by Romancing the Crown Series (13-in-1 bundle) (v1. 0) (lit)
She stayed in the shadows as she walked toward the main area of the refinery. It was up and running, pumps thumping, steam whooshing. From here, everything looked fine. She walked the edge of the property, looking for signs of trouble. There were so many half-empty warehouses, so many places to hide...
And then she saw movement at the water treatment building. There was never anyone there, but the water treatment crew, and they stayed up top, in the office that also served as a water lab. This movement was on the ground, around the south door. She stopped and watched for a moment. Her eyes had adjusted to the night, and with the light from the refinery proper it was fairly easy to make out the man who stood there, cradling an automatic rifle.
Salem, her father's driver.
No one knew this plant the way she did. Doing her best to keep out of sight, she headed toward the east side of the water treatment building. There was a guard at the north door, a stranger who was also armed. When she was as close to the building as she could get without exposing herself, and Salem's head was turned the other way, she hurried across the open space and concealed herself behind a concrete wall support. Her breath coming hard, she stood there a moment and listened. All remained quiet.
The door by the chlorine storage was partially hidden and rarely used. No guard had been posted at this door, and she slipped through it unseen.
The water treatment building was huge, with pools of treated and untreated water and facilities for testing. The pumps were loud here, the air dank. She took a metal stairway that led her down, below ground, her footsteps too loud on the metal steps.
When she reached the concrete corridor below, she began to search. Separately enclosed pump rooms lined the corridor, and she glanced into each one she passed. They were all empty, but she didn't stop. Those armed men were guarding something.
At the end of the hallway she stepped into a larger area. Pumps ran, throbbing softly. Above her head, a catwalk crossed the room. It was an ugly room, as most of them were, with exposed piping and concrete floor and bare metal fittings. She took another step and saw her father, who had been concealed behind a large pump. He held a gun trained on someone. Kitty? And he was flanked on either side by men armed with automatic rifles like the one Salem had been carrying. Imraan and Noori both worked here, in the water treatment building.
She took another step, and saw that her father threatened not Kitty, but a bound and gagged man she immediately recognized. Prince Lucas Sebastiani. The missing crown prince of Montebello. But.. .how? Why? Elena didn't have time to unravel the reasons the prince might be here as she studied him. He appeared to be unhurt, but was gagged and lashed to a water pipe that ran from floor to ceiling.
"You'll bring a nice ransom," her father said to the prince. "A ransom which will help to rebuild the Brothers of Darkness."
Gagged as he was, Prince Lucas couldn't respond, but the look he gave Yusuf Rahman was anything but frightened.
"Dad?" Elena said, stepping into the light. Imraan swung his weapon toward her.
Her father waved Imraan off, and the weapon ceased to be a threat to Elena. Her eyes remained on her father's face—a harsh, unrepentant face.
"What is this?"
"What are you doing here?" he responded.
"Is Kitty here?"
He sighed. "Yes. She's unhurt and will remain unhurt as long as all goes well." His dark eyes latched onto her face. "You do like her, don't you?"
Why did she suddenly feel that saying yes would put Kitty's life in danger? "She's a good secretary."
The man who was her father, a man she didn't know at all, looked at her and knew she lied. She knew it by the smirk on his face. "Where is the sheik? I told you to keep him busy and away from the refinery tonight."
"I sent him home," she said softly.
"Back to the hotel?"
She shook her head and took a couple of steps forward. "Back to Tamir. I told him there would be no partnership, no marriage."
Her father's face tightened, his lips thinned. "Do you have any idea what I could have done with that kind of access to the Tamiri Palace? Do you know what your stubbornness has cost me and the Brothers?"
"The Brothers," she repeated.
"We fight for Maloun, and what is rightfully ours, in any way we can."
Her father, the man she had worked so long and hard to gain the respect of, was a terrorist. He had kidnapped Prince Lucas and Kitty, and would do anything.. .was capable of anything...
"Did you kill Johnny?" she whispered. In the midst of the crisis, with her world crashing around her, she had to know.
"Yes," he said without remorse. "Did you think I would let my only daughter marry a poor American?"
Her knees wobbled. "How could you?"
"There were those who thought that you should be disposed of, too, as punishment for your outrageous behavior, but I would not allow it."
She wondered if she was supposed to thank him for that. "Because you loved me?" Her voice was a croaked whisper. She could manage nothing more.
"Because you were an asset," he said. "First a motherless child who made me a sympathetic figure, then an efficient and compliant CEO."
The building muffled almost every sound, but they heard a thud from outside. Something loud that was capable of penetrating the concrete walls and the water above.
Her father waved his weapon toward the corridor. "Noori, find out what that was." After a moment, he sent the other man, also, ordering him to report back quickly.
With his guards gone, he took special care to train his weapon on the prince.
"And now?" Elena asked, edging closer.
"We will hold the prince for ransom, and with the money we receive for his safe return we will rebuild the organization."
"And what about me?" she asked. "I know everything. You killed Johnny, you've been using this refinery as a.. .a front for your organization. How many people have you killed?" she whispered. Then she shook her head. "Never mind. I don't want to know."
"Nothing will change," her father insisted. "You are my daughter, and you will say nothing."
"And if I do?"
"Everyone you know will pay for your mistake," he said coldly. "Kitty. The old couple at your ranch. Cade Gallagher."
Her blood ran cold and again her knees wobbled. It was an effort to stay on her feet. She had a strong urge to fall to her knees, cradle her head in her hands, and pray for this nightmare to end. But it wasn't a nightmare. It was real. Too real.
"Where is Noori?" he asked, glancing toward the corridor he could not see well from his vantage point. "He should be back by now."
Again a noise intruded, and this time it was easily identifiable. Gunfire. A moment later, they heard the noise again.
She saw the panic on her father's face, the anger at his plan going awry. He took careful aim at the prince. "If there will be no ransom, I see no reason to keep you alive."
"No!" Elena jumped, placing her body before the prince's, holding her arms wide in an effort to shield him. "You can't do this!"
"I can," her father said calmly. "Step aside."
"No." Elena shook her head. For years, Rahman Oil had been a front for these terrorists. Her father had used her, he had made the best use of his asset. Like it or not, she was a part of this. She couldn't step aside now. "I won't let you do this." He might say he didn't love her, but he was her father. She had seen affection from him, hadn't she? No matter what he'd done, he wouldn't kill her.
"Don't make me shoot you," he muttered in a low, warning voice.
"You won't do it," she said. It seemed that behind her, the prince did his best to shove her aside. He was so tightly bound he had little range of motion, and she remained solidly before him.
"I killed your mother when she got in my way," he said softly. "Don't think I won't shoot you."
Elena wanted to speak, but couldn't.
"She found out about the Brothers, and the bitch was going to turn me in."
She hadn't
thought this moment could get worse, but as she heard the news her knees went weak. "But... you loved her."
"I loved her money and the fact that she had no family to interfere in our lives. She was convenient." His lips thinned. "When she ceased to be convenient I disposed of her."
Men were approaching, running down the long corridor.
"Goodbye, Elena." Yusuf Rahman took careful aim and tightened his finger on the trigger. Elena closed her eyes, but she did not move away from the prince. She couldn't. She had too many sins to atone for. How many deaths had she unwittingly been a part of?
A shot rang out, but there was no pain. Nothing. She opened her eyes and watched as her father crumpled to the ground. The prince she shielded looked up and so did she, just as Hassan, gun in hand, swung over the catwalk handrail and dropped to the floor.
* * *
He went directly to El-Malak, who lay dying, and kicked the gun away from his hand. The man still breathed, but not for long, and he was in obvious pain. Hassan felt no sympathy for a man who would shoot his own daughter.
The terrorist opened his eyes and looked at Hassan. "He said you would be no trouble, that you were only interested in...the refinery," he whispered hoarsely.
"He? Who told you this?" The security breach, the man who had leaked the information that the prince was still alive and a renewed search had been instigated.
"I should've killed you the minute you..." It was all the wounded man could manage, and with another labored breath, El-Malak died.
All hell broke loose, armed men rushing into the room, more armed men on the catwalk above. Elena ran to him, throwing her arms around his waist, shielding him as she had bravely, and foolishly, shielded Prince Lucas. With one look around him he realized why. The small army that had arrived, clearly identified by their windbreakers as FBI, thought he was one of the terrorists. In a nonthreatening gesture, he lifted his hands, and the gun, into the air.
Two men worked quickly to release the prince, who immediately cleared up the confusion. "No," Lucas said sharply. "He's one of us." As his bonds were cut he stepped away from the pipe he had been tied to. "He saved my life. Where the hell were you?"
A dark-haired agent pursed his lips. "We lost the signal for a while, and even after we arrived it was indistinct." He looked around him. "We didn't count on them taking you underground."
Elena loosened her grip and spun on the nearest agent. "Kitty Landers," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "My assistant. My.. .friend. I think she's here somewhere. Have you found her?"
One of the younger agents stepped forward. "Yes, ma'am. We found her up top in the office. They had her tied up, but she wasn't hurt. She's fine," he added with a shy grin. "Got quite a mouth on her."
"I want to see her," Elena said. She still hadn't looked directly at Hassan.
He wanted to take her face in his hands and kiss her. He wanted to hold her until she stopped shaking. He wanted to apologize for lying to her, for spying on her.. .for ever doubting her. But he would not apologize for loving her.
Untied, ungagged and freed of the transmitter that had been concealed in the collar of his shirt, Prince Lucas came forward and offered his hand. "I believe that's what's called arriving in the nick of time, Hassan."
They shook hands, and the FBI agents stepped away, for the moment. They had their hands full, subduing the terrorists and checking every room and corner to make sure they hadn't missed anything or anyone.
"What happened?" Hassan asked. "Where have you been?"
Prince Lucas gave him a sad smile. "I lost my memory when my plane crashed over the Rockies last year," he explained. "Some very nice people took me in, cared for me..." His half smile died. "And for a long time it seemed that my memory would never come back. A few months ago I saw my face on the television. In the story they mentioned Montebello, and that was all it took. My memory started to come back, a piece at a time. I took to the road, for a while, not wanting to bring the chaos and confusion of my life to those who had been kind to me." He looked away, as if he didn't want to say more.
"Months ago?"
The prince nodded. "It's been a confusing time, and my memory has only recently been completely repaired. I contacted an old friend, who's with the FBI. They had learned that a possible kidnap plot was in the works, so I agreed to be the bait. I haven't even had time to call my father and let him know I'm alive."
"Your return to Montebello will be most welcomed," Hassan said.
The prince cocked his head, and a new, thoughtful light twinkled in his eyes. "Return with me. What a great show of unity that would be. Who could say that Montebello and Tamir can't be allies after this?"
He couldn't deny the value in that idea. And that was, after all, why he had come to Texas.
"I must speak to Elena first."
The prince's smile came back. "She is yours?"
Hassan sighed. "I hope so."
Three FBI agents arrived to escort the prince to a waiting helicopter. "She's very brave," he said. "And very beautiful."
"And I just killed her father," Hassan muttered as they walked down the concrete corridor.
"Saving her life and mine in the process."
Hassan nodded. He wished he could be sure Elena would see it that way. Outside the water treatment building, chaos ruled. A helicopter waited, rotors whirring. Terrorists, soldiers of the Brothers of Darkness, had been handcuffed and taken to a van, where they sat under armed guard. Two of the terrorists had been shot, and their bodies lay where they had fallen. One of them was Salem, El-Malak's driver and bodyguard.
Among the cuffed prisoners, Hassan recognized several of Rahman's business associates. Taysir, Akram and Khalid, as well as the two men he'd seen talking on the night he'd first explored the water treatment building. He searched the crowd of prisoners for Arif, but didn't see him. Umair was not one of the captured, either. For Elena's sake, Hassan hoped the plant manager she relied on had not been involved in the terrorist organization. She had lost enough. More than anyone should.
Hassan looked everywhere, past FBI agents, and curious plant employees and handcuffed terrorists, and finally he saw her. Elena leaned against the building, an arm around Kitty as the older woman told her what had happened. Elena's head lifted, and her eyes met his. For a moment, in spite of the chaos, there was no one here but them. The sounds of the helicopter and the shouting agents dimmed.
Kitty patted Elena on the shoulder, and Elena reluctantly stepped toward Hassan. He stepped toward her, and she began to run. Frantic. Scared. And, he saw as she came closer, with tears in her green eyes.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the tall, thin Arif emerge from the building. Head down, hand concealed beneath the jacket of a rumpled suit, El-Malak's man headed directly for Elena. When his eyes lifted to stare at her, his arm began to come up.
Hassan increased his speed, shouting a warning to the nearest armed FBI agent. He cursed himself for allowing them to take his weapon, as he met Elena, grabbed her, and threw her to the ground, his body landing on top of hers as the shots rang out.
When he lifted his head, he saw Arif's body lying just a few feet away, the terrorist's weapon laying on the ground near his limp hand. An FBI agent kicked the weapon away and checked for a pulse at Arif's neck. He found none.
Breathing fast, Elena rose to her feet with Hassan's assistance. He caught her to him and held on tight, shielding her from harm and the sight of the body on the ground. He led her away from the terrorist's body, holding her close as he searched for a place where they were not surrounded by betrayal and death. Against the building, partially shielded by a concrete wall support, he finally breathed deep.
"It's going to be all right," he said softly, stroking Elena's hair, taking great comfort from the feel of her silky hair, the warmth of her body.
She shook her head against his chest. "Nothing's going to be all right. Nothing. Kitty called me, and.. .I didn't know what to do. I tried to call you at the hotel," she said
breathlessly. "You weren't there. I thought you'd left."
"I will never leave you," Hassan said, his hands lost in her hair. Now and forever, she was his to protect. His to hold.
"My father was a terrorist," Elena whispered. "He did terrible things. He...he killed Johnny."
"I know."
"He would have killed me, too, if..." her head lifted slowly. Her eyes met his, and very quickly went from soft and weepy to hard and suspicious. "You know?"
"We'll talk about it later," he said, laying a hand on her cheek. "There's no need for you to be scared, not ever again. I'll stay with you. We'll get married, we'll..."
"No, we won't," Elena said, her tears gone as she put the pieces of the puzzle together. "You knew. Of course you knew." She shook her head in disbelief. "All this time, you've been spying on me."
"No," he corrected her softly. "I've been spying on your father."
Again she shook her head, as she backed away, one step. "Yeah, well, you didn't sleep with him, did you? You didn't tell him to have faith and then...and then..." she shook her head. "Go home," she said. "I don't need you, I don't trust you, and I wouldn't marry you if you were the last man on earth!"
Behind him, the prince called. "Hassan! Time to go."
"Go," Elena said, so softly it was difficult to hear her above the commotion. "You've had your fun. You got to play secret agent, bed the girl, and shoot the bad guy." She couldn't disguise her deep tremble.
"You need me here."
"I do not need you," she insisted. "I don't need anyone." Her expression softened, just a little. "I can't think about this right now. Too much has happened, everything has changed. I don't know what to believe, what to feel."
"Let me help you."
"You can't."
"I can." He touched her cheek, easy and undemanding.
She wrapped her fingers around his wrist and moved his hand away from her face. "I need time, Hassan."
"Time?"
She nodded as she released his hand. "Time to think. Alone," she added softly. "I need some time alone."
"Hassan!" The prince yelled over the roar of the helicopter.
He backed away. If not for the show of unity his return with the prince would convey, he would stay here and fight. With Elena and for her. "I have to go."
