Yes, there was no other word to use for what they were doing. His team of eight were nothing more than an invading force. The forward team, so to speak. He was here ostensibly to show Ilara what her uncle was doing to her country, but if she didn’t marry him and help him protect the people of Ditra, he would invade the country and take over by force, protecting as many of the citizens as possible. These people had been part of Piara only fifty years ago. He still thought of them as his responsibility. So he was taking charge and making sure that his people were protected. If Ilara didn’t help, then she’d have to stand back and watch. But he would get the job done. His military leaders were all in agreement, many of them having relatives in Ditra. Morally, he could no longer stand by and allow this kind of brutality to go unanswered.
Chapter 5
Ilara woke slowly, feeling warmth and snuggling closer to it. One arm was chilled and she reached closer for the heat source. Sighing, she smiled, wanting to go back to her dream. It had been the best dream she’d had in a long time. A tall, handsome man with a scarred cheek and broad shoulders was kissing her, making her feel things she’d never dreamed possible. And touching her breasts. Her stomach. Yes, she really loved that!
“More,” she sighed, pressing closer to the heat source.
The soft laughter distracted her, making that lovely dream vanish like fog in the sunshine.
“Ilara, we need to get up and get moving.”
The deep voice was the same as in her dream, so she smiled, once again snuggling closer. “I’m moving,” she murmured and pressed her nose against the man’s warm throat. “Moving is nice.”
His laughter turned to a groan and she liked that even more. Sounds like that hadn’t happened in her dream.
“Ilara, honey, we have to get moving. Wake up.”
She didn’t want to wake up but…
With a jerk, she sat up, knocking her head against something hard. “Ow!” she yelped, rubbing the top of her head. “What’s going on? Where are we?” she asked, looking around. There was still no light filtering through the fabric of the tent, so what was the hurry? “Why do we have to get up when it is still dark? Shouldn’t we wait for the sun to come up?”
The rustling behind her brought the night back to mind. She gasped and shifted, rolling onto her hands and knees as she peered through the darkness. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing is wrong,” Jabril said, reaching out to touch her shoulder. “The fuel trucks arrived a few minutes ago. We need to break down the camp and get moving.”
“Camp?” she asked, still trying to get her mind off of the dream. It had been so vivid! And she’d really loved that warm feeling! She’d pushed her sleeping bag off when she’d sat up and now she realized how cold it was.
Then everything came back to her with a thud and she gasped. “No! I was…we need to hurry!” she breathed and started searching for her boots. “I need…well, I’d love a toothbrush, but I suppose that’s not going to happen.”
A toothbrush appeared within her line of vision and she grinned. “Thanks,” she accepted the toothbrush, holding it between her teeth as she finished lacing up her boots.
She helped Jabril break down their tent and roll it up, admiring him even more because he didn’t order one of his men to do it. Most other leaders would disdain the cleanup and break down of camp, but Jabril didn’t think himself above it. In fact, he finished first and built up the fire, preparing the water for coffee and cooking breakfast.
The others on the team focused on refueling the Jeeps and getting everything broken down and packed. Ilara tried to stay out of the way as much as possible, but watched to see what needed to be done for the next time. She didn’t like being catered to, thinking that it was her responsibility to take care of others. She’d been raised with that mindset and it wasn’t easy to break free of it, even with servants to take care of her.
Granted, she’d been servant-free for years. Her father had paid for her education, but after she’d accepted that her uncle was better to rule Ditra, she’d focused as much as she could on giving back, paying her own way, and helping others to succeed.
Ilara was fully aware that her job and self-sacrifice were her way of easing the guilt at not going back to take up her role as head of the Ditra government. But that was over and done with now. Turning, she looked at Jabril. Yes, she’d marry him. She had to. It was her obligation. She’d do it to ensure the safety of her people.
When her eyes began moving slowly down his body, noticing the taut muscles in his arms and shoulders, the long legs and interesting backside…she looked quickly away. She wasn’t marrying Jabril because she was attracted to him. She’d marry him for the good of Ditra. To save her people. That’s it!
If her eyes lingered on what she suspected were rock hard abs before he pulled a jacket over them, that was only because she appreciated strength in a man. It had nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with how she might, maybe, perhaps…enjoy her marriage to Jabril.
Turning away, she looked for ways to help. But she was startled to realize that everything was packed away. Jabril walked over to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Are you ready to go?” he asked.
She nodded, hefting the plastic bag containing her “breakfast”. It was mostly dehydrated food, but it was better than nothing.
“Ready.”
“Let’s go!” he called. The group headed for the re-fueled Jeeps and she understood that the fuel truck would follow behind.
She walked over to the Jeep they’d been using before but Jabril stopped her. “Here, I think you should wear this,” he said.
She turned and looked at him, startled to see that he’d donned a long robe with a head wrap as well. “What’s this?”
“You’re a target, Ilara. So am I. I’m taking precautions against someone recognizing me. Until we know what’s going on, we should travel incognito, just to be safe.”
If he hadn’t had on a disguise himself, she would have demurred. But the fact that he thought it was necessary for himself as well as for her, changed her mind. So she accepted the robe, pulling it over her cargo pants and shirt. She even wrapped the scarf around her head, pulling it close to hide more of her face. It wasn’t the same as a burka, but it was a traditional robe that many people in this area wore.
“We’ll drive to the next town, which my sources say is where most of the people moved into when the bombing started. We might get more information on what is happening and why.”
She nodded again, thinking that he wasn’t the one that wanted more information. Ilara was more than willing to talk to her people and find out what they needed, what had destroyed their world. Surely, she’d discover that it wasn’t her uncle after all.
The drive was shorter this time because they were closer to the town, although they parked their vehicles a bit away from the town. Just as Jabril had warned her, the people here were desperately hungry and no one seemed to be doing much of anything other than caring for each other. There was a group of people distributing bread and soup, but there wasn’t much of it and the adults nudged the children to the front of the line. As soon as Ilara and Jabril walked down the street, people turned to stare. Newcomers were obviously newsworthy as the whispers started immediately.
Ilara hid her face as she moved back to the Jeep, grabbing the portion of her breakfast that she hadn’t eaten. She quickly took it over to one of the smaller children and handed him a small part of the meal, horrified that his cheeks were so hollow.
Walking back to Jabril, tears in her eyes, she looked up at him, trying to hide the horror of what was in front of her. “I have about five thousand dollars in savings,” she murmured, hiccupping as she said the words. “I’ll transfer every dollar to you to buy food for these people.” She looked up at his surprised expression, furious with him for doubting her. “I have my phone. I’ll do it as soon as I can get cell service. Will you send a food truck? I don’t know how much five thousand will buy but…. Can you do it?�
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Jabril looked down at her, shocked. And warmed as well. She wasn’t immune! If he’d had any lingering doubts about her role in this humanitarian disaster, the tears in her eyes put it to rest.
“One of my men went ahead last night, surveyed this town. He radioed back last night and I ordered supplies already,” he told her, his voice gruff as relief surged through him. Relief and…admiration. Damn, she was more than what he’d even dared to hope for, he thought. She wasn’t just compassionate, she had a heart. She wanted to help these people and was willing to destitute herself to do it.
“When will it arrive?” she demanded.
“Within the hour,” he told her, shocked at how gruff his voice sounded. “Why don’t you go hand out the rest of our meals to the kids? Start talking to people and see what you can find out. I’m going to look around, find the leaders and gather information as well. This is…” he looked at the people on the street, all of whom were watching him, worried and…was that hope in their eyes? Damn, he would have thought that hope was beaten out of them by now. Thank goodness, they were resilient and ready to hope once again. “This is worse than what my sources had told me,” he said to Ilara.
“It’s worse than what you were telling me,” she said. “Go. I’ll bring back whatever news I can find out later today.”
He started to move away, but stopped and turned back to her, grabbing her arm to bring her face to face with him once more. “Keep your identity hidden, Ilara. I’d wager that the people here are hungry and desperate; they might sell you out for food. You could be in danger. Just…be careful.”
“I will.” She nodded to emphasize her agreement. “Jabril,” she called when he started to walk away. She hesitated over the words, not sure exactly what to say when there was so much that needed to be said. All she could say was, “Thank you,” and she turned, rushing to the back of the Jeep where the food supplies had been stored.
One of the men already had the box open and carried it towards her. She smiled gratefully up at him and he nodded to her. He also handed her a knife and she used it to tear open the thick plastic material designed to protect the food during floods, storms, bombs, even a nuclear attack.
She walked into the crowd that was forming, handing out the packages. At first, the kids looked at the packages strangely, but Ilara showed the smaller kids how to eat the food, tearing into the packages easily and nibbling on the various food items. The kids immediately began smiling and understanding. Soon, the bigger kids were there, ready to try out the interesting packages.
There weren’t that many kids around and, once they all had some food, she stood up and started handing out packages to the adults, not stopping until all of the food was distributed.
“How are you?” she asked several of the women who came forward. “More is on the way.”
The people moved closer, the adults wary, but curious.
“Who are you?” one of the older women asked. “You look familiar.”
Ilara shook her head. “I’m no one,” she replied. “Just someone who wants to help.” The guard that had helped her with the food distribution remained close, obviously ordered to protect her as well.
The roar of an engine had the adults frantically gathering up their children. Within moments, the streets that had been filled with people talking, laughing, and eating, were empty. Not a sound was heard as the truck moved to the end of the main square. Ilara estimated that there were less than fifty people living here. But if she’d walked into the town at this moment, she’d assume that the place was completely abandoned.
The truck driver jumped out of his truck and looked around. “I was ordered to come here with food?” he announced, but the statement ended as a question. Obviously, he doubted that he’d come to the right place. “Did I miss something?” he asked, looking down at the paper with his orders.
“You didn’t miss anything,” Ilara walked over to the back of the truck. “How do I open this? We only had barely enough food for breakfast. We should…”
“Lady, I don’t ….”
“Unload the food,” a deep voice interrupted before the driver could become belligerent. The driver swung around, more than ready to argue. But he froze as Jabril approached. The driver recognized Jabril and immediately shifted from angry to helpful, hurrying over to the back of the truck where Ilara had already opened the latch and was struggling to lift the heavy, rolling door.
“I’ll do it,” he assured her and pushed a button that immediately lifted the back.
“Huh,” she muttered. “No wonder I couldn’t lift it on my own.”
Jabril came up behind her, wrapping his arm around her waist and pressing a kiss on the top of her head. “Always the warrior, aren’t you?” and chuckled when she jabbed her elbow into his ribs. Not hard enough to hurt, but the jab was strong enough to tell him that he shouldn’t tease.
A gasp came from behind them. The woman from the town square, the one who had asked who Ilara was, came running. A moment later, a yell was heard, although Ilara didn’t hear what the woman said. But seconds after, the people who had scattered at the sound of the truck, burst out of buildings, filling the dusty streets, their faces wreathed with smiles.
“This can’t be good,” the guard muttered.
Jabril agreed with him and turned, tucking Ilara behind him. Then the guard stepped in front of Jabril. As the two men vied over who would protect whom, Ilara moved around both men and started handing out loaves of bread and boxes of dry milk, speaking with each of the adults and beaming at the kids.
The older woman from earlier came forward, an enormous grin on her weathered features. Ilara wasn’t sure what to say, but didn’t need to worry. The woman took control of the conversation.
“You came back!” the elderly woman gasped, grabbing Ilara’s hands tightly. “I knew you wouldn’t leave us forever! That man!” she spat on the ground. “He tried to keep you away but you’re here!”
Ilara was stumped. “That man?” she probed gently, trying to understand.
“Your uncle. I know that he is your family, but…!” She spat on the ground again. “He pushed you away, but you’re strong and you figured out how to come back!”
The others around the older woman were starting to stare, beginning to understand.
“And you chose a good man to marry!” the woman crowed, glancing admiringly at Jabril who stood right behind Ilara. “You will have strong babies together! And never will you leave us again!” She turned to the growing crowd. “We’re saved! Princess Ilara has married Sheik Jabril of Piara! She will get rid of the weasel and change everything!”
Ilara looked over her shoulder at Jabril, not sure what to say or do. A few days ago, she’d been sitting in her tiny office, helping families get out of debt. Now she was back in her country and…and everyone thought she was already married to Jabril, ready to take back control!
“We’re not married,” Jabril’s loud voice announced. The woman…and everyone!...turned with surprise. Their surprise turned to horror and the hope on their faces began to fade.
“Not married? But, your birthday!” The elderly woman said. “It is only weeks away! We sent messengers to get you but they couldn’t find you until now!”
Another woman, carrying a small child on her hip, moved forward, her eyes tearing up as she clutched her desperately thin child closer. “You must! You must marry and save us, Princess!” she cried, tears turning to mud on her dusty cheeks. “It is the only way! We sent all of our money to find you and now you arrive…!”
“Yet!” Jabril announced over the increasingly worried voices. “We’re not married yet. But Princess Ilara has agreed to marry me. So it is…”
“We’ll marry them now!” the old woman announced, clapped her hands together. “Let us prepare!”
“What?!” Ilara gasped. She turned, glancing up at Jabril in a panic, then at the crowd of people, all of whom were taking orders from the old woman. “Flowers!” she called out to the kids.
“All of you! Go out and find flowers, but stay hidden! We can’t let anyone outside of our village know about the wedding or we’ll…” the woman trailed off, eyeing the children meaningfully. “Well, you know. Just remain hidden, my dears,” her voice was full of love and concern. “Go!” she ordered. “Hide and gather and be back as soon as possible.”
The children went out, several of the men following to watch over them. Every man, woman, and child who passed by Ilara beamed, hope in their eyes as they bowed, even lowering their heads in deference.
Ilara knew that she should say something, stop them from doing…all of it. But she wasn’t sure what to say!
“Go find something for Princess Ilara to wear!” the woman ordered several of the women. “There has to be something! Check Idira’s hidden drawers. I think there’s some fabric in there still, but it might have been damaged after that last assault.”
Assault? As in, a military assault? Ilara looked around, noticing small things. Some of the buildings had been repaired, which meant that they’d been damaged before. Ilara realized that she couldn’t stop this wedding. They were trying to find a wedding dress that hadn’t been damaged by what she’d allowed to happen.
She turned to Jabril, her eyes a bit frantic. “You knew and I didn’t listen. Are you still willing to marry me?” she asked, her voice halted as emotions ranging from shame to hope to fear of rejection almost choked her.
“It would be an honor to marry you, Princess Ilara,” he took her hand and lifting it to his lips.
She saw the amusement in his eyes and shook her head. “Don’t mock me,” she warned.
“I would never mock you,” he replied, stepping back with a mocking look in his eyes.
“You’re doing it now. I’m warning you though, after our wedding, I’m going to do whatever it takes to make things better here. So…”
He took her hand and pulled her closer. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Resisting the Sheik's Commands (The Diamond Club Book 1) Page 5