The Sheik's Rebellious Mistress Page 0,54

more time, at least a minute in order to disappear into the crowd. Then an idea struck her. She"d never be able to melt into the crowd in her own garb. Her appearance was known all over the country now and she"d easily be recognized. Besides, each person in the marketplace was watching her, eagerly anticipating making a sale of their own so they could brag about how each had sold a coveted trinket to the future queen.

It took several more stalls before she found what she was looking for. The long, black material looked hot and uncomfortable and the veil was thick, made to cover all of her hair and some of her face.She"d have to wipe off her makeup, she thought, biting her lower lip as she figured out her new strategy. But glancing back at Gerrard and Micha as well as the other guards who were surrounding her, she figured she could duck behind something, throw on the burka and basically vanish from everyone while being in plain sight.

It would work, she told herself. It had to. She hadn"t been able to come up with another idea.

Glancing backwards, she noticed that several of the guards were now being used for crowd control. One of them was talking into his microphone, possibly calling for backup as the crowds started to increase now that word of her presence and patronage spread. It was now or never, she thought. If extra guards arrived, she"d be doomed and would arrive back in the palace with efficiency and the nauseating decorum she"d been dealing with for the past several days.

Looking back one more time, she caught Micha"s eyes. The look lasted longer than normal and she sent the silent message of apology. She noticed the guard"s expression change so she shook her head, telling him that everything was okay. He turned away, watching the crowds but she knew that there was added tension in his shoulders. She"d have to work fast and she slipped behind one of the sheets, her voice exclaiming with feigned delight.

A moment later, she ducked down behind a pile of fabric and threw the black material over her head. She could feel her heart beat increase and the sweat on her back start to drip. The tension would make her fail if she wasn"t careful. Hearing the murmurs of the crowd, she tied the veil as efficiently as she could. Then on her knees, she crawled to the opposite end of the stall. Peeking over the top of the table piled with fabrics, she noticed with relief that most of the people were still watching the area in which she"d disappeared.

With a sigh of relief, she stepped up and walked down the aisle, back toward the cars. She kept her head down and pulled the veil as low over her forehead as possible, hoping no one would notice her. There were a couple of men who watched her, one even pointed in her direction and her heart almost stopped in fear that they might call out and alert her guards.

By the time she was back at the cars, she bit her lower lip in indecision. There was obviously an alert raised as one of her guards ran by her, stepping into the SUV and speaking rapidly on a radio. But moments later, he gave her the ideal exit strategy. He raced back to the crowd, his eyes swerving from side to side, obviously looking for her.

With a stealth she hadn"t felt since she was twelve years old, she walked casually over to the open SUV and stepped inside. The keys were gone, but old memories about hotwiring quickly came back to her. Pulling the wires out from underneath the dashboard, she quickly determined which wires would work. Her fingers were shaking violently and she was breathing so rapidly, she wasn"t sure if she"d be able to ever catch her breath again. But surprisingly, within moments, she was able to tap the correct wires together, sparking the ignition into start.

Slamming the door shut behind her, she glanced back. Amazingly, all was still clear, the guards were milling about quickly while the crowd watched in confusion. Shifting the truck into gear, she pulled away from the curb with as little panic as possible.

Electra was still watching in her rear view mirror a half hour later, wondering how she"d been so successful this time when she"d failed miserably all her teen years. She continued to drive, relieved that the tank was