Page 67 of Kismet

“I am not offering you any.” The Sheikh released a sigh as he moved to stand at Shaheen’s side. “Hakim tells me that you destroyed the interior of the command post.”

“It was set to right,” he growled.

“If you—”

Shouts suddenly exploded in the night air, followed by a rifle shot. Neither one of them hesitated as they raced through the darkness toward the sound. He stumbled over a stone, but recovered his balance as he ran toward the outcry with the Amazigh leader close on his heels. More shouts filled the air, followed by another shot.

A woman’s shrill scream broke through the air at the volley of gunfire, and his gut clenched instantly as a vision of Allegra flashed through his head. In front of him, a large crowd gathered on the opposite side of the camp. Pushing his way through the masses, he entered the inner sanctum of chaos to see several riders hunched over in the saddles of their horses. Although there were several men holding torches aloft, it was still difficult to see clearly in the dark. But there was something far too familiar about the man dismounting from his horse. Striding forward, he came to a halt as he met his cousin’s desolate gaze. A swift count of the horses told him that all but one person had returned. Icy dread gripped him, and he lunged forward to grab Shaftsbury by his clothes.

“Where is she?” he snarled. “Where the hell is she?”

“Nassar—” He didn’t allow his cousin to say another word as he dropped the man with a hard swing to his jaw.

“Get up you son of a bitch,” he roared as he dragged his cousin to his feet.

He was going to kill the bastard. His hand drew back a second time, but Khalid’s strong hands pulled him away as Jamal stepped between him and his cousin. Guilt washed over him. He should never have trusted her safety to anyone but himself. It was his fault Allegra was in Nassar’s hands again. Just as he’d failed James, he’d failed her.

“It is not the Viscount’s fault,” the Amazigh snapped. “It is no one’s fault. Nassar and his men had faster horses and they surrounded us.”

“And he just let all of you go while he kept Allegra.” He jerked himself free of the hands restraining him and glared at his old friend.

“The jahīm anasi went with Nassar willingly.” There was a note of deep pain in Jamal’s voice as he turned his head away. “We could not save her.”

Sand from a brutal desert storm could not have bit more deeply into his skin as he took in the Amazigh’s words. The guilt he’d experienced only seconds ago returned with a vengeance, flaying him with a pain that was raw and physical. She’d gone with Nassar willingly. Why would she do such a thing? God, she was in that bastard’s bed, allowing him to touch her. The thought of it sickened him. In a daze, he saw Jamal step forward to lay a solid hand on his shoulder. He shook his head at the older man’s pained expression.

“Why?” he ground out between his teeth. “Why would she go willingly with that bastard?”

“Why?” Laila shoved her way past Charles and Jamal. The accusation in her glare was as sharp as a knife. “Because he was going to kill Jamal and Lord Shaftsbury then take Millie and me to his camp. I told you it was a mistake to go, but you wouldn’t listen. She gave herself to Nassar in exchange for our lives.”

The bitterness in Laila’s voice threw him back to those terrible minutes in his father’s study when he’d tried to explain James’s death. The only difference was, Allegra was alive and she was giving herself to a man she despised. Another image of Nassar caressing her flashed before him, and raw fury flooded his veins until he was almost blind with rage. He wheeled about sharply, his gaze searching the crowd until he saw Malik standing in front of his father. With a sharp gesture of his hand, he motioned the boy to come to him.

“Saddle Tarek for me now,” he snapped. With a nod of his head, the boy disappeared into the crowd as Khalid grabbed his arm.

“Are you mad? You have no hope of saving Allegra if you charge into Nassar’s camp by yourself.”

“I don’t intend to charge in.” Shrugging off Khalid’s grasp, he sent his friend an icy look. “I plan on being very quiet.”

“Perhaps this matter calls for something a bit more strategic . . . a broader scope.”

Jabbar’s manner was quiet, but held a note of deadly purpose as he stepped forward into a beam of light. Despite his compulsion to go after Allegra immediately, he recognized the need to keep a cool head. If Jabbar had an idea, he was willing to listen, because he didn’t have a plan.

“Explain.”

“First, you don’t even know where Nassar’s camp is, do you?”

The brutal observation sliced through him as he realized how hotheaded he was being. For the past fifteen years, he’d taught himself to think before acting, but ever since the day he’d met Allegra he’d lost all of his reasoning ability. God, he was behaving just like James. His anger and pain were controlling his actions. His jaw flexed with tension as he shook his head.

“I know where it is,” Jamal injected quietly. “When we reached Othmane, I turned around to follow the jahīm anasi. It’s why we are so late in returning.”

Humble gratitude swept over him as he acknowledged the danger his friend had risked in following Allegra to Nassar’s camp. Swallowing hard, he met the man’s gaze with a look of thanks. Jamal’s nod in his direction was almost imperceptible, but he could see the understanding in his friend’s eyes.

“Then what you need is a distraction, my friend.” Jabbar’s tone was lighthearted.

“A distraction?” He narrowed his gaze at Jabbar. There was an air of amused arrogance on the man’s features, but his gray eyes were devoid of emotion.

“If there’s one thing my men and I are experienced in, it’s nighttime ghazus. Perhaps this is the opportunity you’ve been waiting for Sheikh Mahmoud. After all, there’s nothing quite like the element of surprise.”

“Didn’t you say that your main forces won’t be here until sometime tomorrow?” Khalid’s voice indicated he was far from convinced that the brigand’s suggestion was a good one.