The Sheikh’s Tempted Prisoner by Holly Rayner Page 0,29
his eyes combing over her appearance briefly.
“Of course not. Forgive me. Would you mind if I joined you? It has been a long time since I’ve spoken English. It would be good to practice.”
Lily could hardly deny the man who had rescued her from a dine-and-dash situation in the middle of the desert. The truth was, past that moment, she had no idea what she would do or where she would go. She nodded, and the man quickly scooted over to her table and took a seat across from her.
“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss…?”
“Hawthorne,” Lily said, taking another large sip of her iced drink as her head began to pulse with a deep, pounding ache. “Lily Hawthorne.”
The man grinned as though he had just solved a puzzle he had been working on for quite some time.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Hawthorne. Might I ask what brings you so far out into the desert with no shoes or money?”
Lily stared at him. The back of her neck tingled in warning. She gave him her best smile in spite of the raging pain just behind her eyes.
“I was on a caravan trip with a few other travelers—a pilgrimage, you might say—when I got separated from my group in a sandstorm. I imagine all my supplies are out there with my camel somewhere.”
He tsked and leaned back in his chair as he continued to watch her.
“That is quite a shame. I myself often find that I lose important things just when I need them the most. Fortunately, today has brought one major clue.”
He reached into his pocket and set his police badge on the table, letting her look at it while she took in exactly who he was. As overheated as Lily had been, her blood froze as she looked at the badge and then up at the officer.
“Officer Tahan, I presume?”
He grinned, catlike, still sitting back in his chair.
“Ah, so we can be honest with one another now, can we, Miss Hawthorne? That is good. I prefer blunt honesty when it comes to dealing with criminals.”
“You think I’m a criminal?” she asked, scooting back. If she had to make a run for it, she would, no matter how exhausted she was. She wasn’t going to be imprisoned by this man, by Atnan’s brother! He was watching her with a bored sense of concern.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. I’m afraid I have already called for backup, and they’ll be here momentarily.”
To prove his point, he pulled a radio from his pocket. Lily sat back in her seat, defeated.
“Why are you chasing me? All I wanted to do was try out a new life in this country. I haven’t committed any crimes.”
“You mean besides being involved in a hit-and-run accident and that pesky little illegal status you have going on?”
“How do you know about that? My name wasn’t even attached to the car!”
“You underestimate how skilled my research and investigative team is, Miss Hawthorne. But you are correct about one thing: you are not important in the slightest. You know who I’m after, and I’m going to find him now—with your help, of course.”
She glared at him and crossed her arms.
“You won’t get anything out of me. Atnan is a good man!”
“And yet here you are, barefoot, sunburnt, penniless, and alone. I imagine if he was so good to you, we wouldn’t be where we are at this very moment, now would we? Besides, you must ask yourself just how far you really thought you would get as a white girl on the run with a wanted felon. For someone who wants to become an educator, you’re not very bright, are you?”
Lily felt ready to launch at him from across the table and punch him in his stupid, pudgy face. Unfortunately, at that moment, a series of officers burst through the café door, startling the other patrons as they stormed over to Lily, two of them grabbing her arms.
“It doesn’t have to be this way, Lily. You can comply with us and tell us what you know, and we can show you a much nicer time. Or you can continue to be difficult, and we will be difficult. What’s it to be?”
Lily glared at him, refusing to speak. While she’d had her doubts about Atnan, there were two sides to every story, and until she heard Atnan’s, she wouldn’t give him up to anyone. She’d realized her mistake far too late.
Nodding, Kaveh gestured for the guards