Millions To Spare

by Barbara Dunlop

  The room air was cool, but his gaze was hot. It traveled the length of her body then back again. Need roared in her ears, and it clouded her brain, until all she could see was a tall, naked, god of a man sinking down on the bed beside her. His hand closed over her breast. His mouth met her swollen lips. And his thigh slid up between hers, landing solid, sending rivers of sensation straight up to her brain.

  His thumb rasped her nipple, and she reflexively arched. He murmured soothing words, gentling the caress.

  She stroked his arms, clasped his shoulders, kissed his lips and tangled with his tongue.

  After that, she was lost.

  “What do I do?” Her whisper was pained against his mouth.

  “Anything you want.” He kissed her again. “Trust me, it won’t be wrong.”

  His hand slid down her rib cage, cupping her bottom, kneading the soft flesh.

  She feathered her fingertips down his chest, feeling the hot play of his muscles, the sparse hair, his flat nipples.

  He sucked in a breath, so she tried it again, smiling to herself when she realized he liked it. She swirled down lower, and lower still.

  He gasped. “You want this to be over quick?”

  “I have no idea.”

  “Trust me, you don’t.” He retrieved her hands, putting them safely against his back.

  But when his wandered to her thighs, she copied his movements. They stared at each other, alternately kissing and touching and teasing, as their bodies grew slick and the tension ratcheted up between them.

  Then finally, he trapped her wrists in one hand, holding them out of harm’s way. He gently urged her thighs apart, watching her expression as he positioned himself above her.

  Her breathing was laboured, her skin itchy hot, her limbs and her body twitchy with need. He touched against her, and her eyes went wide. Her lips went soft and she leaned up to kiss his mouth.

  Her hips flexed, and her thighs quivered.

  “Now,” she pleaded.

  “I can’t believe-” He pressed against her.

  She groaned and arched and freed her hands to wrap her arms around his neck.

  “I can’t believe,” he repeated, “that I’m about to ruin both our lives.”

  Then he flexed, and she gasped, and his solid thickness filled her. Heat instantly pulsed where their bodies joined.

  She brought up her knees, and sharp pain was replaced by swirling desire.

  “You okay?” he gasped, even as his body moved in its own rhythm.

  “Don’t…” she groaned back. “Stop…” She sucked in a breath. “Ruining my life.”

  “Brittany.” His hand slipped beneath her buttocks, refining their angle. “I could ruin your life forever.”

  Events had quickly spiraled out of Julia’s control. Although there was a serious language barrier, the thrill of a wedding seemed universal. Ahmed’s wife, Habeeba, had immediately begun issuing orders, while the oldest daughter, Rania, pulled Julia into one of the bedrooms.

  She laughed and gestured for Julia to sit on a small chair in front of a gilt, oval mirror. When she began combing Julia’s hair, Julia quickly realized she was being prepared to be a bride. She wanted to protest that it was unnecessary, but Rania seemed so excited that she didn’t have the heart to stop her.

  Rania smoothed Julia’s hair back into a flat braid. Then she offered her a warm cloth and gestured for her to wash her face. Julia smiled and nodded, trying to express her appreciation without words.

  She didn’t know what Harrison was doing outside, but she hoped it was more along the lines of getting the local marriage official and filling out the paperwork.

  She was far from convinced this was a good idea. But if they were going to do it, they’d better get it done and get out of here.

  She had no doubt Muwaffaq was scouring the desert for them, and she doubted he’d stop to ask for their passports.

  Chatting as she worked, not seeming the least bit concerned that Julia didn’t understand her, Rania carefully applied cosmetics to Julia’s freshly washed face. She brushed and blended, and stroked the subtle colors onto Julia’s eyes, lips and cheeks.

  Then, apparently satisfied, she pulled over another small, wooden chair and reached for Julia’s hands. As she began washing them, Julia forced out another smile. She didn’t really need a manicure. A preacher alone would do the trick.

  She surreptitiously glanced behind her.

  Where was Harrison?

  Then, the bedroom door opened. But Julia’s sigh of relief was short-lived. Instead of Harrison come to rescue her, she saw Habeeba coming through the door. The woman carried a small, ceramic bowl and a hand towel.

  She spoke to Rania, who stood up and relieved her mother of the bowl.

  Then Habeeba sat down across from Julia and reached for her hands. Before Julia knew what was happening, the older woman had dipped a brush into the dark paste in the bowl and started to draw on the back of Julia’s hand.

  Julia fought an instinct to snatch her hand away. But, quickly, an intricate design of scrolls and flowers appeared. Rania and her mother chatted to Julia and with each other, with Rania pointing and commenting as the drawing took shape.

  Julia got that it was some kind of wedding tradition. She also realized the paste must be made from henna dye.

  The talking and painting went on and on. When the older woman finally finished her hands, Julia breathed a sigh of relief. But Rania immediately went to work on her feet. A good hour later, they finished off with a small pattern at the base of her neck.

  Finally satisfied, they motioned for Julia to hold still and let the dye dry. They brought her a snack of bread and yogurt, with tea to wash it down.

  Habeeba then returned to the kitchen, while Rania began organizing colorful clothing and fabrics.

  “Harrison?” Julia finally forced herself to ask, afraid of moving for fear of ruining their designs, but growing more desperate to know what was going on outside.

  Rania made a frantic negative gesture with her head and hands.

  Julia sighed.

  Obviously, there was no seeing the groom before the ceremony. It was amazing how many customs transcended cultures.

  Finally, it was time to wash the henna paste off with water. Then Rania helped her dress in a brightly patterned tunic in burgundy, white and coral blue. They adorned her neck, ears and wrists with heavy gold, then added an intricately embroidered head scarf, woven with gold and silver threads and draped to cover the lower half of her face.

  She gazed at her exotic image in the small mirror, then down at hands that seemed to belong to someone else. Despite the knowledge she’d have to hide this secret forever, she began to hope somebody out there had a camera.

  Rania touched her arm. With a smile, the young woman nodded toward the bedroom door. Julia understood.

  It was time.

  Suddenly nervous, trying to keep it all in perspective, and hoping the sweat on her palms wouldn’t make the henna run, she started for the door.

  Exotic, half-tone string music was playing in the main room, and they entered to see Ahmed and Habeeba, their two other daughters and a man who was obviously the marriage official standing in the middle of the room. The women were dressed in bright colors, the men in crisp whites. Then she caught sight of Harrison. He smiled reassuringly, dressed in a simple white cap, a bright white tunic and matching trousers.

  Not sure what to do, Julia stood with the women on one side of the room while the preacher began speaking. She didn’t understand a word of what was said. And when the man stopped talking, Harrison didn’t kiss her. Instead he motioned for her to join him at the table.

  She didn’t feel married. Which was a relief, really. Walking down some kind of aisle in a white dress and repeating vows she wouldn’t keep would have been much worse than this foreign ceremony and the Arabic certificate in front of her.

  “This could be anything,” she said, sitting down to pick up the pen.

  “It’s
a prenup.”

  She shot him a look of astonishment.

  “I’m joking.” Then he paused. “But you’re not going after Cadair or anything, are you?”

  “No.”

  Harrison’s wealth was completely safe from her. Even if she was corrupt enough to try to capitalize on the marriage, she doubted any court would award her a settlement. Besides, the last thing she wanted was to come back and visit the UAE. In fact, it might be a while before she left Kentucky again.

  He pointed to a line on the page. She drew a breath, told herself it was nothing but a temporary legal contract, and signed the document. Then Harrison sat down and signed his name, as well.

  The small group surrounding them gave a lilting, high-pitched cheer, and Ahmed cranked up the music.

  Rania and her sisters immediately began serving food.

  “Where’s your passport?” Harrison asked Julia, drawing her aside.

  Julia pointed to the pouch that hung around her neck, beneath her blouse.

  Harrison held out his hand. “I’ve got a chopper waiting for our ID and the marriage certificate.”

  “You’re taking them away?”

  “Ahmed’s brother Rafiq will take them to the British High Commission in Abu Dhabi and wait while they issue your diplomatic passport.”

  Julia drew on the string that held the passport pouch. “They can do that?”

  “Yes, they can.”

  “Are you sure it’s safe?” She wasn’t too crazy about giving up her passport.

  “Nuri made the arrangements.”

  Julia hesitated. Where Nuri was involved, things didn’t seem to go so well for her.

  “He has nothing against you,” Harrison assured her. “And he’s extremely loyal to me.”

  Julia nodded and extracted the little black book and handed it over. Nuri aside, trusting Harrison’s judgment had kept her free and safe this long.

  He exited the house, while Rania handed her a cup of mint tea and offered her a stuffed date.

  Julia’s anxiety was returning in force, and she wasn’t particularly hungry, but the family had worked so hard on the impromptu wedding that she didn’t want to do anything to offend them. So she accepted both with a smile and a thank-you.

  Then Harrison returned to her side.

  “How long?” she asked him.

  “A couple of hours.”

  She nodded, her stomach knotting further. A lot could happen in a few hours.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Two hours later, Harrison breathed a sigh of relief as the returning chopper put down on the sand outside the oasis.

  The passenger door opened, and Ahmed’s brother hopped out, ducking his head against the rotors and the swirling sand. He quickly crossed to Harrison, handing him a diplomatic pouch.

  Harrison shouted his thanks, then signaled for Julia to come out of the small house near the landing site where she had waited with Ahmed. She’d changed into plainer clothes, but her makeup was still heavy, and her hands were patterned with henna dye.

  With a quick glance around the town for any danger, he took her hand and they dashed across the sand to the chopper.

  Harrison helped her into the backseat, then climbed in next to the pilot and signaled for the man to take off.

  Ahmed’s family had insisted that Julia keep the wedding jewelry. In return, Harrison had left the keys to the Jeep for Ahmed.

  As they pulled toward the blue sky, Harrison broke the seal on the pouch. He extracted Julia’s new passport and handed it back to her.

  The relief on her face did his heart good. They’d succeeded. She’d be safe now.

  She opened the book and looked down at her new name, and a flash of unease went through her eyes. He was reminded she was safe at a cost. He reached back to squeeze her knee.

  “It’s going to be fine,” he assured her.

  As he turned to face forward, his glance caught the pilot’s profile beneath his helmet.

  The man was missing the tip of his nose.

  Fear instantly gripped Harrison’s gut, even as he struggled to keep his features impassive. Could Rafiq have betrayed them?

  Muwaffaq would either kill them in midair-two bodies in the midst of the desert would probably never be found. Or he’d fly them somewhere to question Julia. If the people he worked for thought she had information they wanted, they might try to torture it out of her.

  He glanced back at her, his conscience burning with regret. In an effort to save Julia, he might have just signed her death warrant.

  She squinted a look of confusion at the change in his expression, but he didn’t dare try to signal anything. His only advantage was that Muwaffaq didn’t know he was onto him. Besides, there was nothing to be gained by panicking Julia.

  He sifted through his options.

  If he tried to overpower the man, he could easily bring down the chopper. And Muwaffaq was probably armed.

  If they landed, he’d have a better chance of overpowering him. But if they landed where Muwaffaq had planned, where reinforcements would certainly meet the chopper, he and Julia would have no chance at all.

  He couldn’t risk that.

  Whatever he did had to happen in midair.

  Adrenaline pumped through his system in time with the throbbing of the engine. He rested his hand in his lap, surreptitiously clicking open the metal buckle on his seat belt.

  He painstakingly freed his arm, while making and discarding plans of attack.

  But then Muwaffaq caught his movement, and his time was up.

  Harrison gave a yell and elbowed Muwaffaq in the center of the throat.

  The man’s eyes bugged out, and he gasped a breath, his hands reflexively going for the injury.

  “Harrison!” Julia cried out from the backseat as the chopper tilted and the engine whined.

  Harrison flipped open the man’s seat-belt buckle, then stretched to close his hands over the controls. He hadn’t flown in at least a year, but all other options had meant certain death.

  “Drag him back,” he shouted to Julia, stuffing his feet on top of Muwaffaq’s, scrambling to get some semblance of control over the tail rotor.

  “What are you doing?” she demanded, even as she wiggled out of her own seat belt to follow his instructions.

  Muwaffaq was gasping for breath. If he recovered from the blow, all hell would break loose.

  As Julia clambered between the seats, she got a look at the man’s nose.

  She hesitated for a split second, and Muwaffaq took the opportunity and grabbed her by the throat.

  Harrison was barely keeping them airborne. He didn’t dare let go of the controls, but Julia was struggling and coughing.

  He elbowed Muwaffaq again, this time catching him in the solar plexus.

  The man’s grip loosened enough that Julia pulled free and rocketed into the backseat.

  “Shit,” Harrison spat out, as Muwaffaq began to fight back.

  He risked lifting a foot from the pedals and kicked at the man.

  Muwaffaq grunted, and Harrison kicked again.

  Then the helicopter door popped open.

  Julia screamed.

  Harrison gasped.

  And Muwaffaq went tumbling into midair, his arms and legs flailing as he plummeted toward the dunes.

  Harrison flopped into the pilot’s seat, stabilized the aircraft, then slammed the door shut.

  His breathing was labored, and his hands were shaking.

  It took him a minute to get them flying straight.

  When she finally spoke, Julia’s voice was shaking, barely a rasp. “Is he dead?”

  “Our altitude is five hundred feet.”

  “Then I guess he’s dead.”

  Harrison didn’t dare turn his attention to the backseat. “I’m more concerned about you. Are you all right?”

  “I think so.”

  “Did he hurt your neck?”

  “A little. I think it’s bruised.”

  “Are there any sharp pa
ins?”

  “No.”

  Harrison breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ll have you home soon.”

  “You know how to fly this thing?”

  He couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “If I didn’t know how to fly this thing, we’d have hit the ground a long time ago.”

  She didn’t answer, but he thought he heard the rustle of her nod.

  “You sure you’re all right?” he asked again. It was very likely she was in shock. If so, he wanted to keep her talking. And it was probably a good idea for him to keep himself talking, too.

  “We just killed somebody,” she said, horror and awe in her voice.

  “No. Somebody tried to kill us. We defended ourselves.”

  “Is that a crime in the UAE?”

  “You planning to confess to someone?”

  She didn’t answer.

  “He was a very bad man, Julia. His body may never be found. And it’s in our best interest that whoever he worked with not know we had anything to do with his death. Understand?”

  Her voice was still shaking. “I guess.”

  He nodded to the other front seat. “Can you climb up here?”

  “I’ll try.”

  It took her a minute to maneuver her way between the two seats, but Harrison felt better once he could see her.

  “Do up your seat belt.”

  She stared at him for a second, and then a weak laugh sputtered out of her.

  “Safety first?” she asked in an incredulous voice, then she laughed harder.

  Harrison couldn’t help but grin in response. “You were great, by the way”

  “Me?” she asked, pointing to her chest. “You were amazing. You can fly a helicopter. You beat up bad guys. And you married me and got me a great passport. I may have to be your slave for life.”

  “Deal,” he said, without missing a beat.

  She gestured toward him. “See that? You’re funny, too.”

  “Who says I was joking?”

  She hiccuped out a final laugh.

  “Do up your seat belt,” he told her again. The last thing he wanted was to have her whack her head because they hit some rough air.

  “What about you?” she asked, but dutifully did up the buckle.

  “Now you can do up mine.”