Forever Betrayed: Forever Bluegrass #3 (11 page)

“Henry Rooney, the local defense attorney, found them in the parking lot behind his law office.” Jackson’s silver eyes sparkled with amusement.

Abby groaned. “We’re never going to hear the end of it now. And really,
panty dropper
?”

“Henry coined it. Said just the thought of being close to him caused women to drop their panties,” Jackson said seriously before taking a bite of food.

Mila snorted. “Are you serious? Let’s not even mention how sexist that sounds.”

“You haven’t met Henry yet,” Abby said with a fond smile. Mila noticed she said
yet
as if she weren’t going to be gone on Thursday.

“Henry is the master of pickup lines. Bad ones. His wife, Neely Grace, just rolled her eyes when he asked her if she remembered her panties that morning. Addison is their daughter. She just finished her first year of law school and is filled with righteousness. She’s vowed to get her dad to stop his inappropriate comments. I put twenty on her failing at the café.” Jackson took another bite of his food as if this were a normal conversation.

“What?” Mila asked. Why would he pay the café twenty dollars?

“The betting pool at the café.”

Mila gasped. “I knew it!” She turned in her chair and glared at Anton who waved back at her. “What would Anton put twenty bucks on?”

Jackson looked to Abby who just shrugged.

“For or against?” Abby asked.

“For.”

“He bet that you and Zain would become a couple.”

“He did what?!” Mila shouted. Anton gave her a wink.

“Is that what all those odds are in the paper? The numbers in
The
Keeneston Journal
weren’t Vegas odds—they were Keeneston odds. The café is running an illegal betting ring on people’s lives?” Mila asked.

“Legal . . . illegal,” Jackson said as he shook his hand to show it was a gray area.

“How did you two bet on me?” Mila asked after taking a calming breath.

“For,” they both said at the same time.

“What other bets are going on?” Now she was curious. She also wasn’t going to admit the excitement she felt that Zain’s friends thought they would date.

“The date Sienna and Sydney are going to get pregnant,” Abby told her.

“If Addison can reform her father,” Jackson snorted.

“Who the next person to get married is going to be,” Abby added.

“If Nikki will cause an international incident during the summit.” Jackson smirked.

“Nikki?” Mila asked.

“Have you heard of the Keeneston Belles?” Abby asked. When Mila nodded, she continued. “Nikki is their president, and how can I put this nicely?” Abby looked up to the ceiling and bit her lip.

“She’ll nail anything with two legs and money.” Jackson paused and thought for a moment. “Well, maybe I narrowed it down too much. I don’t know if two legs is a requirement.”

“She's always had her sights on Zain. She wants to be a princess,” Abby said with disgust.

Mila was stopped from saying anything that would come out sounding jealous when the door opened and Veronica came in to announce there were five minutes until dinner. Veronica sent Abby a wink before heading out, and Jackson snorted.

“What?” Abby asked.

“Nothing.” Jackson’s eyes were sparkling again. It was definitely not
nothing
. But then his eye went flat as he looked at his watch. “We gotta go. We’ll see you in there, Mila.”

“Thanks for the company,” Mila smiled up at them as they stood. She had to go, too.

Mila hurried up to the chancellor’s room and waited quietly in the hall. Soon enough, the door opened and it was time to get to work. And by work, she meant sitting in a chair trying not to look at Zain who was dashing in the same suit he’d worn all day. Some of the leaders had tried to dress up with military sashes and medals, but not Zain. She watched as he effortlessly commanded the table of men and women twice his age.

The chancellor could understand English better than he could speak it, but it seemed Zain had singled him out tonight and had the man placed next to him at the table. Mila was constantly interpreting from behind the chancellor as they discussed everything from beer to football, or soccer, as Zain kept calling it.

The chancellor had signaled her to approach during one of these discussions about twenty minutes earlier. Zain had turned his attention away from the German to discuss something with the French president when she bent down between Zain and the chancellor.

“Move your chair here so we can talk more freely,” the chancellor said as he indicated the space slightly behind but between Zain and himself.

Mila signaled a waiter who brought her chair forward immediately. She sat quietly while the chancellor spoke with the French president and Zain. Meanwhile, she studied the table. Tahjad and Surman were seated at opposite ends, but so far the two countries, previously known to be unfriendly with each other, hadn’t caused a scene. The King of Tahjad was talking to the sheik from Saudi Arabia. The queen of Surman was similarly engrossed in a discussion with the representative from the Philippines.

Zain turned to the chancellor, and when he did, his knee brushed hers. Mila froze at the contact. She wanted to melt into it. She could feel the heat from his leg. Instead of crawling into his lap like she wanted, she began speaking in German to the chancellor. It grew harder to focus on the conversation as Zain began to subtly press his leg against the front of hers.

She knew what this was. Torture. She had insisted that whatever there was between them remain private. Since they’d been so busy the entire day, they hadn’t had a single moment alone. They talked around each other, even to each other, but it wasn’t her own words she was using. The whole situation was just heightening their attraction for each other. It was like being in a candy store. You could see and smell the chocolate, but you couldn’t taste it quite yet.

“Well, ladies and gentlemen,” Zain said as he finally moved away from her and stood up. Now he was playing dirty. She was eye level with his perfect ass. Somehow he’d pay for this.

“Thank you for such a productive first day of the summit. I appreciate your openness and look forward to our discussions on working together tomorrow to handle disease outbreaks. Please enjoy the warm weather and feel free to stroll about the farm. Tomorrow morning, before our individual meetings, there will be a tour of the farm for those interested. Just meet out front. Have a good night,” Zain said with warmth and sincerity that left even the queen of Surman relaxed.

“I’m going to take the tour of the farm tomorrow. Would you mind accompanying me?” the chancellor asked as he stood up.

Mila cast a quick glance and saw that Zain was moving toward the king of Tahjad. “Of course. I’ll meet you out front bright and early. I’ve seen the farm. You’re going to love it.”

“Thank you for your services today. You must be exhausted. I’ll see you tomorrow. Goodnight, Ms. Thiessen.”

CHAPTER TWELVE

Zain saw Mila leave, but she was one of the last interpreters to go. He might have time to catch her before she got a ride back to the bed and breakfast. But first he needed to have a word with the king of Tahjad.

“King Omar, I apologize for having to cancel our meeting this morning. If you couldn’t tell, I’m very excited about what this nanotechnology lab can mean for our region. If you have a minute, I’d love to hear your impression of it so far.”

Zain gave his best smile to the king, if you could really call him that. He’d been a warlord who killed off all his competition to take control of the country and declared himself king. Now he enjoyed dressing up in military suits lined with made-up medals and a red sash that wrapped around his muscled waist. His black hair was slicked back into a short ponytail. His skin had leathered in the sun, but the king was really only forty years old and cocky enough to take pleasure in having others bow down to him.

“It’s an interesting theory, but how would I benefit?” The king turned and started walking away, making it clear that Zain should follow. It grated on Zain's nerves, but he followed anyway.

“For one, you would get to send your brightest scientists to the lab. The money they would earn, if they discovered something, would help your economy. And like I said before, your people would worship you for finding a way to save their lives from the pandemics we've all been experiencing.”

The king kept walking. “Bah, more mouths to feed. We don’t have enough food as it is.”

“You don’t have to limit your research to the medical arena. There have been advancements in nanomaterial for agriculture as well. More food, ways to keep the soil fresh . . . imagine Tahjad at the forefront of that,” Zain said with passion.

King Omar stopped at the bottom of the wide staircase leading to the guest rooms. “I know this isn’t out of the goodness of your heart. What do you want from us?”

“A signed agreement stating that no Tahjad ships will stop any ships bound for or coming from Rahmi.”

The king tried to plaster on an innocent smile, but it was more like a sneer. “I don’t know what you’re implying.”

“I’m not implying anything. I’m telling you. Agree to stop the pirating of our ships, and we’ll make Tahjad a named partner in this project,” Zain said in the tone his father had taught him. The king may be a warlord, but Zain had centuries of royal blood flowing through him. If there was one thing he could do, it was chill anyone to the bone with the power behind his words.

“And if we don’t?” the king asked with only a hint of respect to his voice.

Zain smiled menacingly, but didn’t say a word.

The king flexed his fist but controlled his expression. “I’ll sleep on it. Good night,” King Omar said tightly as he turned to head upstairs.

Zain didn’t want to resort to threats. But if the king left him no options, then he would tell Omar of his plan to support the Dragoons, a growing group of rebels in Tahjad. Omar was a horrible ruler who took what he wanted and never gave anything back. Tahjad was little more than a battlefield at this point. He’d bombed his own people in his rush to become king. He’d left his people no choice when he demanded absolute power over them. Now he had a chance to improve the country and his people's lives. Zain just hoped he’d take it.

“Interesting argument to gain a supporter for your little project. Are you planning to silently threaten me as well?”

Zain turned from where he was watching the king climb the stairs to see Queen Suri. “Cousin,” Zain said just to irk her. He shouldn’t, but knowing she was behind the upheaval in his country made him mad.

Suri smiled. She was still a beautiful woman, even though she was close to seventy. Her dark brown hair was highlighted with silver and cut to flow around her shoulders. She wore a dress of royal red and pulled it off, unlike the king of Tahjad.

“You know, I always liked you. Better than Jamal at any rate.” She stepped closer to him and laced her hand through his arm, demanding an escort. “Walk me to my room,” she ordered.

“Of course. I was sad that you took my accident as a slight against you. I would never purposefully miss a meeting with you,” Zain said as casually as he could.

“An accident? Ah, yes. My secretary mentioned your man came and asked to reschedule. She didn’t tell me why though. I hope you are uninjured.”

“I am, thank you.”

“If your father had just come to me personally we could have avoided this little misunderstanding. Now, what did you want to talk to me about,
cousin
.”

“The nanotechnology lab. While other allies are sure to sign on, I want this to be a jewel for our region. I want Rahmi, Surman, and Tahjad to work together to secure our the future of our economies and protect our citizens.”

“You want me to endorse it, publically,” Suri stated. “No. I won’t until I hear from this doctor you mentioned. And I want a meeting with you and her—a private meeting. I have certain demands that must be met if I agree to move forward with this.”

Zain stopped in front of the set of rooms assigned to the queen. “As long as you keep an open mind to the nanotech lab, then I will be happy to keep an open mind to your
requests
.”

The queen smiled as if amused. “Then we agree. Now, what is this I hear about the unrest in Rahmi? Riots? I believe I’ll need a full accounting if I’m to invest in Rahmi’s lab. I can’t commit to business in an unstable country.”

“Riots? Hardly. There was a rather large party the other day though. Our citizens are very happy with their country, and I promise you that
our citizens
are not rioting,” and she damn well knew that. Zain stayed relaxed, knowing she was watching him. “More importantly, I want to heal the wounds of the past. Let’s add that to the things we need to discuss. There is no reason why Surman and Rahmi can’t be the staunchest of allies. Now, I bid you goodnight, cousin,” Zain said with as much affection as he could muster. All he could think about was Suri ordering his country attacked, and it wasn’t sitting well with him.

Mila walked outside and sighed. She’d missed the last car . . . again. Mila turned to ask a guard if there was any way to get a ride home when two headlights came into view. They sped toward the house and the guard behind her sighed as he took a giant step back.

“Ma’am, you may want to step back,” he said before Mila joined him on the bottom step.

The minivan sped straight at them and, a moment before Mila was about to run for cover, the brakes screeched and the driver turned the wheel so the car slid ninety degrees to a stop with the passenger door now facing her. A handsome young man with dark hair and familiar blue eyes leaned toward the open passenger window, “I’m sorry. I was just about to head to my parents house when I saw you. I thought we were done with rides for the night. Are you heading to Poppy’s?”

Mila looked at the quiet guard who cringed. “Which driver are you?” Mila asked suspiciously.

“Kale Mueez. You know my sister, Abigail, right?”

Mila nodded as she looked at the car as if it would bite her.

Kale didn’t seem to notice. “You’re the German woman who Zain has the hots for, um . . .” He thought a moment. “Mila! Well, hop in, Mila. I’ll get you home in a flash.”

“Your sister told me not to ride with you,” Mila said as she wondered how far a walk it was.

Kale snickered. “She’s such a wimp. Abby’s still mad Dad taught her how to drive while Mom taught me. She’s almost twenty-six. She needs to get over it. Come on, you can sit up front with me since we already know each other. I hate it when the others sit in the back and scream.”

Mila took a deep breath and said a prayer before getting into the front seat. It looked like a total mom-car. Minivans couldn’t go
that
fast, could they? “Do you live in Keeneston?” Mila asked as Kale shifted into drive.

The tires spun, rubber was laid, and the family van shot like a rocket down the long, narrow driveway. Mila was flung back against her seat as she pulled her seatbelt tight and hung on.

“No, I’m finishing up my degree from MIT. That’s why I’m driving my mom’s dog car.”

“Dog car?” Abby asked before clinging to the
oh shit bar
above her door’s window.

“Yeah. My mom trains police and military dogs. This is the car she uses to drive her dogs. And Robyn—she’s not a military dog. She’s Sydney’s vizsla that my mom has been training for search and rescue.”

Kale took a turn, and Mila was flung toward him. Kale shot her a smile and a wink. “I just love when women fling themselves as me. As flattered as I am, I think Zain would get mad if I made the moves on you.”

Mila righted herself and held on. “I don’t think Zain has any claim to me or vice versa. “

“Yeah, right. Do you know my dad taught me to tell when people are lying? And you are
so
lying. Besides, the whole town knows you two were kissing on the bed and breakfast’s porch last night”

Mila groaned and shook her head. “The whole town knows? I’m going to get fired,” she muttered to herself.

“
Pfft.
” Kale shook his head. “The town may be a hotbed of gossip, but we also know when to keep our mouths shut. Besides, Zain sent out a text to the town, telling us not to say anything because you were worried you would get fired.”

“A text? To the whole town?” Mila was so surprised she took her hand off the handle and turned to stare at Kale.

“Yeah. We have a town texting tree. It helps us keep up to date on all of the goings-on. Don’t worry, we won’t say anything.”

“He told everyone we kissed?”

Kale shrugged as Main Street blurred by. “Everyone already knew. You can’t be making out on the front porch and not be seen. That tasty bit of gossip was already spreading. Zain just contained it.”

Mila’s words were taken from her as Kale turned onto Maple. The minivan tilted on two wheels and Mila closed her eyes. The van bounced down and Mila was flung forward as Kale slammed on the brakes. “We’re here. Do you want me to pick you up tomorrow?”

Mila tried to slow her breathing as she shook her head. “I’m riding with Anton.” Going five miles per hour sounded great right now.

Kale hopped out of the car and hurried to open her door. Mila’s legs were shaky, and she wanted to fall to the ground and kiss it. “You’re not going to throw up, are you? The French interpreter hurled this morning.”

That made Mila smile. “No, I’m good. Thanks for the ride.”

“It was nice meeting you, Mila. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around.”

A second later, the quiet of the night was shattered by the squeal of tires as Kale shot off.