Nori's Delta (Delta Team Three #1) - Lori Ryan Page 0,30

pleasure.”

She and her team were introduced to the others, all leaders in Demir’s army. She was surprised to see many women at the top of his hierarchy, all of whom looked like they could give her Deltas a run for their money.

She smiled as she thought of the Deltas as hers again. She wondered what the men would think of that.

As she kept up with the conversation around her, she went through the things she wanted to cover when she and Demir were back in private talks.

One of the things she wanted to assess was how Demir viewed Christian-Muslim relations. Under the current regime, Christians were often persecuted or at the very least discriminated against. She wanted to know if he would return that persecution ten-fold to the Muslims he and his followers would share this country with, or would he allow freedom of religion for all Kazarus citizens.

So far, she hadn’t spotted any Muslims in his camp, but that didn’t mean he was intolerant of them. And she certainly hadn’t met the entirety of his followers.

It wasn’t something her government needed to know, but she wanted the information as part of her personal assessment of where the negotiation was going. It would also help her get a sense of who he was and whether he could be trusted.

For the most part, Demir was as she’d expected. He was passionate about his cause and willing to do whatever it took to defeat the current regime in Kazarus. He was enigmatic and charming, which made sense given the number of people willing to follow him.

She had the feeling, though, that he was willing to be cruel to make sure he succeeded in his cause.

And there was something else under the surface, too. Something she wasn’t able to identify. Maybe it was a sense he was holding something back. She wasn’t sure, though. She needed more time with him.

“You are quiet, Ms. Bonham,” Demir said, leaning in. “Is the food to your liking?”

Eleanor nodded, covering her mouth with her hand as she finished chewing and swallowed. The rich sauces and tender meats were aromatic and delicious. “It’s wonderful. So much so that I’m forgetting my manners and ignoring you all for the food.”

Not true. She’d been too deep in thought.

Demir smiled and lifted a bowl with torn pieces of flat bread in it, holding it out to her. “My aunt is Lebanese. You must try her Man’ouche.”

Eleanor smiled as she took the offered bread and made a note of the fact his aunt was here in the compound with him.

Eleanor glanced at Demir’s brother. “Family is important to you.”

It was a statement but he treated it as a question and responded. “It is. Family is everything.” He placed the bread bowl back on the table and turned to her, his gaze intense. “The king—to him, family is nothing more than his bloodline, that which gives him what he considers his right to claim the throne. This is wrong. It is not as it should be. Family must be above all. They are your blood, your heart, and your soul.”

Eleanor nodded, hiding the pain she felt at his words. Her family was gone. Though she still had her stepfather and his wife and children in her life, her mother was gone. Her dad was gone. She had no grandparents alive on either side.

As she ate, she found herself envying what Demir had with his family. It was unlikely she’d ever have a family of her own again. It wasn’t like she was going to find a man and fall in love. Not with the way she was so focused on her career. She just didn’t have the bandwidth for something serious.

Her thoughts flew immediately to Heath but she shoved the idea aside. He didn’t have room for a woman in his life either. That was clear.

A woman approached from Demir’s other side and spoke to his brother quietly. Eleanor saw his brother lean in to speak to Demir, but she was still surprised by Demir’s words when he turned to her.

“I am afraid I must cut today’s session short. I have something to see to that requires my urgent attention. We’ll resume in the morning.”

He wasn’t asking her if that was okay, but still, she chose to answer as though he had.

“That will work for us.” She gave a nod and smiled, though on the inside, she was wondering what had happened to cause the sudden cancellation.

It was definitely unusual for someone to