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“Are your ht?” Tally finally dared to ask as she spotted tents ahead, sand piled high against the sides “The sandstorm won’t have hurt them?”

“They’re fine,” he said curtly, reining his horse in “You’re the one in danger”

Men surged around them as they dismounted and Tair brusquely answered several of the h the crowd to his tent

In his tent he thrust her down onto the low chair that faced a simple desk

“Have you lost yourhimself before her, hands on his hips “What do you think you were doing?”

Tally clenched her hands in her lap “Running away!”

“It was stupid”

“Keeping me here is worse”

“No Keeping you here is keeping you safe And I won’t have you running off, putting yourself in danger,my men chase after you It’s tie”

“Why do you keep bringing up e?”

“Because you’re not a child You’re a woe—”

“Leave e out of it!”

“I can’t”

“Why not? It’s none of your business Nothing I do is any of your business”

“You’re wrong about that Everything you do in my country is my business” He pulled up a second low stool and sat down directly in front of her, but even sitting he was a full head and shoulders taller, and even sitting he towered over her “And where were you going anyway?”

She tried to rock back on her chair hating his close proxirit and sand, and sand in his black eyebrows he looked wild Instead of a pirate on a ship, he was a pirate of the desert “To get help,” she answered coldly

“Help?”

“Police, or protection—”

“Protection from who?” he roared

“You!”

He threw up his hands “I protect you I saved you from the rebels I saved you from violent people”

“I’erous man I’ve met in Northern Africa!”