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imagined he could. It had cost him, though. With the exception of Abram, Shayne knew more than anyone what it had cost him. He'd seen the darkness that filled Khalid. He'd seen the cost of the missions Khalid had completed as the Desert Lion in Saudi.
Khalid knew the region that Azir Mustafa controlled like the back of his hand. It wasn't unheard of for him to lead strike teams into the region to take down the terrorists moving across the border.
As the CIA agent assigned to the area, Shayne had worked with Khalid as well as Abram, more than once. And in each man he'd seen the scars that the past had left. Scars that marred the soul rather than the body.
The Mustafa brothers, Ayid and Aman, were demons of the worse sort. Vicious, brutal, and filled with hatred.
Shayne had also seen how much it had hurt Khalid to turn away from the woman he ached for. There were times Shayne wondered if Khalid even knew that he was in love with Marty.
"When will you tell her?" Shayne finally asked.
Khalid sighed. "Tonight, perhaps. "
How interesting. Shayne barely managed to restrain his smile.
"That might be hard to do. "
Khalid's eyes narrowed on him, and Shayne found his suspicion almost amusing.
"You say this for what reason?" Khalid asked, his tone turning cold.
"She's attending a ball tonight with Senator Mathews. " Shayne grinned. "I heard she actually approached another member of the club with an invitation, but it was very nicely refused. "
Khalid's jaw tightened. Shayne had toyed with the idea of withholding this information, certain it would push Khalid into claiming Marty, and had not been certain that it was a good idea. If Khalid had already made that choice though, then it wouldn't hurt to let him know that his woman was growing a bit sick of the game he was playing.
Khalid drew in a hard, deep breath, as though drawing patience into himself. It had always amazed Shayne how he did that, how he forced a certain control on his emotions when it came to Marty Mathews.
She was a weakness. And honestly it was something Shayne had thought Ayid and Aman would have already figured out by now.
"The Sinclair ball," Khalid finally stated emotionlessly. "She's attending it tonight?"
Shayne nodded. "It would seem so. "
"Then I will speak to her tonight. "
Shayne smiled. "I look forward to being a part of her pleasure, Khalid. Thank you for the offer. "
A half smile tugged at Khalid's lips. "You merely want a chance to play house for a while, remember?" he reminded Shayne.
"Well, there is that," Shayne agreed. "There's also watching her tie you in ten different kinds of knots. That's will always be amusing. "
"I'll remember that when you're tied up in those knots yourself, my friend," Khalid informed him with a knowing grin. "Trust me, your turn is coming. "
Shayne inclined his head in acknowledgment, though Khalid doubted he believed him. Shayne called himself a lone wolf for a reason. He had learned years ago, just as Khalid had, the cost of love. And like Khalid, the day would come when he would fight for it again.
"I'll let you know then when you're needed," Khalid finally said as the other man picked up his paper again and shook it out, his light brown eyes still lit with amusement.
It was an amusement most single members had when they watched another fall into the silken arms of the only woman their hearts seemed to beat for.
"Your father has called again," Abdul reported as he drove the limo along the curved driveway that led from the club.
Speak of the devil, Khalid sighed.
"What did the old bastard want this time?" A feeling of weariness descended over him like a heavy, wet blanket. Hell, there were times he wanted nothing more than to simply rest. To close his eyes without the worry of what tomorrow would bring.
"He wants to speak to you as always. " Abdul's tone was without inflection.
The old bastard wanted to be certain Abram had come to D. C. as he'd asked him to.
