“I know why you two hate each other,” she whispered fiercely.

  Both men tore their gaze away from each other and stared at her. Feeling a little bolder, Wynifred plowed ahead. “Your fathers both loved Shifa. Haris, your father had her first, but she was young and had no idea what love was. When she met Asad, she knew instantly that he was the man for her. They tried to ignore their feelings, but Shifa knew she couldn’t stay with Mohammed when she loved his brother. She broke it off. It took six months before they finally admitted to themselves that they were meant to be together. Although he never said anything, I think Mohammed hated Asad. He’d always looked up to his older brother, and he stole the woman that he loved.”

  Haris and Rameez both exchanged looks. “Okay, but what does that have to do with us?” Haris muttered.

  Wynifred chose her words carefully. She didn’t want to do anything to offend anyone. “You two had a similar relationship growing up. I have a feeling that Mohammed didn’t want you to get hurt the way that he did. I don’t know the specifics, but I think that he started orchestrating things to break up the bond between you two.”

  “Are you suggesting that my father…” Haris growled. He stopped suddenly and inhaled sharply, as though he’d just remembered something.

  “My birthday,” Rameez said softly. “You told me that you hated me. I didn’t remember that until now. I told my father what you had said, and he told me that it was best if I stayed away from you. That you were going to turn out to be like your father. Bitter and angry.”

  The cousins stared at each other, and Wynifred looked hesitantly over at Qaura. The woman nodded, and Wynifred plunged ahead. “When Asad died, Mohammed stepped back in to help out. While it was never a romantic relationship, I think it reminded Rameez that he’d lost his father. The seed that had already been planted started to sprout. You resented Haris because you thought his father was trying to work his way back into your family.”

  Distant shouts filtered in from the front of the cave, and they all froze.

  “I’ll check it out,’ Qaura said softly.

  “No. You’re going to stay right here,” Haris muttered. “I’ll go. It’s too dangerous.”

  “No. You two need to hear what she has to say. And I don’t think I can be here for it.”

  Wynifred felt her own heart break as Qaura smiled sadly at them. She stood quietly and made her way to the cave entrance.

  “You knew,” Rameez said as he stared at her. “She told you.”

  “She didn’t have to,” Wynifred muttered. “It’s written all over her face.”

  “What are you two talking about?” Haris interrupted.

  Under Rameez’s hooded stare, Wynifred found that she couldn’t talk. Guilt and hate swirled in his eyes. “That night…it was never about Haris,” he choked out. “I’m such an idiot.”

  His emotion wrapped around her, but she didn’t want his guilt. “Now is not the time,” she muttered. “Haris needs to know.”

  “Yes, Haris does need to know,” Haris countered. “What do you mean the other night?”

  “Haris,” Wynifred pleaded in a warning voice.

  “No,” Haris hissed. “You keep talking about people keeping secrets. Why don’t you tell me what’s really going on here. Did you sleep with him?”

  Shaking her head, Wynifred tried to regain control of the situation. Things were spiraling into a dangerous direction. “Haris, please. We need to focus.”

  “You did,” he growled through clenched teeth. “You played me like a bloody fool.”

  14

  Haris stared at them. "I thought you said nothing was going on here," he said, his face contorted into an ugly expression.

  Rameez immediately stepped between them, but Wynifred pushed him aside. "We don't have time for this," she said grimly. "We need to find a way to get back to the mainland."

  "I fell in love with you, and this whole time, you were sleeping with him?” Haris growled.

  "You did what?!" Rameez demanded.

  "Stop!" Wynifred put her hands up and glared at them. "This is ridiculous. Haris, you don't love me. I'm simply a prize to you. Something to win. That's not love. And you!" She turned her head to stare at Rameez. Her heart broke, but she swallowed hard and said what she should have said a long time ago. "Love doesn't mean anything to you unless it fits in neatly with your life."

  "Wynifred," he whispered. Before he could say anything else, a scream pierced the air.

  "Qaura," Haris breathed. "Qaura!"

  Turning, he ran from the cave. Rameez and Wynifred were right on his heels but Qaura broke into the clearing and ran straight into Haris’ arms. "He's here!' she panted.

  "Damn it," Rameez swore. "We need to get to the beach. Come on!"

  He grabbed Wynifred’s hand and forced her to run towards the beach. Panic overtook her, and she struggled to keep up with him. They were going to die.

  She was going to die, and she still hadn't told Rameez how she felt about him.

  The angry skies finally opened up and drenched them, but Rameez didn't stop. The loud sound of a helicopter caught her attention, but rather than running away from it, Rameez kept running toward it.

  "Rameez," she screamed over the noise. "Rameez, what are you doing?"

  "Getting us the hell off the island."

  Digging her feet into the ground, she forced him to stop. "We're running straight towards him."

  He reached out and ran a finger down her cheek. "I told you that I would keep you safe, and I meant that. You may not love me, Wynifred, but I still won't let anything happen to you. You have to trust me."

  Trust him? She opened her mouth to argue with him, but he grabbed her hand and dragged her closer to the helicopter.

  "Where are we going?" Haris shouted.

  They broke through the woods, and Wynifred stopped suddenly. The helicopter landing on the beach didn't belong to Anton. It belonged to the authorities.

  "You called them," she whispered. "How?"

  Rameez didn't answer her. Instead, he helped her and Qaura board the helicopter before hopping in himself. Turning, he held a hand out to Haris. Wynifred held her breath, but Haris accepted it and pulled himself on board.

  No one said anything as the helicopter rose and took off. Rameez pulled a few blankets out and wrapped them around her. Wet and freezing, she pulled it closer and stared at him. A slow smile spread across his face, and he pulled something out from his pocket.

  A cell phone.

  “You have two phones?” she asked incredulously.

  “One for business and one for personal use. It’s not often that I mix the two,” he said in a low voice. She couldn’t even yell at him since he’d just saved their lives.

  Glancing out the window, she watched as the island grew smaller and smaller. Rameez and Haris had finally found some common ground. It wouldn't take long now to finish her business and head back home.

  The thought only sank her deeper into her depression.

  After answering questions from the police, Qaura asked one of the officers to take her to her hotel rather than ride with the cousins. Giving Wynifred a hug, she wished her luck before glaring at the men. As Haris was about to go to his car, Rameez growled at him, “We need to talk. My place.”

  Nodding in agreement, Haris followed Rameez and Wynfifred back to his house. With confusion etched on her face, she stared out the window. "You aren't taking me to my hotel?"

  "With that murderous bastard still out there?" he growled. "Not a chance."

  "Rameez."

  "You need to sleep, Wynifred," he cut her off before she could protest. "I also need to sleep, and that's never going to happen if I don't know that you're out of danger."

  She must have seen the determination on his face because she fell silent. "You can take a shower. I'll get the guest bedroom made up for you."

  Alone with Haris, he finally turned to face his cousin. "You're an idiot," he muttered, but there was no anger in his voice.

  "I know. I knew that Anton was dangerous, but I had no idea that things would play out like that."

  "Not Anton," Rameez snapped. "Wynifred. You don't love her. We both know that. There was only one woman on that island that had your attention, and it wasn't Wynifred."

  Haris opened his mouth before snapping it shut. "Qaura," he said softly. "I didn't even think…It doesn't matter. She's never going to forgive me for what I did."

  Snorting, Rameez rolled his eyes. "You are such an idiot. She loves you. She loved you when we were dating. It was the reason that we broke up. It was the reason that she moved away. She has always belonged to you."

  Slack-jawed, Haris stared at him. "You never told me."

  "Of course I never told you! My girlfriend was breaking up with me because she was in love with my cousin. You won! That was not something that I wanted to tell you."

  The truth was finally out there, and Rameez saw the truth in Wynifred’s words. Haris had won Qaura like Rameez's father won Shifa. Without even realizing it, their fathers hatred had poisoned them. So much of this could have been avoided if he’d been honest. "I should have told you," Rameez said finally. "I was angry and bitter, but it wasn't because I was hurt. I thought I loved Qaura, but I didn't feel all that differently when she walked away. I simply didn’t want you to win."

  "Not like you're going to feel if you let Wynifred walk away," Haris said in a low voice.

  Startled, Rameez stared at his cousin. Haris was right. Wynifred hadn't even left yet, but she had one foot out the door, and Rameez's heart was already breaking.

  "We can't let Anton get away," he muttered. "He's lost. He'll run for the hills, disappear, and if we're not careful, we'll lose him. I need you on board with this."

  Haris nodded, and Rameez couldn't help but smile a little. Haris had nearly gotten them all killed, but in the end, his actions would finally help end the bitterness between them. They had a common enemy, and Rameez wouldn't stop until Anton was finished.

  With Haris by his side, they'd catch him. Rameez had no doubt about that.

  He needed to know that Wynifred could live her life without looking over her shoulder all the time. He owed her at least that much.

  The feud was over. She could finally go home. Feeling like her feet were made of bricks, she trudged behind the driver as he put her bags in the trunk. "Straight to the airport?" he asked crisply.

  "I have one stop that I need to make," she said as she swallowed hard. Since everything had happened, she had yet to check on Shifa. It was important that Wynifred make sure the woman was okay before she left.

  Thankful that she didn't see Rameez's car anywhere in sight, she asked the driver to wait and hurried to the door. Before she could knock, it swung open. Shifa stood on the other side with a big smile on her face. "Oh, my sweet girl! I was afraid that you would leave before I could say goodbye!"

  Wynifred found herself ushered into the house and enveloped in a big hug. Shifa's strength was remarkable, and Wynifred breathed a sigh of relief. "You're okay," she murmured.

  "I am now. Haris has been here twice already to talk with Rameez. It's so lovely to see them together even if the reason they’re bonding is horrible. I hope you aren't too hard on Haris. He meant well, and I'm sure he didn't know how everything would play out."

  "Your nephew is a troublemaker, but he's an easy man to forgive."

  "And my son?"

  Her words hung in the air, and Wynifred cleared her throat. "Have you spoken to them about their fathers?"

  Shifa narrowed her eyes, but she didn't acknowledge that Wynifred was changing the subject. "It's so strange. I should have seen what was going on, but I guess I didn’t want to admit that I was the reason two brothers hated each other. My ignorance has poisoned this family long enough."

  Wynifred shook her head. "Shifa, it’s not your fault. If they had talked about it, maybe they could have worked things out. Instead, they waited until Rameez and Haris were old enough to understand before letting their hatred be known. I can only imagine how hard it was for Rameez and Haris to learn why their fathers hated each other. It was obviously traumatic enough for both of them to block it out."

  "I'm happy that we can put this whole mess behind us. Dear, the taxi is still waiting out front. Are you going somewhere?"

  Swallowing hard, Wynifred tried to force a smile. "The airport, actually. My job here is done, and my publisher is threatening bodily harm if I don't make it to my speaking engagements next week. Still, this has been good for me. For a moment, I doubted my abilities, but it's been nice to get back to basics."

  "What do you mean doubted your abilities?"

  Slowly, Wynifred trailed her finger over the kitchen counter. "Love isn't enough," she whispered. If it were, she'd be in Rameez's arms rather than running from him. "But it's a start, and I need to remember that."

  Shifa suddenly smiled and focused her attention behind Wynifred. Before turning around, Wynifred knew that he was in the room. "For a mediator, you aren't very good at working out your own problems, are you?" Rameez asked in a low voice.

  "Rameez, I'm glad I got the chance to tell you goodbye. I'm on my way to the airport," she said as she forced a smile. Her voice pitched too high, and she winced at how fake it sounded.

  "No. You're not."

  Startled, she frowned. "I am. My taxi is waiting for me."

  "Your taxi just pulled out. Don't worry; I got your bags out."

  "What!" Outraged, she ran to the window to see that the taxi was indeed gone, and her bags were sitting in the middle of the driveway. "How dare you!"

  "If it makes you feel any better, I had to pay an outrageous amount of money to get the driver to leave," he said in an amused voice. "You're not going anywhere until we talk."

  Shifa walked forward and took her hand. "I'll leave you two alone. Wynifred, don't give up just yet."

  Don't give up? What was she talking about? Trying to reign in her temper, she turned to face the man she loved. "You don't have to worry about me. Anton is a killer, but he's not stupid. He's not going to waste his time on me when he can't possibly get what he wants."

  "That's not what we need to talk about." His eyes darkened as they searched her face. "Do you really not know how I feel about you?"

  Her heart fluttered, and she took a deep breath. "Rameez, I know how you feel about love. You don't have to explain yourself."

  "Damn it, Wynifred." Before she could say anything, he'd gathered her in his arms and leaned down for a searing kiss. It was the kind of kiss that left her absolutely breathless, and when he finally pulled back, she swayed. If his arms weren't around her, she would have fallen. "A few weeks ago, I would have told you that love wasn't worth the effort, but then you walked into my life. Wynifred, I love you. I lost ten years of my life on that island thinking that you were in danger. I can't even begin to imagine a future without you, and if that means that I have to fight for you, then I will."

  Her stomach flipped, and she put a trembling hand on his chest. "You seemed so sure that you had no room in your life for love," she whispered.

  "That's because I hadn't met anyone worth fighting for. Love is a whimsical idea until you're actually in love. Then it's every breath, every heartbeat. My actions have been as bad as Haris, and I would understand if you're done with this whole family, but I couldn't let you go until you knew how serious I was about you. About us."

  Relief and joy swept through her, and she sagged against him. "You're not the only one to blame here," she said with a slow smile. "I always thought love would be easy, but it's ridiculous to think that something so powerful wouldn't take at least some effort. I do love you."

  "Are you going to stay?"

  With a chuckle, she lifted her head and rested her chin on his chest. "Are you going to wait for me?"

  "Until I'm old and withered," he promised her.

  She grinned and raised herself up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss. He wouldn't have to wait long for her. She’d be back once she fulfilled her obligations to her publisher. Her heart was with him.

  Epilogue

  "You're late," Haris growled over the phone. "She's going to kill you."

  "I know," Rameez muttered. "There was something I had to do first. I'm pulling into the driveway now." Disconnecting the call, he grabbed the present and bolted from the car. Everyone was already seated and stirring in the backyard. Their heads turned as he hurried down the aisle. Haris had his arms crossed and glared at him.

  Ignoring his cousin, Rameez stopped at the first row of chairs and bent down to kiss his mother's cheek. They were much rosier than they had been, and she'd even gained some weight. She looked stunning in her traditional blue gown and jewels. "Mother," he said in a low voice.

  "I did not raise you to keep us waiting like this," she said softly, but there was a twinkle in her eye. "You look so handsome."

  Bending down, he put the present in her lap. "Can you hold on to this for me? I didn't think it would take me so long to get ahold of it. Keep it safe for me until after the ceremony."

  She raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

  "A present," he said vaguely as he winked at her. Joining his cousin, he adjusted his tuxedo and waited. Next to his mother sat the Khalidizack family. The Sheikh winked at him, and his sons smirked. He knew they were all happy to see him finally settle down.

  The music began, and Rameez felt time stand still when his eyes landed on his beautiful bride. Her green dress hugged her hips and cascaded to the floor. She'd opted for something that showed off her creamy bare shoulders, and his mother's wedding necklace was nestled in her cleavage.

  It wasn't only the dress that captivated him. She radiated with happiness. She would soon be his forever, and it had erased all the stress and worry lines that had gathered in her face. She knew that he would take care of her, that he would love her.

  And he would. Everything in his life paled for this moment.

  When they reached the front, Qaura took her bouquet and winked at Rameez. "You did good," she whispered.