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She cocked her head to one side. “What were you going to say? Is there something I should know?”
He clasped his hands before him on the desk. “Ms Albright, The Al-Barraq tribe are traditional enemies of the ruling dynasty. They are, not to put too fine a point on it, the king’s enemies.”
She stared at him, wide-eyed, as she let the words sink in.
“Enemies,” she repeated faintly. “Right.”
“I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news. I thought you were aware of the situation.’
She shook her head. “No. I didn’t realize there even was a situation.” She rose to her feet. “But now I can see that I’m most definitely in the middle of one, and I’m not sure what to do.”
“If I may venture an opinion?”
She nodded. “Gladly.”
“Proceed with caution.”
“Do you think I’m in danger?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“Why not, if my family are enemies to the king?”
“Because I suspect the king already knows your true identity. You see, it’s not only your name—a straight transliteration from the Arabic—which is a clue to your identity, but also your looks. Your fine features and coloring are typical of those of your tribe. I should have spotted it, but didn’t realize you were from Sirun. The two things combined would have made it extremely unlikely that the king and his advisers were unaware of your true identity.”
She swallowed nervously. She felt sick to her stomach. She nodded. “I’d better go. I’m expected back at the palace.”
The consul stood, shook her hand, and then opened the door for her. “If there’s anything I can do for you, Ms Albright, anything at all, here’s my number. Call me night or day if you feel you’re in any kind of danger. And I’ll do my best to help.”
“Thank you, I appreciate it.” And she did. She felt that this man was the only person in the entire country she could trust at that moment.
But the only thought that repeated through her brain as she left the consulate and went to the waiting car was that, if Kadar and his advisers knew of her identity, then why hadn’t they told her? It was another piece to the puzzle, which was forming a whole she didn’t like the look of.
“Sarah!”
Kadar’s voice reached her across the courtyard. She didn’t turn around, but kept on walking. Because she had no smiles for him now. He’d tricked her. He and his vizier, and his officers, and everyone she’d spoken to over the past few weeks, had tricked her. All she wanted to do was use her newly minted passport and get the hell out of there. Go find the family he’d been keeping from her.
But she hadn’t even reached the door when he called again, and his voice was a lot nearer now. He must have run across the public courtyard. He must suspect she knew. And she hadn’t even got through the door when his hand reached out and stopped her from closing it.
“Sarah,” he said, quietly now that he’d reached her. “Tell me. What’s happened?”
Still she didn’t turn around. He closed the door behind them both and they were alone in the shadowy corridor. He placed his hands on her shoulders. She still had her back to him. Her throat was blocked, and she blinked back tears. She still felt the same feelings when he touched her. Just as she had only hours earlierwhen they’d been in bed together. But now she refused to submit to her traitorous body.
“I can’t do this,” she said, the words torn from her as she forced herself to turn around to face him.
“Can’t do what?” he asked, his brow creased with concern.
She swept her fingers under her eyes to rub away the traces of tears. “I can’t pretend nothing has happened. I cannot pretend things are the same between us.”
His face went grim. “Why not? What’s changed?”
“Everything!” She shook her head. “How could you, Kadar? You knew I was looking for my family. You knew I had no one and was desperate to find them. And yet you withheld that information from me.”
He didn’t speak immediately. But his lips pursed, and a muscle flickered in his jaw, the only sign of his inner tension.
“I want to know why, Kadar,” continued Sarah. “I want to know why you didn’t tell me.”
Another tear escaped Sarah’s control and ran down her cheek. Kadar’s face softened when he saw it. And she knew then that whatever she was about to hear, at least it would be the truth.
