She heard a car and went to the window, peering out at the glimpse of the driveway she had. It was Khalid’s car. He was home.
Without thinking, she stormed over to the main house. The door was shut, so she knocked, her anger at his actions growing with every breath.
Jalilah opened the door, but before she could say a word of greeting, Ella stepped inside.
“Where is he?” she demanded.
“In the study,” the maid said, looking startled.
Ella almost ran to the study door. Khalid was standing behind the desk, leafing through messages. He hadn’t shaved in a couple of days, the dark beard made him look almost like a pirate—especially when viewed with the slash of scar tissue. His clothes were dirty and she could smell the smoke from where she stood. None of it mattered.
“What have you done to my life?” she asked.
CHAPTER SIX
HE LOOKED up. “Hello, Ella.”
“I mean it. What gives you the right to meddle in things that don’t concern you? You have ruined everything!”
“What are you talking about?” he asked.
“You sent inquiries to Italy, right?”
He lifted a note. “Garibaldi?”
“If you wanted to know something, why not ask me? I told you all you needed to know. I told you more than I’ve told anyone else.”
“Who is Antonio Garibaldi?” he asked, studying the note a moment, then looking at her. His eyes narrowed as he took in her anger.
“He’s my brother. And the reason my husband is dead. I do not wish to have anything to do with him. How could you have contacted them? How could you have led them right to me? I’ve tried so hard to stay below the radar and with one careless inquiry you lead them right to me. I can’t believe this!”
“Wait a second. I don’t know what you’re talking about. Your family didn’t know you were living here?”
“If I had wanted them to know, I would have told them.”
“How did your brother cause your husband’s death? Didn’t you say it was a car crash? Was your brother in the other car?”
“No. He practically kidnapped me. He lured me to the airport with the intent of getting me on the private jet he’d hired. Only someone told Alexander. He was coming to get me before Antonio could take me out of the country. He crashed on the way to the airport. The police, thankfully, stepped in and stopped our departure.” She looked away, remembering. “So I could identify Alexander’s body.”
She burst into tears.
Khalid looked at her dumbfounded. In only a second he was around the desk and holding her as she sobbed against his chest.
“He had a class. He should have been safely inside, teaching, instead he was trying to come to my rescue,” she said between sobs. She clutched a fistful of his shirt, her face pressed against the material, her tears soaking the cotton. She scarcely noticed the smoke. “He would still be alive today if Antonio hadn’t forced me. Alexander.” She cried harder.
Khalid held her close, her pain went straight to his heart. He’d felt the anguish of losing a woman he thought he would build his life with. But his anger soon overcame any heartache. This woman was still devastated by the loss of her husband. What would it be like to mean so much to someone? He thought about his brother and the woman he was going to marry. Bethanne loved him; there was no doubt to anyone who saw them together. She’d be as devastated if something happened to Rashid.
Khalid knew that kind of attachment, that kind of love, was rare and special. Her husband had been dead for more than a year. Ella should have moved on. But the strength of her sobs told him she still mourned with an intensity that was amazing. The emotions told of a strong bond, a love that was deeply felt.
He had never known that kind of love. And never would.
Finally she began to subside. He didn’t know what to do but hold her. He’d caused this outburst by his demand to know more. Had the man at Bashiri Oil been clumsy in his research? Or was the family on alert for information about their daughter? Was her brother’s involvement the cause of the estrangement, or did it go deeper? Khalid wanted answers to all the questions swirling around in his mind.
But now, his first priority was to make things right with Ella.
Slowly he felt her hands ease on the clutching of his shirt. A moment later she pushed against his chest. He let her go, catching her face in his palms and brushing away the lingering tears with his thumbs. Her skin was warm and flushed. He registered the softness and the vulnerability she had with her sorrowful eyes, red and puffy.
“I did not know making an inquiry would cause all this,” he said. “You are safe here. I will not let anyone kidnap you. Tell me what happened.”
She pushed away and stepped back. “I’m not telling you anything. You tell my brother when he contacts you again that you have no idea where I’m living. Make him go away. Make sure he never finds me.”
“You think he’ll come again?” Khalid asked.
“Of course. He’s tenacious.”
“Why should he come for you?”
“My family wants me home. I want to stay here. If you can’t guarantee I can stay, I’ll have to disappear and won’t tell you where I go.”
Two weeks ago Khalid would have jumped at the offer. He wanted his tenant gone so he could put the estate up for sale. But two weeks changed a lot. He wasn’t as anxious to sell as he had once been. He liked living near the sea. He liked the after dark walks along the shore. He did not want his tenant to leave and not give a forwarding address.
More importantly, he wanted to know the full story of what was going on. How could she be so afraid of her family?
“How old are you?” he asked, stepping back to give her more space.
“Twenty-nine. You know that. What does that have to do with anything?”
“As far as I understand the laws in most countries, that makes you an adult, capable of making your own decisions on where to live.”
“You’d think so,” she said bitterly, brushing the last of the tears from her face. She walked to the window and peered out, but Khalid didn’t think she saw the colorful blossoms.
She rubbed her chest, as if pressing against pain. “Alexander and I were childhood sweethearts. My parents thought we’d outgrow that foolishness. Their words. They had a marriage in mind for me that would probably rival what your mother had for Rashid. Combining two old Italian families, and merging two fortunes that would only grow even larger over the years.”
Khalid frowned. He made a mental note to get in touch with the man at the company who had been doing the research for him. What had he discovered?
“So you and Alexander married against parental wishes. It happens.”
“When they discovered where we were living, Antonio came and said I had to return home. There would be an annulment and the arranged marriage would go forth. I laughed at him, but he was stronger than I was and soon I was in a car heading for the airport. The rest you know. I managed to dodge him at the police station and then hid until I thought he’d left Quishari. Mutual friends contacted your grandmother who offered me a place to live. I’m forever grateful to her. I miss her a lot. She really liked my work, and I think she liked me. But more importantly—she gave me a safe haven. I’ll never forget that.”
“I’m sure she did,” Khalid said, stunned to learn this. Had his actions threatened the haven Ella clung to? He would have to take steps to remedy the situation.
Ella turned and looked at him.
“If my actions caused this, I will fix it,” he said.
“If? Of course they did. No one has ever come here before. Why did you have to ask about me. I told you about me.”
“I wanted to know more. My grandmother never mentioned you. My family doesn’t know about you. What you told me was limited.”
“You’re my landlord—you know all you need to know about me. I pay my rent on time and I have a lease. I don’t trash the place. End of story.”
“I want more.”
“Well, we don’t always get what we want in life,” she snapped.
Khalid stared at her, seeing an unhappy, sad woman. One to whom he’d brought more pain and suffering. It didn’t come easy, but he had to apologize. “I’m sorry.”
She shrugged. “Sorry doesn’t change anything.”
“It lets you know I didn’t deliberately cause you this grief. I said I’d fix it and I shall.”
“How? Erase my brother’s memory? Put up guards so no one can get on the estate? Wouldn’t that also mean no one goes off, either? I had things going just fine until you showed up.”
“Sit down and we’ll get to the bottom of this.” He went around the desk and called Bashiri Oil. In less than a minute he was speaking to the researcher in the office who had been asked to find out more about Ella Ponti. He listened for a solid five minutes, his expression impassive as the man recited what he’d discovered, ending with…
“One of her brothers was in the office yesterday, trying his best to get more information. We know better than to give that kind of information. He accosted people in the halls and in the parking area. Finally we had security remove him from the premises. But I’d watch out—he’s looking for his sister and seems most determined.”