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She was being set up here—she knew it. She glanced at Adilan and saw the pulse beating in his jaw. Hell, he looked just about as angry about this as she was. That knot in her stomach tightened. She swallowed and tried to stay civil.
Nimr offered up another small, half smile. “It is fortuitous that you’ve chosen to visit Al-Sarid. I assume you will want to take care of the back taxes immediately. Before Malid does so. I can give you directions to the office you must visit. You will want to go today, for a holiday begins tomorrow and the offices will be closed for a week.”
Michelle folded her arms. “What convenient timing.”
She started for the door, but Nimr called out, “Do give my best to your mother, Ms. Reynolds.”
Tears blurred her vision and stung her nose. Michelle kept walking. Someone—Hassan, she supposed—opened the front door for her. She stepped out onto the front porch and stopped, pulling in a huge lungful of air.
Those bastards—they’d planned this. She didn’t want to break her promise to her mother, but how was she supposed to come up with eighty thousand in less than a few hours. Even if she could get a transfer, this was going to put a serious dent in the budget—but she didn’t have an architect now, either.
She kicked at a small stone and bit back the urge to let out a scream. Behind her the door opened and she heard the snick of the lock. She turned to see Adilan standing in front of the door, looking maddeningly calm. Chin lifting, she narrowed her eyes. “I suppose you think you’ve won.”
He took her elbow. “Come. We should have this conversation in your car I think.”
She wanted to pull away from him, but he had too tight a grip. Leading the way, he headed to her town car. He opened the door and waited for her. She stared at him, tempted to just tell him to go to hell. But she kept remembering how he had seemed at odds with her father. She gave a short nod. “This had better be good,” she said, and climbed into the car.
Chapter 6
Adilan came around the car and got in on the opposite side. He gave the driver the name of a hotel in the city owned by the Adjalane family. He wanted Michelle Reynolds where he might be able to keep an eye on her.
Shifting so he could look at her, he studied her. Color flamed on her cheeks and her eyes sparked like the finest sapphires in a strong light. He decided it would be best to be blunt and quick, before she decided to throw him from her car. Or perhaps take his head. “I haven’t won. Malid and I want two different things.”
She leaned forward to pull out a bottle of water from the car’s bar. She didn’t offer him one. “You both want my mother’s property.”
“For entirely different reasons.”
Michelle kept staring at him, her eyes narrowed and her breathing short and quick. “What does it matter? I can’t get eighty thousand dollars in just a few hours.”
He leaned forward, dropping his elbows to his thighs and let out a long breath. “And I cannot believe I’m going to say this, but such funds are easy for me to secure.”
She blinked several times. “What? Are you—are you offering me money? Is this a sales pitch again?”
Leaning back, he gave her a small, twisted smile. “I am offering to keep my brother Malid from stealing your land.”
Staring at him, a small frown pulled her eyebrows tight. He wanted to reach out and smooth that thin line but he didn’t think she would appreciate the gesture. But he could guess her thoughts. “This isn’t a trap. I am being honest with you, even though it pains me to do so. Do you know the full story behind the property?”
She took a sip of her water and lifted her shoulders in a shrug. “I know what my mother told me.”
“Yes, and I know what my father told myself and Malid. I believe the truth is probably somewhere else. But for now, let us call it love gone awry.”
She gave a snort.
He paused for a moment and then smiled. “You think that is not so?”
“I think when it comes to my mother, love usually isn’t part of the equation, but go ahead and keep talking.”
Shifting, he looked out the window at the desert and sky. “My father for years has ranted about the spot of paradise that he lost—the family jewel, he calls it. It has a special significance for him and he regrets having ever let it leave the family’s ownership.”
“So why did he give it to my mother?” she asked, her voice flat.
He glanced at her. “At the time, I believe he thought th
eir love would last forever—that the land, and your mother, would never leave him. As you are aware, that was not the case.”
Michelle nodded. “Boy was it ever. Which is why you offered to buy it back?”
“There is more to it than that. My father is uncertain if Malid or I should take over the company when he retires. Malid is the elder—he will head the family no matter what when my father dies. But the company is a different matter. When I learned you were coming to Al-Sarid, I thought I should approach you about purchasing the property. I am interested in a fair deal.”
