Looking visibly unappreciative of her assurance, Karim cut across her, his voice sounding to Eva awfully like that of a man who had reached the limit of his—limited—patience.
‘Have you been listening to a word I have said? Clearly not.’
The dry afterthought brought a militant sparkle to her eyes. ‘I can—’
‘No,’ he interrupted in a tone that made Eva retreat back into her seat. ‘You do not appear to understand anything. If this scandal is not smothered before it takes on a life of its own—’ Karim had seen it happen ‘—there will be consequences. Consequences that no earnest assurances or your version of the truth will alter.’
Eva’s defiance in the face of his uncompromising edict was shaky. ‘What could happen that would be so bad?’
Even as she voiced the perfectly valid question the voice in her head was saying, Bad idea.
The voice got louder when Karim smiled with, it seemed to a resentful Eva, a certain grim relish and told her, ‘The contract that is yet to be signed to allow the pipeline from our oilfields to pass through Azharim in order to reach the coast—this would not happen. The knock-on effect …’ He shrugged.
‘It would be massive and not just economic. This thing will not happen in isolation. The surrounding countries of the region would undoubtedly be drawn in—sides would be taken.
‘Political stability is not something we take for granted. It is something we work at and have done for many years. Our countries have collaborated on several projects, at the present a cancer hospital—it would be the only one in the area.’
The light of determination in his eyes glowed bright as Karim considered the project that was very close to his own heart.
The royal connection went deep. His own cousin, Hakim, who was an internationally renown oncologist—Hakim had diagnosed Amira’s condition—had left his position at a Swiss clinic to personally get the project up and running.
‘So no pressure then.’ Underneath her flippancy Eva was feeling utterly trapped; she felt as if the stability of an entire region had been placed on her shoulders.
He levelled a questioning look at her pale face and said quietly, ‘You wish me to go on?’
Eva’s disbelieving laugh contained no humour. ‘There’s more?’
Karim stayed silent and she turned her head, looking out of the window into the empty car park. ‘I get the general idea. If I don’t marry you, I’ll be responsible for, well, just about anything and everything.’ She expelled a shaky breath and gave another strained little laugh. ‘I suppose it would be easier to say what I won’t be responsible for.’
‘It is your choice.’
It so was not! Eva, her eyes filled with simmering resentment, turned in her seat to face him. ‘It’s moral blackmail.’
‘It is necessity, but semantics aside—’
‘Semantics aside,’ she gritted though clenched teeth, ‘you’re relying heavily on me having a conscience.’
A glimmer of emotion Eva struggled to put a name to flickered across his face before he took her chin between his finger and tilted her face up to his.
‘I know you have a conscience, so, yes, this is a stacked deck, but remember I am not asking you to do something that I am not willing to do myself.’
His fingers slipped away and Eva, her full lower lip caught between her teeth, dropped her gaze and didn’t see Karim’s shoulders relax in relief when she nodded her head.
‘I feel like I’ve just jumped off a cliff.’ And while I’m doing it all I can think about is the texture of his skin … which makes me not only suicidal, but insane!
‘Don’t worry. As your husband it will be my job to catch you.’
‘Oh, don’t worry—if I jump I’ll take you with me.’
A slow smile spread across his sombre features. ‘A woman who thinks in terms of retribution … I can identify with that.’
Eva closed her eyes; she was so out of her depth!
The lift doors opened onto a large square reception area.
It was ultra-modern and like no hospital Eva had ever seen. The decor involved a great deal of glass. Staring at a solid wall of it with water running over it, Eva followed Karim’s impatient direction to precede him.
The two men who had ridden up with them in the lift stayed there as the doors slid silently closed and another older man also clad in similar robes materialized, it seemed to a bemused Eva, out of thin air.
He bowed low to them both—Eva always found that embarrassing—and spoke to Karim in Arabic.
Karim said little, but nodded several times as though what the other man had said satisfied him. Eva had the impression that he’d have said if it didn’t.
Karim did not strike her as a man who would tolerate incompetence in silence, or it seemed, if his expression when she spoke was any indicator, a bride-to-be who spoke out of turn.
‘This is a hospital?’
His eyes briefly brushed her face. ‘Yes, this is a hospital.’ He then proceeded to ignore her and turn back to the other man.
‘How are you going to keep this under wraps? Won’t someone see us?’ she suggested, seeing a gaping hole in this plan.
Eva wasn’t sure if it was the question or the interruption that caused a spasm of irritation to cross Karim’s lean features.
‘If you are hoping for a last-minute reprieve—don’t,’ he advised. ‘Do you see people?’ His nod took in the empty places behind a large reception desk. ‘Do you see anyone?’
She shook her head. The place was deserted.
‘No, and you will not. Tariq—’ he nodded towards the older man ‘—has cleared our route.’
The man under discussion nodded respectfully to her and spoke into his earpiece before confirming calmly in English, ‘The route has been cleared.’
Eva stared. ‘But how …?’
It was Karim who replied. ‘A lot of things are possible when one is donating a new clinic.’ If these people saved Amira he would donate a new hospital!
‘I suppose it is,’ she said faintly.
‘Then come,’ Karim urged. ‘I want to get this over with.’
A strangled laugh was drawn from Eva’s aching throat. ‘And they say romance is dead.’
‘You want romance?’
Smothering her growing desire to say, Wake me when this is over, she met his eyes; they were as cold as ice. ‘No, I don’t.’ Could this day get any more surreal?
‘Fine, then let us …’
The tall man that Karim had called Tariq cleared his throat and bowed his head to Eva. ‘I thought these might be appropriate,’ he said, producing a large bouquet like a magician.
Karim fought his impatience; his conference with the medical team taking care of Amira was in ten minutes’ time. ‘That is hardly necessary—’
‘Not necessary, but very thoughtful,’ Eva interrupted, accepting the flowers and smiling her gratitude to the man with the stony face. The look she cast Karim held less warmth.
Karim told himself that Tariq was welcome to her smiles and gritted his teeth. ‘Fine, have the flowers.’
‘I will!’ Eva retorted, holding