Millions To Spare

help?”

“What kind of trouble?” asked Alex, his hand wrapping around the metal crossbar of Brittany’s chair.

And then Julia remembered he was a lawyer. Would he be under any obligation to turn her in?

“For some reason the police are looking for her,” said Harrison.

“But you-” Alex cut himself off, his gaze taking a telltale flick toward the top of Brittany’s head.

“I’m sure it’s a simple mix-up,” said Harrison heartily. Julia guessed he was speaking for Brittany’s benefit. “But could you make a couple of discreet inquiries?”

“Of course,” said Alex.

“I’m sure you’d be more comfortable in the house,” said Brittany. “We can go in through the back. You don’t have to join the rest of the party.”

Her expression told Julia she wasn’t stupid. Harrison and Alex might not want to talk in front of her, but she got that they were hiding Julia from what might not be such a simple mix-up.

There was another clatter on the gazebo stairs, these footfalls light and fast.

All heads turned toward the sound.

It was Leila. She was panting, and her eyes were round in the dim light.

“The police,” she gasped. “They’re at the gate.”

Chapter Seven

Harrison jumped to his feet, while Julia froze in place. The dank jail cell rose in her mind again, and she could feel the scratchy cloth against her bare skin.

“I’ll go,” said Alex.

Brittany rose, as well. “I’ll come with you.”

Both men opened their mouths to protest.

“I’ll join you,” said Brittany in a tone of steel. “I am the hostess, and they will be forced to treat all of my questions with respect.”

Alex looked to Harrison, and Harrison nodded, obviously realizing Brittany intended to slow the police down. “That’s a good idea.”

Leila spoke again. This time to Julia. “My father says I should take you to the barn.”

“Your father?”

“Nuri,” said Harrison.

Julia’s eyes widened. Were they crazy? Nuri had probably set a trap for her. In fact, he’d probably called the police himself.

“It’s safe,” said Harrison.

“But-”

“He’s loyal to me. It’s safe.”

Julia wasn’t so sure. But as Alex and Brittany set off for the gatehouse, she rose shakily to her feet.

Leila led the way. “My father suggests you go to the vet’s office. I’ll saddle up Roc and Cedar Twist. If the worst comes…”

“No lights,” said Harrison.

Leila shook her head. “I won’t need them.”

“If the worst comes, what?” asked Julia, glancing from one to the other.

Harrison answered her. “We’ll ride into the desert.”

She looked over her shoulder at the far-off gatehouse. “You mean they might not go away?”

“I mean, they might search the property.”

And she’d be fleeing into the night?

With Harrison or Leila?

Would they get lost in the desert? Die of thirst out there?

And how the hell was she going to get out of the country if they were in the middle of the desert?

Before she could voice any of her questions, Leila opened a side door to the main barn, and they slipped inside.

Harrison took hold of Julia’s hand.

She tried not to give away her fear by gripping tight, but she couldn’t help herself. If the police found her, they’d take her back to jail.

“Is there a bathroom in here?” she whispered.

Harrison wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“We’ll meet you at the vet’s office,” he said to Leila.

“Ten minutes,” Leila responded, and then her footfalls disappeared down the main hallway.

Julia blinked, but all she could make out was the dark bars of the nearest stalls. The horses shifted and snorted in the depths of the barn while the tang of hay and manure hit her nostrils.

“This way,” said Harrison, guiding her to the left.

“Can you see?” she asked.

“Enough. Do you really need the loo?”

“Yes.”

“Do you have some kind of problem?”

“No! I have perfectly normal bodily functions. But they don’t seem to allow for that in UAE jails.”

“You’re urinating in case they take you back to jail.”

“Yes,” she admitted.

Harrison sighed audibly. “Don’t be pessimistic.”

How could she help but be pessimistic? They’d practically stormed Harrison’s gate.

“Who are they?” she asked. “Why are they here? I didn’t do anything.”

“Let’s let Alex do his job. He’ll fix it.”

“What if he can’t fix it?”

“You’re getting ahead of yourself.”

“But what if he can’t fix it, and they search the place?”

“Then we’ll leave.”

“Into the desert?”

“Yes.”

“Won’t they chase us?” Julia couldn’t help picturing herself as a player in some kind of desert action flick. The kind where the thirsty, battered, innocent protagonists were trapped in blind canyons by the corrupt cops who had automatic weapons.

Harrison was silent.

“Here’s the ladies’,” he finally said.

“Thank you.” She felt her way into the small room and closed the door. She’d better get ready for another trip to jail, considering their chances of outrunning the police force seemed dismally small.

Perhaps Harrison would be so kind as to teach her the word for bathroom in Arabic.

Afterward, she felt her way back out the door.

“Feel better?” he asked.

“Not much.”

“Listen.” He put a hand on either side of her, trapping her against the wooden wall.

The rough boards dug into her shoulders and her rear end.

He leaned in close so she could just make out his features. “I am not going to let them arrest you.”

There was a certainty in his eyes and a determination in his chin that, against all logic, gave her a welcome boost of confidence.

“You might not have a choice,” she pointed out.