Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 59308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
****
Two months ago
“Stop.” At Sheikh Tarif Al-Atassi’s command, the technician immediately hit Pause, and tense silence reigned in the palace’s war room as the digital screen spanning the entire wall displayed a woman wearing a distinct-looking niqab of silver silk suspended mid-action, skirt raised up to her knees, and her fingers wrapped around the dagger she was about to unsheathe.
Andy, the palace’s newly hired technician (and ex-inmate), knew he had no business being intimidated, but he was. ‘Tall, dark, handsome’ was a phrase oft used to describe the five Al-Atassi sheikhs in the room with him, and prior to marrying his foreigner wife, moving to Ramil, and becoming employed at the palace, Andy had secretly thought that was all there was to the kingdom’s most powerful sheikhs.
He had met a good number of wealthy men during his former career as a hacker, and all of them had been one of three things: idiots, assholes, or both. He had thought the Al-Atassi sheikhs would be exactly like them...until of course he had found himself joining the king and his cabinet of vassals in a closed-door meeting at the palace’s war room.
And that was that, Andy thought with a silent gulp, the memories of his first meeting with the sheikhs still more than enough to make him quail inside with fear. There had been Altair, the ex-assassin sheikh whose scarred face only made him more terrifying. There was Rayyan, the sheikh who seemed to have ice in his veins, with his unflinching ability to make decisions that would have made grown men cry. There was Malik, the one who had his pulse on all of the world’s greatest innovations, and of course there was the king, whose patriotic resolve was reminiscent of Arthur’s love for Camelot.
And then of course there was Tarif.
Tarif Al-Atassi, the kingdom’s so-called playboy sheikh, was what the modern world considered the ‘fan favorite’ because of the roguishly charming demeanor he always presented to the public. Of the five Al-Atassi sheikhs, Tarif best fit the bill of Prince Charming, and so the masses’ adulation of him was unparalleled—-
And that, in many ways, was what made him the most dangerous of the five, Andy thought. Tarif had the art of deception perfected. He was so skilled in manipulating people that he could have opposing sides salivating to kiss his ass without either of them knowing they were already being controlled. One moment the sheikh would smile at you, the next thing you knew the sheikh would have stabbed you at—-
“Andy.”
The technician shot up straight in his seat at Sheikh Tarif’s voice.
“Yes, Your Highness?”
“Can you zoom in on the woman’s weapon?” The technician hurried to do his bidding, and Tarif’s gaze narrowed as he took note of the drawing engraved on the dagger’s gold-and-silver hilt. His knowledge of weaponry might not be equal to Altair, the kingdom’s Commander of Armed Forces, but even Tarif knew what the woman held in her hand was no ordinary knife.
And when he looked at his cousin, Altair’s curt nod confirmed his suspicion.
“Zoom in a bit more,” Altair commanded.
Andy did as asked, and as the writing on the hilt became legible, Tarif noted the way Altair and his younger brother Malik simultaneously stiffened in recognition.
Having observed the same unusual reaction, Khalil asked, “You recognize the weapon then?”
“Yes.” The faintest hint of disbelief colored Altair’s voice.
“And?”
“It belongs to the Kahveci family.” Malik shook his head as he spoke, his expression of incredulity mirroring that of his older brother’s.
Tarif frowned. “Kahveci...as in Sidqi Kahveci?”
“None other.” Altair’s tone was flat. Glancing at the technician, the sheikh ordered, “Continue with the video.”
Andy clicked on Play, and the shaky footage taken by a civilian resumed playing on the giant screen.
The sheikhs watched in taut silence as the woman joined in the fray, her every movement exhibiting a curious mix of anxiety and skill. The way she wielded her dagger suggested years of practice, but the way her hand trembled hinted of deep-rooted fear and reluctance: she did not want to hurt anyone, but she would do so if forced.
The camera’s focus then swung away from the woman, this time focusing on the queen, who was crying and begging for her personal guards to stand down. Khalil’s face clenched at the sight of his wife’s distress, and by the time the footage reached its end, the atmosphere inside the war room simmered with ill-restrained rage.
Knowing that the next words they would speak of were best restricted to their ears alone, Tarif dismissed the technician with a quiet nod of thanks, and Andy almost forgot to bow in his haste to leave. The sheikhs’ moods had taken a dangerous turn, and he wanted to be as far away from it as he could. The last time he had been around a rich, angry man, Andy had ended up becoming a human punching bag simply because the file Andy had hacked for a client had turned out worthless.