“Our altitude is five hundred feet.”
“Then I guess he’s dead.”
Harrison didn’t dare turn his attention to the backseat. “I’m more concerned about you. Are you all right?”
“I think so.”
“Did he hurt your neck?”
“A little. I think it’s bruised.”
“Are there any sharp pains?”
“No.”
Harrison breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ll have you home soon.”
“You know how to fly this thing?”
He couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “If I didn’t know how to fly this thing, we’d have hit the ground a long time ago.”
She didn’t answer, but he thought he heard the rustle of her nod.
“You sure you’re all right?” he asked again. It was very likely she was in shock. If so, he wanted to keep her talking. And it was probably a good idea for him to keep himself talking, too.
“We just killed somebody,” she said, horror and awe in her voice.
“No. Somebody tried to kill us. We defended ourselves.”
“Is that a crime in the UAE?”
“You planning to confess to someone?”
She didn’t answer.
“He was a
Her voice was still shaking. “I guess.”
He nodded to the other front seat. “Can you climb up here?”
“I’ll try.”
It took her a minute to maneuver her way between the two seats, but Harrison felt better once he could see her.
“Do up your seat belt.”
She stared at him for a second, and then a weak laugh sputtered out of her.
“Safety first?” she asked in an incredulous voice, then she laughed harder.
Harrison couldn’t help but grin in response. “You were great, by the way”
“Me?” she asked, pointing to her chest. “You were amazing. You can fly a helicopter. You beat up bad guys. And you married me and got me a great passport. I may have to be your slave for life.”
“Deal,” he said, without missing a beat.
She gestured toward him. “See that? You’re funny, too.”
“Who says I was joking?”
She hiccuped out a final laugh.
“Do up your seat belt,” he told her again. The last thing he wanted was to have her whack her head because they hit some rough air.
“What about you?” she asked, but dutifully did up the buckle.
“Now you can do up mine.”
She leaned over and fastened the clasp around his hips, her hand brushing his lap, practically making him leap out of the seat. He’d heard danger heightened a man’s libido, and he guessed he now knew it was true.
By the time Harrison put the helicopter down on the grounds at Cadair, the sun had turned to an orange ball, sinking its way into the ocean. He flipped some switches and the motor went silent.
Julia tried to rally herself in the passenger seat. She was exhausted. She’d been through every emotion possible over the past two days, and she wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and hide from the world.
But that was impossible. She still had to get out of the country, the sooner the better.
Before she could undo her seat belt, someone yanked open the passenger door, and she found herself looking into Nuri’s strained face. She could swear the man looked pale.
“You are all right?” he asked, as if he actually cared. Then his attention jumped to Harrison and back again.
Harrison nodded. “We’re okay.”
“We found the real pilot. In a bathroom at the hangar.” Nuri paused and glanced at Julia. “He was unconscious.”
“I’m glad he isn’t dead,” said Harrison, releasing his own seat belt, then reaching over to undo Julia’s.
She groaned as she moved forward in the seat. Her muscles were stiff, and her throat was still sore.
“You were not harmed?” asked Nuri, offering his hands to assist her. He didn’t touch her, waiting for her to touch him instead.
When she placed her hands in his, his grasp was firm and sure. She stepped carefully down to the ground.
“There was a struggle,” said Harrison, exiting the chopper and making his way around to Julia.
Nuri kept hold of her hands, and she realized he was staring at them. She glanced down and remembered the henna designs. She looked to Harrison, realizing that Nuri would understand what the designs symbolized.
Harrison took over from Nuri, his arm going firmly around her shoulders, and Nuri released her hands.
“Have the police been called?” Harrison asked.
Nuri shook his head. “We did not know what to tell them.”
“Good. There’s nothing to tell.”
“And the man who took the helicopter?”
“We left him behind.”
Nuri took one more glance at Julia’s hand, then he nodded.
“Not a lot about this trip is worth discussing,” said Harrison.
“I understand completely.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll take care of the helicopter.”
“Take care of the man who was hurt, as well.”
“Yes, sir,” said Nuri.
Harrison turned to Julia and they started toward the palace. “Are you bribing that man to stay quiet?” she asked. A week ago she might have minded, but at the moment a bribe was perfectly okay by her.
“I’m taking care of his medical bills,” said Harrison.
“Oh.” She regretted that the question had made her sound suspicious.
Her legs grew more steady as they headed up the stone pathway that led to one of the side doors of the palace.
“And anything else his family needs,” Harrison continued.
They walked a little farther in silence.
“So, yeah,” said Harrison. “I guess you could say I’m bribing him to keep him quiet.”
Harrison was using the special privileges of the rich. He was bribing people to keep her safe. In a bizarre way, it warmed her heart.
“Thank you,” she told him. “One more time.”
Harrison gave her a squeeze. “That’s what husbands do. Let’s go up the back way. And you can get some sleep.”
“What about getting out of the country?”
“We’ll take care of that tomorrow. Do you want the same room?”
She hesitated, not ready to leave Harrison just yet. He’d come to represent strength and security in a world that was completely off-kilter. She was also still worried about the police. And she was more than a little rattled by the altercation in the helicopter.
“This is going to sound pathetic,” she told him, pausing at the bottom of the veranda stairs.
He waited.
“I don’t want to be alone.”
He gave her a teasing smile and smoothed her hair from her face. “Are you feeling sentimental about your
