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‘You are only a woman! You make no rules for Sam Bennett’

‘I ahter’

‘That is a guarantee of nothing’

Joanna shtly ‘Perhaps—and perhaps not’ With a last bit of bravado, she looked hi to take that chance?’

She could ally head, but her hts were deep within the cave Had Khalil got away? Had he heard the noise, ood his escape? Had he—?

Her answer ca yell that froze her with terror It must have had the sa froe at Abu and almost curl his hands around the man’s throat before anyone moved

‘Go on,’ he yelled at Joanna as two ainst the rocks, ‘ there?’

Abu rubbed his dirty fingers over his throat ‘Well, well,’ he said, very softly, ‘this is indeed a rinned, then pointed at one of his men ‘Kill the bandit!’

‘No!’ The word ripped froain, ‘don’t kill him’

‘We will spare you,’ Abu said, as if it were an act of humanity that impelled him and not the threat Joanna hadfor a reason the people will accept to kill the bandit’ He smiled ‘And now I have one Kill him!’

‘Very well’ Joanna’s voice was cool ‘Kill him, if you like—but if you do, you are a fool’

‘Watch your tongue, woman!’

‘He is not only your enemy, Abu, he is also my father’s He has dishonoured him—and me’ She took a breath ‘My father will surely want the pleasure of killing Khalil himself’

Abu laughed ‘Westerners do not believe in taking blood for dishonour’

‘Do you thinksoft-hearted?’

She looked over at Khalil, expecting to see a dark glint of ad to see it to give her the courage to go on Her heart dropped like a stone Khalil atching her as if she were so that had just scurried out fro herself to concentrate on Abu

‘My father will pay for having Khalil delivered into his hands,’ she said coldly,

‘and he will be grateful to you forever’

‘I think you say this to save the neck of the man who has become your lover’

Joanna stared at him ‘No No, I—’

‘I think I a Khalil ‘Go on,’ he said, ‘kill him!’

‘He took me,’ Joanna blurted ‘He forced me! That’s why I made such a desperate escape’ She knotted her hands into fists, marched up to Khalil and looked into his eyes, which were alht, oh, my love!

Swiftly, before she lost courage, she drew saliva into her mouth and spat full into Khalil’s face

‘He’s a barbarian,’ she said, swinging away so she didn’t have to look at hie’

A heavy silence descended on the group, broken only by the laboured sound of Khalil’s breathing, and then Abu nodded

‘Very well We take him with us and—’

Cries filled the air Joanna shrank back as Khalil’sup the slope Within minutes, it was over Abu and his men were defeated

With a little sob of joy, Joanna ran to Khalil and threw her arms around him, but he shoved her away

‘Don’t touch erous whisper