Zain remained seated and looked up at his cousin. “I dare because after you stated your desire for the summit to fail, I was attacked at gunpoint. It was curious because the attacker said the same thing. He wanted the summit and my nanotech lab to fail.”
The righteous indignation fell from Jamal’s face as Mo’s eyes narrowed and Dani gasped. “I swear, cousin. I would never threaten your life. I was angry, yes. You always are perfect, and I’m always being patted on the head like some little boy. Marry this woman. Good boy. Get her pregnant. Bad boy. I was never given the chances you were to lead my own life, to have a girlfriend, to pick my own wife, to even decide when I want children, and I certainly have never been given the chance to head something as meaningful as a summit. But never have I threatened your life!”
Zain studied his cousin. He had grown up with Jamal. They spent every summer together. Could his own blood betray him?
“It wasn’t Jamal. We have him on tape at the same time you were attacked. He was having a smoke outside. We saw the attacker leap from the office window, but his head was still covered. I still think it’s Mila. Ahmed, tell them what you found,” Mo demanded.
“Mila?” Dani asked. Kenna and Paige didn’t say anything, but they shared a look that suggested they didn’t believe it.
Ahmed stepped forward and Zain saw Abby’s lips pressed into a tight, flat line. She obviously knew what her father was going to say and didn’t like it. “The man she works for in D.C. had a private meeting with Queen Suri three months ago, and again the other night before Mila came to Keeneston. It appears Germany is allying itself with Queen Suri for some sort of project. We don’t know what yet, but we will.”
Zain shook his head. “And because of that, you believe Mila is behind all of this? That’s weak and you know it. Now how about you listen to Abby, and then you can decide if Mila is innocent or not.”
Abby stepped forward and retold the events of that morning. Zain gritted his teeth as his father looked on passively. It wasn’t until Abby related that women were now targets that his father’s expression changed.
“Go get her, now!” Mo demanded to Dylan.
Dylan looked to Zain who shook his head. “She’s already been fired because of me. Pulling her from the conference would make it worse. Lunch is in an hour. Wait until then, and we can bring her here.”
Zain turned to his cousin. “Jamal, you swear you know nothing of this?”
“I swear, Zain. On all the nights we snuck out of the palace and raced cars through the desert. I swear.”
Zain nodded. “Then I hope you listened to what I'm sure was my father’s long lecture. It’s time for you to step up. I need you to take over for me in the meeting until this afternoon.” Zain pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket with a summary of the points he intended to make in the morning meeting and handed them to Jamal. “Close the deal. Mend fences and make sure they all know Rahmi is willing to work with every single one of them in case of outbreaks. I have stats and so forth also listed. Veronica is leading the conversation according to these bullet points. You should be able to catch up easily. Can you do it? Can you step up and take control of a meeting and make the world a safer place through working with other leaders?”
Jamal stared at the piece of paper and then slowly took it. “I won’t let you down.” Jamal left the room and Zain signaled for Jackson to follow him.
“We need to contact Ariana and Gabe,” Dani said as she pulled out her cell phone.
“I’ve already talked to Gabe,” Zain told them. “I texted him this morning.”
“And I’ve gotten a text from Ariana that she’s packed and heading to the German embassy with her friends,” Abby told his parents, explaining how Mila had helped with that. “Furthermore, I disagree with my father completely about Mila. She’s in love with Zain. She would never betray him like this.”
“Dad, if it’s not Mila, then she’s in danger. Are you willing to put an innocent life on the line just because she was an interpreter during a couple meetings with Suri? And by focusing all on her, it’s letting the real traitor continue his work. The person who attacked me was definitely a man,” Zain pleaded to his father.
“You could be right, son. It could just be a coincidence she was there. We need someone to spy on Suri to find out if she’s behind this and who her mole is in our group. I fear we can no longer trust anyone from Rahmi,” Mo said as he ran a hand over his face.
“We can trust Nabi,” Ahmed told the room.
“Of course, I forget he’s not from Keeneston,” Dani shook her head with amusement. “Of course, neither are we, are we, dear?” Dani looked at her husband and sent him a worried smile.
“Keeneston is our home and we need you all to help,” Mo said as he looked to Kenna and Paige.
“I’ll call Cole,” Paige said of her husband, Cole Parker. Their son, Ryan, had replaced Cole as the Agent in Charge of the Lexington FBI office. “You know he will help."
“And I’ll call Annie and Bridget,” Kenna told them. “Somehow I think they’ll be thrilled to strap on a gun and work together again.”
“I’ll call the others,” Mo said, picking up his cell phone and then shaking his head. “No need. Somehow John Wolfe found out about it. There has been a town text with all the details sent out. Miles, Marshall, Cade, Bridget, Annie, and Cy are on their way here with weapons and tactical gear. Don’t know how I’ll explain that one to the guests. And apparently Porter and Parker are in sniper positions already. Oh, and Nikki has been kicked off the text tree for quote, ‘treating our dear Mila so poorly.’”
Zain fished out his phone from his pocket and read through the texts. “The café is on high alert. We might as well send them the security packet so they don’t attack a staffer coming in for dinner.”
“Kenna, Paige, can you stop everyone as they come in and take them to my sitting room? I’d like a moment to talk to my family and then we’ll join you all to discuss a plan,” Dani asked her friends.
“We don’t need to discuss a plan. It’s simple. I’m putting you on the private jet with Nabi, and he’s going to take you and Zain someplace no one will find you,” Mo stated.
Dani and Zain shared a look that said, yeah, right.
Zain watched his mother put a docile smile on his face. “Yes, dear.”
His poor father . . . he thought he was going to get his way.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Mila did her job as well as she could, but she’d be lying if she said she was paying full attention. Jackson had come in almost an hour earlier and taken a position directly across the room from her. When she looked up at him, he sent her a wink. The chancellor grumbled and Mila felt her temper rising. She had a right to a life. She had a right to a boyfriend. And she had a right to have friends. People like the chancellor and probably every other diplomat here assumed their staff had no life—that they were meant to serve their employers at all times. But that wasn’t true, and she was getting tired of sitting in the background pretending it was. Especially now that she had been fired.
“What?” Mila asked.
“You’ve represented Germany as a whore and you wonder why I am discontented,” the chancellor whispered.
“As if you were discussing foreign affairs with the Philippine delegate last night at two in the morning. For your information, I love Zain Ali Rahman and he loves me so shove that up your—”
“I’m sorry to interrupt the meeting,” Danielle Ali Rahman said cheerfully as she swept into the room, “but lunch is served.”