Zain and Nabi clutched Ahmed as he charged toward the stairs. The roar of anger sent chills down Zain’s back. Zain dug in his heels, but Ahmed still dragged both him and Nabi until Abby held up a single hand to her father, stopping him in his tracks.
“You think of touching me again and I’ll make sure you’ll never have children,” Abby threatened as everyone’s eyes traveled down to see the knife resting on Jamal’s royal jewels. “Now, be a man and listen to the truth. You are whining like a child having a tantrum. And if you can’t tell, everyone here is busy trying to make the world a better place. We don’t have time to wipe your nose. So how about you make your own damn breakfast, learn to be a damn leader, and while we’re at it, learn to treat women better, asshole.”
“You wouldn’t be so brave without that knife, you weak woman,” Jamal spat. Zain would have rolled his eyes if he weren’t so busy keeping Ahmed from regicide.
Abby shrugged her shoulders and tossed her knife into the ground, the blade buried in the ground at Ahmed’s feet. Then in a flash, she grabbed a handful of his chest hair and got in his face. Jamal let out a high-pitched wail as Abby shoved him to the ground.
“Are you sure weak is the right word? I’m pretty sure you’re the one who just screamed like a little girl. Now grow the hell up,” Abby said to Jamal as he crumpled to the ground with his hands covering his chest as he cried. “Now, grow a pair and learn to respect women, do right by your people, and cease your petulant whining, Your Highness.” Abby marched down the stairs, picked up her knife, and took her dad’s hand.
She leaned on her tiptoes and placed a kiss on her dad’s cheek. “Don’t worry, Daddy. I've got this. However, I think I may have to renounce my Rahmi citizenship. Good thing I’m a dual citizen, huh?”
Zain and Nabi tentatively released their white-knuckled hold on Ahmed who shifted his gaze from Jamal sitting on the porch rubbing his chest to his daughter. “After what I’m going to tell his father, you won’t be alone. Come on. Let’s go tell your mom that you made a prince cry. She’ll be so proud.”
Zain stepped back as Ahmed slung his arm over his daughter’s shoulder and kissed the top of her head. It was his turn now to have a few words with his cousin. Zain walked up the stairs, grabbed Jamal by the back of the neck, and pulled him upright.
“That bitch assaulted me! I’ll have her hung outside the palace!”
“Jamal, I’ll do something far worse than rip out some chest hair if you don’t shut up right now. Now get into the damn car.” Zain shoved him into the car and slammed the door. “Veronica, get my suit and one of Jamal’s. Bring them to my father’s office. We’ll call you when we’re ready for them. Thank you.”
“Any time.” Veronica grinned. “Scream like a girl,” she snorted.
Zain looked up to see Ahmed on the phone. All of a sudden, his voice raised and Abby looked at her father as if the world revolved around him. “And you tell that disgrace of a son if he so much as looks at my daughter the wrong way, I will introduce him to a level of pain he never knew existed.” Ahmed continued to walk away and Zain didn’t get to hear the rest of the conversation between Ahmed and the king.
Zain got into his car and held up his hand the second he heard Jamal open his mouth. “Not. A. Single. Word.”
In a matter of minutes, he had dragged Jamal into his father’s office. Mo was already on a video call with the king, and it didn’t appear to be going well. It certainly wouldn’t go well when Jamal was tossed in front of the camera with angry red marks on his chest where a missing piece of black-matted hair used to be.
“Father. I want them all arrested!” Jamal yelled when he saw his father.
“Shut up, Jamal,” his father said tightly. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
“His friend assaulted me! A Rahmi citizen attacked a prince!” Jamal accused.
“I said shut up!” the king bellowed. Jamal froze in mid-rant. “Ahmed called just now.”
“Don’t believe a word he said. That bitch threatened to cut off my balls,” Jamal protested.
“Oh, I didn’t talk to Ahmed first. He called your mother. She said Abby should have cut them off since no son of hers should ever hit a woman. By the time I got to the phone, your mother was about to board a plane to drag you back here where she could beat you herself! You’ve been married a year. How are you still alive acting like this? Mohtadi warned me not to coddle you, but your mother and I were so excited to have had you. Now your actions show me the error in my ways. You have two days to learn everything you can at the hands of your Uncle Mohtadi. When you return, if your attitude has not been corrected, then so help me, I will fly Ahmed over and let him beat some sense into you.” The king took a deep breath as Jamal looked from his own father to Zain’s. Both wore the same very unhappy expression.
“Mohtadi, if you don’t mind, can I have a private word with my son?”
Mo bowed his head. “Of course, brother.”
Zain and his father left the room. They didn’t say anything until the door was shut, and then there was the sound of raised voices coming from inside.
“What a mess,” Mo said as he shook his head. “Not that I blame Abby, but did she have to challenge him right then?”
“It’s my fault. I kept her out all last night. She’s tired and hungry. And you know how she hates whining. She saw everyone taking a tongue-lashing from Jamal and not being able to defend themselves. Her righteous side couldn’t take it. She just happened to get to him before I could. At that point, I had to hold on to Ahmed or risk becoming next in line for the Rahmi crown—something I don’t want.”
“You did the right thing. We all know Abby can handle herself, but it’s shocking just the same. She should never have to be afraid to speak her mind at her own home.” Mo let out a sigh. “I see Veronica has your suit. Go change and grab a quick bite to eat. Then meet me back here, and we can have our meeting sans Jamal.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Mila practically skipped during the walk to the café. People smiled at her and she smiled back. She was even starting to learn some of their names. Since she wasn’t going to have time for breakfast, she’d grabbed a muffin at the B&B. She just wanted to get the farm tour over with. She couldn’t wait to see Zain again.
“Do you need a ride, Ms. Thiessen?” asked a young woman with shoulder-length honey-brown hair and eyes that would have been hazel had the outer ring been brown. Instead the centers of her eyes were a muted green, while the outer ring was cloud-gray.
“I do. And I’ll take it since you’re not Kale.”
Mila opened the door and hopped into the old pickup truck with a rifle hanging in the back window above a pink monogram. The young woman slid easily into the truck and started it up.
“So, how do you know who I am?” Mila asked.
The woman shrugged her spaghetti-strapped shoulder. “Everyone knows who you are. You’re the woman Zain spent the night with last night. The first that we’ve ever heard of, in fact. Usually he goes out of Keeneston for that sort of thing. I don’t see why, though. We all know he has sex. It’s not like he’s a twenty-nine-year-old virgin,” she snorted.
Mila’s smile froze. “You’re telling me everyone knows Zain spent the night with me?” she stuttered. “Damn texting tree, isn’t it?”
“What do you expect when Zain’s caught at the bottom of the tree by Miss Lily. He tried to show her the so-called squirrel he was saving, and she sees a pair of red panties. That’s too good not to text out.”
Mila had two choices: she could cry or she could laugh. She chose to laugh.
“Good, you have a sense of humor,” the young woman said with a smile on her pink lips. “Everyone said how much they like you. I’m glad I can add my name on to the list. I’m Greer Parker, by the way. You’ve already met my older brothers, Ryan and Jackson.”
Mila nodded. “I should have put it together with the eyes.”