Altair - Marian Tee Page 0,35

talk about her father being involved, but not once had Altair questioned her about this. While a part of her wanted to believe this meant the sheikh was finally beginning to trust her, the part of her that remained pigheadedly rooted in its superstitious beliefs...

Trouble comes in threes, an insidious little voice inside of her head liked to whisper when she was alone, and that voice—-

That voice had started cackling in her mind when Altair received a call about Safiya's father wanting to meet with him...alone.

SHEIKH MAHMUD TANNOUS of Farigha waved a negligent hand in greeting as his daughter's betrothed came striding inside the drawing room. Whereas the past few years had made Mahmud age considerably, he was more than annoyed to see that the same could not be said for Altair Al-Atassi.

The kingdom's army commander appeared disgustingly fit, and judging by the way his female servants were giggling and stealing looks at the other sheikh, Mahmud knew that the man's scarred features did nothing to diminish his appeal to the other sex.

Altair inclined his head in customary greeting as he came to stand before his betrothed's sire. "Yam jamil, alshaykh."

Mahmud, however, only snorted at this. "Let us do away with the formalities." The older man's gaze turned calculating. "You are, after all, soon to be my son-in-law...nem?"

"Nem." The sheikh's voice was even.

Mahmud was grudgingly impressed. He had expected the sheikh to answer with an outright denial, but since he did not...

In the many instances Altair had the opportunity to study how Mahmud operated, the older man had always shown himself to be sly and crafty. Dodgy even. Altair had been prepared for Safiya's father to act no differently today, but he was proven wrong as soon as he was seated.

"Have you decoded Safiya's letter yet?"

The abruptly spoken question had Altair involuntarily stiffening.

"I knew from the start your people had made a copy of the letter. But what none of you realized is that the code we use would automatically reveal if a letter has been tampered with." Mahmud's gaze narrowed impatiently at the other sheikh. "Well then?"

"No," Altair said finally, having decided that admitting this much did not come with any risk. "None of us—-"

Mahmud interrupted him then, and Altair's brows shot up as he realized what Safiya's father was telling him...and it was none other than the means to crack the code.

Afterwards, Mahmud relaxed back against his seat and surveyed the other sheikh's chagrined expression with unconcealed glee.

"It kills you now, does it not? How simple the code is?"

"Yes." Altair's tone this time was one of self-disgust.

"It is one of the Tannous' family secrets," Mahmud shared congenially. "And just as my grandfather taught my sire, and my father taught me, I had also been the one to teach my daughter—-"

"Why are you telling me this?"

"A show of good faith." Mahmud's lips twisted in a humorless smile when he saw how his words had caused the sheikh's chiseled features to turn expressionless. "You do not believe me. I can see it in your eyes, and I do not blame you. But then...you also do not have a choice, do you?"

The younger sheikh only responded to this with a Gallic shrug of his broad shoulders, and this, too, Mahmud had expected.

"When I learned of your cousin's woman being abducted and almost dying as a consequence, I thought that was enough ammunition for you to terminate your betrothal with Safiya. But you chose not to do so, and that surprised me. I do not mind admitting that, and afterwards, when you still did not terminate the betrothal after that woman's corpse was discovered?" Mahmud inclined his head in a wry gesture of acknowledgment. "That was the moment I thought to myself...this man truly cared for my daughter."

A period of silence followed, and Mahmud's gaze turned thoughtful as the other sheikh's features remained inscrutable.

"Am I wrong?"

Altair met the other sheikh's gaze unflinchingly. "No."

"And you are willing to swear that on your honor?"

"Yes."

Although the other sheikh's voice had become noticeably curt, Mahmud could not sense any dishonesty coming from Altair. What he did sense, however...

"You do not trust me, obviously."

"I would not make a good soldier," Altair said levelly, "if I trusted easily."

"True, true, but...you still do not have a choice, alshaykh."

"You keep talking about choices," Altair drawled, "but I do not recall you asking me to decide on anything."

"Come now, alshaykh. I'm certain you already know what I'm about to offer."

Altair's jaw clenched as he realized that the time he had been