“Tariq,” he answered.

“Is Abram with you?” the male voice questioned.

“He is,” Tariq replied.

“We need speakerphone, quickly,” Daniel Conover ordered, his tone steel-hard despite the low volume.

Tariq lowered the phone and quickly hit speaker.

“We’re here,” Tariq stated quietly.

“We have a problem,” Daniel said. “We’ve had two attempts at the gate in the last ten minutes with no sign of the attempted intruder. Be certain to stay on guard. And for God’s sake, stay in your rooms. If you have to leave, contact me first. I have an agent moving on Paige’s room.”

“Ms. Galbraithe is here,” Tariq informed him coolly, uncertain of the security agent’s right to call her by her first name alone.

A moment’s silence. “Very well. Stay in place, we’ll contact you soo#x201D;

As he spoke, both Tariq and Abram were moving around the room, quickly jerking the heavy curtains over the windows as Paige stood in the darkness of the connecting bathroom, dressing hurriedly in the jeans, T-shirt, underclothes, and boots Abram had advised her to keep handy, just in case.

“Be certain to stay in contact,” Tariq commanded as he and Abram began dressing as well.

Disconnecting the call, Tariq jerked his well-worn jeans on, securing them before pushing his feet into the boots and tying them quickly.

Abram finished seconds before he did and was opening the door to the closet where they had placed their weapons earlier that day. They had known, or at least Abram had known, exactly where their nights would be spent, and he had lain the weapons in just in case.

“Why won’t he let you go?” Paige stood at the door of the bathroom, uncertain in the face of what seemed to be going on, especially when Abram strode to her and pressed the Glock into her hand.

“Pride. Anger.” Abram’s voice was hard, but Paige had known him for years and she recognized that hint of pain in his tone.

She couldn’t imagine her father ever being less than gentle or loving with her, or firm but always kind to Khalid. She couldn’t bear it if he were anything less.

“Pride and anger isn’t a good enough reason,” she said into the dark, keeping her voice low.

“The fucker is insane then.” Abram spat the comment out.

For all the softness of his tone, the violence that filled his voice had her flinching. It was the sight of Abram shoving the weapon into the holster beneath his arm that had her mouth drying out in fear. The violence, the gathering rage, it was all reflected in that tight, hard action.

“Abram?” She moved to step from the bathroom when the whole house seemed to shake and an explosion ripped through the night.

Paige stumbled against the door frame as the room seemed to shake and roll beneath her feet. A cry was barely smothered, her heart racing in fear as lights flickered outside and the sound of voices raised in alarm reached from the lower floor.

“It wasn’t the house, it was outside.” Abram was beside her, his hand grabbing hers as he pulled her toward the door. “It was too damned close though.”

“We have to get to Chalah.” She gasped as Tariq threw the door open with one hand. He carried the powerful automatic rifle in the other.

She considered it completely unfair that his gu was bigger than hers.

“She’s probably the reason they found us so fucking fast,” Tariq snarled back at her.

There was nothing of the lovers who had held her so gently, who had touched her so heatedly earlier. These were hardened warriors, and though she appreciated the need, she did not appreciate the delivery of the attitude in her direction.

“Tariq.” Abram’s voice was warning as they stepped into the darkened hallway.

Tariq turned to the left, ignoring Abram and heading for the staircase that curved down to the main floor. The opposite direction of the room Chalah had been taken to.

Without a word Paige turned to the right, breathing out a sigh of relief as she felt Abram following closely behind her as she moved quickly for Chalah’s room.

Tariq cursed furiously behind them.

Reaching the door Abram gave a hard, quick knock before pushing it open.

Darkened, silent, the room appeared deserted as Tariq pushed in ahead of Abram. Paige caught the disgruntled look Tariq shot him.

Another explosion shook the house, this one closer, the flare of light blazing white outside the tall, wide windows. Paige barely managed to hold back her cry, or at least she thought she had. It must have escaped as a small, frightened squeak that seemed to drift through the room.

She could have sworn she heard Tariq curse again. Striding past her he threw open the closet door and a heartbeat later dragged a terrified Chalah from the small, enclosed space.

“Let’s go!” Abram ordered as they moved quickly down the hall. “Tariq, has Conover contacted?”

“Nothing,” Tariq answered from behind him. “And he should have radioed.”

“They managed to get past him and his men once before when Ayid and Aman came after Kahlid and Abram,” Paige stated. “They could have managed to overtake them again.”

They, being Jafar and his men.

Jafar.

Paige glanced back at Chalah’s pale, tearstained face. Abram’s father, and Chalah’s brother. How horrible it must be to face the reality of their hatred.

“Tariq, take Paige and Chalah—”

“Oh hell no,” Paige protested. “You’re not going anyre without me.”

“No women are giving us orders,” Tariq growled as they neared the steps. “Next thing we know, children will be teaching us.”

Paige had every intention of telling him exactly what she thought of the comment when they heard the first, sharp report of a weapon.

Tariq and Abram both moved quickly, pushing Paige and Chalah against the wall. The sound of shouted orders from below had Paige’s heart racing in terror. She felt a bone-deep knowledge that Abram wouldn’t be able to handle hiding for long.

“The safe room,” Abram said, turning to Tariq. “There’s one on each floor. Activated it sends out an alarm to police, fire, and rescue, independent of the phone lines.”

“Why can’t you use the phone lines?” Paige whispered.

“I checked them,” Tariq stated. “They’re out and cell phones are jammed. The safe room sends out a call to law enforcement through cable Internet which is buried underground. If they cut the lines there, it sends out a call then as well.”

The phones were out. Paige knew after the last attack Khalid had had a special security system installed that used the backup Internet connection emergency notification.

So why hadn’t there been a response yet?

“Abram, it’s Daniel Conover.” The sound of the security consultant’s voice rang up the stairs.

“Conover,” Abram called back as he placed his body carefully in front of Paige’s.

Tariq had done the same, standing in front of Chalah protectively. “What’s going on?”

“Too much, Abram,” Daniel called back. “But not enough to give a man a sense of satisfaction.”

The safe code came back with an edge of amusement.

Abram relaxed marginally.

“I’m coming up, Abram,” Daniel announced.

Seconds later he strode to the top of the stairs, dressed in black and looking almost as dangerous as Abram and Tariq. “Police will be here any minute,” Daniel stated as he stopped at the top of the stairs, his blue eyes gleaming like hardened gems. “We caught a man armed with a piss-poor shoulder-mounted rocket launcher and a few homemade rockets. We have him in custody but he’s not talking. We’ll see what the police can do with him in a few minutes.”

The sound of sirens wailing in the distance had Abram turning to glare at the window at the far end of the hall.

The flash of lights, blue and red, flared in the distance as the sirens moved closer.

Fuck.

Abram glared at the window, aware of Paige behind him, her hand moving to grip his bicep as she whispered his name.