The Sheikh's Reunion Bride (Qazhar Sheikhs 4) (2 page)

Rafiq thrust his attention back to the moment. Now she was working for her brother, helping to invest the millions of dollars that flowed from Qazhar into the various investments around the world.

The waiter came up to the table. Rafiq asked for a coffee, while Mia ordered some green tea.

The waiter left and Rafiq quirked a brow. "Green tea?"

"Caffeine makes me jumpy," Mia explained.

Rafiq recalled just how jumpy Mia could be back in the day. She had been a real live-wire then. That had been one of the things that had drawn Rafiq to Mia during that fatal summer. That and the exquisite beauty which had seemed like something innocent and precious. Untouchable. She'd seemed like a delicate flower, one that Rafiq feared to touch, sensing that if he did, she would disintegrate in his hands, fragment into a thousand pieces. He'd held back, restrained himself, determined not to ruin things.

 
Now, he was amazed at the new woman who sat across from him. Mia had grown up. She was no longer the wild and rowdy, gorgeous eighteen year old he had once toyed with. That thought tugged at Rafiq, and he had to admit that he had done just that to Mia. He'd played her like one more of his potential lovers. Had she forgiven him?

Rafiq looked at Mia. "I'm surprised Brad didn't mention to me that you were working for him."

"Why would he tell you?" she asked, narrowing her eyes quizzically.

Rafiq shrugged. "I'd have thought having his younger sister on the payroll would have warranted a mention," he said.

Mia's brows furrowed and he knew she had touched a raw nerve. "The fact that I'm his sister makes no difference. I got the job on merit," she declared.
 

Rafiq suppressed a grin. There was still fire there, he told himself. He saw her mouth pout and her gaze locked on Rafiq, a hint of defiance glowing softly. Her quaint, very soft English accent gave her words a curiously appealing edge. Brad and Mia's mother was American. She had married an English investment advisor and the two children had been brought up mostly in England, although they had also spent a lot of time on the East coast of America.

"I'm sure you did get the job on merit. You always were a bright spark," Rafiq said, eager to avoid offense.

Mia quirked a
 
brow. "Bright spark? Does that mean I was a nerd?"

Rafiq laughed. "You used to wipe the floor with all of us when it came to numbers."

Mia shrugged. "I know what I'm good at," she said in a tone that reminded Rafiq of just how feisty she could be. Perhaps some things hadn't changed, after all.

The waiter brought the green tea and coffee and left. Rafiq leaned on the table, stirring his coffee, and peering across at Mia. She lifted the cup of green tea and sipped it delicately, holding her little finger out to one side as she held the cup. How very English, he said to himself.
 

"Speaking of
 
numbers," Rafiq said. "What did Brad want to see me about?"

Mia placed her cup carefully down on the saucer. Rafiq saw her compose herself so that she'd now adopted what she must assume to be a business-like manner. Mia gazed across the table at Rafiq. As his eyes met hers, he felt an inexplicable rush within himself. There was a directness in her gaze that masked something he couldn't quite put his finger on. He saw her eyes flicker, thoughtful and intelligent, and he knew she was trying to find the right words for what she was about to tell him.

"How much has Brad told you about the recent performance of the portfolio?" she asked sounding suddenly very formal.
 

Rafiq glanced down at the side of her chair and saw a briefcase resting against the chair leg. His gaze was tugged inexorably toward her legs, her perfectly proportioned calves, her high-heeled feet crossed primly one behind the other.

He heard Mia clear her throat and he dragged his gaze up to her face. The corner of her mouth quirked and he was sure there was more than a hint of impatience in the way she was regarding him.

"The portfolio?" Rafiq asked suddenly at a loss for words. Why was she affecting him like this?

Mia squinted at Rafiq. "You know. The multi-million dollar investment fund we're running on your behalf," she said acidly. She cocked her head to one side and gave him a disapproving look.

Rafiq took a quick sip of coffee and placed the cup down. "I get the detailed reports, as usual. Brad and I discuss it on a regular basis. I think I've got a handle on it," he said.

"Really?" Mia said. He could see she wasn't convinced.

"Brad's firm isn't the only one that handles our investments," Rafiq said. "Although he's the only one we use for derivatives funds."

Mia nodded. "We do manage those particular sets of funds. The UK is a friendly place for conducting that kind of business," she explained. There was a slightly patronizing tone in her voice now, and he felt himself bristle.

Rafiq drew in a deep breath. Was she really about to try to lecture him on how some of his family's money was being invested on the global markets? Surely she didn't take him for a complete idiot.

"I am aware of the numerous advantages of operating from the UK, Mia," he said curtly.

He saw her eyes narrow slightly. "Well, that's good then. Because, you know that sometimes those so-called advantages can have unintended consequences," she said firmly.
 

Gone were the pleasantries of moments ago. Now, Mia was in full official investor advice mode. She leaned down to pick up her briefcase, and Rafiq had to restrain the urge to swallow. The way her hair tumbled down in front of her, the firmness of the swell of her breasts as she bent down to lift the leather case, made his breath catch. What was happening to him? Why was she affecting him like this?

Mia sat upright and opened the briefcase, pulling out a manila folder and placing it on the table in front of her.

"That looks ominous," Rafiq said trying to sound flippant.
 

Mia rolled her eyes at Rafiq and he tried to smile at her, but she didn't smile back.

He needed to lighten the tone of this exchange, if only to regain his composure. He wondered what was inside the manila folder. It probably wasn't good news, he told himself. Perhaps some investments had turned out badly; maybe she was about to tell him he'd lost some money in the recent global market turbulence. They could take whatever loses were documented inside that folder. There was plenty of wealth in Qazhar.

Mia opened the folder and slid out a sheet of paper. "I prepared this for you," she said pushing the sheet of paper across to him.

Rafiq placed his fingers on the sheet and glanced at Mia. "What is it?"

She pointed at the sheet. "Read it," she said flatly.

Rafiq glanced down at the sheet. There were columns of figures and a paragraph of text at the bottom of the page. He saw a name he recognized. Not his own.
 

Rafiq drew in a breath, holding back the sudden irritation he felt. "I'd prefer an executive summary," he declared giving Mia a firm look.
 

He saw her eyes widen at his challenge. Mia placed her hands on the table, clasping one over the other. She fixed him with an equally defiant look, as if gauging the seriousness of his opposition.

Rafiq let his hands rest on the paper, his eyes locked upon Mia.

Mia sighed and nodded. "Fine. I'm sure Brad would have preferred you to know the details I've laid out on that sheet," she said gesturing toward the paper. "But, I suppose I can summarize it, if you like."

Rafiq gave Mia an ironic smile. "I'd like to hear it from your own lips," he said. He glanced down at her mouth

He saw her lower lip quiver imperceptibly, and her eyes widened, checking him, searching for extra meaning in his words.

Mia cleared her throat, the sound echoing in the emptiness of the restaurant. She glanced behind her just to make sure that they were still alone.
 

"You're getting me worried," Rafiq said with a mocking quirk of his brow.

"Well, it is something to be concerned about," Mia said.
 

"The suspense is killing me," he said leaning on his elbows, twisting himself so that he faced Mia directly.

Mia fussed with the papers that remained in the manila folder. Rafiq glanced down at the sheet. "Okay, I'll read this," he said.

"No!" she blurted out suddenly. Mia reached across and laid her hand across his arm. Rafiq lifted his gaze, seeing the obvious concern in her eyes. There was genuine alarm in her gaze. This was serious. He looked down at her hand on his arm and felt a surprising sensation make its way up to his shoulders and down to his chest.

"I think I can put it in simple terms," Mia said. "Although, it might come as a surprise. We have always striven to do our best. It's just that sometimes
 
things slip through the cracks."

Rafiq rested his hand across Mia's and peered into her eyes. He saw her cheeks flush at the exact moment of his touch. "It can't be that bad. Brad has always done the best he can. I have complete faith in him. We go back a long way," Rafiq declared.

Mia nodded, looking slightly relieved. She looked at Rafiq, a firmness in her gaze. "It's about Sayid."

Rafiq stiffened and lifted his hand away from Mia's. "What about Sayid?"

Mia swallowed and frowned. "Well, you know that Sayid has had countersigning rights giving him access to funds under certain circumstances."

Rafiq nodded. "Of course. It's been that way for a long time."

"Well, it seems there are some irregularities in the accounts."

Rafiq felt a heaviness in his chest. He sat back in his chair and stared at Mia. "What do you mean irregularities?"

Mia paused. She pursed her lips, thoughtful for a few seconds. "Money is missing," she announced bluntly.

Rafiq's eyes narrowed. "Missing? What are you talking about?"

"Gone. Just disappeared," she replied.

"How much?"

Mia rolled her eyes. "A lot."

"How much?" Rafiq insisted.

"A significant sum," Mia said flatly.

Rafiq felt his eyes widen, incredulous. "Thousands?"

Mia nodded. "A very large sum. We're still checking, but it is a major amount of money."

Rafiq gasped and laughed sarcastically. "This is a joke, right?"

Mia shook her head solemnly. "No joke." She looked as if she feared he would explode in a rage. But, the truth was, all he felt was stunned disbelief. Sayid had stolen from him? He'd known Sayid since boyhood. They'd been best friends back in Qazhar; had grown up together sharing everything. Sayid had been by Rafiq's side in so many things. And now, Mia was telling him that Sayid had possibly embezzled money from the investment funds. The rules for accessing money were strict, requiring full disclosure. How could it have happened?

But, there was one other thing that galled Rafiq about what Mia was claiming Sayid had done.

"I'm sorry," Mia said. "We should have noticed it sooner."

Rafiq cut her off. "Are you sure about this?"

Mia frowned as if he'd questioned her integrity. "Of course I'm sure. I've been over the figures myself."

"It's not some accounting error?" Rafiq insisted.

Mia scowled at Rafiq. "It's not an administrative error. And, frankly I'm surprised you'd even suggest such a thing," she said glowering at Rafiq.

Rafiq drew in a deep breath. "It's just that this is a serious accusation."

"I know that," she said rounding on him. She jabbed at the sheet of paper in front of Rafiq. "If you'd take the time to read that..."

"I don't have to," he said, cutting her off. "I know what you're accusing Sayid of doing."

Mia squinted at Rafiq. "It's not just an accusation."

"I need to be sure," Rafiq declared.

Mia started to shuffle through the papers inside the manila folder. "Here are the figures," she said.

"It's not about the figures, Mia," Rafiq said sharply.

Mia froze and stared at Rafiq. "Then, what's it about?"

Rafiq leaned back in his chair and stared up at the stucco decorations of the ceiling. Could he tell her? What good could possibly come of letting her in on the one thing that burned him up, the source of his pain?

Rafiq glanced at Mia. He saw the expectant look on her oval face, her ice blue gaze cutting deep into him, and knew he had to tell her, because he wasn't going to just accept this. He had to be sure and he needed Mia's help to obtain that certainty.

"Sayid is my best friend," Rafiq said to Mia.

She nodded and looked silently at Rafiq.

"You've just accused him of stealing from the investment fund. That may be true. I don't know."

Rafiq saw Mia begin to object but he held up a hand, silencing her.

"If what you say is true, then that's not the only thing he has taken from me in recent weeks."

He saw Mia frown but pushed on, determined to let her in on the painful truth. The words almost caught in his throat, but he forced them out.

"Sayid took my bride from me. He took the woman I was to marry and made her his wife."

CHAPTER TWO

Mia gazed, incredulous, across at Rafiq. His bride had been taken by Sayid? How could that have happened?
 

Mia hadn't heard anything about Sayid getting married. It wasn't any of her business. She'd been busy adjusting to her new life, the life of work and business. Mia's head had been so deeply buried in piles of paperwork that it would have taken a war to drag her attention away from her task. That was how she had always been, she realized. Stubborn, single-minded and focused. There was no time for anything else except work. Certainly no time for relationships, she thought, glancing over at Rafiq. Hadn't that been one reason why she had resisted his advances during that summer?

Mia didn't know what to say, how to react. After a moment, all she could summon up was a tentative, sympathetic comment. "I'm so sorry, Rafiq. I had no idea." Should she even be offering Rafiq sympathy? Mia wasn't sure, but it seemed like the only thing to do at this moment.

Rafiq sighed heavily. "It's nothing. Not even relevant," he said with a dismissive wave.