But, he really did need to be in Lebanon, and if his brothers found out, it would have started a fight between them. While that may have been fine as teens, this was too important. Besides, it’s not as if they had any sort of vested interest in his plans; other than it taking him away during the holidays, which didn’t bother him in the slightest.
He briefly thought about his mother. She was the glue that kept everyone together and with her gone, the brothers quickly drifted apart. What used to be a joyous time of the year was now an easy excuse to be away from each other.
Forcing his bodyguard to lie wasn’t easy, but money did talk. After that, it was easy to slip away to the trial and get back before anyone knew what happened.
God knew that if they figured out that he was heading to Kivi’s trial, they’d never let him live it down. Kashif had been adamant that the family not be involved any more than they already were. He was more interested in damage control than doing the right thing.
The plane rocked back and forth, as they hit some turbulence, and Jarik immediately glanced toward the cockpit. Despite the warnings from the airport, the flight seemed relatively smooth, and Maria and her friend were relaxed. The wind didn’t seem to bother them any, so he leaned back against the window.
Maria Walken. After getting a copy of her flight manifest, he’d done a quick cursory internet search of her. Eleven months out of the year, she was a private cargo pilot, but in December, she turned into Santa. With her brother, she headed up Christmas Crates. It was a noble idea, but from what he could tell, the charity wasn’t doing very well.
He knew she’d cave. She needed that money even if she hated taking it. Jarik dealt with people like her all the time. They despised the wealthy and brandished their own flaws like a weapon. It wasn’t Jarik’s fault that he was born wealthy. It also wasn’t his fault that they lived in a world where money made things easier. It was a tool that he was skilled at using when it suited his needs.
Unlike most people, Maria was trying to make a difference in this world. Normally, she should love people with money. After all, she needed them. Clearly, something was up.
The memory of her tight body rubbing against his on the bus had him rising back up to attention. He wasn’t lacking in female attention, and despite what he’d told her on the bus, a beautiful woman shouldn’t have been enough to harden his cock.
But there was something about her. He’d seen her running after the bus and paid the driver to stop to pick her up. There was something compelling about the determination in her eyes and her curls flying behind her as she ran.
It had taken all his control not to cup her ass and lift her up until he pressed into the apex of her legs to watch the desire darken her eyes.
Taste her. Lick her. Make her moan.
He chuckled at the thought, glad that the women couldn’t hear him over the roar of the plane’s engine. The point of taking a public bus was to blend in, and he had a feeling if he’d acted on his desires, it would have made a memorable moment, which probably would have culminated in him getting arrested. Something he could ill-afford. Not if it meant that Kivi could find out, he was coming for him. The man had spies in all the right places, which was why Jarik had chosen a route no one would suspect.
Lucky for him, fate kept placing her in his path. When they landed, he intended to figure out just what made Maria Walken tick.
“What the hell?”
Maria’s panicked voice snapped him to attention. “What’s going on?” Jarik called out anxiously.
“We’re not going to make it to Syria,” she muttered. “Tessa, where is the next airport?”
“Is it the snow?” he asked.
“No,” Maria said tightly. “There seems to be a leak in our fuel line.”
“Can you make it twenty miles?” Tessa asked quietly. Jarik swallowed hard as he waited for Maria’s answer.
“Yes. I’ll radio them now.”
Jarik sighed in relief and leaned back. Glancing out the window, he gritted his teeth.
His brothers would never forgive him if he ended up in a plane crash doing exactly what Kashif warned him not to do.
3
Lucky for them, the Al Marfa airport was practically deserted. She landed the plane with no problem and immediately ushered them off. “Tessa, take his royal highness inside,” she muttered without looking at them. “See if you can get a room at the hotel we stayed at last time we were here. I’m going to find a mechanic.”
“We can’t get back up in the air tonight?” Jarik growled.
“It’ll take at least an hour to examine the plane and get her refueled. Probably more. If the blizzard gathers strength, we won’t be able to get back up in the air tonight. We’ll have to try again in the morning.”
“But…”
“But nothing,” she snapped. “You don’t think I’m unhappy about this? I need to make it to Syria by the twenty-third, and every minute that we waste here puts me more off schedule. If you don’t like it, you’re welcome to try to bribe someone else to take you up.”
“Tessa, make your phone calls,” he said quietly. “I’m going to stay out here. I want to know what happened with the plane.”