Najeeb raised his hand. “You don’t need to convince me of anything, or to even ask me to keep what you told me a secret. There was never a possibility I’d share anything you told me or anything I find out about you on my own.”
Her lips spread. “Why do you think I told you in the first place when I didn’t even tell my sisters?”
Alarm spread over his painstakingly sculpted face. “Don’t even think of telling them. They and their friends must be speculating enough as it is just seeing you with him. Don’t add fuel to the fire by any confirmations.”
She chuckled. “Just what I thought, and that’s why only you know.”
He exhaled heavily. “Aih. Only I know. Ya Ullah, ya Jenan... I only hope you won’t live to regret this, and it won’t come at as big a price as I fear.”
She felt another wave of aggression blast from Numair, but when he spoke his voice was chillingly calm. “So you’ve changed your strategy. Now that you failed to shame her or make her doubt her decision, you’re trying to plant fear of me in her heart.”
Najeeb regarded him with the same arctic composure. “If she doesn’t fear you, then she doesn’t know what you really are. You, Mr. Al Aswad, are a man to be dreaded. A man to avoid at all costs.”
Numair inclined his head. “You’re absolutely right, Prince Aal Ghaanem. I am far more than that. With anyone but Jenan.”
It was clear Najeeb got Numair’s message loud and clear, that he was foremost among the anyones who should dread and avoid him. From Najeeb’s nonchalance, he was answering with his own unspoken “Anyone but me, buster.”
Out loud he said, “You’re saying you’re changing your ways for her? Or that you’re different with her?” Najeeb turned to her, his eyes reproachful. “And you fell for that?”
In one of those imperceptible moves, Numair was sitting on the edge of his seat, like a crouched panther seconds from a neck-gouging attack. “I said you talk to me. I won’t say it again.”
“How about you keep your threats to anyone who might actually give a damn about them, Mr. Al Aswad?”
“If you don’t, Prince Aal Ghaanem, then you don’t know what I really am as well as you think you do.”
“And it’s clear you know nothing about me if you think you can get away with threatening me.”
Having heard enough, Jen surged to her feet. “Okay, my neck is really starting to hurt watching your delightful volleys.” She planted her fists at her waist. “May I interject with a tiny reminder that you gentlemen are on the same side?”
Numair and Najeeb turned to her in surprise and not a little affront at her suggestion.
An incredulous chuckle burst from her. “Ya Ullah, you’re both so busy posturing and being macho and trying to wrestle each other under the table that you didn’t stop to realize that.” At their darkening scowls, she sighed. “I hate to break it to you, but you are. You both want to stop Hassan’s nefarious plot and help Zafrana get out from under his thumb. And most important, you both want what’s best for me.” At their stubborn irresponsiveness, she prodded. “You do both want what’s best for me, right?”
“You know that I...”
“You know that I...”
As soon as both men realized they were chorusing their response, they flung each other furious glances.
And she burst out laughing. “See? You not only want the same thing, you’re saying the exact same thing, too.” At their continued belligerence, she sighed again. “If you both do want my best, promise me you’ll stop making me worry you’ll tear each other apart the moment I turn my back. Do I have your words?”
Najeeb again surprised her, being the one who nodded first. She’d expected it would be Numair who’d rush to give her what she wanted. It seemed his antipathy toward Najeeb was messing with his priorities. Weird.
But he at last nodded, his voice bottomless, his gaze filled with unfathomable things as he said, “For you.”
His response was still disturbing in every way possible, but it was enough for her current purposes. She knew he’d abide by whatever word he gave her.
She looked at each of them. “Since I’m the one with the most at stake here, in every way possible, how about you let me steer this conversation?” They both nodded at once this time. Her heart lifted at the progress. Wishing those two would realize they should be allies, she grinned from one man to the other. “I know both of you planned to be the one to resolve this crisis, so how about we discuss how you intended to do that? Maybe you can jointly devise an even more efficient way?”