Ricardo (The Santiago Brothers Book Three) by K. Victoria Chase

Arabia today and tomorrow the UAE — if he completed his mission here and snuck Mel out at the same time.
    “How long do you want that woman in the bath? Until her skin wrinkles?” Faruq spat out a few seeds from the sizable, deep purple grapes he was eating. He snorted. “If it were me, I wouldn’t even be here among the men. Why would I want to talk to men when I have a woman lying in my bed?”
    Perhaps it was the smoke, or the amount of hot air being expelled by the excited men in the densely packed, too-small tent, because it couldn’t be just the wine — he barely had enough to take effect. At the mention of Mel waiting expectantly in his bed, the pores on his face opened and perspiration threatened to stream down the sides of his cheeks. The image was just a mirage; if Mel hadn’t tried to escape again while he was here collecting information, she was likely holed up in the smallest corner of the tent, as far away from his bed as possible. That wasn’t exactly a bad thing, for both their sakes. Until they were back safely on United States soil, they were in constant danger. Having some steamy, desert romance wouldn’t be worth the price of their lives.
    Ric cleared his throat. “You’re right. She should be clean by now. And I believe Hakeem was going to have a bit of food brought to my tent for late-night snacking.”
    Faruq laughed heartily. “You’ll need the fuel for stamina.”
    Fighting an eye-roll, Ric smiled thinly instead. “Yes, although I’m not lacking in that department.”
    “Then enjoy your night, my friend, and tell me about it in the morning.”
    Yeah, that’s not happening . “Good night.”
    Ric departed the tent with more than just Mel on his mind. There was a cousin of Abdul’s he had to find and possibly befriend for information on Abdul. The man was a service employee, so it would take time to build a level of rapport with him to where he’d either voluntarily divulge information on Abdul, or would be comfortable answering Ric’s questions. Establishing a connection took time, and time was something Ric was a little short on.

 
     
     
Chapter Four
     
     
    She still couldn’t sleep. Even though her gut told her the only safe place in the camp was here in Ric’s tent, she was still unable to close her eyes for longer than a few minutes. Night after night of this sleeplessness had developed heavy bags underneath her eyes, and a jitteriness she couldn’t shake even with the reviving sustenance of food.
    God in heaven, where are you? Please help me!
    Hakeem had to forcibly remove the fork from her hand as she gorged on the meats, rice, and fresh fruit served for dinner. Too much food on an empty stomach is not good for you, he had said, as if speaking to a small child. The gentle reminder felt more like a chastisement and Mel was embarrassed by her behavior; however, she had been without real food for nearly three days. Abdul had fed her some dry, chalky rice cakes, and Mel wondered whether he used starvation as a tactic to break her spirit. It hadn’t worked, but gluttony almost did. Reviving her strength would be key to her survival, but she wouldn’t be much use to herself if she became ill through overindulgence.
    Ric hadn’t returned for dinner. The longer she and Hakeem ate alone, the greater her concern for her captor became. Where was he? What was he doing? She tried unsuccessfully to pry information from Hakeem, and that really frustrated her. She was a US Marshal who had worked undercover. It was her job to get people to trust her and to reveal their deepest secrets so she could take them, or somebody they knew, down. Technically, when she was undercover, she usually had time to develop a relationship with someone and that trust would later turn into evidence. Knowing Hakeem for a few hours didn’t exactly equate to the rapport she had built between herself and known criminals over a matter of months. Hakeem wasn’t easily distracted, and she found him