Page 48 of Her Tempting Protector

“My nephew informs me that you have a life and death emergency, is this true? Or is he once again exaggerating so that he can make some money?” She seemed to know the boy well, but there were equal parts indulgence and impatience in her voice.

“I never told him that, ma’am,” Cullen said deferentially in Arabic.

“Then what is the problem?” she demanded. “I don’t have all day.”

At least he wasn’t totally caught wrong-footed, Carys had given him a bit of a cover story in case he needed one. “I have a patient. He had surgery and now he needs saline.”

“What are you talking about?” She looked him up and down. “You’re no kind of doctor,” she said derisively.

She was tough. “No, ma’am. I’m a driver. I’m driving a private car from Wad Madani to Khartoum for a rich old man who just had surgery on his liver. There is a nurse with him.”

“Well, where is he? Let me see him.”

“Auntie give him what he needs. He will pay.”

She folded her arms over her large bosom and gave Cullen a hard stare. “I need to see your patient. I want to make sure he is doing well.”

A smile wouldn’t work in this case. “Nurse Adams knew you would feel that way,” he said. “She said to tell you that his fever has spiked, and I need to move fast.”

“Where are they?” The woman demanded again.

“They are outside of town. We ran out of fuel. Nurse Adams said saline was most important, then I will get fuel and take us to Khartoum.”

Mohammed grabbed his aunt’s hand. “We must hurry,” he pleaded. “We cannot let someone suffer.”

The kid was good, he tugged harder at her hand. “Please, we must help him.”

She looked at Cullen then back down at her nephew. “I will get it for you. It will cost you two hundred and fifty pounds a bag.” He was getting off cheap. Ten dollars.

As soon as his aunt was out of sight, he looked up at Cullen, all business. Mohammed held out his hand. “That will be twenty American dollars.”

“What are you talking about? She said ten.”

“Finder’s fee.”

The little grifter. Cullen dug into his tight pants and pulled out his crumpled bills and handed them to the kid.

“I can help you get fuel too,” the boy gave a toothy grin.

“I’m sure you can.”