”
Amjad put both hands up. “Since the voice of sanity is having no effect in breaking up this mutual admiration society, I’ll do more than any of you is willing to even consider. I’ll conc
ede that I may have gotten it wrong. But in case I didn’t, consider the consequences you might be inviting, chasing fictional culprits while letting the real ones get away. With the jewels, the throne and the region’s stability.”
“Your concern is noted, Amjad,” Shaheen muttered. “And dismissed. Now give me your word you will not go after either Johara or Berj in any way.”
Amjad held his brother’s eyes for one last moment, before he shrugged. “I can only promise you this—once Harres is brought up to speed, if he believes the same as you, since you’re the one who has more to lose than any of us, I’ll let you steer this.”
Shaheen gave him a curt nod. “Good enough for me.”
Aliyah spoke then, in what felt like a summation. “Now that we’re not fighting amongst ourselves, I don’t think we can be careful enough handling this. Even though the thieves know we wouldn’t be able to conduct an open investigation if we did discover the fakes, giving them the false security of believing we haven’t will help us uncover them and retrieve the jewels before the Exhibition Ceremony.”
After that, the men and Aliyah determined the measures each of them would undertake in the investigation, with Kamal, as the most neutral party, chosen to be the one to inform Harres.
Johara stood by Shaheen, numb, as they departed.
After the last echo of Aliyah’s and Kamal’s helicopter and Amjad’s roaring sports car faded in the distance, Johara remained staring blindly into nothingness.
She’d thought she’d already imagined the worst that could happen, thought she’d done everything she could to protect Shaheen from any consequences. She knew nothing …
She jumped as Shaheen’s hands came down on her shoulders. “Come inside from the chill, ya galbi. You need to sit down and I need to help you digest it all.”
As she nodded, she heard another rumble in the distance. In seconds, she saw what it was. A procession of imposing stretch limos gleaming black in the declining sun, each flaunting Zohayd’s gold and emerald flag on its hood.
Desert Jewels & Rising Stars Page 73