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

stole it. We need to go.” She watched as he stood there, as if he didn’t know what to do next. Now was not the time for him to flounder. Grabbing his hand in a panic, she tugged him toward the back of the warehouse, hoping for an easy exit. “Snap out of it, Adil, we have to leave. Now!”
    Adil finally groaned. “Fine.” He turned and ran with Samine. There was a truck getting ready to pull out. Adil jumped first and held his hand out for Samine, grabbing her as she jumped. The truck continued to rumble, as it pulled away and they tumbled to the floor where they lay, as the truck exited the parking lot and turned onto the roadway. They had no idea where they were going, but Samine figured that anywhere would be better than a Venice jail.
    Rolling to her back, she started up at the blue sky, wondering if these would be her last moments of freedom.
    “I’ll call my father. He’ll sort this out,” Adil interrupted her thoughts.
    “We’re not just dealing with the local police, Adil. Interpol is a little harder to bribe. We figure out who stole the artifacts, and we bring the evidence to exonerate you.”
    As she spoke, she could feel the heat of his stare. “Bruce didn’t accuse you. He only accused me. Why would you help me?”
    “I told you. I’m not leaving empty-handed.”

7
    T he truck slowed to a stop and they heard the driver’s door open and close. “Come on,” Adil muttered, “We need to get out before the truck leaves town.”
    They both sat up cautiously. The street was relatively empty and they watched as the driver walked into a nearby café.
    Climbing over the opposite side from the café, Adil reached up to grab Samine by the waist and help her down. When she landed, her body brushed against his, and she looked up at him in surprise, her nostrils flaring. Without thinking, he reached out and brushed some dirt off her face before dropping his hand.
    Running across the road, they began to weave in and out of streets before finding a small, quiet café. Walking inside, they took turns cleaning up before choosing a table with a view of the canal.
    As they ordered coffee, he looked around. He’d never had to hide from anyone in his life, and he didn’t like the feeling. His family was going to be furious with him. Jaymin, he could deal with, but he wasn’t looking forward to his father’s disappointment.
    Samine interrupted his thoughts. “We can’t go too far. We need to keep an eye on the collection. Whoever stole it isn’t going to be pleased that Bruce has his hands on it again. We need to figure out what their next move is.”
    “This whole idea that Bruce didn’t steal the collection is rather thin. If he’d stolen it before Paris, he couldn’t blame it on me,” Adil grumbled. Bruce had crossed the family before when he tried to sell Solomon’s Diamond. Adil thought Bruce was too loyal to Fleur to do it again, but maybe he was wrong.
    “Right. And bringing all the police to the stolen collection makes tons of sense. Why would he steal it just to turn it back over again?” Samine demanded as she sipped her coffee. She shook her head in response as she took up a vigilant watch of the people who walked by.
    Adil stared at her. “You didn’t see it.”
    Samine glared at him. “See what?”
    “Look at that. I’ve got one over on the thief. Maybe you’re not as good as you think you are.” He smirked at her as she continued to glare at him. “The last box was empty. The necklace wasn’t in there.”
    She looked sharply at him, and he could see the panic in her eyes. “What? Are you kidding me, Adil?”
    “The crown is gone, Samine. This could have been Bruce’s plan all along. He staged the whole thing to look like I did it, and he takes the most valuable piece for himself. Everyone will think that I snagged it when we escaped.”
    Samine shook her head. “Adil, I know you want it to be Bruce, but it doesn’t make sense. Your family will suspect him before they ever