Page 34 of The Geek and the Sheikh

Yahya snorted, James cleared his throat, but Jameel continued to scowl. He took a step closer to her and slid his hand down her arm until he was holding her hand.

"Theyshouldbe afraid," Jameel muttered before he kissed her temple.

She fought a giddy smile. Jameel made her feel special and safe. They continued on through the station and arrived at their platform with less than five minutes before departure.

Hyder materialized out of the crowd and walked over to them. He silently nodded to them. Junebug moved up the narrow steps and followed the corridor to the First-Class Coach.

She slid her backpack down and deposited it under the table before settling into the plush chair near the window. Excitement built inside her. She was going to Paris! There were so many places she wanted to see. She really hoped that Allison wouldn’t figure out that they had left England… at least for a few days.

Yahya, James, and Hyder took their seats two tables down. Jameel stopped to talk with them before he came to sit across from her. She stared out of the window, scanning the crowd.

“Do you think we are safe?” she asked.

“For now. I want to check the security feed for the station to make sure no one followed us. Hyder feels confident he was able to lose the men following him.”

“I’ll do that.”

He rose from his seat and moved around the table to sit next to her while she retrieved her MiFi and laptop. It took a little digging since she had packed in a hurry. He grinned at her when she placed a bag of chocolate-filled marshmallows on the table. She gave him a glare of warning and moved the bag away from him when she saw him eyeing them.

“What? Those things are addictive,” he defended with an affable grin.

“They are also my last bag. You ate an entire bag of them last night,” she muttered, placing her laptop on the table.

They both looked out the window when they felt the train beginning to move. The rocking of the train and the noise as it sped up sent a wave of comfort through her. It reminded her of the vibrations and noise of the subway back home.

She startled when she felt Jameel’s hand cover hers. It wasn’t until he curled his fingers around her moving digits that she realized she was tapping them on the table. She bowed her head and tried to ignore both her feeling of despair that she would always be different and the warmth that spread through her at his touch.

“I need my hand to type,” she said, gently tugging her hand free.

“Sorry. I enjoy touching you—touching your hand. I mean, I just wanted to make sure you were alright. Trains can be a bit nerve-wracking,” he finished awkwardly.

She tilted her head and studied his face. His cheeks were tinged with a tiny bit of red. He also had a look that was a cross between panic and nervousness. It slowly dawned on her that he was as socially awkward as she was.

Well, not quite as much, but close.

That thought sent a surprising jolt of satisfaction through her. It was just one more thing they had in common. She booted up her computer, turning it slightly so that he could easily see the screen. He settled in close to her, which made it a little hard to concentrate on what she was doing.

“I’m in. I’ll run a facial scan for Allison. I don’t know what any of the other guys look like,” she said.

“I guess we’ll just have to look for anyone that looks suspicious.”

She nodded. “I’m running a facial on everyone who entered the hotel. I’ve narrowed the filter to focus on anyone associated with any of Bronislav or Coldhouse’s organizations or mercenaries.”

“That’s an awful lot of people,” he muttered, watching as unfamiliar faces flashed across the screen.

“Yeah, without my computer at home this is going to take forever. I’m only focusing on the hour before and after we arrived,” she replied.

“I’ll get the guys to check the train,” he said.

She nodded while he rose to his feet and walked back to where the other men were seated. She couldn’t help but peer under her lashes and watch him. He moved with a grace that reminded her of Midnight. He was light on his feet.

She quickly diverted her attention back to her screen so he wouldn’t see she had been watching him. To pass the time while the software ran its scan, she typed out a quick message to Midnight.

All is good. Met up with Jameel. We are exploring.

She kept the message short. If she rattled on, her sister would get suspicious. She didn’t add that they were being chased, or that Bronislav had a really good hacker on her tail. The last thing she wanted was for her sister to give up her chance at happiness to come rescue her. Besides, Idella knew what was going on. If things got too harried, she knew Idella would be there.

“Anything yet?” Jameel asked, sliding back into the seat next to her.

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