by Holly Rayner
Alyssa scoffed and rolled her eyes. At the same time, her heart ached. She missed Lucy’s quick wit. Her optimism. The way she could take any situation, no matter how dire, and find a silver lining in it.
“I wish you were here,” Alyssa said.
Lucy sighed. “Yeah, I do too. A part of me will never forgive Ali for taking you away from New York. Then again, he does have a private jet that he offered to let me use, so that makes it more bearable.”
“Good to know the jet and I are equally valued in your mind.”
Lucy giggled. “Where’s Rashid?” she asked.
“He and Kinsley went to the park.”
There was a muffled voice on the other end of the line—an unmistakably male voice.
“Hold on, Alyssa,” Lucy said. “One second.”
She must have either covered the phone or put it on mute, because when Alyssa next heard something, it was the sound of a door closing.
“Lucy,” Alyssa said slowly.
“Yeah?”
“Is there a man in your apartment?”
“You got me,” Lucy said softly. “I’m hiding in the bathroom so I can tell you about him.”
“He doesn’t mind you being on the phone with me?”
“Psshh. No. He’s thrilled to just be here. This whole thing is illicit, which only makes it more exciting.”
“I knew it!” Alyssa screeched. “It’s the new partner.”
“Yeah, it is.”
“So, you guys brought some work home, huh?” Alyssa teased.
“Actually, I think we’ll be taking a break tonight,” Lucy giggled. “You won’t tell anyone, right?”
“Of course I won’t. And besides, who would I have to tell? I don’t talk to anyone from the office, anymore.”
“That’s funny. Jamie makes it sound like you guys are BFFs.”
“Really?” Alyssa asked in surprise. Back when Alyssa worked at the firm, it often seemed Jamie went out of her way to be rude to her.
“I’m really glad to hear your voice,” Lucy said.
Alyssa beamed. “Aw, Lu. I miss you. You’ll come soon, right? And bring your Romeo, if you want. You guys can have a secret escapade over here.”
“If anything, I’m coming to see you,” Lucy said. “But…”
“You can’t say no to an escapade.”
“Exactly,” Lucy giggled. “I’m gonna go. We’re ordering delivery. Let’s talk tomorrow, okay? I’ll call you after work.”
“Okay, Juliet. Talk to you tomorrow.”
“And, hey. Everything will be fine with the C-section. You’re gonna rock it, just like you do everything else.”
“Thanks, Lu,” Alyssa murmured.
They said their goodbyes and hung up, and Alyssa sat on the edge of her bed for a few minutes, enjoying the warm calm enveloping her. She was grateful that she could talk to her best friend face to face at the touch of a button; she needed her support now more than ever.
Chapter 9
Alyssa
Not five minutes after hanging up the phone, the doorbell rang. Alyssa checked the time on her cell. Dr. Latifi had arrived a little early.
Heading downstairs as swiftly, but carefully, as she could, Alyssa crossed the front hall and went to the door. She didn’t bother peeking through the peephole. The guard would only have let someone through if they were a known friend or had an appointment.
But upon opening the door, Alyssa found herself standing there in shock. A man was on the front porch, but one she had never seen before.
“Hello,” she said. Was he an associate of Ali’s?
“Hello, Mrs. bin Talid.” He bowed low. “I am Dr. Zahid Malouf. I’m here to examine you.”
Alyssa felt her eyebrows push together. “Where is Dr. Latifi?”
“She had to attend to a birth. Rather last-minute.” He smiled. “As those can sometimes be.”
“Of course.” Alyssa nodded. “Sorry. Please come in.”
Alyssa moved out of the way. Before shutting the front door, she caught sight of a silver sedan in the driveway.
Dr. Malouf hovered in the middle of the foyer, black bag in hand, and looked around thoughtfully. “You have a lovely home.”
“Thanks. Can I get you anything?”
He turned and smiled at her again. “No, thank you, Mrs. bin Talid. I wouldn’t want to disturb your butler.”
Alyssa laughed. “We don’t have a butler.”
“Or your housekeeper.”
“We don’t really have that either,” Alyssa said. “At least, she doesn’t live here.”
“Ah. You live modestly. I admire that.” Dr. Malouf turned back around. “Where is a comfortable area to examine you?”
“The kitchen?” Alyssa suggested, pointing the way.
In the kitchen, he set his bag on the floor, and Alyssa settled into a chair.
“I like your bag.” She pointed. “Very classic.”
“Yes, thank you.” Taking a seat next to her, he opened the bag up. “A nod back to the days when house calls were a standard practice.”
The babies started moving in earnest, to the point that it felt like they were having a wrestling match in there. Alyssa put her hands on her belly, enjoying the feel of them moving against her palms. In just a few days, this part of her life would be over. She would be holding the twins in her arms.
Dr. Malouf shifted a few things around in his bag and brought out a stethoscope.
A thought occurred to Alyssa. “Is there a possibility Dr. Latifi won’t be able to make my scheduled C-section on Friday? What if she has to be at another birth?”
“Oh, no. That will not happen. When we schedule those at the practice, the obstetrician makes sure to attend.” Dr. Malouf looked at the clock on the wall behind Alyssa.
Alyssa nodded. When she’d still thought this would be a natural birth, she had known there would be the possibility one of the other doctors at the practice would end up delivering the babies instead. She’d met a couple of these doctors, but Dr. Malouf hadn’t been among them.
Alyssa was about to ask him about this, but he stood, stethoscope in hand.
“May I listen?” he asked, stepping behind her.
Alyssa moved her hair out of the way, and Dr. Malouf placed the stethoscope against her upper back. For a minute, only the ticking of the clock and Alyssa’s long, deep breaths filled the kitchen.
“How have you been feeling?” he asked, putting the stethoscope away. “Has anything out of the ordinary occurred?”
Alyssa thought over the last few days before answering. “I think everything has been pretty normal. I feel like I’ve grown in just a couple days, but that’s all.”
Dr. Malouf took out a pen and small pad of paper. “Any heartburn?”
“No. My feet and ankles have been swelling lots, even if I just spend twenty minutes on them.”
He jotted something down onto the paper. “That is to be expected. Let’s get your blood pressure.”
Again, he looked at the clock.
“Ready when you are,” Alyssa said, assuming he had another patient to hurry to.
She extended her arm, and Dr. Malouf secured the blood pressure cuff. He squeezed the balloon, and the band tightened uncomfortably around Alyssa’s arm. She pressed her lips together and waited for it to be over.
Dr. Malouf watched the monitor, his lips turning into a frown.
Alyssa’s heart lurched. “Is something wrong?”
“No, it…hmm.” He removed the cuff. “Actually, Mrs. bin Talid, your blood pressure is rather high. Please don’t be alarmed, but I would like to take you to the hospital for further tests.”
“The hospital?” Alyssa said, her voice rising.
“Yes. Again, there is no cause for alarm.”
The swiftness with which he packed up his bag told another story.
Alyssa’s heart hammered against her rib cage, and one of the babies kicked her, hard. She pressed her hands to her side. Would her little ones be okay?
“What would cause my blood pressure to be high?” she asked.
“There are a variety of things. It’s best if we do not jump to conclusions.”
Alyssa stood. “I’ll—I’ll get my purse.”
Leaving the kitchen, Alyssa noticed her hands were shaking. She curled them into fists to get them to stop, but it didn’t do much good.
Where on earth had she put her purse?
She searched through the living room, aware of the doctor waiting by the front door. One glance at him told her he was anxious. He wanted to leave right away.
Alyssa swallowed against a lump in her throat and went upstairs. Finally, she found her purse hanging on the back of her bedroom door. Grabbing it, she joined Dr. Malouf in the foyer.
“I’m ready.”
“Very good.” He nodded and opened the door. “After you, Mrs. bin Talid.”
Alyssa remembered to grab her house keys just in time. The day was a balmy one, with a slight breeze that carried the scent of flowers from a neighbor’s garden. Alyssa wished she could stop and enjoy it, but her mind was spinning and her stomach flopping.
Dr. Malouf opened the car door for her, and though he stood and waited until she was fully seated to get behind the wheel, there was still an impatience about him, as if there was something he didn’t want to tell her.
They took off down the drive at a quick pace, Dr. Malouf barely giving the gate enough time to open for them. Alyssa caught sight of Malek in the small guardhouse, but even raising a hand in a goodbye felt like a difficult task. Her hands still trembled, and her stomach had tied itself into knots.
Alyssa breathed in deeply, but it did no good. She was incredibly nervous.
“Does this happen often?” she asked.
“What was that?” Dr. Malouf leaned forward in his seat, his hands tight on the steering wheel. He didn’t look at her when he spoke.
“High blood pressure late in pregnancy,” Alyssa said.
“Sometimes, yes.” His jaw ticked, and he looked even more anxious than when they had left the house.
“But it’s not necessarily dangerous, right?” she asked.
“No, no. Not necessarily.”
Alyssa nodded. She wanted to ask more, but it seemed like Dr. Malouf didn’t want to have a conversation. Gone was the smiling, calm man who had entered her foyer not ten minutes earlier.
Despite his assurances that everything would be fine, a needling sensation crept up Alyssa’s neck. There was a tension in the car, and her stomach had started to flop around like a flailing fish.
She glanced in the backseat and found it pristine. The same was true with the front of the car. No cups. No trash. Not even sunglasses or parking passes. The mats were clean. The car looked like it had been driven off the sales lot that very day.
“Is your car new?” Alyssa asked.
“What was that?” he asked again, and glanced at her so quickly there was no way he had really taken her face in.
“Your car looks new,” Alyssa said. “It’s so clean.”
“No. I’ve had it for a few months.”
Alyssa drew her bottom lip between her teeth. Something wasn’t right.
Perhaps she shouldn’t have gotten in a car with this man. He’d said he was a doctor and he had carried a black bag, and so she’d trusted him. Looking back, Alyssa saw how stupid this was. This stranger could be anyone.
Except, why would he be taking her to the hospital? Unless…
Dr. Malouf increased his speed, and the car went right by the entry ramp to the highway. As far as Alyssa knew, they had just passed the quickest route to the hospital.
Her mouth went dry, and her palms began sweating. Should she say something? Accuse him of not taking her where he said she would?
No. She had to play it cool. If he knew she suspected things were amiss, that could trigger him. He could become angry or start driving faster in order to hurry up and get to whatever secret place he was taking them to.
She had to keep talking. Act like she suspected nothing.
“What kinds of tests did you say we’ll be doing?” Alyssa asked, afraid her voice noticeably shook.
“Routine ones.” He cleared his throat, and his hold on the steering wheel tightened even more.
“Like an ultrasound?”
“Exactly.”
Alyssa nodded. “And will Dr. Latifi join us?”
“If she…gets the…chance.” Dr. Malouf glanced in the rearview mirror, then glanced in the side mirror, as if worried someone was tailing them.
Alyssa looked in her side mirror, as well. There was a moderate amount of traffic on the road. Could there be a way for her to alert someone and ask for help?
She could roll the window down. Wave her arms and mouth “Help.”
Except the idea came too late. They were taking a turn, weaving through a residential area where there was very little traffic and not a soul on the sidewalks.
Alyssa looked at where her purse rested in the seat, next to her thigh.
“We are taking the back way to the hospital,” Dr. Malouf said. “In case you were wondering.”
“Oh.” Alyssa’s heart pounded in the base of her throat. Fear made it difficult to say anything else.
Ali’s parents had been right. They’d needed more security, after all. The guard had simply allowed them to drive away from the house; he hadn’t known what was going on. A full-time bodyguard would have gone with Alyssa. He wouldn’t have allowed her to be kidnapped.
Kidnapped.
A cold shiver went through her. Would Dr. Malouf—or whoever he was—hold Alyssa for ransom? For how long? And what about her babies? What if there was some kind of complication?
Doing her best not to draw attention to her movements, Alyssa dug her hand through her purse in a search for her phone.
Malouf was sharp, though. “What are you looking for?” he asked.
Alyssa hesitated—then decided to test him. It could be she was wrong, and everything Malouf said was true.
“I’m calling Ali,” she said, “and telling him to meet us at the hospital.”
Malouf’s whole body stiffened. “That won’t be necessary,” he snapped.
Alyssa felt her jaw drop.
“We will call him when we…get there.” Again, he avoided looking at her.
Alyssa’s face heated up. She’d been right. This man wasn’t who he said he was, and he had no intention of taking her to the hospital.
Her pulse roared in her ears. Maybe, without Malouf noticing, she could dial the authorities while the purse was in her phone. Like in the States, Baqar’s emergency services had a simple three-digit number.
Alyssa looked down without moving her head. She couldn’t see the phone, but if she only put her hand in a little deeper…
It wasn’t there.
Alyssa’s heart sunk like a stone. The purse was too small for anything to go missing in it. She’d left her phone at home. That, or Malouf had somehow taken it when she wasn’t looking.
Ice filled Alyssa’s veins, and she stared at the road in front of them as it slipped underneath the sedan’s wheels. With every breath she took, the doctor—if he even was a doctor—carried her further from home, and closer to an uncertain fate.
Chapter 10
Alyssa
“Where are we going?”
Malouf didn’t answer. He sat in the same position he’d been in for the last fifteen or twenty minutes—face forward, shoulders hunched, hands glued to the steering wheel. Only his jaw moved with an occasional tick.
“I said—” Alyssa’s voice shook, and she took a deep breath and tried again. “Where are we going?”
Her voice was stronger and clearer this time, but still her captor didn’t respond. They had been driving for a good while without saying anything, and though Alyssa didn’t know Baqar even a fraction of the way she knew New York, she understood they were driving into a suburban area, west of the city center.
“You aren’t goin
g to answer me?” she asked.
“It’s best if you do not know.”
Alyssa gawked at him. Tears filled her eyes, and she blinked them back. She wouldn’t give this monster the satisfaction of seeing her cry. She might have been shaking with fear, but she would do everything she could to not show it.
And so, she sat there, muscles tight and mind racing. The car would have to stop at some point. When it did, her chance would be there. She would have to survey the surroundings and think fast if she wanted to get away.
At this point, Alyssa only assumed Malouf wanted to hold her ransom. Really, she didn’t know what his plans were. It could be that he had something even more sinister up his sleeve.
A chill went down Alyssa’s spine, and she forced herself not to fabricate things. The best thing she could do was stay alert and calm.
The houses became further and further apart, the hills higher, and the scrubby bushes more prominent. Half of the homes they passed didn’t even look occupied. While most of Baqar lived in relative prosperity, Alyssa had found herself in one of its less fortunate areas.
The car slowed, and Malouf turned into the driveway of an unassuming house. The blinds were pulled and the yard was dusty, devoid of the landscaping that many Baqari homeowners prioritized. Either the house had been unoccupied for a very long time, or whoever occupied it now didn’t care about maintenance.
Was this Malouf’s house?
An attached garage had empty pots and a rake stacked outside of it. Malouf pulled a clicker from his pocket, and the garage’s door squeaked as it slowly rose.
The darkness from inside the garage reached out for Alyssa, and a wave of panic went through her. She tried her door handle but found it locked.
In a last-ditch attempt to escape before Malouf moved her into an even scarier confined space, Alyssa looked around the car for something she could use as a weapon. A pen. Nail clippers. Anything!
Her initial survey of the car had been spot-on, though. There was nothing in it. Worse, they were in the garage, and the door closed behind them with a sickening scratch against concrete.
