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Lucky for him, fate kept placing her in his path. When they landed, he intended to figure out just what made Maria Walken tick.
“What the hell?”
Maria’s panicked voice snapped him to attention. “What’s going on?” Jarik called out anxiously.
“We’re not going to make it to Syria,” she muttered. “Tessa, where is the nearest airport?”
“Is it the snow?” he asked.
“No,” Maria said tightly. “There seems to be a leak in our fuel line.”
“Can you make it twenty miles?” Tessa asked quietly. Jarik swallowed hard as he waited for Maria’s answer.
“Yes. I’ll radio them now.”
Jarik sighed in relief and leaned back. Glancing out the window, he gritted his teeth.
His brothers would never forgive him if he ended up in a plane crash doing exactly what Kashif warned him not to do.
3
Lucky for them, the Al Marfa airport was practically deserted. Maria landed the plane with no problem and immediately ushered Tessa and the sheikh off. “Tessa, take his royal highness inside,” she muttered without looking at them. “See if you can get a room at the hotel we stayed at last time we were here. I’m going to find a mechanic.”
“We can’t get back up in the air tonight?” Jarik asked.
“It’ll take at least an hour to examine the plane, fix the problem, and get her refueled. Probably more. If the blizzard gathers strength, we won’t be able to get back up in the air tonight. We’ll have to try again in the morning.”
“But…”
“But nothing,” she answered with a sigh. “Believe me, I’m as unhappy about this as you are. Probably more so. I need to make it to Syria by the twenty-third, and every minute that we waste here puts me more off schedule. But I won’t jeopardize our safety. The repairneedsto happen, and I’m not taking the plane back up until it’s done. If you don’t like it, you’re welcome to try to bribe someone else to get you there.”
“Tessa, make your phone calls,” he said quietly. “I’m going to stay out here. I want to know what happened with the plane.”
Maria waited until her friend was out of earshot before she whirled around. “I know you said you need to get to Lebanon but why are you being so secretive? While we’re at it, shouldn’t you have bodyguards or something? Are you in some kind of trouble?” she hissed.
The maddening man crossed his arms. “So, now, you ask?”
“When I think my plane might have been sabotaged? Yes. Now I’m asking.”
“What makes you think any damage to your plane would be because of me?”
“I carry crates to refugees,” she pointed out. “People don’t try to kill me. If this is deliberate, and I’m not saying that it is, you’re the most likely target. And since it’s putting me and my friend in danger, I think I’m entitled to know what’s going on.”
Jarik smiled at her, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “To start, no, I’m not in some kind of trouble. At least nothing that would have someone tampering with a fuel line. However, if the fuel linewastampered with, it could only mean two things. The first was that someone was trying to make you crash and the second was that someone wanted you to land in Al Marfa. Here, I have no jurisdiction and no security, so I can’t help you.”
Maria rolled her eyes. “Tell me something that I don’t know.”
“No one knew where I was going. My own family, even my bodyguard, would not expect me to go to Syria or Lebanon, and there’s no way anyone could have known I’d end up on your plane. So, whatever is going on with the fuel line is not because of me. No one could have planned this ahead of time.”
Blowing out her breath, she ran her hands through her hair as she realized he was probably right. More than likely, this was an accident.
“Go inside before you freeze your royal butt off,” she muttered. “I promise to give you a full report.”
“I would rather not leave you alone,” he said quietly. Movement caught their attention and they both turned to see the ground control employees headed their way.
“Fine, but don’t get in the way, and please try not to bribe anyone.” Waving her hands, she jogged over to meet them. Glancing over her shoulder, she swallowed hard when she saw the way Jarik was looking at her.
He could be casual about the situation, but there was something dark in his gaze. She felt like a possession. Once she had a better idea of what was going on, she was going to have a nice long talk with Sheikh Jarik Shadid. He was hiding something from her. She just knew it.
