Altair (Desert Sheikh Romance, #5) by Tee, Marian (freenovel24 .txt) 📗

way his female servants were giggling and stealing looks at the other sheikh, Mahmud knew that the man's scarred features did nothing to diminish his appeal to the other sex.

Altair inclined his head in customary greeting as he came to stand before his betrothed's sire. "Yam jamil, alshaykh."

Mahmud, however, only snorted at this. "Let us do away with the formalities." The older man's gaze turned calculating. "You are, after all, soon to be my son-in-law...nem?"

"Nem." The sheikh's voice was even.

Mahmud was grudgingly impressed. He had expected the sheikh to answer with an outright denial, but since he did not...

In the many instances Altair had the opportunity to study how Mahmud operated, the older man had always shown himself to be sly and crafty. Dodgy even. Altair had been prepared for Safiya's father to act no differently today, but he was proven wrong as soon as he was seated.

"Have you decoded Safiya's letter yet?"

The abruptly spoken question had Altair involuntarily stiffening.

"I knew from the start your people had made a copy of the letter. But what none of you realized is that the code we use would automatically reveal if a letter has been tampered with." Mahmud's gaze narrowed impatiently at the other sheikh. "Well then?"

"No," Altair said finally, having decided that admitting this much did not come with any risk. "None of us—-"

Mahmud interrupted him then, and Altair's brows shot up as he realized what Safiya's father was telling him...and it was none other than the means to crack the code.

Afterwards, Mahmud relaxed back against his seat and surveyed the other sheikh's chagrined expression with unconcealed glee.

"It kills you now, does it not? How simple the code is?"

"Yes." Altair's tone this time was one of self-disgust.

"It is one of the Tannous' family secrets," Mahmud shared congenially. "And just as my grandfather taught my sire, and my father taught me, I had also been the one to teach my daughter—-"

"Why are you telling me this?"

"A show of good faith." Mahmud's lips twisted in a humorless smile when he saw how his words had caused the sheikh's chiseled features to turn expressionless. "You do not believe me. I can see it in your eyes, and I do not blame you. But then...you also do not have a choice, do you?"

The younger sheikh only responded to this with a Gallic shrug of his broad shoulders, and this, too, Mahmud had expected.

"When I learned of your cousin's woman being abducted and almost dying as a consequence, I thought that was enough ammunition for you to terminate your betrothal with Safiya. But you chose not to do so, and that surprised me. I do not mind admitting that, and afterwards, when you still did not terminate the betrothal after that woman's corpse was discovered?" Mahmud inclined his head in a wry gesture of acknowledgment. "That was the moment I thought to myself...this man truly cared for my daughter."

A period of silence followed, and Mahmud's gaze turned thoughtful as the other sheikh's features remained inscrutable.

"Am I wrong?"

Altair met the other sheikh's gaze unflinchingly. "No."

"And you are willing to swear that on your honor?"

"Yes."

Although the other sheikh's voice had become noticeably curt, Mahmud could not sense any dishonesty coming from Altair. What he did sense, however...

"You do not trust me, obviously."

"I would not make a good soldier," Altair said levelly, "if I trusted easily."

"True, true, but...you still do not have a choice, alshaykh."

"You keep talking about choices," Altair drawled, "but I do not recall you asking me to decide on anything."

"Come now, alshaykh. I'm certain you already know what I'm about to offer."

Altair's jaw clenched as he realized that the time he had been waiting for years had finally come.

"Ask your question, boy."

"Who is it that you're working with?"

Mahmud shook his head. "I was not working with anyone. I only happened to know of another person's intentions, and I did not think it my business to interfere."

"Even if not doing anything would have endangered people's lives?"

"I am no martyr," Mahmud said with a shrug. "And more importantly, we are getting off track. Ask me again, alshaykh."

"Who is the one behind all this?"

"A good question, but I need to hear something else before it."

Altair's lip curled when he finally understood what the older man was getting at. But because it was just as Mahmud said, and he had no choice...

"What do you want in return," Altair bit out, "in exchange for giving up that person's name?"

Mahmud smiled. "Finally, you speak my language." It did not have the other man smiling back, but that was fine. What mattered was whether the sheikh was willing able to give him what he wanted and that was...

"I need you to give me your word," Mahmud said simply, "that you will take proper care and responsibility towards my daughter."

Altair stared at Safiya's father in disbelief. Was that a fucking joke?

"That's truly all that I wish for," Mahmud said, having seen the incredulity in the other man's eyes. "Your word that you will not abandon my daughter, and I shall give you what you ask for."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

"Fine then." Altair could not help snapping, with a part of him feeling like he had just been made a fool of. "You have my word—-"

"Al-Atassi."

"Eafi?" Excuse me?

"Your own blood betrayed you. I have the means to prove this as well, but I shall need to leave—-"

Altair shot to his feet. "Are you fucking kidding me? Do you think this is some kind of game?" he demanded furiously.

"It is no lie, alshaykh."

Altair could only throw Safiya's father a look of contempt before stalking away. At that point, nothing would have pleased him more than to order his men to throw Mahmud's ass into the royal dungeon, and the only reason he had not done so was out of respect for his betrothed.

He had no fucking idea why the old man had suddenly chosen to waste his time like this, and his mood only worsened when he arrived back at the palace. It was bad enough