Stroke of Midnight (Midnight Breed 13.5)

He opened his mouth to call her out on the breach, but then his acute sight caught the last few lines of a text message thread filling the display. Some guy named Karsten was asking her where she was and why she’d left him without saying where she’d gone. He was worried, he said. He needed her. Said he wasn’t any good without her.

For reasons he didn’t want to examine, the idea that Seraphina had another man waiting for her somewhere—that she wouldn’t even mention that fact to him at any point when they talked—sent a streak of anger through Jehan’s veins.

That she would look at him so wantonly the other night when this other male—what the fuck kind of name was Karsten, anyway?—obviously cared about her, needed her, made Jehan wonder if he’d read her wrong from the start.

Of course, she’d already confessed to him that she only agreed to participate in the handfast to collect a handsome payout at the end. So, why should it surprise him to realize she was already spoken for?

“You’re breaking the rules.” His voice was low and even, betraying none of the heat that was running through his veins.

She startled so sharply, the phone practically leapt out of her fingers. She scrambled to keep it and whirled around on the sofa to gape at him in horror.

“Jehan! I didn’t hear you come in the room.”

“You don’t say.” He gestured to the phone now clutched tight to her breast. “How’d you get that in here?”

She had the decency to look at least a little contrite. “I made Leila smuggle it in with the clothing she packed for me. She didn’t want to, but I insisted. How was I supposed to go an entire week completely cut off from everything?”

“And everyone?” Jehan prompted. “Who’s Karsten?”

Her face blanched. No need for her to ask him if he saw her texts. Her guilty look said it all. “He’s my partner.”

“Partner?” He practically snarled the word.

“My coworker. Karsten volunteers with me at the border camps.”

Some of Jehan’s irritation cooled at the explanation. “For a coworker, he sounds very eager to have you back. He’s no good without you?”

Her expression relaxed into one of mild dismissal. “Karsten is...a bit dramatic. Right now, he’s concerned about a food and medical supply shipment that’s being held up at a checkpoint near Marrakesh. Normally I make sure things clear without delays, but unfortunately this shipment didn’t come in until after my parents called me home.”

“What happens if the shipment doesn’t get cleared?”

She crossed her arms over her breasts. “The food will rot and the medicine will spoil. It happens all too often.”

“And this Karsten is unable to retrieve the supplies without you?” Jehan couldn’t mask his judgment of the other man. If necessary food and medicine were sitting somewhere waiting to be delivered, he’d make damn sure it got where it needed to go.

Seraphina slipped off the sofa and walked to the marble-topped island where Jehan stood. “A lot of times, when things are delayed like this, my father’s name helps loosen them up. Sometimes, it’s a matter of finding the right palm to grease.”

Jehan nodded. Corruption in local governments was nothing new. That Seraphina seemed comfortable navigating those tangled webs was impressive. She kept impressing him, and he wasn’t sure he should like it as much as he did. “What do you think will free up this shipment of supplies?”

She shrugged faintly. “Does it matter? Karsten hasn’t been able to get them on his own so far, and by the time our week is out here, it’ll be too late. Food and medicine doesn’t last long in the desert.”

No, he supposed it didn’t.

But maybe there was some way to fix the situation.

“You say you know the checkpoint where the supplies are being held up?”

“It’s on the outskirts of Marrakesh. A lot of our materials pass through that same one.”

Jehan considered. “That’s only a few hours away from here by car.”

“What are you saying?” She frowned. “Jehan, what are you thinking?”

“Let me borrow your phone.”

She handed it over, still staring at him in question. Jehan entered his brother’s number and waited for him to pick up. It took several rings, then Marcel’s confused voice came over the line in greeting. “Hello?”

Jehan got right to the point. “I have a favor to ask of you.”