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“Then clean her up. The last thing Sheikh Ramirez wants is blood stains in his private jet.”
Arabelle stiffened at the name, her blood running cold.Holy shit!She’d been so wrong. This had nothing to do with the sheikh of the country bordering Lumana, the same sheikh who’d caused strife and threatened her motherland with war. No. This was all to do with the elderly and vengeful husband of Aisha.
Sheikh Ramirez must have somehow found out about Mahindar’s involvement in protecting her.
“Pass me the water canteen,” one of the men said gruffly. “I’ll use her blindfold as a rag.”
Relief was as thick as a blanket as her blindfold was loosened, then taken off her face. She blinked, then squinted against the dazzling flashlight that lit up her face. Her eyes needed time to adjust after going from the semi-darkness of the cinema to the complete blackness of the blindfold.
When she finally managed to flutter her eyelids completely open the shadowy faces of her captors swam in front of her. Estelle’s first, then the swarthy, male face of her companion, Raheesha.
Her stomach sank. Of course the male servant who’d met her at the gates would be in cahoots with Estelle. They had probably planned this whole kidnapping thing together.
“Why?” she asked weakly.
He chuckled as he wet her blindfold with some of the canteen water. “Don’t play the innocent victim with us.” He dabbed at her face, the water stinging a deep cut. “Your western influence hasn’t just corrupted Sheikh Mahindar, it threatens to corrupt every woman in this country and its surrounds. Aisha has corrupted far too many already.”
Arabelle’s head spun. “Aisha can’t be blamed for fleeing a cruel madman.”
Estelle’s breath hissed, her contempt clear. “Sheikh Ramirez is going to have fun torturing you before he trades you for his stupid bitch of a wife. Perhaps for my loyalty in bringing you to him he’ll allow me to watch every second of your pain and degradation.”
It was strange how much hurt Estelle’s comments generated. What had Arabelle ever done to Estelle to make her hate her this much? If this was how Estelle treated those who were nice to her, Arabelle hated to think what happened to those who treated her badly.
“Cool it, Estelle,” the driver said smoothly.
Estelle’s face tightened. “My skin crawled having to pretend I was friends with this lowlife dog who chose a western culture over her own!”
The driver looked into the rearview mirror, the dash lights revealing enough of his dark stare to show it was empty of emotion. “I think she’s more than aware of your revulsion now.”
Arabelle narrowed her eyes. She wasn’t stupid enough to rile them, but she was pushed enough to tell the truth. “I didnothingto deserve any of this except fall for a friendship that was never there.”
“You were blinded by your titles and wealth,” Estelle gritted out.
“Titles and wealth mean nothing to me,” Arabelle refuted.
“Liar!” Estelle screamed.
“Enough!” the driver snapped. “She will be in Sheikh Ramirez’s hands soon enough, and we all know how that will end. Ramirez is fully aware that hurting her will hurt Mahindar worse than anything else.”
“She blinded our sheikh,” Raheesha agreed quietly. “She is a witch.”
Arabelle heaved a fitful sigh. So she was no longer a dog, then? She supposed that was an upgrade, at least.
It didn’t make their treatment of her any easier to bear. Her whole face was swollen and inflamed, the cuts stinging and her bruised flesh aching. At least her nose was no longer bleeding.
Arabelle managed a snort. “Are you forgetting Mahindar’s influence and power? He will destroy you—allof you—for abducting and hurting me.”
Estelle’s eyes flashed before she struck Arabelle with an open hand, thecrackheightened somehow by the ringing in her ears.
“Enough!” It was the driver again who intervened. He twisted to glance at Arabelle and warned, “One more word out of your mouth and my people will take great pleasure in shoving a gag back in.” He looked ahead again. “Estelle, this is your last warning. Do not touch her again. You’ve had your fun. But Sheikh Ramirez wants the privilege of torturing her. He will be furious you have already marked her.”
Whatever fight Arabelle had in her died a sudden death at hearing her fate. If Aisha had to runaway thanks to his cruelty, what would he do to a woman he considered an enemy?
She blinked back tears, which only made her face hurt all the more. She looked down at her wedding ring, the gold band with its embedded, shiny diamonds distracting her from the dark thoughts threatening to overpower her.
Her marriage had been short and fraught with tension, but it had been a good match while it had lasted. She just wished she’d given her husband more of a chance. He was a good man, a wonderful husband and generous lover. That it had taken this nightmare for her to fully realize that was nothing less than another fist to the face.
She looked out the front windshield, where blazing headlights showcased the desert landscape of sand and dunes, and the rocky embankment either side of the road that was barely more than a faded track. How long had she been gone now? It felt like ten hours but she imagined it had been at closer to three or four. The guards would be alert now to her disappearance. Mahindar had probably also been informed by now.
