I slid into the cool interior and he returned to the passenger seat up front. I felt someone watching me and I looked up to see a pair of angry dark eyes in the rearview mirror. The driver turned his head toward me and I sucked in a sharp breath when I recognized the man who had attacked me yesterday at the rest stop. Tarek’s face bore the bruises from his fight with Peter and his eyes told me he was itching for payback. Instead of speaking to me, he muttered something in Arabic to his companion and they both laughed. I wrapped my arms tightly around me and stared blindly out the window. Part of me wanted to take one last look around, to drink in the picture of the place I had called home for most of my life, but a bigger part did not want to accept that this was the last time I might ever see it. I was willing to trade my life for Nate’s but that did not mean I was giving up yet. I’d survived too much these last weeks to go down without a fight now.

It took us less than five minutes to reach our destination and I was surprised to find us outside an empty three storey building with a ‘For Rent’ sign in the window only two streets away from mine. The Escalade parked on the busy street and the blond man turned to me before he opened his door.

“Do not make a scene if you value your uncle’s life,” he said in halting English.

I nodded and we got out. He led the way into the building where I had to strain to see through the dimness. Before my eyes could adjust, he took my arm. “Haism is waiting for you,” he said leading me toward a lit doorway at the back of the building.

“Nate!” I cried as soon as I saw him in his wheelchair beside a large metal desk. I broke away from the blond man and ran to kneel in front of Nate. “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”

“I’m okay.” He held me away from him and gave me a searching look. “Sara, what is going on? How do you know Mr. Bakr?” he asked in a lowered voice.

“Mr. Bakr?”

“Haism Bakr,” said a familiar voice with a crisp, Middle Eastern accent. I straightened and faced the hawk-nosed man I’d seen on the monstrous yacht at the marina. He was sitting behind the desk with his hands clasped in front of him and a scowl on his face. His dark eyes glittered with rancor as they swept over me. “My employer is very displeased with you, Miss Grey.”

“You work for that sheik.” I could not keep the disgust out of my voice.

His scowl deepened. “You have robbed him of something he went through great trouble to obtain,” he growled.

My hackles rose. “That something was little children.”

“Those creatures are not children,” Haism spat. “The sheik is a powerful and important man. What are the lives of those things compared to his?”

“Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?” Nate exclaimed. He turned to Haism. “What does my niece have to do with you and your employer and why are you holding us here like this?”

“Remember what I told you about the man who took the trolls? Haism works for him.” My mouth twisted in disgust. “You used that whole oil exploration thing as a cover to snoop around here, didn’t you?”

Haism shrugged. “It made our presence here more believable. I do whatever is necessary for my employer.”

I bit my lip to keep from saying what I thought of his employer. I wasn’t going to help Nate by antagonizing this man. “I came as you asked. Please let my uncle go now.”

Nate jerked forward in his chair. “What are you taking about?”

Haism’s smile did not reach his eyes. “Do you really think you are in a position to negotiate, little girl? You have caused me nothing but headache and because of you I have to go back to my employer empty-handed.” He stood and came toward me. “In my country, a female is beaten for interfering in the business of men.”

I heard Nate’s sharp intake of breath as his hand gripped mine. Drawing strength from his touch I replied, “In my country, a man who does not keep his word has no honor.”

Haism scowled darkly but stopped his advance on me. “I serve my employer. That is where my honor lies, so do not talk –.”

A cell phone rang and he pulled his from the front pocket of his pants. Something like fear flashed across his face when he looked at the screen. His eyes met mine as he put the phone to his ear.

“It’s done.”

The caller said something to which Haism replied, “Not so fast. My employer made a contract with you but I am not so foolish as to trust you. I will tell you where to pick her up after my people and I are safely away.”

My heart plummeted to my stomach. Her? He meant me. I thought he was taking me to his employer because they’d learned I could heal but he was going to hand me off to someone else.

Haism let out a short laugh. “You have waited this long, vampire, a few more hours will not matter. I will call you and tell you where you can find her.”

He hung up and tapped his chin with the phone. “For one so young you have drawn a lot of attention from some powerful… people. I do not know what you have done to bring this upon yourself but what is done is done.”

I barely heard his taunt because of the fear gripping me. Black spots floated before my eyes and I gripped Nate’s hand so hard he grunted in pain. After everything I’d been through, all the escapes and being watched around the clock, I was going to end up in Eli’s clutches after all.

Nate pulled me closer to him. “What kind of people are you?” he demanded fearfully. “She is just a child.”