Total pages in book: 230
Estimated words: 217798 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1089(@200wpm)___ 871(@250wpm)___ 726(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 217798 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1089(@200wpm)___ 871(@250wpm)___ 726(@300wpm)
Kash felt the room go cold. Apparently, his evening wasn’t going to end pleasantly.
CHAPTER 7
Day sat in the chair offered to her, her whole body weary. Had it really only been twenty-four hours since Michael Malone had shoved her on a private plane? He’d been waiting at the security entrance to the palace to take her from Rai’s custody. She and Kash had been taken to the private airfield in separate vehicles, and the plane had taken off before she could quite realize what was happening.
Now she was here in Dallas, Texas, and she felt numb. She’d slept little and spoken not one word to her husband.
Her husband, who’d looked at her like she was some kind of a freak. Her husband, who had made it plain he wanted nothing to do with her.
How easily they’d broken. As if what they had together had been nothing but spun sugar to dissolve in the slightest hint of rain.
“I know you’re both tired, but I wanted to give you an update on what’s happening in Loa Mali.” A man with short brown hair sat behind a rather plain but sturdy desk. He was a large man, his shoulders broad and his jaw square, an all-American type. The name on the office said Wade Rycroft, but the man had introduced himself as Alex McKay. “Ian sends his sincere apologies, Kash. We’ve got a problem he needs to handle. It’s a family situation.”
Apparently the bodyguards had decided to ship them to home base.
“I don’t care about Taggart’s family issues. I would like to know exactly what’s going on. I’ve heard nothing. We were given no choices, McKay. I will not be treated like some prisoner.” Kash stood up. It was obvious none of his anger had fled over the course of the day.
“You’re being treated like a man who was damn near assassinated,” McKay replied, his voice even, but the narrowing of his eyes made his irritation clear to Day. “This is what you pay me for. You pay me to ensure your safety and the safety of your wife. More than that, you pay me to keep your monarchy safe. My employees did exactly what they should have done. They got you out of a dangerous situation. They shipped you somewhere no one will think to look, with the absolute best security you will find in the world. Two of my most experienced men are working to figure out who wants to kill you and also to keep the assassination attempt out of the press. If you find anything wrong with my plan, there’s the door. You’re free to go.”
Kash turned and walked toward the door. He hadn’t read the same body language she had or he simply didn’t care.
Day stayed in her seat. One of them had to be reasonable. “I thank you for your quick service, Mr. McKay. My husband is going to act like an ass now. Let him. I would appreciate any update you could give me. Did they find out what kind of poison was used? Has Jamil’s daughter been informed? She needs to know she’ll be given his full pension.”
“Jamil had a daughter?” Kash stopped at the door.
Naturally, the man had been sharing a Scotch before bed with Jamil for years, but he didn’t know about his servant’s family. In the few weeks she’d been living at the palace, she’d made it a point to learn about the family’s closest servants. They were men and women who had devoted themselves to the palace for years. They deserved some respect. She kept staring straight ahead. “Yes. He took care of his daughter and her two children. His son-in-law died two years ago and he’s the sole source of income while she’s taking classes at university. I would like to offer to pay her tuition and to keep up Jamil’s paychecks while she’s in school.”
Kash worked his way back to his seat and slumped down. “Jamil is really dead.”
McKay’s voice was the tiniest touch more sympathetic this time. “Yes, Kash. We wouldn’t have hauled you out of your country for anything but true worry for your life. And as far as your servant’s daughter knows, her father passed away of natural causes and the palace will take care of her. It’s best we keep this under wraps for now. The press would swarm the island if they knew.”
Kash looked infinitely tired as he sat back in the chair that seemed almost too small for his enormous frame. “The press was all over my island already. How do you expect them not to notice that the king and queen have been taken away?”
“I’ve set that plan in motion. Your yacht was seen launching last night after midnight for the Arabian Sea. Right now it’s being captained by a friend of mine, and every now and then two of my employees who look a bit similar to you will be seen cuddling on the deck or taking in the sunset. Believe me, they know how to sell this. As far as the press knows, you and your queen are on a private honeymoon cruise and you do not wish to be disturbed. Rumor has it you’ve packed enough food and drinks for a full two weeks at sea.”