The Sheik’s Vow (The Billionaire’s Club #13)

Chapter 24

“It’s so peaceful out here!” Tara sighed, leaning her shoulder against Kaia’s as they watched the glory of the rising sun.

Kaia nodded, smiling at the physical contact with her little sister. “I agree.” She glanced over her shoulder at the club house. “I don’t like the fact that we’re putting our trust in a place called ‘The Billionaires Club’. It sounds so…pretentious.”

Tara giggled. “It actually stands for ‘The Bastards Club’. Or TBC for short. The owners, Sean, Levi, and Matteo, don’t bother to correct anyone when they call it The Billionaires Club because they think it’s funny.”

Kaia’s eyebrows lifted. “The three of them seem really nice and I love Sean and Matteo’s accents.” She glanced at the building again. “But I wouldn’t have thought that they would openly acknowledge that their business dealings were so horrible.”

Tara’s confusion was evident. “What do you mean? I spoke with Zayed and he assured me that Sean, Levi, and Matteo are extremely ethical with their business dealings.”

Kaia snorted. “So, why do they shout to the world that they are bastards?”

A new voice interrupted. “Because they are,” Ann explained, leaning forward to hand Tara and Kaia steaming cups of coffee, before sitting down to join them. “Levi’s father gave the house and land to him after the old prick passed away. Levi’s father, I can’t remember his name now, had an affair with Levi’s mother, and treated Levi like crap all his life. When the old man died, he left the sporting goods business to his legitimate sons, both of which are bankrupt now because they’re inept at busines. All he left Levi was this place.”

Kaia glanced over her shoulder at the beautiful house. “Why would the father gift a house and lands to a son if he didn’t like him?”

Ann shook her head, the sunshine glinting off of her soft, brown hair. “It was an insult.”

Kaia and Tara looked around. “This…?” Tara gasped, not believing it for a moment. “This house as a gift was an insult?”

Ann nodded, her features serious. “It’s only looked this nice for a few years. Before, when Levi’s father owned the club, it was…bad,” she said, the last word only a whisper. “The house was falling apart. The roof leaked, the electrical outlets sparked if you plugged anything in.” She shook her head. “The whole building looked like it was one thunderstorm away from falling down. But the worst part was the way that the old man allowed, even encouraged, the club members to treat us.” She shuddered at the memories. “The entire staff was ready to quit. We had to wear these skimpy outfits that looked like playboy bunny uniforms. And we had to prance around in spike heels. The club members constantly groped us and,” she paused, inhaling, then said, “and worse. It was bad .”

“Why did you continue working here if everything was…” she stopped and shook her head. “Never mind. I know how hard it is to find good jobs. Sometimes, you have to put up with a lot of crap because employers know workers don’t have many options.”

Ann nodded, her pretty face shadowed by the memory. “That’s exactly why I stayed. Why we all stayed. We were so poor and…well, sometimes, a person has obligations. Sometimes, women have to put up with a lot in order to…pay the bills.” She blinked, obviously thinking of another time, or maybe she was thinking about the bills she needed to pay? She shook her head and came back to the present, adding a smile. “The members were cheap bastards back then, and I use that term as the derogatory word it is. But, as far as I know, Levi, Sean and Matteo are only bastards by birth, not behavior. They are great men! So generous with salaries. Levi inherited the house, and Matteo and Sean bought into the business. They put a lot of money into restoring the house. In the process, they also updated our uniforms, added a benefits package, and doubled our salaries.” She smiled as she gazed off in the distance. “It’s a really nice place to work now.” Her smile turned mischievous. “Plus, as you know from last night’s poker game, we hear things.”

Kaia and Tara leaned in eagerly. “I thought last night was about Zayed and Riaz eliminating Ethan’s money supply. What kinds of things do you hear?”

Ann chuckled. “Oh, this place is like a giant sieve for corporate secrets. Last night was just the icing on the cake. There is so much more that we hear. The club members always ignore us, but the wait staff listen.”

“To what?” Tara asked, fascinated.

Ann smiled. “They constantly pass along stock secrets and other information to help each other get rich. Also, they talk about the fun stuff, like when one of the CEOs is doing something naughty.” She huffed with disgust. “They tend to brag about all the stupid stuff they do while playing poker.” She rolled her eyes. “I can’t tell you how many anonymous tips Emily and I have sent along to the Securities and Exchange Commission.” She frowned. “They don’t always follow up on those tips though. There’s a lot of politics in the criminal justice system. More than I’d realized.”

Kaia and Tara nodded, the mugs of coffee warming their hands against the chilly, morning air.

“We’ve seen our share of illegal activities,” Tara whispered. “Men get away with too much.”

Ann eyed the sisters for a moment. “You’ve both gone through hell, haven’t you?”

Kaia and Tara looked at each other, then they shrugged. “I think that the past few weeks with Riaz and Zayed,” Tara replied, “have made up for the previous twelve and fourteen years of misery.” She looked at Kaia who hesitated, then a slow, fascinated smile formed on her lips.

“Good to hear,” a masculine voice announced.

Tara jumped up, spilling coffee onto the lawn in her haste. When she spotted her husband, Sheik Zayed el Mastrion, standing directly behind the trio, she laughed and climbed onto the rock wall. Zayed caught her as she leapt into his arms, barely grunting as he hugged his wife to his chest.

Kaia was a bit more circumspect in her reaction to seeing Riaz, but equally fervent. She flipped her legs over the wall and smiled, lifting her arms. Instantly, Riaz pulled her to her feet and into his embrace, bending low to kiss her.

“I love you,” he muttered softly so that only Kaia could hear the words.

She lifted her head, kissing him lightly because they had an audience. “I love you too!”

Riaz sighed, his hands stroking her back. “I came out here to introduce you to a friend, but now all I want is to get you into a private place so that I can show you how happy your words make me.”

She laughed and lifted onto her toes. “Why do we need to stick around?” she whispered into his ear.

Riaz groaned, hugged her lightly, then sighed heavily. “We have a few more issues to discuss. Will you be okay out here? Your guards are watching you.”

She grinned up at him, anticipation for tonight humming through her body. “I’m fine. Go do your sheikly duties.” She lifted higher and he realized she wanted to say something into his ear so he lowered his head, listening. “If you’re not done quickly, I’ll just start without you.”

When she stepped back, it was to smile smugly at his stunned expression. “Go!” she ordered, wiggling her fingers.

He muttered a curse under his breath, then started to reach for her. A pointed throat clearing nearby distracted him. He turned to glare at Zayed, who nodded towards the third man in their group.

Zayed stepped forward and started the introductions. “Tazim, this is my wife, Tara. We’ve been married for just under three weeks, so I won’t bother with her new title for fear that she might…”

He stopped as his wife reached out and pinched his waist. Or tried to. There wasn’t any extra fat on his waist so she had a hard time punishing him. His response was to pull her against his side and kiss the top of her head.

While leaning against her handsome husband, Tara smiled and stretched out her hand in greeting. “Sheik el Butrim, it is a pleasure to finally meet you. I’ve heard some of the ideas my husband would like to discuss with you and I’m sure that the suggestions will increase the friendships between your three countries.”

The man in question was watching Ann, who was still standing on the other side of the wall. But when Tara spoke, he finally pulled his eyes away from her. With a charming smile, he shook her hand, then lifted her fingers to his lips and laid a kiss on her knuckles. “Ms. Treon,” he replied, winking at her, “it is a pleasure to meet the woman who captured my friend’s heart. I’m so sorry I wasn’t able to attend your wedding.”

She shook her head and waved his apology away. “It was a fast wedding.” She caught his quick glance at her stomach and laughed. “Nope. Not pregnant.” Tara leaned her head against Zayed’s shoulder. “Just fascinated by the big oaf.”

Zayed grunted, then turned to Riaz. “And you know Riaz, but I doubt that you’ve met his fiancée,” he paused, everyone chuckling at Kaia’s startled expression, “And obviously, that’s the first time anyone has addressed her as such.” Another round of laughter filled the chilly air.

Tazim extended his hand. “Ms. Treon, I look forward to many more interactions with you.”

“Your Highness,” Kaia replied, not bothering to curtsy as she shook the man’s hand with a confident grip. Then everyone turned to the lone woman still standing on the far side of the rock wall.

Ann looked…pale? No, not pale because there was suddenly a becoming blush to her cheeks. However, Kaia and Tara weren’t sure if their new friend’s expression was caused by the man who was obviously interested in her, or because she was interested in him!

“This is Ann. She’s an integral member of the staff here at TBC,” Kaia explained.

The man moved closer to the wall, extending his hand. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Ann,” he said, his deep voice rumbling through the air as he shook the stunned woman’s hand. “I look forward to speaking with you further.”

Ann remained tight-lipped, her fiery dark eyes sending a clear warning to all except the oblivious man holding her fingers that her temper teetered on the edge. The reason behind Ann's irritation remained a mystery, leaving those around her perplexed by the intensity of her suppressed frustration.

Unfortunately, the three men stepped back, Riaz lifting Kaia’s fingers. “I’ll be back in less than an hour. Will you be ready to leave by then?”

She smiled, a confident, challenging expression in her eyes. “Absolutely,” she whispered, winking up at him.

Riaz turned with a groan and walked away. But the three women heard him mutter, “We need to iron out these details fast!”

As Riaz led the trio back up to the clubhouse building, Kaia noticed Sheik Tazim glance over his shoulder at Ann. Interesting, she thought.

Kaia harbored a tantalizing suspicion that the woman concealed depths far beyond what met the eye—a clandestine world veiled beneath her public facade. There lingered an alluring aura of mystery around Ann, hinting at untold secrets waiting to be unraveled.

However, before Kaia could question her, something lurking in the barn caught her eye. Kaia was about to think she’d just caught a flicker of the sunlight and was about to turn away, when Emily’s pet donkey came charging out of the barn, braying up a storm. He didn’t stop until he was on the far edge of the coral.

“What’s going on with Horace?” Ann asked, as they all turned to look at the barn. A moment later, two cats zoomed out of the barn as well. The horse, Horace’s companion, jumped up in the air in alarm, even though he was on the other side of the fence from the donkey.

“This isn’t good,” Ann whispered.

Kaia and Tara reached for each other, their hands clasping. That’s when they saw her. A woman. A stranger, but…not a stranger.

“That’s Betsy!” Kaia hissed, grabbing Tara’s arm.

Tara and Kaia were already running towards the barn, forgetting about their bodyguards as they raced to their childhood friend.

Ann took the lead, speeding quickly even though her legs weren’t any longer than Kaia’s or Tara’s. She shoved open the gate, leaving it open for the other women to get through.

“Betsy!” Kaia called out as she reached the other woman. “Oh my gosh, it’s so good to see you! I can’t believe you escaped!” She threw her arms around Betsy.

Betsy hissed, shrinking back from the embrace.

Kaia and Tara recognized the sound. The sisters shared a glance, then looked at Ann. Tara pulled away and moved to stand behind Betsy. The gasp warned Kaia that their guess was accurate.

“Who did this to you, Betsy?” Kaia demanded, her fury spiking as she saw the blood oozing through the thin fabric of her childhood friend’s shirt.

Betsy leaned a shoulder against the barn door. “Ethan sent me here to find you,” she announced with a weak voice.

Kaia’s adrenaline spiked at his name. Gently, she took Betsy’s hand, trying to offer the wounded woman some strength. “Did he do this to you?”

Tara was already rushing to grab a nearby wool horse blanket.

Betsy cringed only slightly when the blanket was thrown over her shoulders. But her fingers trembled as she pulled the blanket closer, trying to absorb some warmth.

“He said that,” Betsy looked pleadingly at Kaia, “he would do this to another person every hour that you don’t present yourself to him.” Tears poured down her cheeks as Betsy tried to wipe them away. “That was four hours ago, Kaia.”

Tara and Kaia looked at each other. The sisters were still for a long moment, neither speaking. Words weren’t necessary. They knew what they needed to do.

Ann gasped and stepped closer. “You’re not going to this monster!” She eyed the sisters in horror. “Tell me that you’re not going to give in to his demands!”

Kaia rested a gentle hand to Betsy’s shoulder. “He has to be stopped. And I know exactly how to do it.”

Betsy sagged with relief. “Thank you! I told Ethan that you’d do the right thing.”