Diamond in the Desert

‘Please sit down,’ she said, and then she blinked as if remembering that he was in charge now.

‘Thank you,’ he said, making nothing of it.

Crossing to the boardroom table, he held out the chair for her and heard the slide of silk stockings as she sat down and crossed her legs. He was acutely aware of her scent, of her, but, despite all those highly feminine traits that she was unable to hide, she was ice.

He chose a chair across the table from her. They both left the chairman’s chair empty, though if Britt felt any irony in sitting beneath portraits of her great-grandfather, who had hacked out a successful mining company from the icy wastes with his bare hands, or the father who had pretty much lost the business in half the time it had taken his own father to build it up, she certainly didn’t show it. As far as Britt was concerned, it was business as usual and she was in control.

Even now she felt a conflict inside her that shouldn’t exist. She had entered the room at the head of her sisters, determined to fight for them to the end. But seeing Sharif changed everything. It always did. The man beneath that formal suit called to her soul, and made her body crave his protective embrace.

So she might be stupid, but she wasn’t a child, she told herself impatiently. She was a grown woman, who had learned how to run this company to the best of her ability when it was thrust upon her, whether she wanted it or not. And nothing had changed as far as she was concerned. ‘I called the lawyers in on my way from the airport.’

‘There’s no point in rushing to do that,’ he said, ‘when I can fill you in.’

‘I prefer to deal with professionals,’ she said.

He couldn’t blame Britt for the bite in her tone. The way that things had worked out here meant she could only feel betrayed by him.

* * *

She searched his eyes, and found nothing. What would he find in hers? The same? If her eyes contained only half the anger and contempt she felt for him, then that would have to do for now. She could only hope the hurt and bewilderment didn’t show at all.

‘I’d be interested to hear your account of things,’ she said coldly. ‘I believe my brother’s involved in some way.’ For the first time she saw Sharif hesitate. ‘Did you think I wouldn’t find out?’

‘In an ideal world I would have liked things to take their course so you could get used to the idea of Tyr’s involvement. As it was he stepped in to prevent a hostile takeover from any other quarter.’

‘And this isn’t a hostile takeover?’

‘How can it be when Tyr is involved?’

‘I wouldn’t know since I haven’t heard from him.’

‘He is still on his travels.’

‘So I believe. I heard he took the coward’s way out—’

‘No one calls your brother a coward in my hearing,’ Sharif interrupted fiercely. ‘Not even you, Britt.’

Sharif’s frown was thunderous and though she opened her mouth to reply something stopped her.

‘You realise Tyr and I go back a long way?’

‘I don’t know all his friends,’ she said. ‘I still don’t,’ she added acidly.

Ignoring her barb, Sharif explained that Kareshi was one of the countries Tyr had helped to independence.

‘With his mercenaries?’ she huffed scathingly.

He ignored this too. ‘With your brother’s backing I was able to protect my people and save them from tyrants who would have destroyed our country.’ He fixed her with an unflinching stare. ‘I will never hear a wrong word said against your brother.’

‘I understand that from your perspective, my brother has done no wrong. Tyr knows how to help everyone except his own family—’

‘You’re so wrong,’ Sharif cut in. ‘And I’m going to tell you why. If Tyr had added his golden shares to those you and your sisters own, the company would still go down. Add those shares to the weight of the consortium and the funds we can provide—not some time in the future, but right now—and you have real power. That’s what your brother’s done. Tyr has stepped in to save, not just you and your family, but the company and the people who work here.’

‘So why couldn’t he tell me that himself?’

‘It’s up to Tyr to explain when he’s ready.’ Sharif paused as if he would have liked to say something more, but then he just said quietly, ‘Tyr’s braver than you know.’

She felt as if she had been struck across the face. There was no battle to fight here. It had already been won.