Maria waited until her friend was out of earshot before she whirled around. “I know you said you need to get to Lebanon but why are you being so secretive and while we’re at it, shouldn’t you have body guards or something? Are you in some kind of trouble?” she hissed.
The maddening man crossed his arms. “So, now, you ask?”
“I carry crates to refugees,” she muttered. “People don’t try to kill me. If this is deliberate, and I’m not saying that it is, then I want all the facts.”
Jarik smiled at her but it didn’t reach his eyes. “To start, no, I’m not in some kind of trouble. At least nothing that would have someone tampering with a fuel line. However, if the fuel line was tampered with, it could only mean two things. The first was that someone was trying to make you crash and the second was that someone wanted you to land in Al Marfa. Here, I have no jurisdiction and no security, so I can’t help you.”
Maria rolled her eyes. “Tell me something that I don’t know.”
“No one knew where I was going. My own family, even my bodyguard, would not expect me to go to Syria or Lebanon. So, whatever is going on with the fuel line is not because of me. No one could have planned this ahead of time.”
Blowing out her breath, she ran her hands through her hair. Even if someone had followed him, there was security on the runway. More than likely, this was an accident.
“Go inside before you freeze your royal ass off,” she muttered. “I promise to give you a full report.”
“I would rather not leave you alone,” he said shortly. She turned her head until he saw the ground control employees headed their way.
“Fine, but don’t get in the way, and please try not to bribe anyone.” Waving her hands, she jogged over to meet them. Glancing over her shoulder, she swallowed hard when she saw the way Jarik was looking at her.
He could be casual about the situation, but there was something dark in his gaze. She felt like a possession. Once she had a better idea of what was going on, she was going to have a nice long talk with Sheikh Jarik Shadid. He was hiding something from her. She just knew it.
Tessa was waiting for her when they finally finished up on the runway. The fuel line did have a leak, but it didn’t look deliberate, Rather than a clean cut, it was jagged, like something had chewed on it. The mechanic should have caught it before they even took off.
Maria should have caught it.
It was clear that she had far too much on her mind.
“Well?” Tessa asked anxiously.
“It’s going to have to be replaced,” Maria said tightly. “I won’t be able to leave until at least tomorrow night. Furthermore, I can’t get in touch with Sebastian. There’s a red-eye leaving for Syria in four hours. Please tell me that you’ll be on it.”
Her friend bit her lower lip and glanced around. “Maria, you know I would do anything for you, but I don’t want to leave you alone in this city.”
Maria didn’t exactly want to be left alone either, but she didn’t have much of a choice. She was supposed to be in Syria tomorrow to start organizing the Christmas Crates event. If Sebastian couldn’t make it, she needed Tessa there.
“Please,” she whispered. “You know how much I need this to go well. The press will crucify me if it doesn’t.” She knew her desperation was written all over her face, and she kept her back to Jarik.
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Tessa immediately reached over to hug her. “Are you sure this isn’t so you can have the sexy Sheikh all to yourself?” she teased her quietly.
“Tessa!” Maria hissed, but she laughed and hugged her friend tighter. She knew this meant that Tessa would go on ahead without her.
“At least I know that you won’t be alone.”
“Thank you,” Maria said with a smile. She reached into her tote bag and pulled out her wallet. “Come on. Let’s get you a ticket. I’ll try to keep calling Sebastian, and I’ll call the Syria volunteers so that they meet you at the airport. Whatever you do, do not travel to the camps on your own.”
“Maria,” her friend said with a tight smile. “I’ve been doing this with you for five years. I think I know the routine. Don’t worry. Everything is going to work out fine, and I will see you in a few days.”
She didn’t know what she’d do without Tessa. Maria paid for Tessa’s ticket and bought her a meal. There was no point in taking her back to the hotel if she would just have to be back in a few hours. Promising to call her before she went to bed tonight, Maria gave her friend one last hug.
Deep down, she knew what Tessa was thinking. If Sebastian didn’t pick up because he was already on his way to Syria, then Tessa would be able to steal a few hours alone with him. Despite all her talk of picking up a sexy man, Maria knew that Tessa had a thing for her brother.
Privately, she didn’t like the idea of her best friend and her brother being together, but they were adults, and Maria wanted them to be happy.
“I got us a room,” Jarik said, as he suddenly appeared at her side. “Let’s grab some dinner, and then we can get some sleep.”
Maria turned around and glared at him. “I have a room. I doubt I can afford wherever you’re staying.”