A key slid into the door and the handle moved. I froze, but the door didn't unlock. A panic swept through me. I knew it was Roger coming back to take his revenge on the three of us. Would he be armed this time? Owen looked at me, his face going pale. Dean moved to the door like a hunting cat, opening it like he was expecting to jump on his prey.
A very startled businessman looked up at Dean with wide eyes, his hand holding the keycard in midair. "I must have the wrong room! So sorry!" he yelped, quickly scurrying out from under Dean's predatory gaze. Dean watched him disappear down the hall before closing the door.
"I'll be right outside if you need me," he said softly, knowing that Owen and I needed to talk. I waited until the door clicked shut before speaking.
"I can't stay here." I could feel a tear trickling down my cheek. I hated being afraid. "I want to go home."
Owen's brows furrowed. "Are you sure? We could get another hotel?'
"I know he would just find us again. Besides, we're supposed to have dinner with him tomorrow night. His father is the man you are here to see. I'm so sorry, Owen, but I can't stay here."
"Kaylee, I don't know what to do here. I want to do my job, but I want to make sure you are safe. You are more important to me, but I want to make sure that's really what you want."
"I know this contract is important to you Owen. I never meant to make things complicated-"
Owen cut me off before I could finish the sentence. "This is not your fault, Kaylee. Rashid is a jerk and if his father can't see past that to do business then he is an idiot."
I smiled, glad that Owen would be on my side no matter what.
"Owen, this place is your life. Not mine. I don't like it here. The sun, the sand, the foreignness of everything, the constant threat of Roger—it just makes it clearer and clearer that I don't belong here."
"Maybe next time-" Owen started, but I cut him off this time.
"There will be no next time, Owen. I won't come back here."
Owen went quiet. If I never came back here, then that meant he would spend weeks here alone. We couldn't be together. Thoughts and pain flitted across his face like shadows across the sand dunes.
"I'll take you home, then," he said finally. "We'll leave first thing in the morning."
Chapter 19
"Owen, you don't have to come. You have obligations here," I said softly as we walked in the desert sun to the waiting jet. The red carpet was there once more, along with the stairs into the plane, but I didn't feel glamorous today. I just wanted to go home and forget that this trip ever happened.
"Kaylee, I can't in good conscience let you get on that airplane by yourself. You don't exactly do well on them." He smiled at me, but there was a tension around his eyes which I hadn't seen before. I boarded the airplane first, and I glanced back to see Owen standing at the first step, his gaze at the horizon. He was taking the scenery in as though he might never come back.
I buckled myself into the large leather recliner, settling in and taking some deep, calming breaths. This airplane wasn't as frightening this time, but I wasn't about to thin
k that I could do this flying thing on a regular basis. Owen sat across from me, looking out the window and resting his hands on his knees. He looked mostly relaxed, save for the tension in his jawline.
I gave him a smile, though in all honesty it was only a curve of my lips since my heart wasn't in it. He mirrored my expression as I popped one of the pills from the previous flight into my mouth. I leaned back, focusing on my breathing and convincing myself that I could do this.
The plane started to rumble forward, the engines turning form a high-pitched whine into a solid roar as the wings met the wind. I could see Owen open up his laptop and begin banging on the keys, a frown across his face. I wondered just how much this little detour was screwing up his business dealings. He was supposed to be meeting with the sheik right now to discuss billions of dollars' worth of contracts, not getting on a plane to fly a terrified girl home.
My ears popped as we rose higher, and I took a deep breath, trying to keep my fear at bay. My body wanted to give into the terror, but I wasn't going to let it. The medication was starting to work itself into my system, making it easier to turn off the instinctual fear.
"Owen?"
He looked up for a moment, annoyed, before smoothing the lines of his face.
"Thank you." I gave him a small smile, hoping his edginess would subside. He smiled and ran his hand through his golden hair.
"Of course, Kaylee. You know I would do anything for you."
An awkward pause fell between us. I didn't know what to say. How could I thank him for possibly ruining a billion dollar contract because of me? Because of Roger, I quickly corrected myself. It wasn't my fault that I no longer felt safe in Dubai. Unfortunately, just because it wasn't my fault, didn't take away the guilty feeling.
There was a space growing between Owen and I that wasn't due to the position of the plane. He was angry about something, the way he banged on his keyboard, and the flash in his eyes giving it away. I knew he wasn't mad at me but rather the situation. I wished for the millionth time that I could change how things had happened. I just wanted to go back to the way things used to be.
"Owen?" I asked, hoping to catch his attention. He made a noncommittal noise, but didn't look up. I didn't continue and instead just leaned my seat back. Something had changed about him, but I couldn't figure out what. The medicine was starting to make me drowsy, and since Owen didn't want to talk, I just let it overpower and carry me off to sleep.