"Except that this isn't a Boeing 747 going from London to Paris. It's a private corporate jet chartered by my friend Najib to carry us to his wedding."
"Hopefully Mr. Al Makar will notice when we don't show up."
"He'd better. I'm his best man." His blue eyes flashed grim humor. "But they won't think to look for us out here in the desert. We'll be lucky if anyone flies over at all."
The air in the plane was getting hotter. "Do you think we should try to get outside?" She could see sand almost up to the level of the windows on one side and had a sudden vision of suffocating in there.
"Yes, but first let's find out what we have for water and food. There should be water supplies on the plane for events such as this." They dug through the area in the back of the plane that served as a small galley and discovered that the two five-gallon jugs of water that should have been secured there had been removed.
Deep foreboding clawed at her gut. "I'm starting to get a feeling that someone wants us dead."
"Or wants me dead, and you have the bad luck to be with me." His chiseled features tightened. "My brother Osman has suspected some kind of conspiracy against our family since our father died." He looked right at her. "My father was king of a country you've probably never heard of."
"Ubar." She knew more about Zadir Al Kilanjar than she cared to admit, due to her weakness for celebrity gossip. "I read about his death in the paper, and that he divided the kingdom among his three sons."
He nodded. "Can't say I was too happy about it. In general, I prefer the Left Bank of Paris to the empty desert. Damn, there's no food, either." The mini-fridge was empty, not even an ice cube in the tiny freezer compartment.
"I have some water in my bag." She walked back to her seat, balancing herself on the seat backs. She had four small bottles of Evian and a big mister of spring water.
"What's the spray bottle for?" He joined her.
"My skin gets dry on airplanes." She felt a little embarrassed by it. "Spritzing it feels really good." She fished around the bottom of her bag and pulled out a bag of cashews and an energy bar. "But this is all the food I have."
"I'm glad you're a good traveler. I don't even have a single peanut or a drop of water."
"I'm happy to share." Then she felt stupid for saying it. What kind of person wouldn't share her water with someone after a plane crash in the desert? "Though I don't suppose it will last long."