page30 (1/2)

‘What? What were you going to say?’

She stared at hi to say, that she was the one whose heart was broken But it wasn’t true She was defending Khalil, yes, but not because she loved hi to lie about him, to raise doubts in the minds of his people

‘You can’t do so so evil,’ she said flatly

Sa to put together thisdeal, sure But when the banks and the power brokers know the truth about him, how he abducted you and how he treated you—’

‘But they won’t’ Joanna’s eyes flashed with defiance ‘The story’sto tell it’

Sa you as if you understood business! You’re not the son I wanted, and you never will be’

Tears glinted on Joanna’s lashes ‘Well,’ she said, ‘at least it’s finally out in the open I’m not, no, and—’ The car jounced to a stop at the kerb Joanna grabbed her evening bag from the seat ‘We can discuss this later, Father’

‘Jo Wait!’

She snatched her hand frory and upset to wait for the chauffeur to open it Sam cared about protocol, but it had never meant a damn to her

‘Joanna,’ Sa open the door—and stepped straight into a bewildering sea of cameras and microphones

‘Miss Bennett!’ Soer voice asked, ‘that you were abducted and held for ransom by the new ruler of Jandara?’

Joanna stiffened ‘Where did you—?’

‘Is it true he abducted you because he’d demanded bribe money from your father’s company and your father refused to pay it?’

She spun towards Sam, who had stepped out of the car after her ‘Did you do this?’ she said in a low voice

His eyes narrowed ‘We’ll discuss this later, you said I think we should stay with that idea’

‘Answer me! Did you set this up?’

‘Do unto others as they do unto you, Jo,’ Sam said out of the side of his mouth ‘Khalil’s in New York, his hat in his hand It’s my turn now’

Joanna’s mouth trembled ‘You would lie about Khalil, let the et even?’

Salared at her ‘Business is business, Joanna How co it look as if he were defending her against the press, and held up his hands ‘My daughter finds this too emotional a topic to talk about,’ he said ‘I’ll speak on her behalf’

He launched into a tirade against Khalil, about his greed and his barbarisered by Bennettco’s refusal to pay enough baksheesh and how he’d stolen Joanna in retaliation, then de’s ransom for her return—

‘No,’ Joanna said

Thetowards her and Sa look

‘The only reason we’ve decided to cohter refuses to let Prince Khalil trick our bankers into investing in—’

‘No!’ Joanna’s voice rose ‘It’s not true!’

‘Do you see what the bastard did?’ Sam roared ‘She’s still afraid to talk about how he imprisoned her, starved her, beat her—’

‘It’s a lie!’ Joanna stepped past her father ‘Prince Khalil asked for no ranso to blacken his name!’

There was aout

‘Decent men don’t abduct women’

There was a titter of laughter Joanna lifted her chin and stared directly into the glittering eyes of the video cameras

‘He didn’t abduct me,’ she said in a clear voice

‘Your father says he did What’s the story, Miss Bennett?’

What had Khalil said, the night he’d taken her? That he could tell the world she’d run off with him and be believed, that no one would doubt such a story Joanna took a deep breath

‘I ith Khalil because I wanted to be with hily word and her voice gathered strength ‘The Prince asked o aith him—and I did’

A dozen questions filled the air, and finally one reporter’s voice cut through the rest

‘So, you don’t hate the Hawk of the North?’

Joanna’s lips trembled ‘No,’ she said, ‘I don’t hate him’

‘What, then?’ someone called

Joanna hesitated ‘I—I—’

‘Well, Miss Bennett?’ another voice insisted, ‘how do you feel about him?’

Joanna stared at the assembled cameras How did she feel about Khalil? What did she feel?