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CHAPTER ONE

THE GIRL CAME out of nowhere

Cleo Churchill sta as the car swerved before co halt in the narrow little alley of a road so, ancient heart of the capital city of Jhurat

For one panicked heartbeat, then another, she thought she’d been seeing things The blazing desert sun was only then beginning to drop behind the ornate historic buildings, then and stretch She’d lost her way in the tangle of old streets and one city looked veryall around Europe and into the Middle East And irl should dive in front of her car—

But there she was, young and wide-eyed and startlingly pretty behind her flowing scarves, right there at the passenger —seely unharmed

I didn’t hit her, thank God

“Please!” The girl spoke through the car’s open , desperate and direct “Help me!”

Cleo didn’t think The adrenaline of the nearelectricity, but she motioned toward the door, aware as she did it that her hands were shaking

“Are you all right?” she asked as the girl wrenched open the door and threw herself inside “Are you hurt? Do you need—?”

“Drive!” the girl cried as if pursued by demons “Please! Before—”

Cleo didn’t wait to find out before what She’d escaped her own demons, hadn’t she? She kneas done She stepped on the gas pedal, scowling as she concentrated fiercely on the narrow road in front of her, which she dearly hoped led back out of this maze of ancient narrow streets that wound erratically around Jhurat’s central palace, hoirl breathed heavily and high-pitched, as if she’d been running

“You’re okay,” Cleo said, trying to soothe her—or even herself “We’re okay now”

And then a man stalked out of the shadows, directly into the car’s path, as if daring Cleo to run straight into hiasp out a curse, but her eyes were fixed on him as surely as if he’d demanded it