Or the jail cell.
Or the police.
She glanced behind her.
Thankfully, she didnt see floodlights or dogs or an army of uniforms hot on their heels.
A shot of adrenaline went through her again, and she buried her face in the crook of Harrisons neck. What if he couldnt get them out of this? What happened then?
She tightened her hold on him, inhaling his scent, convincing herself he was some kind of superman who could face down any danger, solve any problem. And then the pulse started again, and the friction, and the longing.
He came to a halt and slid her down off his back.
She all but groaned at the sensation.
Stay nice and quiet, he whispered.
She nodded, not trusting herself to open her mouth. Every nerve ending was on fire for him.
He took her hand. There are four cars in the garage. The one at the far end is the Jeep. I wont be turning on the lights. But the doors going to make quite a lot of noise when we open it. Not to mention the motor of the Jeep.
Not to mention Julia if she didnt get her body calmed down.
I hope they followed Alex and Brittany. And the music should cover our sound. But if they start to chase us, hang on tight. And for Gods sake, do up your seat belt.
Julia nodded again.
He looked at her closely. Are you all right?
Fine, she managed, her pulse finally slowing, her body coming back under control.
Good to hear. He slowly opened the door.
They passed through, and he pointed her in the direction of the Jeep. Feel your way along the wall. Im going to fill a water bottle and pull a few other things together.
She tripped a couple of times over unseen objects in the dark, but managed to feel her way past one, two, then three cars. She found the Jeep, and made her way into the passenger side, fastening her seat belt tight.
She heard Harrison at the drivers side. He shoved some gear into the backseat.
Are you ready? he asked.
She nodded, then realized he couldnt see her. Yes.
She heard a click, then a groan and a whine, and the overhead door in front of them cranked upward.
The lights from the palace appeared, then the palm trees, then the stars. So far, nobody seemed to have raised an alarm.
Harrison started the engine and eased their way out. His profile came clear as he hit the garage-door remote, and the door whined shut again behind them.
Still driving slowly, he turned them away from the palace.
So far, so good.
They crossed the lawn, then followed a rutted track down a sloping hill, and the buildings disappeared behind them.
She watched over her shoulder, then looked at Harrison. Did we do it?
Maybe. Im not sure yet.
Then a pair of headlights appeared on the hill, rocking airborne at the crest, then slamming down onto the rutted tracks.
Hang on, Harrison called, yanking the gearshift and revving the engine.
Chapter Eight
Harrison pointed the Jeep toward the northeast corner of his property. He knew how to find a short, dirt road that would take them to a small wadi. Theyd cross it, and then theyd be onto the dunes.
Chapter Eight
Harrison pointed the Jeep toward the northeast corner of his property. He knew how to find a short, dirt road that would take them to a small wadi. Theyd cross it, and then theyd be onto the dunes.
He glanced at the bouncing lights in the rearview mirror. Whoever was behind him was in a sedan. So they wouldnt be following onto the desert. Well, hopefully, theyd follow about twenty meters or so, then sink to the axles.
Putting the Jeep into third, he spared a quick glance at Julia. She was white as a ghost, her eyes wide in the dim light, and her hands squeezed the armrests in a death grip.
Will they shoot at us? she rasped.
I certainly hope not.
Oops. Bad answer. She looked even more terrified, if that was possible, shrinking down in her seat.
Nobody is going to shoot at us, he assured her, even though he wasnt sure it was true. He couldnt worry about bullets at the moment. He turned his attention back to the terrain.
You should turn me in, Julia shouted to him above the noise of the bouncing vehicle.
I dont think so, he responded as they picked up the dirt road.
Youre going to be in trouble.
Not if we get away.
Wont they radio ahead? Shed seen enough car-chase movies to know about roadblocks, spike strips and air surveillance.
They wont be putting up a roadblock on the sand dunes, he said.
The ground fell away, and he made a sharp right turn on the goat track that would take him to the bottom of Wadi Wasmi.
Julia gasped as the Jeep fishtailed, the tires spitting out sand and rocks, before getting traction on the bumpy trail.
Harrison gave the sedan a fifty-fifty chance of making the turn. He grabbed second gear, bouncing wildly in his seat. Julia was staring straight ahead at the headlight beams flashing on rocks, sand and the occasional boulder or outcrop.
He wrestled the steering wheel, keeping them on course, until they finally made it to the relatively smooth surface at the bottom. Then, he dared to glance in the rearview mirror, pressing on the accelerator, and bringing the Jeep up a gear.
The sedan had made the turn, but it was forced to slow down on the trail. Good. He was bringing them out on the dunes behind Hebba Hill. He hoped theyd have radio trouble after they got stuck.
Julia turned to watch him.
Youre crazy, she said.
He couldnt help but grin. Are you wishing youd taken your chances with the police? He watched carefully for the signs of the track that would take them up the other side of the wadi.
She glanced at the headlights behind. Not exactly. But this isnt looking so good.
I have a plan, said Harrison, as he spotted the trail.
He jerked left on the wheel, bouncing them up a trail equally rough and steep. Julia shut up and hung on, while he glanced at the tachometer to optimize each gear.
They were down into first before they crested the hill. It was a short fifty meters before the rocks and packed dirt gave way to full-on sand. Harrison used the time to get his speed up, hitting the dunes, fishtailing for a moment before he settled in, then streaking off across the unbroken desert.
Watch out behind us, he told Julia. Tell me what happens.
She swiveled in her seat, stretching her arm across the back.
Nothing, she said. Then, Wait. I see headlights. Theyre out of the valley. Speeding up. Coming. She paused.
Did they make it to the sand?
I think they might be stuck.
Harrison smacked the steering wheel with his palm. Yes!
She turned to him. That was your plan?
That was my plan.
What about planes?
He shook his head. Planes are unlikely. Even if they wanted to send one up, it would take quite a while to get it here, and this is a very big desert. They have no idea which way well go.
All in all, he was feeling pretty satisfied.
Then her small hand covered his on the gearshift.
He warned himself not to react to her touch, nor to react to the contrast of her pale, delicate hand against his rough, larger one.
I cant let you do this, she said in a voice that was both brave and terrified at the same time.
Its done.
No, its not done. They know who you are. They know where you live. Youre a fugitive from justice.
Im taking a pretty girl out for a ride in the desert. I dont believe theres a law against that.
Nobodys going to believe you didnt notice the police car in high-speed pursuit.
Whos to say that was a police car?
She compressed her lips, eyes narrowing in annoyance.
Seriously, Julia. We do not know that was a police car.
It was. And eventually youll have to go home. And I cant let you put yourself in trouble for me.
As I told you before, I have options.
She drew in a shuddering breath. Turn around, Harrison. Lets go back.
He chuckled. Right. Because Im not already in trouble.
You can tell them-
Julia.
You can explain that-
Shut up. He reached into the pocket of his jacket, extracting the red booklet he kept on him at all times.
He tossed it into her lap. Get out of jail free card, he told her.
Her hand left his, and she picked the booklet up. What?
Diplomatic passport.
Who are you?
He took a breath.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, she said, with a dismissive wave of her hand. The Right Honorable Lord Harrison William Arthur Beaumont-Rochester, Baron Welsmeire.
I get a kick out of the fact you can remember all that.
Why do you have a diplomatic passport?
Im a special ambassador to the UAE.
And they cant put you in jail.
They cant put me in jail. They can send me home. But thats a pretty big gun. They would run the risk of causing an international incident by sending me back to Britain. This time, he reached out and covered her hand. I cant see them doing that over charges of attempted horse theft. Particularly when I was the victim.
But then Harrison frowned to himself. Truth was, he couldnt see them chasing Julia and him through the desert over those charges, either. Something strange was happening here, and it was something that had little to do with the enforcement of law in UAE.
Somebody was after Julia. And, Alex was right, Millions to Spare and Leopolds Legacy had to be involved. Either Julia knew something, or somebody thought she knew something. Either way, Harrison had to keep her out of their hands until he could figure out what was going on.
Brittany was grateful when Alex finally decided the horses were getting tired. Shed been exhausted for an hour, and her inner thighs were burning from the friction of the leather saddle. She gritted her teeth, dismounting slowly and painfully.
The horse grew impatient, and shifted, and she grabbed for the saddle horn.
Whoa. Alex was beside her in an instant, bracing her from behind.
She gasped as one of his hands contacted her chafed skin. But his support allowed her to get safely to the ground.
You okay? he asked, stepping back to stare worriedly down at her.
Fine, she told him, brushing off the skirt and settling the soft shoes back on her feet. She was sweaty and sticky, and her thighs were going to take days to heal. Not to mention the fact that she smelled like a horse.
This was not what shed pictured when shed agreed to visit Harrison. She sucked in a thick breath of the sultry midnight air. It wasnt what shed pictured at all.