by Holly Rayner
He turned to her, and the raw emotion on his face stole her breath away. He closed the distance between them with half a step and touched her face, gazing deeply into her eyes.
Before she knew what was happening, his lips were on hers. Electricity coursed through her body, igniting her soul, paralyzing her. His lips were as soft and warm as they looked, trembling against hers.
The power of it stunned her, and as he pulled away, she couldn’t help but stare. Her head buzzed with the aftershocks of his kiss, making her dizzy. He shot her a mortified glance, then his face turned to stone.
“I’m sorry,” he said stiffly, then turned on his heel and strode away, muttering under his breath about misreading signals.
Slowly, Alex regained control of her senses, floating one hand up to brush fingers across her tingling lips.
“Oh, my Sheikh,” she breathed. “What’s the signal for ‘more’?”
Chapter 14
Alex
Weekends were always a little rough for Alex and Amia, as the days seemed to stretch on and on with no structure to fill the day. This weekend was especially difficult, as Zaiman had left the day before to attend to some business in Abyamar.
By lunchtime, Amia had grown beyond restless. She wavered between mopey and snappy, forcing Alex to get increasingly creative with her distractions. After they finished eating, Alex challenged her to a race across the courtyard to the maze, and made her work for the win.
“Let’s play explorers,” Alex urged when they crossed the imaginary finish line. “There be treasure in these here mazes; I can smell it!”
Amia gave her a weak smile, but didn’t engage.
“Well, if you aren’t going to find it, I guess that means the treasure is all mine!” Alex said, cackling gleefully as she ran off down a passage.
Amia followed at a pace barely faster than a trudge, and Alex climbed onto the back of a stone lion to wait for her.
When Amia turned the corner and couldn’t see her, she began spinning this way and that, calling her name.
“There be no Alex here! Only Alexia Butane, Super Pirate!” Alex leapt off the back of the lion, striking a pose as she landed.
“You scared me,” Amia said with a scowl.
“Your grumpy face scares me,” Alex teased. “How can I turn that frown upside down, huh? I mean, I guess I could always just…” She scooped Amia into her arms and flipped her upside down, making her shriek.
Alex righted her again, setting her on her feet, then squatted down so she was at eye level with her little friend. Amia was red-faced from the surprise, but still looked miserable.
“All right, no more games,” Alex said, gently serious. “What’s going on, Amia?”
“Nothing,” Amia said forcefully. “Nothing goes on—nothing ever goes on! I’m sick of playing explorer, I’m sick of this house, I’m sick of swimming, I’m sick of the menagerie, and I’m sick of you!” Amia sobbed, tears streaming down her face.
“Ouch,” Alex chastised gently. “That last one got me right here.”
She put a fist over her heart, then sat cross-legged on the path and pulled Amia into her lap. Amia continued to sob, sputtering out apologies between choking gasps.
“All right, all right, it’s okay,” Alex murmured, rocking her. “It’s frustrating, I know it is. That cabin fever, man, it makes us say some crazy stuff. But who could be sick of me? I am highly entertaining.”
Amia giggled through her tears, and Alex grinned. Her heart broke for the little girl, and she didn’t take the outburst personally. She imagined she would say the exact same thing to somebody if they were trying to make prison fun for her.
“I see all this every day,” Amia said between hiccoughs. “I’m—so—bored!”
“I believe it,” Alex said quickly before Amia could start crying again. “I really, really do. It must be so hard to find stuff to do day after day in here. Even the brightest colors are going to look grey if they’re all you ever see.”
Amia nodded miserably and Alex blew out a sigh. There was nothing in the palace that would distract Amia enough to forget how she felt at that moment, and Alex did not have it in her to try. There was only so much enthusiasm she could force.
An impulsive decision was made in her mind before she had even formulated it into words. She tried and failed to talk herself out of it. What harm could it really do? Zaiman wouldn’t even be there. They would just be a girl and her nanny, namelessly anonymous.
“We’re going to do it,” she said suddenly.
“Do what?” Amia asked, looking up with her little tear-stained face.
“We’re going to have an adventure, a real adventure. We’re going to be real-life explorers. Just this once, though. We don’t want to get in trouble with your papa.”
Amia’s eyes went wide and she jumped out of Alex’s lap.
“You mean it?” she gasped. “We’re going out?”
The look on her face dashed any remaining doubt from Alex’s mind.
“Yes, we are,” she said, standing up and taking Amia’s hand. “We’re going to put on our adventuring clothes and go take the city by storm. What do you say?”
“Okay!” Amia’s face lit up with a brilliant grin. “Race you to the house!”
This time, Alex didn’t have to let her win; with the right motivation, the little girl was fast as lightning. As they changed, Alex used her phone to find the most interesting places to go in the city, and the most interesting ways to get there.
She recalled what the woman at the luggage shop had told her, and discovered not one but two museums in the center of town. She and Amia were both giggling with nervous energy as they piled into the once-forbidden pink car.
“We’re really out!” Amia squealed. “Look at that!”
The city rose up in the windshield before them, spreading out to the horizon. It shimmered, warm and inviting in the sunlight, filled with untold adventures and innumerable new experiences.
“You ready for this?” Alex asked, her eyes glittering.
“I’m ready!” Amia bounced in her seat, unable to contain her joy. Alex knew just where to take her first.
The zoo which had sparked Alex’s imagination on her first day in Al-Jerrain was so close to the palace, it was a crime that Amia hadn’t been there yet. Inside, it was even more impressive than she had imagined.
They raced from exhibit to exhibit, taking in all the sights and sounds, learning the names of animals they had never heard of before. Even Alex learned a few new things, which soothed her soul. She, like Amia, thrived on novelty and new information, driven by an engine of limitless curiosity.
A snack cart by the zebra exhibit called to them after a while, and they sat beneath the trees to eat while they watched the striped animals race back and forth in their enclosure.
“They’re pretty,” Amia said slowly. “But I don’t think I like it here.”
“Too familiar?” Alex asked with a wince.
Amia nodded. She pointed to the enclosure, where a young zebra filly was bursting to the front of the herd with every turn around the enclosure.
“You see her? That one’s me,” Amia said. “Super fast and strong and not patient, locked up in a cage. Think how she would be in the wild! She would be princess of the whole plain.”
“But she might be eaten by lions,” Alex said pensively.
“But she could kick them in the face,” Amia argued. “And tell them to never try to eat her again, or she’ll break their toes.”
“I guess she could do that,” Alex said with a smile. “But you have to admit that the cage is a lot safer.”
“Safer is for babies,” Amia sniffed. “I’m an explorer.”
“Yes, you are,” Alex laughed. “How would you like to go explore a museum?”
“Yes,” Amia said, bouncing off the bench with a grin. “With dinosaur bones?”
“You got it,” Alex told her as she took her hand. “And maybe if we have time afterward, we can go to a
museum with paintings.”
“We have paintings at home,” Amia pointed out very seriously. “We don’t have dinosaur bones.”
“We’ll have to fix that,” Alex said with a wink.
Amia giggled at the thought of hosting a giant tyrannosaurus skeleton in the house, and soon, they were on their way.
The sights of the city enthralled Amia, and she sat in blissful silence as they wound through the streets to the museum. It was nestled in the dead center of town, between official-looking buildings, overlooking a massive mosaic-paved courtyard.
“Isn’t that the most impressive building you’ve ever seen?” Alex asked as she helped Amia out of the car.
“No,” Amia told her with a little shrug. “The palace is better.”
Alex giggled at her perceptions, comparing the museum to the little palace they had just left. For as much as Amia wanted to get away, at least she didn’t seem to hold any animosity for her home.
Alex paid for them both at the door and asked for directions to the dinosaurs. The guard at the entrance pointed them down the appropriate hallway, and they were soon standing beneath a mammoth ribcage, staring up at a set of incredible teeth.
“It could eat me like a popcorn,” Amia said in awe.
“And I’d be a chicken finger,” Alex agreed.
They explored the museum for hours, until Amia’s stomach began to growl. Alex remembered seeing a little café just across the courtyard, and asked Amia if she would like a sandwich. Amia enthusiastically agreed, so they left the museum behind them.
As they were walking down the steps to the courtyard, Alex noticed a tall, dark man watching them. He seemed vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on why. He changed direction and came toward them, his eyes locked on Amia.
Every protective instinct rose up in Alex, and she put her body between Amia and the man, walking a little faster. He moved around in front of them, though, and before Alex could decide on an exit strategy, he spoke.
“Amia! Is that my little Amia?”
Alex’s heart lurched as Amia ripped her hand away with a squeal and launched herself at the man.
“Uncle Zaahir!” she cried, embracing him.
“My, but you’ve grown! How is your father, Amia?”
“Papa is fine,” Amia told him, grinning up at him. “I wish I could come play at the palace again!”
Palace? What palace? Alex was growing more confused by the minute.
“We’ve all asked your father to bring you back, but he tells us that you have been very busy with your school and sports. I always knew you would be a little spitfire, but I didn’t know you would love school so much!”
Amia’s brow furrowed in a reflection of Alex’s. None of this seemed to be adding up, and Alex began to wonder if Zaiman had been keeping more from her than he had admitted to.
“I don’t go to school,” Amia told him. “Rashad teaches me at home.”
The man frowned, appearing perplexed. “Your father can afford a tutor?” he asked.
“Of course! Papa is very rich.” Amia nodded.
The man shot a suspicious glance at Alex, who was desperately trying to stay ahead of the conversation. He smiled at her politely, and that’s when she saw it: he had the same mouth and eyes as Zaiman, which was why he had looked so startlingly familiar. Her heart began to pound in her chest, her brain turning to slush in her panic.
He extended a hand to her.
“My apologies, I am criminally rude. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Zaahir bin-Tuleb. And you are?”
“This is Alex; she’s my nanny,” Amia began in an excited rush.
Alex shot the little girl a warning look, but Amia was too thrilled to notice.
“Papa hired her to look after me! Me and Bassam were so happy when she came, because Papa was getting very lonely and Dabir doesn’t talk much and Rashad only talks to me but doesn’t like to play, so me and Bassam and Papa really needed somebody new to play with, so Papa hired Alex, and she’s the best explorer ever!”
“Pleased to meet you,” Alex said weakly.
She watched the pieces fall together in Zaahir’s eyes, and her heart sank.
“Um, please excuse us. We’ve had a very long day and Amia needs to eat; it was very nice to meet you!” She grabbed Amia’s hand and pulled her through the courtyard, ignoring the girl’s objections.
“But the sandwich!”
“We’ll get you the biggest sandwich you can eat as soon as we get home,” Alex told her, her voice sharpened by the dread she felt settling in her gut. “I’m sorry, Amia. Outing’s over.”
“But—”
“No buts,” Alex said firmly. “We’ve been out too long already.”
Amia seemed satisfied with that answer, if a bit startled by her nanny’s behavior.
Alex barely saw the road as she drove home. The terror that she had made a grave mistake settled across her shoulders, snaking down her spine like liquid winter.
It would take hours for her heart rate to return to normal. In spite of the exhausting day, Alex found it impossible to sleep that night.
Amia was in a glorious mood the next day, and was better behaved than Alex had ever known her to be. Alex, by contrast, was attempting to suppress her sleep-deprived grumpiness with excessive amounts of coffee. They were in the middle of breakfast when the doorbell rang.
“That’ll be Rashad,” Alex said through a yawn. “Finish your breakfast; I’ll let him in.”
She was still rubbing her dry, tired eyes when she reached the front door. As soon as she pulled it open, though, she was blinded by flashbulbs and deafened by a hundred questions at once.
“Is it true that Sheikh Zaiman has an illegitimate daughter?”
“Are you the child’s mother?”
“How long has the Sheikh been keeping this secret?”
“When did your affair begin?”
“Will the illegitimate daughter inherit the family wealth?”
“How does the Sheikh’s mother feel about an illegitimate grandchild?”
Mortified, Alex slammed the door without answering any questions. The bell rang again and again, and she locked and bolted the door, then turned to lean her back against it.
“Alex?” Amia’s small voice asked.
Horrified that she had witness that chaos, Alex whipped her head around to look at her.
“What does illegitimate mean? Who are those people?”
Alex squeezed her eyes shut and groaned.
“I can’t tell you,” she said. “At least, not yet. Um, I think your lessons are going to be a little late today. Why don’t you go watch a movie while I give your Papa a call?”
“But what does it mean?” Amia asked again, her voice wavering to a panicked pitch. “Am I in trouble?”
“No, darling, no,” Alex reassured her, shuffling her away from the door. “You aren’t in trouble at all.” As she followed Amia up the stairs, she pulled her phone from her pocket. “But I most certainly am,” she added under her breath.
She dialed Zaiman’s number.
“Good morning!” he answered brightly, making her wince. “How is my darling daughter today? Missing me already?”
“Ah…Zaiman…” Alex’s throat closed around her words, and she cleared it forcefully. “Ah…”
“She isn’t sick again, is she?” Zaiman asked, sharply concerned.
“No, no, Amia’s fine,” Alex said quickly. “But…oh, Zaiman, I’ve made a terrible mistake.”
Chapter 15
Zaiman
Zaiman’s mood was grim as he sat behind Bassam, watching the man guide the car through the crowd of reporters. They flocked to the car like flies to a carcass, snapping pictures and screaming questions through the closed windows.
Bassam didn’t even acknowledge them, except to blast his horn when they got too close to the bumper. Inch by inch, he guided the car toward the garage. Soon, though, he was forced to stop completely, as the wall of report
ers stretched from the bumper to the garage itself.
“I can run them over,” Bassam said grimly.
“No,” Zaiman said. “They’ll follow me.”
“Zaiman, don’t—”
“Just wait until they clear out, then park the car,” Zaiman interrupted. “I’ll get out here.”
He closed the door on Bassam’s objections, and almost immediately regretted it. The reporters pressed in on all sides, shoving microphones in his face, babbling at him in three different languages, even grabbing him when he pushed through them.
Furious and fearful, Zaiman fought them off until he reached the door. There, he turned around to face them. He opened his mouth as if to make a statement, and a hush fell over the crowd.
Taking advantage of the momentary lull, Zaiman ducked inside, locking the door behind him. He found Alex pacing the foyer, ringing her hands.
“What on earth happened?” Zaiman demanded as he brushed himself off.
“I didn’t know that was going to happen,” she began, sounding strangled.
“Well, I would hope not; that would be a silly thing to orchestrate,” Zaiman said, exasperated. “Tell me.”
She swallowed hard, turning her green eyes toward him. They were wide and full of terror, and he deliberately relaxed his posture in an attempt to comfort her. It didn’t seem to help.
“Come,” he told her. “We’ll have a drink. I can’t hear myself think with that noise.”
He gestured toward the stairs, and Alex reluctantly followed him up.
The drawing room was far enough away from the front of the house to offer a buffer against the roaring sea of reporters, and that protection doubled when he closed the doors. She sat, then stood, then sat again, hovering like an indecisive humming bird.
He poured brandy for them both, and pressed a glass into her hand.
“Sit,” he ordered.
She sat, then took a sip of her drink. It seemed to shock her back to her senses, and she took a few deep breaths.
“I messed up,” she told him. “The one thing you told me not to do, over and over again. I did it, and…oh, Zaiman, I had no idea it would turn out this way.” Her voice broke, wavering on the edge of tears.