Her Man Flint

by Jerri Drennen

  “Prince Lenon will not be happy if you continue in your attempts to escape. He was called away for the day, but when he returns, you will be expected to be ready.”

  “Ready for what?” Adriana didn’t like the insinuation.

  All the guard did was smile, then turned and left.

  Adriana pounded her fists on the bed. She was tired of this whole thing, being kept prisoner by men in dresses.

  “Flint where are you? Are you even looking for me?”

  Tears stung her eyes, but she refused to succumb to them again.

  She would think of a way to get out, and when she did, she intended to rid the world of men like Prince Lenon

  “Humph, the balls of this guy.” She’d show him. If he thought for one minute she’d play along with this, he was crazier than the country that would allow it.

  Adriana rose and went to the tent flap, peeking into the next room. The guard narrowed his eyes at her.

  “What do you want now, woman?”

  “I need a bath. Do you understand that, or are you just dumb, Abu.”

  “I am not Abu. I am Kadar, and you will address me as such.”

  She curled her upper lip into a snarl. “Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Ali Baba. Can I get a bath or not?”

  Her intent was to rile him. She was sick to death of his attitude. “Maybe you could bring me one on your magic carpet while you’re at it.”

  His eyes turned fierce. “We will see.” He closed the flap in her face, stinging her nose.

  “Thanks a bunch, Aladdin,” she bellowed through the canvas. She could hear him growling on the other side and she started to laugh. She planned to get even with him, yet.

  An hour later, a large brass tub was brought in and filled with hot water. Adriana had to admit to being pleased she’d gotten her way, but was apprehensive about getting naked with Kadar standing only inches away without a door to keep him out. But need outweighed worry, and she stripped off her clothes, easing down into the hot, steamy liquid.

  She sighed loudly. “Heavenly.”

  Adriana dunked under the water and washed her hair with the bar of soap they’d left for her. It didn’t smell all that great, but at least she’d be clean.

  Allowing herself to stay in until the water became too cold, Adriana stepped out and toweled off with a rough, scratchy cloth. You’d think a Prince could afford one hundred percent cotton.

  She was about to drop her towel to dress when the flap flew open and a tall, masculine Arab she’d never seen before stalked in. He wore all white except for the blue turban on his head.

  His amber eyes pierced hers, sending chills throughout her body. He was handsome in a dark, menacing way.

  “Kadar has told me you have been giving him trouble. Is this true?” His deep timbre of a voice sent another chill skirting her backbone.

  “He hasn’t been all that nice to me either.”

  He laughed.

  “Kadar is just doing as he is instructed.”

  “Was he instructed to laugh at my discomfort?”

  “Have you not been comfortable?” He gaze took her in from head to toe. “What is it you need that would allow you to be so?”

  Adriana secured her towel tighter. “Being released would be a good start.”

  He flashed her a smile. “I find you quite amusing. I had heard that American women were quite different from most and I can see this is true. I have want of you to stay and I will make your comfort here my priority.”

  “That’s really very sweet of you, but I don’t think so. This has been a rough few days for me. First, I’m kidnapped and abused by a group of Neanderthals, then drugged and brought here to some hole in the wall so that you could use me at will and put me on display. Why doesn’t that sound appealing to me?”

  His smile faded and was replaced with an angry glare. “You will obey me. And you will give yourself to me when the time comes. But I will allow you a few days to adjust yourself to the idea, and then you will succumb to my wishes. Do you understand?”

  Adriana couldn’t believe the gall of this Arab.

  “I’d rather die,” she said with bravado, turning her back to him.

  He grabbed her by the upper arm and spun her around. His eyes darkened as he raised his hand and slapped her hard across the face.

  “You will obey me, or—you will die.”

  Adriana held her hand to her face, in shock. No one had ever struck her before, and it hurt more than just her cheek. If Flint didn’t find her soon, this man would have no qualms about killing her to get what he wanted.

  She swallowed convulsively. How could she allow a man to use her like that?

  No, she couldn’t—she’d rather die.

  * * *

  Flint shook him roughly. “Robert, wake up. You’re snoring like a cow.”

  Robert snorted, then opened his eyes. “What?”

  “Do you know you snore?”

  He frowned. “Nonsense. I don’t either.”

  Flint stood and asked, “Does he snore?” to everyone in first-class.

  “Yes,” they all rang out, glaring at Robert with annoyance.

  “See,” Flint gloated as he sat back down.

  “Sorry, I haven’t gotten much sleep lately.” Robert rubbed his hands over his face. “Where are we?”

  “About an hour out. How about some coffee?”

  Robert sat straight in his seat. “Sounds great.”

  Flint signaled to the flight attendant for three cups of coffee, then sat back and thought about Adriana. Please don’t let her get hurt. If anything happened to her he didn’t know what he’d do. He loved her so much.

  Before he met her, he’d have bet a million dollars he’d never feel this way. But the truth was, Flint Tiberius Morgan loved Adriana Marie Kent. He just did, and he had to face that fact head on.

  Now he had to convince her they belonged together.

  Could he do that? Make her love him as much as he loved her? Somehow he had to.

  What was the alternative? Living without her.

  Flint’s guts twisted at the thought. In his heart he knew there was no way he could do that.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Flint stood in line behind an elderly couple at customs, shuffling his feet. He was anxious to get on his way. Bryce had to have been able to find out something about the shipment coming in, and where it was going by now.

  He knew he needed to get to Adriana as soon as he could, otherwise he felt in his gut something awful would occur. The whole thing left him sick inside. Everything that had happened to her was his fault. All because of a one-night stand he couldn’t even remember, Hartford had kidnapped Dray, and killed Lindsey. He knew that, but what could he have done? He would have stopped Adriana from leaving the cabin that morning if he’d known. But she chose to sneak out without his knowledge and got abducted, all because she didn’t want to face him again.

  Did she hate him that much for what he’d said? What would he do if she did?

  “Can I see your passport, sir?” the customs officer asked, drawing Flint back to his surroundings.

  “Of course.” Flint moved forward and handed the man his phony documentation, then waited for him to stamp it and give it back.

  “I hope you enjoy your visit.” The man ushered him on.

  “Right.” Flint’s tone had to have been perceived as sarcastic, because the officer glared at him.

  He waited for Robert and Billy’s passports to be approved, then they grabbed their bags and headed for the front entrance.

  They hailed a cab outside the terminal and rode in silence to Bryce’s address.

  By the time they reached his place, Bryce should have the information they’d need to go search for Adriana.

  The taxi pulled in front of a very modest adobe home. Definitely not much to look at. They made their way up the sandy walkway and knocked.

  Flint rubbed at the tension in the back of his neck, silently praying Adriana was being a model prisoner.r />
  Yeah right. The thought was laughable. She didn’t have a docile bone in her body. Though, he hoped for her sake she’d behave this time. Her life depended on it. Arab men didn’t treat women with the same kind of respect American men did. They expected them to be subservient, something he was sure Adriana had no clue how to be. And that’s why he had to find her, and soon, before she got her beautiful, delicate neck rung.

  The door rattled, and Bryce stood holding it open. He was one of Flint’s oldest friends. They’d started at the DNS at the same time, traveled in the same circles, and felt the same way about never settling down. Though now, after being with Adriana, Flint’s feelings had changed.

  “Flint, you look like hell.” Bryce clapped him on his shoulders, drawing them all into the house.

  “You don’t look so good yourself.” Flint studied his friend closely.

  Bryce’s green eyes looked tired, as Flint was sure his own did, but Bryce’s sandy blond hair was sticking up in every direction, something Flint hadn’t expected to see. He wore an old ragged t-shirt that read, ‘Arabian Knights are cool’ and a pair of faded blue jeans with a tear across one knee. He was not the man Flint remembered, a guy who’d always taken pride in his well-maintained appearance.

  “Sorry about the attire, I’ve been staking out air freight since this morning and haven’t had a chance to change.” Bryce had obviously read Flint’s mind.

  “Did you find out anything?” Flint was anxious to get back on the road.

  “Yeah. This so-called shipment was in a large crate with holes. You know the kind used to transport wild animals. Anyway, it came from Hartford on a cargo plane and was thrown onto the back of a truck, headed for Madain Salah to Prince Lenon’s excavation site.”

  “Can you show me how to get there?” Flint was impatient. Time was running out. He had to save Adriana from herself. Darn woman was probably at that very moment getting herself into hot water.

  * * *

  Adriana picked at the unappetizing food on her plate. How was she going to get out of the mess she was in? The fault lay in her lap. If she had stayed at the cabin and dealt with Flint and their problems, she wouldn’t be thousands of miles away from home right now.

  She shoved the plate across the small table and watched it fly off. The plate hit the floor and shattered. A smile curled her lips when the guard came rushing in.

  His face reflected his rage as he looked from the broken plate to her face.

  “You will pick that up,” he growled.

  Adriana sat back against the chair and crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t think so.” Her refusal didn’t set well from the look he gave her. Steam practically rolled out of his ears as he glared at her. She thought maybe she shouldn’t have been so rash, but then dismissed the idea.

  “I will inform Prince Lenon that you are being difficult again. We will see who picks this mess up.”

  She cringed. All she needed was that animal coming back to slap her again.

  Adriana hung her head in defeat. “I’ll pick it up, okay?”

  “You are very smart to do so.” Kadar turned and left her to deal with the mess.

  Adriana reached down and picked up a piece of ceramic, pricking her finger.

  “Ouch, damn it.” She cursed her luck. What else could happen? Maybe if she were real lucky, she could catch a case of Malaria and suffer for weeks before she died.

  With her finger in her mouth, Adriana sucked at the blood, wondering where Flint was and if he thought about her at all. Surely he would have found her Porsche by now and known that Hartford had taken her. But to know he’d send her to God-knows-where was another thing all together. It’d be impossible for him to. She was on her own.

  Adriana sank down onto the floor, tears welling in her eyes. Why? What did she do to deserve this? She was trapped in a desert oasis. At the mercy of a man who thought women were objects to use when the need hit. Frankly, she’d rather die than let Prince Lenon touch her.

  She stared at the piece of glass in her hand. She could run the edge across her wrists and end it all. It was an option. Definitely not one that was appealing. Besides, that would be taking the easy way out. She was Adriana Kent, DNS agent, not Adriana Kent, victim. She certainly wasn’t going to become one now. No way. She had to use her brain and find a way out, not cower in a corner like a wounded animal.

  The guard who stood outside the flap wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, so surely she could come up with a plan.

  The grin she had earlier reappeared only to broaden to a full-blown Cheshire cat smile. She’d get out, and when she did, she planned to fly back to the states and confess her love to Flint. And, if he didn’t return that love, then so be it. At least she could say she’d been honest with him for the first time in their relationship. That would have to be enough, if he didn’t feel the same.

  Adriana left the pieces of plate on the floor and reached under the bed and grabbed the porcelain bowl. Quietly, she snuck over to the flap and listened. She could hear the guards slow, even breathing. He’d fallen asleep at his post. Good.

  Easing the flap open, she slipped inside.

  She had managed to sneak around him when his leg stretched out, startling her. Without thinking, she raised the bowl and brought in down hard over his head, sending him sliding off the chair to the floor. She could visualize birds circling his head, generated by those silly images on cartoons.

  Pushing the idea away, she contemplated her next move.

  The guard would be out for a while, but that still didn’t give her much time. She had to exit the tent and find a Jeep or some sort of transportation so she could get safely away before they realized she was gone.

  She opened another flap and found herself looking into a second room filled with women wearing a rainbow of colorful robes. Was this Lenon’s harem?

  Hartford had said the Prince collected beautiful women and it was no lie. They obviously weren’t all Arab women either. There were three blondes, like herself, two redheads and the rest different shades of browns and black, each exquisite in her own rite.

  Adriana wondered if they’d let her pass, or try to stop her escape? Only one way to find out.

  She entered the group, trying to go unnoticed, but was stopped by a red-haired woman with huge aquamarine eyes.

  “Who are you?” she asked, reaching for Adriana’s arm to stop her from leaving. “Are you the new one?” She stared Adriana down, waiting for her to answer her questions.

  “The new one.” Adriana wasn’t sure what the woman meant.

  “Sultan’s new woman.” She rolled her eyes at the other ladies.

  Did she think Adriana was stupid?

  Adriana’s anger intensified. “No, I am not the Prince’s woman. I belong to no man.”

  They all smiled. “Right. That’s exactly what I said when I first came here, but you get used to being a possession after a while. There is no way out. Believe me. We’ve all tried many times to escape with no success.” The redhead glanced at the other ladies and they all nodded in agreement.

  “That’s right,” a blonde with amber eyes said, “You’d better get used to it or you’ll end up like Greta—dead.”

  Adriana’s jaw slacked. “Who was Greta?” She hoped the woman died of natural causes.

  “Greta was from Sweden and tried to escape all the time. Sultan got tired of it and strangled her in front of us all. He said it was an object lesson for us not to try to escape again,” a raven-haired woman with sad gray eyes, reminding Adriana of Flint, said.

  Adriana swallowed hard, not at all pleased with what she’d just been told. Apparently Sultan Lenon was ruthless, not a man to upset.

  What was she going to do now? If he was that dangerous, should she even attempt to leave? Would he kill her for trying?

  Flint’s handsome face flashed before her. What would he do? Would he try to escape now, or bide his time, waiting for the perfect opportunity? Maybe if she appeared to accept her fate, they�
��d all let their guard down and give her a chance to slip out undetected.

  She thought about the new plan for a minute, then decided it had more of a chance of success.

  A deep growl from behind her made her turn around slowly. Pissed would have been a kind word for the look Kadar gave her. His eyes pierced hers, as he rubbed the top of his head.

  “If you were my woman, I’d kill you now.” He grabbed her arm painfully and dragging her through the tent to her room and deposited her roughly on the bed.

  “Another attempt to escape and I’ll not care who you are.”

  Kadar turned abruptly and left.

  Adriana stared at the flap long after he’d gone.

  Her opportunity to escape would come, and when it did, she’d take full advantage of it.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Flint studied the map Bryce gave him, trying to locate exactly where they were. Billy had stayed behind with Bryce to see if they could get their hands on a helicopter to fly them out once he was able to rescue Adriana from Lenon’s camp.

  Flint threw the map down and glanced at Robert, who was behind the wheel of the jeep. “We’re getting close. Once we get within half a mile or so, I think we should work our way in on foot.”

  “I agree. I’m sure Lenon has security and we’ll need to scope out the perimeter to see how many we’ll have to deal with.” Robert frowned, obviously as anxious as Flint about what was to come. Two men against Lord knows how many wouldn’t be good odds. They’d be damned lucky to get in and rescue Dray without getting killed. But Flint had to save her so he could tell her how he felt. He should have told her that night at the cabin, but his damnable pride got in the way. Being too proud had always gotten in the way of his relationship with Adriana, that and his stupidity.

  Flint stared out the window of the jeep, nothing but sand dunes for miles. It was totally desolate. So why would Sultan Lenon want to be there, and more importantly, what was the man digging for?