“Is that why he took you to Scotland?”
“Yes. He had business to handle there and didn’t want to leave me alone in London in case I got sick, I think.”
He sighs, irritated. “I’m not blaming you, Jazmina. The men who did this are animals. I’ll have them investigated.”
“Rodrick is already on it, Kaled. Don’t be angry with him for not telling you the details. He was giving me the right to do that myself. I don’t know if you realize how important that is. I’m trying to grow up, brother. That includes fighting my own monsters too.”
“You’re not going to fight anything, Jazmina. I’m giving you freedom because I trust you and Rodrick. I know he’d never let anything bad happen to you. But if you think for one secondthat I won’t go after the bastards who drugged you, then you don’t know me as well as you think you do.”
“Fine. But don’t tell Father, okay? He’ll worry. And not Mother, either. I don’t want them thinking I failed.”
“There was no failure, Jazmina,” Adeela says, her soothing voice cutting in. “No one is immune to crossing paths with an evil man. My father hid behind the image of a respectable advisor, and we all know how toxic he really was.”
“Thank you for the support, my friend.” I sigh. “There’s one more thing, Kaled. Rodrick must have told you I’ll be going to a party on his yacht in a few weeks. A friend is coming with us.”
“Better that way,” my brother says. “It wouldn’t look good for you to travel alone with him around Europe. As much as I trust my friend, people don’t know that Rodrick sees you like a little sister.”
My heart sinks at his words, mostly because they’re probably true.
“Since we’ve cleared everything up . . .can I talk to Adeela alone?”
“Dismissing your sheikh, are you?”
I roll my eyes, grinning. “I wouldn’t dare, Your Highness.”
We talk for a few more minutes, then he leaves me alone with my best friend.
“Too bad Tajj is asleep,” she says.
“It’s fine. I’ll call again tomorrow. What I need is to tell you something, but first you have to promise not to go crazy or hate me, okay?”
She narrows her eyes but nods.
I explain that the girl who helped me the night I was drugged is an acquaintance of Ingrid.
Her sweet face twists into pure outrage. “Are you telling me you befriended someone who’s friends with that woman? I don’t believe this, Jazmina!”
“Calm down. Let me explain.”
It takes me at least ten minutes to convince her Josephine has nothing in common with Ingrid.
“Are you sure she’s a good person?”
“Yes, Adeela. I wouldn’t let her near me otherwise. If Josephine hadn’t stayed with me until Rodrick arrived at that party, who knows what would’ve happened?”
“Fine. I’m not mad anymore. It’s just that thinking about that worm Ingrid still drives me insane.”
“Don’t worry about her. She got married and moved to Brazil.”
“I don’t want to think about that creature anymore. Tell me about Rodrick. How are things? He seems very protective of you.”
“Obviously. Kaled asked him to be.”
“Your brother wants you to have dinner soon with a prince from the neighboring emirate. Kamal Hafeez[22]’s younger brother.”
“No.”
“You don’t even know the man.”