Byzantine Gold (29 page)

Charlotte let go of the sword and raised her hands. Atakan managed to get the confusion sorted out fast. Security confiscated both guns and the sword. They radioed for an ambulance and had the crying Rana sit in a chair while Charlotte and Atakan dressed in the bathroom.

Within minutes uniformed police officers arrived followed shortly afterward by the ambulance. One of the officers would ride with the medics to the hospital where Rana’s broken arm would be treated. Once she was out of emergency, she’d be transported to the jail hospital ward.

As Rana started to step through the door with the officer escorting her, she turned to Charlotte.

“I loved him,” she said, cradling her blue-black and purple discolored arm.

“Not as much as I love Atakan.”

  #

After they gave their statements and the detectives granted them permission to leave, Atakan and Charlotte were moved to a different suite.

Charlotte sank down onto the bed and then popped back up at the knock at the door.

“Relax,” Atakan said and went to the door. He looked through the peephole and opened the door. One of the detectives stood in the hallway. He and Atakan talked briefly.

“What did he want?” Charlotte asked.

“To give me an update and to tell me I can pick up my gun tomorrow at the station.”

“What was the update?”

“Rana told them where Tischenko’s boat was and they’d have to hurry if they wanted to apprehend his accomplice. They caught him. He admitted to bribing a room service waiter...who is no longer employed here. Rightfully so in my opinion.”

“Good.”

She didn’t jump when someone knocked on the door again. She and Atakan took turns at the peephole when the party identified himself as
room service.

They opened the door to a creepy déjà vu scene. Standing there was a waiter with a bucket of champagne, a bowl of strawberries and a huge bouquet of roses on a cloth-covered cart.

A man in a nicely tailored suit who had been next to the waiter ushered the waiter inside. He introduced himself as the hotel manager and explained how much he regrets the attempt on Atakan’s life occurred in his hotel. By way of apology, he personally chose a bottle of Cristal champagne
from our private
stock
. He instructed the waiter to open the champagne and wished them a pleasant stay for the remainder of their time.

“The stinkers. I asked if they carried Cristal when I booked the room. I wanted to order us a bottle for this evening. They told me no,” Charlotte said after the manager and waiter left.

Atakan embraced her from behind. “You saved my life twice today. I guess now I’ll have to marry you.”

Charlotte pressed her back into his chest. “I should say yes, if only to end your tragically unromantic marriage proposals.” She felt his smile against her neck.

“I’m serious about our marrying.”

“Immigration isn’t a problem for me now so why do you want to marry?”

“I didn’t like the way Tischenko said,
your woman
in his threats.”

“They’re just words Atakan. Chatter from an evil man.”

He turned her in his arms. “It wasn’t words but the how he spoke them—the dismissive way he referred to you.”

“Atakan—”

“He diminished your importance to me. Never again will I have someone think of you as
just
my woman
.
”

She hugged him, burying her face in the crook of his neck, she told him, “You are my world and I love that I am yours.” Then, she raised her head, leaned back in his embrace, and smiled. “Although technically that wasn’t a proposal, it was the best non-proposal ever.”  

“I’ll check into French law to see if anything special is required.”

“French law?”

“I want to marry there. We’ll finish our vacation, only this time it is our honeymoon.”