Sheikh's Blackmailed Love Read Free Page A

liar,” she said as calmly as she could. “He hit on me on the way back to the camp, and then he threatened me. I guess this is what he came up with.”
    He stilled, glaring at her. She clutched the handle of the paring knife so hard that she knew her knuckles were turning white.
    “Is that so?” Christensen asked, suspicious.
    “It is.”
    He watched her so intently that she thought he must be able to see her pulse, the frantic beating of her heart.
    “Abdul needs to learn to keep his damned mouth shut,” Christensen declared.
    Instead of leaving, however, he simply closed the door behind him.
    “I’ve been watching you,” he said, his voice somehow more terrifying when it got quiet. “You’ve got potential. Wouldn’t have brought you out here unless I thought so…”
    At that point, Bailey stopped listening to him. There was nothing he said that was important at this point. Right now, she had to watch his body to see what he would do next. She forced herself to breathe, because to do otherwise would mean she would be faint and light-headed when she did have to move.
    “Pretty little thing. Very pretty,” Christensen said, drawing closer.
    When he moved, he didn’t crowd her like she was prepared for him to do. Instead, his long arm snaked out, and he snagged her wrist, drawing her stumbling into his body with a sharp cry.
    “Yes, just keep quiet, Tyler. This is for… for your own good. Show the men to keep their damn hands off of you, right…?”
    Somehow, she ended up on her back on the narrow bed, Christensen kneeling over her. He reached for his clothes, and that was enough for her to strike.
    With a scream that seemed to echo through the trailer and the very mountains themselves, she jabbed upward at him. The knife sank into… something, and then Christensen threw himself backward, screaming with fury.
    Bailey couldn’t figure out how badly she had hurt him, and at the moment she didn’t care. She threw herself across the trailer to the door. To her relief, Christensen hadn’t locked it behind him, and she threw it open, stumbling into the free air.
    She had taken two steps to freedom, but then she yelped as he stumbled forward, grabbing her by her long brown hair.
    “Come back here, you little bitch, you fucking cut me…”
    She turned around, ready to fight, to claw, to do whatever she had to to get away while knowing that it was likely futile. He grabbed her, but when she clawed at him, he pushed her to the hard ground. Bailey gasped with pain, feeling a hard thunk against her temple. For a moment, her vision swam, but then it righted itself again.
    Suddenly, there was the quick thunderous smatter of gunshots.
    Christensen swore, and in his distraction, Bailey managed to twist away and run into the darkness. She veered away from the sound of the gunfire, into the darkness of the desert. It was miles to get to the village, but it was her only chance. The only ones with guns in this part of the desert were Christensen’s team, poachers, and bandits, and if they caught her…
    She pelted into the darkness, moving as fast as she could. For a moment, she thought that the thunderous pounding was the beating of her own heart, but then, with dread, she realized it was hoofbeats. She was running fast, but she was no match for the horse, which gained on her with every stride.
    The horse pulled up alongside her, and then with a sharp cry, the rider leaned over the side, wrapping an arm around her torso and lifting her straight up.
    “No, no!” she screamed, struggling against his grasp, but he threw her over his hard thighs, holding her in place with one hand.
    “Stay calm,” said a voice in English. She was shocked to realize that she recognized the voice. “You’re safe, stay calm, little darling…”
    It was the man from the village earlier. He had read her note, and somehow, he had found her. The shock combined with the blessed relief of being finally safe was too much.
    Bailey fainted dead