Page 95 of Raul
“And it has this amazing glass-bottomed boat so you can watch all the cool fish underwater,” Erica said. “Do you have one of those?”
Al-Buya’s face lit up. “I have something much better! Let me show you.”
She threw a questioning glance up at Raul, but he shrugged. They followed their host to a marble-lined elevator that descended to what al-Buya called the Fun Deck. “This is where we keep the water toys,” he explained as he opened a door and gestured them through.
“Oh. My. God,” Erica said, genuinely stunned at the number and variety of WaveRunners, Jet Skis, and all shapes and sizes of watercraft. In the center of the room, suspended from chains, was a small submarine.
“Estupendo!”Raul said, walking her over to it and running his hand along the sub’s sleek hull. “You have a submersible. If only it weren’t dark. I would love to have a ride.”
She was fairly sure his enthusiasm wasn’t an act. Thank God itwasdark, because that sub looked like her worst nightmare.
Al-Buya and Raul discussed the sub’s specifications and capabilities while Erica tried to keep her mind off the terrifying idea of being a hundred feet underwater. She finally pulled away from Raul’s side to inspect a speedboat on the other side of the storage space. She’d moved on to a two-person WaveRunner when Raul came up beside her, leaning down to nuzzle her ear while he whispered, “No luck yet with the search, so we need to keep talking. You’re doing an excellent job.”
She turned her head as though to kiss Raul and murmured against his lips, “I don’t know how much longer al-Buya is going to put up with my inane questions.”
He pulled her in close against him so her breasts were crushed against his chest. God, it felt so good. Then he nipped at her neck. “Let’s change the subject, then.”
“Raul, my friend, I have many staterooms for you to choose from,” al-Buya said, a leer in his voice.
“You know, I’ve gotten hungry…for food,” Raul said, matching al-Buya’s lascivious tone. “We’ll take you up on the offer of something to eat.”
Irritation clouded al-Buya’s face, but he swept his hand toward the door. “Of course.”
Just then, Dario came through the door and closed it behind him. He sounded as though he’d been running. “Señor,we know where the dragon and the eggs are.”
Excitement sparked through Erica. Raul had been right! He would get his dragon back.
Raul went from charmingly inebriated guest to snarling prince as he stalked up to al-Buya. “You fucking, thieving bastard! You think you can steal the most endangered creature in my country, the symbol ofmyfamily?”
For a split second, the amir flinched, but he recovered, drawing himself up to full height. “How dare you accuse me of being a thief?”
Raul loomed over the shorter man. “Don’t even try! We know you took the mother and her nest. We found the smuggler you hired.”
Raul’s features had sharpened into harsh angles, and his voice was a whipcrack of fury.
Erica wanted to cheer even as she hoped she was never the object of his anger.
“Where is she?” Raul asked, turning to Dario.
“Behind a locked door that only the amir has the code for.” Dario nodded toward al-Buya.
The amir recovered and lifted his chin. “Your claim is absurd. If you cannot open the door, you cannot know there’s a dragon behind it. Do you have X-ray vision?” he scoffed.
Dario lifted a device that looked like a chunky video camera with a large screen. “Yes, I do. The dragon’s skeleton is unmistakable with this portable X-ray machine.”
“Make your life easier, al-Buya,” Raul said. “Let us have the dragon, and I won’t drag you into court.”
“I am the ruler of a sovereign nation.” Al-Buya waved his hand in an imperial dismissal. “Your laws do not apply to me.”
“No one is above the law in Caleva,” Raul said. “Not even my father.”
“I am not a citizen of your insignificant little island,” al-Buya sneered.
“There is always the court of public opinion,” Raul pointed out. “Would you like your countrymen to know that their ruler is a thief? Not only that, but a thief who got caught red-handed?”
Raul’s eyebrows were raised, and he looked down at the amir as though al-Buya were a particularly loathsome insect.
“I should mention that your prized dragon will die,” Raul continued. “No one has been able to keep one alive in captivity anywhere in the world except Caleva.”
