Bought And Paid For: The Sheikh's Kidnapped Lover Read online

  Jenna looked at him, and she could almost believe she could have passed him on the street in the States. He was confident, and tall, with long legs, muscular arms, and a wide smile.

  “J…Jenna,” she managed to get out.

  “Jenna,” he repeated, and Jenna watched as his face grew serious.

  “It has come to my attention that a group of people—a sophisticated crime syndicate—has recently started operating in the city of Yordan, and they are starting to become a bigger problem than the police can handle.”

  Jenna stared at him. She had imagined that he would have told her where they were going, or what he was looking for in a woman he had just purchased.

  “Why are you telling me this?” she asked hesitantly.

  “Because these men are targeting women like you, women who are alone, women from overseas.”

  Jenna gaped at him, some of her pretense fading away.

  “Are you with the FBI or something?”

  The Sheikh laughed. “No, nothing like that, but I believe they would have the same motives and desires as I do.”

  “So, these are the men who kidnapped me?”

  Balal nodded gravely.

  “Jenna, I went to the auction to rescue you from some other filthy scumbag who could have taken you home. I bought you so I could save you from a terrible fate.”

  Jenna couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

  “So, you…you don’t want me as your wife?” she asked, not daring to hope. She wasn’t sure if she had heard him correctly, or if somehow her brain had completely changed what he had said.

  “Not at all,” Balal gently affirmed. “No. This isn’t the first auction that I have gone to and bought a woman’s freedom. In fact, I have helped rescue a dozen or so women in your situation by attending these auctions and bidding anonymously, always in cash. Unfortunately, I can only bid on one woman at a time.”

  Jenna’s mouth went dry.

  “But there’s another girl there—” Jenna looked out of the back window, knowing full well that the mansion was out of sight by now.

  Balal held out his hand to calm her. “I have friends there who will see her and bid on her. She will be safe, don’t worry.”

  “I just can’t believe this…” Jenna stuttered. “I…” She pulled at her hair, feeling a giddy sense of relief and horror wash over her. “I thought I was going to be someone’s mistress, or…worse,” she said, wrapping her arms around herself.

  She tore the tulle scarf that encircled her waist from around her and tossed it on the floor of the limo, giving it a kick for good measure.

  “Well, believe it,” the Sheikh said. “You’re safe now.”

  Jenna looked at him a little more closely. “How do I know that you’re telling the truth?”

  “Because we are on our way to the airport so that you can fly back home,” Balal responded, and he pointed out of the window at a sign.

  It was the sign for the airport that she had flown in to just the day before.

  “But I don’t have any of my things! They’re all back at the hostel I’m staying at.”

  “Was staying at,” Balal corrected. “I will make some calls and get your things collected for you. Shouldn’t take more than an hour.”

  Jenna felt relief like she had never felt before. She was going home, when a few hours ago she had thought that she might never be able to tell her parents what had happened to her. But now, she was going to be able to leave and put this entire trip behind her.

  In a jolt of panic, Jenna remembered her purse had been taken from her. How was she supposed to get home without a passport or any money?

  “My purse! They took it when they captured me. I don’t have my passport, or my wallet, or—”

  “Way ahead of you,” Balal said, then reached into another cabinet in the side of the limo. From it, he pulled out her purse, a triumphant expression on his face.

  “I told them I needed your passport as I’d be traveling out of the country with you immediately. I didn’t go through it, except to check that the IDs matched what you look like. Hopefully, everything else is intact.”

  Taking the purse from him, Jenna let out a sigh of relief, along with a slight shudder—was it her anxiety flooding away, or the electric spark that shot through her at his touch?

  “Thank you so much. You are a literal lifesaver. Looks like everything is still in here, thank goodness,” she breathed.

  Jenna spotted the necklace she’d bought, sitting in the zip pocket of her bag, and was flooded with a feeling of how bittersweet her situation was.

  “I was supposed to be here for three months,” Jenna said, laughing hollowly. “This was going to be the trip I took before I went back to school for my master’s. I was going to explore Al Mezinda, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon. I had so much planned, and then…”

  The tears welled up before she could do anything to stop them.

  “Jenna, I have one thing to ask of you before I send you on your way,” Balal said, his tone quiet.

  Jenna looked up at him. His voice was smooth, like water lapping up against the shore of a lake.

  “What is it?” she asked, finding it hard to look away.

  He was her savior. The fact was not lost on her. He had put himself in danger, and had done all he could to ensure her safety. He must have spent an exorbitant amount of money to secure her freedom.

  “I want to try to identify the men who kidnapped you, so then I can bring them to justice. Is there anything that you can tell me about them? Anything you can remember?”

  Jenna looked down at her hands.

  “No, I’m sorry,” she whispered. “The men who…” She couldn’t even bring herself to say it out loud. “They had their faces covered. Full masks.”

  Balal nodded. “They all have been that way, it seems.”

  The limo pulled to a smooth stop, and Jenna could hear the rush of the airport outside. She looked over at Balal, seeing he had a reserved smile on his face.

  “Well…” Jenna began. “Thank you. For everything,” she said. “I wish there was something that I could do to help you more, to catch those psychos.”

  Balal shrugged.

  “The only thing that might help would be if you were to testify against them and stand witness in their trial, but that would mean staying here for the time being. But don’t worry; we will find them. Go home, and be safe. You will be traveling home on my jet. I won’t be accompanying you, but my assistant will meet you inside. He will get you through security, and accompany you on the flight JFK. Do you think you can get home from there?”

  “Of course,” Jenna said, still overcome with horror at what she had just gone through. She was sure that a long flight back across Europe and the Atlantic would be torture, thinking of nothing but what had happened. She was also saddened by the loss of her entire trip, and the fact that it had been taken from her so unfairly.

  Jenna looked at Balal.

  “All I would have to do is testify? And it would help protect other girls who might be in the same situation I was in?”

  She thought of the dark-haired girl, the sadness and fear in her eyes. Determination and anger filled her again.

  Balal was telling the truth, she realized. He had rescued her, and all she had to do was leave the limo, step into the airport, and then she was home free.

  She looked at him, and then out at the sliding doors of the airport.

  “Look…” Jenna said. “I don’t know what is happening here. I don’t know why you even care.” She laughed in spite of the fear she was feeling. “I don’t understand these vigilante motivations that you have, but…I can relate, especially now.”

  Balal looked at her, confusion passing over his face.

  “I might not be able to testify against these jerks,” she said, with more calm than she could have ever thought possible, “but I think…”

  Am I really doing this?

  She took a deep, steadying breath. “I think I would like to help
you. That is…if you could use my assistance.”

  The Sheikh seemed flabbergasted.

  “I’ve just given you the chance to get out of this nightmare, and you are thinking that you want to stay here instead?”

  Jenna took a deep breath, and thought for a moment.

  “Yes,” she replied, surprising even herself. “Yes, I think I would feel better if I could help end this. Make this right. So that other girls don’t have to suffer the way I have.”

  Balal grinned at her. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.”

  Balal reached over the seat again, and knocked against the window to let the driver know.

  “Let’s head to my place. We have a lot of work to do.”

  Chapter Seven

  It took less time than Jenna had expected to cross back into Al Mezinda. There must have been something distinguishing about Balal's vehicle, because when they reached the border, they passed right through without being checked. She hadn't noticed the first time they had passed through, being far too preoccupied with her own ordeal to pay attention to anything else.

  “Does everyone know you?” she asked, and then wondered if she should be using some sort of proper title with him.

  Balal smirked, and looked sheepish. “Yes, and it’s both a blessing and a curse, as you Americans say.”

  She felt her cheeks flush, and looked back out of the window to hide the blush. Now knowing that he was not going to harm her, she was rather pleased with his company.

  “Is there something I should call you?” she asked. “I’ve never met a prince before.”

  Balal seemed confused. “Oh, no. Please call me Balal. It’s my cousin who has the fancy title, not me.”

  Jenna relaxed. She wasn't sure if he was just being nice, but she felt like she should still remain respectful toward him. After all, she owed him her life.

  It turned out that Balal lived in the middle of Yordan, not far from where her hostel was. Balal warned her that she could not go back, for the men who snatched her might be lurking around there still, and if they saw her, their cover would be blown.

  With a few phone calls, Balal was able to have Jenna’s belongings brought to her. One of the first things she wanted to do was send her parents an email, and attempt to not be too dramatic as she told them about how much she loved them.

  The limo pulled up outside of one of the older buildings in the city, and Balal informed her that it was almost four hundred years old. It was beautiful, all pale stone with tall windows, and Jenna would have been able to stare at it all day.

  Balal gestured to the front door, and Jenna followed him inside. She noticed a few tall, burly men appear, and she immediately reached for Balal's arm, a terrified gasp escaping from her.

  “Easy now,” he said, gently laying his hand onto hers. “Those are just my guards. You are safer here than you are in the entire city.”

  “Oh,” she breathed, and took an embarrassed step back from him. “I'm sorry.”

  Balal grinned and shook his head. “After all you’ve been through I'm not surprised that you’re as jumpy as you are. Come, the elevators are right through this hall.”

  As she followed him down a wide, echoing hallway, her mind kept going back to how instinctively she had reached out to him for support, and even perhaps more than that, how muscular his arms were beneath that stylish suit coat. Jenna blushed, and brushed some hair out of her eyes to disguise it.

  They stepped into the elevator and stood in silence. Jenna wasn't sure she could find anything to say. She just felt confused and exhausted and still in shock. But all of those feelings faded when the doors to the elevator slid open and the two of them stepped out.

  There was a tall ceiling above her, with a glass dome that made her feel as if she was standing under the sky itself. The first rays of early morning sunlight streamed in and made the marble floors gleam, and the gold gilding on the four columns around the room was so bright that it looked as if it was glowing. Across the space was an intricately carved wooden door, and Balal stepped toward it.

  The Sheikh opened the door and then stood aside to allow her to pass through. Jenna heard herself gasp as she stepped inside; if she thought the glass dome was gorgeous, it had nothing on what she had walked into. It was the largest, most luxurious penthouse she had ever seen.

  The first thing she saw was the far wall, which was all windows, and looked out over the city, the sunrise, and the stretching desert beyond. Nothing inhibited the view—it was almost as if the penthouse opened directly into the sky.

  “Wow,” she breathed, and she took a few steps toward it.

  She hardly noticed the finely polished floors, the marble statues, or the plush chairs topped with vibrant pillows in front of the fireplace. There was a glass dining table large enough to seat a dozen guests, and a painting of the New York skyline that nearly took up another wall.

  “I could have had a place three times this size,” Balal said, coming to stand beside her. “But I just couldn't give up this view. At least, not yet.”

  Jenna looked up at him. “I… Your home is just beautiful.” She felt silly, using a word as plain as beautiful. “That doesn't even come close to describing how amazing this place is.”

  An unreadable expression passed over his face, and he inclined his head down to make eye contact with her.

  “Thank you. I’m a bit of a collector, actually, and I like to pick things up on my travels. Like that piece…” he said, and pointed to a delicately sculpted abstract statue, carved from a near-black stone. “I got that in Paris about three years ago.”

  “Paris…” Jenna murmured, and further felt the distance between her and Balal’s lives. She couldn't even imagine living like this.

  “Well, you must be exhausted,” Balal said. “I think it would be good for you to have some time to rest and—”

  “I thought you wanted to get right to work?” Jenna cut in, and then blushed. “Sorry, that was rude of me.”

  Balal shook his head. “Not at all. I appreciate your enthusiasm.”

  “I thought there was no time to lose,” Jenna continued, a little more meekly.

  He smiled at her. “Taking a few hours to rest is the best thing you could do right now. You’ve been through an ordeal, and I can’t imagine that you would be able to think clearly. You need rest, whether you think you do or not, and then we can regroup and figure out our next steps. Is that okay?”

  Jenna reflected on her own condition, and part of her understood and agreed with him. She was exhausted, she couldn't remember the last time she’d had had anything to drink, and she didn't even want to think about how much she needed a shower.

  But the other part of her really didn't want to be alone. She didn't want to think about what her mind might conjure up when there was nothing to distract herself.

  “You’ll rest better if you go to bed with a full stomach. My maid, Adina, will get you some clean clothes and show you where your bathroom is while I whip us up something to eat. Does that sound okay?”

  Jenna nodded, remembering just how hungry she was.

  “Wonderful,” he called out in Arabic over his shoulder.

  A moment later, a woman in a dark blue dress with a crisp white apron appeared. She was rather plump, with rosy cheeks and thick, ebony hair tied up in a tight bun. She eyed Jenna carefully.

  “Adina, this is Jenna. She is one of our rescues,” the Sheikh explained.

  Adina's face lit up, and she stepped toward Jenna, grabbing her hands. She squeezed them, and her whole face shone with joy.

  “So good you are safe,” Adina replied in broken English. “So happy.”

  Jenna smiled, startled by the woman's kindness and emotion.

  “Thank you,” Jenna said.

  “You know what to do,” Balal instructed, and then winked at Jenna.

  Adina, who still held onto Jenna's hands, released one, and they began walking down a hall. Jenna was surprised to see another view of the city throu
gh another wall-sized window at the end of the hall. On the way, they passed a media room with a large television, and what Jenna thought might have actually been a pool.

  Adina opened a door at the end of the hall, and Jenna was amazed to find herself in one of the largest bedrooms she had ever seen. There was another wall of windows that looked out over the other half of the city, and a lot more desert. In the distance, she could see a large body of water. Was that…the Mediterranean Sea?

  There was a large bed, at least a king size, against the opposite wall, so that one could stare out the window at night. It was covered in a sumptuous white down blanket, with just a few throw pillows. Clean, crisp, and minimal. An elegant dark walnut vanity sat along the far wall, and there was also a little reading nook with a large armchair beneath a trendy overhanging lamp made of nickel. It was the perfect place to curl up with a blanket and read a book.

  Jenna had only seen rooms this nice in magazines.

  Adina walked over to another set of doors, threw them open, and looked back at Jenna expectantly. Jenna felt way too dirty to walk across the perfectly white carpet. She looked down at her tennis shoes, covered in dirt and who knew what else.

  “Come,” Adina said, gesturing into the room she had just opened the door to.

  “Should I take off my shoes?” Jenna asked.

  Adina shook her head. “No. Come.”

  Jenna obeyed.

  Inside was a cavernous walk-in closet and a bathroom with a freestanding copper bathtub, a huge glass shower, and a separate room with a pristine toilet. A wide sink filled the granite counter, made of green glass, and Jenna could only gape as she tried to take it all in.

  Adina showed her the closet, and Jenna found it full of clothes. Adina explained, in the best English she could, that Balal had set these clothes aside for other rescued women. There were dozens of outfits in there, all very nice clothes, high end. This was apparently a larger operation than Jenna had originally realized, with many people involved.

  “This is safe house,” Adina explained, and Jenna's eyed welled with tears.

  “These people who do this…” she whispered. “They need to be stopped.”