The Sheikh's Pretend Bride (Qazhar Sheikhs series Book 2) (8 page)

But now that the car was closer, she could see that it wasn't Raz. In fact, she thought she could recognize the face. Ella was sure she had seen those heavy set features before.

And then, with a jolt and a rush of fear, she realized that it was the man from the reception in the hotel. It was one of Karim's bodyguards, the same man who had been watching Ella as she had been leaving the hotel.

Why had he followed her all the way out here? She didn't want to admit the truth that came flashing into her mind. But, she realized there could only be one reason.

Ella instinctively pressed her foot down hard on the accelerator. Her car picked up speed, and it was instantly matched by the car behind her.
 

Ella's mind filled with one overwhelming thought.

She was being chased!

Ella heard the roar of the other car's engine, and she saw it narrow the distance between them. The man's car was faster and more powerful than Ella's modest little hire car. There was no way she was going to be able to get away from him.

Anger and indignation raged inside Ella, and she glared at the car in her rearview mirror. So, this was what it came down to. They had told her back in America that her presence wouldn't be welcome; that she might face resistance. But, Ella had never really considered the possibility that her life might be in danger.

She kept her foot hard down on the gas pedal, but she knew it would make no difference. Ella glanced at her bag. There was nothing she could use to ward off any attack by the man in the car.

Suddenly the steering wheel slipped in her damp fingers and her car twisted sharply toward the beach side of the road. She heard the squeal of rubber on the road as she tugged hard on the steering wheel, straightening the car.

Behind her the other car lurched forward, taking advantage of Ella's suddenly loss of control. He was only a few feet away now.

Then, suddenly, Ella saw something else. She leaned forward and squinted in the mirror. Behind her pursuer, Ella saw another vehicle, a smaller red car, almost like a sports car. It was burning up the road and gaining quickly on Ella and her pursuer.
 

Ella glanced at her pursuer and saw him twisting his head violently, looking behind him at the red sports car.

Ella wondered who could be driving the sports car. Her heart raced when she thought that it might be Raz. Surely it couldn't be him, she thought.

Her pursuer's dark car lurched forward with a sudden roar and then he was driving parallel to Ella, his vehicle matching her speed exactly. Ella peered across at the car, while maintaining a tight grip on the steering wheel. What was he going to do? Ella glanced behind her and saw the red car barreling toward her. At that speed, it would reach her in less than a minute.

Then the other driver did something shocking, but not unexpected. With a sudden and violent force, he tugged on his wheel and his car moved sharply toward Ella's. She tried to force herself to keep steering straight, but some part of her reacted instinctively to the sudden action of the other driver.
 

Before she knew what was happening, Ella heard a shriek of brakes and felt herself lurch to one side. Her eyes flashed toward the beach on her right, the bright sun glinting on the sea. With one last sudden lurch, the other car twisted toward her, almost contacting Ella's car. Once again Ella fought to control her car, but she felt the wheels skid against the edge of the tarmac, saw the cloud of sand rise up by her side.
 

Ella was thrown from side to side, her seatbelt cutting into her shoulder. Then she saw the dark car speed off amidst a roar of engine.
 

Ella wrenched the steering wheel with all her might, but it was no good. With a cry of indignation Ella tried with one last effort to keep her vehicle from skidding off the road, but she couldn't do it.
 

The car bumped violently on the roadside. Ella felt herself thrown back and forth and it seemed as if it was no longer contacting the road.

Then she was thrown forward, her chest stretching the seatbelt. Ella knew the car was tumbling down the steeply elevated bank of the road. She saw the beach yards below her. Ella threw her hands up to her face. She knew the car was heading for the flat beach; knew that the impact could be deadly.

Ella yelled defiantly one last time as the car hammered down the embankment. She closed her eyes, hearing the awful sound of jarring metal, feeling herself being thrown around inside the car like a rag doll.

And then she felt the impact. The car juddered and stopped as if it had hit a brick wall.

There was a roaring in her ears and the last thing she thought was how beautiful the booming pulse of the waves of the nearby sea sounded, now that the car had come to a complete halt.

CHAPTER SEVEN

There was that sound, again, Ella thought. The sound of the waves. It was such a pleasant, relaxing noise.
 

Ella was aware of the distant rhythmic pulse of the sea, even as she kept her eyes closed. The darkness was inviting. She just wanted to sleep a little longer. Just a little while more. It wouldn't do any harm to sleep a few more hours.

Once again the sound of the sea caught her attention. This time, it was different, a booming roar, like surf crashing on rocks. The darkness enveloped Ella like a warm blanket.
 

Where was she?

Then she remembered. The car. The beach. Tumbling down the embankment. The bone-jarring impact. How had she survived?

Ella forced her eyes open.

A room? How could that be? Why was she not still tied into the driver's seat of her car?

Ella was lying on a bed in an unfamiliar room. A soft blanket covered her body, and her head rested on a scented pillow. From the open double doors that led onto a balcony, she heard the sound of the sea. The waves were more distant than when she had last heard them as she had lost consciousness in the car.

The car!
 

Ella gazed around the room. It was a luxuriously furnished room. The bed Ella lay upon was enormous. Even as she stretched out her legs, her feet couldn't reach the end of the bed.
 

Ella raised her head slightly and gazed around the huge room, taking in the exotic furnishings, the table, sofa, and bureau. She saw the slightly open doors of a step-in wardrobe. Luxurious rugs covered the marble floor. On either side of her bed were small tables. One had a telephone and the other a clock, which told Ella it was five o'clock. The sunlight streaming in through the open french doors told Ella it was probably late afternoon and not early morning.

How had she got here? And where was she?

Ella tried to sit up in bed, but came to a sudden halt. The pain in her head hit her like a physical blow. Ella winced and rubbed her forehead. Had she been hurt in the accident? Then she recalled that it hadn't been any accident. She had been forced off the road by that thug.

Ella laid her head back down on the pillow. She let out an exasperated sigh.

Where was she?

Then, a memory drifted into her consciousness; a sweet memory of a comforting, distant voice calling to Ella, demanding that she open her eyes.
 

Raz!

Ella's breath caught in her throat. She saw an image of Raz forcing open the door to her car. The beach and sea were behind him as he thrust his head into the car and struggled to free Ella from the seatbelt cutting into her shoulders.

Ella remembered how Raz's eyes had peered into her own. His gaze had been filled with concern, even fear for her well-being. He had gently stroked the loose strands of her hair away from her face, peering into her eyes, an obvious expression of anxiety written on his face.

Raz had asked her if she was alright. She remembered murmuring something to him, incoherent words that had merely increased Raz's anxiety. Ella recalled how he had called out to her to stay with him, ordered her to keep talking, as he had gently lifted her out of the car. Ella had felt herself sink into his arms, feeling him stumble on the sand as he had carried her to his own car.

As she had allowed herself to be placed on the passenger seat of his red sports car, Ella had glanced down the embankment and been shocked at the sight of the battered wreck that was jammed into the soft sand. She had wondered how she had survived.

Then her memories faded into a blackness punctuated by images of Raz behind the wheel of the red car, driving fast, going to some unknown destination, glancing over and over at Ella, lines of worry etched on his face.

Ella sighed and let her head sink back into the soft pillow.
 

Raz had rescued her!

It had been him in the red car that had appeared on the horizon just before Ella's car had been driven off the road.
 

Ella shuddered as she thought about what might have happened to her had he not come to her aid.

But, where was she now?

Once again, her attention was called by the sound of waves crashing against rocks somewhere out there, beyond the open doors.
 
She could see the blue sky and feel the heat of the day. A cool breeze shifted the fabric of the ornately patterned curtains. Ella felt the air brush her skin.

Ella ran her gaze once more around the room. The interior had the look of some kind of palace bedroom.

And then she remembered! A startling memory flashed into her mind. She recalled opening her eyes while still lying in the passenger seat of Raz's car. Staring ahead, she had seen a junction in the road leading off toward a rocky promontory. A range of mountains stretched off into the distance, and the road had cut through a narrow valley of hills.
 

And then, in the distance, she had seen a vision out of a child's fairy tale. A stunning white palace perched atop a mountain. The palace overlooked a rocky coastline, and Ella saw the dark ribbon of road lead all the way to a gated entry. For a moment she had thought she had been dreaming, as if childhood memories from storybooks had conjured a fantasy out of her mind, tormenting Ella, confusing her. But then she had realized the palace wasn't a mirage. It was a reality, and Raz was driving her through the gateway.
 

And that was the last thing she could remember before sinking once more into the darkness.

Now, she lay on the bed, suddenly realizing that she had been hurt in the crash and that Raz had brought her somewhere safe, someplace where she had been taken cared for.
 

How long had she been sleeping? Ella had no way of knowing. She could have been lost to the world for hours or days.
 

Suddenly, the door opened, and he was there.

Raz!

Ella gasped and pulled the blanket up to her chin. It was a reflexive action and one that she immediately regretted. He'd brought her somewhere safe, and all she could do was try to protect herself from him.

Raz was dressed in a casual white shirt that was open at the collar. He had on casual black pants and loafers. He stepped into the room and paused as he closed the door softly behind him. He looked across at Ella, concern written on his face. "How are you feeling?" he asked in a soft voice.

Ella drew in a deep breath and frowned. How did she feel? She didn't even know. Ella shifted on the bed, trying to get a better sense of how her body felt. Nothing seemed to be broken, but there was still that aching in her head, and her shoulder didn't feel quite right.

"I think I'm fine," she said eventually.

Raz took a few steps toward the bed. Ella tried to scoot back up the bed and lift her shoulders up, eager to show him that she was fine. But, again that pain and stiffness halted her attempts at sitting up.

Ella saw Raz's eyes narrow. "Looks like there're one or two issues there," he observed.

"It's nothing," Ella stated, knowing it wasn't true, but determined not to have him think she was in need of help.

Ella watched Raz move, panther-like, to the side of the bed. He drew up one of the chairs and sat down next to her bed. His movements were careful and steady, as if he didn't want to do anything to disturb her.

"How long have I been sleeping?" she asked.

"A day," he replied simply.

"A day?" Ella exclaimed.

Raz nodded. "The doctor has already seen you. Says everything's normal. You just need to rest."

"Doctor?" Ella replied. "When did the doctor see me?"

"You don't remember?" Raz asked.

Ella shook her head and sighed. "No," she said indignantly. "Of course, I don't."

"I see you haven't lost your ability to be annoyed," he said. "That's encouraging," he teased.

Ella squinted at Raz. "That's not funny," she said.

Raz nodded. "I know. I'm sorry."

Ella gave him a look, and she saw the corner of his mouth crease appreciatively.

"The doctor drove here to check you."

"From the city?"

Raz nodded.
 

Ella glanced out at the balcony. "Where exactly am I?"

Raz leaned back in the chair and looked firmly at Ella, his chin raised defiantly. "My palace," he replied curtly. There was a note of pride in his voice.

"Your palace?" she asked, trying not to sound incredulous.

Raz nodded. "It's where I come when I want to get away from the city." He grinned. "And my family."

"I can hear the sea," Ella said.

"I had the palace built on the coast. You could say these mountains are the perfect hideaway."

Ella frowned at him. "What do you have to hide from?"
 

Raz smirked. "Nothing. I just like my privacy. A bit like yourself," he said, reminding her of what she had told him previously.

Ella shifted and couldn't avoid flinching at the discomfort she suddenly felt. Raz noticed her expression and stood, coming to the side of her bed. "Are you in pain?" he asked frowning.

Ella shook her head emphatically. "No. Why would you think that?"

"It seems you are in some discomfort."

"Well, I'm not," she said firmly. "And who was this doctor who saw me?"