A Summer Smile Read Free

longer."
    "If Bradford fails to persuade Ben Raschid that we are serious, we will remind you. Be sure of it." Hassan's hand relaxed and fell away from her thigh. He stood up. "You might shed a few frightened tears for this Daniel Seifert to report back to Bradford. It wouldn't hurt." He turned away and made a sign to his cohort, who was lounging in a seat at the front of the plane, a machine-gun lying carelessly in the crook of his arm. "Seifert should be here in five minutes.
    We will meet him outside and conduct a routine search. I doubt if Ben Raschid would be foolish enough to send one man against us, but Hakim and I will make sure."
    He threw open the heavy metal door and went down the steps of the Learjet. Zilah saw that he said something over his shoulder to Hakim, who was following close behind him, and then laughed. She leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. Animals. They were animals, and she mustn't let Hassan's words touch her.
    It was so hot in the cabin that she could scarcely breathe. Perspiration was running down her back, causing her short-sleeved white shirt to cling to her like a second skin. She opened her eyes and stared numbly out the window at the desolate wasteland of sand. Nothing but dunes and sky as far as the eye could see, and the heat was rising from those dunes in shimmering waves.
    She wouldn't be afraid. There must be some way she could escape Hassan and his men if she could rid herself of this debilitating fear. The last twenty-four hours had been a nightmare of terror. Yet she couldn't let them use her like this. David had done so much for her; she couldn't allow herself to be turned into a weapon against him.
    The throbbing chug of a motor caused her to straighten swiftly and lean closer to the window. A jeep had halted a good fifty yards from the plane and the driver lithely swung to the ground. His hands rose quickly above his head. "Daniel Seifert," he called.
    He should have looked cowed and intimidated in that position, but there was nothing in the least tame about the man who was standing with his legs astride beside the open jeep. He was a giant of a man, at least six foot five or perhaps taller, and dressed in
    khaki trousers that outlined the powerful muscles of his thighs and calves. His khaki shirt seemed barely able to contain the sleek biceps of those massive arms. Auburn hair blazed in the sunlight and a closely trimmed mustache and beard were of the same fiery hue as his hair. He was a wild, barbaric figure and reminded her vaguely of a painting she'd once seen of a fierce Viking warrior.
    Hassan and Hakim must have been equally impressed by the air of restrained menace that Seifert exuded because their attitude was distinctly wary as they approached him. They ordered him to lean against the hood of the jeep. The search wasn't the routine one Hassan had planned. It was very thorough but yielded nothing more lethal than a fingernail clipper. Then they were striding toward the plane, the red-haired giant a few paces ahead, apparently ignoring trie machine-gun Hakim was pointing at the small of his back.
    "Relax," Hassan snapped at Hakim as they entered the passenger compartment of the plane. "You saw that there was no sign of a weapon. It appears Ben Raschid is being sensible for a change." He gestured to Zilah in her seat at the back of the plane. "There she is, Seifert. You can see that she's alive and unharmed."
    "I want to talk to her," Daniel said. "Alone."
    "That's not necessary," Hassan said sharply. "She will tell you we have not misused her."
    "Then let her tell me," Daniel said. "Alone. I have instructions to make sure you've done her no harm before we deal. I hardly think she'd be willing to spill any beans while you stand there with a gun pointed at her head."
    Hassan hesitated a moment before he shrugged. "Go ahead. We will stay by the door. You will be out of earshot back there if you lower your voice. You have five minutes."
    Daniel Seifert looked even