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“I’m on my way.” I thump the button for the lift continually as if it will bring it quicker. What the fuck has happened? I can’t wait. I run to the stairwell and bound up the stairs, practically throwing myself out at the fifth floor. I stop in front of two arrows then run again towards 560-570.
I hammer on her door and hear her yelp—in shock? She fumbles with the chain and finally opens the door.
“Clark.” My name is barely audible from her lips.
“Jesus Christ, what’s wrong?” For the briefest second I take her in. Her hair is wet, and she’s in a robe. Her eyes are swollen and… “What is this?” I reach out to her red, bruising cheek. She flinches. “Who did this?”
She drops her shoulders and starts sobbing again. Inside I’m frantic, my temper raging, my desperation almost overwhelming, but more than anything, I need to hold her. I scoop up her slim body, and she wraps her arms around my neck, her fists gripping my dinner jacket. She puts her head into my neck and cries, as I kick the door shut and carry her to her bed. I need to know no one has touched her… like that. God. I squeeze my eyes shut in relief when I see the bed is made; it’s something at least.
Then I notice the curtain pulled down from the pole.
I sit on the bed with Dayna in my lap and lift her head so I can see her properly. “You need to tell me what happened. Who did this to you? Did they hit you? Did they… touch you?”
She shakes her head. I’m so fucking relieved I pull her against my shoulder, kissing her temple. Her cries come again. “Baby, I’m here. I’ve got you. I’m going to take care of you.”
I hold her to me, rocking her until her tears stop, my chest feeling like I’ve been hit by a truck. “You’re shaking. Let’s get you dry.”
I’m raging, but I need to keep it together. I need to look after her, and I need her to tell me who in their goddamned right mind would dare to touch her. I lift her from my lap and place her down on the edge of the bed, then I go to the bathroom and find her hairdryer. I kick off my shoes, take off my dinner jacket and sit behind her, sliding my legs either side of hers. I dry her hair, ruffling the silky brunette strands with my fingers. She watches me in the mirrored wardrobes, her fingers pressed gently to her marked cheek.
“I’m sorry for calling you,” she whispers when I’ve finished. “I just… I was scared, and I didn’t know what to do.”
I climb off the bed and kneel in front of her, lifting her chin until she looks at me. “I want you to call me. I want to be the first person you call. I want to be the person who looks after you.” I lean up to kiss her brow, holding my lips against her soft skin. “Get under the covers. I’ll turn up the thermostat.”
I get her a glass of water and sit on the bed next to her. “I need you to tell me what happened, Dayna.”
She turns on her side to face me and props herself up on her elbow, rubbing her nose with a tissue. “You were right.”
“About what?”
“It was a dangerous move, going to Bahrain.”
I feel my jaw tighten. “Hassan had something to do with this?”
She shakes her head. “Kahn. Hassan told Caspar about the alternative bid.”
“Caspar? He did this to you?” I swear it’s only her hand on my chest that keeps me calm enough not to walk right out of the room and smash his fucking skull.
“I offered Hassan a ten percent stake in my profits.” I try to focus on her and not the rage that’s blazing inside me. “It’s the only way. I can’t afford the well alone. I’m looking for other investors, but I’m not stupid; that well is barely profitable. There’s a real risk it won’t generate a return at all.”
“I know. Teddy wants me to back out.”
She nods. “You probably should.”
“But you won’t.”
She looks at me with eyes so mesmerising they draw me in. I slide down the bed and mirror her position.
“I can’t. I need the well, Clark.”
“I’ve told you that there’s nothing to prove. And this…” I reach out to her cheek, trying not to show the overwhelming anger that’s making my hands tremble. “This isn’t worth it.”
She watches her finger as she draws circles on the duvet. “It isn’t just about the well. It’s about the Persian Gulf. And… it’s about beating Caspar.”
“Christ, Dayna, it’s taking all my strength not to walk out of this room and break every bone in his body right now. Don’t tell me you’re encouraging the fight. Why do you want to rile him?”
She takes a deep breath. “Everyone thinks that my father was shoddy. That he cut costs and that’s what led to Little Princess exploding and killing all those people. My father thought it, and that’s why he killed himself. He couldn’t stand the thought of what he’d done.”
“So you want the well to prove you can do it right?”
