“Of course," Tarek said. "Keep an eye on Idella for me. She hopped a ride with the special forces team.”
“And you let her?” Junayd asked with dismay.
“I don’tletIdella do anything. She makes her own decisions. Midnight means a lot to her. I have to trust that she will be careful and come out of this safe,” Tarek replied with a heavy sigh. “It is probably just as well. If not for this, she would be going after Rashid.”
“If you need help getting information out of our dear cousin, let me know,” Junayd said.
Tarek huffed a laugh. “I saw what you did to the man in your office. If you ever want to give up being a doctor, you could join me in intelligence.”
“I never realized your job was so brutal,” Junayd said.
“Not always, but yes, it can be. I’ll let you know what happens with Rashid. Please make sure that my soon-to-be wife doesn’t die,” Tarek requested in a subdued tone.
“I will do everything in my power. Peace be with you, brother.”
“Peace be with you,” Tarek repeated.
Junayd grimaced. There would be no peace for him. He had brought Midnight here only to put her in grave danger. He didn’t know why the foreigners were targeting her, but it was because of him that they found her. It was the only thing that made sense to him. Midnight had no other visibility than being with him. Somehow, word must have gotten out—possibly when they stopped for gas or perhaps at the office when Ashar was preparing the paperwork for his marriage.
He pinched the bridge of his nose and breathed in. The foreigners attacking his home had to be tied to Coldhouse and Bronislav. Jawahir did not have many enemies who would come all this way and use this type of manpower—especially on Jawahiran soil. 'Why' was another question. Junayd wracked his brain.
Midnight had saved Raja Hadi’s life in the Simdan palace. Anderson Coldhouse had been about to kill the long-lost sheikh and Midnight was the one who prevented that, nearly killing Anderson in the process. That must be it. This was revenge.
But there must be more to it because Coldhouse and Bronislav were responsible for breaking Rashid out of prison. There was no way Junayd's cousin could wrest the throne away from his family now, so why? What could Rashid give them? What could Midnight give them?
“Sire, we will be there in less than an hour,” the pilot informed him.
“Thank you,” he said.
“Special Forces will land a mile away and come in from the road and the cliff,” Ziya said.
“Have you spoken with Kalil?” he asked.
“Yes. He will meet us near the road. We will be a little closer than the advance team. If it looks like Kalil is returning from a trip, we may have the element of surprise,” Ziya replied.
Junayd shook his head. “I don’t want a shootout. There is another way into the canyon that we can use without being seen. One of the caves goes all the way through.”
“I’ll let the special forces team know. You’ll have to lead us,” Ziya said.
“I will.”
Yahya knew the cave systems as well as he did. This was one of the times when he wished he hadn’t sent his friend off to guard his brother.
Please be safe, raqisat alqamar. I will be there soon,he promised, wishing the helicopter could fly faster.
Twenty-Two
Southern section of Nasir:
Selima silently ordered her two male subordinates to set the charges. Five seconds later, four small explosions knocked the door off the hinges and the team entered with weapons raised.
“Clear!” Selima called out.
The team spread out to search for clues. Tarek stepped through the entrance and slowly walked around the apartment. The kitchen had a small electric kettle sitting on the chipped and stained countertop. He pressed his hand against the side. The water inside was still warm.
“Sire,” a soldier called, motioning to a small table near a window. Tarek walked over and studied the papers scattered across the table. There was a seating chart for the royal double wedding, detailing the layout of the banquet hall, where he and his family would be sitting, and the placement of the guards. The other papers showed the guest list and their arrival schedules, a list of the catering staff, and the honeymoon security plans for both couples.
“The apartment is clear,” Selima informed him. “I have a perimeter set up around the block. Sheikh al Hamid can’t have gotten far.”