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“That's horrible,” she said with a sigh.
“Yes. From then on, I became the sane one out of the four of us.”
Her heart hurt for him. She wrapped her arm around his waist. He pulled her close and rested his cheek on the top of her head. They stood like that, enjoying the silence as darkness fell around them. Someone near the house cleared their throat.
Midnight attempted to pull her scarf over her face, but Junayd caught her hand. She stepped back into the shadows. A shiver ran through her when Junayd caressed the inside of her wrist with his thumb.
“Your Highness, dinner will be ready shortly,” an elderly man announced.
Junayd nodded. “Thank you, Kalil. We’ll be in shortly,” he said.
“I will let Badr know,” Kalil said with a bow.
Junayd turned to her and caressed her face. “You don’t have to hide here. No one will hurt you. Kalil and his wife, Badr, take care of the place when I’m gone. The only other ones who will be here are my bodyguards, and you already know them.”
She wanted to turn her face away when he tenderly caressed the scar running down her cheek, but it wasn’t her scar that she was trying to hide. It was her whole face. She wasn’t used to people seeing her. It made her feel—vulnerable.
“Hiding has kept me alive. It's a hard habit to break,” she replied.
“You don’t have to worry about that anymore. No more gangs. No more searching for runaways. No more breaking the arms of perverted politicians. I don’t want you near guns, knives, or any other dangerous weapon. I don’t want you in danger,” he said.
“And then what will happen to the thirteen-year-old runaway who finds himself staring down the barrel of a gun? What will happen when no one is there to stop the other kid from pulling the trigger?” she asked.
“Midnight,” he murmured.
“No! What happens to the fifteen-year-old runaway who thinks she can be an actress or a supermodel because she’s tired of being bullied by the girls at school? Who is going to save her when she falls into some evil witch’s grasp and she is sold to the highest bidder? If she is lucky, the ancient pervert who buys her will strip her of her innocence and leave her traumatized for life. If she isn’t lucky, she'll end up in the Cold Case files because no one in the system values her life more than that rapist's political career! They'll just classify her as some stupid kid who made a bad choice, and there are no second chances for people like that unless someone like me makes it happen,” she growled, pushing a finger into his chest.
“Midnight… you can’t save the world,” he said.
She closed her eyes and shook her head. “What happens when a king of a country has a noose around his neck and is about to be tortured, and no one is there to save him? A man who could save a country? Should I have let Coldhouse kill him?” she demanded, opening her eyes to stare up at him.
“What are you talking about?”
She wrapped her arms around her waist. “The Savior of Simdan, Raja Hadi. I imagine you’ve heard of him,” she said.
“Yes, I’ve heard of him.”
She stared down at the glowing fish. “Anderson Coldhouse had Raja strung up. He was going to die—after Coldhouse sliced and diced his face and whatever else he wanted to. I happened to be in the right place, at the right time, with the right skill set. If I hadn’t been, Raja's people would not be trying to free themselves from a sick dictator right now. He's the light they rally around. Raja's death could have also caused a war with Jawahir. Idella loves him, and you know Tarek would do anything for her. Thousands, possibly millions of people could have died. I make a difference, Junayd. I make a difference,” she whispered, staring up at the stars.
He held her. She didn’t want to give in to the comfort of his warmth. She wanted to stand strong.
But I don’t want to be alone any more. I want my fairy tale.
“Come. Let someone else save the world for a little while. I think you deserve some peace,” he finally coaxed.
She nodded. He slid his hand to rest against her lower back. She didn’t want to fight with him. She didn’t want to fight at all. Unfamiliar tears burned the back of her eyes and she resisted rubbing them.
Why can’t people just get along? It isn’t like we have anywhere else to go,she glumly thought.
* * *
A woman named Midnight Rain arrived in Jawahir in the company of Junayd Saif-Ad-Din. The prince took her to his private residence.
Colin studied the message on his phone. Bronislav’s desire to kill the Saif-Ad-Din family burned hotter than his disappointment with Colin. The billionaire appeared to have a better appreciation of what needed to be done now that the situation was no longer about money. This was survival now, and a desperate man sometimes required ruthless tactics. Bronislav finally understood that now that he was on the receiving end.
“Good news?” Dania inquired.
Colin nodded. Dania ran her hand across his back to his stomach. Her dark hair was pulled into the bun she liked to wear when she was working. Last night, it had been spread across the pillows of his bed. She was as deadly as she was beautiful. A plan began to form in his mind.
