C.J. Miller - Under the Sheik's Protection

A sob caught in her throat. She didn’t want to look, but she couldn’t turn away, either. Who had done this? Another thought tripped her shock into fear. The person who had done this could still be inside.

Why would someone do this? She had nothing worth stealing, except maybe her computer, a five-year-old laptop she used for work. Her jobs! She would be lost without her lists and spreadsheets. Had they been destroyed, as well?

Torn between wanting to run inside and to run away, she hesitated for a moment. But then logic prevailed and she rushed out of her apartment and down to the street level. Fumbling for her phone, she took four tries to dial 9-1-1.

Chapter 2

Sarah held her cell phone and listened to the caterer apologize for the tenth time. She didn’t need to apologize. She needed to get to the meeting so Sarah would have the breakfast spread ready when the trade committee arrived.

Months of preparing and rechecking and confirming—and yet the meeting room was in a state of chaos. She blamed whoever had ransacked her apartment. She had located some of her printed documents on the event, but some were missing in the mess. Her laptop had been smashed. It was with a computer repair and data recovery company, but they’d told her it was unlikely they’d recover anything since the hard drive had been removed and mangled.

Alec’s whereabouts had been confirmed as still in the rehab facility, and Sarah felt guilty for suspecting that he could have vandalized her place. Holding him accountable for her problems wasn’t fair. She had to take responsibility for the successes and failures in her life. The way the day was shaping up, the first meeting would be a big check in the fail column. She couldn’t let Owen down. He’d stuck his neck out getting her this job.

Without the benefit of her notes, Sarah was relying on memory for the event details. She’d decided to temporarily stay with Molly who had helped her reconstruct what she could remember. Sarah was missing huge chunks of information that would be needed at the worst possible time. This was the biggest event she had ever planned: a week-long series of meetings, hotel accommodations, meals and entertainment.

Her resume-boosting event was quickly turning into a reputation smasher.

Sarah needed to stay unemotional and think on her feet. Handling a late caterer went with the territory. Could she find a local donut shop and buy some hold-over food? Getting off on the right foot with the trade agreement committee—in other words, having something to serve more than coffee and tea—was crucial.

“My GPS says I’ll be there in ten minutes,” the caterer said.

In D.C. morning traffic, that meant thirty. Sarah reminded herself that losing it on the caterer wouldn’t make the food arrive faster. “Come directly to the back entrance. I’ll meet you there.”

Sarah disconnected her call. After sending someone to buy muffins and donuts at a nearby shop, Sarah turned her attention to the meeting room.

Owen, the chairman of the committee, had arrived and was sitting at the end of the conference table, his leather binder open in front of him. Happy to see a familiar face, Sarah hurried to greet him.

“Good morning, Owen,” she said, slipping her arm around his shoulder and kissing his cheek.

“How’s everything going?” he asked, looking around the room with a scrutinizing gaze.

She wouldn’t let anyone see her sweat. She hadn’t told him about the break-in at her apartment, and she wouldn’t burden him with it now. Her personal problems did not enter this space. “The caterer is running a little late, but I have coffee and tea ready. I sent someone to pick up donuts to tide us over. Do you know if there were any problems at the hotel? I called the front desk last night to confirm everything was set for the emir, but he hadn’t arrived yet. Is he planning to check in before this meeting or later?”

Owen touched her shoulder. “Relax. If there was a problem, we would have heard about it. I am sure the accommodations will be fine.”

Sarah’s tone must have given away her anxiety. She relaxed her shoulders. Coming off tense and edgy wouldn’t accomplish the job she’d been given.

“I heard from the rehab center early this morning,” Owen said, lowering his voice.

Her anxiety shot up again. “Did something happen?” she asked, regretting immediately that she had. She’d wanted to close the door on that part of her life. If Alec had left rehab, if he had run away or had gotten into an altercation with the staff or one of the patients she couldn’t afford another place. As it was, she was counting on the payment for this job to cover most of the expense.

“He’s refusing to take part in the group therapy. If he doesn’t cooperate he’ll be kicked out of the program,” Owen said.

This time, rehab had been court-mandated thanks to an assault charge from a barroom brawl. If Alec left rehab, he was headed to jail. The idea of it made her feel sick. Alec couldn’t see how serious the consequences for his actions had become. Either that, or he didn’t care. Their marriage, his job and his relationships with his siblings had been damaged or broken. It seemed nothing mattered to him except his next fix.

“I’m sorry, Owen. I can’t get involved.” She forced away the guilt that crept over her. It had taken her a long time to understand she couldn’t help Alec. In fact, sometimes, she wondered if she had enabled him to indulge in bad habits more by covering for him. She had believed Alec’s lies and after a while, everything he said was a lie. He was quick to claim he was trying, that he just needed another chance and that he was doing better, and she, wanting to believe it would get better, had been quick to accept what he’d said. Every time it had been a lie, and every time her heart had broken a little more.

She, Owen, Alec’s twin sister Evelyn and Alec’s therapists had agreed Alec had to face the consequences of his decisions without any of them swooping in to fix it. Especially her. She had been the weak link, being the safe place for him to land.

“I’m not asking you to.” Owen covered his face with his hand. “I’m sorry, Sarah. I didn’t mean to bring this up. We agreed to let Alec handle this. I just don’t have anyone else to talk to who understands him the way you do.”

Owen’s marriage was on the rocks. His wife, Chelsea, was the daughter of a prominent state senator, and some assumed his position was a result of nepotism. Sarah knew Owen had earned it. “I know,” she whispered. How many times had she called Owen and Evelyn over the years when they were trying to help Alec? When he hadn’t come home at night and she was terrified for him. When he was in a stupor for days and she couldn’t get through to him.

Several more people entered the room and Sarah introduced herself as the hostess and escorted them to the hot drinks.

“Do you have black coffee?” Virginia Anderson, the representative from the American oil company, asked. She had barely looked up from her phone as she typed with her thumbs.

Sarah was struck by how svelte and refined she appeared. From her perfectly done hair and makeup, to the thousand-dollar designer handbag on her arm to the expensive shoes, she was the image of success and power. Sarah wished she had spent a little more time on her appearance that morning. Her clothes had been destroyed and she’d borrowed something from Molly. Used to blending into the background at events, Sarah had known she would have more visibility during these small, frequent meetings. Wishing she had a closet of designer outfits to hold a candle to the attendees, she brushed aside her self-conscious reaction and turned her attention to her arriving guests.

The door opened and a familiar man stepped through it. It was Adham, one of Barr’s companions. Had Barr tracked her here? She cleared her throat where emotion was building and strode to the door. This wasn’t the time or place for a reunion with her one-night stand. How had he found her?