Chapter 15
Amit didn’t respond as he watched her dial. She looked…vulnerable. The woman who had always defied him, challenged him, and glared at him was…nervous. He hated to see that vulnerable look in her eyes. He much preferred seeing the glint of determination. His gut twisted at the idea of this strong, intelligent woman being anything less than completely confident.
His cousin had done this to her. Amit couldn’t prove Jadwat was behind Marianna’s kidnapping, but he did have plenty of proof that the idiot was planning a coup. What the bastard didn’t know was that Amit had a plan in place to stop him. Jadwat had been a thorn in his side for a long time. The idiot had tried to seize power when Amit’s father passed, but he hadn’t managed to garner enough support.
What the idiot didn’t realize was that Amit had kept tabs on his cousin over the years. There were several layers of spies within Jadwat’s organization. Amit knew exactly what was about to happen. Hell, he even knew the idiot’s timeline.
Unfortunately, he hadn’t known the plan included capturing Marianna. Nor did Amit understand why. Surely Jadwat couldn’t know how important Marianna was to him.
However, Amit had to delay Jadwat's interference, and his motives were twofold. Firstly, he desired time to forge a true connection with Marianna, and for her to gain a genuine understanding of him. Amit yearned for Marianna's trust, hoping she would come to see him for who he truly was — both as a man and as a ruler. And then, perhaps, in time, as a lover and a husband. Secondly, the longer he could keep Marianna safely secluded, the more opportunity he had to thwart Jadwat's nefarious schemes. Amit harbored a simmering determination to thwart Jadwat's plans and deliver a fitting retribution for the audacity of attempting to destabilize the Uftar government.
It was all about timing, he thought, listening to Marianna’s half of the conversation.
“Are you sure?” she asked, lowering her voice and turning away from Amit. “But…why?”
There was a long silence and Amit knew that Khal was explaining what was going on. He even knew the exact moment that Khal asked her to stay hidden so Amit could stop the attempted takeover. As long as Jadwat didn’t know where Marianna was, that would slow down his plan.
When she turned back, her mouth forming an “O” of surprise, he knew that she finally grasped the depths of the problem. Silently, she nodded. Her brother must have said something to her because she nodded again, then closed her eyes as she spoke aloud.
“I understand. And yes, I’ll help any way I can.”
Khal said something else because she smiled gently and nodded one more time, then whispered, “I love you too.”
She ended the call, letting the phone drop to her lap as she closed her eyes and sighed deeply. Amit could tell she was getting her emotions back under control, so he gave her a moment of privacy. When she finally opened her eyes, she had herself back under control.
Marianna smiled at him, but there was no warmth to her expression. “So, you have an evil cousin that has hated you for the past twenty years and is trying to get to you through me.”
Amit wanted to correct her. He wasn’t sure if Jadwat had kidnapped her because of his feelings for her or because… her latest blog post had come so close to what was truly happening in Uftar. She was inches, literally one tiny connection away from exposing his cousin’s plan for what it was. However, until Jadwat was captured, there was no way to know exactly why Marianna had been targeted.
“So, you’re okay with staying hidden until this situation is resolved?”
Marianna hesitated, then crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t understand why it’s so important for me to stay hidden. Why is it important for him to think I’m still under his control?”
He scooted closer to her, relieved when she didn’t move away. “I don’t fully understand my cousin’s plan either,” he admitted. “Until I have solid evidence, I need him to believe you are still under his control.”
“But you’re certain your cousin is behind everything?”
“Yes,” Amit confirmed. “If I can stop him this time, I believe that it will be the end. I believe that I’ve anticipated his next actions and, if I’m right, then I’ll have him cornered. At a minimum, he’ll be bankrupted and discredited by the people who have been financially backing him. It will take him years to rebuild enough credibility to make another attempt.”
Her eyes turned anxious. “And if you’re wrong? If you’re wrong about what his next step will be?”
“Then I could lose control of my country,” he told her honestly.
She stared up at him, her lips twisting thoughtfully. “That would be bad,” she admitted.
He half smiled. “I agree.”
“I only know Jadwat in an abstract sense. I’ve heard others speak about him. He wouldn’t be a benevolent ruler.”
He grinned at her words. “ I don’t think anyone would describe me as a benevolent ruler either.”
She rolled her eyes and huffed impatiently. “Don’t even try to pretend that you don’t enjoy control.”
He chuckled knowingly and Marianna suspected that he wasn’t thinking about his ability to rule a country.
“Control is a very…interesting conversation that I don’t think you are quite ready for yet, my dear.” He brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes. “Are you hungry? You haven’t eaten in over twenty-four hours. How about some food?”
Marianna swallowed hard, her thoughts following his down a very sexual pathway. “Yes,” she replied hurriedly. “I’m very hungry.” At the intense look in his eyes, she hurriedly added, “For food!”
He chuckled and Marianna couldn’t help but shiver. Anticipation was thrumming through her body.
Since this was the first time that they’d actually been alone together, other than formal greetings when he visited the Lativa palace, Marianna suddenly felt very…shy. And shy wasn’t something she was used to. Correction, being shy wasn’t something she allowed others to see. She was actually very shy, but being a member of the royal family, she’d learned to step out of her shell and pretend to be comfortable in social situations, even when she desperately wanted to hide and read a book.
“What is your favorite food? I have an excellent chef on staff. She can whip up anything that you might like.”
Marianna smiled, relieved by the change of subject. “How about something easy, like soup or a sandwich?”
He nodded. “I’ll have that brought here. Would you like a shower while you wait?”
Marianna was suddenly very aware of the dirt and sweat covering her skin. She’d never felt so grimy before in her life.
“A shower would be lovely,” she replied. “Is there a place I can…?”
“You’ll have to stay here,” he pointed out. “The goal is for no one to realize that I stole you away from your kidnappers.”
Marianna didn’t like the sound of that. “Are you saying that you’re my new kidnapper?” she demanded, anxiety rushing back.
"Of course not," he assured her quickly, sliding his hands into the pockets of his slacks. "I am formally requesting that you remain hidden here." He gestured towards the doors on the right side of the suite. "There are several bedrooms available for your use. I won’t even ask that you share my bed." Lowering his voice, he added, "Unless you would like to, of course."
Marianna opened her mouth to reply, but the words didn’t come. She stared at him, then at the smile tugging at one side of his mouth.
Thankfully, he didn’t comment on her lack of a reply. “I’ll leave you to shower,” he said, nodding towards one of the doors. “You can use that bedroom. The bathroom is straight through to your left. If there’s anything you need, just ask.”
"Thank you," she forced out, though she couldn't shake off the awkwardness as she turned to make her way towards the indicated spare bedroom. Why would a man of his stature have spare bedrooms within his private suite? If he had guests, wouldn't he offer them their own suite elsewhere in the palace? Marianna recalled when Tasha and Khal had been expecting Zayn six years ago. The palace construction staff had combined Khal’s original suite with the adjacent apartment, providing more space and additional bedrooms. So, why did Amit have extra bedrooms?
When she stepped through the door, it was to discover an intimately beautiful bedroom made up in soft lavender and creamy white. The room was decked out with flowers and soft, fluffy rugs, a canopy bed wreathed in delicate lace. Marianna gasped, wondering if he’d anticipated her coming here since lavender was one of her favorite colors.
The thought was ridiculous. How could he know her favorite color? Snorting with derision, she walked through to the bathroom and…gasped in horror at her appearance. Yesterday, she’d donned a pair of brown riding pants and a white top for riding.
The top was no longer white. It was covered with black smears, like motor oil, and covered in dirt. She’d worn small, gold hoop earrings, however only one earring remained. But it was her hair that really caught her attention. It was an absolute mess! Yesterday, she’d pulled it back into a smooth braid to keep it out of her eyes while riding. The braid was completely unraveled, replaced by clumps of sweat-matted hair going every which way, festooned with dried weeds. She looked like she’d been in a fistfight with a tornado, and lost!
Or like she’d been kidnapped, Marianna mentally corrected.
Horrified, Marianna pulled the band from her hair, relieved when the tresses tumbled down over her shoulders. The pressure she hadn’t even noticed eased on her scalp, and she sighed in relief as she ran her fingers through her filthy hair.
Stepping under the warm water, she closed her eyes, relishing the sensation of the stress melting away from her tense muscles. Goodness, this felt wonderful! After scrubbing off the sweat, grime, and fear from the last twenty-four hours, Marianna stepped out of the shower and grabbed a fluffy towel. She wrapped it around her body and stepped out of the bathroom, then froze. Marianna stood very still for a moment as she looked at the clothes laid out on the bed. There was a pair of comfy looking leggings and a soft, drapey shirt. There were also underthings that…she had never worn lingerie like this! They were lacy, sexy, and…decadent.
Without thinking too much about who had selected these items, Marianna dressed, feeling significantly better now that she was clean and dressed. Finally, she stepped out of the bedroom, eager to find something to eat.
Her hair was still wet and she didn’t have any makeup, which, for some reason, made her feel more vulnerable.
However, delving into why she cared about Amit's impression of her, the person behind the makeup and perfectly styled hair, wasn't a path she wanted to explore just now.
“The food arrived,” Amit announced. “Are you still hungry?”