a hand. “John Mendez.”
She lifted her hand and put it in his. It was warm and firm, but it didn’t make her skin sizzle.
“The colonel, I take it?”
“That’s right.” He looked over at Nick and something passed between them. What, she didn’t know. “Have a seat, Miss Royal. Brandy, you too.”
Brandy. It made sense, of course, but it was rather dull compared to Preacher Boy.
Nick folded himself into a chair while she sank down in as ladylike a manner as she could muster.
“Zaran bin Yusuf isn’t very appreciative of your help, Miss Royal.”
“I didn’t help him. I simply did the job I was sent to do.”
“And yet he’s your brother-in-law.”
Victoria didn’t react fast enough to hide the shock she knew had to be on her face. “That’s not true,” she said when she’d recovered sufficiently.
But her heart thumped and her brain hurt as it whirled with thoughts. Had Emily married him? She’d never said she had, but anything was possible with her sister. Emily had seemed hell-bent on self-destruction these past few years, and Victoria had never quite known why. The last time they’d spoken, Emily had said something cryptic. Something that chilled Victoria’s blood and made her more determined than ever to get her sister out of Qu’rim. She’d said, “I miss Mom.”
Emily hadn’t known their mother. Both their parents had died when Emily was a year old in the kind of accident that shouldn’t have happened. They’d been boating with friends when the boat got caught in rapids. They weren’t especially big or terrible rapids, but the river was swollen from rain and the undercurrents were stronger than usual. When the boat capsized, only one person made it to shore alive. The rest were dragged under and drowned.
Gramps had been the only relative they had after that.
“And why not? Your sister gave up everything she’s ever known, all the comforts of home, to come to Qu’rim with this man.”
Victoria wanted to snort. Comforts? What comforts? Twenty-four-hour television, liquor stores, shopping malls, cell phones? Those things didn’t make a person happy. If they did, then Emily would have been ecstatic.
She hadn’t been. Far from it.
“He’s a very dynamic sort of man,” she said carefully. “He convinces people to do what he wants. She came with him, but that doesn’t make her happy here.”
Colonel Mendez tilted his head, studying her. “What makes you think she hasn’t married him by now? It’s been, what, a little over three years since she ran away? Six months since you’ve spoken with her?”
Victoria felt his words like a blow. How the fuck did he know these things? She glanced at Nick, but his eyes were blank. His expression, however, was stony.
“You seem to know quite a lot. Do you know for a fact they’re married?”
“Does it matter? She’s here with him—and you’re here protecting him. These things are pretty damning, Miss Royal.”
“I’m not protecting him,” she said through clenched teeth. “I’d have preferred to shoot him, truth be known. But that’s not what the client wanted.”
And not how she would get Emily back either. She had to play it cool and safe, and shooting bin Yusuf before she had Emily was neither of those things.
“And who was the client?”
“I don’t know.”
“Ian Black knows.”
“Then you should ask him.”
“I’d like to.” Mendez reached for a folder and spun it toward him on the desk. “The intel on Ian Black is surprisingly bare,” he said, making a show of perusing the information in front of him. “Thirties, six-three, dark hair, green eyes—or brown, the report isn’t certain—former CIA. Disavowed, apparently. A rebel, Miss Royal.”
His gaze met hers again, and she couldn’t stop herself from swallowing.
“Like you,” he said evenly.
“I’m just doing a job, Colonel. For a paycheck.” She didn’t like that she sounded hoarse. Squeaky, as if she couldn’t get the
She lifted her hand and put it in his. It was warm and firm, but it didn’t make her skin sizzle.
“The colonel, I take it?”
“That’s right.” He looked over at Nick and something passed between them. What, she didn’t know. “Have a seat, Miss Royal. Brandy, you too.”
Brandy. It made sense, of course, but it was rather dull compared to Preacher Boy.
Nick folded himself into a chair while she sank down in as ladylike a manner as she could muster.
“Zaran bin Yusuf isn’t very appreciative of your help, Miss Royal.”
“I didn’t help him. I simply did the job I was sent to do.”
“And yet he’s your brother-in-law.”
Victoria didn’t react fast enough to hide the shock she knew had to be on her face. “That’s not true,” she said when she’d recovered sufficiently.
But her heart thumped and her brain hurt as it whirled with thoughts. Had Emily married him? She’d never said she had, but anything was possible with her sister. Emily had seemed hell-bent on self-destruction these past few years, and Victoria had never quite known why. The last time they’d spoken, Emily had said something cryptic. Something that chilled Victoria’s blood and made her more determined than ever to get her sister out of Qu’rim. She’d said, “I miss Mom.”
Emily hadn’t known their mother. Both their parents had died when Emily was a year old in the kind of accident that shouldn’t have happened. They’d been boating with friends when the boat got caught in rapids. They weren’t especially big or terrible rapids, but the river was swollen from rain and the undercurrents were stronger than usual. When the boat capsized, only one person made it to shore alive. The rest were dragged under and drowned.
Gramps had been the only relative they had after that.
“And why not? Your sister gave up everything she’s ever known, all the comforts of home, to come to Qu’rim with this man.”
Victoria wanted to snort. Comforts? What comforts? Twenty-four-hour television, liquor stores, shopping malls, cell phones? Those things didn’t make a person happy. If they did, then Emily would have been ecstatic.
She hadn’t been. Far from it.
“He’s a very dynamic sort of man,” she said carefully. “He convinces people to do what he wants. She came with him, but that doesn’t make her happy here.”
Colonel Mendez tilted his head, studying her. “What makes you think she hasn’t married him by now? It’s been, what, a little over three years since she ran away? Six months since you’ve spoken with her?”
Victoria felt his words like a blow. How the fuck did he know these things? She glanced at Nick, but his eyes were blank. His expression, however, was stony.
“You seem to know quite a lot. Do you know for a fact they’re married?”
“Does it matter? She’s here with him—and you’re here protecting him. These things are pretty damning, Miss Royal.”
“I’m not protecting him,” she said through clenched teeth. “I’d have preferred to shoot him, truth be known. But that’s not what the client wanted.”
And not how she would get Emily back either. She had to play it cool and safe, and shooting bin Yusuf before she had Emily was neither of those things.
“And who was the client?”
“I don’t know.”
“Ian Black knows.”
“Then you should ask him.”
“I’d like to.” Mendez reached for a folder and spun it toward him on the desk. “The intel on Ian Black is surprisingly bare,” he said, making a show of perusing the information in front of him. “Thirties, six-three, dark hair, green eyes—or brown, the report isn’t certain—former CIA. Disavowed, apparently. A rebel, Miss Royal.”
His gaze met hers again, and she couldn’t stop herself from swallowing.
“Like you,” he said evenly.
“I’m just doing a job, Colonel. For a paycheck.” She didn’t like that she sounded hoarse. Squeaky, as if she couldn’t get the
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