The Duke's Runaway Princess Page 0,52
bit pathetic, but she didn’t care at this point. “But even when I come back to Tasain, I’m not going to marry a stranger. I’ll do something else to help the people and live up to my position in the royal family, but marriage is out of the equation.”
Another long, tense moment while Zarah waited for her brother’s response. Finally, she heard his sigh and he said, “What’s happened, Zarah?” he asked, his tone much more gentle. “Are you okay?”
Zarah could have taken the anger or commands. But this new, gentle tone broke through her control. She was already weepy from thinking about the limited time she had with Derrick so his words caused the tears to flow unchecked. “Oh, Rashid,” she said with a sob, covering her face with her free hand as her shoulders drooped with the overwhelming sadness she was feeling now. “I’ve done something stupid, but I don’t regret it.”
“Have you been with a man?”
“Yes. I love him, Rashid. He’s wonder…..” Zarah felt the hand on her upper arms and looked around, shocked and suddenly terrified. “What….?”
The men were tall and bulky with dark suits and stern expressions. Within moments, the three men had her hands and feet tied and a soft piece of material placed over her mouth. It wouldn’t have mattered if they’d left the gag off because Zarah had stupidly chosen a parking lot with almost no one near because of the early morning hour to make the phone call this week. No one was around to witness her kidnapping and her cell phone, which might have been used to beg Rashid for help, was dropped from her terrified hands.
She tried desperately to get out of their hold, thinking back to the limited defense moves she’d been taught as she’d grown up. But the men were too strong and there were too many of them. They didn’t hurt her, and seemed to be working hard to make sure she didn’t hurt herself, but within moments, they had her in the back seat of a black Mercedes with dark, tinted windows.
One of the men retrieved her cell phone and said something into the receiver, nodded and folded it shut before tucking it into his pocket. Two of the men got into the vehicle beside her and two were in front. They all looked painfully serious and Zarah had no idea how to get out of this terrifying situation.
The driver, obviously the leader, turned around to face Zarah and in Arabic said, “We are here from Tasain. His Highness sent us to retrieve you and bring you home so please don’t be afraid. We will be airborne in less than two hours. I apologize for the harsh treatment, Your Highness, but your brother felt it was necessary under the circumstances.”
With that, he turned around in his seat and started the engine, ignoring the muffled pleas from Zarah as she tried to speak to them, to tell them that she wasn’t in need of rescuing. When they simply ignored her, and why wouldn’t they since she couldn’t make any intelligent sound with this horrible gag in her mouth, she stopped struggling, her head bowing once again as the tears flowed down her cheeks. The thought of Derrick wondering where she was occurred to her. She’d had such wonderful plans for the day, all surrounding being with him and laughing. Now he would think she’d just left him.
Would he worry? Would he even care?
Of course he would, she told herself sternly. Derrick might be a playboy but he had always treated her with respect and concern. He might not be as emotionally invested as she was, but he would worry and that made her even more distraught.
How could Rashid have done this to her? She wasn’t a recalcitrant child that he needed to punish! She was a grown woman who deserved to be treated with respect for the decisions she’d made in her life. She’d proven that she was a capable, intelligent woman. She couldn’t wait to get back to Tasain and give Rashid a piece of her mind for doing something so retched!
And Derrick! He’s going to be so worried! She had to find a way to get word back to him. She needed to reassure him that she was okay and he didn’t need to worry.
What a mess, she thought as the black vehicle drove into the airport. The man in front drove right up to a private plane, one with the royal seal of