The Sheikh's Crown (Sheikh's Wedding Bet Series Book 2) by Leslie North

able to track the next location. Now, let me go get my things.”
    She made her way to the door, and he blocked her way. “If you’re telling the truth, then you don’t have the means to get to Venice without me. I’ve funded every portion of this trip so far.”
    He wasn’t wrong. Just getting to his family had left her broke. “Then I guess you can trust that I’m not going to run. But if you get to Venice without me, and that collection isn’t there, how are you going to find it without me? More importantly, how’s your Italian?”
    For a moment, they just stared at each other. Finally, he stepped aside. “We leave in twenty minutes,” he growled.
    Samine quickly returned to her room to change and to grab her things. She wished she had time to shower, but didn’t want to risk raising his temper. She didn’t know why, but his disappointment was doing things to her that she really wanted to stop. She never anticipated having any sort of feelings for Adil and he was such a known womanizer, why should he feel hurt? Because he didn’t get his way? But she couldn’t help feeling a twinge of guilt that she had hurt him and now was not the time.
    She was too close.
    It didn’t take long for her to pack her stuff. As Adil had already pointed out, she hadn’t done much unpacking. Since she hadn’t planned on staying the night in Paris, she wouldn’t have packed anything at all except that she wanted a clean getaway. No need to go back to the hotel. Swipe the crown. Get the hell back to the States. Hope Adil didn’t track her down.
    It was a shitty plan, but it was all she had. Now things were more complicated.
    It gave her a small slice of satisfaction when Adil came down to the lobby and found her waiting for him. “Took you long enough,” she said cheekily.
    “It’s funny. Yesterday you were eloquent and seductive. A woman of the world. Today it’s like you grew up in Brooklyn,” he muttered.
    “Pittsburg. But close enough.”
    “So the whole story about your family moving from Iran?”
    “Truth. Mother was pregnant with me when they came to the United States. I’m a born and bred US citizen. I didn’t lie to you.”
    He didn’t say anything else to her until the plane was off the ground, but he didn’t take his eyes off her. On the way to Paris, he had looked at her with lust and interest. Now he looked at her with disgust. It was nothing less than she deserved.
    “We’ve got some time to kill,” he said softly. “Do you want to tell me why I should trust you?”
    “Because you don’t have a choice,” she murmured as she glanced out the window. Everything looked like little tiny specks down below.
    “And when it’s all over?”
    She looked at him sharply. “When it’s over, you’re going to give me what I want to pay for my silence. You go back to your posh parties, and I go back to my life. We never have to see each other again.”
    Adil leaned forward and shook his head. “See, here’s the thing, Samine. I have a feeling that what you want comes from my collection, and my family isn’t going to be pleased if something goes missing under my watch. I get cut off, and I no longer need your silence.”
    She gave him a small smile. “Your family will never know that it’s gone. Trust me. Everything will be fine, Adil.” At least, so long as no one tried to authenticate the replacement.
    “Maybe if you gave me a straight answer, I’d trust you.”
    Her heart hurt, but she turned away from him. The whole mess was getting dirtier and dirtier. Samine stared out the window lost in thought and was surprised when she felt the tires hit the tarmac as they landed. Looking at her watch, she couldn't believe they’d been in the air for two hours. Where did the time go?
    As the plane rolled to a stop, Adil looked at her expectantly. “Venice is a big place, Samine. I hope you’ve narrowed it down.”
    Samine rolled her eyes. “While I was waiting for you, I did some checking. Several