Free The Sheikh's Kidnapped Bride (The Sharqi Sheikhs Series Book 3) by Leslie North Page A

wanted her to spill her life in all its ugliness, but he hadn’t shared anything about his own life with her. Were the items in the shoebox just memories from his childhood? What was going on?

Chapter 12
     
    Mahil was currently in the large garages at the side of the property, having gone there after leaving Carolyn in the pool area. Making love to her had been one of the most amazing experiences of his life, but had only served to fuel his need to take care of her problems for her.
    “Ahmed?” he called out as he entered the large barn like structure. In addition to housing a variety of vehicles, the garage also housed a small helicopter that was often used when Mahil needed to get from one place to another and driving was out of the question.
    This part of Al-Sarid was a dichotomy of landscapes. The actual village was situated in what had once been a lovely oasis in the middle of the desert. Many centuries ago, the spring feeding the pools had been dug out and a small settlement had begun to take shape.
    The Sharqi family had owned and controlled the general area for more than a millenia now, and their claim to everything for hundreds of miles was undisputed. The nomadic peoples of Al-Sarid knew they were welcome to travel across the land, making use of the various watering holes that dotted the desert landscape, as long as they didn’t abuse either the land or the people they encountered.
    “Sir?” Ahmed asked, coming from the rear of the helicopter with a greasy rag in his hands.
    “What is wrong?” Mahil asked, raising an eyebrow at Ahmed’s hands.
    “Nothing. I was just making sure everything was in proper working order. You came looking for me?”
    Mahil nodded his head, “I did. What have you been able to find out about our guest’s problem?”
    Ahmed met his gaze and asked, “Are you sure you want to know?”
    Mahil nodded, “Yes. Tell me.”
    Ahmed tossed the rag onto a rolling workbench and then pulled a folded group of papers from a drawer. He handed them to Mahil and then explained, “The man there, that is the same one that approached her in the diner?”
    Mahil looked at the picture and nodded, “Yes. Who is he?”
    “His name’s Salvatore Gomez. He’s a small-time drug lord and loan shark.”
    Mahil looked up sharply, “What?!”
    “It’s true. And he’s good, good enough that the local authorities have been after him for years but can never prove he’s been involved in whatever crime they’re trying to pin on him.”
    Mahil looked at the man and wondered how Carolyn had come to be mixed up with such an individual. “She doesn’t use drugs.” He made it a statement and not a question because there was no way he was wrong about her character.
    Ahmed nodded his head, “You are correct. She actually isn’t the one who got mixed up with that individual. Her father was.”
    “I don’t understand. Why is this man bothering Carolyn if it is her father who has business with him?”
    “That’s where it gets tricky. Miss Michael’s father is a drunk and a heavy stakes gambler. Over the years, he’s managed to lose a lot of money and now he owes this Salvatore person more than a hundred grand!”
    Mahil blinked at the amount and then tried to reconcile the fact with what he knew about Carolyn, “She’s trying to pay off her father’s debt.”
    “It would seem so. According to one of Salvatore’s underlings, she’s been making payments for the last several years and is only one more payment away from having her father’s debt cleared.”
    “When?” Mahil asked, wanting to make sure she had no more dealings with this individual.
    “She has to come up with the last twenty thousand by the end of the month or the original negotiation he made with her is null and void.”
    “What happens then?” Mahil asked, needing to know exactly what kind of mess she was in.
    “Salvatore agreed to stop charging her interest provided she paid him the remaining twenty thousand. If she