Page 65 of Kismet

She only had time to see Jamal slap the hindquarters of Millie’s horse as Charles did the same to her own mount. In seconds, the five of them were riding hard toward a midsized town she could now see low on the horizon. The small Arabian she rode didn’t seem the least bit strained by the increased pace, and she was certain the moderate pace they’d maintained since leaving the Amazigh camp had saved the animals from being exhausted at this point.

Once more, she glanced at the approaching riders, and her heart thudded wildly in her breast. They were gaining on them. The minutes dragged on as Othmane grew in size, but the distance between the riders chasing them and their small party decreased. It was now possible to see the riders clearly and their rifles waving in the air. A loud scream from Millie jerked her attention to the right and she could see another party of riders riding up from behind them on the opposite side. The men shot their rifles into the air as they quickly encircled their small party and forced them to a halt. It was a scare tactic, and it worked. Glancing at her companions, she could tell the shrill sounds had set their nerves on edge just like her. Charles was arguing with Jamal when the Amazigh’s expression grew dark and forbidding. He said something to her old lover, and Charles’s face became equally grim as the two men watched a lone rider approaching. She turned her head and her stomach lurched. Nassar.

As the noise died down, he uttered a harsh command, and several of his men dismounted and dragged all of them off their horses. Millie was the only one to protest, and Jamal charged quickly to the terrified woman’s side. He squeezed her hand and said something to her beneath his breath. His efforts earned him a crashing blow to the back of his head, which made him stagger into the maid.

Holding him upright against her, Millie helped Jamal reach the rest of their small group. When Nassar’s men had disarmed Charles and the Bedouin, they forced them to stand in a straight line. From where he sat on his horse, Nassar studied them in silence, his thick, black eyebrows arched with derision. It only emphasized the cruelty in his expression. He quickly dismounted, and with his fists planted into his sides, he slowly walked past Millie and Jamal then halted in front of Laila, whose face was a mixture of anger and fear. An odd look crossed Nassar’s face as he tilted her chin upward.

“Newcastle was right. You do look like your mother.” His words drew a hiss from Laila, and she jerked away from his touch and spat on the ground.

“Do not dare to touch me, you filthy murderer.”

Nassar’s response was to strike the young woman’s face with the back of his hand. The force of the blow drove Laila to her knees, her hand cupping her face. Charles immediately stepped forward with a cry of anger, but one of Nassar’s men restrained him. Jamal held himself rigid, but she could see the murderous rage on the Amazigh’s face. She looked back at Nassar and saw him studying her with a mocking smile. She knew how the man thought, and she deliberately kept her expression neutral.

“What is it you want?” Steel threaded through Charles’s quiet words. With a sudden look of interest, Nassar moved to stare into the other man’s eyes. It was a look of assessment, and Charles didn’t flinch beneath Nassar’s harsh contemplation.

“Why your women of course.” A low laugh accompanied his words, and a shiver slid through her. With a dismissing wave of his hand, he turned his back on Charles. “Kill the men, and take the women to camp.”

Horrified, Allegra strained against the tight hands that held her in place. “No!”

Her cry made Nassar stop. Slowly turning around, he stared at her coldly. The flat, reptilian look in his black eyes made her body grow icy with fear. God, how she hated him. Hated him for what he was forcing her to do. His thin lips tight with anger, he walked toward her.

“You dare to say no to me, Allegra?”

“Let them go,” she said quietly. “In exchange for their lives and freedom, I will let you do with me as you like.”

“Allegra, No!” Charles’s harsh cry was joined almost immediately by Jamal’s protest.

“Anasi, do not do this.”

“Oh dear lord,” Millie gasped.

“No, Allegra, no,” Laila sobbed through her tears.

Ignoring them, she held her head erect and met Nassar’s assessing look with a quiet assurance she didn’t feel. She gave another tug against the hands that held her, and the Sheikh nodded at his man to release her. Arms folded across his chest, he offered her a feral smile.

“As usual, you do not understand your situation, ma chérie. It is no different than the last time we met. As I recall, you offered a similar bargain then as well. I have no time for games.”

“No,” she said quietly with a shake of her head. “I told you the last time we met that I choose the men I take into my bed. If you release them, I will choose you and refuse you nothing. Your pleasure will be my sole concern.”

“A pretty speech, Allegra. But again, I can take what I want from you.”

“But will you take or receive? What I’m offering you is absolute obedience.”

Suppressing the bile rising in her throat, she stepped forward and slowly sank to her knees. Her movements deliberately subservient, she bent over in a prostrate manner at his feet. The protests of her friends filled the air, but she blocked the sound out of her head. As she waited for his answer, she fought to suppress a shiver of revulsion. She couldn’t let him see how repulsed she was at the thought of being with him. It would take all of her skill and willpower to do what she intended, but the lives of her friends were at stake. She had little choice in the matter if they were to go free. Nassar’s silence pressed down on her as she prayed fervently for his agreement. Squatting in front of her, the Sheikh grabbed her chin and forced him to look at him.

“I have your word on this bargain?” he asked.

There was a distinct warning in the question. If she broke their agreement, he would most likely beat her until she was dead. Shaheen’s face flashed before her, and her heart released a painful spasm in her chest. Without Shaheen, death was infinitely more preferable. The moment the thought churned through her head, the fighter in her slapped the notion aside. She would survive as she’d always done. Her destiny would not end on the Moroccan desert plain under the feet of a sadistic monster like Nassar.

“You have my word.” She met his cold gaze steadily, sealing their bargain with a nod.

“Release them.” Nassar’s sharp words snapped over her head like a whip.

She shivered as she remembered how he had threatened to take a lash to her back the last time they’d met. Again, protests filled the air, but she remained where she was at Nassar’s feet, head bowed.

“I approve of your behavior, sabhā emîra,” he murmured with a lascivious twist of his thin mouth. He lifted her chin once more. “You’ll find me most generous if you please me. And to show you how generous I can be, you may watch your friends reach the gates of Othmane.”

“And I have your word as an Amazigh that your men will not follow them into the city?”

A fierce scowl of anger drew his jet-black eyebrows together, making the sinister expression on his face all the more pronounced. His hand released her chin so roughly her head snapped to the side. “You have my word as an Amazigh,” he snarled.

Relief expanded her lungs as she realized she’d been holding her breath until he’d agreed. A moment later, he grabbed her by the arm and yanked her to her feet. Stumbling, she was forced to steady herself against him, and she fought to keep from recoiling from him. She watched as Charles took a step toward her, a fierce fury blazing in his eyes. A split second later, a knife was resting against his throat as Nassar snapped an order. Frightened that he might lose his life in a fruitless effort to save her, she glared at him.

“Stop, Charles. I’ve made my decision.”

“Don’t do this—” The knife against his throat pressed deeper into his skin, and a drop of blood rolled across the top of the blade.

“For the love of God, Charles. Just go. Take care of Millie for me.”

Anguish replaced the anger in his eyes as he slowly accepted the hopelessness of their situation. They were outnumbered, and any rescue effort on his part would only result in his death and that of the others as well. As she watched him grapple with the reality of their situation, her heart ached for him at the torment carving its way into his face. She recognized the great effort it took for him to turn away from her, and she swayed slightly as she watched him convince the others to walk to their horses. Millie protested vigorously until Jamal silenced her with a stern word in her ear. Laila refused to budge from where she stood when Charles approached her. Roughly, he grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the horses. Tears streaming down her face, the young woman kept her eyes on Allegra until Charles forced her to mount her horse. In a matter of minutes, they were riding off toward the city gate and safety. Impatient, Nassar grasped her arm and tried to pull her in the opposite direction. She turned her head to look at him.

“You said I could watch until they reached the city.”

He frowned with anger, but relented with a sharp nod. Turning back toward Othmane, she watched her friends disappear into the city less than five minutes later. As they vanished, she shuddered. It was time to make good on her bargain. Numb with the reality of her situation and what she’d agreed to, she turned to Nassar and bowed her head in a submissive manner.

“I am yours to command, Excellency.”

Faint from the thought of what was to come, she swayed slightly but managed to remain upright. Nassar issued several harsh commands, and strong hands dragged her back to her horse. Moments later, she was riding back into the desert.