“I had certain opinions about the land dispute. We argued about it. But I didn’t think that should affect things with you. That’s why I didn’t tell you.”
“How could you possibly—” Issam was incredulous. “You let it be known that you were here on official business.”
“First of all…” Mackenzie’s mind raced. “First of all, I haven’t been officially part of any negotiations. I’ve shared personal opinions with you, but I haven’t divulged any intelligence from Al-Madiza. So even if the understanding was that I was here on official business—”
Issam slammed his fist down on the desktop, making her jump. “Why did you lie to me, Mackenzie? Answer the question!”
Explaining her logic wasn’t going to work, because it hadn’t been a purely logical decision. She could see from the rage on Issam’s face that he did not like being backed into a corner. He needed all the information, and he needed it now. It was time to reveal the full purpose of her visit.
“I couldn’t compromise my mission.”
“Your mission?” Issam’s jaw was clenched tight. “Please. Tell me all about your mission. Is it to get under my skin?” His hands balled up into fists and he released them, slowly, letting out a deep breath as he did. “To gather intelligence to take with you? If your brother-in-law no longer wants you in his country, then perhaps you were thinking of taking it to Caldad. Is that it?”
“Of course not.” It hurt, honestly. It hurt to be accused of being a spy. She looked Issam in the eye. “The fort isn’t only a ruin.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The fort in the no-man’s land.” She was off to a rocky start, but she pressed on. “After Al-Dashalid reinforced the building, it’s served as a safe shelter for women and children. I’m here on their behalf.” She gave a disappointed sigh. “I was trying to impress the importance of their safety on my brother-in-law’s head of military planning. He disagreed.”
Issam paced around behind his desk, running a hand through his hair. “You’ve been here for days. Weeks. When were you planning to tell me that there are women and children sitting right in the center of the danger zone? Their lives are at incredible risk in that fort.”
“Some of them will face worse odds if they’re returned to their hometowns,” she argued. “I had to keep them safe. And I had to convince both countries not to occupy the fort and displace them. My brother-in-law was halfway to agreeing that he’d leave the shelter intact if he occupied the fort, but his military aides disagreed.”
Issam paced faster, already in problem-solving mode. “Something must be done immediately. A separate shelter. Those women and children will be in the direct line of fire if—” He didn’t name the possibility of war.
“That’s great.” Mackenzie jumped to her feet, heart singing. She had been arguing in rooms all across the Middle East for the safety of these people, many of whom were on the run from abusive husbands. “I’ll help you. I can begin drafts of the announcements that will hold up under international law, so that when you formally occupy the no-man’s land—”
Issam silenced her with one raised hand. “No.””
“No?”
He took a deep, steadying breath. “You still haven’t obtained security clearance. We’ll need some sign of good faith before it can be fully considered.”
“Before it can be—” Mackenzie drew herself up to her full height. “You want my intel now.”
“I want your intel two weeks ago,” Issam countered. “I’d have gone in to get those women and their children already.”
“If you’d bothered to listen to me two weeks ago…I can give insight into those documents.” Mackenzie saw one last opportunity to fix this. “I can consult with the people on your team who are in charge of negotiations, and—”
“No. Full-time involvement would be above your clearance level, not to mention that you would be abandoning the wedding planning to my sister and mother.” Issam came around the desk so that he was standing close to Mackenzie. His eyes searched her face. They asked a silent question: Are you going to double-cross me?
“I had to help the women and children,” she said, and hope rose bright and clean through her core. Maybe now he would see. Maybe he would give her a seat at the table.
But Issam was distracted. He looked away, out the window, then glanced back down at Mackenzie. “Whatever you have, my team needs it within the hour. Flash drives. Documents. I’ll call someone to help you set it up.”
“I can—”
“No, Mackenzie.” Issam stepped closer, towering over her. “You need to finish with the wedding. Commit yourself to that while I decide what to do.”
She met his gaze, willing herself to stay neutral, to not react. “There are more important issues at stake than wedding planning.”
“Not for you,” Issam said. His eyes flashed. “Not right now.”
12
Issam spent the rest of the day in meetings. Mackenzie sat through her own appointments with Daya and Adira, laughing and smiling as if she wasn’t on a spin cycle between frustration and fear.
It was hard to articulate why her irritation at Issam felt so raw. Yes, she hadn’t told him every detail about the reason she’d left Al-Madiza, but that didn’t make the women’s shelter any less important. Those women and their children needed all the help they could get—from Issam and Mackenzie. She hadn’t wanted to jeopardize her chance to be heard. And it had happened anyway. “Only fools rush in,” her mother would say, shaking her head. But she’d smile, too, because Mackenzie’s mother was like her. She’d only learned to temper her urge to go in with guns blazing through years of practice.