by Romancing the Crown Series (13-in-1 bundle) (v1. 0) (lit)
Nadia's fingers gently closed around his, closing the phone at the same time. "It's all right, Gage. The other cars will pass by soon and see what has happened. In the meantime, the workers have said they will summon help for us."
"For you, anyway." He wasn't sure they'd have been so enthusiastic about helping him after he'd slammed into one of their multimillion-dollar machines.
Folding chairs were brought and placed in the shade of a canvas awning the workers had rigged up between machinery and cliff for their own use. Gage was too keyed up to sit, but he helped Nadia and Tahani to the chairs and gratefully accepted the cool water that was offered. The drink washed away some of the dust and bile clogging his throat, although he needed both hands to hold the cup steady.
The car was a mess. Looking at the crumpled side, scraped down to bare metal but still essentially intact, he made a mental note to stick to Branxtons in the future. He had rented this one when he arrived in Tamir because he owned a couple of similar models back home in Penwyck. He was going to have some explaining to do when the agency saw what he'd done to this one. But they were alive. He'd settle for that, for now.
On a sudden inspiration, he located the foreman of the team and took him aside for a few private words. The man took pity on his inadequate Arabic. "My friend, you've had a great shock. We can speak English if it's easier for you."
"Thanks. Right now, any language feels beyond me. I want you to do me a favor. I'm willing to pay well."
The man shook his head. "You have saved the life of our princess. Any service I can do in return is my pleasure, although I can think of nothing that would repay the great debt we owe you."
Impressed by the love and devotion Nadia inspired in her people, Gage nodded, knowing he wasn't far from feeling the same way himself. It was reassuring to find he wasn't the only one falling under her spell. At the same time, he hoped he would never have to shake the faith of this man and others like him by unmasking her as a traitor.
He rubbed his hand over his jaw. "Do this one thing, and we'll call it even. As soon as we're gone, check the car over and let me know what you find."
The foreman looked at the damaged car in disbelief. "You think someone tampered with your car to try to harm the princess?"
"Not her. She hadn't planned to be in the car. Her own broke down."
"Then someone wished to do you harm. Why?"
"If it was deliberate sabotage, I can think of a few reasons. But first I need answers."
The foreman clapped him on the shoulder. "You shall have them, my friend. Where can I reach you?"
Gage gave the man his number at the British Embassy. "If you can't contact me, you can leave a message and someone will make sure I get it."
"Consider it done."
By the time Gage returned to the princess's side, the rest of their party had caught up and she was explaining what had happened. Nargis and the twins threw up their hands in horror, exclaiming over their lucky escape.
"It was Gage's doing. He saved our lives with his skillful driving," Nadia said, reaching for his hand to pull him into the circle.
He saw Nargis's disapproving look go to their joined hands. She could worry about morality even now? Well, to hell with that. Nadia's hand in his felt good. He tightened his grip, his frown daring the older attendant to interfere.
Summoned by the workmen as soon as they recognized Nadia, another limousine arrived soon afterward, dispatched from Butrus's estate. Rather than scandalize Nargis too much, Gage helped Nadia and her attendants into the spacious rear compartment and climbed into the front seat beside the driver. He had never felt so bone-weary in his life. He let his head drop back against the leather headrest and closed his eyes.
Watching him through the glass partition separating them, Nadia felt her heart squeeze into a giant fist. She felt as if the jolting ride had bruised every part of her body, but none ached as poignantly as her heart. She knew she was verging on shock, and her judgment was impaired, but she felt more drawn to Gage than she had ever been to any man.
She had thought herself in love before, but nothing compared to the strength of her feelings for this Englishman, with his forward manner and powerful kisses. She had never been overjoyed about the prospect of marrying Butrus, although she had been resigned to doing her duty. Now she felt sick inside, as if some part of her that had only newly awoken would shrivel and die the day she exchanged wedding vows with Butrus.
What was she thinking? She was a princess of Tamir. Her life was devoted to duty. There could be no room in it for the sort of foolish love she was afraid she was starting to feel for Gage Weston.
No, she wouldn't allow it. In any case, he didn't return her feelings. Kissing her wasn't the same as loving her. His society put far less store by kisses than hers did. Just because the feel of his lips was imprinted on her own and she ached to feel his arms around her again didn't mean he felt the same. In time he would return to his own country and forget her. She should try to do the same where he was concerned, although it was amazingly difficult to contemplate.
"I dreamed of this road," Tahani said in a tremulous voice, startling Nadia out of her reverie. "I saw us hurtling down the cliff, barely missing the edge. I should have stopped you from getting into that car, Your Highness."
Nadia covered the girl's hand with her own, noting that Tahani's fingers were icy. "I won't permit you to blame yourself for something you couldn't control. You had a dream that could have meant anything. It's only now the drama is over that you see it as an omen."
Nargis looked affronted. "Omens are not to be taken lightly. I wish you had listened to Tahani, my princess."
Nadia gave a weary sigh. If she had listened, would she have refused to travel with Gage? She doubted it. She wasn't much good at making predictions herself, but she would stake a lot on her future being intertwined with his. Wishful thinking? she wondered. More like something about him that kept him in her thoughts constantly. Maybe that would change once she was married.
She fervently hoped so, hating to think she would have to endure a lifetime married to one man while dreaming of another.
Chapter 11
Butrus Dabir was pacing up and down Zabara's main courtyard when the convoy pulled in. As soon as Nadia's driver opened the door for her, he rushed to her side. "My dear, are you sure you're all right?"
"Perfectly, thank you, Butrus," she assured him, but her pallor contradicted her assertion.
"A doctor is waiting inside to check you over. Those dolts working on the road told me you weren't injured, but I couldn't rely on their word."
The princess gave a faint smile. "Those dolts saved our lives, along with some brilliant driving on Mr. Weston's part."
Dabir's eyes became lethal slits as they slid over Gage. "Then you and the roadworkers have my gratitude for saving Her Highness's life."
Butrus didn't sound especially grateful, Nadia thought. He sounded—she searched for a suitable description—upset to see Gage. She shivered, reminded that Gage thought the brakes might have been sabotaged. Surely Butrus couldn't have had anything to do with it, could he?
Nadia tried to persuade Gage to let the doctor examine him, but he insisted he was fine. He didn't look fine, she thought worriedly. Steering the runaway car at breakneck speed down such a tortuous road must have drained him. She knew she would have bruises from neck to thigh from being jolted around, as well as where the seat belt had cut across her when they ran off the road. What injuries had Gage suffered?
The rigidity with which he carried himself suggested how close he was to collapse, although he would probably never admit it. She couldn't help thinking about the crumpled, stripped metal along the side of the car. The slightest miscalculation on Gage's part, and they would have crashed into the cliff face or soared helplessly over the edge to their deaths.
Where had he learned to drive like that? Not in any diplomatic corps she knew of. As she allowed herself to be steered inside where a female physician waite
d to examine her and Tahani, she wondered again about his background and his true purpose in Tamir.
Gage waited until she was safely handed into the doctor's care before he turned in the direction of his suite, wanting nothing so much as a hot shower and a stiff drink.
His host had other ideas. "I would like to speak with you in my study, Gage."
He didn't say "right now," but Gage heard it in his voice. Dabir sounded like the headmaster at the prep school Gage had attended as a boy, only this time, instead of shivering with apprehension at the summons, he felt utter loathing.
He masked the feeling with a perfunctory smile. "I wouldn't think of sullying your presence in this condition. Permit me to shower and change first."
"This will only take a moment."
In a country where a guest could do no wrong, Dabir wasn't playing by the rules. Gage decided to go along for now, wondering how much Dabir knew. Could the attorney possibly have learned his real identity? Today's near miss made him think it was possible. But how had he found out? And how much of the whole picture did the other man possess?
He followed Dabir across the courtyard, their footsteps loud on the mosaic tiling. A servant opened a heavy carved door into a sparsely furnished chamber that led to a larger chamber. Dabir's office, Gage guessed.
He hadn't been in here before, and his swift assessment missed nothing. The sophisticated computer equipment, satellite-communication devices and other paraphernalia of the modern office contrasted with the ornate wall hangings, mahogany furniture and Persian carpets overlying one another with the lavishness of merchandise in a souk.
The carpets were edged with cushions and armrests, but Dabir gestured toward an upright chair in front of the massive desk. "Sit."
No polite chitchat? Just "sit"? Too shell-shocked to do anything else, Gage sat. Dabir chose to pace.
"You sounded surprised to see me still in one piece," Gage said.
Dabir wasn't to be drawn out so easily. "Relieved, yes, but hardly surprised. Why should I be?"
Gage crossed his arms and tried to appear relaxed. "I thought you might not be expecting me back."
Dabir affected a shrug. "Your fate is in the hands of the Almighty. Today your life was spared. Tomorrow, who knows?"
A threat or simple local philosophy? Gage was too tired and bruised for verbal sparring. "If you have something to say to me, just say it, Dabir."
The other man's expression hardened. "Very well. Have you any idea what you just did?"
"Saved the princess's life?" Gage asked, striving to play the British diplomat to the hilt.
Dabir whirled on him. He was wearing a hand-tailored suit, so there was no robe to swirl dramatically, but it was implied in his movements. "Had she not been in your car, her life would never have been put at risk in the first place."
"I wasn't the one who cut the brake lines," Gage snapped.
That stopped Dabir. "Are you suggesting someone sabotaged your car?"
"I'm not suggesting it. I know it." He didn't, but Dabir's reaction was making him more convinced all the time. Was Dabir so shaken because Nadia had been in the car and his attempt on Gage's life—if such it was— had almost killed the other man's ticket to power, as well?
Dabir looked convincingly shocked. "Why would anyone do such a thing?"
"I thought you might have some idea."
Dabir slowed, looming over Gage. "You are a guest in my house. I do not like—or accept—any insinuation that I am somehow involved in your misfortune."
"Then I withdraw the suggestion," Gage said smoothly, knowing he didn't sound in the least repentant.
"Why was Her Highness traveling with you?" Dabir demanded.
"Her car refused to start."
"So you gallantly offered to drive her home." Gage nodded. "That's about it."
"There was nothing more to your offer than simple courtesy?"
Now who was implying impropriety? Gage stood up, exhausted, and tired of having Dabir loom over him. They were evenly matched in height, although Gage was broader of shoulder and probably fitter.
He gained a little satisfaction from seeing Dabir shrink away from him. "What's really bothering you, Dabir? That your fiancee isn't as devoted to you as you'd like? I understood yours was to be a marriage of convenience." Mostly Dabir's, but Gage managed not to add that part.
"Our marriage plans are none of your concern."
"Then why are you letting a little thing like my giving the princess a ride bother you so much?"
"You don't understand Tamiri ways. A woman driving with a man who isn't her husband is inviting scandal. If she is royal, the potential for scandal is much worse."
"Even if her maid goes along for the ride?"
"It is still unseemly."
Gage raked a hand through his hair and his fingers came away caked in dust. Dabir's preoccupation with appearances was getting to him. Didn't the man realize his fiancee had come within a hairbreadth of being killed today? That didn't seem to bother him half as much as having her flout convention by riding with Gage.
"Look, Dabir, I've had a day out of hell. My car's a crumpled mess stranded halfway up a mountain. It's only by the grace of that Almighty of yours that Nadia, Tahani and I aren't in the same state. We can continue this discussion later if you insist, but right now, I'm going to take a shower."
Only when he saw his host's eyes darken did Gage realize his mistake. By referring to the princess so familiarly, he had fueled Dabir's suspicions about them. He decided it didn't matter. If the man already suspected him of being interested in Nadia and wanted him dead, the extra ammunition wasn't going to make much difference.
Dabir inclined his head in a parody of graciousness. "I see no need to discuss the matter further. I think we understand each other."
Gage knew his gaze was as cold as his adversary's. "No doubt."
"After sustaining such a shock, I understand that you would wish to take your leave tomorrow. Go in peace."
Gage remembered a line his partner had often used: "Don't go away mad." Implied was the tag line "Just go away." Gage heard it now in Dabir's words. He allowed himself a moment of frustration. The conference was finally becoming interesting. He was convinced that the meetings up to this point had been window dressing. With the arrival of the underworld types, Gage felt certain Dabir was settling down to the real business of the conference.
Since he could see no way to prolong his stay and learn more, he gave the expected response, "Peace be with you, too." At least, until he had enough evidence to hang the man.
Dabir pressed a button on his desk and a servant appeared silently, prepared to escort Gage back to his suite. So he wasn't to be allowed the freedom of the estate any longer. That meant he would probably be watched until he left. No problem. If Dani learned anything, she knew better than to tell him so in plain words. That left the foreman and whatever he uncovered from Gage's car. With luck, that message wouldn't reach Gage until he was safely back at the British Embassy.
He decided to relax and enjoy being alive.
* * *
Nadia was resting on a chaise longue in the shade of a colonnaded veranda when she saw Butrus approaching. He waved away her attempt to get to her feet. "Please stay where you are. You must be exhausted."
She set aside the magazine she'd been looking at without really seeing it. "I am tired, but the doctor says there is no lasting damage."
"Praise be. How is your maid?"
"Tahani is fine, too. She's gone to her room to rest."
Butrus frowned. "Leaving you alone?"
"It was my wish. I needed time to think, to deal with what happened today."
Butrus pulled up a chair close to Nadia. "I understand. It was a most unfortunate accident."
"According to Gage, it may not have been an accident."
"He has proof?"
She shook her head. "Not really, but he seems fairly confident."
Butrus's smile vanished. "Mr. Weston is a little too co
nfident about many things. It is fortunate that he is leaving us tomorrow."
Nadia struggled to keep her disappointment to herself. She should be glad, she knew. She was finding Gage far more attractive than was proper, and she suspected Butrus knew it. All the same she couldn't help asking, "Was it his idea to leave?"
"Does it matter? I imagine he is needed at the British Embassy."
"He didn't say anything to me about having to go so soon."
Butrus took her hand. "Much more of this, little one, and I shall fear that my presence alone is insufficient to make you happy."
Instead of the expected reassurance, she said, "You must agree, you have been preoccupied with your business affairs lately."
Her fiance sighed. "Regrettable, but necessary. I shall make it up to you as soon as my guests leave."
"Those men who arrived yesterday?"
He nodded. "They are only here for one more night. We had much business to discuss today."
"What kind of business?"
"Nothing you need worry about. You have had enough excitement for one day."
She shifted restively. "Hearing about your discussions will help take my mind off.. .what happened."
He spread his hands wide. "We talked of many things, mostly international affairs."
"This morning I heard you tell Gage that your discussions would concern purely local matters."
Angry color washed up Butrus's neck into his face. "What we spoke about is none of Gage Weston's
concern."
Or hers, she heard, although he didn't say it. Butrus knew that she had a brain and opinions of her own
and couldn't be relegated to a decorative role in his life. "Those men look more like criminals than
businessmen," she insisted. "I can't imagine what you have in common with their type."
Butrus reined in his temper with a visible effort. "In my work, it is sometimes necessary to deal with
people other than one's own kind." "Then you don't like them, either?" "Liking them is not the issue. The important thing is that I can deal with them when I must." He stood up.
"They will only occupy me for another few hours, then I can devote my time to you. Your father agreed to
