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Tessa was waiting for her when they finally finished up on the runway. The fuel line did have a leak, but it didn’t look deliberate, Rather than a clean cut, it was jagged, like something had chewed on it. The mechanic should have caught it before they even took off.
Mariashould have caught it.
It was clear that she had far too much on her mind, and she cursed herself for getting distracted. Mistakes like that could have had deadly repercussions.
“Well?” Tessa asked anxiously.
“It’s going to have to be replaced,” Maria said tightly. “I won’t be able to leave until at least tomorrow night. Furthermore, I can’t get in touch with Sebastian. There’s a redeye leaving for Syria in four hours. Please tell me that you’ll be on it.”
Her friend bit her lower lip and glanced around. “Maria, you know I would do anything for you, but I don’t want to leave you alone in this city.”
Maria didn’t exactly want to be left alone either, but she didn’t have much of a choice. Someone from their organized needed to be in Syria tomorrow to start organizing the Christmas Crates event. If Sebastian couldn’t make it, she had to get Tessa there.
“Please,” she whispered. “You know how much I need this to go well. The press will crucify me if it doesn’t.” She knew her desperation was written all over her face, and she kept her back to Jarik so he wouldn’t see. She also had no idea why that mattered but it did.
Tessa immediately reached over to hug her. “Are you sure this isn’t so you can have the sexy sheikh all to yourself?” she teased her quietly.
“Tessa!” Maria hissed, but she laughed and hugged her friend tighter. She knew this meant that Tessa would go on ahead without her.
“At least I know that you won’t be alone.”
“Thank you,” Maria said with a smile. She reached into her tote bag and pulled out her wallet. “Come on. Let’s get you a ticket. I’ll keep trying to call Sebastian, and I’ll call the Syria volunteers so that they meet you at the airport. Whatever you do, do not travel to the camp on your own.”
“Maria,” her friend said with a tight smile. “I’ve been doing this with you for five years. I think I know the routine. Don’t worry. Everything is going to work out fine, and I will see you in a few days.”
She didn’t know what she’d do without Tessa. Maria paid for Tessa’s ticket and bought her a meal. There was no point in taking her back to the hotel if she would just have to be back at the airport in a few hours. Promising to call her before she went to bed tonight, Maria gave her friend one last hug.
Deep down, she knew what Tessa was thinking. If Sebastian wasn’t picking up his phone because he was already on a plane, making his way to Syria, then Tessa would be able to steal a few hours alone with him. Despite all her talk of picking up a sexy man, Maria knew that Tessa had a thing for her brother.
Privately, she didn’t love the idea of her best friend and her brother getting together, but they were adults, and Maria wanted them to be happy.
“I got us a room,” Jarik said, as he suddenly appeared at her side. “Let’s grab some dinner, and then we can get some sleep.”
Maria turned around and eyed him warily, uncomfortable with the idea of accepting his help in this. What would he expect in return? Besides, she didn’t need any help—she had it covered. “I already have a room. I doubt I can afford wherever you’re staying.”
As she tried to brush past him, he reached out and grabbed her elbow. “Maria,” he said quietly. “Whether you like it or not, we’re stuck together. The least we can do is be civil to each other.”
Did “civil” really require them to spend a lot of time together? Couldn’t they be civil from a distance? But then she thought again of Tessa’s comment earlier, about how Maria shouldn’t be on her own here. She had to admit, her friend wasn’t entirely wrong. Sighing, she nodded her head. “Dinner would be fine, but I’m paying.”
He looked like he was going to argue, but he simply nodded his head. The skies were already dark when they stepped out to hail a taxi. “There’s a restaurant that I eat at frequently right around the corner of my hotel,” Maria stated.
Jarik opened the taxi door and gave her a quizzical look. “You come here a lot?”
“It’s a decent mid-point between several countries, and I have quite a few clients who prefer the relaxed customs atmosphere,” Maria said dryly.
“Really?”
Maria shrugged. “I won’t carry anything illegal, but there are no inspections for antiquities, which makes the process of moving them from country to country cheaper and quicker. I’m in Al Marfa two or three times a year. What about you?”
“I’ve been here before,” he said vaguely. When she rattled off the name of the restaurant, Jarik frowned, but he didn’t say anything.
The building was as brightly lit as she last remembered; only this time, instead of neon lights, it was decorated in Christmas colors. Garland swung from the ceiling, tied with bright red bows.
“Really?” Jarik muttered as he paid the taxi driver. Maria almost said something about him paying, but his response to the Christmas decorations was too intriguing.
“What’s that supposed to mean? While it may not be as popular here as in Europe or the US, there are definitely people living here who celebrate Christmas.”
