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tothe Berbers over with stat. Then he could go in peace to his Summer Palace, where his next worry would be to find a wife.
    “Think about it, Zakir,” she said crisply as she re-covered her hair with her scarf. He noticed her hands were trembling. “The Berber tribesmen have scouts everywhere in these hills. They’ll see us coming from miles away, and your convoy will meet resistance. Trust me on this, if—”
    “Trust you? On matters of my own country and people?” He laughed condescendingly. “Do you honestly think I do not have contingency plans for the possibility of an ambush when we enter those hills?”
    “That’s the last situation you want. You could lose hold of the Rahm Hills if you go in there and start up a war.”
    Zakir felt irked by her challenge, yet he was increasingly surprised by this woman’s boldness—and his confounding attraction to her. “That, Nikki,” he said patronizingly, “is why I came here with you. To meet with the sheik of this clan and talk to his people.”
    She leaned forward, pressing her point. “And that, Zakir, is exactly why you must let me go to their village alone. Please, let me be your envoy. Let me secure my children, and then you and your men can come in.”
    Zakir exhaled in frustration. She was right, and he knew it. She was astute and an incredibly fast read of a situation.
    And truthfully, Zakir had not considered the well-being of her orphans. He’d been wholly focused on politics, on saving his country. Wasn’t that more important?
    Perhaps the children didn’t even exist.
    Perhaps this woman had ulterior motives.
    Zakir cursed in Arabic and dragged his hand over his hair again.
    She was also the kind of woman he could use on his side. Nikki understood tribal cultures. She spoke Arabic. Sheloved the desert. She had sharp political insight, and she was bold. She was also a link to the Western life Zakir had grown accustomed to, a lifestyle he’d enjoyed.
    In some ways Nikki was a lot like him—her feet planted in two different worlds. A bridge between two cultures. Never mind the fact she was also beautiful and incredibly desirable.
    Zakir shook himself, feeling light-headed, then suddenly he realized his vision was blurring again. He reached quickly for his sunglasses. “Fine,” he said quietly, his mind racing. “We’ll compromise. My men will stay in the Red Valley while I go alone with you to meet the Berbers.”
    She considered his proposal. “You’ll go unarmed?”
    “No. That I cannot do.” Because I have yet to trust you.
    She opened her mouth to protest, but he raised his hand. “I will, however, travel in the robes of a simple Berber. If they see us approaching from afar, I will merely look like your guide. When we meet them, you can explain your ‘guest.’ Your children will not come to harm this way, Nikki.”
    “But when they learn it is you? ”
    “By then I will be in their custody, in their village. I will not be a threat to them. They will be in control.”
    She studied him, something akin to respect crossing her features. Clearly, she had not expected this of him. And in spite of himself, Zakir liked the way it felt to surprise her, to win her respect.
    Silence hung for several beats. “All right,” she said quietly.
    “Wait here,” he commanded.
    Zakir got out of the Humvee, called Ghorab to his side and stood motionless in the wind for a second, his hand resting on his dog as he considered his next steps. And as his blood pressure eased, so did the dark blur in his left eye. He notedthis. It was something he needed to tell Tariq as soon as possible.
    Zakir then strode over to Tenzing Gelu, his lead bodyguard, the man he trusted most. “We’re going to the base camp at the south end of the Red Valley. The Sheik’s Army camel handler should be waiting there with animals by now. You will all remain at the camp while Ms. Hunt and I travel ahead on camel to meet the Berbers,” he said brusquely. “We will remain in