Glazier

by Bri Clark

  “I simply mean that near the corral that day became unsafe. I wouldn’t be a happy man if you were to come to any harm.” His grip around me tightened as he spoke. I sensed Henry’s fury from where he sat waiting. “As for the events that have been going on, merely precautions.”

  “Precautions against what?’ I innocently pushed.

  “Let’s just say that I’m not a man without enemies. Some would disagree with my methods. I’m responsible for many important issues and lead my father’s dynasty to ensure its longevity. With that responsibility there is some ugliness involved. Others would try to infiltrate my security and overthrow my legacy, and I won’t tolerate such an act. That’s all I’ll say on the matter. Such beauty should be guarded from the ugliness of the world.” His eyes narrowed, became calculating, as I sensed him moving in for the kill. “You know, I could give you anything you want, protect you from anyone,” he boasted.

  I almost rolled my eyes as I held down the vomit.

  To my delight, the music stopped. The second Abbass released me Henry was by my side. I thanked the ambassador for his dance, and Henry escorted me back to the table where our friends waited.

  “Are you okay?" Shae asked, holding my hands across the table.

  “I’m fine. I just need to take a bath in bleach.”

  Collin and Shae laughed. Still sulking, Henry scowled in his chair, an arm draped heavily on my leg.

  “You should have seen your old man over here. I thought we were going to have to sit on him to keep him from coming out on the floor.” Shae giggled.

  Collin smiled but didn’t share her enthusiasm.

  “I can imagine. But it’s over with, and to be honest, I am tired. Would it be rude if we left?” I asked.

  “Nope, not at all.” Henry stood up, pulling me with him and whisked me out the doors, not even giving a sideways glance to our friends. But I did, and they were laughing. When we were safely on the other side of the doors, he picked me up bridal style, making me giggle.

  I enclosed my arms around his neck and we left the ball behind.

  Chapter Twenty Eight

  Marie

  Leaving the Ball

  “So, what’s this about me being dangerous?" I teased.

  He never missed a beat when he answered. “Yes, my dear, you are a danger to me and every man around you. The most dangerous element being you are so unaware, because if you were, you would have never danced with Abbass tonight.” He suddenly became serious.

  “I don’t understand. I thought you were teasing me?" I pouted.

  “Oh, Love, don’t do that. I was for the most part. I’m a worthless sod. You were giggling two seconds ago, now you look like you’re going to cry. Let me try to explain, if I don’t make it worse instead.”

  We made it to our suite and he shut the door then laid me gently across our bed. He took his coat off and practically ripped his tie in two. Which made me giggle, the effect he wanted apparently. He kicked his shoes and socks off leaving his clothes in a mess on the floor. I pulled my dress up attempting to undo the straps of my sandals my feet were soar from all the dancing. He stopped me.

  “No, a goddess should not have to do such menial tasks,” he explained.

  I rolled my eyes but stopped when he knelt before me and undid each of the straps before he pulled my shoes off, tossing them carelessly in the floor like his clothing. I stared at the mess he made, worried we were just making more for Hagar to clean.

  “Remember, a goddess doesn’t concern herself with such chores as cleaning.” He smiled, answering my unspoken worry as usual. Then he sent me on the way to Heaven as he rubbed my aching feet.

  “If I am a goddess, then what does that make you?” I asked, crossing my arms across my chest.

  “Your humble fool.” He bowed his head as he said it, causing me to erupt into laughter. We sat in comfortable silence. I closed my eyes, his hands relaxing me to the point of sleep. I looked at the clock wondering what time it was. Two a.m. Then I remembered I’d posed a question to him that he’d never answered. I theorized he was hoping I would forget.

  “I am still waiting for my explanation.”

  “I thought you were asleep. You sure you aren’t tired?" he asked. I uncrossed my arms and pulled my feet from his hands sitting cross-legged, no easy feat in a dress.

  “Okay, I will explain. But only if you give me back at least one foot. I can’t stand not touching you.” I gave him back both. He smiled in triumph.

  “You are dangerous because you unknowingly push me to the edge of control. I am a seasoned soldier. I have worked hard to be the definition of control and poise, especially since I have Glazier. You know what it’s like when she stirs. You don’t see yourself like the people around you. It’s not just men. Shae and Hagar, for example. You affect them too. But they pose no danger of course. It’s the men, most especially Abbass. Having Glazier can be a blessing at times and a ruddy awful curse others. I have all these extra abilities and talents, but in this situation, it is a curse. I see the way the men undress you with their eyes, but what’s worse I sense the way they yearn for you. You can’t help it you’re like gravity. It’s not just your beauty; it’s all of you. I don’t know how to explain it. I can usually rationalize with men around you. They are weak, unknowing. But tonight when you were dancing with that malicious and foul Abbass, that’s the closest I have come to losing complete control and risking it all. Our cover, the duty, the safety of our friends. We would have lost it all.”

  I listened intently, hanging on his every word, sensing every emotion.

  “He pursues you, like he did Berg. He wants to possess you. It’s all a game to him, a challenge. You repeatedly denying him only makes him more interested, obsessed even. And when he realizes you will never come willingly, he will make you. He will hurt you. He is plotting, preparing. I sense it. When he held you in his arms, it physically hurt me to watch and to sense his lust. I couldn’t stop myself. If it hadn’t been for Collin reminding me of the armed guards surrounding us, reminding me of your safety, I would of killed Abbass right there in front of everyone.”

  I tried to stop him; it hurt him to tell me this.

  “Please just listen, Love, I want to do this. You calm me. You’re the only antidote for what ails me. The worst part was at the end what he offered you, as if you are some hussy. My mind planned how I would torture him slowly, making him beg for his death.” Henry closed his eyes and hung his head.

  I pulled my legs back, getting him to look at me. “Now that I know how dangerous I am I'll have to go into hiding.” I covered myself, the afghan falling over my face. I knew that I was being silly but I had to try to lighten his mood; he was hurting. I waited, fighting the urge to peek. He startled me when he slipped under the blanket too, placing his overly anxious hands on both sides of my face. “Don’t ever do that again,” he commanded, no teasing in his tone. My actions embarrassed me, but his thumb caressed my right cheek, soothing away my humiliation.

  “Promise me,” he asked his voice thick.

  “Anything,” I whispered our faces mere inches apart.

  “Promise to never hide from me. I need to see you. I need to see these cheeks, that blush a special shade of crimson, these lips that taste like the rarest fruit, and those diamond eyes. Eyes that I know can kill me if I look too long, too deep, but to not look would be a far worse fate. I have to be by your side, to be under your gaze. I swear where you go, I will follow. I am your willing fool, hopelessly devoted to fulfill your every happiness.”

  “I will promise, but you must grant my request in return.”

  “Anything,” he murmured.

  “I want all the same as you ask, I have but one more request, a plea I have to add.” I hesitated, unsure of his reaction. Finally, I made my request. “Help me to remember, so we can be together, so I can give you all of me.”

  He didn’t answer right away, but he kept his hands on my face, and he closed his eyes, agonizing over my request. “What if
what you remember hurts?” he asked.

  “Then I will have you to help me.” I was so confident no matter what or who I was; whatever we would face, I could do it with him by me, my perpetual savior. “I promise, Henry with all that I have, with all that I can offer you.”

  “I promise, Love. I will never leave you, I can never leave you.” He placed a feather-light kiss on my lips, then my eyes, and each cheek. Finally he returned to my lips and lingered. I could feel his heart beat frantically in rhythm with mine. I smiled against his lips. “What are you smiling for?” he asked moving down my chin.

  “I was laughing at the sound of your heart, its frantic like mine.”

  “If you think that’s funny, you would just fall out if you knew the thoughts running through my head right now. Thoughts I am desperately trying to withstand.”

  “Will you share?” I asked breathless.

  “No way, Love, if I say them out loud, it may be too tempting.” He trailed kisses across my shoulder and down my right arm.

  “Please,” I whimpered.

  He groaned deep from within. “Fine, but what if I scare you?” he asked.

  “If you scare me, I'll tell you.” I promised.

  He sighed. “You are too tempting, Love. No words can describe what I yearn to show you.”

  “Can you try to tell me?”

  “I want to take you far from here, from the base, from this life. I want to marry you, to make you my wife. I want to celebrate a real anniversary, year after glorious year. I want to protect you from pain, to shield you from the stress that always surrounds us.” My hand slipped unconsciously up to my chest, attempting to hold it in place. The surge of joy filling it to the point I thought I would explode.

  Henry watched me, worry marring his features. “Talk to me, Love.”

  “You want to marry me? You would leave Abram; give up your life for me? You want to do that?’ I asked, breathless. This was not what I expected. I wanted all those things as well, but it seemed unobtainable. Now that I knew, he longed for them as well, it shined as a ray of hopeful light.

  “Yes. A small price, if any price at all, to pay. The reward far exceeding.”

  “How would we do that? What would Abram do? What’s stopping us?” I exclaimed.

  He laughed at my line of questions, kissing the tip of my nose and tossing the blanket off us with a gush of fresh air. “I am a little confused about the first question, but if you mean money, let’s just say I can more than provide for our needs as well as many wants. Abram I can deal with, let’s just leave it at that, and for your last question you already know the answer. I will not let you make this sort of decision without all of you making it.” He leaned on one elbow stretched out across the bed.

  I yawned involuntarily. The clock chimes mocked me in the background.

  “You are too tired, we need to sleep. I will not live through you suffering from exhaustion ever again.” He pulled back the covers and began to unbutton his shirt. I went to the bathroom and put on a nightgown then climbed under the waiting sheets. My lids fluttered closed.

  I was blissfully happy, gladly succumbing to the sleep enveloping me for I knew Henry was right there and always would be.

  Chapter Twenty Nine

  Marie

  In their suite at the compound

  I was awakened by a light knock on the door. Henry moved from the bathroom at Glazier speed to the bed then whispered, “Maybe if we don’t answer it they will think we are still sleeping and go away. I’m not ready to share you with anyone right now. I am quite confident I may never want to again.” A shiver coursed through my body, and the knock came again only a little louder.

  “So you would stay here in this bed with me forever?” I teased.

  “Sounds good to me, there is a lot we can do in bed.” He whispered in my ear again, causing another thrill of excitement. I could hear the smile on his face as he teased.

  The knock came again louder and more urgent followed by a wonderfully familiar voice speaking Egyptian. Hagar's words came out quick and harsh, mostly directed towards Henry.

  I made a move to get up. Henry’s arm clamped me down into place. I tried to squirm around to face him that was to no avail either. He got up and picked me up with him, cradling me in one arm. I rested my head against his shoulder not willing to give up the comfort of my marble pillow.

  Henry unlocked and opened the door. Hagar came in, still scolding Henry a million miles an hour in Egyptian, a scowl molding her tan features. She was saying something about sleeping all day, missing two meals. Something about how I needed to eat regularly or I would get sick again. I couldn’t make all of it out. I did catch the last part clear as a bell. She wanted him to put me down, her delicate features softening when she met my eyes.

  Henry refused. She planted her hands on her hips, tapping her foot, daring him to deny her. He smiled playfully. Then to both our shock scooped her up in his other arm. She held on to his shoulder like a cat clawing a tree. Henry and I both laughed. Her reaction was priceless. She smiled at our laughter. Then she reached over and embraced me.

  Henry set her back down, but maintained his hold on me. She moved about the room picking up our clothing and making the bed. She talked as she worked. She told us to go get ready for dinner. I looked over at the clock and she was right. It was five o’clock in the evening. She said that many of the guests missed breakfast with the ball running so late, but most made it to lunch only a few missed, us being two of them. I looked at Henry and we shared a knowing smile.

  We took our showers, got ready, and were presentable before six. Hagar was gone by the time we got out, probably getting dinner ready to serve. Our room was spotless. While getting ready, I began to think about the reason we were here, the mission, how little time we had left. I had not asked Henry about the shack.

  “Henry, did you find the outbuilding?”

  "You know it, Love! Abbass must be keeping his secret down there. I didn’t get a close look but I did observe several of his guards going in and out typing a code in as they entered and left.”

  “What do we do now?’ I asked, excited that he had finally made some progress.

  “I want to do some more surveillance on the guards going in and out. It appeared to be some sort of a pattern, a schedule maybe. When we figure it out we should be able to infiltrate it undetected.”

  “Do you think you can figure out the code?" I asked. He rolled his eyes.

  “Yes. It’s just a heat activated pin pad, pretty generic. I have to admit I was a little surprised Abbass didn’t have something more elaborate.”

  “Knowing Abbass he doesn’t count on anyone finding the shack.” I added.

  We made our way to dinner in the usual dining hall. My pace was somewhat quicker than normal. I was famished and wanted to see Shae and Collin as well. I was surprised they had not come by before now, unless of course they were sleeping late, too. With the other guests already seated, Henry and I scanned the long table noticing six empty chairs. There was no sign of Collin and Shae. Abbass and his wife were not present as of yet. We seated ourselves in two of the empty chairs. I looked at Henry, sensing his unease that matched my own. Something didn’t make sense. This wasn’t like them to be the last ones to arrive. Abbass and his wife entered, taking their seats. The servants didn’t serve us right away, indicating Abbass was going to be addressing us. I braced myself for another of his arrogant rants.

  “Good evening, honored guests. I am pleased to see that everyone could join us tonight.” His eyes noticeably rested on Henry and me before he continued.

  “I want to thank everyone for such a splendid evening. It was truly a gala fit for a king. I am pleased with its success. I do bring somewhat sad news to you this evening. I am sure the two empty seats have not gone unnoticed. Mr. and Mrs. Stryker humbly offer their apologies. They were forced to leave early this morning, an emergency requiring Mr. Stryker’s attention called him away, requiring an abrupt departure.”


  I sensed the deceit radiating off him like stink from manure. My worst fears were confirmed. Abbass had done something to Shae and Collin. I could sense his evil self-satisfaction as he made his explanation. His outward facade was spotless, portraying mock hurt. His eyes traveled back to me as he spoke. I twirled the butter knife from beside my plate between my fingers. Envisioning the blunt instrument flying across the table and into his eyeball, allowing enough time for me to cross the distance and get my hands on him. I stopped, gripping it until my knuckles turned white. My teeth gritted behind my tightly closed lips. Henry’s immense hand rested on top of mine completely covering it and the knife from sight, and gripped it tightly, holding the weapon at bay. He knew my intent. He could sense the internal struggle I was waging between common sense and Glazier.

  I decided to try to figure out Abbass’s reason for doing whatever he did to Shae and Collin. They were an insignificant couple, no threat to him. They were always respectful to his perfect arrogance.