Married For The Sheikh's Duty. Tara Pammi

your cousin knew of.”

      “You talk as if you were there.”

      “I believe my brother. And my research was thorough. I tracked down the third friend and then fourth. Their accounts of the incident were not the same but definitely suspicious. They seemed to want to help Aslam but when I asked them to come forward, they became slippery.” Frustration made her voice hard. “It’s obvious that they are afraid of your cousin’s connections.”

      “Did you not think once if it would be unsafe to find and accost these men? What is your father doing in all this?”

      “He is busy with his career and his family, not that I asked him for help. When I did ask him to talk to someone in the palace, he told me he believed in the justice system. And I took acquaintances with me every time I went into new places of the city and never at night.

      “I’m independent, Sheikh, not foolish. You, like a lot of other members of your sex, seem to equate the two.”

      “Give me the names of these men.”

      She nodded, glad that finally she was getting somewhere. “If you tell me when you find them, I can persuade them to speak out maybe. They seemed receptive to my—”

      “You will stay out of this investigation and will not continue it anymore, either.”

      “I can help.”

      “Even though your accusations have no basis, I will check with my cousin. But he is right now out of the country and there’s nothing more I can do about this for the moment.”

      “Can’t you command him to return? You’re the sheikh, aren’t you?”

      Zayn threw the file on the desk and walked toward her. “On the word of a woman who has told me nothing but lies since I laid eyes on her? Who insists on insulting not only me and my title and my position, but even my government and my judgment?”

      Every inch of her rose to attention at his compelling stance. “You’re not being fair. My behavior toward you should not affect Aslam’s case. Not if you were truly intent on seeing justice carried out.”

      “That is true. But my hands are tied right now. Return to your job, or your country or wherever it is you came from. There is nothing more you can do for your brother.”

      “I’m willing to apologize for my deception, if that would assuage the dent to your ego.”

      “You offer to apologize in the same sentence as you insult me again. And there is no dent to my ego, Amalia. You are a nuisance in a very busy schedule. And now I will stop you from being one.”

      “You’re forcing me, Your Highness.”

      “Into what?” He frowned, not liking the determined glint in her eyes. “I’m making it easy on you. Despite my misgivings, I gave you what you asked for. Once he returns, I will talk to my cousin, although it might be several months.”

      “But Aslam would have spent even more time in jail for something he didn’t do,” she repeated, her voice rising. Something like a growl escaped her mouth, and slowly, her breaths returned to calm. “Fine, so be it.

      “But if I walk out of here, I’m going straight to the media. To a particularly nasty tabloid paper that is already very fond of you.”

      “And what is it you think you can offer the tabloid? How it felt to have kissed me? Will you join the ranks of my groupies, in your words? Will you tell them you tried to seduce the sheikh and failed?”

      She went pale. Zayn didn’t feel an ounce of regret. She was veering from nuisance to a bother now.

      “No, I will tell them why I found the palace so particularly empty. I will tell them about your Ms. Young and her list of candidates.

      “I will paint a very descriptive, colorful picture of what was going on here. That I saw women being brought to the palace, to be looked over by you and to be interviewed by you.

      “And maybe, I will conveniently forget to mention the fact that there was a fiancé mart going on over here.” She scrunched her face up, as if this was all a joke. “I don’t know. I can’t decide if it looks bad if I omit the fact and let them jump to all kinds of conclusions like I did or if it is worse that you are picking a wife from a list of eligible candidates.”

      “What conclusions did your devious mind jump to?”

      “That you were building your own personal harem.”

      Zayn hadn’t been shocked in a while, if ever. There were very few surprises in life for him. One extremely unpleasant one had been the exposé by Celebrity Spy! and the domino-like disasters it had started toppling in his life.