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The shock was palpable Marty’s gaze widened and Khalid’s expression suddenly turned icy He understood the quick anger, the disbelief They had planned his move from Saudi Arabia for years To have Abram back out now, at the last moment so to speak, was little more than an insult

"You only just arrived," Khalid finally stated "You’re not giving Ih time to examine your mother’s birth records as well as your own Give it ti I must do first, Khalid"

He had known his brother would never understand thisforced to make

"And what the fuck could be more important than your life?" Khalid suddenly snarled, the fury cracking past the ice "Azir Mustafa will never let you live now Goddammit, Abram, we just killed two of his sons The black-hearted little bastards he risked everything to protect over the years"

"Abram, my father is certain that your citizenship will be accepted within days," Marty stated from her fiancé’s side "There’s no question of it But if you return, there’s nothing he can do"

He shook his head quickly, tightly "I have to go back"

"Why, dae lit his black gaze once again

"Because Paige’s picture was found in the possession of a dead terrorist known to be a part of the cell Ayid and Ao as he atteht She’s in danger And I’ back to stop it, Khalid, one way or another I’ve already lost tives to those bastards I won’t lose e His soul He’d lost his youth and his heart when his first wife, Lessa had beenher and their child had taken the last bit of hope inside hiht of that innocent life, not yet born, taken so cruelly, had nearly cost hihter he had planned to secretly sle out of Saudi Arabia after her birth and send to his brother’s parents Pavlos and Marilyn Galbraithe would have raised and protected his child as they had their own precious daughter

But Paige, God help him, there was no way he would survive her death It would destroy hi wild and innocent inside hi but bleak, furious pain, it was always the ihter, the sarmth that burned in her emerald eyes

And from the looks of Khalid’s expression, the coaze assured Abram that it would destroy him as well They had both schemed, plotted, and run interference with Azir Mustafa since the day the red-haired little beauty had been born The birth of the child to his escaped forced bride had sent Azir into a rage that had torn through the Mustafa stronghold like a demon

That day, two servants had died, and a third had fled into the desert in fear The insanity that had begun infecting Azir had only grown since that day, as though it were a trigger of so to send her ho," Khalid finally stated, his voice a low, rough rasp "God helpto allow her to leave when Abdul’s cousin was unable to learn anything else"

Abdul, Khalid’s manservant, had several cousins that worked within the castle andinfore, in retaliation for Khalid’s killing of Ayid and Aun the moment Azir learned of their deaths

He knew Khalid’s weakness, just as he knew those of his other sons Somehow, Azir had learned years before that Abram had formed a soft spot for Khalid’s little sister A place inside his heart thathe’d believed was hidden froo" He’d kidnap her and have her locked up somewhere safe hiht to stay away from her, Khalid, as you ordered But if you allow her to return to her home, then I proue He turned and walked away His control was too shaky, he was too frightened for her, too certain that if she was unprotected for even a second, then his father, Azir el Haeance in the worst way

Abram now had no choice but to return No one yet knew he’d left Saudi to defect froacy so tainted by blood, death, and nightovernment wanted to be rid of Unfortunately, until Azir revealed the blood on his hands, there was nothing they could do to step in and deflect thehis father light years before The day he found his wife in a desert shack, bloody, tortured, her face frozen into an expression of such abject pain and horror that it had taken hie that had taken her life were the half-brothers he had taught to ride horseback when they were boys The sahter-filled children before Azir had taken the of the castle to raise the As though Azir had knohat to do to release the soulless cruelty that existed within thee Abram strode for the limo as Tariq, his cousin and coconspirator, stepped froo now, Tariq," he stated as he stepped into the back of the limo "He’ll make certain she’s protected"

"Azir has called the Saudi a they search Khalid’s houst filled the man’s voice "I contacted him after the ambassador contacted me, just after you entered the house I’ve assured hiate the reasons for your brothers’ deaths and that you are returning soon He’s certain you’re here to help Khalid escape justice instead"

Tariq didn’t give Abram a chance to comment He slammed the door shut with latent violence then stalked around the limo to the driver’s side door

Abra Tariq’s dark tobacco brown eyes in the mirror

"And did he buy it?" Abram had no doubt Azir had In his mind, no matter what he did, or who he killed, Abrath to walk away from the deserted, blood-drencertain snd of his birth