Page 71 of Warlord’s Empire

He smiled indulgently. “I will not need a translator, but I would appreciate an impartial observer. My contact and I both speak French, a language I believe you are fluent in?” At her nod, he continued, “I do not speak Sango, his birth language, but as you have an aptitude for languages, you may pick some up.”

She knew he likely didn’t need her there, but she was excited for the opportunity. The next morning as she prepared for their flight, she chose an outfit that was both professional and stylish. A dark blue sleeveless dress that covered her from neck to knees but clung to her curves. She added a pair of two-inch black heels, a black bag, and a flower-patterned blue silk scarf.

“You are too beautiful for me,” Radik said when she joined him for the short drive to the airstrip. He bent to kiss her, his lips lingering against her cheek.

He wore his usual outfit of dark green combat fatigues, combat boots, a black beret, and dark green jacket with his medals displayed on his chest. He looked military through and through.

Shola joined them, of course, because where Saskia went, Shola went. Along with Shola were five others who Saskia didn’t recognize. As the plane prepared to take off, she realized the five extras were talking and joking as though they were good friends.

“They’re from the same unit,” Radik explained, bending to speak in her ear.

“Unit? But aren’t they your people?”

He nodded. “They are, but I have several thousand soldiers working for me from across the globe. They form units, each with their own leaders and camp commanders. These men are all from the Central African Republic, like my contact.”

“Are you the camp commander for Marifiya?” she asked.

“No, but I was until recently. Nuani has taken over so I can enjoy my retirement.” He pulled her hand to his mouth, kissing her fingers as his gaze lingered on her face.

She loved how hands-on he was with her, even around his soldiers. He wasn’t shy about his love.

The flight took less than an hour, including takeoff and landing, but Saskia enjoyed her time in the air, her gaze on the landscape below. It was mostly thick trees with the occasional town peeking out from the heavy brush. She thought they were flying west, but she wasn’t sure.

They landed on the outskirts of a city.

“Where are we?” Saskia asked as she descended from the plane to the tarmac, shading her eyes with a hand as she looked around.

“We’re in Bangui,” he answered, taking her arm and directing her toward a black SUV with tinted windows.

“Central African Republic,” she said automatically. She’d minored in geography, thinking it would go well with a linguistics degree. Once Radik had made himself known to her, she’d paid particular attention to the continent of Africa.

“Indeed,” he said. “It is a neighboring border city to the RDC.”

She climbed into the waiting SUV, Radik sliding in with her and Shola taking the front with a driver. Saskia twisted in her seat to watch the rest of their party get into another vehicle.

Radik hadn’t briefed her on the meeting and she might have wondered if he was trying to deliberately keep her in the dark but having watched him around his people for the past several weeks, she decided it was just part of his character.

He rarely gave away what he was thinking and was even more tight-lipped if tactics were involved. He seemed to be the guy who thought big, then delegated what needed to be delegated to his staff. He wasn’t used to explaining himself, which was fine for his employees, but not his future wife. They were going to have to work on his sharing skills, but for now, Saskia was content to sit back and enjoy this new experience.

She couldn’t help but stare at everything as their driver maneuvered the SUV away from the airport, the other vehicle following close behind. They drove past multi-story buildings, parks and people.

“Oh, are we here already?” she asked, disappointed as they pulled up to a curb less than fifteen minutes from the airport.

“My apologies,” Radik said, his body language stiff as he waited for their security to surround the vehicle before opening his door. “If you like it here, we can come back and spend a few days.”

“I won’t know if I like it here because so far I’ve only seen an airport and…” She looked up as Radik helped her from the vehicle, using his larger body to block hers from sight. “A hospital?” she finished, reading the sign on the building. “Is someone sick?”

Radik placed his hand at her back and urged her to hurry indoors, his gaze constantly scanning the street around them. She was slightly taken aback by his stiff, professional demeaner. He was different in Marifiya, where he would walk down the street with relaxed ease.

He’d acted this way in Pretoria too, but she’d been so preoccupied by her kidnapping she hadn’t paid much attention.

“Are you expecting an attack?” she asked in a low voice as he whisked her into the building where his people fanned out to do a security check.

Radik’s expression was closed, but she could tell he was weighing his words carefully. “Always, it’s how I’m still alive. You don’t need to worry though, I don’t expect anything imminent.”

She nodded slowly. “I understand.” She really did. She’d lived this type of thing her entire life.

Warmth entered his eyes as he smiled at her. “I expect you do, but it’s not what I wanted for you. I wanted…”