Page 67 of Deadly Betrayal

When Afrooz hobbled forward to usher them outof the dining room, Tariq stopped him. “Agha, onemoment.”

Turning slowly, the old man shuffled back tothem. He stood and looked at a spot between Tariq and Ishaq. Hisspine might be curved, but Tariq had to admire the man’scourage.

Ishaq cleared his throat. “Agha Khalid is aprogressive man, but is he progressive enough to allow hisbrother’s wife to be alone in the presence of two strange men?” Heheld the phone up to Afrooz, who’d remained standing.

The old man took his time to squint at thepicture, moving it backward and forward, before sighing and handingit back. “There must be an explanation. This movie star, he isrich, yes? Maybe he made a large donation to the clinic where Azitaworks.”

Tariq rubbed his chin, digging his fingersinto the hairs of his beard as he mulled over the possibilities.“That may be, but would Agha Khalid let her go alone?”

“No. He is always careful about appearances,especially now that—” He cut himself off, further piquing Tariq’sinterest.

“Now thatwhat?” he asked.

Afrooz shrugged.

“Answer me.”

The old man clasped his hands together. “Ibelieve he intends to make her his wife.”

Tariq smiled. This was perhaps another roundof ammunition in Tariq’s pocket, should Khalid forget theiragreement. “How does she feel about your great niece’s upcomingmarriage?”

The man shifted and his gaze fell to hisfeet, where he toed at something on the floor.

Tariq had his answer. “Leave us.”

“Shab ba khayr.” He wished them a goodnight as he left the room.

Tariq curled his hands into fists. He wouldnothave his wedding day interrupted by a stupid woman whodid not understand her place. “Send this image to all our men.”

Ishaq gripped his brother’s shoulder. “I’llalso station a team at the intersection of the Kishim-Fayzabad andTaleqan-Kishim roads. If that bitch is on her way here, we willintercept her. There will be no problems on your wedding day,brother.”

“I appreciate that.”

“What shall we do once we have thedoctor?”

“Have the men bring her to me.”

“She will be your prisoner? Hostage?”

With his precious Azita in their possession,Khalid would not dare go back on their arrangement. Tariq smiledhis first genuine smile of the day. “Insurance. She will be myinsurance.”

The slamming of the door echoed in theotherwise silent guesthouse room. Jake spun on his heel. “Did thatreally just happen?”

“Fuck.” If he lived to be a hundred, Kadenwould never forget the defeat in Azita’s eyes as Khalid had draggedher away. He scoured his face with both hands, pressing his palmsinto his eyes. What the hell was he supposed to do now?

Nic’s hands curled and uncurled. “I’ve neverfelt so impotent in my entire fucking life.” And given what Kadenknew about his friend’s past, that was saying something.

“I wanted to punch the arrogant asshole’sface in, but”—Jake held his hands out and grimaced, clearlyfrustrated—“the laws in this country are so fucked up!”

Rolling his shoulders, Kaden paced theconfines of the small room. He wanted to rage, to kick and scream.But none of that would get Azita back. He sank onto the mattress.Her scent wafted up and something circled his heart and squeezed.What the hell was wrong with him? He barely knew the woman. They’dbeen together only a couple of days, yet she’d somehow managed toslip under his skin.

He picked up the pillow she’d slept on andbalanced it on his upraised knees. Her spicy scent was strongernow. If he were alone, he’d bury his face in it, fill his lungswith it. Hell, he might do it anyway. Fuck!

Grabbing the pillow, he thrust it against hisnose and inhaled deeply. Cardamom. That was it. No wonder helov—liked her so much. She smelled like his favorite spice. Hiseyes burned.

He lowered the pillow and looked up at hisfriends. “What the fuck am I going to do?”

Nic sat down beside him, leaning against thewall. “What do youwantto do?”