Page 42 of The Sheikh's Desert Captive

He looked pleased that she'd agreed. He nodded one last time and left the room.

She sat down at a table and dialled her mother's personal number. Nicole heard a familiar voice answer.

"Mom?" she exclaimed.

"Nicole? Is that you?" she heard her mother say. In spite of a lifetime of diplomatic dealings, when it came to her daughters Annabelle couldn't hide concern in her voice. "Where have you been?" Annabelle asked. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, mom. I told you I was going traveling in the desert. And that's what I did," Nicole explained.

"You sound tired, dear," Annabelle said.

"I'm fine."

"Where are you?"

Nicole thought a moment before answering. Should she tell her mother she was staying a sheikh's palace and that she wouldn't be home for while? Or should she soften the blow? She opted for the latter. There would be too many questions if she went into too many details.

"I'm with a friend," Nicole said.

"Really?"

Her mother didn't sound too convinced.

"Is it someone I know?" Annabelle asked.

"I don't think so."

"Is he someone local?"

"Did I say it was a he?" Nicole replied.

"I'm your mother, Nicole," Annabelle said emphatically. Nicole didn't say anything. "So he is someone from Qazhar," her mother concluded.

"I guess you could say that," Nicole admitted. There was no fooling her mother. "In any case, I needed to tell you, I'll be away for a few days."

There was a long silence and then Annabelle spoke."That long? There isn't something you need to tell me?"

How could she answer a question like that? Of course there were things she wanted to say to her mother. So many things. It was why Nicole had come down this room in the first place, why she'd called her mother.

But, now that she'd reassured her mother she was safe, now that she'd heard her mother's voice, Nicole felt reluctant to open up any further. She wondered why that was. And then realized it had to do with Rashid. Again.

Rashid had helped Nicole by giving her the means to talk with her mother. The lingering doubts about Rashid which had nagged at Nicole up in her room had been gently pushed aside by that one simple action on his part.

"It's fine, mom."

"I can always get you on this number, can't I?" Annabelle said.

For a moment, Nicole was confused, until she realized that Rashid's number would be captured by her mother's phone. It was a connection with the outside world. It meant Nicole wasn't completely cut off. She wondered if that was the reason Rashid had been reluctant to offer her the phone earlier.

"Of course, you can," Nicole replied.

"You're not going to tell me where you are," her mother said. It sounded almost like an accusation.

"There's nothing to worry about, mom."

"You know I can arrange for you to come home, no matter where you are," Annabelle said. Nicole didn't doubt that for a moment. The embassy had access to resources that would make it easy to bring the ambassador's daughter home. Did Nicole want that? It would bring this whole situation to an end. She thought about Rashid and decided against that option.

"If I need help, I'll let you know, mom," Nicole said.

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