“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.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Zain hurried downstairs to try to catch Mila. When he ran outside, the only person he found was the Rahmi guard. The night sky was black and full of stars. With no city lights nearby, it seemed you could reach up and touch them.
“Are you looking for a young lady, sir?” the guard asked when Zain let out a frustrated breath.
“Yes. The German interpreter. Dark hair, gray eyes. She was in a black suit.”
“She left five minutes ago with Kale.”
“Damn,” Zain cursed. She would not be in a romantic mood now. She was probably clinging to a toilet.
“Bonsoir,” Anton called out as the guard hurried to help him down the stairs.
“Good evening to you, too. Did the kitchens run smoothly today?” Zain asked as he walked up the stairs and relieved Anton of the large picnic basket he was carrying.
“Oui. It was nice to be back in the kitchen. I even made a little something for my bride.” Anton gestured to the basket, then frowned. “Is that champagne? I don’t remember putting that in there.”
Zain looked down and saw the top of a champagne bottle sticking out of the basket. He pulled out the bottle and smiled. It wasn’t just champagne. It was one of the best bottles available.
“Well, drat. Violet and I can’t have alcohol anymore. Thins the blood, you know. Would you mind taking it, Zain?”
“Of course,” Zain took the champagne and then looked to where Anton’s car was being brought around. If he could beat Anton out of here, he would have enough time to see Mila before Anton even got home. He could sneak into Mila’s room and they could share the bottle of champagne while they talked about their day. He longed to hear her thoughts, her funny stories, and okay . . . he also wanted to do some more kissing. With every passing moment that day, his heart became more and more involved with Mila.
“What are you thinking about, sonny? You look like the cat who ate the canary,” Anton asked.