The envelope was thick, high-quality, and Mackenzie took this as a good sign. She tore it open the instant the door clicked closed.
Meet me in my office as soon as you get this.
She pressed the note to her chest. It was all coming together. Things with Issam were heating up personally, and now she’d finally get a seat at the table with the land dispute. And she was already dressed. He wouldn’t have to wait.
Mackenzie hurried through the halls, trying to arrange her face into something less thrilled-to-be-here and more serious international lawyer and negotiator. Still, she couldn’t help beaming when she reached the door of Issam’s office and the guard didn’t even look at her.
Not when she reached for the door handle.
Not when she opened the door and stepped inside.
He didn’t reach into the room and pull her out. She simply pushed the door shut behind her and smiled into the light-filled space.
For one full second.
And then she was not smiling anymore.
It had always been a hive of activity, Issam’s office. When she’d walked by in the hallway or met him for a meal, there were always people inside. He directed a huge staff.
This morning, it was empty.
Completely empty.
The wide main area was silent and still.
“Iss
am?” she called, trying to ignore that little twinge of fear.
A door on the left wall swung open with not a little force, and Issam came in at top speed. The moment she saw him, she knew—something had gone terribly wrong. His face was dark with frustration, maybe even fury, and his eyes were like sparks ready to ignite into a full-blown fire.
“Sit down.”
He moved past her, and she could have sworn that the air around him was cold. She shivered while he flipped the lock on the door and spun back to her.
“I said, sit.”
Mackenzie had never seen this side of him before, but it hit her—of course Issam would be like this, at least some of the time. His life was based around protecting his family and the country from threats big and small. And now she was the threat.
“Where?”
“At my desk.” His voice was sharp.
He went before her to his desk and waited. Issam didn’t sit down, but Mackenzie did, in one of the two chairs in front of it. She forced herself to meet his gaze.
“Why did you lie to me?”
“Lie to you?” She shook her head. “Issam, I haven’t lied to you. We haven’t gone into the details of—”
“Don’t do that.” He looked disgusted. “Don’t even begin. Why didn’t you tell me that you were removed from Al-Madiza?”
Heat rose to her cheeks, and she felt herself tensing, straightening up. She’d had teachers in law school who challenged her like this, and she wasn’t going to break. Not in front of Issam. But she needed the right words. No, things had not gone well with her brother-in-law’s administration. And no, she had not exactly been sent to represent him in the negotiations.
“Answer me. What feud could you possibly have had with the head of military planning in Al-Madiza? Or was it something else?”
She knew exactly what he was accusing her of, but she ignored it, taking a deep breath, facing him coolly. “It wasn’t a feud. It was a difference of opinion.”
Issam looked at her levelly. “What opinion?”