Richard lay on his bed, staring grimly at the roof of his tent. A burning pain throbbed in his left shoulder where his wound was beginning to heal, but it didn't compare to the ache in his heart. His memories of the last two weeks were hazy, but he clearly remembered every detail of the day he had been shot.
Lord Rawlins had intended to kill him. It had been sheer luck that the bullet passed through Richard's shoulder rather than his heart. He had lost a lot of blood, but with Fatima and Samiya nursing him diligently night and day, he had survived. Now, he lay weak as a kitten on his bed, with nothing to think about except Karina.
Disbelief had been his first reaction to her betrayal. He had refused to accept that she had wanted Rawlins to kill him. However, the more Richard thought about that day, he had to admit that there was no way Rawlins could have known all the details of her abduction and her relationship with him unless Karina had told him.
That knowledge sliced through Richard's heart like a knife. He had been convinced that she loved him and wanted to stay with him. She must have been planning to leave him all along and had only been using her body to convince him that she cared for him. Karina was quite the little actress!
Denial was quickly replaced by anger, and that emotion simmered and festered in greater intensity with each passing day. What a fool he had been! He knew that his plans for revenge against William Sinclair had been a mistake. Richard had been directing his anger at the wrong man from the beginning. He had regretted his actions before, feeling a burden of guilt for having hurt Karina. Any guilt he suffered was long gone. Karina was a cold-hearted, deceitful, disloyal, insincere...
Richard was jerked from his bitter contemplation by Amir poking his head inside the tent. His friend smiled warmly and came to stand over Richard.
"You are looking better with each passing day. I think you will live, my friend."
Richard smiled weakly and nodded. "You can't get rid of me that easily." His eyes scanned Amir's dusty clothing. "Do you have news of Karina?"
Amir sat beside the bed and frowned. "Yes, but you are not going to like the news I bring." He watched Richard carefully before continuing. "I did just as you requested. I contacted our men inside William Sinclair's house." He hesitated slightly and winced as he said the next words. "I'm sorry to tell you Rashid, but Karina was married to Lord Rawlins the day after her return to Cairo."
"What!" Richard roared the word as he tried to sit upright on the bed. His sudden movement caused shards of pain to rip through is shoulder, and he couldn't suppress a groan of agony. He didn't know which hurt worse, the wound in his shoulder, or the burning ache in his heart.
While Richard had been stewing over Karina's betrayal for the past two weeks, he had been secretly hoping that he would hear some news to prove that she had not really turned her back on him so coldly. The news that she had married another man the very day after she had ordered him killed left him little doubt about her true feelings. She couldn't have done something so heartless if she had any feelings for him. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut and swallowed against the pain in his heart.
Amir placed a hand on his uninjured shoulder. "Easy, my friend. Reopening your wound won't change matters." He gave Richard a stern look before resuming his report. "It seems the newlyweds are exceedingly happy together. They have attended social gatherings on several occasions. From all accounts, her husband dotes on her. Rumor has it, he is so enamored with her that he bought her an entire new wardrobe." Amir cleared his throat nervously. "Their servants whisper about how much time they spend alone in his bedroom. Apparently, Karina hasn't even been to visit her father since her marriage. She sent him a note saying that she needed time alone with her new husband." Amir raised one disgusted eyebrow, waiting for his friend's reaction to that bit of news.
The thought of Karina in another man's bed tore at Richard's gut. The speed with which she had married was bad enough. Hearing news of what an eager bride she was felt like rubbing salt into an open wound. Richard's eyes burned with both pain and fury. When he spoke, his voice was a savage growl.
"I want you to plant several men in and around Rawlins' home. I want to know every detail of Karina's daily routine, where she goes, what she does, what she wears, everything!"
Amir watched him worriedly. "What are you planning Rashid?"
Richard looked at him, and the deadly gleam in his eyes made the Amir more than a little apprehensive. "I am planning to ensure that Rawlins pays for everything he has done."
Amir nodded grimly. "What about Karina?"
Richard gritted his teeth. "She carries my child. I won't let her take my child from me. As for Karina..." Richard paused for several moments as he struggled to swallow the lump in his throat. "Karina no longer has a place in my life."
Richard turned away, effectively dismissing Amir. When the other man had left, Richard squeezed his eyes tightly shut. He felt utterly empty, and for the first time, he almost wished Rawlins' aim had been better.
**********
Over the next four weeks, Richard drove himself at a frenzied pace to regain his former strength. He was obsessed by his need for revenge, and he knew that he had to completely recover before he could carry out his plans. At first, his progress was very slow. Even small tasks were difficult or impossible. With grim determination, he gradually made progress until Fatima declared him fully recovered.
While his days were filled with physical activity, his nights were pure hell. He spent countless hours alone in his bed, staring into the darkness and thinking of Karina. Part of him hated her and only wanted to punish her for everything she had done. But another part, the part that he tried desperately to quash, longed for her. His body craved the feel of her soft curves, and he remembered her clean womanly scent. Her image was burned on his brain. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her. He remembered every nuance of her expressions, from anger to passion to loving tenderness. At least he had been fooled into thinking it was loving tenderness.
Richard longed for more than just Karina's body. He yearned for her sweet companionship, although he now knew that too had been a facade. He missed the time they had spent together, talking and laughing. He missed the joy she had brought to his life.
He tried to concentrate on how he was going to punish her. However, every night, when he slept, Richard's mind would relax, and Karina the seductress would haunt his dreams. He often woke in the middle of the night, heavily aroused and longing to possess her, only to remember that her place beside him was cold and empty. He would squeeze his eyes tightly shut and try to resume his dream rather than face reality without Karina.
During Richard's recovery, Samiya worked hard to instill herself into his heart. She tirelessly nursed him back to health, and she gave him gentle, healing massages after he had worked his body to the point of exhaustion. Richard appreciated her efforts, but she failed to stir his emotions.
One evening, Samiya followed Richard back to his tent after dinner. He heard her enter the tent, and he turned as she approached with a seductive sway of her hips. She stopped a few feet away, and without a word, she slipped her dress off her shoulders. She stood naked before him, but the sight of her left him cold.
