by Bri Clark
Abbass lived in a large estate with four wings and three sets of elaborate stairs that met in a stately main hall. Our room was on the second floor of the north wing. Outside the door of our suite, Henry issued gracious words to the ambassador. “Many thanks to you, Ambassador. You didn’t have to escort us personally. I understand you have several other guests to attend to.”
I could feel Abbass’ eyes on me as he spoke, “I wanted to make sure that all your needs were met.” Henry’s body was so tense, I could have slipped right down it as he spoke. “Please feel free to excuse yourselves from dinner, take tonight to get settled in so you will be comfortable for the rest of your visit. I would hate to have you and your wife miss any of the festivities.”
“My apologies again, Ambassador, we will most definitely take tonight to rest.” Henry rumbled his reply.
“We will be having a ball to celebrate the height of the festivities. I would consider it an honor to dance with Mrs. Rathbone.” Still eyeing me like a lion licking his chops, Abbass all but insisted on the dance. I figured it would be expected to dance with the host. Nevertheless, oddly enough Henry did not.
“With all due respect, Ambassador, a lot of men have fancied a dance with my wife. Only no one dances with her but me.” Henry’s words came out like acid. Thankful again, for the glasses that covered my bulging eyes, I considered that maybe they would need to be surgically implanted after this mission.
The ambassador dismissed Henry’s behavior and continued speaking. “The ball will be at eight p.m. sharp, formal attire, as the invitation designated. If you need something, I am sure I could arrange for clothing. There are several wonderful seamstresses in town who would be happy to make a dress especially designed for the lovely Mrs. Rathbone.”
Henry’s chest rose and fell against my head as he tried to calm himself enough to answer. Yet his heart continued to strum rhythmically fast against his rib cage. “Again many thanks, but it’s unnecessary. My wife already has something to wear, as do I.” Henry’s words were definitely far from polite. Was that the best he could do? Why was he acting like this? This was getting ridiculous.
The ambassador raised one of his brows at Henry’s remark. I sensed he felt Henry as a challenge, and he enjoyed it. “I understand. If I had a wife as beautiful as Mrs. Rathbone I would always keep her close by.” Leaving us with a smirk, he snapped his fingers and left with his faithful bodyguards on his tail.
Chapter Fifteen
Marie
In their personal suite in Egypt at the Ambassador’s compound
Our suite was spacious with elaborate furnishings and décor. A canopy bed dominated the middle of the room. There was a master bathroom and walk-in closet to the right.
Literally jumping from Henry’s arms as soon as the door closed I acted like I was inspecting our surroundings. I needed space from him to try to gain control of myself. Taking a compact from my purse, I pretended to check my hair. I wanted to talk to Henry but needed to make sure the room was secure. The compact was a computer that could detect if the room was bugged. A light hidden under the powdered bottom flashed green twice indicating nothing was detected.
“Clear,” I announced. Henry ignored me while he ripped off his jacket and tie, mumbling something under his breath with fury. Well now, I was ready to fight. His behavior was ridiculous.
“What was that…you…you fool?” I yelled at him almost stomping my foot.
Before he could finish he stopped in the middle of unbuttoning his shirt. “What are you blathering, about?”
“I’m talking about your behavior with the ambassador. Don’t act like you don’t know exactly what I am talking about Henry. You owe me an explanation.”
“Why don’t we talk about you…” he shot back all the sudden, towering over me.
I interrupted him. “Talk about me, go right ahead Henry, talk about me. What did I do exactly? I would love to know.” My arms crossed, and I tapped my fingers at the inside elbow.
His eyebrows shot up, his face went red with rage, and I didn’t need to sense him to know that he was just as angry as I was. However, there was a difference. My anger was justified. Clenching his fists at his side, he walked three steps away, turned, then stood shaking. His silence was like gasoline on my already flaming emotions.
“Just as I suspected, nothing, you have nothing to say. You can’t explain your foolishness; so you try to turn it around on me. But there is nothing to turn around.” I challenged him throwing my hands in the air then pointing.
At first, he didn’t look at me as I ranted then suddenly his head snapped up his face flushed from a flame red to paler than his natural color. He made the distance between in less than a second. Glaring down at me his eyes were glistening diamonds of rage. Even now, slightly frightened, my heart stuttered in my chest at the closeness of his body.
Meeting his glare with my own, I refused to cower away from him. His behavior was insufferable and crazy. We had a task to see through and acting like that was providing us with unneeded risk. With my arms still crossed, I arched a brow waiting for him to speak.
“You mean to tell me you don’t have a clue? You didn’t plan this…” he paused. His hand ran up and down my frame “seduction…” he finished through clenched teeth.
Looking down at myself, attempting to understand, I uncrossed my arms. “What are you talking about, Henry?”
Reaching up, he touched the sunglasses on my head. “This,” he whispered. Then he grabbed the material of my dress. “This.”
My pulse accelerated, and I stepped back.
“Henry, you know I didn’t pack any of these clothes.” I exhaled, frustrated because I still didn’t understand. He backed away, walked across the room and began to pace. Stopping, he pinched the bridge of his nose while lines creased his forehead. Unable to squash the dream, an urge to run my fingers over his faultless skin and smooth the wrinkles was so tempting.
Deciding to drop the conversation for now, I sat down to take off my shoes. His eyes trailed me, and I looked up and met his gaze. They were softer now. Finally speaking, his voice was as calm as the ocean breeze. “I thought you wore that—” His hand gestured up and down in front of me again; I looked down. He took a deep breath and attempted to finish. “I thought you dressed so…so lovely…to…entice the ambassador.” He cleared his throat. “It worked, blooming too well, by the way.”
A flood of emotions came at me all at once…my heart was doing back flips; he said I was lovely. Then it stopped. What did he think I was going to do, seduce the ambassador for information? Did he even know me? Did I know him? He had become so distant since the night at the cabin. A dull ache echoed in my heart from the memory of that night. I pushed it down. What if I did plan it? It wasn’t as if he would care. He had made his feelings about me perfectly clear. A mixture of pain, and anger gripped me by the gut.
“What if I did?” I shot back. His face became hard as stone; he turned towards me as if he was going to get close again. Beating him to it, I crossed the distance between us in one glide. Standing at his chest, I looked at him squarely. My move left him dazed, silencing his words briefly. I took advantage of it while I had a burst of bravado.
“Even if I did plan to do that, what is it to you? You’ve made your feelings or lack thereof, for me quite clear. I don’t even know you anymore. You are a stranger. We haven’t been anything close to what we used to be in months. You act as if I am one of your subordinates, someone you just train, an order that Abram gave you. Well, that’s fine with me.” It wasn’t. I could feel hot tears start to build. No, I wouldn’t let him see me cry. I took a ragged breath before I began again. He opened his mouth to speak, and I covered his lips with my palm, effectively silencing him. He was not going to rob me of this. I was going to get this out.
“You asked me one time to be just a woman. I would have never agreed to that if I knew that we would be leaving her at the cabin. The Henry I knew didn’t even return from the cabin. I will admit
I didn’t know what to expect after that night. You made all these convincing declarations of how you cared for me…how beautiful I am…how I make you crazy…Then you just stopped feeling them. If you ever did. Worst of all you took my companion away. The one person I had…” I couldn’t finish with those traitor tears rolling down my cheeks.
I ran to the bathroom and slammed the door, seeking relief by collapsing on the floor, letting the anguish roll over me and wash away the tears. Sitting on the cold marbled tile floor I cried out of pain, the still fresh pain of his rejection, pain for my broken heart, the loss of my friend, and the humiliation of how just for one fleeting moment, I was willing to risk it all again.
****
Henry
As Marie ran away, all I could do was stand there motionless. Gunshots, knife wounds, and broken bones were minuscule compared to the pain slicing through me now. Nevertheless, none of them put together or even touched the degree of heartache I felt coming from her, pain that I had caused. Her agony had penetrated my shield and hers along with it. I was a fool, as she had put it. All of it was unnecessary; in fact, I was trying to prevent it all. Was I that good of an actor? She called me a stranger. I thought back over the time since the cabin. I had made an extreme effort to control my emotions when I was around her, which was apparently too good of an effort. I had become Glazier. That was just the point; it was all an act. I cared for her more than she would ever know.
Hearing the water turn on I began to relax. Then I heard something else, something that ate at my very soul. It was the muffled sound of weeping. I moved closer. Her crying came harder. Pressing my forehead against the door I could picture her sitting there crying her head on her knees, the water spilling over her. The temptation was so great to break through the door and scoop her dripping body up.
However, something stopped me, something stronger than even me. Fear. A fear that I would hurt her more and rejection. What if she rejected me and I had hurt her too much? She could have so easily recoiled into Glazier, making the pain stop, but she hadn’t. She suffered in silence. Why? She silently bore up the burden for months, while I, a spineless sod, hid behind Glazier.
With the increase in her sobbing came the increased desire to hold her. I couldn’t continue to stand here. I would end up breaking down the door and who knows where I would stop. Remembering the balcony, I threw open the French doors and shut them tightly behind me. I took a deep breath. The evening was cool for Egypt and I saw a storm brewing in the distance.
My mind ran back over the events of the day. I quite literally lost control, almost throwing the whole mission while also endangering Marie. Foolishness was what she called my behavior. She was too much of a lady to call me the names I deserved. If she even knew any.
When Abbass saw Marie descend from the plane I could see plain as day the lust in his eyes as his head moved up and down, drinking all of her in. Not that she wasn’t stunning in her emerald dress with her ginger hair tickling the tops of her shoulders…she was heart-stopping. I was glad I told her not to wear the wig. Something like that would have put Abbass on defense. When she had emerged from the bathroom on the plane, I almost attacked her there. I wanted so badly to wrap my arms around her and crush her lips to mine. Instead, I was once again foolish as she put it. She was my rare treasure.
Unfortunately, Abbass noticed her splendor as well. I even heard all the silent intakes of breath from his servants as she emerged. Abbass grinned appreciatively while he had appraised her. I had read in the file that he was married; however, he was the usual sod. He had concubines that he kept in comfortable surroundings. This information was not in Marie’s file. I had left that info out on purpose. Abbass had a reputation for being attracted to women of other nationalities. Egyptian women were beautiful but distinctive. They had caramel skin with dark eyes and hair; they were often not much taller than 5’6 with feminine curves.
Marie was an extreme contrast. Her pale skin was flawless and smooth. She was tall at 5’10 and lean. Her features were delicate but striking with arms and legs that were elongated and graceful. Her hair fell half way down her back in a distinctive mix of coppery hues while her crystalline eyes shined like shooting stars across the heavens.
I had prepared for every possible scenario I could imagine that could have endangered Marie, everything but one.
Me.
I never anticipated Abbass yearning for Marie as he did. Worst of all was my response to his attraction to her. I made the detrimental mistake of sensing him. HE WANTED HER, my treasure, HE WANTED HER! It felt like someone pulled the pin of a grenade and set it off in my stomach. When I felt his rush of lust and anger, a ferocious rage responded and coursed through me. I wanted to throw Marie over my shoulder and take off running. Then I wanted to do unspeakably cruel things to Abbass… I shivered at the memory, feeling the blind hate smoldering in me all over again. I swallowed back the bitterness and decided to push the thought aside for now.
I took a deep breath as a breeze blew over my face, helping to clear my head. I replayed Marie’s earlier behavior. She almost fainted when we arrived. I didn’t even ask her what was wrong. What if she was sick? I just put her through an emotional nightmare. She wouldn’t come to me if she needed help. She considered me a stranger and now she was alone in the shower crying. It never occurred to me she might be crying because she was unwell.
I turned on my heels to go back in the room and break the door down when her scent tickled my nose. Stopping… I listened. The water was off; there was no movement in the room. I tried to sense her. Nothing. Then I saw something move below the balcony.
It was Marie. She was dressed in a blue tank top and blue athletic shorts. Her copper tresses were pulled up in a wet high ponytail with a blade concealed at the top. She was going running. Figures. We couldn’t exactly spar here and she obviously wasn’t sick. Then what would cause her to faint? If I knew Marie, she would be doing some nonchalant surveillance while she ran. I debated over what I was about to do, follow her or not. I don’t know why I debated, because my feet were moving over the rail before I had even made a decision.
No way was I going to let her out of my sight for a second.
Chapter Sixteen
Henry
On the grounds of the Ambassadors compound in Egypt
The area around the estate was not what the world thought of as Egypt. I tailed her, the greenery providing better than adequate cover. Trees, flowers, and grass overwhelmed the grounds. While specifically made trails wound all around the gardens of the house and she went down one that curved around the back and away. Picking up my pace I followed. I didn’t want to lose sight of her. There was simply no logical reason why I was following her. She wasn’t exactly in danger. This was a ruthless tyrant’s compound but we were guests. In the worst-case scenario she could take care of herself. It was funny; if she caught me, she could quite easily take care of me. I smiled to myself. It disappeared abruptly when she stopped. I froze in place, fearful she might have sensed me.
But sensing someone else, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up while an overwhelming sense to protect took hold of my body forcing my muscles to contract and bulge putting me on edge. I peeked around the tree and I heard him speak, that son of a …
“Good Evening, Mrs. Rathbone,” Abbass greeted her as he emerged from the foliage to her left. He was smoking a cigar. Marie hated cigars and grimaced as the cloud of white smoke engulfed her face, but she covered well with a dazzling smile.
“Good evening, Ambassador,” she greeted him. Her respirations were slow and even, not usual for someone who had been running. I silently hoped he wouldn’t notice. His eyebrow rose slightly as she spoke and my own heartbeat quickened as his gaze dropped to her chest. He'd noticed.
“My, my you seem to be in a better condition than when you first arrived, not even out of breath and you have run quite the distance.” His eyes looked back towards the main house.
“What condition would you be refe
rring to, Ambassador?” she asked sounding coy, but her voice was cool and distant.
He appraised her, “You just seemed very…delicate upon your arrival.” As he enunciated delicate, my hands ground into the tree trunk leaving indentions. She was delicate but she was mine. My fury threatened to erupt again. I looked away, attempting to control it. I wouldn’t put her in danger…not again.
She regarded him with a cool composure. “I can assure you that our first meeting was a rare occurrence. I am not as delicate as I seem, Ambassador.” He didn’t respond right away. She had put him in his place. I knew it wouldn’t last long. Sometimes I hated being right. Abbass grinned at her like the crocodile he was. She glared at him with her hands on her hips not suppressing her agitation. I wished she would move her hands. If it was drawing my attention, I knew it was Abbass’s. He glanced down, grinned, and then met her eyes again. I almost uprooted the tree.
“Well, if that is so then may I ask you if your husband’s behavior was a rare occurrence as well?” he asked.
