branch from the side of the path and went back to the road, sweeping over their tracks.
When he got back into the driver’s seat Dalilah saw he was pale under his tan, his skin tight—he really was broken up about leaving those villagers.
Conflict torqued inside Dalilah as they entered a gorge, high rocky cliffs on either side, casting long shadows.
“Valley of Ghosts,” he said.
“Is that what it’s called?”
He nodded. “A superstitious place.”
They traveled for a while down the gorge, cliffs narrowing in on them.
He sensed her uneasiness. “Don’t worry, the path veers off before it narrows too much.”
“It’s not the gorge, Brandt. It’s the village. I mean, if they claim we stole their jeep, surely—”
“Omair has told me things about Amal,” he said coolly. “He revels in destruction, pain, hurt. He’s evil, Dalilah. I saw firsthand what he did at the lodge—I can see him slaughtering every one of those villagers for pure pleasure.”
“Okay, so you’re right, maybe we should have just walked.”
“And then? You’d be dead by sunrise. Because if we were on foot, he’d be on our asses before dawn with his horses and jeeps.”
She stared at him.
“So you chose me over that village.”
He drove in silence.
“I’m sorry,” she said quietly. And she truly was. For being an Al Arif royal, for attracting Amal, for Omair forcing Brandt into this. For bringing possible devastation to an innocent village, for pushing this man to break his vow of peace.
“Brandt,” she said suddenly, “stop the car.”
“What for?”
“Just stop. Now!”
He did. Dust settled. The sound of birds rose around them.
“We need to go back.”
He rolled his eyes. “We can’t—I’ll be signing your death warrant, Dalilah. My sole purpose out here is to keep you alive.”
“We have to go back.”
“And do what, exactly?”
“Kill Amal.”
He stared at her, stunned by the determination—and fear—on her face.
“We need to protect that village, Brandt, and we need to head Amal off, lead him away.... I don’t know, trap him or something.”
“Don’t be naive,” he snapped. “You know what’ll happen, Dalilah—we’ll all die. Villagers, you, me...I get to see a repeat of what happened to Carla.”
“Oh, so it’s about you.”
He swore violently. “That is not fair.”
She swiveled in her seat, faced him square. “Listen to me, Brandt, I can’t keep running. If we don’t end this now, if Omair doesn’t catch him, he’s always going to be out there somewhere.” She pointed into the distance. “There will always be the fear that he’ll come after one of my family, anywhere, anytime, somewhere in the world. I have to end this now.”
“You?”
“We do. Me and you. A team.”
“Dalilah—”
“Listen, Brandt, I know you made this vow not to use violence, but please, help me do this. I can’t keep running, not now that I have everything to live for. I gave away that ring because I decided I couldn’t give up who I am in order to marry Haroun. You helped me reach that decision. Now I’m almost there—almost free. Help me go the rest of the way.”
He stared. Something unreadable in his face. Something changing in the lines of his features, in the quality of light in his eyes—anticipation, hope. It fueled her.
But he said, “Dalilah, I cannot endanger your life. I just...can’t. My job is to protect you.”
She grabbed his arm. “Brandt, this is not about your job, it’s not about delivering me to Omair—I’m not going anywhere. This is about us. About...maybe trying to make things work.”
The muscle in his jaw ticked. He swallowed. “What are you really saying, Dalilah?”
She glanced away. What was she saying? Then she spun back to face him. “I’m saying that when this is all over, I want to come to your farm, Brandt. I’m saying I want to get to know you better—if you’ll let me.”
All the color drained from his face.
“But I have to tell Haroun I’m not upholding the treaty, and I have to inform my brothers. If I can also tell them Amal is gone, it’s going to win me favor. That’s my offer to them, my compromise. That’s what I can do for my country. And I need your help.”
“Christ,” he breathed.
“Remember, Brandt,” she whispered, “you told me yourself, whatever you do out here, don’t run. Because there’s nothing out here that you can outrun. I’m not running anymore. And neither are you, because if you come back with me, and we take out Amal, you’ll kill those memories in your head, I swear it.”
He continued to stare at her. “You’re not going to marry him?”
She