“Should we call Marty and check on Khalid?” Paige asked, her tone quieter, subdued at the thought of her brother.
“If you need to, though Marty is probably resting now,” Abram stated. “Trust her to call if there is any problem, love,” he stated quietly.
Yes, Tariq thought, there was definitely a reason to feel jealous. He wondered what it would be like to share with someone the everyday decisions life was prone to toss at you.
Sitting up in the bed, one foot resting on the floor, the other propped on the bed, he stared toward the balcony doors with a frown on his face.
Abram was right, restlessness wasn’t a part of his psyche, so what the hell was the problem?
“Tariq?” Paige sat up slowly. “What’s wrong?”
He moved to shake his head once again, only to have the movement interrupted by the quiet vibration of his phone on the table beside the bed.
His hand jerked out, flipping the phone open as he brought it to his ear.
“Tariq,” he answered.
“Is Abram with you?” the male voice questioned.
“He is,” Tariq replied.
“We need speakerphone, quickly,” Daniel Conover ordered, his tone steel-hard despite the low volume.
Tariq lowered the phone and quickly hit speaker.
“We’re here,” Tariq stated quietly.
“We have a problem,” Daniel said. “We’ve had two attempts at the gate in the last ten minutes with no sign of the attempted intruder. Be certain to stay on guard. And for God’s sake, stay in your rooms. If you have to leave, contact me first. I have an agent moving on Paige’s room.”
“Ms. Galbraithe is here,” Tariq informed him coolly, uncertain of the security agent’s right to call her by her first name alone.
A moment’s silence. “Very well. Stay in place, we’ll contact you soo#x201D;
As he spoke, both Tariq and Abram were moving around the room, quickly jerking the heavy curtains over the windows as Paige stood in the darkness of the connecting bathroom, dressing hurriedly in the jeans, T-shirt, underclothes, and boots Abram had advised her to keep handy, just in case.
“Be certain to stay in contact,” Tariq commanded as he and Abram began dressing as well.
Disconnecting the call, Tariq jerked his well-worn jeans on, securing them before pushing his feet into the boots and tying them quickly.
Abram finished seconds before he did and was opening the door to the closet where they had placed their weapons earlier that day. They had known, or at least Abram had known, exactly where their nights would be spent, and he had lain the weapons in just in case.
“Why won’t he let you go?” Paige stood at the door of the bathroom, uncertain in the face of what seemed to be going on, especially when Abram strode to her and pressed the Glock into her hand.
“Pride. Anger.” Abram’s voice was hard, but Paige had known him for years and she recognized that hint of pain in his tone.
She couldn’t imagine her father ever being less than gentle or loving with her, or firm but always kind to Khalid. She couldn’t bear it if he were anything less.
“Pride and anger isn’t a good enough reason,” she said into the dark, keeping her voice low.
“The f**ker is insane then.” Abram spat the comment out.
For all the softness of his tone, the violence that filled his voice had her flinching. It was the sight of Abram shoving the weapon into the holster beneath his arm that had her mouth drying out in fear. The violence, the gathering rage, it was all reflected in that tight, hard action.
“Abram?” She moved to step from the bathroom when the whole house seemed to shake and an explosion ripped through the night.
Paige stumbled against the door frame as the room seemed to shake and roll beneath her feet. A cry was barely smothered, her heart racing in fear as lights flickered outside and the sound of voices raised in alarm reached from the lower floor.
“It wasn’t the house, it was outside.” Abram was beside her, his hand grabbing hers as he pulled her toward the door. “It was too damned close though.”