“Got it. Where was your room?” he asked, refusing to think about her in a bed. A big, comfortable bed with no one around to bother him while he made love to Ilara for the next several days.
“Um,” she must have been thinking along the same lines because her cheeks turned that beautifully appealing shade of pink. “My rooms are a bit further down this same hallway. There are four apartments along this hallway, but guests stayed in another area, so I don’t know if anyone else would live here. But servants might be here, cleaning or working in the family kitchens.”
“Got it,” Jabril whispered, glancing at his guards to make sure that they had heard Ilara. “Keep it low.”
The guards turned the corner, scanning the area before signaling that the area was clear. Slowly, the group moved down the hallway. One of the guards in the back continued to protect the rear as well.
There was movement to the right and, before Ilara could even squeak, Jabril had his hand over her mouth, pulling her silently back through one of the doors into an empty room. Two of the guards were with her as well and they stood very still as they waited for…
Something crashed to the floor and Jabril pushed her behind him as he and the other two guards spun around. All three weapons were now pointed at the terrified woman standing behind them.
“Stop!” Ilara gasped, pulling out of Jabril’s arms and stepping in front of the weapons. “Don’t shoot! Don’t do anything!” she ordered in a hiss as she shielded the clearly terrified woman.
“Do you know this woman?” Kular demanded in an equally furious whisper.
“Yes! This is Yassa. She was my personal assistant before I left for school!”
“Your Highness!” Yassa cried. “You’re back! Oh my goodness, you’re back!” The woman stepped forward, clasping her hands in front of her. “Please! You have to hide! Your uncle will kill you if he finds you here!”
If there had been any doubts in Ilara’s mind, Yassa’s words obliterated them. Ilara turned around and took Yassa’s hands. “I’m back and I’m going to make this better. I’m so sorry for being gone so long. I had no idea what Uncle Kasim was doing.”
“Is she safe?” Kular asked, looking skeptical.
“Of course ‘she’s’ safe!” Yassa snapped at the guard, stepping between the man and Ilara. “Who are you and what are you doing here?” she demanded.
Kular chuckled at the woman’s bristly defense and winked at Yassa. He was tall and well built, although not quite as tall as Jabril.
“She’s very safe,” Ilara confirmed. “What’s going on, Yassa? What’s happening today?”
Yassa’s eyes flashed to the door, then back to Ilara. “You have to hide!” she hissed. “Kasim is on his way here. I heard him yelling earlier. He already suspects that you’re back in Ditra! He thinks…” Her eyes moved again to the doorway and they heard a voice bellowing in the hallway. “Go! Hide!”
Jabril didn’t wait. He literally grabbed Ilara by the waist and picked her up as all four of them moved into the closet, pulling the door silently closed only moments before the door to the apartment smashed open.
“Where the hell have you gone? It shouldn’t take this long to…” Kasim! His voice was furious! Angrier than Ilara had ever heard it.
Jabril pulled her into his arms, probably because he knew that Ilara was bristling at the abusive tone. Yassa was a wonderful assistant, but even if she wasn’t, no employee deserved to be spoken to like that! Ever!
Even Kular was tense, Ilara could sense the fury boiling through his veins.
But that was nothing to what she felt when they heard the slap.
“You stupid girl! You broke that vase! That’s coming out of your wages! Clean it up and get me the documents I asked for!”
At the sound of the slap, Ilara tensed and started to push out of the closet. Jabril must have anticipated her response because he tightened his arms around her, stopping her immediate and instinctive need to protect.
Ilara froze, tense and ready to fight! A moment later, the door slammed shut. Still, they remained in the closet for another few seconds.
Finally, Yassa pulled the doors open. “He’s gone,” she assured them. “But I have to hurry. I need to clean up the broken glass and get the papers he wants or he’ll come back.”
The other guards burst into the room, their weapons drawn and ready. “Everyone okay?”
“Yassa isn’t!” Kular growled. The red stain on her cheek stood out against her pale face.
“It’s nothing!” she assured everyone. “Please! What can I do to help?”
Kular moved closer to her, bending low to examine her cheek. “What documents did he send you to get?” he asked, a rough finger tracing gently over the welt.
Ilara watched, fascinated. Even more astounded when Yassa’s other cheek turned pink as well. Interesting! But an issue for later!
Yassa stammered slightly and pulled back, looking at Kular, then away again. Kular moved over to the doorway, obviously listening for Kasim’s return. There was another guard on the other side of the doorway, named Brun. He wasn’t nearly as large as Kular, although he was incredibly muscular and fantastic at his job.
“What’s Kasim looking for?”
“I’m not sure. He ordered me to pull some files from Princess Ilara’s office, but the file he asked for wasn’t there.”
“What was the name of the file?” Ilara asked.
“The one containing your birth information.”
Ilara turned to Jabril. “My birth certificate isn’t here at the palace. I have it. I needed it for college entrance information and for my foreign student and work visas.”
“He wants it to prove something,” Jabril announced, his jaw clenching. “I suspect that he’s going to try and kill you, Ilara. And the birth certificate will give him something to share with the press.”
Yassa and Ilara gasped in horror. “He can’t!” Yassa hissed. “She’s the rightful ruler of Ditra! And that man is a monster!” Yassa turned to Ilara. “I know that he’s your uncle, Your Highness, but that man is… not human! The things he’s done ….!”
“I know, Yassa,” Ilara assured her assistant. “I’m here. And I’m going to fix this. I thought Kasim was doing a good job, which is why I didn’t come back after I finished my education. But I should have made sure. I was wrong to stay away.”
“Tell me what I can do to help.”
Kular answered for the group, knowing what they needed. “Where are the other guards in the palace?”
Yassa looked over at the desk in the corner of the room. She hurried over and grabbed a piece of paper. “Here,” she said and drew a rough sketch of the palace, including hallways. “There are guards stationed here, here, and here,” she explained, indicating those points with Xs. “There are new cameras here and here,” she explained with Os.
“Where are the members of the High Council?” Ilara asked.
Yassa’s eyes were sad. “They are in the guest quarters, but some of them are badly hurt, Your Highness. If any member of the High Council doesn’t voice approval for Kasim’s new laws, they are beaten. If that doesn’t work, his guards hurt their families. Several members of the high council families are in the hospital even now.”
“That’s…!”
“We’ll fix this, Ilara,” Jabril assured her.
Ilara spun around, throwing herself into his arms. Just a small hug, she told herself. A small hug and then she’d be fine.
A moment later, she turned around, her head high and her eyes dry. “Tell him that the files were cleared out and suggest that he contact me for my birth certificate. That should take him into my father’s office, so that he can call me. Even if he thinks I’m here in Ditra, he might still try and call me to see if I have a copy. If he calls me, we’ll know where he is.”
“Good idea,” Jabril added. “How long will it take you to get back to Kasim?”
Yassa shrugged, a determined sparkle lighting her eyes now. “I can take the long
way around to give you time, if you need it.”
Ilara shook her head. “No Yassa! Don’t do anything that will put yourself in more jeopardy.”
The assistant’s eyes hardened. “You’ve come back, Your Highness. You are in danger. I can do no less.” Without another word, she hurried out of the room.
Ilara watched as the door closed firmly, a horrible feeling settling into her stomach.
“We have to hurry,” Jabril announced.
“Let’s go,” Ilara ordered.
Jabril chuckled, and even as she headed for the doorway, he took her hand and, with a tug, spun her around and into his arms. “You’re beautiful when you’re feisty!” He kissed her until she was weak in the knees and plastered against him. “I like it.”
And then he pulled away, long before Ilara was ready. The six guards surrounding her, grins wreathing their faces as they moved into position, reminding her that they had a mission. As soon as she got rid of Kasim, she could kiss Jabril again.
The eight of them moved down the hallway, watching the doors and exits this time. Now that they knew where Kasim’s guards were, Jabril’s men easily took them out. Even though Kasim’s mercenaries had obviously been warned that something was happening, they weren’t nearly as well trained as Jabril’s men.
It seemed that someone else was taking out some of the guards. Twice, they turned a corner where they knew a guard should be stationed, but found him already down, bound and moved out of the way.
Not only that, but it seemed that Yassa had spread the word among the palace staff. They filtered into the hallways, appearing to dust or mop, but in reality, they were signaling to Jabril’s guards where the palace security guards were. With no shots fired, Jabril’s guards disarmed and tied up the palace mercenaries, pulling them out of sight so as not to alert anyone else.
Finally, they reached the elaborately carved doors to the High Council Chambers. There was a smell here, as if something had gone terribly wrong. Ilara ignored the hackle-raising smell and moved on, careful to watch the signals of Jabril’s men. Kular and Dunis were the first to move into the Chambers. That’s where they found all twelve members of her High Council sitting on cots, a few with broken bones that had been bandaged with whatever supplies the others in the room could cobble together.
“Gentlemen!” she greeted the room, beaming as she took in the wonderful men who were like grandfathers to her. “It’s time!”
There was a stunned moment when the members of her father’s high council looked over at her, shocked to find her actually here in the room. But after that short moment, the men surged forward, thrilled and relieved to see her. The men rushed over to embrace her, laughing and jostling each other to give her a hug.
Ilara was warmed by their greeting, but she knew that this wasn’t over. Kasim was still a threat. So after hugs, she stepped back and looked at the twelve, beaming men. “Thank you for your support,” she began, as Jabril and his men closed the doors to the chambers, and stood guard, just in case. “I need you to certify my marriage to Sheik Jabril al Mustar as quickly as possible.”
With that, a councilor walked over to the wall, everyone watching silently and knowingly smug. Everyone other than Ilara and Jabril, that is. Ilara watched the man, confused and not sure what to say. The man tapped on a wooden panel, which swung open! A secret panel!
He took several documents out of the small space and brought them over to the chamber table, spreading them out. “Sign,” he ordered and the council members rushed to sign the document.
“What is this?” she asked.
The High Council leader moved over with a fatherly chuckle. “We knew that you would come,” he announced. “And we secretly wrote up the document that, when ratified by us, would transfer power for Ditra from your uncle to you.”
When the last man had signed the document, he moved over to Ilara, handing her the pen. “It’s up to you, my dear,” he said softly. “Your signature is all that is needed in order for you to take over.”
Ilara stared at the long document, her fingers trembling slightly. But she didn’t hesitate. There was no time for hesitation and she’d spent too many years with doubts. No room for doubts now.
She scrawled her signature beneath the others and stood up. “It’s done!”
“No time for celebrations,” Jabril announced, taking Ilara’s hand. “We still need to avoid a military coup by your uncle. I don’t know if he has the resources for that but…”
The doors burst open and Uncle Kasim stood in the center. “What the hell is going on in…!” he froze when he saw the paper on the table, then Ilara. “You!” he hissed. “What the hell are you doing here?! How did you get in here?”
Kasim didn’t wait for an answer. Instead, he reached into his robe, pulling out a gun. Immediately, the six guards moved to stop him, two of them tackling the man, one grabbed Kasim’s arm and there was a horrible snap, and a loud explosion.
Ilara discovered that she was crouching on the floor behind the table and lifted her head, looking around. There was a short scuffle and she watched Jabril wrest the gun out of Kasim’s hands. Kular flipped Kasim onto his stomach, unconcerned about the thud of Kasim’s head against the marble floor. Plastic ties were zipped into place around his wrists, and Kasim yelled his fury at being treated in such a manner, many dire threats of torture and killings of families rang out as well.
Ilara didn’t have a chance to process anything because Jabril lifted her into his arms and carried her out of the room. “Never ever do that again!” he ordered. Before Ilara could ask him what she should never do again, he kissed her. This kiss wasn’t gentle or coaxing or anything but possessive. It was as if Jabril needed to imprint himself on her. She ran her hands over his shoulders, his chest, his stomach. Pulling away, she looked at him, unaware of the tears in her eyes. “Tell me that you’re okay,” she whispered.
“I’m fine. And you?” he demanded.
“I’m okay. No bullet holes.”
That’s when they heard the chuckles and Ilara shifted, still in Jabril’s arms.
They realized that the entire High Council, Jabril’s six guards, and just about every palace servant that could shove their way into the chamber were applauding! Some of them were even cheering and jumping up and down.
“You did it,” he whispered. “You’re now in charge of your very own country.”
Ilara laughed and hugged him. “You did it for me. Thank you!”
She turned and looked out at her people. “Thank you!” she called to all of them.
Kular and Disan held Kasim even as he struggled. His arm was obviously broken, but Ilara didn’t tell the two guards to get her uncle medical help. Kasim hadn’t bothered to care for her people in her absence. She wasn’t about to help him now. Oh, he’d get medical help eventually, when he was safely behind bars.
She beamed up at Kular. “Would you please escort my uncle to prison?” she asked sweetly.
Kasim’s mouth fell open in horror. “Prison? You can’t put me in prison! I’m your uncle! I’m part of the royal family! Put me in my apartment and lock me away, but you can’t…”
Kular rolled his eyes and gagged Kasim to shut him up.
Looking behind her, she noticed that Jabril was waiting for her and her heart swelled with….something. That something that wasn’t ready to be defined because she still had work to do. But…soon! Very soon, she wanted to explore this thing with Jabril!
Jabril’s guards hustled Kasim out of the chambers. “Let’s get you secured,” Kular announced. She wanted to ask Kular to make sure that he didn’t escape, but bit her tongue, thinking that she’d trusted Jabril’s men for this long. No need to insult them now.
“Right. Okay.” The room looked expectantly at her. For the past several days, she’d been so focused on getting back in here. So now that she was here, it was…she should…
“I think we should celebrate,” she announced.
A cheer echoed through the room.
“Excellent idea,” Jabril agreed, leaning close to whisper in her ear. So close, that his lips brushed against her ear, sending tingles of desire down her spine.
Chapter 8
Jabril scanned the room, looking for Ilara. When he found her, he relaxed slightly and sipped his champagne. There wasn’t much food because Ilara had ordered the palace chefs to send whatever they had out to the people in the streets where there was dancing and celebration. But there was plenty of champagne here in the palace and Jabril smiled as yet another of the High Council members took Ilara into his arms, taking her for a spin around the palace ballroom.
Palace protocol was completely shattered. The palace staff laughed and danced, imbibed more champagne than he’d thought possible. Jabril knew that everyone needed a break, but he still wanted to take Ilara away and talk to her, be alone with her. Their relationship had helped wrest control of Ditra away from Kasim, but what would happen between them now?
He wanted to talk to her about that, to come up with a plan. Having been with her over the past several days, Jabril wanted to know if…if she wanted to stay married to him. If she wanted to try and make their relationship work out somehow. They ruled two different countries, which could be a problem. But between them, he knew that they could figure out how to make a marriage work.
They had to because…because, damn it! He had feelings for her! Jabril hadn’t meant to…have feelings. But it happened. Now he needed to know what would come next!
He was about to reclaim his wife when his phone rang. Glancing at the caller, he muttered a curse. “What?” he demanded of his chief of staff.
“I’m sorry to bother you about this at such a wonderful time, Your Highness,” the man began urgently, “But there’s been an explosion at one of the oil refineries on the southern coast. There are rumors of several fatalities and…”
Jabril sighed and turned away from Ilara’s beautiful, smiling features. So much for taking her into his arms, he thought. But he pushed the resentment away and focused on the emergency at hand. “Right, get a helicopter here and…”
Resisting the Sheik's Commands (The Diamond Club Book 1) Page 11