Free Stolen by the Sheik (Black Towers Book 2) by Lauren Hawkeye, Suzanne Rock Page A

smirked and returned her focus to the laptop. “I can’t believe how much attention this is getting.”
    “It’s a threat to national security. If it was in my country, we would do the same.”
    Liv performed search after search, trying to find something that might help them with their predicament. After a long moment, she rubbed her eyes and grabbed a piece of bacon. “There’s nothing here. Besides us, the police have no leads, no evidence.”
    “I know.”
    “But we don’t know anything either.” Liv tried another search, and blinked at the screen. A new article popped up, its headline created less than a minute ago. Refreshing the page, she saw the same information posted again and again in various venues and formats. In the background, she head the morning news bumper music play.
    “Breaking news at this hour. . .”
    “Oh shit.”
    “What?” Nayo asked.
    Liv clicked on a link to confirm the source, then slowly lifted her gaze to Nayo.
    “Your friend is dead.”

Chapter 7
    “ T az ?” He pulled up a chair next to her and turned the computer screen to face him.
    “Yeah. It looks as if the injuries he had gotten outside of Black Towers were fatal.” She watched Nayo’s face turn from shock to despair. “I’m so sorry.” She put her hand on his arm as the anchorman continued to speak in the background.
    “Two suspects still at large. We have new evidence that suggests that instead of Olivia Bremer being kidnapped, she was in fact an accomplice. . .”
    “What?” Liv left Nayo to finish reading the article and moved to stand in front of the television. She saw interviews of both the officers who had met them in the alley, and of bystanders in front of Black Towers, all claiming that both she and Nayo had planned to strike several buildings in the city, and each one of their attempts had been thwarted.
    “These two are getting desperate,” some in-house psychologist said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they planned some sort of suicide mission to make sure that next time the bomb goes off as planned.”
    Liv fumbled for the remote and shut the damn thing off. “Bonnie and Clyde,” she whispered as the man’s words sunk past the shock and hurt. “These people think that we are some sort of terrorist Bonnie and Clyde.” She tossed the remote onto the coffee table and went back to find Nayo.
    “Nayo,” she said as she entered the room. “We both have to go to the police. Now they’re saying—” She stopped when she saw him hunched over the computer, his head in his hands.
    “Nayo?” She moved to his side and put her hand on his arm. “Are you all right?”
    “He’s gone, Olivia. He’s gone.”
    “I’m so sorry.” She placed her hand on his shoulder and eased him back, surprised at how easy she could move him. As he slumped back in his chair, she climbed into his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck.
    “He was my best friend, Liv.”
    “I know.”
    “He was the only one who understood. . .” His voice caught as he slid his hands up and down her sides. “Now I’m alone. A stranger in a strange land where everyone hates me.”
    “No, not everyone.” When he met her gaze, she bent down and captured his lips with a tender kiss. Breaking the kiss, she placed her forehead on his, arms still around his neck.
    “Nayo, I want to apologize,” she whispered.
    “Shhh.” He planted a quick kiss on her lips. “Don’t. You have nothing to apologize for.”
    “No, I do. Please just let me get this out,” Liv said. She took a deep breath and started to let the words spill out, hoping they came out right. “We’ve been through so much together the past 24 hours. Listening to the news reports, I got scared and I started to believe the things they were saying. I jumped to conclusions and judged you when I had no right.” She inhaled a quick breath and kept going. “This whole time you’ve done nothing but try and protect me. I didn’t really understand until just now when I