Duty Bound Desire: The Sheikh's Forced Marriage (Desert Desires Book 1)

by Jennifer Jansen

  She pulled Nabil to the side for a moment. ‘Time is important here. We must get him to the hospital.’

  Just as she said that she saw the king’s body tense completely. His eyes bugged out. He tried to breathe in, then nothing. He had stopped breathing. He was losing consciousness.

  Yasmin rushed to him. Nabil rushed too. He had training from his army days but right now, the fact that this was his father, might be more of a hindrance than a help, Yasmin thought.

  She had to work fast now.

  ‘He’s in cardiac arrest. The defibrillator. Quick!’ Yasmin ordered the nurse. The young woman scrambled to get the machine. Luckily, when the king had been set up again in his quarters, Yasmin had insisted that all equipment be there too.

  Yasmin had already started CPR. She immediately lowered his bed and ripped open his shirt even more. Placing one hand on the centre of the king’s chest, and the other on top of it, she began pressing down at a steady rhythm. At thirty chest compression she gave two rescue breaths. She had to keep the blood flowing to the brain.

  By this stage the defibrillator was ready. The nurse had already turned it on as she was bringing it across to the bed. From her peripheral vision, Yasmin could see Nabil holding onto his sister Aliyah, who must have entered without Yasmin seeing her before now. Nabil was trying to calm her. Her sobs were intense.

  Yasmin didn’t allow herself to be distracted. She placed the sticky pads and attached them to the king’s chest on either side. ‘Move back,’ she shouted to Nabil and he pulled Aliyah gently, turning her head away from the scene.

  Yasmin placed the electrical pads on her father-in-law. ‘Stand clear,’ she said to the nurse. She delivered the first electrical shock. King Atef’s body shook and rose. Then Yasmin continued CPR.

  The paramedics arrived. Yasmin jumped up onto the king’s movable bed and continued to press on his chest. The paramedics began moving the king and Yasmin with the bed out to the corridor and to the waiting helicopter pad.

  Nabil followed with Aliyah in tow. Yasmin hoped Nabil would understand that he couldn’t bring Aliyah into the helicopter with them. She knew he would keep calm but she didn’t think Aliyah could handle it. ‘Nabil, the two of you can’t come in here,’ she shouted over the noise, knowing it sounded harsh but the truth is they would need to keep working on the king until they got to the hospital.

  The helicopter shook as the blades whirred above their heads. Then she felt the rush as it rose and took off for the hospital.

  It wasn’t long before they were landing on the hospital roof.

  King Atef was taken immediately into a private emergency area. Yasmin followed him in there. The head cardiologist who had worked on the king before was already waiting for him in the theatre.

  Nabil held Aliyah’s hand in the car, trying to keep her calm, but in all honesty he was feeling unnerved himself. The vision of his father like that…

  ‘Throw your foot down harder on the pedal,’ Nabil growled at the driver and they sped through the city. He knew his father would already be at the hospital, it would only be a few minutes in the helicopter. Aliyah’s breath was coming fast and uneven. He squeezed her hand. ‘Let’s just wait and see what happens,’ was all he could offer her at that moment.

  In the private waiting area he paced back and forth. Aliyah was by his side. She was nervous as all hell. He felt it too but would not say it to her. She was just barely holding it together as it was.

  What would he do if his father didn’t make it? It wasn’t a matter of the kingdom; he had been dealing with that for some time now. He was sure of himself there. It was a matter of not wanting to lose his father. Their relationship had become strained after his parent’s split and his own marriage fall-out…he couldn’t think about that now. He had to put that aside.

  ‘Thank God Yasmin was there,’ Aliyah said, dragging him out of his thoughts. She had said it more to herself than to him. ‘Please God, let him be ok,’ she kept mumbling as she looked up to the heavens.

  Nabil nodded but said nothing. Yasmin had been a blessing to him in more ways than one. He knew that. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He could see her face, the sadness in her face when his father had spoken about his ex-wife.

  He turned to speak to his sister when he saw Yasmin approaching. She was pushing the glass door to the room, coming in. Nabil couldn’t tell by her demeanour whether or not his father had made it.

  Aliyah immediately jumped up off the couch and ran to Yasmin.

  ‘He’s been stabilised,’ she immediately said, using her soft, calming voice.

  ‘Can I see him?’ Aliyah asked. Her voice anxious.

  ‘I believe his cardio surgeon has said it’s ok but only one at a time. So…’ she looked over at Nabil, ‘I guess you can go first, Aliyah when you get the go-ahead?’ She said, checking in with Nabil.

  ‘Of course,’ he nodded.

  Aliyah flew out the door.

  Yasmin approached Nabil, placed her hand gently on his chest. ‘How are you doing?’ she asked.

  Without even thinking about it, he placed his hand over hers and held it there. She moved closer, her other hand coming up and holding his other arm.

  Nabil didn’t speak for a while. The two of them just stood together.

  ‘Come. Sit down.’ Yasmin motioned to the couch. They moved together but when they sat, Nabil didn’t sit next to her. He sat opposite her.

  He looked over at her. She looked beautiful. Her hair was dishevelled from her frantic work and he guessed the surgical cap she had to put on and take off. But her eyes, her eyes were as clear as day and as beautiful as ever. He tensed.

  She was watching him. Her lips were slightly parted. ‘Your father has been stabilised, Nabil,’ she repeated.

  ‘In the long run though, what does that mean?’ he asked.

  ‘In the long run, nobody can tell. But he’s here now. Make this time with him count.’

  Nabil couldn’t sit. He paced back over and looked out the window. ‘I don’t know what would have happened had you not been there and taken charge,’ he said without looking at her. ‘You are a God-send, Yasmin,’ he said. And indeed she was. In more ways than one.

  ‘I’m glad I could help.’

  ‘You’re very good at what you do,’ he said, as he turned and watched her for a few moments. ‘I know,’ he continued, ‘I’ve never really given you the credit you deserve for your medical knowledge, your passion for it.’

  ‘It’s really good to hear you say that,’ she whispered. ‘You don’t realise what it means to me.’

  ‘Had you not been there…’ he ran his hand across the back of his neck, ‘I don’t know if my father would have been brought back from the brink.’

  He turned to face her. She was still on the couch, her legs crossed, her hands held together. She was looking up at him. He became aware of the clenching of his own heart.

  Nabil turned again and looked out. A deep sense of unease assailed him. So many thoughts and emotions were roiling around inside of him. All coming together at once. His father, his wife, his need for distance…his control waning.

  He walked back over and sat down, this time next to her. Reaching out, he took her hand in his. Just feeling her there with him at this time made him feel better, he realised. He was beginning to need her. Perhaps it wasn’t even the beginning because he knew he had pushed her away emotionally since the start, even though the past few weeks had changed him like never before.

  For the first time in his life, Nabil found himself unsure how to navigate his relationship with a woman. Women had always seemed so easy before. The ones he had surrounded himself with in his younger years liked expensive, shiny things, and in exchange would provide him with sexual favours beyond his wildest dreams. Or so he had thought. But there was such emptiness in those relationships. Such meaningless times. His first marriage being the most empty and meaningless of them all.

  Nabil leaned his head back onto the couch, moved his hand thro
ugh his hair. He then lifted his head, looked down into those beautiful, hazel eyes of hers. She had become his rock.

  ‘I’m here if you need anything, Nabil,’ she said softly.

  For the first time Nabil experienced what it was like to be truly supported – unequivocally. He wanted to crush her in his arms then and there, to come down on those lips of hers with a fierceness that he had only felt when he was with her. He wanted to taste her mouth, to feel her body against his. To bury himself deep inside her.

  A nurse entered the waiting area and bowed. ‘Your Highnesses, the king has asked for you, however, the doctor has advised you keep the visit very short.’

  His father was hooked up to machines and drips were in his arms. Nabil could hear the beeping of the heart monitor. Seeing his father in a worse state than the first time he was in hospital had his chest tightening and his muscles tensing. As if sensing his distress, Yasmin squeezed his hand. Then she walked closer to the bed, took the king’s hand and kissed it in a sign of respect.

  The king put his other hand out and patted her head, like he had done before. He wheezed and squeezed out his breath. ‘I knew…from the beginning…that you would be good for Nabil, and therefore, good for this nation….’ He coughed, ‘I know who my son is… I know what he needs.’ The king kept struggling to breathe.

  ‘Father, please,’ Yasmin pleaded, but his father waved off her concern with his hand. He was serious and determined to say what he had to say. ‘And he needs you. He needs you no matter what he says,’ he managed before closing his eyes again.

  Nabil leaned over quickly. Yasmin placed her hand on his arm. ‘He’s falling in and out of consciousness,’ she explained. ‘Let’s let him rest now. He’s on heavy medication.’

  Yasmin motioned to her husband and they left the king to rest. But his chest was tight and he knew he wouldn’t be able to settle that night. And despite pretending to himself it was solely due to his father’s current state of health, Nabil knew it was much more than that. Yasmin’s emotional health seemed to have taken a hit too in the past couple of weeks. She might become more withdrawn and he didn’t want that. His relationship with his wife was beginning to alarm him now. Her demeanour was often sad lately, even though she was trying so hard to be strong for him. He knew something would have to give.

  Chapter 10

  The engines roared on the sheikh’s private jet. Nabil had taken off for Qaman. His concentration wavered. It had never been a problem for him before, but Yasmin had broken through his emotional armour. She was under his skin and there was nothing he could do about it now. Not that he wanted to anymore.

  A few minutes into the flight and Nabil’s mind still hadn’t settled. Something wasn’t right, he could feel it. His instincts were never wrong.

  ‘Your Highness?’ Mahir appeared before him, restlessness showing in his body.

  ‘What is it, Mahir?’

  ‘Our security chief has just sent this through.’ He handed Nabil the scan that had just arrived.

  Nabil looked at the information and then at the photo.

  His blood ran cold.

  ‘I know this man, Mahir.’

  ‘As do I, Your Highness.’ Mahir said slowly. ‘I remember him from the negotiations with Qaman. This is the infiltrator from Soufar, Qaman’s quarrelsome neighbour. He was with Prince Shehab at the negotiations. Obviously he has worked his way to the top. But he is indeed a spy and he could be dangerous.’

  Nabil stood up and began to pace around the small aircraft cabin. He felt suffocated, like a lion in a cage.

  All of a sudden, he turned and called out to a steward who was passing. ‘Tell the captain I want to land in Qaman as soon as possible.’

  The steward stood, stunned for a second, then bowed deeply and rushed to the cockpit.

  The ringing of the cabin phone came soon after and Nabil answered it swiftly. ‘Yes, that’s right. As soon as possible. This is urgent.’ There was a small pause. Nabil exhaled sharply. ‘I don’t care what you have to do, just do it!’

  ‘Sayidi?’ Mahir’s voice came. ‘How dangerous are we talking?’

  Nabil didn’t respond immediately. He just looked out the aeroplane window. Exhaling, he replied, ‘I’m not sure how deep this goes, Mahir, but if there’s one there might be others.’ He paused, then turned his head and looked directly at his right-hand man. ‘It could be a disaster…or we could have just caught it in time.’ He turned again. ‘At this stage I don’t know.’

  He also didn’t know where this guy was. He could be in Qaman with Shehab, or he might have already been called back to his own nation now that the war had been prevented. Nabil wasn’t sure whether or not he should be worried about Yasmin’s parents. Her brother he knew would be able to take care of himself. He was in the military but as far as Nabil knew still at the border. Perhaps he was back now that war had been averted. After all, Nabil had sent a sizeable military presence there which would remain.

  Then a thought hit him. What if this guy had somehow slithered his way to the king himself? He had to get word to Shehab now.

  Nabil picked up the phone and dialled Shehab’s number hoping he wasn’t in the middle of some training exercise. ‘Shehab, it’s Nabil.’ Relief. ‘My father is healing, thank you. Listen, this is important…’ Nabil began to explain the situation to Shehab.

  ‘Shit,’ Shehab hissed. ‘I always had my doubts about this man but he had come highly recommended as a top negotiator from someone I trust. Going with my gut I never let him get too close. But Nabil, he was close enough. He’s still here in Qaman. Here in the palace.’

  ‘I’m nearly there, ‘Nabil relied. ‘I’ve got some security with me but more of my people are still there in Qaman. I want you to call Amir, hopefully he’s not too far away.’

  ‘I’ll find this rat myself,’ Shehab said, his voice now filled with fury. ‘Especially since Yasmin will be here today.’

  ‘What?’ Nabil rose from his chair, a cold sweat breaking out over his entire body.

  ‘She decided to come in just for the day to visit mother and father.’

  ‘Shehab, I’m on my way. Nearly there.’

  ‘I’m dialling Amir and his security now,’ Shehab said, picking up another phone. ‘But someone here is going to pay for missing this.’

  Nabil’s heart was pounding fast in his chest. This was now so close - too close. To his own heart. He couldn’t get Yasmin out of his mind. He hadn’t seen her this morning as she was still asleep when he woke and he didn’t want to disturb her.

  The smoke billowed as the jet’s tyres touched down on Qamani soil.

  Within minutes, Nabil was in a waiting car as it raced through the streets. He knew Shehab would already be on it but this was his wife. And his feelings for her that he’d denied for so long had amplified to such a degree…oh God, he had realised how much he cared for her. Realised it too late.

  This new emotion was unsettling, foreign. Fear. He had never felt such fear before and it threatened to undo him.

  ‘Faster!’ he growled at the driver, his body pushed back into the seat as the car sped up.

  Nabil didn’t know what he would be facing exactly when he arrived. All he knew was that Yasmin was in potential danger – and he couldn’t lose her. He just couldn’t lose her. His chest tightened. His breathing was becoming uneven. Despite his almost desperate attempts to keep her at a distance, she had become such an important part of his life, she had become his very breath, and he couldn’t let anything happen to her – ever.

  As the vehicle arrived at the Qamani palace, Nabil shot out of the car feeling the heat of the evening slowly ebbing and the cool breeze caressing his face. Shehab was already there to meet him. Both men climbed the steps and disappeared behind the palace walls.

  ‘I want to see my wife,’ were the first words Nabil spoke.

  Shehab ushered him into his office. ‘We can speak privately here. Yasmin arrived earlier. I’ve sent her to my quarters. She’s safe. You’ll see h
er soon enough. Come into my office. I want this security threat dealt with now. I already have people on it, but….’ Shehab hesitated.

  Nabil waited. Then completed Shehab’s sentence, ‘You don’t know who to trust right now.’

  Shehab nodded. ‘That’s why when you said you’d be coming I thought it was best as you have your own people. People not connected to me or Qaman.’

  ‘My people are waiting in the other room. I want them to scour the palace.’ Nabil stepped towards the window. ‘But, I need complete clearance, Shehab.’ He turned then. ‘Do you understand?’

  Shehab inhaled sharply. ‘As long as you remember that this is my country and my responsibility. And I want complete involvement. Do you understand?’

  Nabil gave a quick nod. ‘Of course.’ He knew this couldn’t be easy for a man like Shehab. They were, after all, not that different in their devotion to their country and their families. And having no control was something Nabil would have had difficulty handling too. ‘My head of security says he’s onto it,’ he said to Shehab after hanging up the phone. ‘I don’t think it will be long now.’

  Shehab began pacing. His shoulders were stiff and his jaw was tight. Nabil felt the same way.

  Nabil walked over to him and placed his hand on Shehab’s shoulder.

  ‘I know what you’re thinking, brother. Don’t. These people are masters of manipulation.’

  Nabil raggedly moved his hand through his hair and moved further towards the window. Then he stopped short, his whole body tensing up. He could see two figures on the balcony close to where they were. Turning to look at Shehab he realised something was wrong.

  ‘Does something about that seem odd to you?’ he asked Shehab.

  ‘They look like security uniforms but…’ Shehab stopped. ‘They shouldn’t be on the balcony. They’re my quarters…’ Shehab whispered.

  ‘And Yasmin is there,’ Nabil finished the sentence for him. His blood running cold. He wasn’t waiting for security or anyone. Not one second longer. He had already wasted months being a complete and utter idiot. He turned and raced out the door, Shehab hot on his heels. Oh God, let her not be there. Let her be with her parents!